Practice Method: "Training Weights"

[EmptySky00]

Have you ever played a character post-nerf and felt like they were absolutely terrible even though they're objectively not that bad? Have you ever played a character post-buff and felt like they were amazing because of the few frames that were shaved off of a move or the little bit of a movement buff they got?

Basically, this is all a sort of relative comparison, so I wanted to harness this intentionally for practice... Or at least as a means of achieving a sense of delayed gratification.

What I've made is a version of Link with "Leg Weights" or intentional speed nerfs that make him feel like he's drowning in molasses. These nerfs were specifically designed to force me to abandon bad habits in favor of actual solid play.
Here were my main issues:
1. I move around far too much and sometimes forfeit position because of it. I don't use the Mother ****ing Master Sword to beat out their attacks with disjoint. I also tend to drop punishes too often.
2. I boomerang sometimes in unsafe positions.

So to force me to abandon these habits, I made these changes:

-Walk Acceleration 0.1 --> .9
-Walk Speed 1.2 --> 1 (so he doesn't walk faster than he runs lol)
-Initial Dash 1.5 --> 1.2
-Run Speed 1.4 --> 1.1
-Jump Startup 5 --> 7
-Friction 0.09 --> 0.12
-Boomerang Frame 27 --> 32
-Sword glow made green simply for the sake of being able to visually identify this version as Leg Weights Link more easily. His tools are black and red too I guess, but that's just because that's what I was using all those months ago when I made this. It shouldn't be a big deal.

Then I added a few frames to his spot dodge since I was having issues with the changed spot dodge timing going into 3.6.

These are all changes that restrict his standard mode of play without changing it. His conversions still work the same way, and you'll still be playing Link--just a much worse Link.

Mostly this practice method is for masochists, but if you play with this for a week or two then transition back, it feels absolutely fantastic. It's an interesting experience to say the least. If you want to win with this, you need to use your attacks much more effectively and hit for as much as you possibly can when you catch your opponent. But when you finally take the weights off... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYysLFru7u8 (this was my inspiration for the idea)

Download: https://www.mediafire.com/?o49egp3mg2lh0nu
Note: this is using 3.61 Link as a base since I refuse to touch 3.6 Link. This simply means your grab will work properly and your Usmash will kind of sometimes work but even still not really. That's it. Enjoy using a not-broken product. Whatever lol.


I also included rupee-less magic armor that goes over gold link for the obvious joke.

 

[Thor]

Have you ever played a character post-nerf and felt like they were absolutely terrible even though they're objectively not that bad? Have you ever played a character post-buff and felt like they were amazing because of the few frames that were shaved off of a move or the little bit of a movement buff they got?

Basically, this is all a sort of relative comparison, so I wanted to harness this intentionally for practice... Or at least as a means of achieving a sense of delayed gratification.

What I've made is a version of Link with "Leg Weights" or intentional speed nerfs that make him feel like he's drowning in molasses. These nerfs were specifically designed to force me to abandon bad habits in favor of actual solid play.
Here were my main issues:
1. I move around far too much and sometimes forfeit position because of it. I don't use the Mother ****ing Master Sword to beat out their attacks with disjoint. I also tend to drop punishes too often.
2. I boomerang sometimes in unsafe positions.

So to force me to abandon these habits, I made these changes:

-Walk Acceleration 0.1 --> .9
-Walk Speed 1.2 --> 1 (so he doesn't walk faster than he runs lol)
-Initial Dash 1.5 --> 1.2
-Run Speed 1.4 --> 1.1
-Jump Startup 5 --> 7
-Friction 0.09 --> 0.12
-Boomerang Frame 27 --> 32
-Sword glow made green simply for the sake of being able to visually identify this version as Leg Weights Link more easily. His tools are black and red too I guess, but that's just because that's what I was using all those months ago when I made this. It shouldn't be a big deal.

Then I added a few frames to his spot dodge since I was having issues with the changed spot dodge timing going into 3.6.

These are all changes that restrict his standard mode of play without changing it. His conversions still work the same way, and you'll still be playing Link--just a much worse Link.

Mostly this practice method is for masochists, but if you play with this for a week or two then transition back, it feels absolutely fantastic. It's an interesting experience to say the least. If you want to win with this, you need to use your attacks much more effectively and hit for as much as you possibly can when you catch your opponent. But when you finally take the weights off... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYysLFru7u8 (this was my inspiration for the idea)

Download: https://www.mediafire.com/?o49egp3mg2lh0nu
Note: this is using 3.61 Link as a base since I refuse to touch 3.6 Link. This simply means your grab will work properly and your Usmash will kind of sometimes work but even still not really. That's it. Enjoy using a not-broken product. Whatever lol.


I also included rupee-less magic armor that goes over gold link for the obvious joke.

Altering jumpsquat will mess with wavedash timings and make spin attack OoS and Usmash OoS more lenient [although you should never need the full jumpsquat], which also messes with SH uair timings OoS. I'd recommend putting that back to normal.

I'm not going to mess with this because I already play Melee Link, which I'd guess is training weights enough [lol]. Interesting idea though.

 

[EmptySky00]

I understand that, but we transition to characters with different jumpsquats all the time. The point is to make his overall movements feel more sluggish and restrictive. Adapting back to frame 5 takes like 3 games if you're slow and overall will feel much better in the process. We're all worthwhile intelligent human beings here (sarcasm implied), I *think* we can adapt to a 2 frame difference.

And seriously, who *actually* cares if up B OoS is more lenient? That's day 1 ****. Your skepticism is completely unfounded as usual.

Melee Link is also distinct enough from P:M Link that you have to utilize his options differently because his moves are overall much worse and he's lacking options that P:M Link has. This version of Link retains all of the same options but with worse movement, so it forces you to hone application more than adapt to a different method of play.

Don't know why I expected anything constructive from this place. You people would much rather jerk to how good rapid jab is in neutral or how Dthrow Dair is called the Pogo Sword#autism than contribute or participate in any sort of novel or interesting idea.


Edit: Disregarding my annoyance that the only feedback I get for something I consider a pretty solid idea is "Lawl up B OoS is ez now," I will address something you said a tad more legitimately.

Going back to Melee Link: virtually every move he has has different IASA from P:M Link, so if anything playing him for practice will **** with your timing a lot more than a 7 frame jumpsquat alone (Btw, Melee Link has a 6 frame jump so it makes up B OoS more lenient and screws with Nair or whatever), so that's not really a valid argument. I actually considered reverting his Fair and such to Melee stats, but then I didn't simply because it would change how he plays. So overall this is clearly the superior alternative to practicing with the pile of dog **** called Melee Link. #pickarealcharacter

With all due respect of course.

 

[Problem2]

Interesting idea. I think this will definitely teach you not to over extend and will push you to have magnificant spacing. I'm going to agree with Thor that jump squat being changed could affect timing, so changing that should depend on the individual.

If a player wants to practice for the purpose of competing against others in tournaments, I would suggest they stick to 3.6 Link as the base (unless your region runs 3.61.)

 

[Thor]

I understand that, but we transition to characters with different jumpsquats all the time. The point is to make his overall movements feel more sluggish and restrictive. Adapting back to frame 5 takes like 3 games if you're slow and overall will feel much better in the process. We're all worthwhile intelligent human beings here (sarcasm implied), I *think* we can adapt to a 2 frame difference.

And seriously, who *actually* cares if up B OoS is more lenient? That's day 1 ****. Your skepticism is completely unfounded as usual.

Melee Link is also distinct enough from P:M Link that you have to utilize his options differently because his moves are overall much worse and he's lacking options that P:M Link has. This version of Link retains all of the same options but with worse movement, so it forces you to hone application more than adapt to a different method of play.

Don't know why I expected anything constructive from this place. You people would much rather jerk to how good rapid jab is in neutral or how Dthrow Dair is called the Pogo Sword#autism than contribute or participate in any sort of novel or interesting idea.


Edit: Disregarding my annoyance that the only feedback I get for something I consider a pretty solid idea is "Lawl up B OoS is ez now," I will address something you said a tad more legitimately.

Going back to Melee Link: virtually every move he has has different IASA from P:M Link, so if anything playing him for practice will **** with your timing a lot more than a 7 frame jumpsquat alone (Btw, Melee Link has a 6 frame jump so it makes up B OoS more lenient and screws with Nair or whatever), so that's not really a valid argument. I actually considered reverting his Fair and such to Melee stats, but then I didn't simply because it would change how he plays. So overall this is clearly the superior alternative to practicing with the pile of dog **** called Melee Link. #pickarealcharacter

With all due respect of course.

Maybe you missed the part where I said "[although you should never need the full jumpsquat]." Also, if the PM physics glitch works like I remember it working, they functionally have identical jumpsquats in PM and Melee [because Link is airborne immediately in Melee on frame 7 but in this game he's not really yet, or something like that]. I have no idea who said rapid jab was a good idea in neutral, but if you start jabbing someone's shield, at least they can't really CC it...?

PM Link also lacks options Melee Link has. RIP Melee nair in PM [also his bombs combo better in Melee].

Link's IASA on nair is identical, his IASA on bair *should* be identical [the hitbox timing is], and the autocancel window and interruptibility on dair seems identical as well. Dash attack was sync'd to Melee frame data when it was nerfed, and apparently fsmash is almost the same [one frame earlier IASA on swing 2? lol]

Grab is less laggy [and dash grab can grab out of the air in PM], sure, but the startup is the same, and up+B is identical too. The moves that are changed are dsmash [faster by a frame], ftilt [faster by 2 frames], dtilt [faster by 4 frame], usmash being waaay less safe on block [the 6 frame IASA difference and the move being "faster" hits (if I'm reading the thread correctly) means it's got way more net endlag], uair being one frame less laggy on L-cancelled landing, and dair being 5 frames less laggy on L-cancelled landing.

You seem to overestimate the differences between Melee and PM Link. What's actually useful is you get to fight the super strong spacies, and then come back to PM where shine isn't invulnerable, lasers don't do so much damage from afar, and recovery moves are not so lagless.

But whatever, we'll agree to disagree.