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In depth with Dudley, Super Street Fighter 4 devs talk shop

Posted on March 8, 2010 at 8:03 p.m.

The Super Street Fighter 4 developers are back again this week, discussing how Dudley plays and why he was included in the new title.

Although Dudley is fairly true to his Street Fighter 3 form, Capcom staff talks about how he was tweaked in this iteration. A big thanks goes to Azrael for translating this latest blog entry.

Hello everyone. This is Tsukamoto.

This week I'll be joined by director Okada and the head battle planner Sano, as we talk about the last of the new characters from Street Fighter 3 - Dudley - and things ranging from how he was chosen and what not.

First off, please tell us why Dudley was chosen to be added in the game.

Okada:
He was chosen for Street Fighter 4 because a lot of the development staff were really passionate fans of him, and he is extremely popular overseas. He is so popular that when producer Ono went to Europe to get opinions about the next installment of Street Fighter 4, he was consistently asked or requested for Dudley to be in the game. Also, we had a lot of requests from overseas fans to see the dream match-up of Dudley vs Balrog.

Is being a boxer the secret behind his popularity?

Okada:
Dudley's stylish boxing fight style is definitely very popular. We also feel that with his high approval rating in Europe, many Europeans want to support a fellow countryman.

What do you think is Dudley's charm?

Okada:
His character charm from Street Fighter 3 was to read the opponent, get in on his terms, and then take away their life in a flash - good rushdown power. Another part of his charm is that his attacks are very strategic. For example, Dudley has a lot of feint-type moves. He can get in close and counter his opponent's throw attempt with an attack. He's also got moves that are for the sole purpose of getting in close. If you are good at reading your opponent, then he becomes a very strong character.

Does Dudley play the same in Super Street Fighter 4?

Okada:
Yes, we have emulated Dudley's "hit and run" style as well as his fight style of getting into those open spaces from Street Fighter 3.

Sano:
Yes, his ability to control distance through various movements hasn't changed. For example, with his "Short Swing Blow" he moves back for a moment and evades his opponent's attack before launching his own - if you can use this well you can get in your opponent's face in an instant and really mess with them. Also, we brought back his "Thunder Bolt" from 2nd Impact, which can surprise people up close. Dudley also has plenty of target combos, so finding a way to get in close and utilize them will be one of the keys to victory.

How did you bring about the feel of Dudley?

Okada:
As Dudley is Mr. Gentleman, we included some gentlemanly components in his motions. His image is that of an orthodox boxer, who wastes no movements.

Sano:
Even though he's a fighter, he doesn't have that gritty Street Fighter feel, but more like that of a sports athlete. You won't find him fighting in the back alleys - he's got a strong sense of sportsmanship, and he is always polite.

Okada:
For boxers, of course we already have Balrog, but Dudley and Balrog's fight styles are completely different. Balrog just charges in like a rampaging bull*, his attacks are straight-forward and he's in your face, while Dudley is more of the "dance like a butterfly, sting like a bee" type, who focuses on footwork and keeps his distance. So Balrog wants to just land powerful single blows, while Dudley wants to use his footwork to hit multiple target combos and eat away at your lifebar.
(*Remember that Balrog's name in Japanese is Bison - so this is sort of in reference to that.)

Has he lost any moves?

Okada:
He's got all his moves from the Street Fighter 3 series. As Sano mentioned before, he also has the "Thunder Bolt". Personally, this is a move I wanted to see come back in this title, so I asked the designers and engineers about it and now its back.

What kind of move was the "Thunder Bolt"?

Okada:
If you use it when the opponent least expects it, I think its a fairly useful move. Also, it does pretty good chip damage, so I think it'll be good to finish off near-dead opponents.

Sano:
"Thunder Bolt" is one way to really throw your opponent off-guard. Use it immediately at the start of the round to have your opponent moving at your pace, and then use it with good timing to really throw off your opponent's spacing.

As the ultras are selectable this time around, tell us about the features of both of his.

Sano:
First lets talk about the "Corkscrew Cross". The first hit doesn't have a whole lot of reach, but you can use it within combos. It has a lot of various uses - for example, after launching an opponent from EX Machine Gun Blow, or after an anti-air from a high position.

Okada:
We've made this "Corkscrew Cross" in this game as a different version of his "Corkscrew Blow" from Street Fighter 3. In Street Fighter 3, the Corkscrew Blow did a lot of chip damage, had a huge hitbox, and had very little startup, so it was a tool with a lot of functionality. However in this title, the Corkscrew Cross is short-range and somewhat more limited in its usage. So that gives it a different feeling from the Corkscrew Blow from Street Fighter 3.

How about his other ultra, "Rolling Thunder"?

Sano:
For "Rolling Thunder", in order for it to be able to pass through projectiles we've given it a fairly long window of invincibility. Since there's no parry in Street Fighter 4, this is a way of dealing with fireball characters. So when you're taking on fireball characters, I'd recommend this ultra!

Okada:
When Dudley has the meter for "Rolling Thunder", this increases his mid-range options and makes it harder for fireballers to throw that fireball, so this is an advantage for him. Also, even if the opponent blocks he keeps on punching, so this can also work for chip damage kills.

Do you have any moves you would recommend?

Sano:
I'm going to go with his ducking. It lets him evade fireballs and get in close.

Okada:
At the beginning of development, ducking didn't have the ability to avoid projectiles. As Dudley was the first Street Fighter 3 character we added to the game, at that time we hadn't yet decided on how to fit them into this game. So at that time, he couldn't evade fireballs and he wasn't very Street Fighter 3-ish.

Sano:
Yes, the first Dudley was one who was based completely on Street Fighter 4's system.

Okada:
But then during development we had a lot of people experiment with him, and when we also tried him out we felt that as-is, there was no point in adding him to the game at all. So then we thought about the Dudley that players wanted to use, and how to bring that about, and that's how ended up with the ducking's current function.

Why didn't it go through projectiles at first?

Okada:
Ducking doesn't just avoid opponent's attacks, it's also a dash is it not? So at first, we worried that no one would use his regular dashes. And that this would be unbalanced. On that note, ducking is a move that we had to continually adjust right up until the end.

Sano:
If we think about it, Dudley is a Street Fighter 3 character that we are trying to put into the Street Fighter 4 series. So we went through a trial and error process with him, and the direction we settled on was to keep as much of the Street Fighter 3 feel as possible. We also did this for Ibuki and Makoto.

Are there any other moves you would recommend?

Sano:
While it's not technically a move, I would recommend his rose throw. Since this was a taunt in Street Fighter 3, its formal name is "The Rose of Victory". Okada said we absolutely had to have this, so it was added in. Of course, that wasn't the only reason (laughs). In order to add the rose throw we had to add a completely new system, and it took a lot more work than expected.

Okada:
We had proceeded without the rose throw through the middle of the development stage, but it just didn't feel right not to have it. The rose throw is one of the more memorable taunts from the Street Fighter 3 series, and it's also one of the most trademark aspects of Dudley. I'm glad we were able to get this in as a special move.

Sano:
This was also touched upon on Ms. Shiozawa's blog, but after throwing the rose Dudley can close the distance on his opponent. So its not something you can really exploit, but its not useless either. Also, the rose homes in on the opponent's head without fail.

Okada:
Yes, it even homes in on them during a jump.

Sano:
If you're in close and you time it carefully against your opponent's jump, you can whack them pretty good. So this can keep your opponents grounded, which is where Dudley likes them.

Tsukamoto:
The rose only makes contact with the opponent, it doesn't take away damage right?

Okada:
Right, it doesn't do damage. We thought about making it do 1 point's worth of damage, but we figured anyone who got KO'ed from the rose throw would be pretty pissed off so we gave up on that (laughs).

Who out of the existing Street Fighter 4 characters would you say is similar to Dudley?

Sano:
That's a really hard question. A Street Fighter 4 character who plays like Dudley... I don't think there is one. Balrog is also a boxer, but their playstyle is completely different. So for fighting style, maybe the closest would be... Dhalsim?

Okada:
Yeah, Dhalsim's stretching arms control the distance, and with his Yoga Teleport he can get in close and attack you, so in that regard maybe they're kinda close.

What is Dudley's best distance?

Okada:
For options, that would be mid-range. For doing damage, up close.

Is Dudley a difficult character to use?

Okada:
His actual controls aren't that hard. However, his playstyle really requires a psychological warfare, so in that sense he may be suited better for tactical players. If you are the type who likes to do what you want to do and hit a good combo to decide it all, maybe he's not for you, but if you like to think "Well, in this situation he'll do this move," or "if I do this I can irritate him and bait out this move," the type who really likes to read your opponent, then I believe Dudley is right up your alley.

Tsukamoto:
For games as well as real fights, good players are able to utilize these mind games. If you can get caught up in that aspect of Dudley then he'll be an interesting character to use.

Last week you also said that reading your opponent was necessary for Makoto's gameplay - does that mean that they are similar characters?

Okada:
Well, both characters require reading your opponent, but how that plays out differs between then. For Makoto, more than countering she's more about reading in order to land her moves. For Dudley, if you make a mistake in reading your opponent's options then they will evade your attack and Dudley gets countered, so he has to think about about which move he wants to make the opponent do, or how he's going to pressure. He matches up with his opponent's moves and then decides his, so that point is different.

Do you feel Dudley is suited towards beginner, intermediate or expert players?

Okada:
I'd say from intermediate to expert. I think he's harder to use than fireball characters, but as for the feeling of play itself I think he's quite normal.

Which matchup would be the most interesting for Dudley in this game?

Okada:
Of course, that would be Balrog!

Based on what we've just taked about, Dudley seems like he'd have the advantage over the straightforward rushing Balrog.

Okada:
Nah, they both have their distinctive flavors, so I think it would make for a pretty good matchup. Dudley with his light footwork and target combos seems like he'd have the advantage, but once Balrog starts pressuring he brings a lot of power. So its hard to say which is better, and I think it'll make for a good fight. If nothing else, seeing two boxers duke it out is just cool (laughs).

Tsukamoto:
Ducking the opponent's attack and trading blows looks really cool, and if you see your opponent is Balrog you can think "Okay, let's settle this!" and get really into it.

Do you have any final words for the players looking forward to Dudley?

Okada:
For Dudley, same as with the other Street Fighter 3 characters, while there may be some differences here and there, we've done our best to preserve his feel from that time, as well as add a Street Fighter 4 playstyle as well, so please look forward to that. I'd like to new players to try out Street Fighter 4 Dudley, and even for those players from Street Fighter 3 I think you'll find a new way to play him. It'll be pretty interesting.

Sano:
As Okada said, we've done out best not to disturb how it feels to control him, so I think you can play him with the same sense you did in Street Fighter 3. And of course, there's the revived "Thunder Bolt"! If you can find cool ways to use this, I'll be really happy!

Tsukamoto:
Including the new move, train up and polish your moves as well as your individual playstyle! Then take it to the ring to develop your fighting spirit and guts. I'll also give it my best!

Well then, we've covered the Street Fighter 3 characters over these past three weeks, and I hope you enjoyed it. As we've been hearing a lot of opinions about this, I think we'd better cover some of the existing characters as well. We're just getting started with preparations, so please look forward to it!

See you next week!

Posted by RedEther on March 8, 2010 at 8:08 p.m. #1

Nice info finally first.

Posted by Me on March 8, 2010 at 8:09 p.m. #2

Tomorrow will be time to oil up!! Probably at 4 or 5 pm PST.

Posted by Solidus on March 8, 2010 at 8:14 p.m. #3

I still wish the Rose still did 1 damage.

And I agree with Fart to an extent, as it does seem like many characters are being neglected in favor of the new/most popular returning ones.

However, as a fan of Dudley and Cody I really don't have much to complain about lol

Posted by donnie darko on March 8, 2010 at 8:15 p.m. #4

my gief is gonna smash any dudley just like my hugo did

Posted by yes4me on March 8, 2010 at 8:16 p.m. #5

I wish the rose made again 1HP damage. That's the whole point of the rose...

Posted by pfft on March 8, 2010 at 8:16 p.m. #6

I wouldn't mind getting KO'd by a rose.

It's the best way to lose.

Posted by yaaboy1993@psn on March 8, 2010 at 8:17 p.m. #7

go balrog p.s my fight money

Posted by Henry on March 8, 2010 at 8:25 p.m. #8

You guys don't even know about the tweaks they did for the returning cast... stop talking about what you don't know. -_-

Posted by szrg on March 8, 2010 at 8:25 p.m. #9

Of course they would be mad if they were killed by a rose. THAT'S THE POINT!

Posted by nice on March 8, 2010 at 8:29 p.m. #10

i can't wait to play my main character dudley again =D

Posted by =( on March 8, 2010 at 8:29 p.m. #11

The rose does no damage. I am sad.

P.S. Dudley rocks! :p

Posted by Clearly on March 8, 2010 at 8:31 p.m. #12

Balrog fights for bike money

Dudley fights for an antique car

The winner is clear...

Posted by Me2 on March 8, 2010 at 8:31 p.m. #13

This sounds Great! Cant wait!

Posted by Geeze on March 8, 2010 at 8:32 p.m. #14

Of course you guys are going to naturally feel that the new additions are going to be good and maybe better. It's the only thing they've talked about for the last three months. If you were told every update about how the old characters play and in this style of interview (one that seems to just talk about the good aspects of the particular character) you'd feel that they were being too generous and might leave the new characters to the wind. Please look at it as a whole and understand.

Posted by Nhem Lee on March 8, 2010 at 8:36 p.m. #15

Of course the devs put more work into the sf3 characters; they're from a game of mix ups, that was entirely different from sf2(which was based around fireballs and zoning). Must've been a pain in the butt to get dudley and them right for ssf4.

Posted by n00b_saib0t on March 8, 2010 at 8:38 p.m. #16

i think taunt KOs are the best way to win (or lose).

once in 3S i was chun playing against a ken (go figure, right?) and he taunted. i super'd, and the taunt hit me out of it for the lose.

i couldnt even get mad, i just busted up laughing right there.

the rose should have done damage, if sakura has the point and laugh it should do damage, dan's flexing taunt should do damage, and akuma's flame stomp taunt should do damage, just like past games.

Posted by rose? on March 8, 2010 at 8:42 p.m. #17

It's scary the the designers think that being KOed by the rose would suck. That's what makes the rose the best taunt ever!

Posted by I wish on March 8, 2010 at 8:44 p.m. #18

Dan's Super Taunt did damage. 1 hit K.O. It would be hilarious.

Dan FTW!

Posted by s on March 8, 2010 at 8:51 p.m. #19

I think the reason they nerfed the damage out of the rose is they said it seeks players heads. If you get killed in sf3 by a rose, you forgot to tech or dodge it and its your fault for dying to it.

If you get killed by a face seeking rose any time you jump or otherwise cant block, thats pretty lame.

Posted by koku on March 8, 2010 at 8:55 p.m. #20

Somewhere out there, Kokujin has just wet his pants.

Posted by Cammy on March 8, 2010 at 9:14 p.m. #21

I think it's messed up they are doing so much to make the new characters so in depth and they have yet to do anything about me but change the frames on my Quick Spin Knuckle.

I mean come on. I can't even dive kick out of my Hooligan Combination. Can I at least have a decent cross up kick? Light kick is embarrassing.

Posted by darko_p86 on March 8, 2010 at 10:50 p.m. #22

i don’t understand why people say who out of ANY of the characters would have the upper hand. i think its entirely up to the person who is actually using the character. if a guy who is not really good chooses Dudley vs. an experienced Balrog, the upper hand of course would go to Balrog.

I know that Sagat being top tier has the most win ratio, but if the guy who is using him aint as good as his opponent, he can loose to the weakest character there is.

In fact, any character can be deadly in the right hands. you just gotta know how to handle them. Look at Rose for example, she aint exactly up there with Sagat and Ryu, but Luffy's Rose beat even Diago's Ryu. That just shows that it depends on the guy who is using the character.

Posted by Metal Health on March 8, 2010 at 10:59 p.m. #23

just make the rose do 1 point of damage, who cares if someone gets mad from losing to it. its ONE point, if your down that low any chip damage would kill you. besides that i doubt many(if any) moves would leave you in a situation with <10 health, to lose to the rose you'd have to get hit by it like 10 times in a row. just do it Capcom, its better then tampering with frame advantage which Dudley definitely doesn't seem like he needs more of.

Posted by spanish ninja on March 8, 2010 at 11:04 p.m. #24

good point #40 i always hate it when people ask which character is better :P GO Makoto!!!

Posted by darko_p86 on March 8, 2010 at 11:23 p.m. #25

thanks #43, i hate that too. this kid online just keeps asking the same dame question "WHO IS THE BEST?" any can be the best, you just gotta play. And know your character in and out

@41

i agree, so what if i get killed by a rose that does 1 pt damage. if im down THAT low, id rather get killed by that rose and go out in style than just any old typical punch. hell, like you said almost any other move will KO you at 1pt health. hmmm, is it me or do the characters like Balrog in the trailer react to the rose, just slightly shrugging it off when it connects?

Posted by Smorgasboard on March 8, 2010 at 11:52 p.m. #26

It's too late to change the game. It's too late. The development is already done. It's finished. Oh yeah....

Posted by Darun on March 9, 2010 at midnight #27

Okada's now got my vote as a cool guy. He's given Dudley back his old 'Thunder Bolt' move! A move of his i've missed since the SF3:2nd Impact days. Always wondered what Dudley would've been like with this move in 3rd Strike, but it was removed for some odd reason.

[n00b_saib0t: i think taunt KOs are the best way to win (or lose).]

Too bad Sean isn't in SSF4 then, cos that *basketball taunt* of his was the best next to Dudley's rose toss. Many 3S taunts hit opponents but Sean's was very stylish, the ball throwing was practically a hidden special move for him to ultilise if not a useful sneaky weapon of its own. Hell it was so good it was more or less used for one of the SF3's bonus stages and all!

Just love that picture of Dudley ducking Guile's Sonic Boom. Kinda of a pity those angles aren't seen much or regularly enough during SF4 matches though, not unless an Ultra or Super (ones that change angles) is being activated at that particular moment?

Posted by dude on March 9, 2010 at 12:49 a.m. #28

he looks great.
too bad for the crappy voice (particulary US voice)

Posted by World of lolcraft on March 9, 2010 at 1:11 a.m. #29

Dudley is my bank alt

Posted by huh? on March 9, 2010 at 1:22 a.m. #30

Why doesn't anyone ask these questions?
Did you fix the hitboxes?
Did you fix the glitches?
What changes where made to the original characters?

Posted by Oil coaster on March 9, 2010 at 2:33 a.m. #31

its time....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc1f--...

Posted by Gash4Life on March 9, 2010 at 2:45 a.m. #32

Dudley is my kind of character but my Cammy will rape any other Dudley player.

Posted by B.K. on March 9, 2010 at 2:53 a.m. #33

all these new cast are cool, but im gonna have to stick with sakura as my main due to the neglect she gets. since she'll already be unlocked, she's gonna be my tourney choice.

Posted by Dhalism...comparison? on March 9, 2010 at 3:04 a.m. #34

Hmm, if anything Dudley has (in SF3:2I) been more like M.Bison/Dictator than Dhalsim. Especially with the thunderbolt and the various mid-range dash attack moves.

Posted by Thunder bolt on March 9, 2010 at 3:05 a.m. #35

Thunder bolt was removed from 2I because it was too powerful and open to glitchbuse.

Posted by Brine on March 9, 2010 at 3:22 a.m. #36

Jesus, people complain that the rose does no damage, yet people would also complain if the rose DID damage. As somebody already said, if it did damage, perhaps the ability for the rose to control space would just bend the game too far in Dud's favour in some match-ups. That wasn't mentioned in the interview, but I don't think it hurts to wonder. Don't complain that it does no damage because it's neither good nor bad, just be glad it's there.

Also, I reckon the reason Dud's Thunderbolt was taken out of the game for 3S was because it didn't actually suit him as a character. It's not the kind of move that a disciplined boxer like Duds should have in my opinion, but that's just me.

Anyway, somebody mentioned that more questions should have been asked about hitboxes, etc. Quite right! How does he fare against grapplers if he is as slippery as 3S? Does the recovery of the ducking dash allow him to do ground cross-ups under jump-ins xx Corkscrew Blow as in 3S?

Posted by shinygerbil on March 9, 2010 at 3:48 a.m. #37

If the rose did damage......just imagine the rage you'd get online. Would be funny for a while but would get very tiresome after some time. And as Capcom are seemingly putting online play at a higher priority to offline play, it's no surprise if they took that into account.

Posted by Ryu Apprentice on March 9, 2010 at 4 a.m. #38

why would a rose do damage? cmon if I toss a rose at you does that hurt? cmon people be real.

Posted by @38 on March 9, 2010 at 4:04 a.m. #39

If the rose had thorns im guessing it would hurt :)

Posted by Blow on March 9, 2010 at 4:15 a.m. #40

That pic of him punching zangief gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Posted by Psycho on March 9, 2010 at 4:50 a.m. #41

Can't wait to play as Dudley!!! and play as the improved Vega!! :D

Posted by Jhawk on March 9, 2010 at 5:35 a.m. #42

Dudley, Balrog and Dee Jay the black boxers hell yeah

Posted by Gbraga on March 9, 2010 at 8:58 a.m. #43

Pretty nice, but JWong's walkthrough was far more informative.

Too bad the rose doesn't take CD, it would be awesome to finish a match with it.

Posted by Guy on March 9, 2010 at 10:19 a.m. #44

lol@ #42

Posted by Necro on March 9, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. #45

The return of Dudley is the best thing ever for ssf4 (along with Makoto and Ibuki of course). The rose not taking any damage on your opponent do i find a bit odd. Would people really get that pissed if they were defeated in such a gentlemen kind of way?

Anyways hopefully i myself will return to the street fighter scence someday but until then ill stick with Dudley.

Posted by JerseyFame on March 9, 2010 at 11:03 a.m. #46

Im a Guile enthusiast....

I switched to Dudley in 3rd strike cus that fake Guile player they replaced him with was embarrassing unless Dagger G was using him.

I see myself owning shotos in the hundreds with Dudley now...

that is if its true Guile didnt get rebuffed and I heard that his EX sonic boom still doesnt cause a knockdown and it actually hits once now for less damage.

that cant be true.

Posted by darksydephil on March 9, 2010 at 12:33 p.m. #47

@46
Get outta here you Guile scrub.

Posted by Aquaman on March 9, 2010 at 12:34 p.m. #48

Dudley is lookin' beefy

Posted by LC on March 9, 2010 at 1:07 p.m. #49

Please Ban Dudley from tourneys, hes too good!!!!lol

Posted by letsfightlikegentlemen on March 9, 2010 at 2:33 p.m. #50

@38 cmon man do you think anything in this game is real...

Posted by shannaro1992 on March 9, 2010 at 2:33 p.m. #51

This is gonna be sweet!

Posted by judgespear on March 9, 2010 at 4:08 p.m. #52

The rose automatically homes in on the player. Since there is no parry in this game, they had to remove the damage. If you jumped up and got hit by the rose, you wouldn't be able to deflect it. Lack of parry is also why Makoto can block or why Gouken's Denjin is blockable.

Posted by JerseyFame on March 9, 2010 at 11:10 p.m. #53

@47

What the hell is a fartsidephil?

Eitherway...now Guile players are scrubs.

lol now that you have the shoto "i can block and bang on my conrtoller and a shoryuken will still ocme out if you miss your link" magic...

i think shotos are super scrubs now.

Go spam a hadouken.