Project M Star - Gameplay rebalance mod - Updated 20/8/2015 - PM3.6 compatible

[ShiningCrusader]

After months of fiddling and tweaking I present you Project M Star

Download Link
Google Drive

Origin
This mod was originally intended for me and my friends to play at parties but after the first few changes and good feedback it quickly grew to a full-fledged gameplay rebalance of Project M.

Aim
The mod aims to make Project M more appealing to casual, occasional, untrained and long-time players that never got into the competitive scene while retaining all the awesome content and changes already made to Brawl by the PM dev team. This mainly translates in characters being easier to play without knowing perfecly frame data, advanced moves or long inputs. Pick a character and get in the fight, no strings attached. If you felt Project M was too advanced for your play style this mod is for you.

Global Changes

• Upwards gravity reduced to 0.9

This value affects the gravity of characters when jumping and falling, but not when fastfalling. Overall, most characters will have slightly higher jumps and easier recoveries. The reason for this is to give a larger air time to "acrobatic" characters like Pikachu, Kirby, Ness, Jigglypuff and Squirtle that were severely hindered by Project M's gravity increase. Also, most characters have more mobility, being able to board farther platforms and reach farther opponents.

• No ledge invincibility

To prevent most edgehogging cases, invincibility on ledges was removed completely, except for a short time during the ledge grab starting animation. With this change, an edgehogging player will most likely be hit by a recovering player, leaving the ledge free. This also makes edgeguarding much more rewarding.

• No shield loss

When a player activates his shield, it won't become smaller over time due to just being up. Hits will still reduce the shield. The shield can still be shattered and projectiles can still be bounced off.

• Friction increased by 0.02

Mostly removes the effect of sliding away (and often off of a ledge) after blocking a powerful hit. Wavedashing is hindered by a negligible amount.

Character Changes
You can find a semi-detailed character changelist in the included readme file. Listing it here would be mostly a waste of space since most characters only have some minor tweaking to them.
Some notable changes I think it's useful to mention here nevertheless:

• Captain Falcon and Ganondorf have been balanced in regard to each other. Ganondorf's air attacks have been nerfed but he still retains the most powerful moves of the two. This makes Captain Falcon a much more viable character in air than Ganondorf, if you take his speed into account.
• Falco has been balanced in contrast to Fox in the same way. Some of his moves have been reverted to Brawl animations and buffed to fit the rest of the cast to un-do his status of clone in PM. Falco is now much more maneuverable and lethal in the air than ever before. Falco now excels where Fox fails, both in air and on the ground.
• Wario has been reworked into a mid/mid-heavy character. His weight is now 104 (previously 107) but his air manoeuvrability has been reduced. Almost all of his moves start a little slower and have a slightly greater endlag but they often deal 1% more damage.
  
• Zelda and Sheik can't transform any more, but they have two new DownB moves. Zelda's DownB is the Goddess Flight, sending her straight down or upwards in a spiral whether you use this move in the air or on the ground. Sheik's DownB is her trademark Deku Nut: a stunning flash of light that can be used both on the ground and in the air though it's not so useful on airborne opponents.
• Zero Suit Samus has been tweaked to be a character that can stand on her two feet. Almost all of her moves have been buffed or nerfed in damage, knockback or timing. The result is a pleasing character that doesn't need hundreds of sweetspotted low-damage attacks to kill heavy hitters like Ganondorf and Bowser.

Installing
This mod only contains character moveset data and does not modify stages, music or textures in any way. For this reason, a basic Project M installation is required for this mod to work properly. Install Project M regularly, and then simply copy the foders "codes" and "projectm" on your SD card. Overwrite when prompted. This was tested on the homebrew version of PM with a USB loader on a Pal Wii and on Dolphin Emulator.
The EXTRA folder contains files for advanced users and further customisation of the mod or to remove/add other codes to the codeset.
Hackless version
Unfortunately, I can't test a hackless version because I lack both a NTSC Wii and copy of the game. Still, you can overwrite the "projectm" folder and use the codes in the EXTRA folder to add the mod's few codes to the hackless PM codeset. It should work without much trouble, but I have to state again that this is NOT TESTED. If users can try this or other methods of applying the mod to the hackless version I'll be sure to add it here.

Credits and Contacts
Mod made by DarkStar (That would be me. The username on here was already taken) over the awesome work of the Project M team.
For all balance suggestions/requests PM me or post in this thread.

 

[JiFoJoka]

I was confused when I read a 'rebalance', but now I understand that it's a bridge for beginners. I think this is a really good concept! Maybe the Project M Devs should add something like this in a future patch (even if it's without move changes).

Also I'm liking that this has no Zelda/Sheik transformations!

 

[Da Man]

I like this, fixing the huge mistake the PM guys did with Falco in the first place with making him almost exactly like Fox.

 

[Jobonoobdude]

I like this, fixing the huge mistake the PM guys did with Falco in the first place with making him almost exactly like Fox.

Falco is way different than fox, they just look the same.

Anyway, this is a sweet idea. I wouldn't use it personally, but I know my hardcore brawl friends will gladly welcome this. Thanks!

 

[Da Man]

Falco is way different than fox, they just look the same.

Anyway, this is a sweet idea. I wouldn't use it personally, but I know my hardcore brawl friends will gladly welcome this. Thanks!

Animations wise they look almost 100% the same, which is lame.

 

[Patt Anderson]

Would you consider basing your sword character changes on the smash 3 versions? Then there could be sword trails and such.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Animations wise they look almost 100% the same, which is lame.

My point, exactly. Even with attacks having a slightly different timing, damage, knockback and angles (not that different most of the time actually) Falco really felt like a slower Fox taking up space in the roster. With my changes I wanted to bring back his character more than his Melee moveset, with more wings and beak attacks. I still want to tweak his UpAir, though. It doesn't look like it collides like it should. PM's new hitbox display will help me with this should I fail with PSA only.

Would you consider basing your sword character changes on the smash 3 versions? Then there could be sword trails and such.

I didn't know Smash 3 modifies PSA files as well. This complicates things just a little because I wanted to try it once the roster is complete.
Anyway, I don't think I'll integrate sword trail effects at the moment because that would mean I'd have to keep two versions of the mod and port each change to both of them, which would slow down releases for an effect that's purely cosmetic.
I might consider it once PM 3.5 or 4.0 is out and I'll have ported all the changes.

 

[Shun_one]

I didn't know Smash 3 modifies PSA files as well. This complicates things just a little because I wanted to try it once the roster is complete.
Anyway, I don't think I'll integrate sword trail effects at the moment because that would mean I'd have to keep two versions of the mod and port each change to both of them, which would slow down releases for an effect that's purely cosmetic.
I might consider it once PM 3.5 or 4.0 is out and I'll have ported all the changes.

Our PSA changes only affect visual graphics. For example, Marth's Dancing Blade uses his additional sword trails instead of making his entire body glow for each swing.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Our PSA changes only affect visual graphics.

I know, but it's still the same file, thus I'd need to keep a PM version and a S3 version, mod one and port all of the changes to the other.

 

[Shun_one]

I know, but it's still the same file, thus I'd need to keep a PM version and a S3 version, mod one and port all of the changes to the other.

What I mean is it's veritably less work if you mod the P:M one first, then just change the sword trail portions (and Pit's are literally just texture changes). You won't have to redo everything twice that way. This is all assuming you're even interested in doing so in the first place though.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Most of the work comes from checking every subroutine for every sword character. It would be much faster if I had an exact changelog of moves or offsets where you added sword glows.

 

[Shun_one]

If you want it, sure I can give it to you. You are editing in PSA, correct?

Spoiler

Link:
Spin Attack
Flash Overlay change alpha to 30

Marth
Dancing Blade entries
Flash Overlay change alpha to 0
Change sword glow color to appropriate texture match's (I don't have the values on me at the moment)

Ike
Nothing

Pit
Nothing

Toon Link
Spin Attack
Flash overlay alpha to 30
Sword trail color to 126

Roy
Double Edge Dance entries
Flash overlay alpha to 0
Change sword trail values for non-flaming DED to 12

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Thanks. I noted them in a txt. I thought you added glows also on idles, jumps etc...
This will be much easier.

 

[JarBear]

I like this idea. I would definitely be more of the casual player than the skilled competitive players. I admit I like that more in the New Smash where it is a balance of Melee and Brawl, not everything is fast or floaty slow. So, this is a project I would like. Plus with you "simply" changing the coding, I could use the different costumes and such for the characters. (Especially with what Codex is doing, the CSP work is great with the chosen character models!) I am curious to check this out and watch how this progresses.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

I am curious to check this out and watch how this progresses.

The mod is already done and you can try it out right away. You'll just need to look it up on the brawl vault under "packs" because I'm not allowed to post links here yet.

 

[Quillion]

I think it would have made more sense to call it a de-skilling mod instead of a rebalancing mod given that making the skill level less restricting would inevitably result in less balance.

Otherwise, I will definitely check this one out.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Updated OP with link to google drive now that I have 10 posts.

 

[JarBear]

Fantastic, that will make it easy for a lot of people. I have been playing a lot of the 3ds, but I still want to check this out and get a good feel for it!

 

[Rock & Roller Wabbit]

Is this Hackless? Please tell me this is hackless.
EDIT: Oh, I understand now. Anyways, I can't wait to try out Sheik!
(Also, and correct me if I'm wrong, but is making a rebalance mod and putting star on the end to TF2's STARMOD?)

 

[ShiningCrusader]

I did a few changes here and there, mostly to air attacks and jumps of Sheik and ZSS.
I want to take a closer look at Mario and Luigi's differences since Luigi feel a lot better overall (since SSB64, actually).
I'll probably update after that.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Just discovered Wario's weight is down from 107 in Brawl to 80 in PM (less than Squirtle).
What the hell were they thinking? Let's see if I can restore his "little wrecker" status from the Wario Land games.
Carefully balanced timings and damages should do it.

 

[Rock & Roller Wabbit]

Just discovered Wario's weight is down from 107 in Brawl to 80 in PM (less than Squirtle).
What the hell were they thinking? Let's see if I can restore his "little wrecker" status from the Wario Land games.
Carefully balanced timings and damages should do it.

They were thinking about making Wario a glass cannon on wheels. Decently fast, can deal a ton of damage, but is really floaty and can get rekt in 5 seconds flat if the other guy knows what he/she's doing.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Decently fast, can deal a ton of damage, but is really floaty and can get rekt in 5 seconds flat if the other guy knows what he/she's doing.

Actually, his "buoyancy" has always been considered his strong point because he's one of the most manoeuvrable characters in mid-air and that's a trait I'm definitely going to keep.
I will try to find a middle ground at 103-104 weight (just below Link) and keep his air control intact, probably making some of his moves a tad slower to connect.
About getting KO-ed in 5 seconds that can happen with every character with varying degrees of difficulty.

 

[SuperMii3D]

Does this not have a hackless version?

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Does this not have a hackless version?

No, because I cannot test it.

You can make it easily, though. Just replace the files as usual and use the files in the EXTRA folder to add the codes to the hackless PM codeset. Should work.

Edit: added small description in the OP about this.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

I made some significant changes to Wario, balanced Mario and Luigi and fixed Fox's surprisingly bugged DownB.
An update should come soon.
The lightweight Wario version will still be available in the EXTRA folder.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Updated with changes to:
- Changed UpAir timing. Easier to connect.
- Fixed DownB not working like intended.
- DownB loses less power over time on the ground. Tweaked damage of NeutralAir and ForwardAir
- Tweaked damage of DownAir. Harder to start a combo with.
- NeutralAir deals slightly more damage.
- Increased air mobility.
- Decreased jump height.

and big changes to:
- Balanced damage of most attacks compared to Mario. Upward and downward attacks are stronger or faster.
- Balanced damage of most attacks compared to Luigi. Side attacks are stronger or faster.
- Reworked into a mid/mid-heavy character. Moves and attacks overall slower but almost all attacks deal 1% more damage and/or have better knockback.

Edit: more detailed changes.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Just downloaded PM3.5.
I'll do a quick check of the changelog and then start modding characters in alphabetic order.
You can probably expect a first updated version next week.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Port to 3.5 complete!
I'll probably release saturday or sunday. I want to do some bug testing first, and maybe change a couple of things more.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Project M Star was updated to PM3.5!
Some PM3.5 changes fixed problems I had already addressed in previous PMS versions therefore, although I've actually "removed" some changes for some characters, the outcome is pretty similar (for example ZSS's tilts or Toon Link's NeutralAir).
In addition, here are the most noticeable changes over the last PMS release.

- Added 2 weight points. Increased gravity.
- Tweaked DownAir late hitbubble position and size.
- Fixed DownB wrong angle and knockback.
- ForwardAir hitbubble is smaller.
- ForwardAir late hitbubble is smaller.
- B Takes about 1 second less to charge.
- Reduced jump height.
- Restored shock effect on smash for Dr. Mario skins.
- DownB deals only 1% on airborne opponents. Tweaked knockback.
- Restored 5 pikmin limit.
- Increased gravity. Improved horizontal air movement. DownAir is faster.
- SideB reload is much faster.
- Tweaked NeutralAir damage. Sweetspot deals less, sourspot deals more.
(light) - Weight increased from 80 to 85.
(heavy) - Running speed slightly increased (still slower than light Wario).

 

[Free-D]

Are there any big stage changes?

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Are there any big stage changes?

No stage changes! Feel free to use the content pack you like most.

 

[leekslap]

Am I the only one who really dislikes this mod A LOT. Namely the wavedash nerfs, lack of ledge invisibility, shield buffs, and Falco changes are just so cringe and awful decisions. You made learning wavedashing more unrewarding, made it nearly impossible for certain characters to edgeguard well( and made recovering a lot easier ), made shield waaaaaaay too good, and fell to the common misconception that Falco should be decloned. It's just so unrewarding.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Am I the only one who really dislikes this mod A LOT. Namely the wavedash nerfs, lack of ledge invisibility, shield buffs, and Falco changes are just so cringe and awful decisions. You made learning wavedashing more unrewarding, made it nearly impossible for certain characters to edgeguard well( and made recovering a lot easier ), made shield waaaaaaay too good, and fell to the common misconception that Falco should be decloned. It's just so unrewarding.

I didn't make this mod for you. Move along.

 

[leekslap]

I didn't make this mod for you. Move along.

Fine. It's not my problem you can't take criticism.

 

[JiFoJoka]

Fine. It's not my problem you can't take criticism.

Please read what the mod's aims are before you criticise it.

Aim
The mod aims to make Project M more appealing to casual, occasional, untrained and long-time players that never got into the competitive scene while retaining all the awesome content and changes already made to Brawl by the PM dev team. This mainly translates in characters being easier to play without knowing perfecly frame data, advanced moves or long inputs. Pick a character and get in the fight, no strings attached. If you felt Project M was too advanced for your play style this mod is for you.

If you're not happy with this mod, I'm sure the original Smash games or Project M would suit you better.

 

[leekslap]

Please read what the mod's aims are before you criticise it.



If you're not happy with this mod, I'm sure the original Smash games or Project M would suit you better.

I know about its aims, but shield is broken and edgeguarding seems like its been made a bad mechanic. These changes don't make it any easier: they just make it unfair. Project M is already easy mode and someone is trying to make it easier? Wow.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

Project M is already easy mode and someone is trying to make it easier? Wow.

Watch out, we've got a badass right here.

Seriously, though. Have you tried the mod before you came in here to **** on it?

 

[ShiningCrusader]

If you're wondering why I haven't updated in a while, that's because I've been working on things.

 

[ShiningCrusader]

I finally published my texture pack for Zero Suit Samus, inspired to the endings of many Metroid games. You can get it here.
While we're at it, here's a preview. I'll be back to modding PSAs next week, probably.