Just determined that I actually suck now at Street Fighter 2

[processedmeat]

Back story:  I thought I was pretty decent at Street Fighter 2 back in the day.  Pulling off shoryukens and haduokens like nobody's business.

A few years ago, I built a LCD mame cab with IL battop sticks and I didn't have the same technical success that I had back in the arcade.  Blamed it on the LCD lag and the sticks.

A year later, I then restored a dynamo cab with an VGA CRT monitor and using Happ Supers running Mame.   A no go.  Mame and the VGA monitor must be the culprit.

Flash forward to today.  I converted a generic cab into a SF2 machine with JLF sticks, octagonal restrictor plates, CRT arcade monitor, and authentic CPS2 hardware running Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo. 

Verdict: I actually suck now at Street Fighter 2.  Maybe its the 43 year old reflexes?

[Malenko]

I'm incredibly average at street fighter, but I have fun with it, and that's the important part....and also the reason I don't play SFV online.

[Mike A]

Add this to the list of games I suck at but still enjoy playing.

[Vigo]

So my moment of truth about my SFII skills hit me last year at Zapcon. Spent 20 minutes beating up my opponent on the other side of a VS candy cab. Felt like top ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, so I got up, ready to throw down a bit of smack talk. Rounded the corner and realized I spent 20 minutes beating up on a dude with severe disabilities that couldn't even grip the joystick.

[yotsuya]

So my moment of truth about my SFII skills hit me last year at Zapcon. Spent 20 minutes beating up my opponent on the other side of a VS candy cab. Felt like top ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, so I got up, ready to throw down a bit of smack talk. Rounded the corner and realized I spent 20 minutes beating up on a dude with severe disabilities that couldn't even grip the joystick.

To be fair, HaRuMaN had just eaten a burrito, so...

[pixel]

Back story:  I thought I was pretty decent at Street Fighter 2 back in the day.  Pulling off shoryukens and haduokens like nobody's business.

A few years ago, I built a LCD mame cab with IL battop sticks and I didn't have the same technical success that I had back in the arcade.  Blamed it on the LCD lag and the sticks.

A year later, I then restored a dynamo cab with an VGA CRT monitor and using Happ Supers running Mame.   A no go.  Mame and the VGA monitor must be the culprit.

Flash forward to today.  I converted a generic cab into a SF2 machine with JLF sticks, octagonal restrictor plates, CRT arcade monitor, and authentic CPS2 hardware running Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo. 

Verdict: I actually suck now at Street Fighter 2.  Maybe its the 43 year old reflexes?

 Try Happ Competition sticks.

 I cant imagine having an octagon feel to SFII movements... because they are rapid rolling motions,  and IMO,  should be smooth and fluid.


 Supers are too clunky, IMO.   High friction,  and levers can get out of whack.  (You might have also installed the actuator upside down)


 Timing is sometimes remembered wrong.   Keep practicing until you get on a roll... and eventually it will stick.

 As for reflexes... yep,  they can be reduced if you have not driven them hard, fast, and often enough.
The more you challenge them with quick action / reactions ...  they will eventually get back to Ace levels.

 Muscles have two main fiber types.  One is slower.. but stronger...  and the other is Quicker,  but weaker.    To have better speed,  you need more quick-twitch fibers developed.   They can and do develop... but only if you train with high speed drills / challenges.  Might take a few weeks to a month,  depending on how far off you are... and how hard you press the issue.

 Another factor.. is the Subconscious mind.  The more you do something.. the more you load it up with  patterns / visual cues... and the more it will end up helping you in the near future.


 On Age:  As we age, everything works slower...  especially due to toxins in our diets and environment... that cause poor circulation,  and overall worse health / longevity.   Getting back in shape,  eating healthier,  and certain plants/herbs/spices...etc..  can help flush toxins, and improve the body and mind,  to a certain degree.

 Meditation,  and Yogic like breathing exercises,  can really help in circulation,  and a lot of other ways too.   Add actual Yoga and or Tai Chi into the mix... and you can have even more impressive gains.   Though, Tai Chi would take a lot longer to see/feel them... as it will take a long time just to understand and master the basic motions,  and memorize the often long forms.   Where as a good Yoga session will challenge your Core strength + flexibility + deep breathing all the while.  Its a Lot harder than most people realize... especially if the instructor is giving you high level challenges... rather than mild to easy levels of exercises, duration, and intensity.


 Ive not played SFII in some time... but I will say this:   That after managing an Arcade for a few years... and seeing the level of some of the people
playing the later fighting games in the series (like xmen vs SF) ...  Im not even sure about anything anymore.   A lot of these kids seem to be Autistic, and
can remember exacting and complex patterns and situation... pulling them off instantly,  and every time.

 I supposed I may have done that to some degree back in the day... but I dont think it was anywhere near the level seen on some of these later games.
Maybe its just because I never spent the time learning and playing them.


 My fav. fighter... turned out to be Killer Instinct.  Its basically SFIIce,  but with a lot more depth,  and flair.  I especially loved designing combos on the fly. The freedom to create so many unique combination,  was simply awesome.   

Like most games,  I spent 95% of my time/efforts into mastering a single character  (Orchid).
I doubt I could pull half the stuff off... that I used to.   I used to have the Hold+Release Enders on Point  (not an easy thing to do at all).  When combined with a shadowmove, it was damn epic!   = )    I even figured out? / learned  a few broken-combos..  and I know that Ive certainly lost those, for sure.

[Le Chuck]

So my moment of truth about my SFII skills hit me last year at Zapcon. Spent 20 minutes beating up my opponent on the other side of a VS candy cab. Felt like top ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, so I got up, ready to throw down a bit of smack talk. Rounded the corner and realized I spent 20 minutes beating up on a dude with severe disabilities that couldn't even grip the joystick.

To be fair, HaRuMaN had just eaten a burrito, so...

Gold Jerry, GOLD!!!

[Malenko]

So my moment of truth about my SFII skills hit me last year at Zapcon. Spent 20 minutes beating up my opponent on the other side of a VS candy cab. Felt like top ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, so I got up, ready to throw down a bit of smack talk. Rounded the corner and realized I spent 20 minutes beating up on a dude with severe disabilities that couldn't even grip the joystick.

That dude beat me like 5 straight games

[BadMouth]

A friend of mine worked at his father's arcade growing up and can repeatedly beat me at any fighting game whether he's played it before or not.
The only question he asks before playing a game for the first time is how to block.
He says it's all about timing blocks regardless of the game.  Even after being told this, I still just mash buttons and keep doing the same couple special moves I know.

[wp34]

I suck at arcade fighting games but wouldn't back down from anyone at SFII on the SNES.  That game just does not feel natural for me with arcade controls.

[wp34]

So my moment of truth about my SFII skills hit me last year at Zapcon. Spent 20 minutes beating up my opponent on the other side of a VS candy cab. Felt like top ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, so I got up, ready to throw down a bit of smack talk. Rounded the corner and realized I spent 20 minutes beating up on a dude with severe disabilities that couldn't even grip the joystick.

 

[yotsuya]

I suck at arcade fighting games but wouldn't back down from anyone at SFII on the SNES.  That game just does not feel natural for me with arcade controls.

Same here. I never played those games in the arcade - it was always on a console.

[Mike A]

Me too. I sucked at the SNES version a little less than the arcade version.

[wp34]

I suck at arcade fighting games but wouldn't back down from anyone at SFII on the SNES.  That game just does not feel natural for me with arcade controls.

Same here. I never played those games in the arcade - it was always on a console.

Me neither.  Smash TV and Roadblasters got me through those dark days when fighting games dominated the arcades.

[pbj]

It's kind of interesting to play various fighting games against people that specialized in one growing up.

One friend played SF2 Turbo 24/7 on SNES.  He rapes the game and can beat you almost all the time with any character.  But you fire up Mortal Kombat?  Forget it.  Sub Zero is ripping his head off every match.

Another one claims to have played Smash Brothers competitively.  You can pretty much cream him in anything else until he's put about 5 games in and figured patterns out.  Then it's time to play something else.

[wp34]

It's kind of interesting to play various fighting games against people that specialized in one growing up.

One friend played SF2 Turbo 24/7 on SNES.  He rapes the game and can beat you almost all the time with any character.  But you fire up Mortal Kombat?  Forget it.  Sub Zero is ripping his head off every match.

Another one claims to have played Smash Brothers competitively.  You can pretty much cream him in anything else until he's put about 5 games in and figured patterns out.  Then it's time to play something else.

I can see that.  I couldn't play Mortal Kombat to save my life.  My kids all play Smash Brothers but when I try to play with them all I end up doing is mashing the buttons.

[pbj]

I'm not convinced that there's anything to Smash Brothers besides mashing buttons.  I've dropped actual money on that damn thing in various iterations and I clearly don't get it.

[JimmyU]

TBF, SSF2T is by far the hardest of the SF2 games. It seems like the computer can hit you four times and you're dead.

[yotsuya]

When those fighting games were popular on the consoles, I was in college working my way through getting an education degree, and I spent a lot of summers working with the YMCA. We’d set up Street Fighter tournaments on the SNES, and inevitably some kindergartner who was great at button mashing would always go pretty far.

[jeremymtc]

I still just mash buttons and keep doing the same couple special moves I know.

Dammit. How'd you learn my secret fighting game technique?

[Titchgamer]

I pretty much suck at fighting games but do enjoy them.
MK was always my fave before it got all modernised with ultra combos and that kind of crap.

I always have my tried n proven method of cheese.

Combination of flying kicks, sweeps and uppercuts with a helping of specials thrown in when I work then out 🤪

[Malenko]

I think getting good at street fighter takes away the fun, at least for me.   I kind of equate it with getting good enough at Guitar Hero to FC/100% the hardest song on the highest difficulty; when you can finally do it, you dont really want to play the game anymore.

[pbj]

The one that blew my mind recently was watching a world record on SNES Super Punchout.  How the hell did people even figure out all that frame skip stuff?  We're talking taking people out in less than 12 seconds.