ShotokanTuning
23-04-08, 14:42
To remove or even avoid some of the confusion; this thread will try to provide answers to most Frequently Asked Questions about Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter 4, SFIV or SF4.
This game can only be possible with loyal fan support.
This list was inspired by TAS a member of the capcom.com forums, thank you.
GENERAL
Who is developing the game?
While Capcom USA currently owns the rights to Street Fighter, SF4 is being developed by Capcom Japan.
Is the game 2D, 3D, or 2.5D?
The game is 2.5D, using 3D models on a 2D plane...
What characters will be in the game?
Arcade:
Ryu
Ken
Chun-Li
Dhalsim
Blanka
Guile
E.Honda
Zangief
Balrog
Sagat
Vega
M. Bison
Akuma (Unlockable)
Gouken (Unlockable/First Time Playable)
Crimson Viper (New Character)
Abel (New Character)
El Fuerte (New Character)
Rufus (New Character)
Seth (New Character/Boss/Unlockable)
Those are the only characters confirmed for the arcades thus far.
The console/pc/home version will also feature:
Dan
Fei Long
Cammy
Sakura
Gen
Rose
Who is the producer on SF4?
Yoshinori Ono
http://imdb.com/name/nm1439828/
Who is the Character Designer?
Daigo Ikeno.
Was there any difficulty in getting SF4 made?
Quite alot actually.
Apparently most everyone at Capcom had given up on another SF game or specifically SF4 after SF3: Third Strike feeling that another SF would no longer be very viable due to the decline of the American arcade market and the overall decline of popularity in fighting games, but fan desire and the sales of Hyper SF2 on XBLA allowed Ono to convince his boss (Keiji Inafune) to put SF4 in production.
How long as SF4 been in production?
Keiji Inafune gave the project the greenlight in 2005, though its unknown as to what aspects of the games development started back in 2005, or if the game was given the green light to start production at a later point and time (2006-2007)
What platforms will SF4 be on?
Arcade is the only platform thats been announced so far.
Ono said that he would like to include on as many platforms as possible including the PS2 and DS if its possible to downgrade SF4 to those levels.
Is the game running on the same engine that powers Dead Rising, Lost Planet, Devil May Cry 4, and Resident Evil 5?
While a majority of Capcom s new next-gen titles are being developed with the same engine, SF4 is being developed on the Taito Type X2 arcade board and it is also being designed with future fighting games in mind, but SF4 s success will determine if there are any future fighting games (like Darkstalkers) made on the same engine.
What is the storyline?
This is a rough translation of the story description on the SF4 flyer at AOU...
The year after the legendary World Warrior Championship (SF2) it silently begins.
Suspicious incidents occur, and behind it a mystic organization is on the move in the shadows. Those chasing and being chased in the complicated middle of frienship and betrayal.
Now, the curtain rises and a new fight begins.
When is SF4 set in the timeline?
Between SF2 and SF3.
- The timeline of the games are as follows...
SF1 - 1987
SFA2 - 1988
SFA3 - 1990
SF2 - 1993
SF4 - 1994/1995
SF3: Second Impact - 1998
SF3: Third Strike - 1999
If this game takes place between SF2 and SF3 then why call it SF4?
In the modern era of video games the numbering of a series is no longer defined by chronological order, and a number of developers feel that the gameplay is what should have a sequel and not necessarily the storyline. Its for this reason that games like Devil May Cry 3 and Metal Gear Solid 3 are given a numbered sequel instead of a prequel title, because the gameplay in #3 has evolved past that of #2 and thats what developers are trying to tell people with the title, basically saying We feel that this game is superior to the previous games gameplay and a worthy successor which is why game series like Resident Evil and Grand Theft Auto had so many titles between their third and fourth entries in those series, because the developers (Capcom and Rockstar) did not feel that any of those inbetweeners were worthy enough to be what they considered #4.
With SF4 it follows a similar suit in that Capcom feels that Street Fighter 4 is the successor to Street Fighter 3 gameplay wise, and thats what the title is meant to imply, not where it takes place chronologically in the series, as in this day and age game series like Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Grand Theft Auto, Castlevania, Samurai Shodown, Tenchu, and various others are not defined by chronological story progression when it comes to giving a game a title or number, but rather instead its become more about gameplay evolution then story evolution. You also have to take into account those consumers who care nothing of the story in video games (which represent a large demographic) and want to know just from the title what the next big follow up in terms of gameplay is, rather then trying to figure out the chronolgy of a game series through non numbered games or titles that dont imply gameplay evolution.
How much of an impact do fans have on the game?
Originally Posted by Sven
Let me say this...
What SF4 is today is in a huge way in direct response to the fan conversations that have been happening about it for close to 10 years.
The characters requested, features, even the 2.5D approach, is in direct response to a whole slew of forum conversations, posts on our boards, a massive market research project (which had input from Europe, US and Japan) and email requests.
Is everything in the design today baked? At the top most level, yes. So for example, no its not ever going to be 2D sprite based, game mechanics have been being tested for a long time too so a lot of those are fairly fixed as well(balance of course can be changed, but what the systems are, are fairly locked down at this point).
The character list is fairly set for now but there are aspects that eventually well be asking for community feedback on/let the community tell us what they want. I cant get into details on that yet.
Are there still things that can be affected? Sure. And we and others folks involved with the project are watching hawklike the results of every new asset we release and snippet of information that we let out.
That said, there exists no scenario that 100% pleases every Street Fighter fan (be they SRK/Evo players or more mass fighting game fans or the guys who pick up every new major title). Well have aspects of the game that hopefully are pleasing to all three types of players. Even internally we have had a lot of debates about aspects of this project and thats due to the passion that everyone has about the brand. Its a good thing, really.
I realize the temptation is to compare SF4 to every other Street Fighter that has come before it, but make no mistake, this game will bring some new things for everyone. As such, it needs to be looked at on its own terms... the bigger picture, wont be apparent for a good long time. The EGM/1up features will be great and have loads of new information and most of you will think they have told you everything there is to know about SF4 after you read it) but there is a lot more information held back, than what weve divulged.
PRESENTATION
Why 3D Models instead of 2D sprites?
According to the Ono they at Capcom felt they had done as much as they possibly could in SF in 2D.
In other words Capcom felt that they couldnt go above and beyond what they did in Third Strike when it came to a 2D SF game in terms of both graphics and gameplay. Ono went on to mention that while they could do couldve done HD sprites that it wouldnt have effected the gameplay much and that is was something that SF2HD pretty much already had covered.
Does the ink brush effect in the trailer show up in the gameplay?
No, but it is used in the menu system.
Why isnt the game exactly like what was in the trailer?
According to Ono it wouldve been impractical and too hard to play if done exactly like the trailer, and as far as the graphical look goes, just ask yourself how many pre-rendered video game trailers youve seen where the same look/graphics carry over to the final game.
What are some of the added touches to the character models?
Aside from the standard things found in most modern fighters, one interesting aspect is that youll see veins and muscles move beneath the characters skin in real-time.
There will also be battle damage properties to the game as well, which leads us to...
Will the game incorporate battle damage?
Its something thats being experimented with right now. Things like facial damage seen in games like Fight Night, Def Jam, and Mortal Kombat is something that Ono is looking to include in SF4, but hes more excited about the other battle damage/fatigue experiments he and his staff have been doing with the characters such as having a characters shoulder slump if he gets hit in the arm/shoulder too much, and possibly causing the animaitions in that arm to change or differ when throwing a punch.
Will the American version feature English voice acting?
Yes, it will.
It should also be stated that it is not known at this time if there will be separate Japanese language track in the game.
GAMEPLAY
--Read on in the next post--
The above is all the information Capcom is willing to state about SFIV at this time.
More info will be posted as its made available.
This game can only be possible with loyal fan support.
This list was inspired by TAS a member of the capcom.com forums, thank you.
GENERAL
Who is developing the game?
While Capcom USA currently owns the rights to Street Fighter, SF4 is being developed by Capcom Japan.
Is the game 2D, 3D, or 2.5D?
The game is 2.5D, using 3D models on a 2D plane...
What characters will be in the game?
Arcade:
Ryu
Ken
Chun-Li
Dhalsim
Blanka
Guile
E.Honda
Zangief
Balrog
Sagat
Vega
M. Bison
Akuma (Unlockable)
Gouken (Unlockable/First Time Playable)
Crimson Viper (New Character)
Abel (New Character)
El Fuerte (New Character)
Rufus (New Character)
Seth (New Character/Boss/Unlockable)
Those are the only characters confirmed for the arcades thus far.
The console/pc/home version will also feature:
Dan
Fei Long
Cammy
Sakura
Gen
Rose
Who is the producer on SF4?
Yoshinori Ono
http://imdb.com/name/nm1439828/
Who is the Character Designer?
Daigo Ikeno.
Was there any difficulty in getting SF4 made?
Quite alot actually.
Apparently most everyone at Capcom had given up on another SF game or specifically SF4 after SF3: Third Strike feeling that another SF would no longer be very viable due to the decline of the American arcade market and the overall decline of popularity in fighting games, but fan desire and the sales of Hyper SF2 on XBLA allowed Ono to convince his boss (Keiji Inafune) to put SF4 in production.
How long as SF4 been in production?
Keiji Inafune gave the project the greenlight in 2005, though its unknown as to what aspects of the games development started back in 2005, or if the game was given the green light to start production at a later point and time (2006-2007)
What platforms will SF4 be on?
Arcade is the only platform thats been announced so far.
Ono said that he would like to include on as many platforms as possible including the PS2 and DS if its possible to downgrade SF4 to those levels.
Is the game running on the same engine that powers Dead Rising, Lost Planet, Devil May Cry 4, and Resident Evil 5?
While a majority of Capcom s new next-gen titles are being developed with the same engine, SF4 is being developed on the Taito Type X2 arcade board and it is also being designed with future fighting games in mind, but SF4 s success will determine if there are any future fighting games (like Darkstalkers) made on the same engine.
What is the storyline?
This is a rough translation of the story description on the SF4 flyer at AOU...
The year after the legendary World Warrior Championship (SF2) it silently begins.
Suspicious incidents occur, and behind it a mystic organization is on the move in the shadows. Those chasing and being chased in the complicated middle of frienship and betrayal.
Now, the curtain rises and a new fight begins.
When is SF4 set in the timeline?
Between SF2 and SF3.
- The timeline of the games are as follows...
SF1 - 1987
SFA2 - 1988
SFA3 - 1990
SF2 - 1993
SF4 - 1994/1995
SF3: Second Impact - 1998
SF3: Third Strike - 1999
If this game takes place between SF2 and SF3 then why call it SF4?
In the modern era of video games the numbering of a series is no longer defined by chronological order, and a number of developers feel that the gameplay is what should have a sequel and not necessarily the storyline. Its for this reason that games like Devil May Cry 3 and Metal Gear Solid 3 are given a numbered sequel instead of a prequel title, because the gameplay in #3 has evolved past that of #2 and thats what developers are trying to tell people with the title, basically saying We feel that this game is superior to the previous games gameplay and a worthy successor which is why game series like Resident Evil and Grand Theft Auto had so many titles between their third and fourth entries in those series, because the developers (Capcom and Rockstar) did not feel that any of those inbetweeners were worthy enough to be what they considered #4.
With SF4 it follows a similar suit in that Capcom feels that Street Fighter 4 is the successor to Street Fighter 3 gameplay wise, and thats what the title is meant to imply, not where it takes place chronologically in the series, as in this day and age game series like Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Grand Theft Auto, Castlevania, Samurai Shodown, Tenchu, and various others are not defined by chronological story progression when it comes to giving a game a title or number, but rather instead its become more about gameplay evolution then story evolution. You also have to take into account those consumers who care nothing of the story in video games (which represent a large demographic) and want to know just from the title what the next big follow up in terms of gameplay is, rather then trying to figure out the chronolgy of a game series through non numbered games or titles that dont imply gameplay evolution.
How much of an impact do fans have on the game?
Originally Posted by Sven
Let me say this...
What SF4 is today is in a huge way in direct response to the fan conversations that have been happening about it for close to 10 years.
The characters requested, features, even the 2.5D approach, is in direct response to a whole slew of forum conversations, posts on our boards, a massive market research project (which had input from Europe, US and Japan) and email requests.
Is everything in the design today baked? At the top most level, yes. So for example, no its not ever going to be 2D sprite based, game mechanics have been being tested for a long time too so a lot of those are fairly fixed as well(balance of course can be changed, but what the systems are, are fairly locked down at this point).
The character list is fairly set for now but there are aspects that eventually well be asking for community feedback on/let the community tell us what they want. I cant get into details on that yet.
Are there still things that can be affected? Sure. And we and others folks involved with the project are watching hawklike the results of every new asset we release and snippet of information that we let out.
That said, there exists no scenario that 100% pleases every Street Fighter fan (be they SRK/Evo players or more mass fighting game fans or the guys who pick up every new major title). Well have aspects of the game that hopefully are pleasing to all three types of players. Even internally we have had a lot of debates about aspects of this project and thats due to the passion that everyone has about the brand. Its a good thing, really.
I realize the temptation is to compare SF4 to every other Street Fighter that has come before it, but make no mistake, this game will bring some new things for everyone. As such, it needs to be looked at on its own terms... the bigger picture, wont be apparent for a good long time. The EGM/1up features will be great and have loads of new information and most of you will think they have told you everything there is to know about SF4 after you read it) but there is a lot more information held back, than what weve divulged.
PRESENTATION
Why 3D Models instead of 2D sprites?
According to the Ono they at Capcom felt they had done as much as they possibly could in SF in 2D.
In other words Capcom felt that they couldnt go above and beyond what they did in Third Strike when it came to a 2D SF game in terms of both graphics and gameplay. Ono went on to mention that while they could do couldve done HD sprites that it wouldnt have effected the gameplay much and that is was something that SF2HD pretty much already had covered.
Does the ink brush effect in the trailer show up in the gameplay?
No, but it is used in the menu system.
Why isnt the game exactly like what was in the trailer?
According to Ono it wouldve been impractical and too hard to play if done exactly like the trailer, and as far as the graphical look goes, just ask yourself how many pre-rendered video game trailers youve seen where the same look/graphics carry over to the final game.
What are some of the added touches to the character models?
Aside from the standard things found in most modern fighters, one interesting aspect is that youll see veins and muscles move beneath the characters skin in real-time.
There will also be battle damage properties to the game as well, which leads us to...
Will the game incorporate battle damage?
Its something thats being experimented with right now. Things like facial damage seen in games like Fight Night, Def Jam, and Mortal Kombat is something that Ono is looking to include in SF4, but hes more excited about the other battle damage/fatigue experiments he and his staff have been doing with the characters such as having a characters shoulder slump if he gets hit in the arm/shoulder too much, and possibly causing the animaitions in that arm to change or differ when throwing a punch.
Will the American version feature English voice acting?
Yes, it will.
It should also be stated that it is not known at this time if there will be separate Japanese language track in the game.
GAMEPLAY
--Read on in the next post--
The above is all the information Capcom is willing to state about SFIV at this time.
More info will be posted as its made available.