A Beginner's Guide To SF2
William A. Brien
Well, I've done the flames, I've bitched and moaned, I've done everything
but write a guide. So, hey... here goes.
*** Preface:
This is, by no means, a guide to becoming the best Street Fighter in the
world. It does, however, set a sketchy (at best) outline for becoming
better versed in the ways of the game. I have put forth a basic plan to
start this, without the long files of strategy and tactics. These tasks,
dear reader, are up to you. Many people have written files on what to do
when you get to a point in a game; not many have written a guide on how to
start, and start correctly. This method worked for me, and it should work
for you. This post, although specifically for Street Fighter in the
descriptions, can be applied to any game in existence, and should be useful
if you wish to put it to that use. So, read away. If you're already past
this stage (or so you hope), then read it anyway. It should bring back some
memories of first starting down the road to the world of SF.
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Beginner's Guide to Street Fighter
by Will Brien (mu...@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu)
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*** 1. Watch first.
Never just jump onto a game and say, "Well, it's time to be the best." It
just doesn't work. If you have access to an arcade that is frequented at
times, take a little time off and go visit when there's a lot of activity at
the SF2 machine. If you have the choice between looking at differing
versions of the game, pick the HF (Hyper Fighter) version. Newest, fastest,
and IMHO, best. So start high. And watch. I don't mean just hang around
and see who beats whom. The pace of the game, the way that the characters
are used, even the actions of the players themselves can tell an observant
person much about something that they hardly know anything about. And this
lack of knowledge can be corrected with a solid base of watching someone
else play. In addition to learning, you will be saving approx... well, it's
a lot of money. =) I'm sure that if you ask players how much they have
spent on SF, the amount will be staggering to you. I'm just trying to make
it easier - and cheaper!
*** 2. Ask questions.
If you show up at the arcade and there's someone playing SF, watch for a
while. If he knows how to do the "special moves" that each character has in
his/her arsenal, and seems to be beating the computer soundly, ask a few
questions that you have in mind. Always, *always* ask these questions
between the time that he is playing, called rounds. You do not want to
disturb this potential fountain of information, annoying him and possibly
not getting any information at all! There are breaks between rounds, and
this is the time to breach the subject at hand. You can ask any questions
you like, but there are other sources (esp. this Net, and the ftp site
listed at the end of this article) that could just as easily render your
questions solved. Among them:
a) "So how *do* you do that (Dragon Punch, fireball, razor kick, etc)?"
b) "What kind of strategy do you use to try and beat this character?"
c) "Do you think you could give me a couple of pointers, since you're
destroying the computer so easily?" (flattery always helps =))
So, there isn't any real "format" to follow. You have a person that knows
more than you. If this person is not that responsive, then at least you
asked. There are zillions of SF players out there. But if you *do* get
some information, you're starting to climb the ladder to excellence. You
have to start somewhere. And so now, you might even be able to get into a
little "example" game to pick up some stuff. Always offer to pay for these
little sessions - you are the one benefitting, so you should pay. And the
savings that will result should more than make up for it. Hell, ask this
person how much they've spent. Again, you will be astounded! Once this
step is reached, *remember* lesson one. Watch. And listen. And learn.
This time, the "one-on-one" sessions, is the backbone to the learning
process. Everyone who is above average has done this at one time or
another. So you will too.
NOTE: If there is no person on the SF machine, and you are in an arcade
with an attendant who is doing nothing (as usual =)), then ask them if they
could show you some stuff. If they can, they will probably be so shocked
that someone asked them for their advice, they'll probably run over to the
machine and show you all they know. It gets kind of boring in there. (Yes,
I'm speaking from experience, and yes, they will probably pay for most, if
not all of the games if you know them well enough.) And if they say no, it
never hurt you to ask. You are in search of knowledge. Sometimes you get a
lot of No. But all it takes is just one Yes.
*** 3a. Get a partner and practice.
This was the second-most entertaining part of my learning process (next to
beating someone worthwhile), and I feel that it will be yours, too, if the
partner you pick is compatible with you. The practice you will be doing
involves the perfecting of "special moves", the act of defensive posturing,
the advantages and disadvantages of each character, their inherent strengths
and weaknesses, and other things that can be discovered while you and your
friend flail on each other. =) For this stage of your "training", you might
want to either:
a) bring more than one other friend
b) bring a lot of money
c) steal a HF machine
I would have to recommend a). The more people, the less you have to spend,
and a rotation of players will give you more examples and experience. Also,
you won't be broke. =) If you can get as much practice into the basics of
the game, with as many people as possible, you can get ahead of about 50% of
the players out there. So take your time, have some fun, and practice,
practice, practice.
NOTE: I would have to recommend both files at the ftp site following:
* newbie.do-dont (a description of things to do and not to do, some of
which I have covered - good starting point)
* strategy.general.falcon
(a loooong briefing on each of the characters'
strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and other
neat stuff - a good read if you've got the time)
*** 3b. Use the Cannon Guides for that specific character.
In the ftp site listed at the end of this article, there are some files
that, in my own and other's opinions, are a must-have for beginning
players. These are the Cannon Workbooks, a collection of exercises for
specific characters. Contained in these files are specifics on how to do
the "special moves" for each character, the correct usage for these moves,
and an overall strategical layout for a player to follow in their road to
mastery. You have to start somewhere, and this is the place. During your
sparring rounds with friends, review and execute the tasks T.Cannon places
at your disposal. With each guide you read and learn, the better your
chances are of coming into the big world of SF without getting killed.
Again, look for the files with cannon and/or workbook in the filename. They
will more than be worth the time reading them.
NOTE: Unfortunately, T.Cannon has only put out two character workbooks (Ken
and Sagat) and one combination (combo) workbook. Take what you can get,
folks. It doesn't get much better than what he's got. And if you're nice
and write him, he might even put out another Workbook! (hint hint) The
following are the filenames for T.Cannon's work:
* ken.workbook.cannon (Beginning Ken)
* sagat.workbook.cannon (Beginning Sagat)
* combos.workbook.cannon (Beginning attack combinations)
*** 4. Watch. Again.
Now go back to where you first looked at SF. Look at the people that are
playing. You now have a firm grounding in the ways of SF2. If you've
practiced right, and you've absorbed the material that has been put at your
disposal both on this Net and in your practice sessions, you should notice a
few things. One, this game has more depth and detail to strategy than a lot
of people realize. One of the most attractive aspects to this game is that
the whole outlook of a game (and, logically, its outcome) can change in an
instant. The pace and technique, the intelligence, the whole game, in
essence, has become more clear to you. You can recognize who has an
advantage over whom, the way that the match has been going (and will be),
and even if you would be correct in taking pointers from this person playing!
You might have better basics than this person, and anything else would be
simply redundant! To sum up, the game should become more "clearer" in the
purest sense. All you need to do now is to hone your game in the field of
battle. So, if you think you can take 'em, just jump in there and give it
your best. The key is, don't give up, but make sure you're not wasting your
money! If you keep getting killed, maybe you should take a break. And ask
this person for some advice. They might even give it to you. And so the
cycle begins again. Street Fighter is a never-ending learning process, and
this is what makes it, IMHO, the best video game out there. You can always
practice when you want, play when you want. But there's always a sure-fire
way to pick up new things that you can use to your own benefit.
Watch.
*** Addendum:
The ftp site mentioned in this article is for your use, to improve your game
or review what you already know. The address is:
mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu
in the directory /pub/local/sf2
There are different directories in this area. All have to deal with Street
Fighter and its variants. Take what you feel is needed, and if you wish to
browse and download some random file, do it. Look it over, mess around with
its techniques, whatever. The pace of the learning is up to you. Any
questions, comments, etc. on this FTP site can be directed to its "curator"
of sorts, Mike McCool, at
So that's it. Good luck, and happy Street Fighting! Any comments,
questions, flames, or other neat stuff can be directed to me, Will Brien, at