From: maestas@cs.arizona.edu (Mark Maestas)
Newsgroups: alt.games.sf2
Subject: Re: SF2 Competition
Date: 5 Nov 92 19:25:58 GMT
Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson

In article <1992Nov4.224545.9507@newshub.ariel.yorku.ca> cs922096@ariel.yorku.ca (JOSE J. MONTANO) writes:
>     Here at York, the Chinese Student Assoc. is sponsoring the Street Fighter II
>Championships.  I think it was a great idea that someone finally did something
>like this.  Has anyone been in such a competition before?  I consider myself
>pretty good, especially playing Chun Li, who incidentally will be the character
>I'm using for the competition.  
>      Any tips?  I've played against all types--combo players, Master throwers
>(My game is based upon Throws and Spear Kicks [Chun Li's Forward Kick].), and
>"I can do continuous Ha-Do-Kens/Sho-Ryu-Kens"-type players, so I really don't need strategic help.  What I do need is help on how such competitions usually 
>go.  Actually, any help would be appreciated.  Thanks!
>
>|)  Joe

     Well, I've been in a few tourneys and my favorite method was a bracketed
double-elimination system.  Everyone starts out on one line.  Winners move up
and losers move down.  If you lose twice, you're out.  At the end, the winner
of the winner's bracket plays the winner of the loser's bracket.  The loser
bracket player had to defeat the winner twice (The winner hasn't lost), while
the winner had to defeat the other guy once (he already lost one).  Simple
and fair.
     Choosing characters is a different method.  In the Capcom sponsered 
tourney two years ago(?) we used Classic (no CE at that time) and we had 
to rank the four characters that we wanted to play.  When we matched off,
the judge compares the two name tags.  If the characters in the first slot
are the same, the judge goes down until two different characters are found
(e.g. Bob and Tim both have Guile as their first choice so we check the second
pick: Bob's 2ndary is Chun Li and Tim's is Ryu.  Now Ryu and Chun Li go at it.)
It was a pretty good system for Classic.
     In a SFIICE tourney, it was also double elimination.  However, before the
start of the fight, the person on the bottom portion of the bracket got to
pick the side to play on, while the one on the top got to pick the character
first.  In my opinion it was best to be at the bottom of the bracket since
it doesn't really matter which side you play on if you're good (unless the
controls are %$&%$!!).  Your advantage doesn't come from picking first, but
from picking second... you get to pick the best character to use against your
opponent!!  (ie your opponent picks Dhalsim, it would be to your best advantage
IMHO to pick Vega for a tactical advantage).  I don't think this system was
very fair (My friend Charles was at the very bottom so he got to pick his 
character last all of the time!).  I might suggest a flip of a coin or
something random for picking a character.
     That's the story of the tourneys that I've been in.  In case you're really
curious, I'll tell you how I did (If not go to the next article NOW).  In the
CAPCOM California one I got creamed.  Back in Phoenix, I've been in three 
others and got 4th and a nice 1st place.  The last one was a SFIICE tourney
and I got 2nd after making TWO stupid errors (don't ask)  but it was great
the old adrenaline was pumpin' and I got that 'rush' and... "BIG MONEY!  BIG
PRIZES!  I LOVE IT!!"

                                Mark "Terminator" Maestas 
                                maestas@cs.arizona.edu
 "Hasta la vista, baby." - [8^! 
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