SamuraiPanda
Smash Hero
- Joined
- May 22, 2006
- Messages
- 6,924
I just made this post in the SBR, and I decided to move it here for some exposure. As a product of my procrastination, this is a long read, but I think its a great way of explaining to people what kind of depth smashballs have added to the Smash series. The whole idea of the smashball is A LOT more than “open and use” which is what most people keep breaking it down to. So I decided tol make a little outline of the different characteristics and aspects surrounding smashballs and the balance between characters in the smashball game as I see it.
1. Rush for the ball - Much more than just running towards it (although that’s still a part)
a. Get there first – Of course, some characters can get there in a flash (ever seen Sonic run?), and that works to their advantage… but how many of those characters can open the balls before they move away? Do you even WANT to get there first? (see #2 for more on why)
b. I won’t let you! – Running for the smashball isn’t the only part to the rush. Preventing your opponent from getting the ball is an effective way of securing it for yourself, or even getting a free KO from an opponent who doesn’t realize how easy he is to predict when he runs for the ball.
c. What should I do? – Should you run for the ball immediately and try to avoid any incoming attacks, or should you attempt to hit your opponent while he runs for it? The choice is different for every situation, character, opponent, and player. Everyone will end up developing their own strategies for the rush, offering plenty of different options and battles.
2. Opening the ball- This may seem like the easiest part, but looks can be deceiving
a. Some attacks are better than others - Different characters have different attacks each with a unique effectiveness at opening the balls. Sometimes characters won’t have any of these effective attacks (ever see Marth’s air attacks break the ball in one pass?) others will have some incredibly effective attacks (Bowser’s Uair is too good!). It is an entirely different aspect of balance. But keep in mind that just because a character HAS an effective attack, doesn’t mean they should always use it.
b. This sure isn’t the sandbag –The ball doesn’t just sit there waiting to be open, you have to chase the sucker down. This chase means you have to think before you hit the ball, and you should know that simply hitting it a few times without opening it could be much worse than not hitting it at all, because you practically give it to your opponent for free.
c. Get it yet? – Here’s an example: DeDeDe uses his Dair on the ball, nearly opening it, but then Falco snatches it from across Battlefield using his laser. DeDeDe could have waited for Falco to hit it first, THEN hit it with the Dair, and it would have been his. Or he could have just tapped it with his Nair, let Falco hit it, then hit it with his Bair which should be enough to open it. There are tons of different strategies DeDeDe could have used to hit the ball, and Falco has just as many ways to grab it, too. Opening the ball before your opponent is not a simple task.
3. Releasing the FS - Press one! Press one! Press one!
a. Don’t get hit! – Just because you got the ball doesn’t mean you’re safe yet. Being aggressive against a person who just got their FS takes skill, but it can be a great way to knock the ball out of them. Every character could have different strategies for doing this depending on their opponent, and some attacks can be better than others at squeezing the ball out of them.
b. When or where – Timing and placement are important for many Final Smashes. For example, Jiggles requires both of those when using hers, since the FS is nearly worthless if you just use it in the middle of FD when your opponent is just sitting there watching you, but the FS can be amazing if you use it as an edgeguard. Getting the best timing/placing before using your FS can be vital, as well as not letting your oponnet get that timing/placement (which you could do aggressively or even passively).
4. The FS itself- Completely unfair? Probably not.
a. You don’t just watch the pretty graphics – Just because they got their FS off doesn’t mean that you just put your controller on the ground and watch it go. Dodging an FS is an essential skill for any smasher who is interested in using the smashballs while they play. Also, some characters, like Pit, have an FS that is easy to dodge, but can move while its running.
b. OMG this FS is broken!!11! – Some final smashes may be powerful, but they are taking many things into account. To better explain this, I’m going to make a very very simplified example of some general balance: Lets say that Marth isn’t very good at the rush because he is easily stopped but can’t stop others very easily, and he is bad at opening them because his attacks just don’t hit hard enough. To make up for that, he can use a very powerful FS if he gets the ball, and he can dodge other people’s FSs well because of his counter and his general speed. While there is much more to this example than I can bear to write (and this example probably isn’t true anyways), but I think I’ve conveyed the general idea well enough.
Something I want to point out before I finish this is that people talk about some FSs being unavoidable, or an “instant KO” but that probably won’t be the case a year down the line. When Melee was first released, everybody thought Link’s Up-B was completely broken and overpowered. Now? Its nothing special. So while people may be saying that Marth’s is just too powerful now, I can easily see people realizing some way to dodge it easily down the line, making people realize that its really not that bad.
While I may not be pro- or anti- smashball personally, I just hate it when people just write off smashballs as an unbalanced or shallow addition to the game without truly understanding how this simple ball affects the game.
1. Rush for the ball - Much more than just running towards it (although that’s still a part)
a. Get there first – Of course, some characters can get there in a flash (ever seen Sonic run?), and that works to their advantage… but how many of those characters can open the balls before they move away? Do you even WANT to get there first? (see #2 for more on why)
b. I won’t let you! – Running for the smashball isn’t the only part to the rush. Preventing your opponent from getting the ball is an effective way of securing it for yourself, or even getting a free KO from an opponent who doesn’t realize how easy he is to predict when he runs for the ball.
c. What should I do? – Should you run for the ball immediately and try to avoid any incoming attacks, or should you attempt to hit your opponent while he runs for it? The choice is different for every situation, character, opponent, and player. Everyone will end up developing their own strategies for the rush, offering plenty of different options and battles.
2. Opening the ball- This may seem like the easiest part, but looks can be deceiving
a. Some attacks are better than others - Different characters have different attacks each with a unique effectiveness at opening the balls. Sometimes characters won’t have any of these effective attacks (ever see Marth’s air attacks break the ball in one pass?) others will have some incredibly effective attacks (Bowser’s Uair is too good!). It is an entirely different aspect of balance. But keep in mind that just because a character HAS an effective attack, doesn’t mean they should always use it.
b. This sure isn’t the sandbag –The ball doesn’t just sit there waiting to be open, you have to chase the sucker down. This chase means you have to think before you hit the ball, and you should know that simply hitting it a few times without opening it could be much worse than not hitting it at all, because you practically give it to your opponent for free.
c. Get it yet? – Here’s an example: DeDeDe uses his Dair on the ball, nearly opening it, but then Falco snatches it from across Battlefield using his laser. DeDeDe could have waited for Falco to hit it first, THEN hit it with the Dair, and it would have been his. Or he could have just tapped it with his Nair, let Falco hit it, then hit it with his Bair which should be enough to open it. There are tons of different strategies DeDeDe could have used to hit the ball, and Falco has just as many ways to grab it, too. Opening the ball before your opponent is not a simple task.
3. Releasing the FS - Press one! Press one! Press one!
a. Don’t get hit! – Just because you got the ball doesn’t mean you’re safe yet. Being aggressive against a person who just got their FS takes skill, but it can be a great way to knock the ball out of them. Every character could have different strategies for doing this depending on their opponent, and some attacks can be better than others at squeezing the ball out of them.
b. When or where – Timing and placement are important for many Final Smashes. For example, Jiggles requires both of those when using hers, since the FS is nearly worthless if you just use it in the middle of FD when your opponent is just sitting there watching you, but the FS can be amazing if you use it as an edgeguard. Getting the best timing/placing before using your FS can be vital, as well as not letting your oponnet get that timing/placement (which you could do aggressively or even passively).
4. The FS itself- Completely unfair? Probably not.
a. You don’t just watch the pretty graphics – Just because they got their FS off doesn’t mean that you just put your controller on the ground and watch it go. Dodging an FS is an essential skill for any smasher who is interested in using the smashballs while they play. Also, some characters, like Pit, have an FS that is easy to dodge, but can move while its running.
b. OMG this FS is broken!!11! – Some final smashes may be powerful, but they are taking many things into account. To better explain this, I’m going to make a very very simplified example of some general balance: Lets say that Marth isn’t very good at the rush because he is easily stopped but can’t stop others very easily, and he is bad at opening them because his attacks just don’t hit hard enough. To make up for that, he can use a very powerful FS if he gets the ball, and he can dodge other people’s FSs well because of his counter and his general speed. While there is much more to this example than I can bear to write (and this example probably isn’t true anyways), but I think I’ve conveyed the general idea well enough.
Something I want to point out before I finish this is that people talk about some FSs being unavoidable, or an “instant KO” but that probably won’t be the case a year down the line. When Melee was first released, everybody thought Link’s Up-B was completely broken and overpowered. Now? Its nothing special. So while people may be saying that Marth’s is just too powerful now, I can easily see people realizing some way to dodge it easily down the line, making people realize that its really not that bad.
While I may not be pro- or anti- smashball personally, I just hate it when people just write off smashballs as an unbalanced or shallow addition to the game without truly understanding how this simple ball affects the game.
.