A hybrid of time/stock mode

[Electric-Gecko]

From the 2 options we currently have, it seems like everyone, aside from Nintendo prefers Stock mode. I find Stock to be totally satisfactory between players of similar skill level, especially with only two players. The problem is when playing with much less experienced players, they get eliminated very quickly. My brother and I recently played a 4 Stock match on Wii U with our dad (who doesn't play video games on his own, and hasn't played Super Smash Bros since Brawl many years ago), and our dad got eliminated halfway through (if even that far).
But I don't like Time because I find it very annoying when the game is interrupted at the end. I'm always having a perfectly good time until the countdown begins.

I think there should be some more options which are a compromise between Time & Stock. In the following 3 modes, elimination does not start until after a number of minutes set by the player. This means that inexperienced players are guaranteed a minimum play-time, but the game is not ended abruptly when the timer runs out.

1. Determinate Hybrid: Throughout the game, it keeps track of how many falls each player has had. When the timer runs out, the elimination phase begins. If a player falls during the elimination phase, and they have had more falls then all other players (including this fall), then they are eliminated. The game ends when only one player remains.
2. Indeterminate Hybrid: Like the previous mode, but there are no respawns during the elimination phase. Therefore, it may end in a draw.
3. Flower Hybrid: Like the previous mode, but when the elimination phase begins, a flower appears on top of each players head. The speed at which the flower deals damage is dependent on the set time of the match, to ensure that the match does not last more than 25% longer than the set time. Lets you fit within time restrictions while letting you finish your fight.

Note that these are just working titles. Hopefully they would have better names if they were actually in the game.

 

[Khao]

I like the first one a lot. It's basically like adding overtime until the current fight actually ends, and it actually gives losing players a chance for a comeback without giving them any real advantage. The match is basically only allowed to end once the winning player further cements its position as the dominant player. If they're really the better player, they'll get the overtime done pretty quickly. If not, maybe they didn't deserve to win in the first place.

In a way, it's similar to the idea of the losers bracket in a double elimination tournament. The losing player killing the winning player and potentially getting the score equal is pretty much the same as a bracket reset. The winning player is pressured to kill the losing player(s) quickly, and the losing players are gonna want to take the chance to turn things around. This would even be great for 1v1s.

The only downside I guess is that the match is potentially infinite in time.

 

[Yuya-Noboru]

Determinate Hybrid: Throughout the game, it keeps track of how many falls each player has had. When the timer runs out, the elimination phase begins. If a player falls during the elimination phase, and they have had more falls then all other players, then they are eliminated. The game ends when only one player remains.

Indeterminate Hybrid: Like the previous mode, but there are no re-spawns during the elimination phase. Therefore, it may end in a draw.

• The first one gives players a chance to comeback, it's good for casual players but also for confirmed players that try to play character they usually never play or with another controllers. Like when you select random characters and get that ****ty Duck Hunt or sometimes you just need to adapt your play-style with your friends.
• The second one is a great alternative to the first one so the game doesn't last too long. It also prevent the frustration of someone that is going to get killed but the times run out, haha.

Those two modes looks great and I'd like to test them right away. The third one isn't that much useful since 1-stock wouldn't last that much time and they won't even begin with 0% damage. By the way, don't forget that Sudden Death is here to prevent draw.

 

[Electric-Gecko]

Thank you. I'm happy to see that you both like my determinate hybrid idea. The fanbase here talks endlessly about new fighters, but has anyone else ever proposed alternatives to Time/Stock?

Is there any way we can get Bandai Namco/Nintendo/Sakurai's attention to this? If the right person reads this idea, I think they will take it more seriously than all the character requests they get so many of. If it really did enter the game, they would probably call it "Hybrid".

Thinking about it, Indeterminate Hybrid isn't so important. Before I was thinking that it would be for people who don't care who wins. But even the Time mode that exists uses Sudden Death to not allow draws. But Determinate Hybrid would be better than Indeterminate Hybrid with Sudden Death. Flower Hybrid isn't needed in standard Smash (unless it replaced Time), but would be nice for Special Smash (if they wanted to make that mode more useful).

... The match is basically only allowed to end once the winning player further cements its position as the dominant player. If they're really the better player, they'll get the overtime done pretty quickly. If not, maybe they didn't deserve to win in the first place.

The only downside I guess is that the match is potentially infinite in time.

Thank you, but I don't quite follow what you're saying. You might understand what I was saying, but I decided to edit my first post to make it clearer.

In a Determinate Hybrid match: The elimination phase begins. If Mario falls for the 4th time, and everyone else has fallen 3 or fewer times, then Mario is eliminated.

A determinate hybrid match can last forever if nobody hits each other, just as it can in a Stock match. But there's a finite number of KO's that can happen once the elimination phase begins. Even if two players are alternating between KOing each-other, the elimination phase will end after 1-2 KO's.

The third one isn't that much useful since 1-stock wouldn't last that much time and they won't even begin with 0% damage. By the way, don't forget that Sudden Death is here to prevent draw.

Flower Hybrid indeed wouldn't be much longer than a Time match, but that's the point. The issue that I have with Time is that I find it very annoying when the match is ended. I'm always thinking "Please just let me do a few more hits". If a Flower Hybrid match did end in a draw, I suppose Sudden Death can be used.

 

[DarthEnderX]

I would think a hybrid of those two modes would be each player has has their own timer that's ticking down. But then they lose a bunch of extra time each time they're KO'd. And whoever runs out of time first, loses.

 

[Electric-Gecko]

I would think a hybrid of those two modes would be each player has has their own timer that's ticking down. But then they lose a bunch of extra time each time they're KO'd. And whoever runs out of time first, loses.

Maybe they can do something like that for Special Smash, but it isn't that different from Stock Special Smash with the Flower option they had since Brawl.

 

[Luigifan18]

These all sound very interesting. Bumping the thread now.