So I want to practice my interviews! First things first I gotta get used to the type of questions I wanna ask, and in what order, so I’m going to practice on a friend. Gotta be ready when I meet someone cool! Below is the full interview.
I’d also love to hear your answers to my questions, or any suggestions on how to up my interview game, mostly from those of you who are casual players, but if anyone else wants to join in, you can too!
Q1: Why do you play Chun Li?
A1: I’ve always played Chun Li as main, except in 3rd Strike where she and I just didn’t gel somehow, and I preferred Elena a bit. Sometimes she’s a good match with me, sometimes less so (Alpha 3) but in SFV she’s absolutely perfect, even though I didn’t think so at first.
Q1b: What do you mean ‘didn’t think so at first’?
A1b: At first when I didn’t know her frame data, I saw what I thought were a lot of holes in her offense that would make it easy for people to counter her pressure or run away. I was too used to the Third Strike versions of the same moves, so until detailed frame data was available and I could study it, she seemed like she would have a lot of weaknesses.
Q2: Speaking of frame data, I was going to ask this later but, what are your thoughts on needing to know more frame data to be successful in SFV?
A2: I’m not sure it’s true at lower levels and it is sort of misleading since some moves are like -6 but have such high pushback, or variable pushback, that you may not actually have a move with both the speed and the reach. I also think that people might think poorly of a character without it, or poorly of a character if they only reference it, but maybe that’s just me, I feel experience should come first and then use frame data to check confusing things and set up strategies.
Q3: Your character had been mostly under the radar at major events, but in Capcom Cup we saw quite a few. How do you feel about the ability to forge one’s own style and expression in this game and do you think we saw that capacity during Capcom Cup?
A3: Actually at first I had some issues figuring out how to use my style with her (the frame data problem) so I watched a lot of high level Chun Li online and didn’t like how any of them played, style wise, but they were fairly different. But then I finally found YamadaTaro who has a style really similar to mine and very different from most others. I feel like I could tell the difference in style between Ricki, MOV and Go1 at Capcom Cup really easily, and I feel like the game lets me play my own style too.
Q3b: We don’t have an official list yet and lots of experimental data but Season two is just around the corner. How do you think it will affect your character style?
A3b: I don’t think the S2 changes will affect my style except maybe to make it a little better. I always thought that both Instant Air Legs and 2LP were going to be nerfed and I learned the issues with relying on them pretty fast at my level. I actually never bothered to focus on learning to use either Air Legs combos or the BnB that starts from 2LP, because I was so sure they would change them. The rumored buff to 2LK canceling will help me a lot though, I was actually upset when it didn’t link into anything. Maybe if she loses the 2LP 2MK SBK stuff in V-Trigger it will affect me. But overall I don’t think my style is going to change.
Q3c: So I guess I don’t have to ask the question of if you intend to switch character because of buffs or nerfs
A3c: No, I don’t think that I have any complaints at all based on what we’ve heard so far. It would be hard to nerf this version of Chun to the point where I would be unhappy, I think.
Q4: Chun Li is considered top tier right now, where do you think she will end up on the tier list if the changes we saw at PSX were final or near-final?
A4: I think she will still be in the top 10 but with the tiers brought even closer together she won’t be in top 5. A lot of what made her top 5 I think was theoretical, and without Air Legs and BnBs being as strong or available… well she didn’t dominate everything before, she certainly can’t now if those changes are made. I think she will continue to have no real ‘bad matchups’ if you know what you’re doing though. Just that a lot more of her favor able ones will become more even.
Q5: What about the system changes in S2, do you think those will affect either the character or you specifically?
A5: It depends on if the throw positioning nerf applies to her air throw as well, since it already has a perfect meaty and a decent ‘tricky’ one. Regular throw recovery won’t change much for me, and I don’t think other Chun players either. If they do change White Life mechanics she will be a little stronger. Changes to invincible reversals help her pressure but I don’t think that much.
Q6: What about the rumor that came through Xian that the lag will be 4f now?
A6: I don’t even believe that, they would have to overhaul so much stuff… but they might. I am concerned that if they do NOT, certain things will be too obvious and the game will get weird. But if they do fix overheads and buff certain key jump-in buttons, I can see it working out.
Q7: What do you feel like the online experience of the game has been like? Any S2 changes that you expect to see affect the online play?
A7: You mean besides changing ‘every other ranked match opponent’ from Ken to Akuma? I relatively enjoy the online play, but that might just be my character. When it lags it is always bad but I have quite good connection so I don’t really notice it. I hope Capcom can do something cleaner with the netcode for those whose connections are not as good.
Q8: Do you have any other characters in Season 1 that you play seriously, or characters you intend to pick up based on potential buffs in S2?
A8: I actually like Bison and played him fairly seriously even with as ‘bad’ as people started to say he is. I went into a lot of mechanics to try to find ways to make him better since they’re not very obvious. I am looking forward to S2 changes to Bison via White Life, and his 3f normal and new links. He’s just fun for me, I always played him too.
Q9: How do you feel about Capcom’s initial release of the game and do you think S2 can even count as a viable ‘do over’ given the number of copies already sold?
A9: I don’t have a strong opinion on this, I think everyone will just react however their upbringing or whatever tells them that they should. I think the launch wasn’t that great but it wasn’t because of gameplay so S2 changes aren’t really fixing the problem. They probably need a relaunch. I don’t know if to be interested in S2 characters or not since they are all new so I just don’t have an opinion.
Q10: And finally, as we all can agree the best feature added to SFV is wallsplat. What is your favorite and why is it not the hot dog stand?
A10: Oh you mean stage transitions. I like being knocked into the bank the best, because I like the idea that you can expand and change a stage that way while keeping the core mechanics. The bank is just the most visually different/appealing to me, so since most of the transitions don’t actually transition, come to think of it, I guess they are just ‘wallsplats’. I definitely like the bank the best though.