Capcom Announces Second Beta For Improved 'Street Fighter V' Network, Runs May 11-14

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By Nathaniel Mott
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Another open beta of the Capcom Fighters Network will run from May 11-14 on PC and PlayStation 4. Capcom said the network is "new and improved" with cross-platform matches, improved loading times, and other improvements meant to make Street Fighter V multiplayer better than ever. The company also said a "mystery character" from the game's Season 2 downloadable content will be available during the Capcom Fighters Network beta.

This beta test is supposed to help make sure the Capcom Fighters Network's launch is "as smooth as possible." It's testing a load of new stuff, including an improved Rage Quit System that publicly shames players who leave a match they know they're going to lose, a better Friend Management System that makes it easier to keep up with other players, and an in-game announcer who offers stats about you and your opponent, among others.

Capcom said the beta will also improve loading times for ranked or casual matches, offer more detailed stats on player profiles, and introduce matchmaking improvements that will make it "take less time to find an opponent in online matches" and add "logic which avoids frequently being matched with the same opponent repeatedly." All of these fixes are critical for a fighting game like Street Fighter V, especially among its most dedicated players.

"The new CFN server updates mark a new beginning for playing SFV online," Capcom said in its announcement, "and we encourage our players to participate in this free PS4 and PC Beta Test." The company said that all "Fight Money, progress, replays," and other online data will be wiped after the beta ends on May 14.

The yet-to-be-officially-revealed character making their limited debut alongside the Capcom Fighters Network beta will also disappear after May 14. Fans have guessed that the character is Ed, who appears in Street Fighter V's story mode, based on a PlayStation Store listing for the Season 2 expansion. That information has since been scrubbed from the store page, but chances are good that Ed will be the new "mystery character."

You can find a full list of improvements Capcom's testing with the second Capcom Fighters Network beta on the company's website. The beta itself will start on May 11, so you'll be able to see just how far Street Fighter V's online multiplayer has come since its less-than-stellar debut in February 2016.

Nathaniel Mott
Nathaniel Mott
Freelance News & Features Writer

Nathaniel Mott is a freelance news and features writer for Tom's Hardware US, covering breaking news, security, and the silliest aspects of the tech industry.

2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • redgarl
    As a dedicated SFIV player and someone who played V for a year, it's an aberation that this is still a BETA. Capcom is having absolutely no clue how to balance the game without breaking drastically the mechanic.

    They can only buff the characters since the nerf of season 1 were so drastic. So we are trapped with season 2 extremely over powered that are not nerfed, over the nerfed characters of season 1 are not Buff leaving a drastic wall between top tier and low tier.

    This game, on same skill basis, will give you a 2-4 wins on 10 games, only because of the character you pick. It's hugely unfair and the only way to compete is by using a Top tier character.

    All this because Capcom is unable to balance the game properly.
    Reply
  • nhat11
    19637128 said:
    As a dedicated SFIV player and someone who played V for a year, it's an aberation that this is still a BETA. Capcom is having absolutely no clue how to balance the game without breaking drastically the mechanic.

    They can only buff the characters since the nerf of season 1 were so drastic. So we are trapped with season 2 extremely over powered that are not nerfed, over the nerfed characters of season 1 are not Buff leaving a drastic wall between top tier and low tier.

    This game, on same skill basis, will give you a 2-4 wins on 10 games, only because of the character you pick. It's hugely unfair and the only way to compete is by using a Top tier character.

    All this because Capcom is unable to balance the game properly.

    Actually the game is pretty balance. Most of the top 4 characters that the NA community complain Balrog, Guile, Laura and Urien aren't even in the top 8 in a lot of tournament and the Japanese community don't consider Urien that high either. This game is still way more balance than most fighters but it's always going to be an on going process to balance because players will always find new tech to take advantage of.

    Either this month or next we're going to get a 2.1 patch that will do some nerf of the higher tier characters and buff some of the lower tier character to make it more balance.
    Reply