Late at posting this but
A while back we asked you, our readers, if Japanese players were being given an unfair advantage in Ultra Street Fighter 4 at EVO this year.
The majority of you said "yes", and Joshua "Wolfkrone" Philpot -- whom EventHubs correspondent Jason24cf recently caught up with -- echoes those sentiments.
"We have to learn five new match-ups, learn delayed wakeup setups, learn when people will have the tendencies to use delayed wakeup, learn when people will use red focus, as well as adjust to all of the new buffs/nerfs to the matchups we previously learned.
"This is a lot to cram in before EVO," he tells us in this exclusive interview.
Wolfkrone also speaks his mind on Capcom's balancing process with USF4 and why he has mixed feelings about it, why he's all for Edition Select to be played in tournaments, as well as his views on some of C. Viper's changes in the game -- such as HP Thunder Knuckle (DP) FADC being -5 in block in the latest build.
The full interview, after the jump.
Jason24cf: Hello Wolfkrone. I noticed recently you've been very vocal about the changes to USF4. What are your current feelings towards the game?
Wolfkrone: I like SF4, but all of these constant changes are giving me bi-polar feelings towards the game.
We are presented with buffs and we get excited because we believe our characters will be good. Then a couple weeks later, "oooh this will be too good”, and whatever Capcom changed is reverted.
In addition to those reverted changes, they add nerfs. After reading the post on Eventhubs.com regarding Guile, it seems like they are basing their changes off of “players” rather than balancing the game as a whole. They reverted Guile changes (buffs), and add nerfs because they believed "in the right hands", he would be unbeatable.
Who do you think comes to mind when you think of Guile? Dieminion.
We all know nothing is unbeatable in fighting games. That is why characters come out of the wood works being super good because they are so focused on who the top players are using rather then making changes based on what we are abusing or how good we will be with them. They are blind to portions of the cast.
Jason24cf: Have you shared your opinion with Capcom in regards to changes in USF4 and if so, what were they?
Wolfkrone: My changes for Viper are satisfactory... I asked for cr medium kick buff which they gave, and they improved her overall footsies.
Jason24cf: How about overall gameplay changes? Did you suggest anything like the FADC -5 change. Many players feel it’s a "fair nerf" because its was a "get out of jail free" or a "scrubby tactic" for C. Viper players. Do you believe it to be a scrubby tactic?
Wolfkrone: I do not agree with -5 change. DP FADC is not a “get out of jail free card”, DP fadc was 1) a tactic that a lot of us used to keep their momentum going during a heated battle as well, and 2) used to setup their opponent for a 50/50 that could lead to ultra. It’s also used as a "get off of me move" when you were being relentlessly rushed down. You have to sacrifice two bars in order to make DP FADC safe or else you will be open for a huge punish.
Jason24cf: You are one of the many top players who welcomes "Edition Select" for tournament play. Can you explain why you are welcome to this mode as a tournament level game?
Wolfkrone: They say they want to “make everyone good in USF4”. Edition Select does just that. No one will have an excuse about how bad their character is. It gives everyone a fighting chance.
Jason24cf: Some may argue that "V.Sagat" and "AE Yun" are stronger then any other character in any other version, and every matchup would consist of those 2 characters.
Wolfkrone: AE Yun and Vanilla Sagat are really good , but other characters are being overshadowed. Think about Super Abel, Super El Fuerte, Super Chun-Li , Super Guile, etc. Vanila Sagat and AE yun are good but so are the other characters in their prime.
Jason24cf: If you were asked by a tournament organizer "what version of USF4 do you want to play" at a US major, what would your honest answer be?
Wolfkrone: Select Edition! 1. There would be upsets; 2. Hype/Excitement during matches; 3. Everyone in the tournament would be a huge threat and have the ability to use a prime version of the characters.
Jason24cf: Do you feel Japan will have an unfair advantage in USF4 when EVO rolls around?
Wolfkrone: Yes, Japan does have an unfair advantage leading into EVO 2014. There is still no solid release date announced for USF4.
We have to learn five new match-ups, learn delayed wakeup setups, learn when people will have the tendencies to use delayed wakeup, learn when people will use red focus, as well as adjust to all of the new buffs/nerfs to the matchups we previously learned. This is a lot to cram in before EVO.
EVO 2011 we had the same problem where Japan had SF4 AE early, they came to EVO and blew a lot of people up with Yun because of how unfamiliar we were with handling the character. The same may be the case with USF4.
Jason24cf: Having seen videos of USF4, what are your thoughts on the pace of the game as well as the new characters? Does the play look slower to you or is this because players are getting used to the game overall?
Wolfkrone: I have watched a lot of footage. It looks like players are still adjusting to USF4. From the footage I have seen, I have not seen people use red focus much or delayed wakeup. As I said it looks like people are still adjusting.
Jason24cf: Again I thank you for your time, I know you have to run and take a final, so do you have any final words or shoutouts?
Wolfkrone: Shoutouts to all my fans and supporters. You can follow me on twitter.com/wolfkrone or on youtube at youtube.com/porkloafking.
Image credit: Omar-dogan and Jason24cf.
eventhubs.com/news/2014/may/10/japan-has-unfair-advantage-leading-evo2014-evo2011-jason24cf-interviews-wolfkrone-eventhubs-exclusive/
