STREET FIGHTER ZERO 3 (PSX) T.HAWK FAQ V1.0 (ALL-isms) written by Greg Dawson gdawson@angelfire.com
=============== VERSION HISTORY ===============
V1.0 - First release.. mail me and tell me what you think!
================ TALE OF CONTENTS ================ 1.INTRODUCTION - Why use T.Hawk? - SF terms 2.MOVES ANALYSIS - Movelist - Basic attacks - Special attacks - Super Combo attacks 3.COMBOS -Combos -Variable Combos (V-ism) 4.STRATEGY - Basic strategy - Advanced strategy 5.MISCELLANEOUS - Colors - Rant :) ================
============== 1.INTRODUCTION ==============
Welcome to my T.Hawk FAQ. I have written this FAQ to show the world that T.Hawk is not a bad character! All I hear about Hawk is how much he stinks, he's useless, blah, blah.. He's not I tell you! Well, I guess he's not the best.. But he's DEFINITELY not the worst. A good V-Hawk can kick your ass if you're not careful.
- Why use T.Hawk? ----------------- Because he's an underdog. He's rarely picked, has a very unique playing style, and looks damn cool. :) Lemme explain.. When I first saw Hawk back in Super Street Fighter I thought, "man.. he's huge! What? He has a SPD *AND* a dragon punch?! No Way!" At the time my favorite was Zangief, so T.Hawk made me drool. When SFA3 came out with Hawk I was happy all over again, ESPECIALLY when I finally got the hang of VCs. Using Hawk also gaurentees you extreme bragging rights when you win, because of his poor rep. hehe..
- SF Terms ----------
I sometimes use terms or abbreviations that you might not understand.. Of course, this is a T.Hawk FAQ so I'm betting that that you probably know most of them since you ARE trying to learn about one of the underdogs.. :)
SF - Street Fighter Hawk - T.Hawk of course jab - jab punch, the weakest punch button strong - strong punch, the medium strength punch button fierce - fierce punch, the strongest punch button short - short kick, the weakest kick button forward - forward kick, the medium strength kick button roundhouse - roundhouse kick, the strongest kick button sweep - a ducking roundhouse kick that knocks your opponent down AC - Aplha Counter. This is done by pressing towards+2 of the same strength puncha and kick when you block an attack. (ex: towards+fierce+roundhouse all at the same time). DP - A Dragon Punch. You know, that Ryu/Ken move where they do a jumping uppercut and yell "ShoRyuKen!" :) VC - Variable combo.. Can only be used in V-ism VC s+f - activate your VC with strong punch and forward kick together VC j+s - activate your VC with jab punch and roundhouse kick together OTG - Off The Ground. This is for Stormhammers that you grab your opponent with during a VC while they are on the ground after a knock-down. ARK - Akuma/Ryu/Ken Shoto's - Refers to Akuma/Ryu/Ken.. Because they practice shotokan karate. KKK - all kicks PPP all punches tick - making your opponent block an attack (usually a jab or short) then to throw them afterwards. You can't throw them while they are in their blocking stance though. The idea is to force them to block, then to throw them just as they are coming out of "block stun". Cross-up - you jump OVER your opponent and hit them with an attack. Try jumping over your opponent and before you land press down+fierce punch. That is a cross-up attack. Throw - done by pressing towards OR back + two punch buttons (PP) when close to your opponent.
This is just your basic moveslist. I will be going more in-depth below. Also, these aren't the "official" names.. but I've been calling them these names for years, and I'm too used to them to change now. :)
Rising Hawk - towards, down, down-towards + punch Diving Hawk - press all 3 punch buttons while airborne Condor Spire - back, down, down-back + punch (not available in X-ism) Stormhammer - rotate stick 360 + punch (270 + punch works too) Super Stormhammer - rotate stick 720 + punch (X-ism and A-ism only) Super Condor Spire - down, down-towards, towards x2 + punch (A-ism only)
Choke Hold (throw) - back or towards + two punches when close mini-stormhammer (airthrow) - back or towards + two punches when close in air.
- Basic attacks ---------------
-- Jab Punch --
Standing - Your basic Jab. Quick, weak, interruptable, and has good priority. Hawk does a standing elbow. Not a very useful move. Can be used as anti-air but I don't recommend it. It's only real use is in psuedo-ticks (see strategy section).
Ducking - Hawk pokes outward with his hand. A good move. It has more range than most jabs (similar to Zangief's) and as usual has priority and is interruptable. Thus - a fairly safe move when close, good in ticks, and in combos. Just make sure that it makes contact or is right in front of your opponent. Also, you can string multiple ducking jabs together.
Jumping - A downward poke. Like all jabs it has good priority air-to-air, but not his most usefull air attack.
-- Strong Punch --
Standing - A swiping chop. This move has good range, but can be ducked and is useless as anti-air. You won't be using this much.
Standing Close (B+Strong in V-ism) - A short ranged uppercut chop. This is NOT a usefull anti-air. It's only real use is in combos and VCs.
Ducking - A swiping chop that has a little more range than his ducking jab. If you use this move wisely it can be good. If you make sure that it is fully extended when meeting an attack it will most likely win. But that won't always happen. Stilll a good move nonetheless.
Jumping - Similar to his jumping jab. Good air-to-air priority, but you still probably won't use it that much.
-- Fierce Punch --
Standing - A long range swiping chop. Priority is good but it can be ducked and not good for anti-air. It's only real use is from max range to snuff the odd attack or in VCs.
Standing Close (B+Fierce in V-ism) - Hawk swings both his arms above his head and then down on top of your opponent chop-style. Not a useful move unfortunately. I rarely ever use it.
Ducking - Now THIS is a useful move. Hawk does an overhead chop with deceptively long range. A decent poke if you know how to use it. Don't use it when close. It's also useful in VCs. It's your longest ducking poke.
Jumping - Hawk does a quick double-handed overhead chop. A decent move but not very useful. It has good priority, but comes out slow. About 1 whole second after you hit the button. Throw it out early if you're going to use it at all.
Jumping Splash (D+Fierce) - Hawk stretches out letting his body fall on your opponent. Similar to Zangief's, but doesn't last as long. The hitting area is from Hawk's head to around his knees. As with all splashes this has good priority and is an excellent cross-up attack. One of the jumping attacks you'll use the most. This can only be done while jumping towards or away from your opponent. Don't use this when when jumping from afar, It's horizontal range isn't too good. Best used when close.
-- Short Kick --
Standing - Hawk does a little kick to your opponent's shins. decent priority but not that great. Good in ticks and combos.
Ducking - Your classic ducking short.. Quick, weak, and interruptable. It's range is about the same as the ducking jab (maybe less). Use occasionally to snuff attacks. Also good for ticks.
Jumping - The classic grappler knee-drop. A pretty good move. It comes out quickly, and has good priority. You'll want to throw this out early and only when jumping from close. You'll hit high (meaning little chance of combo afterwards), but that's when you stormhammer. Beware, experts will easily get around this.
-- Forward Kick --
Standing - A LONG range kick to the opponents chest area. What ruins this is that it can be ducked by smaller characters. Use occasionally from max distance to pressure. Against characters that can't duck beneath it, it is a good assest.
Standing Close (B+Forward in V-ism) - A shorter version of his far standing forward. This also can be ducked by smaller characters.. It can be used in combos as well because it is interruptable.
Ducking - A long range low kick. It has a bit more range that a Ryu ducking forward and about the same speed. A decent poke. Try to make sure it is fully extended when meeting an opponents attack, otherwise YOU will get stuffed. It's priority is decent at best, but just because of its range and speed it becomes a very important move.
Jumping - A weird shoto-style kick that just doesn't look right when Hawk does it. :) A so-so move. It's a bit slow coming out so be carefull. You can cross-up with this but it's really freaking hard so don't rely on it.
-- Roundhouse Kick --
Standing - Hawk does a Looong kick up towards his opponent's head. This move comes out pretty quick, but alas it too can be ducked. Use this from max distance to stuff stray jump attempts. You could try using it as anti-air when they jump from afar, but you'll trade a lot. Not a very usefull move.
Standing Close (B+Roundhouse in V-ism) - A straight up kick. This too can be ducked as well. The only plus I can see is for anti-air, but hawk already has better moves for anti-air. Pretty useless.
Ducking - Hawk does a quick sweep with good range (more than a d.forward) and it comes out FAST, but then comes he spins around a la Guile with a longer ranged 2nd sweep. I never liked any double sweeps like this. In between sweeps they give your opponent a window to nail you with something. But still, it's got nice range and it is fast. So it still an asset. Don't go crazy with it or you will eat many jump-ins and supers.
Jumping - THE dropkick. T.Hawk stretches Waaaaaaay out. The range on this is great. Air-to-air and when jumping close for combo however, it's not so good. Hawk has better moves. You want to use this from afar. Decent for jumping fireballs with from full screen. This is more usefull as a poke if you can believe it. Quite deceiving and intimidating to the inexperienced.
- Special attacks -----------------
Rising Hawk - T.Hawk's dragon punch. Hawk ducks down and then jumps upward like a.. well, rising hawk. :) Anyhow, as with most DPs it has very good priority and will stuff most anything except supers and high priority special attacks (ARK dragon punches, etc..). It's horizontal range while on the ground at startup is ok (a bit more than a ryu DP) once he jumps it has about the same range as a flash kick, This move is your dragon punch. Use it like you would any other dragon punch. For anti-air, to stuff moves, in combos. Try to hit deep with it, when it first starts (duh). Anyhow, this move moves you forward so a blocked rising hawk can mean big trouble. Use it wisely, when you have a good chance of hitting (mostly anti-air). Also, it has less delay (meaning you recover quicker) than most DPs. This isn't much but you'll be glad when you block your opponents counter attack attempts occasionally. Oh yeah.. you are NOT invincible while doing this move. Don't try to go through fireballs, supers, etc. with the rising hawk.
Diving Hawk - Hawk freezes in air for a quick second and then dives quickly at the ground at a 45 degree angle. An ok move. When used sparingly that is. If used in suprise situations you might score some hits, but otherwise it will most likely be blocked or hit. Your generally pretty safe from retaliation when blocked (unless your near a corner or you hit high with it, etc.) This can also be used to escape juggle attempts after flipping out. Those of you with PPP assigned to a button will know this. :) If you have a button with PPP for air recovering, change it to PP. It'll still flip and throw for you, but now you can control when you dive.
Condor Spire - Hawk hops up a bit and does a quick overhead chop. Each punch determines how far he jumps - jab=stays in place, strong=about 1 1/2 character widths, and fierce=a bit more than half screen. This is a real overhead attack and must be blocked high. It comes out pretty quick and you are pretty safe after it. It you get predictable however, you will get beat. Can be used in combos for confusion/stormhammer traps, but its main use is in VCs. In X-ism this move is not available.
Stormhammer - Hawk grabs his opponent's face in one hand then jumps up to the top of the screen swinging his opponent around as one would a basketball. He then "dunks" them onto the ground. This move has be raped since SSF2. It isn't an instant grab anymore. When you do this move Hawk raises his arms above his head and THEN grabs his opponent. It's only for a split second, but that alone almost ruins this move. It's only real use now is for VCs and/or when you have a GOOD chance of scoring with it. A good player will avoid a lot of your ticks, even stuffing you out of it during your delay with jabs, etc. It does have good range though, especially the jab version. About as good as Zangief's (or better?). Anyhow, the damage is good too. His most powerful special attack. And looks cool to boot. :) And I'm pretty sure that the range is even better in X-ism. HUGE range.. WW-like even. Also, against good players DO NOT use this as a wake-up attack. While getting up off the ground it may be tempting to try a stormhammer, but a good player will hit you every time. A well timed meaty attack will hit you in the startup delay.
Ok, let's talk about exactly HOW to do this move.. The way I like to do this is move is to rotate the stick from towards, to down-back, then to up and punch. You can do it in reverse (back, rotate to down-towards, then up and punch) as well. It also doesn't matter what direction you are facing either. Sometimes you might find yourself jumping while trying a stormhammer so you can try this. While doing an action (not just standing there) rotate the stick from up, around clockwise to the left direction and punch, or around counter-clockwise to Right and punch.
ex: After a jump in. You jump towards and while in the air you rotate the stick from up clockwise to right and press punch just as your landing. This way you won't jump and be open to attack.
Or: After a tick. do a ducking forward and then rotate the stick from up, clockwise to left. You should finish the motion after your kick comes back in. You won't jump accidentally if you mess up the motion.
The is just basics though.. You won't be using stormhammers that much against experienced players.
- Super Combos --------------
Super Stormhammer - This however has no startup delay. But it has HORRIBLE range. Let me repeat, HORRIBLE. Less than half the range of a normal stormhammer. You can still get it, but you can't play it like you would Gief's FAB. On the upside it does have amazing damage, and looks very sweet. If you can get it, do it. This is his only super in X-ism. Actually, I guess the range isn't THAT bad. It's still more than Honda's SC grab. (If that means anything).
Super Condor Spire - This move sucks. The WORST move in the game. Horrible. Hawk does a condor spire and then a rising hawk. First of all, since the screen darkens before this super your opponent can tell it's coming and block it. Thus, he will also block the rising hawk leaving you open and screwed. You can't combo it either. AND even if you do manage to connect with this, it does piddly damage, even at level 3. This move is garbage, do NOT use it in serious gameplay. Use it against people who don't know that it's an overhead.. (Good luck finding any, and they'll figure out eventually). Argh.. Why Capcom? Why? I can't get over how crappy this move is. What's the point? How come all the new supers in Alpha 3 suck? Anyhow, this one is _THE_ worst. Looks half cool, but it's the Super Condor Crap.
======== 3.COMBOS ========
Well, T.Hawk isn't much of a combo character. So there isn't much.
1. Cross-up d+fierce splash \/ s.strong or s.forward X fierce rising hawk
2. Jump attack (cross-up or whatnot) \/ d.jab or d.short X rising hawk
You'll probably use combo #2 the most.. And the usual jump attack -> sweep combo.
Variable Combos ---------------
Hawk does however, have very nice VCs if you're playing V-ism.. First I will describe Hawk's 2 best VCs.
This is easy and damaging. Use this if you're new to VCs. You have to time each rising hawk perfectly though. Do the first one, then as soon as he lands complete the motion for the next one, and so on. Don't spazz out with the motion. Practice in training to get the hang of it (remember to set your opponent to jump :).
LEARN THIS VC.. It is very important. It is very powerful and will win you most of your matches. If get this during a round, your opponent has a lot of catching up to do.
If you want to do this on a grounded opponent, you have to put in a ducking jab after the first rising hawk..
When you land from your last rising hawk and the VC ends, you can still cancel your delay with a ducking jab into fierce rising hawk. This looks sweet, and they still might flip after this so you can hit them with another rising hawk.
Here is another version..
ex: (anti-air) Activate VC s+f (strong+forward) -> repeated jab rising hawks -> VC meter gets low -> whiff ducking roundhouse -> they fall on their back -> OTG fierce stormhammer -> VC ends..
This is one of T.Hawks SWEETEST looking combos.. Anyhow, you do rising hawks until you only have a little bit of V-meter left (about the width of Hawk's foot). When you land from your last rising hawk hit ducking roundhouse, and they'll fall right next to you. The grab them Off The Ground (OTG) with a fierce stormhammer. It's hard to do, but if you can, be expected to get a compliment or two (or a "holy shit!" or two from people who haven't seen OTG's in SFA3 :).
Here's a good way to do it.. When you do the ducking roundhouse, look at your OPPONENT's character. Don't look at Hawk, but concentrate on the falling opponent. He'll fall, do a slight bounce, then fall flat on his back. THAT's when you grab them. When you see them bounce start the motion and finish it when they land flat again. You have to complete the motion when they're totally on their back with their arms at their sides. It's good to do the motoion for the stormhammer the way I described earlier in this situation.. (starting at up). But that's up to you.
Anyhow, these are Hawk's 2 main VC enders..
**CORNER RISING HAWK VC**
But what if during all these rising hawks you reach the corner? Because of your shadow, it will mess up if you don't change it. So you can try this
When you reach the corner, hit ducking roundhouse after you land from a rising hawk. Now wait.. Hawk will spin around doing his double sweep while your -shadow- hits with a rising hawk. Now when the opponents falls, hit them with another rising hawk.. do a sweep when you land, rising hawk, sweep, etc.. when it ends do his rising hawk ender.
Variable combo #2 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
**CORNER CONFUSION VC**
Activate VC s+f -> standing short -> ducking forward X strong condor spire -> repeated ducking forward into strong condor spire.. -> VC meter gets low -> fierce stormhammer
If you can get the timing of this down, you'll love it.. Your opponent is screwed if you can do it right. If they don't block, it will all combo and end with a stormhammer. If they try to block it, you will most likely screw up their blocking with all the condor spires, it will combo and end with a stormhammer. Even if the do manage to block it all somehow (they're an alien maybe?) they lose a load of guard meter, some block damage and still get grabbed with a stormhammer. In theory this would be the perfect VC.. But it needs perfect timing to do correctly. The only way for your opponent to get out of this is at startup (or if you mess up). They may try to hit you with with an attack, but this is VERY risky. The only reliable way out of this is to jump, and even if they do you will still most likely hit them and then go into his rising hawk corner VC. Even if you CAN'T do this perfectly (meaning you can't time it correctly for it all to combo), it is still good. If your opponent tries to block it (near impossible), they stray hits alone will do excellent damage. And maybe even kill them! It actually takes off MORE damage if not all a true combo (although you are leaving little windows for your opponent to hit you).
You can even mix it up a bit.. try this sometimes:
ducking short -> ducking short -> ducking forward into fierce condor spire
If you can mix it up enough, your opponent will have a VERY hard time doing anything at all (forget blocking).. Spazzing on a super motion might save them though. This is only if you can't get the repeated d.forward into strong condor spire mentioned earlier to combo.
Anyhow, you have to practice this one. It is valuable tool in Hawk's arsenal. Very frustrating for your opponent and the largest Hawk combo I can come up with. 25+hits
Alternately, you can do a midscreen version of this as well.. It's not quite as good, but can confuse opponent's who haven't seen it or are aren't used to it.
ex: Activate VC s+f -> d. short -> d.forward into fierce condor spire -> repeat.. -> when you reach the corner go into his corner confusion VC
It's as simple as that.. You can mix up the d.short -> d.forward part as well. (ex: do just 1 d.forward, or do 2, or just 1 d.short, etc..) Of course this isn't as good as the corner VC but still has its merits. It is confusing at first and hard to block for the inexperienced. Also, at any time you can do an unavoidable stormhammer if you wish. It is a very flexible VC. But you'd probably want to keep going to push them into the corner to go into his corner confusion VC. The only problem with doing this midscreen is that you leave windows in your VC for your opponent to hit you. Spazzers will probably muster up a jab or something to hit you, and experts might even VC you! On intermedite players (who have learned to block a lot) however, this can be a great asset. Experiment to find out what works against your opposition.
Other Variable Combos ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
**CROSS-UP CONFUSION VC**
1. Jump over your opponent -> Activate VC j+s while airborne -> cross-up with down+fierce splash -> ducking short into strong rising hawk -> repeated fierce rising hawks.. -> ducking jab into rising hawk ender.
If you've ever taken on a V-Akuma or done Hawk's corner confusion VC you'll know the wrath that is your VC shadow. Here is the logic behind this combo and why it is so effective.. You jump over your opponent and activate VC with jab+short. Then you cross-up with fierce splash (down+fierce). When you land immediately do a ducking short into strong rising hawk. Here's the catch.. while you are doing the ducking short, your -shadow- is hitting with the fierce splash. How do you block a low and high attack at once? I honestly don't know. So anyhow, you mess up their blocking and get a strong rising hawk. Then you go into repeated fierce rising hawks. The timing is exactly the same as the rising hawk VC I mentioned earlier in this FAQ. And of course you go for the usual d.jab X rising hawk ender.
You might be asking yourself, "If repeated fierce rising hawk's with a jab+short VC works, why use the strong+forward rising hawk VC mentioned earlier?" Here's why.. Because it is more reliable. With jab+short activation you might get a bad "bounce" that will mess up your VC. It doesn't happen too often, but for Hawk's primary VC (the midscreen rising hawk VC), you want reliability. For this VC you NEED jab+short activation for proper shadow placement.
**YOUR BASIC SPD VCs**
1. Jump attack (cross-up or whatever) -> activate VC j+s -> ducking attack (short or forward) into fierce stormhammer.
This is the basic tick VC. Unlike the normal stormhammer, you CAN'T miss a stormhammer during a VC if you are in close. If they get hit, they will get grabbed. If they block, they will get grabbed. There is NO WAY for them to escape the stormhammer. The only bad part thing about this combo is that it is too short! It does about 25% unavoidable damage but then you're stuck a half screen away with VC activated. You could try to go at them again to try for more hits, but that is VERY risky.. remember, you can't block when VC is actiavted and you're just begging to be super comboed. This is good if you have only 50% of a V-meter charged, but if you have a 100% you might want to save it for Hawk's better VC's. Also, you can use any attack.. not just short or forward. It's just that they are probably the most reliable.
2. Activate VC -> fierce stormhammer
Ok, this doesn't look like much, but it could save your ass quite a lot if you use it. Sometimes you're in those dire situations when 1 stormhammer will decide the match. You're on the ropes, and so is your opponent. If you get in range for a stormhammer, instantly activate VC and then stormhammer. Totally unavoidable. They can't jump away, they can't hit you, they can't do anything. (AFAIK). Always remember that about VCs.
3. jump for cross-up -> activate VC j+s while airborne -> cross-up with down+fierce splash -> ducking fierce (all hits) into fierce stormhammer.
This is pretty damaging for a SPD VC. If you connect with all of this, it does around 40% damage. Not very useful as Hawk has much better VCs. Mostly just for show, because it does look nice. And on the upside, it is also quite easy to do! But if you really want to be an exhibitionist, read on..
4. jump attack or cross-up splash -> activate VC j+s -> ducking forward -> ducking roundhouse into fierce condor spire -> grab them off the ground with a fierce stormhammer ^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^--OR fierce rising hawk
For now, let's throw practicality out the window and admire this combo for a sec. :) Yes, OTG's are sweet- but hard to do and generally not worth the effort. Hawk has much better VCs to save his V-meter for. The only time you should be going for an OTG is if you REALLY need it to win the match.
Ex: your opponnet falls next to you. When they land flat on their back you Activate VC, then stormhammer for the win.
OR at the end of his midscreen rising hawk VC.
========== 4.STRATEGY ==========
Ok, as you might have noticed by now Hawk doesn't have a whole lot going for him. He has decent pokes, ok specials, and a so-so super (forget about the other one). How can we better this? By picking V-ism. In V-ism he has the decent pokes, decent specials, a 70+% damage midscreen VC (anti-air and otherwise), and a good 70+% damage corner VC. Sound better? :) Or if you're not a V-ism player, go with X-ism. At least you'll have BIG damage on your side, and hopefully you'll land a Super Stormhammer.
- Basic Strategy ----------------
With Hawk you have to play smart. Don't be very risky. Let them come to you. Occasionally use the d.fierce from max range, Not to much because they WILL jump in. Then you do a rising hawk, or VC. Mix it up with his d.forward as well. Just don't do it from too close. If you do manage to get in close (after a succesfull jump-in, etc.) use those d.jabs! If you don't think they will stop it/jump away, give 'em a stormhammer regardless whether or not they block the jabs. Anyhow, If you don't stormhammer do a d.forward when you start to get pushed away, and then if you want you could d.fierce. Or far s.roundhouse or far s.forward to stuff a jump or attack. These are also good sweep bait. They might try to sweep it, and miss so you sweep them! Don't use his standing kicks a lot though. Very randomly (to your opponent) but in smart situations (to yourself). Just mix it up. His d.jab, d.short should be used when close, d.forward/d.strong when a bit outside, and his d.fierce to keep out and make them jump. (Be wise with the d.fierce though, It's not a Rolento d.fierce). His straight up jumping roundhouse is also pretty good. Just jump straight up a bit less than half screen away from your opponent and when you're coming down stick out a roundhouse kick. You'll be suprised at it's range. This is also a fairly safe tactic (not against a Rose with lvl3 charged though). You just have to be wise. If you think they will try to hit your feet with a DP/super/whatever, DON'T stick it out. Hardly any ground based normals will beat this anyhow so they might just do that. In which case you block and punish with VC/combo/tick. Don't hold the joystick at up for repeated jumps either. They might try to jump at you to hit you air-to-air. So stay grounded for a sec after each jump to see if they do. If they jump, punish with VC/rising hawk. If they DO reach you air-to-air use strong punch.. it's your best move to use in that situation. You -could- go for airthrow, but.. Anyhow, Always think about his airthrow as well. Sometimes they might jump from in close and a rising hawk isn't the best option. So you jump up and airthrow. Also, when jumping I recommend you use his d+fierce splash (when your opponent is under you, not above you). It beats a lot if out early enough, and is a good cross-up for ticks, combos, etc.. Oh yeah. ALWAYS go for cross-up when you can. It puts your opponent in a tight spot putting you on the attack. When using the rising hawk as anti-air, watch for your opponents flip pattern. A lot of the time you have the option of doing a 2nd rising hawk.. even a 3rd sometimes. And if you ever get them in the corner, DO HIS CORNER VC!!! If you get it down pat, it's amazing.
- Advanced Strategy -------------------
- first, read the basic strategy.
- DON'T use stormhammer ticks against people who know how to get out of them (by jumping, jabbing, etc.)
- DO use them on people who don't. :)
- You could even try a fake tick, or a tick trap. Ex: you get in and do a ducking jab, then go for a storhammer.. But your opponent jumps because he knows it's coming. So you can try this..
1 - you get in close and do a ducking jab, then because you know that your opponent is going to jump you do a rising hawk, or go for an airthrow, or a jumping splash, etc... even VC. 2 - Sometimes you could also do a ducking jab, then a standing whiff jab canceled into stormhammer.. Your opponent won't expect the whiff jab. This is risky though. 3 - Let's say you're taking on a smart opponent who will try to stuff your stormhammer with jab's/etc.. If this case you could try: tick (d.jab, s.short, whatever) then a rising hawk or VC to stuff their jab/whatever that they planned to use to stuff your stormhammer.. :).
- Get your pschological game up to par.. If you lose, figure out why you lost. Ask yourself "what move did I get hit with the most? How can I stop them.. when is my opponent leaving themself open. Am I taking advantage of these openings? etc.." When all this comes into play is where SF shines.
Way's to land a stormhammer..
- In a tick (ex: standing short, then stormhammer) - In a fake tick (ex: ducking jab, standing whiff jab into stormhamer) - After a jump in (or a jump-over) - as a wake up (VERY risky) - after a recovery roll (you know, press KKK when knocked out of the air) - after you airblock. Works especially well in the corner. - sac-throw or after blocking a high hit (VERY risky) - After any delayed move (ex: fei's twisty kick, Bison's scossor kick, etc) - after another stormhammer in the corner. Just hold up-towards and stormhammer when you land. This will even grab DP's/etc.. It is easily escapable though (jump/super/etc). - after a recovery roll.. yeah, I said it already but it works well.
As I said, don't rely on the stormhammer too much, because it has been raped.. And because you're probably playing V-ism the damage isn't too good for the effort. If you're playing X-ism, go for it.
- DON'T recovery roll against people who know you will recovery roll.. you will get beaten badly. Only use it if you think you won't get hit.
- Let them come to you.. I know that Hawk's a grappler, but he has a pretty solid mid-range game.
- If you find yourself losing by small margins, and are not landing too many VCs, try using X-ism. The extra damage (BIG damage compared to V-ism) alone may win you some matches.
- VC whenever the opportunity presents itself. You should always be ready to activate his midscreen VC. If they EVER jump.. VC. If you land a jump in, VC. If you get them in the corner, VC.
- Learn to activate VCs from a down-back position. A lot of the time you will be poking away with d.forward/fierce/etc.. and your opponent will jump at you. If you try to stand up and activate you will get a kick to the face. Instead, stay ducking while holding down-back and activate your VC when you recover from whatever move you where just doing.
- Get his corner VC down! :)
- One of the best ways to land his super storhammer is to jump OVER your opponent and do it as you land. There is not much they can do to stop it. (except maybe jump away)
- * After a cross-up you have many options: - Combo with VC or ortherwise - try for stormhammer tick - go for PP throw or tick -> PP throw - poke away with normal moves until pushed away - do 1-2 ducking jabs (or 1 d.forward/etc), then go for another another cross-up -> go to *
- Try his cross-up confusion VC..
- If your opponent won't jump (the smart thing to do), Use your VC meter for tick/confusion VCs.
- When you DON'T have a meter, BUILD IT BACK UP!! :) Seriously, you always want your precious V-meter up. Build it up by whiffing throws, or land a stormhammer or two.
- Learn the "baiting-game".. :) Yes, bad joke. Ahem, anyhow you should get into the habit of baiting your opponent.
ex: When close to your opponent try a whiff standing strong/jab, then block. If they try to hit hit you immediately afterwards, they've taken the bait! So the next time you can do a close whiff strong/jab BUT this time when they try to counter attack you bust out a VC or rising hawk.
ex 2: Do a ducking jab canceled into stormhammer. The stormhammer will whiff because you can't put it in combo (unless in a VC). Now almost EVERYBODY will try to hit you now.. Seeing Hawk with his arms wrapped around thin air is just too tempting not to. :) Fourtunately for Hawk his stormhammer whiff delay is very short so you could try a VC/rising hawk to stuff their attack.
These are only 2 examples, and are risky but you should get an idea of what I'm talking about. See what situations your oppponent will attack, and use these openings to your advantage by stuffing them with VCs, rising hawks, airthrows, whatever..
- Remember that you can't activate a VC while holding the stick/gamepad at up/down/left/or right. It's just won't actiavte. You have to have the stick at neutral or on a diagonal. (down-back/down-towards/etc..). I guess Capcom decided to make it this way to prevent "walking" VCs. Just walking towards your opponent and activating when you see a move.
- You should also assign the activation to a button on your gamepad if you can't activate it manually all the time. Do this in the Key Config screen.
- Don't forget to taunt every round. :) Don't stupidly do it in front of your opponent though. Use it after a big VC or if you're a full screen away, etc..
- Most shoto's will ALWAYS do a ducking forward into fireball if they are close to you. Remember that if they do it from afar (just the tip of their foot touches you) there is a window right before the fireball that you can do something. Hawk's only option is to VC. If you block a d.forward, hold down-back and jam on strong and forward. If you're in good position your VC will activate just before the fireball touches you. So now you hold towards and walk RIGHT THROUGH the fireball. You are invincible at the start of a VC so the fireball won't hit you. Anyhow, once you're through the fireball, hit them with a standing fierce. This will major counter, and pop them into the air. So you cancel the standing fierce into a jab rising hawk, and go into his midscreen rising hawk VC. This might not be that practical but the opportunity is usually there at least once a round. It looks sweet, has big payoff, and if you mess up you take a small amount of damage (if at all).
ALSO! If you are cornered and a shoto is on you, your chances are even greater! If you block a close d.forward into fireball, you can instantly activate your VC after you block the fireball and hit his outstreched hands with a s.fierce (pops them up) into jab rising hawk into his midscreen VC. Knowing this, the shoto might try to push himself out a bit before doing the d.forward into fireball..
ex: Ryu does 2 ducking shorts, THEN a ducking forward into fireball.
Because he pushed himslef out a bit, the little window before the fireball is there again. Activate before it touches you, walk through, s.fierce, midscreen VC. This is just a good strategy in general with ANY character who has an invincible move. Rose has her lvl3 super, X-Ryu has super fireball, Ken has Shoryureppa, Fei long has short dragon kick, etc..
- If you want to win a lot, build up Hawk in World Tour and put him in Entry. Then set him to X-ism, with the Original Combo/Variable Combo ism plus, and the ism plus that constantly refills your super meter. X-ism power and super with VCs and a meter that is constantly building up! Now THAT's and dangerous character! :)
- I will have more in the next update..
=============== 5.MISCELLANEOUS ===============
- Colors --------
Square - beige jacket and pants, dark skin.
Triangle - blue pants and jacket, light skin. (Good color)
X - light greyish-blue pants and jacket, dark skin. (Good color)
O - dark blue pants and jacket, light skin. (Good color)
- Rant ------ So, hopefully after practicing a bit, you can now go out and kick all your friend's asses with T.Hawk. He a blast to use.. Not as good as V-Zangief, but just as fun. I find him very challenging.. If you beat someone with T.Hawk, they KNOW that you're good. A character that relys a lot on strategy, and VCs. If you do get beat using T.Hawk don't give up! You have to win back your pride, and gain some bragging rights. :) And while gloating if your opponent says anything, you can say, "Do you wanna try -your- T.Hawk against my best character? No? I thought not.." (This of course, is if you know their Hawk sucks :).
Trash talk is fun, but seriously now.. don't go overboard. If you beat someone badly tell them why they lost, give them some pointers. If anything they'll get better, which in turn will make you better. Competition is what SF is all about.
Thank you for taking the time to read this FAQ. Feel free to email me with any questions/comments/complaints/etc.. I usually answer my email daily.
Greg Dawson gdawson@angelfire.com Thanks go to my buds for the competition.. other FAQ writers, and a.g.sf2. Also to Gamefaqs.com for maintaining this, and Fighter's Net where it will eventually turn up. :)
