Differences Between Luigi in Melee and PM 3.6

[MURP]

I've done my best to compile a list of the differences between Luigi in Melee and Project M 3.6. I can't promise all of it is completely correct and I'm probably missing a lot of changes, but it should be most of it. I compiled this list using 20XX Debug Mode, Project M Debug Mode, Brawl Box, this frame data thread by @AuraMaudeGone, this Melee frame data spreadsheet, and way too much of my time. I have no clue how PSA works or how to find subroutines in Brawl Box, I don't know much about PSA, so I'm missing some information that I'm sure someone else could find. I've given qualitative information or approximations whenever I don't have access to exact numbers. Those cases are marked with an asterisk (*).

Feel free to comment with any additional differences you find. I made this to make it easier to transition between games while using Luigi in both, so any help is appreciated. I've generally avoided including global gameplay changes in this list, though I may later update it with information on how these changes affect Luigi specifically.

Please excuse my mediocre formatting.

Everything Other Than Specials

Move|Melee|Project M
Jab 1|Fist hitbox Size 3.6|Fist hitbox Size 3.9
Jab 3 (Butt)|1 hitbox (little to no disjoint)|2 hitboxes (amazing disjoint on the butt; each hitbox is as big as the Melee one)
Forward Tilt (All)|10 Damage on all hitboxes|11 Damage on outer and middle hitboxes, 10 damage on inner hitbox (which has the least priority, so the move basically always does 11 damage), hitbox extends before hurtbox (giving the first active frame better range and disjoint)
Forward Tilt (Angled Down)|WDSK 1 (basically no knockback), 0 Shield Damage|WDSK 0 (same knockback as the other angles), 10 Shield Damage
Down Tilt|Active 5-7, IASA 35, 9 Damage, 80 Degree Trajectory, 10 BKB, 0 WDSK, 80 KBG|Active 5-8, IASA 31, 15 Damage, 45 Degree Trajectory, 2 BKB, 1 WDSK (basically no knockback), 100 KBG, 10 Shield Damage
Dash Attack|IASA 59|IASA 69
Dash Attack (Final Punch)|Last punch doesn't have a hitbox|3 Damage, Active 48-50, 48 BKB, 96 KBG, 5 Shield Damage (also has great disjoint; hitbox sizes 5, 3, 3)
Dash Attack (First 6 Punches)|2 Damage, 2 BKB, 100 KBG, significant disjoint (hitbox barely overlaps Luigi)|3 Damage, 25 BKB, 60 KBG, 3 Shield Damage, 0.75 Hitlag Modifier, 0.6 SDI Multiplier, much less disjoint
Up Smash|Active 9-11|Active 9-13 (hits in front later), added torso hitbox (Size 3.4)
Down Smash|Counterclockwise from above, kicks with both legs|Clockwise from above, kicks with left leg, worse disjoint on second hit
Forward Air|IASA 33, 0 Shield Damage|IASA 31, 8 Shield Damage
Back Air|Active 6-17, IASA 29, Autocancels <5 19>|Active 6-18, IASA 28, Autocancels <5 20>
Up Air|Active 5-7, 55 Angle Trajectory, Autocancels <2 16>|Active 5-9, 70 Angle Trajectory, Autocancels 16>, hits behind Luigi more (but later)
Down Air|0 Shield Damage|4 Shield Damage
Dash Grab|IASA 41|IASA 40
Back Throw|10 Damage|12 Damage
Ledge Roll <100%|Invincible 1-27|Invincible 1-30
Ledge Roll >100%|Invincible 1-56|Invincible 1-54
Down Taunt|1 Damage, Active 46, IASA 71, 280 Angle Trajectory (meteor), Size 3.2|2 Damage, Active 45, IASA 70, 281 Angle Trajectory (spike), Size 4
Spot Dodge|IASA 23|IASA 25
Air Dodge|Able to grab ledge on frame 49|Able to grab ledge on frame 51

Specials

Fireball:

• 5 BKB -> 25 BKB
• Size 2 -> Size 4.5
• Active 17-66 -> Active 17-84 (travels farther, but goes the same speed (*))
• IASA 47 -> IASA 41 (allows Luigi to Short Hop Fireball Waveland if he uses Fireball on any of the first five airborne frames of his short hop)
• 6 Damage -> 7 Damage
• Uses Green Fire Element

Green Missile:

• 5 fewer frames of startup (charge frame 18 -> 13), active for one fewer frame at the end, IASA 6 frames earlier (IASA 92, Active 22-61 -> IASA 86, Active 17-55 on uncharged missile)
• Can no longer smash input missile for greater distance and damage without charging
• Can grab ledge during missile (frames 34-56 of uncharged missile)
• Never forced to release charging missile
• Frames to fully charge missile: 90 -> 70
• Damage Slope (damage = base damage + frames spent charging * damage slope): 0.23333333 -> 0.3
• Horizontal Momentum Multiplier: 0.016666668 -> 0.02142857
• Missile Vertical Momentum: 0.8 -> 0.4
• Misfire Vertical Momentum: 1.2 -> 0.6
• Luigi flashes green during missile when he is about to misfire
• Misfire works like a revolver with 8 chambers in the cylinder. The probability that the next missile will be a misfire is 1/(8-n), where n is the number of missiles used since the last misfire. So the probability that the first missile after a misfire is another misfire is 1/8. If Luigi has used seven missiles without a misfire, the next is guaranteed to be a misfire.
• Luigi can store a misfire by inputting shield prior to the charge frame or while charging. When storing, he will use a normal missile and the next missile is guaranteed to be a misfire, which can by stored repeatedly.
• Misfire: 25 Damage -> 27 Damage. Each of the first four times Luigi stores the misfire, its damage decreases by 3. The minimum unstaled damage is 15.
• Misfire: 4 Shield Damage -> 0 Shield Damage
• Misfire has 1.5 Hitlag Modifier
• Misfire is slower (it doesn't travel as far) (*)
• Uncharged missile travels farther, but not as far as smash input missile did in Melee (*). Fully charged missile travels slightly less far (*).
• Uses Green Fire Element

Super Jump Punch

• Fire Jump Punch: Active 5 -> Active 5-6
• Coin Spike: Active 6-23 -> Active 7-21
• Coin Spike: 80 Angle Trajectory -> 50 Angle Trajectory
• Can reverse grab ledge 23-54
• First able to grab ledge 27 -> 23
• Falls slower at the peak of the jump (airborne 9-61 -> 9-68 if Luigi lands at the same elevation he started and doesn't fastfall)
• Can move horizontally earlier and with better air speed (*)
• Aerial Fire Jump Punch: 20 Damage, 72 KBG -> 21 Damage, 80 KBG
• Grounded Fire Jump Punch has 1.5 Hitlag Modifier (making it easier to DI on reaction and less safe on shield since Luigi suffers more hitlag than the opponent when they shield)
• Fire Jump Punch uses Green Fire Element

Cyclone

• No longer needs to be charged (used on the ground) in order to rise in the air
• First hit no longer stales second hit (result of global changes)
• Aerial: first hit 9 Damage -> 8 Damage
• Aerial: IASA 80 -> IASA 71
• Grounded: IASA 80 -> IASA 81
• Note: What determines whether you get aerial or grounded IASA is the state you end in, not whether you start in the air or on the ground
• Second hit Active 43 -> Active 43-46
• Aerial version hitboxes matched to grounded version (no foot hitbox on first hit, arm hitboxes on first hit are significantly smaller (radius of hitbox is about 25% less), second hit comes out when Luigi extends arms and legs (giving it better range))
• Can rise from the ground
• Grounded Horizontal Acceleration: 0.2 -> 0.4 (?)
• Each input disables gravity for 5 frames
• Input window 6-43 -> 6-38
• Counts as consumed 44 -> 1

Attributes

• Air Acceleration: 0.025 -> 0.035

Platform Cancelling
Here's how it works in Melee:
Frame 1 - Luigi is standing upright. Press down.
Frame 2 - Luigi is crouching. Keep pressing down.
Frame 3 - Luigi is crouching. You can stop pressing down.
Frame 4 - Luigi is crouching.
Frame 5 - Luigi is airborne. Input neutral air or back air to platform cancel.
Frame 6 - Luigi is airborne. Input neutral air to platform cancel.
Frame 7 - Luigi is airborne and can no longer platform cancel.

Here's how it works in Project M:
Frame 1 - Luigi is standing upright. Press down.
Frame 2 - Luigi is crouching. Keep pressing down.
Frame 3 - Luigi is starting to go through the platform. You can stop pressing down.
Frame 4 - Luigi is airborne. Input neutral air, up air, or back air to platform cancel.
Frame 5 - Luigi is airborne. Input up air to platform cancel.
Frame 6 - Luigi is airborne and can no longer platform cancel.

Essentially, neutral air is a 2 frame window in Melee and a 1 frame window in Project M. Up air cannot be platform cancelled in Melee, but has a 2 frame window in Project M. Luigi is also airborne 1 frame earlier in Project M when dropping through a platform. It's important to note that both of these changes make platform cancelling neutral air significantly more difficult in Project M than it is in Melee. You have to reset the control stick to neutral faster, and have one fewer frame to input the neutral air. C-stick can be used for up air and back air, so back air isn't really any more difficult (though the timing is a bit different). Some may find it easier to do platform cancelled neutral air by setting C-stick to tilts (this allows you to input neutral air by tilting the stick any of the four diagonal directions), which is not possible in Melee.

While it was previously stated that platform cancelling neutral air is a 1 frame window, it's a bit more complicated than that. This video explains the exact mechanics behind platform cancelling. What's relevant to Luigi's neutral air, however, is that the ECB does not update until the 10th airborne frame (basically Luigi needs to be above the platform on the 10th frame to platform cancel). If Luigi begins neutral air on his first airborne frame, he will be airborne for 2 frames before any hitbox comes out. In order to still be above the platform on the 10th frame, his neutral air must have 8 frames of hitlag. This hitlag formula from Melee also applies in Project M, indicating that Luigi's neutral air will only have 8 frames of hitlag if it does 15 damage (with staling). It can therefore only be platform cancelled if it is completely unstaled, in which case it is a one frame window. This means that platform cancelled neutral air can only be used once per combo (unless your combo is so long that none of your last 9 attacks that have landed have been neutral air) and that neutral air cannot be platform cancelled on shield if it is one of the last 9 moves you've used. If you want to practice it, you should probably do so in training mode (where it won't stale and will therefore always be possible). If you're having trouble with it, I also recommend @Stride's explanation of how it works in Melee. Obviously the frame data is different, but the rest is quite helpful. TL;DR: Platform cancelled neutral air only works if it's completely unstaled.

EDIT (8/18/15): Learned a little bit about PSA. Confirmed in PSA that dash attack hitboxes are the same size as in Melee. Added dash attack hitbox sizes for Melee and PM.
EDIT (8/21/15): Added attributes section and air acceleration change (0.025 -> 0.035).
EDIT (9/14/15): Added link to Stride's post on platform cancelled neutral air in Melee to Platform Cancelling section.
EDIT (10/11/15): Added information on Fireball hitbox size (4.5). Confirmed in BrawlBox. Thanks for the help, /u/OrangeChris
EDIT (10/23/15): Added Coin Spike Angle change (80 -> 50)
EDIT (5/26/16): Added Cyclone acceleration change (0.2 -> 0.4), frames to fully charge Missile change (90 -> 70), Missile Damage Slope change (0.23333333 -> 0.3), Missile Horizontal Momentum Multiplier change (0.016666668 -> 0.02142857), Missile Vertical Momentum change (0.8 -> 0.4), Misfire Vertical Momentum change (0.8 -> 0.4)

 

[moonfolk]

This is amazing. I've always wondered some things, like why d-smash seems better in Melee and why platform cancelling nairs feel impossible in PM. It's good to see data vs. a feeling. Thanks for this. <3<3<3

 

[minimang]

That's amazing. Platform cancel nair window is such BS. Glad to know that you can just mash B near the end of a cyclone approach to get 10 free frames of attacks.