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Automatic L-Cancelling Discussion

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Juushichi

sugoi ~ sugoi ~
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I'd probably only be a fan of auto L cancel if we also go the route of auto shield grab/auto defensive option. Not having to "time" your offense, while asking defensive player to usually time his defense, probably doesn't slant in a healthy way. Hold A during shielding, even during shield stun, = buffer shield grab every time. Stuff like that would make auto l cancel more fair and fitting

We already have C-stick buffering, but I'm talking about like auto Usmash OOS, auto shield grab, etc. Auto in defensive cases meaning you still have to input something obv
How does auto [defense option] here really help with that interaction vs auto l cancel? It still will lose to appropriate spacing/frame trap options in the same sense that timed ones will.

Are you meaning to say that auto l cancel really needs something like an alpha counter to deal with defensively?
 

Rawkobo

Smash Ace
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No, that isn't a fair argument considering smash is already a fighter with quick execution + quick thinking. I think the more fair argument is for YOU to find another game to play instead of changing this one to suit your own "needs."

Sounded pretty mean didn't it? Do you still think your argument is "fair?" Come on man.
Or you could realize that we're having a discussion and not actually forcing anything on anyone.

But you sure haven't done that for many a page.
 

4tlas

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No, that isn't a fair argument considering smash is already a fighter with quick execution + quick thinking. I think the more fair argument is for YOU to find another game to play instead of changing this one to suit your own "needs."

Sounded pretty mean didn't it? Do you still think your argument is "fair?" Come on man.
Uh, yeah I think it is. I have said it before and I'll say it again, Sakurai's control scheme and design goals CLEARLY are aiming for a fighter that is not about ridiculous inputs for no reason. L-cancelling is the epitome of ridiculous inputs for no reason. Advanced tech is emergent, taking all of the simple inputs and combining them in crazy ways, and for a reason.

The game can exist in an non-L-cancel pure form and a L-cancel hybrid of other fighters form. You can play the traditional fighting hybrid and I can play with the auto L-cancel. All of those traditional fighters already exist, and Smash is the game furthest along the spectrum. Differentiating it from other fighters is certainly not a bad thing, though I can understand not thinking its a good thing.
 

kinje

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I'd probably only be a fan of auto L cancel if we also go the route of auto shield grab/auto defensive option. Not having to "time" your offense, while asking defensive player to usually time his defense, probably doesn't slant in a healthy way. Hold A during shielding, even during shield stun, = buffer shield grab every time. Stuff like that would make auto l cancel more fair and fitting

We already have C-stick buffering, but I'm talking about like auto Usmash OOS, auto shield grab, etc. Auto in defensive cases meaning you still have to input something obv
Yeah, that's pretty much my reasoning for thinking balancing issues would quickly arise from raw implementation of ALC in the game.
 

AuraMaudeGone

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Yeah, that's pretty much my reasoning for thinking balancing issues would quickly arise from raw implementation of ALC in the game.
My reasoning is that balancing issues you assume are existent, are already here ALC or not. Since I don't believe there would be a major change of game play between the two.
 

4tlas

Smash Lord
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I'd probably only be a fan of auto L cancel if we also go the route of auto shield grab/auto defensive option. Not having to "time" your offense, while asking defensive player to usually time his defense, probably doesn't slant in a healthy way. Hold A during shielding, even during shield stun, = buffer shield grab every time. Stuff like that would make auto l cancel more fair and fitting

We already have C-stick buffering, but I'm talking about like auto Usmash OOS, auto shield grab, etc. Auto in defensive cases meaning you still have to input something obv
Honestly I think increasing buffer windows would be great sometimes, but its also annoying other times. I hate DIing for G&W's throws and then having it buffer a roll so I get DACUS'd.

The problem with increasing the buffer across the board is that it screws up some tech, but doing it in specific scenarios like these might be fine.

Also I thought PM's goal was to reward offensive play over defensive? Just playing Devil's Advocate here.
 

PootisKonga

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The only reason I don't always play with ALC is because no one else will entirely due to Melee tradition. It's been stated many times that ALC/L-Cancel removal+castwide halving aerial landing lag will do almost literally nothing negative whilst allowing new players to join the comp scene a tiny bit easier and make all levels of play much more consistent across the board.

Also, the entire point of Smash in the first place was to be simple as stated above. While I'm not advocating something like wavedash/multishine macros just yet (though I do advocate shield drop to special in shield), I want this game to be successful, and one way to do that is to stop scaring away rising players with all this fancy shmancy finger-destroying tech (mostly exaggeration). Yeah, characters can have their own tech-intensive stuff just fine, but with amazing things like entirely customizable controls and ALC we can cut down on how much one needs to work physically just to be able to play beyond casual-low comp level and make all players' performance many times more consistent.

If balance issues arise from simply making a few basic techs easier, then it was unbalanced in the first place and needs to be looked at.
 

Quillion

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So like...should I bring up the fact that in other threads regarding character design and whatnot, you brought up the prospect of bringing every character to Fox's level, aka a design philosophy that turned out to be the worst decision even from the perspective of Melee players? And yet here you are claiming MvC is a broken mess?

I...what. It's like I step away from the thread from a second and come back to the most hypocritical claim I've ever seen made in a long time.

There's no relevance to the topic itself, but I'll address it since I'm befuddled by this claim right now.

MvC doesn't look balanced because it's not homogenized, but at the same time, balancing a game doesn't necessarily mean homogenization is the way to go. Not every character in Marvel is designed to be a point character, and that's okay. Not every character has decent qualities to fit on every team as an anchor, and that's okay. To go out of your way to say that these games are inferior in every way shows a very narrow mindset without much to learn from, because you actively choose to not educate yourself on the mental aspect of games despite praising "varied playstyles" in another post.
You see, MvC is an inherently broken mess not just because of all the combos, but because it has the limited movement of traditionals and there's no depth to countering combos. This is why despite Capcom's best attempts, there's only like four characters ever used in top-level play.

And even then, the combos in Melee are nowhere near as broken as they are in MvC, and I take skill level into account due to brokenness. Did you know that casual MvC players are expected to take off like 50% of health in one combo?

You've presented a black/white fallacy and even then you look at factors that are in PM but not in traditionals.

If balance issues arise from simply making a few basic techs easier, then it was unbalanced in the first place and needs to be looked at.
I'll x-post what I said in another thread about that:

No, it's actually GENIUS design.

It's just that 99% of fighting game developers can't achieve this because it's impossible to play the game at TAS level of precision along with completely knowledge of what they've designed.

Project M doesn't have this obstacle because they're building off of Melee.
Skill-reward ratio is a core component of whether something is considered balanced or not. The core of balance is to make sure that the more skilled player comes out on top. In most fighters, this is achieved by making top-level play of each character balanced, but this is due to the limitations of traditional fighters.

In Melee on the other hand, it's different. It manages to have an even higher skill cap than traditionals because it lacks much of the limitations AND it keeps the skill-reward ratio very even. Sure, assuming that every character has 20XX-level play, Fox would come out on top, but that in itself is dampened by the difficulty that keeps Fox balanced.

@ kinje kinje : I'm pretty sure this is what you want to get at, but you can't really find the words.
 

Rawkobo

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You see, MvC is an inherently broken mess not just because of all the combos, but because it has the limited movement of traditionals and there's no depth to countering combos. This is why despite Capcom's best attempts, there's only like four characters ever used in top-level play.

And even then, the combos in Melee are nowhere near as broken as they are in MvC, and I take skill level into account due to brokenness. Did you know that casual MvC players are expected to take off like 50% of health in one combo?

You've presented a black/white fallacy and even then you look at factors that are in PM but not in traditionals.



I'll x-post what I said in another thread about that:



Skill-reward ratio is a core component of whether something is considered balanced or not. The core of balance is to make sure that the more skilled player comes out on top. In most fighters, this is achieved by making top-level play of each character balanced, but this is due to the limitations of traditional fighters.

In Melee on the other hand, it's different. It manages to have an even higher skill cap than traditionals because it lacks much of the limitations AND it keeps the skill-reward ratio very even. Sure, assuming that every character has 20XX-level play, Fox would come out on top, but that in itself is dampened by the difficulty that keeps Fox balanced.

@ kinje kinje : I'm pretty sure this is what you want to get at, but you can't really find the words.
I'm going to ignore the fact that you definitely don't watch Marvel based on this narrow assumption about the game's meta, because that's not worth my time to rant about.

Your bolded point is only partially correct. The more skilled player should come out on top, yes, but I feel like every time you throw this claim out, or anyone does, they misunderstand, once again, that there are more skills than just pressing buttons that matter. You shouldn't just be rewarded for pushing a button, you should be awarded for using that button to your advantage. It is good decision-making that allows players to come out ahead. Sometimes it can be easier based on matchup, but the reason matchups aren't 100-0 is that there's a chance for the knowledgeable player to do something. After all, dittos are also decided by the smarter player who applies their skills better, correct?

I've already explained before that basic tech skill is only a small component of fighting game fundamentals, and L-cancelling has yet to have been proven to be a significant part of that already small portion. Perhaps you should go back and reread. Because then, it would be clear that someone who knows their bread and butters and doesn't necessarily take invaluable risks is the person who comes out on top, and teaching smart play becomes gradually more important and produces better results than knowing every string of buttons ever, including one that cuts landing lag but doesn't even teach good spacing.

If all I had to do at a job was just press a single button and have noticeable success, then I'd be rich.

(Also, as a side note, I forget where I read this, but assuming perfect play, Marth was in fact the best character in the game hands down.)
 

DMG

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How does auto [defense option] here really help with that interaction vs auto l cancel? It still will lose to appropriate spacing/frame trap options in the same sense that timed ones will.

Are you meaning to say that auto l cancel really needs something like an alpha counter to deal with defensively?
There are plenty of instances where Spacies or x character use an aerial too high, or get weak hit of aerial instead of strong hit and are vulnerable. Auto shield grab would be a fair thing to grant imo, since you're giving the attacker free l cancel basically. If he can't perform the pressure/traps optimally, and he's essentially being helped, why not help defenders for when he messes up? Etc

For characters without crazy shield pressure, or for moments when they mis-time/mis-space, frame perfect shield grab or x shield option may beat them already. Making it auto wouldn't open up new doors that good timing couldn't have accomplished, so it's essentially in the same boat as auto l cancel
 

4tlas

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On the topic of being able to punish long landing lag aerials that aren't L-cancelled, I swear the only reason people punish my non-L-cancelled aerials is because there's no flash. If it were Melee they'd assume I L-cancelled and assume it was unpunishable. Damn you white flash! Stop notifying my opponents that I don't L-cancel!
 

JOE!

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Alternatively, you could L cancel and have those apparently unpunishable aerials go unpunished
 

kinje

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The only reason I don't always play with ALC is because no one else will entirely due to Melee tradition. It's been stated many times that ALC/L-Cancel removal+castwide halving aerial landing lag will do almost literally nothing negative whilst allowing new players to join the comp scene a tiny bit easier and make all levels of play much more consistent across the board.

Also, the entire point of Smash in the first place was to be simple as stated above. While I'm not advocating something like wavedash/multishine macros just yet (though I do advocate shield drop to special in shield), I want this game to be successful, and one way to do that is to stop scaring away rising players with all this fancy shmancy finger-destroying tech (mostly exaggeration). Yeah, characters can have their own tech-intensive stuff just fine, but with amazing things like entirely customizable controls and ALC we can cut down on how much one needs to work physically just to be able to play beyond casual-low comp level and make all players' performance many times more consistent.

If balance issues arise from simply making a few basic techs easier, then it was unbalanced in the first place and needs to be looked at.
Note: "stated" not "shown"
We've never seen it applied in real tourneys, so anything stated on how it affects balancing and pace/flow of gameplay is purely speculation on the parts of those involved. My opinion is that it matters, yours is that it doesn't. Both "camps" (well, at least some people in each camp) of this issue have shown they have relatively sound reasons as to why they think it would matter or not, but no one will know the definitive truth of the matter until it's given a trial period or something along those lines.
I'm open to being proven wrong if I am, but I just think you guys are really jumping the gun by saying it doesn't matter to gameplay at all.

Of course, I also disagree with your point that, if changing some tiny techs messes with balancing, then it wasn't balanced in the first place, because many options in video games are largely balanced by difficulty of execution. For you to deny that things balanced by difficulty of execution are balanced at all is a complete denial of the fact that these games are played in the real world, and stands in ignorance of the idea that fighting games are meant to be about both the mental aspect and the execution aspect of competition.

On the topic of being able to punish long landing lag aerials that aren't L-cancelled, I swear the only reason people punish my non-L-cancelled aerials is because there's no flash. If it were Melee they'd assume I L-cancelled and assume it was unpunishable. Damn you white flash! Stop notifying my opponents that I don't L-cancel!
Apart from certain jank animations that look almost as if they were l-canceled regardless of l-cancel or not, it's pretty easy to see the noticeable landing animations where there would just be a near-instant return to neutral position if they had l-canceled it. Also, it's a bad idea anyways to ignore the possibility that your opponent will screw up. Everyone makes mistakes, and it's part of your job as a player to recognize when they do and punish them. Heck, it's even part of your job to anticipate mistakes like missed techs and sweet-spots if they show a lack of technical prowess or preparedness to deal with certain situations.
 
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4tlas

Smash Lord
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Alternatively, you could L cancel and have those apparently unpunishable aerials go unpunished
But of course! My point was more that in Melee, the game given to us straight from the god Sakurai himself, in which L-cancelling has proven to be a wondrous technique full of depth, it would be even harder to react to a missed L-cancel and punish it, because you would have to wait for at least several frames to see that the L-cancel hadn't occurred, and thus even fewer of those L-cancels, for which being punished is clearly a critical part of Melee's genius gameplay, will be punished, due to reaction-time alone.

Wow, I think that might have been a month's worth of sass right there.
 

TheKmanOfSmash

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Note: "stated" not "shown"
We've never seen it applied in real tourneys, so anything stated on how it affects balancing and pace/flow of gameplay is purely speculation on the parts of those involved. My opinion is that it matters, yours is that it doesn't. Both "camps" (well, at least some people in each camp) of this issue have shown they have relatively sound reasons as to why they think it would matter or not, but no one will know the definitive truth of the matter until it's given a trial period or something along those lines.
I'm open to being proven wrong if I am, but I just think you guys are really jumping the gun by saying it doesn't matter to gameplay at all.

I have a lot of issues with this argument. Ultimately, this is an entire appeal to tradition. You're basically saying here that because we've never run ALC tournaments before, there's no telling what would happen if we did, therefore we should just stick to MLC like we've always done because there's available data for that. There are gratuitous amounts of leaps in logic here. Yes, no one will no the definite truth until it is tested with trial periods. But just because something has not been done before or tested doesn't not mean that there is no reason to support it or to at least try it, especially when the thing in question has sound theory behind it. It also does not automatically imply that there is a high probability of it failing. There is no causal link here. Though it has not been implemented in a Melee or P:M environment before, the theory that ALC is backed by is sound and has yet to be adequately challenged by anyone on this forum (which is why I asked you [and others on this forum] to address my arguments in detail). Your claim that there are also sound arguments from the other "camp" is also false, again, due to lack of sufficient counter-arguments. If an ALC tournament was run for a period of time, based on the theory we've made, there is a high probability of all the things that we've predicted happening (the skill floor would be lowered, the skill cap would be unaffected, hand injuries will lessen, the overall depth of the game will not be significantly affected, and those who like to do the manual input can still do it if they want). I can't give you an exact number on that probability, but based on the structure of our theory of ALC and the lack of sufficient counter-arguments, there's no reason to assume that it will have a high chance of reducing the amount of depth in the game and there is no reason backed by logic or available empirical data to dismiss the potential of ALC as mere "speculation".

But everything above is assuming that ALC has never been tested in any medium. But the actual reality is that it has. Look at any traditional fighter. Take Street fighter: Third Strike. All aerials are ALC-able and I believe they either have 0 frames of lag or some low amount (I don't remember). Would you then say that a game like that suffers a significant lack of depth because of the inability to L-cancel aerials? Would you say the same thing of any modern fighting game with ALC aerials? What if you looked at Brawl? Now Brawl is a heaping mess of imbalance with some characters having ALC aerials and others not having them. But if you examined, say the MK ditto, would one say that there is significantly less depth in an MK ditto because MK has ALC aerials? Only one who has no experience in the Brawl meta would say so because so many other skills are not only required, but are critical and of much more importance to be sufficient in the MK ditto than the lost potential of not having MLC. There is no scrub MK on the planet that could beat Nairo or Zero in an MK ditto. Absolutely no scrub. Such scrub MKs would even have trouble beating mid to high level MKs in the ditto and there are years of tournament results and footage to show this.

Of course, I also disagree with your point that, if changing some tiny techs messes with balancing, then it wasn't balanced in the first place, because many options in video games are largely balanced by difficulty of execution. For you to deny that things balanced by difficulty of execution are balanced at all is a complete denial of the fact that these games are played in the real world, and stands in ignorance of the idea that fighting games are meant to be about both the mental aspect and the execution aspect of competition.
Yes, you are right. Many games are balanced with difficulty of execution in mind. But what game designers also do, if they want to make a well designed game, is to make sure that the reward is increased proportionally to a difficulty increase. If difficulty is increased without much of a beneficial reward or if it's increase purely for the sake of difficulty, you are creating a game that devalues the player experience by forcing the player to work hard for relatively no reward or an inefficient reward, which is by definition bad game design. I have argued that MLC falls under this category of bad game design. I would still like to see a counter-argument to this point.

Apart from certain jank animations that look almost as if they were l-canceled regardless of l-cancel or not, it's pretty easy to see the noticeable landing animations where there would just be a near-instant return to neutral position if they had l-canceled it. Also, it's a bad idea anyways to ignore the possibility that your opponent will screw up. Everyone makes mistakes, and it's part of your job as a player to recognize when they do and punish them. Heck, it's even part of your job to anticipate mistakes like missed techs and sweet-spots if they show a lack of technical prowess or preparedness to deal with certain situations.
Once again, it appears as if you are using the argument that there is inherent value in L-canceling because of one's ability to fail at its execution (please correct me if I am wrong). When you have to use instances of NOT using a mechanic correctly to show why said mechanic has inherent value/depth, then it really brings into question whether that mechanic actually has depth or not. I've already addressed my issues with this argument. I think it would be worthwhile if this was addressed because it seems to be a core part of your argument.
 
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eideeiit

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Warning Received
ok.


:emptysheep:
:halfsheep:
:cheep:
:happysheep:

Why are taunts in the game? They don't add anything to its depth.

Why aren't we playing the game in debug mode, only seeing the hurt- and hitboxes? Graphics don't add anything to its depth.

Why does the feeling of your character being an extension of yourself feel so good? It doesn't add anything to the game.

:happysheep:
:cheep:
:halfsheep:
:emptysheep:


bye.
 

Kurri ★

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ok.


:emptysheep:
:halfsheep:
:cheep:
:happysheep:

Why are taunts in the game? They don't add anything to its depth.

Why aren't we playing the game in debug mode, only seeing the hurt- and hitboxes? Graphics don't add anything to its depth.

Why does the feeling of your character being an extension of yourself feel so good? It doesn't add anything to the game.

:happysheep:
:cheep:
:halfsheep:
:emptysheep:


bye.
I swear this better be a joke
 

Quillion

Smash Hero
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Messages
5,640
Just because traditional fighters have no "L-cancelling" doesn't mean PM shouldn't. Traditionals are already full of bull**** where you have to move your stick in a certain way and press buttons. Also, combos in traditionals don't really compare to Smash combos. They feel arbitrarily limited, there's no counterplay, and it pretty much amounts to non-musical piano playing where you just hit buttons in a certain order. You use them over and over again and there's no need to mix things up. Traditional fighters are a bunch of trash.

I assure you, if there was manual "L-cancelling" in a traditional fighter, it would make the game a lot more deep and everyone would love it.

Also, I really hate it that the pro-MLC group can't admit that they hate traditional fighters. Why am I the only one who's admitting it for everyone?
 

Kurri ★

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Just because traditional fighters have no "L-cancelling" doesn't mean PM shouldn't. Traditionals are already full of bull**** where you have to move your stick in a certain way and press buttons.
Well I gotta move my stick a certain way to do tilts, so what's your point?
Also, combos in traditionals don't really compare to Smash combos. They feel arbitrarily limited, there's no counterplay, and it pretty much amounts to non-musical piano playing where you just hit buttons in a certain order.
I see you're one of those guys who thinks the only combos in fighters are the ones they teach you in challenge mode. It's not as free as Smash, but you still have leniency in what you can do in traditional fighters. As for counterplay, I'm certain you're talking about DI. Depending on the game, it may or may not be needed. Street Fighter combos are generally not long, so there isn't much of a need, whereas GGXrd combos can span 20+ hits, so they have burst. But you also have things like ukemi, which is basically a tech roll, which can mess up combos.
You use them over and over again and there's no need to mix things up. Traditional fighters are a bunch of trash.
You do mix them up...

I assure you, if there was manual "L-cancelling" in a traditional fighter, it would make the game a lot more deep and everyone would love it.
This thread is obviously proving you wrong so...

Also, I really hate it that the pro-MLC group can't admit that they hate traditional fighters. Why am I the only one who's admitting it for everyone?
Probably because they may not hate traditional fighters, or they know they'll get chewed out if they do say so.
 

Ningildo

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Because you still can't answer questions and your opinion =/= fact.

You've responded to new points with the exact same thing over and over or better still, some ****ty one liner vids. It seems you want reconfirmation of your opinion and ignore/belittle those who have different opinions, even if they have solid arguments. That's a pretty ****ty attitude in general and even more so for discussion.

Of course, I could be wrong and you CAN provide counter arguments that are solid, but all you've done at this point is saying Melee is the best game ever with no flaws, other fighters are trash because it's not Melee etc.

Provide solid counter arguments or stay in your bubble, away from the thread.
 

TS 836

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I think L Cancelling should stay, sure you could argue it doesn't actually reward the player....but most tech seems useless the first time you learn it until you see why it's helpful. L Cancelling is something that keeps you on your toes, and it adds another dimension to melee.

Those who have good timing or reflexes should be rewarded for being able to perform a technique others can't. It's essentially making the game easier. You could argue wavedashing is useless depending on who you main.

For Zelda, Peach, Kirby, Olimar, and many characters its useless.....same as L Cancelling, but for Spacies L Cancelling is rather important....

Though, the option should remain for those who want it off. But I'd personally want it on.
 

Kurri ★

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I think L Cancelling should stay, sure you could argue it doesn't actually reward the player....but most tech seems useless the first time you learn it until you see why it's helpful. L Cancelling is something that keeps you on your toes, and it adds another dimension to melee.

Those who have good timing or reflexes should be rewarded for being able to perform a technique others can't. It's essentially making the game easier. You could argue wavedashing is useless depending on who you main.

For Zelda, Peach, Kirby, Olimar, and many characters its useless.....same as L Cancelling, but for Spacies L Cancelling is rather important....

Though, the option should remain for those who want it off. But I'd personally want it on.
There really should be a disclaimer that says "Read the entire thread before posting." What you've said, as already been said countless times and has been torn apart, bit by bit. Nothing new is being said here at all.
 

4tlas

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Why are taunts in the game? They don't add anything to its depth.

Why aren't we playing the game in debug mode, only seeing the hurt- and hitboxes? Graphics don't add anything to its depth.

Why does the feeling of your character being an extension of yourself feel so good? It doesn't add anything to the game.
Interesting comparison.

Taunts are not gameplay and have no effect whatsoever. L-cancelling is clearly a gameplay mechanic, as it tries to affect gameplay. However, it is not a GOOD gameplay mechanic because not only is there no decision-making around it, but it isn't even a technical barrier big enough to impact the gameplay.

Graphics have to do with the flavor and personal satisfaction of the players. Aesthetics are an entirely different category from gameplay mechanics. Much like how a concert hall can change how a song is perceived but not actually have anything to do with a particular piece, the graphics alter the feel of the game without actually having anything to do with playing the game. Smash without Nintendo characters could totally work as a game, but the additional flavor is something most Smashers enjoy. I am sure there are people out there who hate Nintendo characters but would enjoy Smash's gameplay, and for them removing this aesthetic would be an improvement.

The feeling of your character being an extension of yourself feels good because it means you are in control and your decisions have an obvious effect on how events occur. The whole point of playing a game instead of using some other entertainment medium is that you have some control over how it progresses. However, to not just be a toy, you need a way to win the game, which is meaningless without a way to lose. Thus you cannot always have control over the game, especially in a multiplayer game where other people also need to have control over the game. Up until a certain point, more control = more "game". It literally adds "game" to the game.
 

Quillion

Smash Hero
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
5,640
Another thing: in traditional fighters, jumping is very stiff (one of the reasons why they suck). They physics are essentially Castlevania: you commit to one direction when you jump and that's it.

This is why traditional fighters generally don't have L-cancelling or landing lag at all: there's already a form of commitment in the air and it's incredibly risky to do so. You either get a big combo or you get trapped in a big combo.

Smash doesn't have that sort of commitment since air is a really big part of the gameplay. This is why it needs landing lag AND l-cancelling; it provides a suitable risk-reward scenario that can be generally overcome with enough skill yet it's still very difficult enough that even real-life top-level players will miss it. This is what keeps Melee as fast as it is; control can change very rapidly ala basketball.

So yes, lots of traditional fighters have no l-cancelling mechanic, but going to the air is commitant enough that maybe it doesn't really need it.
 

Kati

Smash Lord
Joined
Mar 22, 2010
Messages
1,471
Wellll as it's bumped yet again I guess it's the best time to ask: has anyone arguing against or for been checking their l-cancel percentages after matches? I do so in both pm and the melee netplay build and I can only consistently get 80% on good days. Players far better and far more technical than myself rarely touch 80% too.

I try to avoid these discussions, but a common point I see recycled often is that people who have been l-cancelling for a long time (10 years here) can all do it automatically, rendering the technique purely arbitrary in nature.
 
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4tlas

Smash Lord
Joined
Sep 30, 2014
Messages
1,298
Wellll as it's bumped yet again I guess it's the best time to ask: has anyone arguing against or for been checking their l-cancel percentages after matches? I do so in both pm and the melee netplay build and I can only consistently get 80% on good days. Players far better and far more technical than myself rarely touch 80% too.

I try to avoid these discussions, but a common point I see recycled often is that people who have been l-cancelling for a long time (10 years here) can all do it automatically, rendering the technique purely arbitrary in nature.
Lately I've been playing with more and more competitive opponents, and they check their L-cancel percentages. They always get in the 90%s, feel disappointed when its in the 70-80%s, and brag when its 100%. I point out that ledge-cancels (and maybe autocancels?) are part of the denominator, so sometimes they get more pleased with their performance. Then they notice mine at 0% and cry since I still compete with them just fine.

Even if people like the mechanic or think its good design, it is still inconsequential. When 3.6 came out we had a tournament where someone was turning on auto-L-cancel to try it out and forgot to turn it off. Half of the venue was on auto-L-cancel and nobody noticed until after the game when both players had 100%. The competitive players didn't notice, the new players didn't notice, nobody noticed during the game. Inconsequential.
 
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