Street Fighter II': Champion Edition
(based on the only contemporary and exclusive console port—on the NEC PC Engine—to include AI difficulty settings)Methodology and ulterior remarks
With the help of gameplay footage, acquired from others or myself, I am hoping to catch a glimpse of all possible—and most importantly, recurrent—situations in each match-up in order to devise flowcharts that can be further validated or improved upon by way of comparing frame data, collision boxes, etc. The following strategy guides, above all, try to address the singleplayer campaign and therefore how the AI reasons at each difficulty level. For now, I will concern myself only with 4-star (a.k.a. Normal) and 8-star (a.k.a. Hardest). I find the current guides inadequate as they would not even suffice to beat the game on Normal difficulty, much less facilitate players' growth. I believe that understanding 4-star AI requires a good part of conscientious and sincere comprehension of the game's more technical aspect. 8-star, however, due to its inhuman inputs and reaction time, strips the game and characters' design to an essential point. Outside of the strategy aspects, my page only (unless democracy decides otherwise) will contain other material I consider useful to further study, such as damage-per-frame.
Ryu
against Ryu
[4*]
[8*]
against E. Honda
[4*]
[8*]
against Blanka
[4*]
[8*]
against Guile
[4*]
[8*]
against Ken
[4*]
[8*]
against Chun-Li
[4*]
[8*]
against Zangief
[4*]
[8*]
against Dhalsim
[4*]
[8*]
against Boxer
[4*]
[8*]
against Claw
[4*]
[8*]
against Sagat
It is inarguably Ryu's worst match-up, as it is almost strictly defensive in nature due to Sagat's specials:
- Ryu's only true response to a Tiger Shot is a Hadouken, which only defends from a hit and does nothing to change the order of initiative;
- Any attempt at a jump-in, or even just jumping in place can be violently punished with a Tiger Uppercut or a Tiger Knee, which contribute massively to Ryu becoming dizzy;
- Ryu must be especially careful when punishing a Tiger Uppercut so as not to become the victim of Sagat's response upon recovery;
- On the off-chance that Ryu punishes a Tiger Knee with a j.P for example, Sagat will recover before and easily hit back.
The dynamic of this match-up is very similar to the mirror match, although Ryu can much more reliably be pressured by Sagat and forced into a strictly defensive encounter where chip damage might be one of the few tools at Ryu's disposal to find victory. Against a less trained player, Ryu can lead limited counter-offensives due to Sagat's large hurtbox making him easily comboable at close range, but those opportunities should not be expected as a general rule. For example, closing distance with a forward walk should be expected to fail, as Sagat can easily punish with his s.MK and s.HK, which will contribute dramatic damage and stun. That is the AI's tactic, but a player could use the massive frame advantage of attacks like s.MK or cr.MP to set up health traps.
[4*] Ironically, HP Shoryuken is to be reserved only for the final hit of a round against him, as he will systematically punish it with a Tiger Uppercut, even if Ryu punished this exact attack right before as Sagat's recovery is quick enough to allow it. Tiger Uppercut should be punished with LP Shoryuken, s.HK (incl. cl.HK) and sweeps (cr.HK). Jump-ins are tolerable as a response to his projectile spam but distance must carefully be considered so as not to be on the receiving end of a Tiger Uppercut. A good rule of thumb, just as with the mirror match, is to avoid jumping forwards over a projectile three times in a row. The player should wait for the AI to take steps back between projectiles, and do neutral jumps until the distance warrants another jump-in. Never use Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku as you will receive a Tiger Uppercut and mind your distance when starting a projectile war, as Sagat's considerable reach allows him destructive aerial pokes. Theoretically, it is possible to acquire a cheese win by walking towards Sagat and timing a sweep (cr.HK) when he goes for his m.HK, and similarly baiting him upon each recovery. However, this shenanigan requires perfect coordination and can just as easily be thrown out the window if Sagat blocks, after which he can pressure Ryu with projectile spam into a jump forward whereupon a single Tiger Uppercut can upset any previously earned results. It is best to avoid entirely.
[8*] In yet another bout of irony, the strategy is much the same whichever the difficulty, although Sagat is now much better at appreciating distances and throwing off player timing. While the strategy remains, the approach should become more risk-averse, with a greater emphasis on neutral j.HKs and cr.MKs to prevent push back against Sagat's attempts to pressure Ryu into a corner, whereupon Sagat's superior reach, speed and damage will swiftly end the round. Do not abuse neutral j.HK as Sagat will Tiger Knee Ryu out of the sky and connect with a Tiger Shot upon recovery. Although landing a ToD on Sagat does not require a crossup (diagonal j.HK), on this difficulty setting it is nearly impossible to catch a standing Sagat off-guard with an s.HP, and using any Shoryuken for a reason other than punishing Tiger Uppercut is suicidal.
against Dictator
Ryu is gifted with the technical ability to punish every one of Dictator's specials. Some tactics may require frame-perfect inputs, but others are reliable against any opponent:
- Hadouken can be used to punish both the Psycho Crusher and Double Knee Press from a distance, or at least prevent multiple hits from up close;
- Shoryuken can punish the Double Knee Press in a 4f window with no drawbacks, is an easy punish for the Head Press rebound, and can be used in a pinch against the Psycho Crusher;
- Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku has a more limited use against Dictator's specials, being able to counter, from starting distance, the Psycho Crusher, although with an unforgiving margin of only 2f.
Not only that, but the Head Press is particularly weak against Ryu's superior normals, which allow a Ryu player to respond to it very unpredictably, as he can punish it with standing, crouching and even aerial normals. Additionally, Dictator's quirky collisions will often lead Ryu to be in his back, especially around corners, which makes him highly vulnerable to any attack. A trained player can therefore easily place a ToD against a turned Dictator, which is sure to dizzy him. It is impossible for a Ryu with proper reactivity to be pressured by Dictator.
That is why I find it difficult to believe that Dictator is considered one of Ryu's few unfavourable match-ups. Even on 8-star difficulty, he was probably my least formidable opponent after Boxer, whereas Blanka (considered more favourable in the tierlist) relentlessly kicked my ass to where my only avenue to make it out alive was the cheese kick. Mere skill issue?
[4*] Computer-controlled Dictator, provided the player does not do any prior inputs, will almost systematically start a round with a Head Press into a forward diagonal jump, which Ryu can punish fastest with a backwards diagonal j.MK or j.HK. The next best option, if Ryu is allowed time to turn around, is a cr.HP. This option is preferable later as staying grounded allows Ryu to follow-up as Dictator falls to the floor on his feet, perhaps with an s.HK or a Shoryuken for damage. At this point, Dictator will be cornered—and for players who punished the Head Press, only a cr.HK will be necessary to floor your opponent long enough to revert positions by jumping over him—which perfectly sets up a HK Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku, that the AI will avoid by crouching, therefore neutering the risk of a Psycho Crusher. However, Dictator's particular crouching stance allows Ryu to finish his landing in Dictator's back, where he is defenceless and exposed to any player response. The more reliable choice here are attacks that will cause sufficient knockback such as cr.MK, cr.HK, or the Hadouken. This order specifically can pay off as the AI will usually be hit by cr.MK, and block cr.HK. The total amount of frames spent in hit- and blockstun will be 43, 16 frames shy of the Psycho Crusher's charge. The Hadouken's startup takes 10 frames only, making it a great move to anticipate Dictator's planned counteroffensive, even in the hands of a player with unreliable inputs, as a Shoryuken can very well achieve positive results too. However, the utility of the Hadouken is unparalleled here: either it stops a Psycho Crusher, it is blocked and more distance can be created by spamming projectiles, or he is baited into another Head Press, which will lead to an easy punish. Even though this one would certainly hit, its damage (14~18) is negligible in comparison to what a single punish attack can inflict (16~32, min. j.MK, max. HP Shoryuken). At this point, the strategy repeats itself, and can be repeated until completion of the fight. Occasionally, the AI may begin the fight with a Psycho Crusher, which can immediately be punished with a Hadouken, and from thereon, projectile spam can be used to force Dictator back into the Head Press corner trap. In the event of Dictator retreating in the opposite direction to the corner, the same rules apply for punishing his rebound and creating distance via Hadouken.
[8*] The Head Press corner trap is no longer viable here, as Dictator will rarely start a round this way, preventing the player from getting an early health advantage. Additionally, it is made a more dangerous attack as his Somersault Skull Diver trajectory changes to become half-heart-shaped, which makes a j.HK punish non-viable (the special attack will hit you first to the tune of 26dmg), and ends its course so low that it can not reliably be punished with a cr.HP or a s.HK either, not without being hit as well, which will also result in a health advantage for him. It is best to block it and wait for him to be grounded to go for a poke (cr.MK) or a sweep (cr.HK). Hadouken should also be avoided at short range, as Dictator can effortlessly pull off a Double Knee Press that will at least cause a significant health advantage for him. It is recommended to use well-timed neutral j.HKs and pokes when pressured at short range. If Ryu manages to corner Dictator, part of the corner trap remains viable, i.e. the HK Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku to revert places upon landing and hit him in the back to then create distance, including with Hadouken (just as there is not enough time to pull off a Psycho Crusher in this scenario, there is not enough time to charge a Double Knee Press). Avoid HP Shoryuken at all costs; players with unreliable inputs are encouraged to use LP for Hadouken, as an accidental LP Shoryuken is salvageable. It is also a good punish if Dictator uses Psycho Crusher to cut down distance.
To-do list
- Which I am able to do:
- Make movesets with proper formatting, concise frame data and given names as with Super Street Fighter II Turbo;
- Rewrite introduction paragraphs to focus strictly on 1) the game story and 2) a brief technical overview;
- Add images to illustrate technical data in context;
- Untangle the mess of non-CE information.
- Which I am not able to do:
- Add infoboxes with detailed character data;
- Add extensive frame and collision data for all character animations.