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[DryEyeRelief]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tY9Z8AqgRQ


One of the best Dhalsim players in the world and, unquestionably, a Marvel legend. Shooting from the heart, as always, FChamp pulls no punches in this interview (recorded tournament day 1). Hear his honest thoughts on the state of SFV, the incoming MVCI, and much more!


notable quotes:

SFV vs MvCI

Everybody loves Street Fighter, there's so many hardcore fans because its been THE fighting game throughout the years. We fell in love with the characters. Chun Li fans, Ken fans, Zangief fans. [...] I think it's more in Marvel. You love spiderman, you love iron man, you love captain america...you still watch their movies at this point. [...] On top of that it's a lot more fun to watch a Marvel game if you understand. but if you dont understand fighting games but you can still apperciate because its spider man kicking ass.

SFV core gameplay

[Street Fighter V] is so about 50-50.. reminds me of Mortal Kombat.

We have to create a Street Fighter because we're going to promote it on esports.

But we have to create a game that will close in that gap versus the guys that's been playing for ten-twenty years..versus someone that just picked up a controller.

Okay so lets write on the chalkboard. Fireball game...That's so hard for a beginner so let's nerf that. Extend the hurtbox.

Let's nerf anti airs too.

Oh you know what footsies? You're going to be so dominate in footsies, so let's make all footsie normals stubby and closer. Let's add this thing called priority system. And then add a crush counter, so if they're getting outfootsied they can just mash on something. Even if you're dominant... here's this guy who isn't good at footsies...they're just going to land one. You're going to land eight low forwards? It doesn't matter they're going to land one crush counter, turn it into vtrigger and win. Hmm...maybe that's not enough. Let's add lag!

You can focus on two or three things in a normal fighting game. You can stay in this range...in the sweep range for instance. But in this game if you stay within the sweep range due to the lag you can't react to dash. You can't react to dash so you have to purposefully stick out normals, so just in case in they dash. But what if they randomly crush counter? What if they jump and you stick out a normal? You die. It becomes rock, paper, scissors here.

So generally they either they want to be here (motions to show full screen distance) or all the way in or kill them all the way in the mixup. That's become the game. (motions for mid screen distance) so this has become complete 50-50 and there's no more neutral game. It's either AWAY or 50-50.

On Esports:

One thing I appreciate is Capcom putting their heart and soul into pushing Street Fighter V into Esports. It's creating so many opportunities. [...] Only the game, the QUALITY of the game is so bad.

more in the video. it's an hour long interview.

 

[Skilletor]

Bornfree has been doing a lot of great interviews after majors.

My favorite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIqxJAyXPqA

 

[AAK]

They better get used to the built in lag, it's most probably gonna be in MvCI as well.

 

[Pachimari]

Is this FilipinoChamp?

 

[Karsticles]

FChamp's criticisms are on point.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Great interview and great Dormammu dawg

 

[DryEyeRelief]

Is this FilipinoChamp?

Yes.

 

[nicoga3000]

I haven't really paid too much attention to SFV. Is it really as random as he is saying it is? He makes that comment a few times, that winning a match in SFV has more roulette to it than any other SF before it.

 

[jett]

While it's true there's a guesswork factor in SFV, I don't agree with him that there's no neutral game at all. This however:

the QUALITY of the game is so bad.

I can't understand this. It plays and feels great to play, even with the stuff he mentioned.

I haven't really paid too much attention to SFV. Is it really as random as he is saying it is? He makes that comment a few times, that winning a match in SFV has more roulette to it than any other SF before it.

It's not roulette, it's not like a rookie scrub is going to beat a pro, but the 50/50 mixup game is prevalent in SFV, more than I've noticed before in other SF games.

 

[Solidus187]

We have to create a Street Fighter because we're going to promote it on esports.

But we have to create a game that will close in that gap versus the guys that's been playing for ten-twenty years..versus someone that just picked up a controller.

Okay so lets write on the chalkboard. Fireball game...That's so hard for a beginner so let's nerf that. Extend the hurtbox.

Let's nerf anti airs too.

Oh you know what footsies? You're going to be so dominate in footsies, so let's make all footsie normals stubby and closer. Let's add this thing called priority system. And then add a crush counter, so if they're getting outfootsied they can just mash on something. Even if you're dominant... here's this guy who isn't good at footsies...they're just going to land one. You're going to land eight low forwards? It doesn't matter they're going to land one crush counter, turn it into vtrigger and win. Hmm...maybe that's not enough. Let's add lag!

PJSalt

But seriously, he complains so much and I can't help but think it's because he's not a top dog in SFV like he wants to be. Yes, most of it is valid, but the rate at which FChamp continues to mention these things instead of doing something like dropping SFV for a less BS game is so annoying. Not to mention how he whines about the game not being 3/5 throughout entire tournaments when that's usually not possible due to time constraints. Tournaments are challenging and you're at the mercy of not always winning despite being able to beat your opponent in a FT20 set. I don't see anything wrong with that, it's not like invitationals and exhibitions don't exist

Not looking forward to him complaining about MVCi for the next five years.

 

[Skilletor]

I haven't really paid too much attention to SFV. Is it really as random as he is saying it is? He makes that comment a few times, that winning a match in SFV has more roulette to it than any other SF before it.

I wouldn't say it's random, but Vtrigger is ending up being more of a come back mechanic than Capcom would have liked. Against characters like Balrog/Ibuki/Urien, all of your hard work disappears in a second if they land one move.

I forget where I read it or who said it, but a pro said that they're more afraid of a character that's almost dead because than one with full health because of the way vtrigger and chiop works.

PJSalt

But seriously, he complains so much and I can't help but think it's because he's not a top dog in SFV like he wants to be. Yes, most of it is valid, but the rate at which FChamp continues to mention these things instead of doing something like dropping SFV for a less BS game is so annoying. Not to mention how he whines about the game not being 3/5 throughout entire tournaments when that's usually not possible due to time constraints. Tournaments are challenging and you're at the mercy of not always winning despite being able to beat your opponent in a FT20 set. I don't see anything wrong with that, it's not like invitationals and exhibitions don't exist

Not looking forward to him complaining about MVCi for the next five years.

If everybody that bitched about SF (not just 5, but, like every single iteration), played another fighter, they'd have burgeoning, healthy communities.

Too many people play SF because it's SF. And now, people like FChamp and other pros play SF because it's where the money is.

Bonchan said int he interview I linked, he'd play anything that had money behind it, lol.

 

[MikeBreezy92]

MK has defensive options to cover for the 50/50 heavy gameplay lol

 

[sixteen-bit]

I wonder what his thoughts on MvCI are. Will watch.

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

It's interesting where we're at with SF- it's working out as an esport, but the pros don't really like the game. FChamp is hardly alone among his peers in publicly calling out SFV as a bad game.

 

[nachum00]

I'm not a fan of Fchamp but I completely agree with him about sf5. Its lack of neutral game, overabundance of 50/50s and lack of combo variety keep me from playing it.

He's not the only one either. Seems like all the pros lately are saying how much they dislike SF5.

 

[Fraeon]

While it's true there's a guesswork factor in SFV, I don't agree with him that there's no neutral game at all.

If you look at how Punk plays Karin, he is very good at hanging around at spots where the opponent whiffs things, which he'll then punish. The game is much more aggressive and could use more defensive tools, sure (no reason why v-reversals aren't fully invincible and the S2 dp change was strange.) But there is a neutral game there.

Then again, remember how the FGC haaaated SF4 when that was released? It's just what happens with new games.

 

[Solidus187]

If everybody that bitched about SF (not just 5, but, like every single iteration), played another fighter, they'd have burgeoning, healthy communities.

Too many people play SF because it's SF. And now, people like FChamp and other pros play SF because it's where the money is.

Bonchan said int he interview I linked, he'd play anything that had money behind it, lol.

Yeah, that's a really sad truth. The fact that players can turn this into a career now is exciting, but downside of their livelihood depending on it is that they're far less likely to touch games with less money.

 

[Karsticles]

I haven't really paid too much attention to SFV. Is it really as random as he is saying it is? He makes that comment a few times, that winning a match in SFV has more roulette to it than any other SF before it.

Not random, but more risk-rewarding than other games, perhaps?

 

[Skilletor]

Not random, but more risk-rewarding than other games, perhaps?

Right. I can keep a person out the entire match playing a solid boom game with Guile. If they get a single jump in on me, or read on the fireball, I'm going to lose 50-60% health, probably be in the corner, and be a hit or two away from stun.

 

[Hazzuh]

He's totally right. SFV is the worst mainline SF game ever. Still can't believe I preordered this trash. The only reason the pros are still playing it is because it is the only fighting game they can make a living off right now.

 

[Ban Puncher]

People care what FChamp thinks?


Might as well ask LTG.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Dude sounds EXACTLY like Sanford did when MvC3 came out. EXACTLY.

 

[MikeBreezy92]

People care what FChamp thinks?


Might as well ask LTG.

FChamp is actually one of the few top players worth listening to though....

 

[Lumination]

I know FChamp's real name, but I still read Ramirez as "retires" and almost had a heart attack.

 

[ec0ec0]

OP, you're missing the best quote, so i went back to the interview and made it for you:

edit:
some people have complained about my transcript:

I'm sorry. I just kept everything as champ said it: the words, pauses, etc... If that's not how you're supposed to do it, someone can "clean it up"? I had never done a transcript before.

Anyway, most of the work is already done, no? I thought that you could read it just fine :/

original post: (i "cleaned" the tokido paragraph, more later)

I play akuma (as a secondary), but i don't trust him, because this game is random.

When you got tokido doing breathing techniques, yoga, running, he goes to the gym early in the morning in any tournament, so he can put and extra amount of concentration into the game, because the game is so stressfull, and that's the greatest fighting gamer of all time, and you're telling me he has to concentrate that much, just because of the lag?

i feel like, this guy is so good in anything that he touches, and in this game he can't even be that consistent, he gets random out. When you see, daigo, infiltration or tokido, who are street fighter geniuses, and they are struggling in pools, i mean, not, not to discredit anybody that beat them, obviously, but like, generally, they don't struggle like that, they don't have to have that much concentration to get out like second round third round in pools like... it just... doesn't make sense to me, you know... but then when i see the result overall and i see momochi struggling, like, what's going on here!? like... like, it just doesn't seem right. When you see, when you see like, uhh... tournaments, and tokido, momochi, daigo, don't make top 8 at all, not even top 16 losers, that, there's something wrong. I mean, i understand, like, the young generation got better... and, for sure, but... it's just that there's something wrong with the game that, that is like that, and for them to put that much concentration, and practice, and training, and still can't be that consistent due to the variance of the game, it just... ahh... i'm such a big fan of like, like, real skill, and talent, and decication, that it kind of discourages me to see, like, those guys that are just absolute greats, right, that... all those struggles, it makes you think like, uhhhh... should i even put more, like, should i put more time into training?[...]

i underlined the part where i didn't undertand well what he was saying. It's at 13:10 in the video if anynone can check it? the resk was fine.

 

[Fraeon]

Dude sounds EXACTLY like Sanford did when MvC3 came out. EXACTLY.

"Women are picking up this game and beating men."

Haha, I forgot this classic from Sanford. Stay salty.

 

[direct_quote]

Dude sounds EXACTLY like Sanford did when MvC3 came out. EXACTLY.

You have to wonder you have an entire new generation that grew up on SF4 now being experienced enough to take on the big guns, and we're starting to see a shift in top player placement...

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

I haven't really paid too much attention to SFV. Is it really as random as he is saying it is? He makes that comment a few times, that winning a match in SFV has more roulette to it than any other SF before it.

Given two players of roughly equal skill, the outcome will be somewhat influenced by chance (e.g., good guesses, or capitalizing on a single hit for huge damage). This alone isn't unique to SFV, but the relatively high damage and prevalence of 50/50 guesses means it may be worse in SFV than other games. However, given two players of unequal skill, skill will generally determine the outcome.

So I get why this complaint is valid for top level players who want to perform consistently in tournaments. It should be less of a concern for the typical player who will be matched with people of more widely varying skill. It's still fair to be bothered by how far a match can swing based on a single guess/choice/hit but you can't blame all your losses on chance.

It's interesting where we're at with SF- it's working out as an esport, but the pros don't really like the game. FChamp is hardly alone among his peers in publicly calling out SFV as a bad game.

Is it possible that it's a bad game if your livelihood depends on it but maybe a pretty good game if you're just an online warrior looking to have some fun?

If consistency is your top priority, which it would be if you were playing for tangible rewards, then I totally get why SFV would be a bad game. But should that matter to the 99%+ of players who will never be serious tournament players? Does that mean it's a "bad game" for them too?

 

[Codeblue]

People care what FChamp thinks?


Might as well ask LTG.

Let's not say things we can't take back. Champ barks a lot, but he can back it up. LTG has nothing.

 

[nachum00]

You have to wonder you have an entire new generation that grew up on SF4 now being experienced enough to take on the big guns, and we're starting to see a shift in top player placement...

That might be some of it. But it's not just the older pros that aren't feeling SF5. Plus Fchamp is doing just as good in SF5 as he did in SF4, if not better.

 

[Fraeon]

You have to wonder you have an entire new generation that grew up on SF4 now being experienced enough to take on the big guns, and we're starting to see a shift in top player placement...

A good share of the top placing players in the US grew up with SF4. Nuckledu and Punk are taking the majors, both relatively new talents.

I'd even argue FChamp himself only got known from SF4 and later Marvel 3.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Given two players of roughly equal skill, the outcome will be somewhat influenced by chance (e.g., good guesses, or capitalizing on a single hit for huge damage). This alone isn't unique to SFV, but the relatively high damage and prevalence of 50/50 guesses means it may be worse in SFV than other games. However, given two players of unequal skill, skill will generally determine the outcome.

So I get why this complaint is valid for top level players who want to perform consistently in tournaments. It should be less of a concern for the typical player who will be matched with people of more widely varying skill. It's still fair to be bothered by how far a match can swing based on a single guess/choice/hit but you can't blame all your losses on chance.

I don't see how the 50/50 situation was any less true of SFIV's extreme focus on hard knockdowns or how you lived and died in Marvel 3 based on resets/TAC escapes.

Trouble is that the generation that got famous in the previous game just can't stand it when they're not at the top of the food chain when things change, so they blame Marvel 3 for being 'scrub friendly' and denigrate the people who like SFIV as '09ers, etc. No, it's not possible that new players can rise up and win majors, it's clearly a problem with the game.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Dude sounds EXACTLY like Sanford did when MvC3 came out. EXACTLY.

I get second-hand embarrassment from this

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Even if you're dominant... here's this guy who isn't good at footsies...they're just going to land one. You're going to land eight low forwards? It doesn't matter they're going to land one crush counter, turn it into vtrigger and win. Hmm...maybe that's not enough.

Ladies and gentlemen: That Sim Life. lol

But seriously, yeah, one crush and you're cornered, for us Sim players up against Ken or Laura or whoever, that's up shit creek.

 

[MrCarter]

What made me laugh is him saying the game isn't SF lol. He only played SFIV competitively and while I understand that he might not have been around to play SF2, Alpha or 3, to make hyperbolic claims like that, when every iteration plays differently, is just silly and stupid. In my opinion, he needs to play SF3 (which this game is loosely based off) to feel how a SF game plays and it's part of the reason why I enjoy SFV - due to it reminding me of that game. Just bring back Oro, Q and Sean already.

 

[Karsticles]

OP, you're missing the best quote, so i went back to the interview and made it for you:



i underlined the part where i didn't undertand well what he was saying. It's at 13:10 in the video if anynone can check it? the resk was fine.

Reads like a Trump interview.

Right. I can keep a person out the entire match playing a solid boom game with Guile. If they get a single jump in on me, or read on the fireball, I'm going to lose 50-60% health, probably be in the corner, and be a hit or two away from stun.

I felt like SFIV had the same risk/reward ratio with regard to fireballs, though. It's part of why I won't use a fireball character in SFIV or SFV even though I use them in pretty much every other fighting game out there. SFIV was even worse in that nearly every character had EX options that were fireball invincible, and they could usually punish on reaction.

The SFIV and SFV oki game really bothers me. One thing I've noticed in MvCi is that there's almost not room for oki pressure - characters restand immediately after a knockdown, and I think that's a good change. My favorite aspect of the Smash series is that almost every hit resets the neutral, so it becomes the dominant aspect of the game instead of setplay.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

I don't see how the 50/50 situation was any less true of SFIV's extreme focus on hard knockdowns or how you lived and died in Marvel 3 based on resets/TAC escapes.

Trouble is that the generation that got famous in the previous game just can't stand it when they're not at the top of the food chain when things change, so they blame Marvel 3 for being 'scrub friendly' and denigrate the people who like SFIV as '09ers, etc. No, it's not possible that new players can rise up and win majors, it's clearly a problem with the game.

I think the 50/50s combined with the amount of damage is what makes it worse than SFIV as far as one "lucky" hit overcontributing to match outcomes. I have zero knowledge of Marvel. I've really just started learning and thinking about this stuff, though, so I could be saying dumb things, I'm not sure.

I have no doubt that the bolded also plays a role.

I wonder if the last decade of tournament results are available such that someone could perform an analysis of how consistently longtime players are performing in SFV vs. SFIV. I'd be interested to know.

 

[Irishmantis]

He's correct

At least with the final patch of MKX they made 50/50 less of an issue (still present)

But at this point unfortunately 50/50s are worse in SFV with no breaker system and you get stunned after 3 wrong guesses.

50/50s are fine in FGs and are needed somewhat when are balanced correctly like being more of a suicide comeback back factor rather than a typical tool and if they are a typical tool they should be mixed with variables of Meter use, low Dmg, punishable, fuzzyable etc

But spacing, defending and zoning are boring to watch from the stream side so I can see why FGs are heading this direction.

Even Tekken with adding armour and Supers

 

[Lulubop]

Reads like a Trump interview.


I felt like SFIV had the same risk/reward ratio with regard to fireballs, though. It's part of why I won't use a fireball character in SFIV or SFV even though I use them in pretty much every other fighting game out there. SFIV was even worse in that nearly every character had EX options that were fireball invincible, and they could usually punish on reaction.

The SFIV and SFV oki game really bothers me. One thing I've noticed in MvCi is that there's almost not room for oki pressure - characters restand immediately after a knockdown, and I think that's a good change. My favorite aspect of the Smash series is that almost every hit resets the neutral, so it becomes the dominant aspect of the game instead of setplay.

Yea, sim was even more free in SF4 on Oki/corner

 

[jett]

OP, you're missing the best quote, so i went back to the interview and made it for you:



i underlined the part where i didn't undertand well what he was saying. It's at 13:10 in the video if anynone can check it? the resk was fine.

The best quote was rambling nonsense?

 

[MrCarter]

People care what FChamp thinks?

Might as well ask LTG.

My thoughts exactly. I want a interview with Tokido or Diago.

 

[Pompadour]

I haven't really paid too much attention to SFV. Is it really as random as he is saying it is? He makes that comment a few times, that winning a match in SFV has more roulette to it than any other SF before it.

I've heard other pro players refer to SFV as very honest but ultimately boring. I don't know if I would call it random, though. However, the top tiers are top tier because they got crazy mixup tools and damage is super high across the board so it's random in the sense that a few mistakes cost you the match. Like he says, it's like Marvel in that regard.

I'm glad that this interview was transcribed because I was too lazy to watch the video.

Edit: as a side note, people should be wary of taking a pro player's opinion as gospel as they're often full of shit. People should come to the conclusion that they aren't an absolute authority figure because pro opinions on aspects of gameplay contradict each other all the time. Pro players work on these games as well so giving development over to FChamp certainly wouldn't make the game better.

 

[Doctrine Dark]

I don't disagree with anything he's saying.

Well, there's some stuff. I don't agree that it isn't SF. It is. It's just not one he's particularly fond of.

 

[BlackBanditSho]

People care what FChamp thinks?


Might as well ask LTG.

Man are you serious? fchamp is arguably the best dhalsim in the world. Definitely one of the Mahvel gods. Only guy to consistently beat Punk. One of the few western players to get respect from west And Japan. No reason to be insulting, man.

 

[LongDongJunon]

History's favorite villain. I love this dude.

 

[Blueblur1]

He's making a lot of assumptions on the development team. I don't think he's right about a lot of the things he's alleging.

I want to watch the full interview to see what he's saying. But man, the first 5 minutes already has me shaking my head. Dude knows less about game development than us GAFers do (I'm referring to those of us that aren't developers of course).

 

[Fraeon]

I think the 50/50s combined with the amount of damage is what makes it worse than SFIV as far as one "lucky" hit overcontributing to match outcomes. I have zero knowledge of Marvel. I've really just started learning and thinking about this stuff, though, so I could be saying dumb things, I'm not sure.

I think people are forgetting how brutal SF4 could be especially before Ultra. Say Cammy knocks you down. She does an unblockable jumpin into your wakeup that you also can't reversal out of because the reversal would whiff. Oh, and try to backdash? Surprise, it's an OS spiral arrow.

Admittedly normals in SFV are stubbier and v-reversals being only strike invulnerable is insane but I remember SF4 being a game where you could barely play the game if you didn't have a wheel of option selects for both offense and defense. This made a character like Sim a nightmare to play.

 

[ec0ec0]

Reads like a Trump interview.

I'm sorry. I just kept everything as he said it: the words, pauses, etc... If that's not how you're supposed to do it, someone can "clean it up"? I had never done a transcript before.

Anyway, most of the work is already done, no? I thought that you could read it just fine :/

edit:

The best quote was rambling nonsense?

damn... i just had the best intentions.

edit:

In video form, that part of the video was perfectly undertandable. I can understand that, when doing a transcript, you're not supposed to simply keep everything the person said (each word, pause, etc...), i just didn't know becuase i had never done it before. However, even then, the quote is literally what was said in the video, and it is very easy to understand what champ is saying?

 

[MrCarter]

Dude sounds EXACTLY like Sanford did when MvC3 came out. EXACTLY.

"Women are picking up this game and beating men"

Jheeze. The salt.

 

[Pompadour]

I don't disagree with a lot of his problems with the game but I disagree as to why he thinks these decisions were made.

Most of SFV's gameplay choices are direct responses to complaints people have been making for years.

SF4 combos all start off with lights? We'll take the priority system from SF3 and put it here so mediums and heavies will beat out mashed lights. Crush Counters were designed to make throwing heavies out in the neutral more useful but they're issue is that the normals many of them are attached to are too good on their own. It's too high reward for the low risk.

Set play too strong in SF4? You get an Alpha Counter and two different quick rises that can be done at almost any time.

SF4 brought back hard ass links that were basically done away with in SF3? Add a frame buffer like the ASW games to make combos easier.

People bitched about the dozens of OSes in SF4 so we get a game where OSes are snuffed out. Of course, lots of pro players love OSes because it gives them another edge over players with worse execution.

I don't agree with his anti-air point at all considered everyone hated jab AAs in S1. Jump ins are way too good, though, and if anything was changed to help newer players that's what I'd point to.