Eight Initial Tips for Super Smash Brothers Brawl (and for the gamestop launch)

[AlphaZealot]

http://www.mlgpro.com/?q=node/198702

With over a million copies already sold in Japan and rave reviews across the board, the much anticipated blockbuster, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, will finally hit the states. Many of you will likely head to one of Gamestop’s midnight launch events. If not, online ladders and tournaments are opening up all over the net, including the new Gamebattles Smash ladder where over 1500 people have already registered. Here are eight tips to give you a leg up on the early competition.

 

[Ban Heim]

Wow, considering that's an MLG article, those tips sucked pretty hard. They also didn't know dash canceling was removed in Brawl. I expected a much better article, but that was all just pretty common sense stuff.

 

[AlphaZealot]

Ouch I'm hurt.

The article was directed mostly toward newcomers but I still bet you learned a few things, if somehow you knew what a tri-wig screwdriver was than more power to you.

 

[Ban Heim]

Ouch I'm hurt.

The article was directed mostly toward newcomers but I still bet you learned a few things, if somehow you knew what a tri-wig screwdriver was than more power to you.

No, but if I wanted to modify my controller and needed help getting the screws off, my dad could help me out. He's very good with tools and all of that crap, but that's besides the point. Modding controllers won't become too popular unless you're only planning on playing casually. Tourney players won't do it because they probably won't want to get used to playing friendlies without springs and then having to adjust to non-modded controllers.

My first post wasn't meant to be an insult, so don't take it personally. I guess I just expected more from the article, but that may have been dumb of me considering that the game isn't even out yet so the only real advice anyone can give right now is just the basics.

 

[AlphaZealot]

Shrug, don't worry I don't take things personally, when you put things out for the world to see you expect a broad spectrum of reaction.

Players will mod controllers though, I plan to remove the springs on mine because I don't want to deal with that extra fraction of a second in pressing the trigger if that fraction of a second can be avoided (and also has no purpose).

Also, being good with tools really has nothing to do with getting the controller open, the screws on the GC controller (and most controllers) are designed NOT to be opened by your regular flathead/phillips head screwdrivers. It is possible to get it done with a very, very small flathead, but you'll need to be careful not to strip the screw. Triwig screwdrivers are not usually sold in hardware stores and its rare that someone will own one unless it was specially ordered online.

 

[Ban Heim]

Yeah, I'd get rid of my springs as well if it was allowed in tournaments. I just figured most competitive players wouldn't bother having to go back and forth from spring and no spring.

And my comment about the tools obviously shows how much I know about the subject (nothing).

 

[Da Black Rabbit]

*Will not be modding his controller*

That's a little much. However, I do understand the concept. It's like a runner shaving his legs to cut down fractions in his sprint time.

Just a lot to go through ordering a certain screw driver and all. If it were that serious I'd just use a classic style. Maybe the light weight and lack of rumble will be helpful. :/

But I have to agree. I was expecting more from the article. I wasn't expecting every truth of Brawl to be exploited in a month but yeah...

 

[TheJalapeno]

Haha, modifying controllers is for the weak!

Yes that was a joke.

I'm pretty confident I'll do good, but it wouldn't hurt getting all the heads up I can.

 

[Yuna]

Umm... Alpha? Buddy?

Marth's Over B is no longer a recovery move. In fact, due to the added floatiness and the fact that he gets almost no horizontal recovery using it, using it will hinder your recovery (you'll end up further away from the stage than had you not used it).

Also, I'd rather tell the Casuals to save their jumps. If you can make it back/sweetspot with just an Up B, then save the jump.

Stale Move Reduction works even if you don't hit with the same move several times in a row, by the way. It's enough to just land too many in too short a time-frame/with too few attacks inbetween, I think. I'm not sure of how it works exactly yet but in that video Ryoko showed us, Zelda didn't land the Fair/Bair many times in a row.

You should also mention that powershielding attacks negate shieldknockback and still has zero shieldstun this time around. And that there's less shieldstun in general (as opposed to them jsut dropping faster).

We also know why you trip. It's a mechanic added that has a chance of 1 to 100.

And why must you give the anti-Competitives more fuel by saying that "tons of glitches" have been removed? Tricks and exploits, fine. Calling them glitches? That's just giving them more fuel. "AlphaZealot called them glitches!".

 

[jimmyjoe]

I think it was a actually a nice article that is especially knowledgeable on smash compared to other other gaming mags and websites. So yeah... thanks

 

[AlphaZealot]

I don't think I ever said "tons of glithes" have been removed.

I said "Tons of tricks, glitches, and exploits have already been discovered that indicate this game may actually be deeper and more technical than Melee."

Big difference, esp since some of the things we've seen in Brawl so far actually ARE glitches.

As for Marth's Over B, he was used as an example, so the meat for that is fine, but your right (I think) that that is wrong (though, technically, any horizantal added recovery would help so long as you can make up whatever vertical distance is lost with your jumps/upB). I haven't played Marth in Brawl, but I had watched Marth videos and seen the players using the Over B still (though, they were early videos, probably using the move out of habit), it looked nerfed but I couldn't tell either way if it helped or was detrimental, so I went with the easiest example to get the point across. I should probably have gone with Mario's cape.

As for stale moves, that comment could be added but is mostly unnesssary, the point would remain the same either way, do what you can to make sure all your attacks are as strong as possible. I looked at Ryoko's posts on the subject for the most part. I think it works like this: the game creates a queue with your last 8 moves in it, then, it analyses that queue and degenerate the next attack you output based on the number of times it was read in the queue. So yes, technically you don't have to spam the attack repeatedly, it could do this:

smash 1
smash 2
smash 1
tilt 1
tilt 2
smash 1
tilt 1
smash 2
next move: smash 1
Smash 1 will be at x percent of its power because it was used x times in the queue (x times being the frequency of use).

I struggled between suggesting either power shielding or the faster shield dropping. I figured, considering I wanted some of these tips to help with the gamestop tournament, that shield dropping would be more important as it is easier to perform (though power shielding is easier in Brawl). Problem of having both those tips is that it brought the total to 9, and if I had 9 then I would have to have 10, making the article much longer (its already to long).

Also, its pointless to tell them to "save the jump". Once you Up B, you lose all your jumps unless you make it back to the stage. The act of jumping when below the stage, from the right position, forces the edge hogger to leave his position. I would rather they learn the concept of "use your jumps before you up B" then just "up b when your close to the stage, otherwise use your jumps until you can Up B". I've spent the last few weeks teaching my gf melee and one of the mistakes she made most often at first was immediately up bing whenever she was hit off the stage (and she was playing Peach!). She wasn't the only one that had this problem either.

 

[Yuna]

I don't think I ever said "tons of glithes" have been removed.

I said "Tons of tricks, glitches, and exploits have already been discovered that indicate this game may actually be deeper and more technical than Melee."

Big difference, esp since some of the things we've seen in Brawl so far actually ARE glitches.

Sorry for that. Cataclysmical misread.

As for Marth's Over B, he was used as an example, so the meat for that is fine, but your right (I think) that that is wrong (though, technically, any horizantal added recovery would help so long as you can make up whatever vertical distance is lost with your jumps/upB). I haven't played Marth in Brawl, but I had watched Marth videos and seen the players using the Over B still (though, they were early videos, probably using the move out of habit), it looked nerfed but I couldn't tell either way if it helped or was detrimental, so I went with the easiest example to get the point across. I should probably have gone with Mario's cape.

I've played as Marth and used over B. It's definitely detrimental. Fair works, I believe, though the gain isn't really that large and possibly non-existant. But at least you don't lose anything by using it. But using over B makes you lose horizontal recovery because the move takes a while to do.

Let's say it like this:
Two Marths fall from the same point high up and off the stage. One simply air controls in one direction. One uses over B just once. The one who did not Over B will end up closer to the stage/further in on the stage than the one who did. If you over B repeatedly, boy are you losing horizontal recovery.

I could be wrong but I used Over B a lot the first few matches as Marth, found it impeeded on my recovery instead of aiding it and stopped using it.

I struggled between suggesting either power shielding or the faster shield dropping. I figured, considering I wanted some of these tips to help with the gamestop tournament, that shield dropping would be more important as it is easier to perform (though power shielding is easier in Brawl). Problem of having both those tips is that it brought the total to 9, and if I had 9 then I would have to have 10, making the article much longer (its already to long).

How about just adding there's less hitstun? That's very important if they want to shieldhop things or keep shielding for too long after getting hit by powerful attacks.

Also, its pointless to tell them to "save the jump". Once you Up B, you lose all your jumps unless you make it back to the stage. The act of jumping when below the stage, from the right position, forces the edge hogger to leave his position. I would rather they learn the concept of "use your jumps before you up B" then just "up b when your close to the stage, otherwise use your jumps until you can Up B". I've spent the last few weeks teaching my gf melee and one of the mistakes she made most often at first was immediately up bing whenever she was hit off the stage (and she was playing Peach!). She wasn't the only one that had this problem either.

Peach's 2nd jump sucks now . But I can see where you're coming from. Baby steps.

 

[Ban Heim]

I don't know man. Marth's over B seemed to help a bit. It doesn't seem to have the same the same distance as Melee, but it definitely isn't worse than not doing anything at all. Someone needs to do some tests and figure this out once and for all.

 

[Papapaint]

Nice article. Most of it I knew, but there were a few things I learned reading it. Thanks.

 

[pesticide]

stupid school comp blocks mlgpro.com X(

im probably not gonna mod my controller. i think that's taking it a bit far IMO

 

[pesticide]

stupid school comp blocks mlgpro.com

im probably not gonna mod my controller. i think that's taking it a bit far IMO

 

[TheOfficialSonicFanboy]

I stopped reading after break the smash balls.
Not even worthy period.

 

[RyokoYaksa]

Also, its pointless to tell them to "save the jump". Once you Up B, you lose all your jumps unless you make it back to the stage. The act of jumping when below the stage, from the right position, forces the edge hogger to leave his position. I would rather they learn the concept of "use your jumps before you up B" then just "up b when your close to the stage, otherwise use your jumps until you can Up B". I've spent the last few weeks teaching my gf melee and one of the mistakes she made most often at first was immediately up bing whenever she was hit off the stage (and she was playing Peach!). She wasn't the only one that had this problem either.

Brawl isn't like this, though. If you Up+B but still have your aerial jump(s) somewhere, you can still use it if you get hit out of Up+B.

 

[AlphaZealot]

I hadn't heard that little nuance. There will probably be a part two for this article at some point so that may be something to add.

 

[Yuna]

Oh, I missed that AZ said you lose your jumps after Up B. Yeah, you don't.

 

[C Dawg009]

You seem to be wanting opinions, so I'll give you mine. Although smash balls probably won't be in most tourneys, I think items will be on during the Gamestop one for some stupid reason, so I'm somewhat glad you mentioned this. Also, I am bringing my Wavebird to the tourney (Gamestop dude told me it was ok), so I was wondering; do you think that someone in the audience with a wavebird controller will try to sabotage my efforts by constantly changing the channel of his/her wavebird and pressing buttons to find which interfered with my signal? This has become a real concern of mine. Slightly off-topic, yes, but still important to address.

 

[AlphaZealot]

I highly doubt anyone else would bring a wavebird to the gamestop opening tournament, I'd also question whether they will end up even allowing you to use the wavebird over the wiimote/nunchuck, as thats what most gamestops are requiring. Shrug, I don't think you need to worry.

And yea, gamestops will have items and smashballs on. The one I'm going to is changing things a bit, 2 minute matches.

 

[DonkeyPirate]

quick question about controller mods. if you take the springs out, how do the shoulder buttons react? i.e. do they wobble back and forth if you move the controller?

 

[AquaTech]

I love #2........

YOU MUST RECOVER!!!!

 

[shadydentist]

AZ, was it really necessary to include the breaking of smash balls?

 

[Zinger314]

I'm dissappointed by the lack of "PRESS 1! PRESS 1!"

 

[AlphaZealot]

The article is more directed toward the casual crowd at gamebattles than here at Smashboards. Keep in mind Brawl will be attracting many new people to the game.