Croph
Hold Baroque Inside
Roy for DLC Support Thread - Reignite TEH PHIR3!!
"We fight to win this war. But how can we call it a victory with the deaths of so many innocents?" -- Roy
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With the 1.0.6 update, there has been some dedicated people who have decrypted files found on the 3DS version. Roy's victory theme has been discovered, as well as sound files relating to Ryu (Street Fighter). What could this mean? Nothing is officially confirmed remember, so keep your eyes opened.
Sources:
http://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/32nymz/smash_update_106_decrypted_first_observations/
https://twitter.com/CuttingRoomWiki/status/588467223833882627
https://twitter.com/crediar/status/588452304539418624
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**On the Smash 3DS/Wii U website, using the official Smash Bros. DLC fighter ballot, people can vote and give reasons why they would like to see their favourite characters. This is a great opportunity for Roy, especially if we could spread the word around. At the very least, we're given a chance to provide feedback, which never hurts. Deadline is October 3rd, so there's no hurry currently.
Vote for Roy here: https://cp.nintendo.co.jp/us
Name: Roy
Game: Fire Emblem
Feel free to talk about why you would like to see Roy return, why do you like playing as Roy, what improvements you would like to see him have (for example, unique moves), impact he has on the FE series, and anything else that you think is important. Also doesn't hurt expressing that you'd like to see Roy's game, Fire Emblem: Binding Blade, get a Western release (VC, remake, etc.).**
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Welcome! Now that character DLC has been confirmed (with Mewtwo coming in 2015), speculation and focus has shifted to support Roy for DLC. You could say the general idea of this thread is to provide a hub for Roy fans/supporters, or anyone else, that would like to discuss Roy's potential for DLC, as well as contribute anything. Do you think we will see the return of Roy? Maybe not? Contribution could also include moveset speculation, costume ideas, providing resources/links for those who wish to further extend their support elsewhere, etc. Even saying, "I support Roy" and a little explanation why is great -- it's the little things like these always puts a smile on my face.
Before I get into Roy's impact on the Smash series and why should he return, I'd like to briefly look at of the events that happens in the Sword of Seals, and who exactly Roy is. The Sword of Seals is a Japanese-only game; as such, I feel like I should go over various things, since there may be a lot of people who haven't experienced the game. There will be some minor spoilers.
Who is Roy?
Pfft, that's easy. He's the dude with the fire sword in Super Smash Melee!
In all seriousness, that's sorta true. Roy's first appearance -- his big debut -- was in Melee. However, he is a Fire Emblem Lord, and like every Lord, he starts in his own game.
Roy in FE6
Fire Emblem: Sword of Seals (or Nintendo's official translation, "The Binding Blade", but I'll keep things short and call the game "FE6") was released in Japan on March 29, 2002, which is a little over four months after Melee's Japanese release. The setting takes place in Elibe, in which the continent consists of five countries: Lycia, Bern, Etruria, Sacae, and Ilia, and many other regions. Lycia in particular consists of 14 noble houses, including Ostia and Pherae (which Roy hails from). The basic premise shows our hero, Roy, originally studying in Ostia (Lycia's capital). However, later he leads Pherae's army against Bern's invasions on Lycia, after his father (Eliwood) falls ill. Roy (who's officially 15) joins up with the rest of Lycia's armies, effectively leading the League of Lycia's armies against Bern's forces.
A map of Elibe
Despite being thrown into a heated war against one of most powerful military nations, over time Roy gains more faith in himself as a leader and dependence in his allies.
Closer to the end, Roy obtains a divine sword, the Sword of Seals, which has fire and magical properties. Some include:
- Can ignite and create fire projectiles
- Healing properties
- Bonus effects like more damage versus dragons
- Can help to seal away beings
- Can react and adjust its power accordingly to the wielder's emotions (for example, if the wielder does not want to kill the opponent, the sword can knock the opponent unconscious instead)
- Considered stronger than the legendary weapons of Elibe
Roy wielding the SoS
And throw in some dragons and there you have FE6...
That being said, Roy has also appeared during the ending in FE7 (prequel to FE6), but more of a small cameo.
A younger Roy
In Awakening, Roy's available to join your army through a DLC episode and SpotPass. DLC Roy is available by purchasing Xenologue: Champions of Yore 2, in which Roy's given a kickass redesign by artist Kimihiko Fujisaka (The Last Story) for his artwork.
Roy's redesign
An interesting thing to note, is that the DLC episodes featuring Ike vs Roy and their armies is called "Xenologue: Smash Brethren", an obvious reference to the Smash Bros. series. The episode's name is different in the Japanese version though (thank you based NoA).
In the upcoming crossover, Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem, Roy is set to appear, if the first teaser is anything to go by. CONFIRMED TRAILER, YO!
Roy also appears the Hasha no Tsurugi manga, which was serialized in Monthly Shonen Jump. There are pre-downloaded events available in special FE6 cartridges that are influenced by the manga. Check them out here!
Roy In Smash Bros.
Roy's appearance in Super Smash Melee
Most people first got introduced to Roy through Melee (unless you knew about FE6 prior to Melee's release by some means. Click here for early FE6 footage from Space World 2001!). In fact, originally Marth and Roy weren't going to be included in the Western release of Melee. However, American employees insisted that they stay. It was because of Marth and Roy's inclusion that sparked curiosity in the West, thus helping to make the decision to localize the FE games (starting with FE7). Interestingly enough, NoA seemed interested in localizing FE6, sometime after Melee. It could be because of Marth and Roy's popularity, or more specifically Roy's since I'm not sure why would they pick FE6, considering FE7 was coming around.
There are many reasons why people love to play as Roy. It could be because of his play style. Or his fire sword and cool looks. Or perhaps Roy helped introduce them to the FE series. Or maybe because of his red hair... any reason is valid. I'll briefly go over some reasons as to why Roy would be a good choice for DLC:
- A decently popular requested character in both Japan and in the West during Smash 4' development. Also, there were some Japanese polls done some about cut characters some time ago: http://smashboards.com/threads/roy.324203/page-25#post-15647046 Thanks SSBF for the pics. These polls were constructed a long time ago, but they're still interesting to look at for the heck of it
- FE6 had a big impact on series (at least looking at it form Japan's perspective). Can be considered a game that revived the series, and included many staple elements. In a nutshell, the transition from FE5 --> FE6 was big (almost like the previous FE games to Awakening, but not as drastic). Shouzou Kaga (the creator of FE) left after FE5. After FE5 (a game that's know for its difficulty), it seemed like Nintendo wanted the series to be more accessible -- a game that's not only for the hardcore fans, but for new ones. For example, making FE6 more simpler, including a tutorial mode (that's optional), more cute and young-looking characters/brighter art style to perhaps attracted the younger crowd, etc., etc., may have helped
- FE6 generally has great recognition from Japan (check FE6's reviews here and Awakening's here for comparison). If you're curious about some Japanese FE sales, check out a sales chart here (I personally don't use sales a lot in arguments, but I'd rather have some sources handy just in case)
- Roy could be an easy character to implant if going the clone-ish route. If not, then the SoS has many characteristics and properties that could make Roy unique
- Higher up at IS stated that remaking FE6 would give Roy a chance to be properly introduced in the West. Whether that remake is ever going to happen, idk, but if Roy's in, I think that remake will have a good chance at being green-lit. Or perhaps Roy would be a good character to help promote the remake
- TEH PHIR3!!
I do think that if Roy were to be DLC, he'd still retain some clone-ish properties, seeing that characters like Ganon and Falco aren't totally revamped. On the bright side, Roy's tipper mechanic (doing more damage near the centre of the blade, er, well, I guess it's more like hilt lol) is still a unique and interesting thing. If implanted, he could fit a rush down archetype, getting into the face of an opponent to deal some strong damage. Perhaps Roy could also dip into being a glass cannon a little. Although, giving Roy a projectile could help with zoning and make him stand out more versus Marth, Ike, and Lucina.
Moveset Ideas
"Feel the wrath of my fire! ARRGHHH!!... (it's a good thing I'm wearing non-flammable clothing)"
[collapse=Moveset #1 - SchAlternate]So, as for a moveset:
Roy's playstyle is heavily centered on high risk, high reward. Most of his stats are pretty tame: he has moderately high speed, lackluster jumping prowess and somewhat light weight (slightly lighter than Mario). However, Roy's main perk relies on his sword. At the tip, it deals averange damage and knockback, but if you are hit by the blade, you are welcomed with brutal ammounts of damage, and enemies hit at the very hilt of the sword will be sent really far away, even at low percentages. Here's the catch, though; if Roy lands a hit with the hilt of the blade, he recieves recoil damage, which becomes more significant with his stronger moves.
Think of Roy as a merge between his gameplay style and that of Pichu's; most of his attacks hurt him, but the hurt the enemy even more.
- Flare Blade: Roy's signature move. Like Eruption, this move involves Roy charging up his blade before releasing a powerful slash. Charge it too much and it will cause a deadly explosion that hits opponents far away and recoil on Roy. Sweetspotted, this attack can become a OHKO, dealing even more damage to his foes and himself.- Great Flare Blade: A variant on his original move. The charge on this on takes less time and has additional range. However, the sweetspot is significantly weaker.
- Solar Blade: Pretty much the opposite of the original move. Instead of causing a double edged explosion, it will heal Roy if he connects the move with a target, at the expense of killing power. A safer option to compliment Roy's risky playstyle. Based on the Sol skill in Fire Emblem.
- - Peril Dance: A revamp on his original side special, Double Edge Dance. Roy still performs a series of slashes that variate by the player's input, like Marth's Dancing Blade. However, this time Roy releases a wave of flames with every slash he performs. Tilting the joystick at a given direction alters the angle of the waves, and Roy can perform up to three slashes. Based on Roy's ranged attack in FE6.
- Danger Dance: Like Peril Dance, but only produces a wave on the last wave. This wave, however, is larger and slower, being great for stage control.
- Double Edge Dance: Roy's classic Side B. This version doesn't produce any waves, making it more viable for combos. First two slashes deal considerable damage and set knockback, while the last one deals brutal knockback.
- - Blazer: Another of Roy's signature moves. Roy charges briefly before rising in a spiral of flames caused by his sword. During the charge, he is invulnerable to knockback and opponents touching Roy will be sent upwards before they get trapped in the fiery tornado Roy engulfs himself in. It can be angled in much more directions than Marth's Dolphin Slash, but doesn't recover as much; to compensate, he won't go into helpless mode after using this move (but he won't be able to use the move again in midair)
- Rapid Blazer: Roy goes further away with this move than with normal Blazer. However, it doesn't trap enemies in and the charge time is higher.
- Impact Blazer: The KO variation of this move. It doesn't require a charge before the rising, and at the apex of the jump, it causes a small explosion that sends victims flying away after drilling them all the way up (ew). Doesn't go as far as the regular version, and renders Roy helpless.
- - Counter: Roy's trusty Counter. The window of activation is limited, but deals twice the damage of the attack that connects with the counter.
- Meteor Counter: Sends opponents plummeting into the ground while only countering half the damage it counters.
- Mirror Counter: Lasts longer and is able to reflect projectiles, but deals the same amount of damage as the countered attack.
- - Limit Breaker: Roy's Final Smash. Based on Roy's Critical Hit animation when wielding the Sword of Seals, Roy leaps into the air and launches a freaking GINORMOUS fire wave into the battlefield, wreaking havoc on everyone (think of Zero's Genmu Zero move in Mega Man X5/Marvel Vs Capcom 3).
[collapse=Moveset #2 - Unicorn]Custom Movesets! I'll do mine too.
ROY THE BOY, YOUNG LION OF PHERAE, WIELDER OF THE SWORD OF SEALS
His sweetspot is in the center of his blade getting slightly weaker the farther it gets in either direction. So the hilt is just as weak as the tip. It's not the wet noodle of melee, but still noticeably weaker. He would be a semi-clone of Marth, with recognizable similarities, but still mainly a character of his own (a la Falco).
Flare Blade: Awaken the power of the Sword of Seals!Ignite your foes with a quick strike of flame, or purge an entire area of evil by charging up and unleashing a massive explosion. A classic move that defines Roy.
Courageous Blade: Stand strong in the face of your enemies!
Roy gains super armor during his attack animation, but will take recoil damage from from the attack as well.
Flare Hammer: Strike down your foes!
The attack is much weaker, both in knockback and damage potential, but gains a meteor hitbox at the bottom third of the blade and hilt (get it? Strike DOWN your foes? Cuz you're spiking them! Ha... ha... please don't hurt me)
Let the decloning begin.Sol: Unleash the power of the sun! TM
Stab your enemy, dealing respectable damage (~15-20) and healing for half the amount done.
Lion's Claw: Become the predator.
The predator does not "suck" from the prey. He crushes them without a doubt. Forsake the healing element of Sol, changing it into a dangerous and versatile KO move that can be also be used in the air.
Slow Burn: They will know pain...
Thrust your sword into your opponent, twisting your blade and igniting them from the inside. This move operates as a command grab, and will deal damage while the opponent is being grabbed, and then afterwards for a short time due to them being on ph1r3.
Rush: Revel in the glory of the charge.Sprint towards the enemy with your shoulder, knocking them into their trip animation and dealing light damage. Moves you in close for a sweet spotted Forward Smash.
Counter: Strike when the moment is right.
These are a dime a dozen nowadays. Roy's is extremely powerful, but has a small window just like it always has been.
Inspire: BOKU WA MAKUNAI!!!!
Roy raises his sword and shouts one of his many beautiful lines. The enemies can't help but stop and watch as he shines radiantly, women everywhere swoon, men bow down their heads in awe. Even the lowliest of beasts stops crawling across the ground to recognize the might of the Lord Roy. If the sun had set, then it rises immediately, realizing that such a scene must be properly illuminated. The oceans lay silent, ceasing their battering of the shores, if only for a moment, to observe the greatness before them. Those who were not really feeling it, are now feeling it. This is the ultimate power.
(It's actually just a self buff that raises the power of his next two or three smash attacks)
Blazer: Light the Way.Roar with the fury of the Young Lion, then defy gravity's hold on you, launching yourself up with willpower and flame alone, dragging anyone foolish enough to get close along in the inferno. Personally I love this move, so I wouldn't change it at all.
I've seen this move in other mock movesets for Roy and I really like the idea. Roy slashes beneath himself, causing an explosion that launches him upwards with some control. He does not go into helpless afterwards, so he retains some defensive ability.
Critical Hit: Not like Aether at all
This is the Mercenary/Hero Crit animation from the GBA games, which Ike's Aether attack is based off of, so aesthetically they are similar. Roy leaps upwards, does a somersault, then slams down. Roy's is waaaaaaaaay cooler though because he leaves a trail of fire behind him as he goes up, then comes down with the impact of a meteor...er... figuratively. The knockback would be upwards and horizontal.
NORMALS
I'll just list the ones that would be changed.
Up smash: A broad slash above him that leaves a trail of fire with a hitbox of its own.
Down smash: Roy slams his sword straight into the ground, causing fire to spew out to both sides of him.
F tilt: A two hit attack, starting with a short ranged bash with the hilt of his sword, then a horizontal slash.
Nair: Gimme dat sexy PM nair.
Up Throw: Roy tosses the opponent up, then strikes them with his sword, causing high knockback. Kill throw at 140% on average fall speed characters.
Back Throw: Roy ignites his sword, then slashes his opponent, spinning in a circle and sending the enemy behind him. Sends at a low angle.
TL:DR- I liek smash broh. and I liek roy duh boi.[/collapse]
[collapse=Moveset #3 - Steelia]I'd argue that with the Sword of Seals alone, Roy has the potential to become one of the most unique swordsmen in Smash, right up there with Shulk. His sword always lights ablaze before it strikes, it has the ability to shoot long-ranged explosive projectiles that covers the distance of an archer's bow, and it can even heal its master! I was amazed at just what could be done with Roy... so here are some examples
Altered dash attack, keeping the sword near his chest as opposed to swinging lower to the ground
Altered up-tilt attack, keeping it close and dangerous but covering more towards his body
New Up Smash; Roy thrusts his sword skyward, nudging his opponent above him, and after a small delay, the tip of the sword explodes
New Down Smash, my personal favorite; the Sword of Seals strikes the ground, creating explosive pillars that travel a little ways from Roy
And of course, every single hit with Roy's sword (save for the very tip) gives fire damage to his opponents... trust me, it never gets old
[/collapse][COLLAPSE=Movetset #4 - Strider_Bond00J]
Alternative Roy Moveset Inspired by Swampasaur
This is an alternative moveset for Roy that was inspired by @Swampasaur’s thoughts on Roy. This incarnation is a blending of Roy’s techniques as a Mercenary in Fire Emblem Awakening and his abilities from Super Smash Bros Melee and Fire Emblem: Binding Blade.
Appearance: Roy’s default costume is his DLC costume from Fire Emblem Awakening, based on the Mercenary class, which will have four colours. Likewise, his traditional armour from Melee and FE6 is an alternate costume much like Wario with his Warioware costume and his traditional purple and yellow overalls costume.
Gimmicks/Defining Feature: Much like in Melee, Roy’s defining gameplay feature is the positioning of his sword’s hitbox, being stronger at the base of the blade. This is intended to make him part of a ‘trio,’ where Marth focus on spacing with the tip of his sword, Lucina able to swap from between close range and spacing without power variation while Roy’s playstyle revolves around getting up close to the opponent to deal more damage. However, his new appearance sees him wielding his blade from Fire Emblem Awakening and his trademark weapon from Melee and FE6, the Sword of Seals, thus making him comparable to a stance-based character like Gen from Street Fighter.
To compare the two swords, Roy’s Blade plays similarly to Melee, with many attacks outside of Specials lacking a fire effect, and is slightly weaker in power, but allows Roy greater mobility. With the use of a revamped Down Special, Roy is able to swap out the Blade for his iconic Sword of Seals, which allows Roy to use fire outside of his Specials, allowing for greater range, damage and launching power. (Explained in attacks) The Sword of Seals is however limited by a small gauge represented by a flaming sword, similar to how Scorpion plays in Injustice. When the gauge runs out (represented by the sword flames dying out), Roy goes into overheat, where he begins to take gradual damage to himself and is launched even further by oncoming attacks.
Attacks
Idle Animation: Based on the Merc idle animation from Awakening when using the Blade; When holding the Sword of Seals, he adopts his idle animation from Melee.
Jab A: Roy swings the sword once horizontally. Follows into a second swing in Blade form. A follow-on with the SoS creates a small explosion in front of Roy, much like Robin’s Elfire jab finish.
Forward Tilt: Roy lunges forward with the tip forward in style of his attack animation from FE6 and Project M. The SoS creates a small explosion in front of Roy, adding a spacing option.
Up Tilt: Roy swipes his sword in an overhead arc, much like his up-tilt in Melee. Equipping the SoS adds a fire effect and boost in power.
Down Tilt: Roy quickly jabs the sword out while in a crouching position, launching the opponent into the air, setting up for Roy’s combos in the air. Much like the U-Tilt, the SoS adds a fire and extra power boost to the attack.
Neutral Aerial: Roy swings his sword in a vertical spin, similar to the Critical Hit animation of the Mercenary class in Awakening.
Forward Aerial: A quick swipe of the sword, near identical to its Melee incarnation.
Back Aerial: A backwards swipe, very fast. Similar to Melee incarnation.
Up Aerial: Roy elegantly swings his sword in an arc. Knocks the opponent further into the air to set up further combos.
Down Aerial: A fast and powerful swipe from above, serving as Meteor Smash should the opponent touch the base hitbox. Has greatly reduced lag from Melee.
Smash Attacks
Side Smash: Roy readies his sword for a powerful spin attack, based on a Merc’s finisher animation from Awakening. Sword of Seals adds a greater fire effect to the attack, with a slight power boost.
Up Smash: Roy jabs his sword into the air and it catches alight to deal fire damage. The Sword of Seals version sees a small explosion above the tip, dealing extra damage to an opponent caught in the initial hit.
Down Smash: Roy swings his sword in a crouching spin, any opponent caught in the first hit will fall into the second hit from behind, much like Captain Falcon’s Down Smash. The Sword of Seals version sees Roy create an explosion in front and behind him, much like the Mii Gunners’ Down Smash.
Specials:
Neutral Special (Blade): Flare Blade: Roy charges up his sword as it cloaks itself in fire. Eventually, he will start to glow white and eventually bring down his sword in a powerful explosion, dealing massive amounts of damage and knockback, but damaging Roy by around 15%. Faster than Ike’s Eruption, but not as powerful.
Neutral Special (Sword of Seals) Flare Burst: Roy charges up the Sword of Seals like normal, but when the Roy reaches full power, he unleashes a directed pillar of fire that deals strong fire damage upon contact. This doesn’t have the same recoil that Flare Blade has, so Roy escapes unscathed. It drains the meter very quickly, so it should be used with caution.
Side Special (Blade): Sol Rush: Roy quickly rushes forward, and should he hit the opponent, he will deal minor fire damage around 15% damage, but low knockback. Not ideal for a K.O move, but it’s main use is to restore Roy’s health by 7% on a successful hit.
Side Special (Sword of Seals): Double-Edge Dance: Roy’s Side Special from Melee, and remains functionally the same as the Dancing Blade Special - The attack changes based on the control and button input. It is reversible mid-combo like it is in Project M, allowing for feints, and the down-directional inputs will now send a small wave of fire forwards along the ground.
Up Special (Blade): Blazer: Roy quickly rises upwards while the Blade is coated in flames, similar to its incarnation in Melee. The arc that Roy rises upwards can be angled, tilting the Control Stick to the direction Roy is facing will see him gain more horizontal range at the cost of vertical recovery.
Down Special: Class Change: Roy sheaths his Blade and draws the Sword of Seals, changing the properties of his attacks.
Final Smash: Critical Flare: Inspired by Roy’s Project M Final Smash, initiated as he rushes towards the opponent at blinding speed like Marth and Lucina. Should he collide with a character, Roy will attack with a flurry of fiery strikes with the Sword of Seals, finishing with a powerful explosion. Should he miss, he will most likely self-destruct when he goes offscreen.
[/COLLAPSE]
[collapse=Moveset #5 - SMX]Neutral Animation: Same as his old Melee animation.
Jab: Same as his Melee jab.Forward Tilt: Like his PM F-tiltUp Tilt: Tilts his sword diagonally as opposed to Marth and Lucina's horizontal tilt.Down Tilt: Like Shulk's though it has the same effect as his Melee D-tilt.Forward Smash: Brings his sword towards his body and thrusts his sword horizontally as opposed to Marth and Lucina's vertical slash.Up Smash: Thrusts his sword in the air twice quickly that has a fire effect.Down Smash: Sweeps his sword in on direction as opposed to both that covers a lot of space and has a fire effect.Neutral Air: Pretty much the same as his PM N-airForward Air: Swings his sword horizontally as opposed to Marth and Lucina's vertical swing.Back Air: Like his PM B-air.Up Air: Swings his sword twice quicklyDown Air: Same as his Melee one only with better hitboxes and a fiery spike.Flare Blade (Revamped): Roy charges his sword; holding it upwards instead of near his shoulder and lunges his blade horizontally instead of thrusting it towards the ground. This will make his attack more in line with his FE6 Sword of Seals animation.Flame Charge: A brand new side B where he uses fire projectiles. Roy's start up animation is similar to Ike's side B only he chages and shoots fireballs from his sword. Damage and knockback depend on how long the attack is charged.Blazer (Revamped & Buffed): Roy moves in a 360 degree motion upwards that has great vertical and horizontal recovery.Double-Edged Counter: A combination of Roy's Melee counter and his Double-Edged Dance (which would be replaced by his Flame Charge in this case). Roy can use his Counter like normal though he can futher extend the attack by pressing which lets him use his old Side B with an added fire effect.Ultimate Flare: Roy's Final Smash. Like Marth/Lucina's Critical Hit, Roy goes from one end of the stage to the other and instead of directly hitting his opponents, he traps them in a fiery volcano-like eruption that does massive damage and knockback to his opponents.[/collapse][collapse=Moveset #6 - Royvolution Ream]I feel like he should definitely be decloned and made more unique, similar to Falco and Luigi. However, I think he has even more potential than that. With his unique animations, flame projectiles which have a lot of potential as shown by Robin, Palutena, and Zelda who have barely tapped into fire's potential which Roy specializes in, his ability to heal himself with the Sealed Sword, the ability to seal foes in ice as shown by the Champion's Blade manga, his acrobatic prowess, his brusque fighting style, and his unique attributes in Melee such as fast-falling, a mid-blade sweetspot that favored aggressive play and pressure, his unique special and multi-hit moves, falling into the rare glass cannon archetype, and his trajectory on moves being far different from Marth and Lucina's, I feel like he has the potential to not only be a returning veteran for those who enjoyed his charm and unique personality; not only in Fire Emblem, but Smash as well, but also pretty much a newcomer through a declone. How so?
To avoid alienating veteran players, he could carry the same playstyle, a lot of the similar combos/strings, similar function in moves, movement, and general play, and carry some of his stronger moves either unchanged, improved, or simply given new animations. To defeat "third Marth" complaints and complaints of Roy being "weak," provide fans with one of the most requested and loved characters and veterans, and create a truly unique character with Roy realizing his potential, a declone route is wise. How do we start on this? I have a lot of ideas I'd like to present.
SMASHES:
1: Forward Smash:
A staple move of Roy's, with a lot of power and satisfaction behind it.
A terrifying move, being beefy with a fair amount of range in the sweetspot.
How do we make it even more unique and satisfying?
I suggest having Roy step forward with the move, slamming with his whole weight put into it in a two-handed swing. He is exposed longer than Marth, and he exposes himself to the foe more by moving forward, but the attack hits fairly hard. Being tipped, it doesn't deal much damage, but it sends the foe far enough away for Roy to recover and rush right back into the fight, fixing one of his biggest problems in Melee where he could be easily punished for landing a tipped move.
2: Up Smash:
Fire moves look beautiful in the newest iteration, and multi-hit moves feel just right. I feel like this move should be ported directly over, but with an animation more faithful to Roy's game, where he raises his blade over his head with two hands and ignites it.
3: Down Smash:
Roy's double swing hit really hard, but I feel like it shouldn't stay. It wasn't quite a staple move on Roy, and there's already many characters with it.
Please replace the move with a strong, downward lunge that creates a slow-moving wall of flame that moves forwards. It has a fair amount of power, and is about as tall as Roy, even if this would be Roy's weakest Smash Attack, and could set up for a combo via an aerial or a way for Roy to retreat and form better ground. Too many swordsmen have a two-hit Down Smash, and I feel like this would really make Roy stand out and bring a unique move to Smash.
One-handed lunge.
TILTS:
1: Jab
I feel like Roy's jab from Melee would be a good choice to keep exactly the same. It feels unique enough from Marth's and Lucina's, and I like the move.
One-handed swing.
2: Forward Tilt:
Roy gives a short, feint slash horizontally that lets out a slow-moving horizontal flame. It doesn't cover as much vertical range as Marth and Lucina's forward tilt, but it covers slightly more horizontal space with a lingering hitbox and the move comes out and ends about as fast.
One-handed swing.
3: Down Tilt:
I enjoyed the downwards stab that popped foes upwards to combo into them.
I feel like it's highly important to keep it as a combo move, but with an animation that makes popping up a foe more logical. Perhaps a swing at the feet, similar to Ike's, with the speed of Marth/Lucina's downward stab.
One-handed move.
4: Up Tilt:
This move could start at the opposite end of where Marth/Lucina's starts, similar to Donkey Kong. It moves slower, but it creates some lingering flames, good for catching air dodges or foes who try to dance around Roy in the air, but it leaves him exposed for a bigger punish opportunity if they play around it.
Two-handed swing.
AERIALS:
1: Neutral Air:
I like the two swings from Melee. I feel like they should be made event more extreme than Marth's, where they take even more time to come out, but they hit harder.
Alternative: Roy could use his acrobatic ability to spin with forward flips, similar to Sonic, with his blade. Less reach than Marth/Lucina, but it's more constant coverage around him.
One-handed swings, or two-handed spin.
2: Forward Air:
A one-handed forward lunge where Roy pulls his arm back and delivers a vicious, fiery thrust forward that could be a knockout move could work really well. It could be the first aerial to be angled like a tilt, too. This would be faithful to his original fighting style with rapiers and bring something unique to Smash overall.
3: Back Air:
Roy could give a surprise turn-around swing in an arc, similar to Marth's back air but with a two-handed swing. This would let the player balance between a high-knockback, long horizontal range lunge, or a general arc to swat them away, and would give a lot of room to have fun with turnarounds on aerials.
4: Down Air:
I like the old move, and I can see where it can be made more unique. Roy could swing with two hands, having decent power at the tip and below, a lot of power at the mid-blade, but having an incredible amount of power where his arms and hands are at any given part of the move, hitting with a vicious meteor that ignites foes if his arms and hands land a blow.
5: Up Air:
His old juggling move was nice. I suggest making it a two-handed swing with a decent amount of power behind it, good for juggles. Since Roy excels at the ground more than the air, this will help Roy show that it's a bad idea to be directly above him if you're near the ground.
THROWS:
I feel like a blend of Marth and Ike's throws could work really well for Roy, or just Marth's throws. Either way, they'd look really good on him, and still function really well. Pit and Dark Pit also have throws that would work well on him or blend well with other types of throws.
SPECIALS:
1: Flare Blade:
The good ol' 5 second, 50 damage charge. I feel like this move should remain a 50 damage OHKO, since it doesn't have as much range as Ike's Eruption. Super Armor would be a welcome addition to this move, too. Marth has a lunge, Ike has a plummeting sword, Roy has an overhead swing. A welcome dynamic.
2: Double-Edged Dance:
I always enjoyed this move on Roy much more than Marth and Lucina's Dancing Blade. However, I can see it becoming even more fleshed-out, unique, and satisfying. There could be more experimentation and use of Roy's flame projectiles. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th horizontal swings could all be horizontal flame projectiles, each larger than the previous. Downwards swings can form walls of fire, while the multi-hit stab at the end of the downwards variation (it looked so much better and felt much more satisfying on Roy than Marth/Lucina to me) is kept and beefed up, it could become even more of a throwback to Roy's fencing days. The fourth hit upwards can form a Palutena-esque (with her Up Smash) vertical pillar of flame. All of these would have new animations to differentiate them from Dancing Blade a lot, keeping the final horizontal and upwards variations as finishing moves while the final downwards strike racks up lots of fiery damage. How do you feel about that? A variable projectile in some parts, and strong melee swings in the others.
Weaker swings could be one handed, while all finishers would be two-handed.
3: Blazer:
I really liked this move as a recovery move, as it annoyed pesky edgeguarders, and seemed like a whole new move compared to Dolphin Slash. I don't think it needs to change, I think it'll look beautiful after seeing Mega Man's Flame Sword.
4: Counter:
This move was really unique and fun! I loved how skill-based it was, with the variable damage and short window to land. It could remain a hard-to-hit move that would be weak if it countered weak moves, but to compensate for that, it could have a much higher damage multiplier than other counters, like 2x or 3x against all moves; an entirely different damage and knockback formula than the counters we had both in Brawl and here.
Alternative: He could do away with the counter entirely with a move that coats his sword in more flame the longer the button is held. The longer it's held, the longer its effect will last, and the more damage it will deal while active. All non-fire moves will be blessed with fire, and all fire moves will have even more fire. This will motivate the player to score more star KO's to get more opportunities for a full five second charge. Using Flare Blade at any point during this charge removes the whole charge, but all of its power goes into Flare Blade. Let's say you charge down-b for two seconds and immediately Flare Blade, you can either release instantly for 2 seconds worth of power, or continue charging for 3 more seconds for a full hit instead of 5 full seconds.
If the Alternative is chosen, I urge that you please place Roy's old Counter (first idea) into Custom Specials.
FINAL SMASH:
I have multiple ideas on this. I feel like Roy has many potential options, and this is only the surface of it.
1: Final Flame:
Roy coats the ground of the entire battlefield in magma, showing his mastery of ground combat, and launches flame waves, orbs, pillars, and walls around the battlefield for a period of time.
2: True Potential:
Roy promotes into a new, third-tier class that Smash would introduce. He possesses the most powerful, intense swordfighting on the roster with this final smash, showing the true potential of a hero. All attacks bounce off of him, similar to when a highly-experienced unit in Fire Emblem who has realized their potential fights much weaker units. This new class could be tied in with a Binding Blade sequel, wink wink.
CUSTOM SPECIALS:
If Roy does receive custom specials, I have two sets in mind.
1: Marth's specials from Melee. This would appeal to those who liked Marth in his debut iteration, gaining sales and attention from them. This would also add some defensive opportunities to Roy, for those who find his playstyle too risky but still want to play him, or for those who want a certain balance in their offensive and defensive play.
2: New, exciting variants that open up Roy to even more opportunities to be a hazardous, glass cannon fighter.
B:
1: Default (Flare Blade)
2: Marth's Shield Breaker swing from Melee. Lots of shield damage, less time to charge up.
3: A swing that can't be charged up, but it deals more damage than an uncharged swing from default.
Alternative for 3: A move that has weaker damage scaling, but can be charged for 10 seconds and hits for up to 100 or 150 damage.
Up-B:
1: Default (Blazer)
2: A Blazer variant that functions like Marth's Melee Dolphin Slash, where it's incredibly strong at the start but really weak at the end. Reverse Dolphin Slash, or Dolphin Slash out of shield for knockouts from Marth were extremely satisfying and I liked when that move used to be a reliable kill move. The start of the move could have an explosion, to make it logical for Roy and unique.
3: A shorter-distance Blazer with really strong flame, damage, and knockback throughout the whole move.
Side-B:
1: Default (Double-Edged Dance)
2: Classic Double-Edged Dance. While the default has been decloned and made highly unique, there can always be the option of using his old variations, which would be easy and quick to bring over, to appeal to a wider range of veterans and alienate even fewer Roy fans.
3: Slower swings, but higher knockback and damage, and larger flames.
Down-B:
1: Default
2: Marth's Melee counter, where it always deals 7 damage but has a much larger counter window. Doesn't diminish over time like Shulk's long window.
3: Whichever part of "SPECIALS" under Counter did not make the cut. If he keeps his Counter, his flame coating would be a really neat idea here. If he loses his classic Counter, it could go here.[/collapse]
Custom Specials
[collapse=Moveset #1 - Croph]Assuming Roy would retain similar Specials in Melee, some ideas:
Neutral Special 2: Something that plays with the momentum if used. Also could help with horizontal recovery
Neutral Special 3: Weaker knockback or damage, but bigger hitbox (as in, the fire arc + explosion)
Down Special 2: Heals reasonable amount of damage if successful (easier to pull off than regular counter), but does less damage + knockback (or maybe none at all)
Down Special 3: Similar to Marth's Rush Counter + fiery explosion
Up Special 2: Only drags a single opponents upwards, but does a mini explosion at the end of the move
Up Special 3: Changes the trajectory path (maybe the angle or something) and sacrifices a little bit of vertical height for more horizontal coverage
Side Specials: I dunno, could be something similar to Marth's but... with Roy's own fiery flair.[/collapse]
[collapse=Moveset #2 - Roy-Kun]Since custom special moves were introduced, I thought it was finally time to give him his projectile attack. As either his Side special, with variations like:
- Special 1 (Default): Projectile. The more it's charged the farther it'll appear and the stronger it'll be. A fiery circle starts forming as an indicator of where it'll appear. (3% - 17%)
- Special 2: Longer charge, stronger explosion. (7% - 32%)
- Special 3: Reduced damage, faster movement for the explosion's location. (1% - 12%)
I think if Roy were to be taken away the Double-Edge Dance, he'd go through changes like Pit - he'd be powered up in his melee combat.[/collapse]
Colour swaps/costume ideas
Credit goes to SchAlternate
Credit: Royvolution Ream[/collapse]
Fanart
[collapse=Artworks]Some Miiverse posts I've made a looong time ago:
^ internet glitched up, and I couldn't post but I took a pic with my webcam
Smash 4 icon:
Credit goes to J04KlM
Credit
Credit: N3ON
[/collapse]
Videos
What you could do to help: SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!!
Spread this site around: http://www.royforsmash4.com/
I'm going to go over various ways people could show their support and reach out via social media. This will be quick and to the point.
Twitter: Follow @roy4smash4 and tweet to important people and those who you think could spread the support around. Be sure to include links to any external sources/sites you feel are relevent to Roy's support, such as this site: http://www.royforsmash4.com/ and #Roy4Smash4 everything! One of the best things to get our voices heard, especially if we could get a lot of supporters on this!
List of important people:
- @Sora_Sakurai (Masahiro Sakurai, Game Director)
- @Nintendo (Nintendo of Japan)
- @NintendoAmerica (Nintendo of America)
- @HIGUCHI_BNG (Yoshito Higuchi, Game Director)
- @Harada_TEKKEN (Katsuhiro Harada, Namco Bandai producer/Game Producer/Lead Developer of Tekken)
- @BandaiNamcoUS (Bandai Namco Games)
- @trintran (Bill Trinen, Nintendo Treehouse Member)
Feel free to add anyone else you think is important.
Letters: Sending a physical letter shows commitment and thought -- it's probably one of the best ways to get through to people. I hope to be sending letters out soon, and when I do, I will post an example for people to copy if they are short on time. However, in the meantime, grab some nice stationery paper to print, and start typing out letters to mail! or write if you have nice handwriting... ya, that will never be me. For now, brief letter structure idea:
1) Greeting/Introduction (who are you and what are you going to be talking about?)
2) Body (why do you support Roy, why does his absence have a negative effect on you, what can he bring, ect., and anything else you think is important)
3) Closing/last words (be sure to leave a polite and good impression)
4) Signature (or anonymously signed if you prefer)
5) Postscript ("P.S." at the end of the letter. Usually applies to pen & ink written letters. If you forgot something/have something else to say that may be a little off topic [usually applies to e-mails], here's your chance)
Letter example: Here's a letter I've sent to Nintendo of America customer support (nintendo@noa.nintendo.com) that could be copied for those short on time. It can also be edited to your liking, especially if you're mailing to a different company.
I'd recommend bolding or underlining important questions you're asking. It's a neat trick that helps emphasize on what's being said, catching the reader's eyes on what's important more easily.
Snail mail addresses:
- Nintendo of America: 4600 150th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052, United States
- Namco Bandai: 1740 Technology Drive, Suite 600; San Jose, CA 95110
- Nintendo head office: Nintendo Company, Ltd., 11-1 Kamitoba-hokotate-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto 601-8501, Japan
- Intelligent Systems main office: INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS CO., LTD., 10 Daimotsu-cho Kamitoba Minami-ku, Kyoto-shi Kyoto-fu 601-8121, Japan
You can also send letters by email. Here's some addresses:
- Nintendo of America: Contact Nintendo directly here. The site allows you to contact Nintendo through a support ticket process, however, there is a max character limit for what you want to write. Instead, I recommend contacting NoA via email through this support address: nintendo@noa.nintendo.com
- Namco Bandai: support@namcobandaigames.com (website, customer support)
- Intelligent Systems: webmaster@intsys.co.jp (website)
***Please remember to be polite and courteous when reaching out via social media. There's nothing wrong with trying to make a strong, loud impression, however, we should also make a good impression***
Other ways:
- Miiverse. There's a big Smash 4 community there, no?
- Club Nintendo surveys. Codes are found within the games you buy, and you could register them to partake in surveys. I suggest people to sign up (it's free, website) and when you buy Smash 3DS or Wii U, participate in the survey. I know for the Smash 3DS survey, near the end there's a question that asks what are you looking forward to/what are you excited about. So, perhaps it's a good time to express that you're excited for character DLC, but also mention you would like to see Roy return. I'm sure developers do check these surveys as Paper Mario: Sticker Star's lack of story was supposedly because a low amount of people expressed interest in story elements, taken from the Club Nintendo survey. It's feedback in the end, and we're allowed to give it
- Online character polls. Vote for Roy every time you see a Smash DLC popularity poll, whether on this site or elsewhere. It's a good way to gauge interest in Roy in the West
- Call people. Nintendo of America: (425)-882-2040 and Namco Bandai: (408)-235-2000
The future isn't bleak
Roy will need all the support he could get. However, even if Roy does not become playable in the end, there may be some positive outcomes to look forward too. A higher-up at IS has previously stated that he would like to see FE6 remade. As such, showing support for Roy in Smash and a FE6 remake (or even for the game to be localized on VC) may eventually lead to Roy getting a proper introduction here. No doubt Roy's more popular in Japan (FE6 is usually highly acclaimed too), but if Japan sees the West's interest in Roy, well, then who knows. Please don't be shy to spread the movement around -- tell your friends, family, and everyone else in between. Most of us are viewing this thread on some sort of device with wifi... why not spend 5 min tweeting your support for Roy, or writing an email? It doesn't hurt to at least try.
Gotta give credit when it'e due. Thanks @BKupa666 for the many campaign ideas.
And thanks to all the supporters!
Gotta give credit when it'e due. Thanks @BKupa666 for the many campaign ideas.
And thanks to all the supporters!
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Please tag me/reply in this thread if you'd like to be added
MORE COMING SOON!!
If you'd like to contribute anything for the OP, feel free to tell me and I'll get on it.
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