Setting the Record Straight: How DI Works in Smash 4

[ssbMars]

I've been DI'ing every backthrow wrong D:

This reminds me of when I used to play Smash 64 when I was but a wee little lad. I'd always point my analog stick towards the stage when I got launched because I thought it would help me survive. Eventually I learned to DI correctly, but now my carnal need to DI incorrectly will finally prove useful :D

 

[XStarWarriorX]

Lmao I was doing it right the whole time since day 1 til now (I'd like to thank 16 years of playing every smash for giving me these insights) as I caught up on this game's mechanics quickly, as a lightweight, mastery of surviving is essential, which is why i also trained into power-shielding as well. Guess i should have said something... ah well its more fun observing peeps when they flub up.

Glad that this will get people up to speed now.

 

[villager]

What do you guys think?

 

[Sonsa]

Hahaha, I've weirdly been DI-ing correctly this whole time! :D That's awesome! I guess ya just get a feel for the game, I'm sure I'm not the only one.

 

[ミスティック Speed]

Wow...I didn't even know about the horizontal part. This will save my ass a ton...
I mean, I've always DI'd properly for the vertical part, so at least I was half right.

 

[misterOWAIN33]

This will help me a ton.
Also,

Funny how this move has single-handedly screwed over anyone who was used to Brawl/Melee DI, letting you die EARLIER than no DI at all.

I can actually hear the "Melee Elitists" saying:

Yeah, but Melee is better anyway.

 

[Blue24]

Thats how I DI...ignorantly correct, I'll take it.

 

[Crimson Ace]

Man, I wish this was around a couple months ago when I was a scrub at the game, I had no idea what DI was, and there were no good videos explaining it. Now this is here, people will have a better understanding of what this is.

 

[Remzi]

What do you guys think? Let me know if anything is inaccurate so I can make changes.

Launched diagonal:

Launched almost perfectly horizontal:

That looks perfect, great job!

 

[Splash Damage]

WOAH, Would you look at that?

You guys might not die to Helicopter Kick at 40% anymore!

So do you just have a Brawler-sense where you can detect whenever anything relating to Mii Brawler is happening?...
...
...
...Teach me how.

 

[ZomBiehn]

Good video, nice work on the break down of vectoring

 

[BaPr]

WOAH, Would you look at that?

You guys might not die to Helicopter Kick at 40% anymore!

Because you shouldn't. I found this out back in December w/ Vex Kasrani when we figured out how to DI Helicopter Kick. Funny how this move has single-handedly screwed over anyone who was used to Brawl/Melee DI, letting you die EARLIER than no DI at all.

WHat's H-Kick?

 

[kenniky]

Guys. It's literally just hold left or hold right.

It's not hard.

 

[villager]

WHat's H-Kick?

Mii Brawler custom up special that kills really early. Like consistently kills at 40% early.

It sends you flying horizontally, and if you DI it upwards (the natural melee/brawl reaction), you actually die to it faster due to Smash 4's mechanic that makes DI'ing upward as bad as Dl'ing into the blast zone.

 

[Smearglangelo]

Thanks for clarifying how DI works in Smash 4! I'm glad we're all on the same page now.

 

[TheEnderFriend]

I'm so happy. I always preferred vectoring but had already got used to vertical DI so this is perfect.

 

[L1GHT]

makes sence

 

[extremechiton]

So vector for horizobtal kb
And di for vertical kb

 

[vegeta18]

So are Smash DI, Tap DI and Momentum Canceling all in SSB4 as well?

this is a really good question, ive been wondering about this myself for quite sometime and would really like some more info on the topic. we can likely test these things for ourselves though can we not?

 

[Iceweasel]

So are Smash DI, Tap DI and Momentum Canceling all in SSB4 as well?

Technically yes, that's smash DI by a different name and no.

SDI/Tap DI is so weak that you may as well not bother doing it because you'll never avoid the last hit of a move unless a character with an infinite jab keeps holding the A button.

 

[Xenozoa425]

tfw you've been doing it this way all along without realizing it

 

[ssbMars]

@ Iceweasel I've DI'd out of many a jab finish though. It's common for people to prolong their jab, and more often than not I can avoid the last poke. I would say that maybe it isn't always applicable, but you should definitely bother.

So vector for horizobtal kb
And di for vertical kb

I suppose it actually somewhat simplified since now you only need to DI left or right

 

[CyberHyperPhoenix]

Weird, I always assumed that's how you are supposed to normally DI.... Odd.

 

[Mr.Tootles]

I have something to say, this has helped some. It also reminded me that I found a way for a 90% of the time rest hits. Unless they tech roll they get hit.

 

[Ryu Myuutsu]

It has to be complicated because Smash must appeal to all people. If it's confusing and complicated to everyone then there will be no gap between skilled and unskilled players. Sakurai logic.

It is not even that complicated, and I don't know where do you get the preconceived notion that this interposes into the idea of making Smash a game that appeals to everyone. But by all means, keep being an arrogant twit.

 

[FoxE]

All my life I never knew if I was DI-ing correctly or not. Now I know... And I'm ready.

 

[Keeseman]

What a turnabout! Everything we knew about DI in Smash 4 was practically wrong!

Hell, even Edgeworth looks nervous. This new piece of evidence throws everything out the window...

 

[CitrusRain]

Wow. I've been doing this the current Smash 4 way in Smash 64, Melee, Brawl, and PM!

 

[HeroMystic]

HEY LOOK THIS VIDEO SAYS THE SAME THING I'VE BEEN SAYING FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS!

 

[YurtZoire]

Sorry, I'm still a bit confused.

What is vectoring exactly? Is it the movement of a character? Based on what you said, it seems they are both being used to reduce knockback. Are these terms interchangeable?

I think he's trying to tell you vectoring is the "new SDi"

 

[LimitCrown]

I think he's trying to tell you vectoring is the "new SDi"

Vectoring/DI and SDI are unrelated mechanics.

 

[YurtZoire]

Vectoring/DI and SDI are unrelated mechanics.

Exactly.. Its THAT frikki'n confusing.. Don't even try to understand that hogwash..

 

[hidensheik11]

It was an odd and completely unnecessary change, but it's really not that complicated at all. It only seems that way because it took people a while to figure out what the heck was going on.

1. If you are heading towards the left blast zone, hold directly right (i.e. towards the stage.)
2. If you are heading towards the right blast zone, hold directly left (i.e. towards the stage.)
3. If you are heading North-West towards the upper blast zone, hold directly left (i.e. towards the nearest corner of the screen.)
4. If you are heading North-East towards the upper blast zone, hold directly right (i.e. towards the nearest corner of the screen.)

have you found out anything about where to hold when being sent diagonally?

 

[masterpad]

Gee, took us long enough to find out how to properly DI in this game! Why does this have to be so complicated compared to the previous iterations of Smash?

please ni am still learning it. (mélée/PM3.5)
especialy how to properly DI when flying after being hit. i heard of the perpendicular direction of how i fly but i don't know if i just have to keep the Directional stick in this perpendicular direction or if i have to smash it several times.
Thank you for any advice.

 

[Pikabunz]

When you're holding towards the stage, you're surviving purely on DI. There is no vectoring, it's not even really a thing in this game. Holding left or right will not change your knockback at all, but holding in any upward or downward direction will. Holding up simply gives a percentage increase of knockback in whatever direction you're flying to, while holding down decreases it in the same way. Also, holding straight up will increase your knockback more than holding up-right or up-left.

Here's an example of how vertical "vectoring" really worked before the Wii U patch:

It's not perfect but it's a much more accurate example of what happens when you're holding each of the directions.

Also, some aerials will make you survive longer! I never see this used and I feel like this is something we should start talking about. I know Pikachu survives Sonic's bthrow 9% longer if you use bair while DI'ing towards the stage.

 

[Pazzo.]

This... Explains a lot of my early horizontal K.Os....

 

[Seleir]

guys i dont understand near the corner i need hold up right or up left or down left or down right?

 

[erico9001]

Most vertical moves are less than 90° angles, so what you want to do is hold away from the direction you get hit from the move. It does not matter what direction the opponent is facing. If it's a grab like Mewtwo's, you should hold away from the direction the person is facing. It's important not to hold the wrong way, because you will make it closer to 90°.

Horizontal hits are easier... basically how you did it with Vectoring. Umm, that leads me to the question: so what happens if you do not hold in the direction during hitstun? If you hold in the direction while already being launched, does it help?

 

[Silvia]

It does look more complicated than what it is.

 

[Dylan_Tnga]

I've been DI'ing every backthrow wrong D:

This reminds me of when I used to play Smash 64 when I was but a wee little lad. I'd always point my analog stick towards the stage when I got launched because I thought it would help me survive. Eventually I learned to DI correctly, but now my carnal need to DI incorrectly will finally prove useful :D

Same, I was trying to "DI" at age 10 lol. I was sure deep down that it was a thing, and then they implemented it in melee.

What didn't know was the Massive ammount of smash di in smash 64 possible, learned that as an adult.

This new DI system, much like everything else about smash 4 is just plain stupid. Pretty much everything we've coined useful over the years has been identified, removed, or nerfed, or changed for the worse.

I know it's paranoid to say, but I feel like a lot of these changes were made simply to spite competitive smash players...