Custom Competitive Stage Compilation

[Raijinken]

Miiverse posts if you want the grid (it gives you the choice of screencapping the tv or gamepad when you post from ingame) or if you just want the stage then go into Smash mode and take a screenshot. It saves to the SD card and you can pull it out and stick it in your computer and upload the .jpg.

Thanks, wasn't sure if these saved as jpgs or if they saved in that other format Brawl used. I'll take some shots and bring 'em in a bit.

 

[ParanoidDrone]

Thanks, wasn't sure if these saved as jpgs or if they saved in that other format Brawl used. I'll take some shots and bring 'em in a bit.

The game saves two files per screenshot: a .jpg and some sort of metadata file. The .jpg is what I use for my stage threads.

You can even delete both the .jpg and meta file from the SD card without any real issue, but the game will remember that they're "supposed" to be there and show a bunch of blank screenshots until you delete them ingame too. Not sure what's up with that.

 

[Raijinken]

Alrighty, here's my collection of Past Stages, Part 1:

Reset Bomb Forest

Spoiler

Arena Ferox (Statue Form)

Spoiler

Wario Ware

Spoiler

All of these were measured on the 3DS version using Mario's roll length (roughly seven squares in the builder) and replicated that way.

 

[Raijinken]

And now for some of my original creations:

Kakariko Village - Main platform to the left with a single levitating platform. The platform on the right has the bent fallthrough above it. The moving platform shown here moves from left to right, periodically forming a bridge to the right platform. All regular edges are grabbable, including those sometimes covered by the "bridge". Loosely inspired by Hyrule Castle 64.

Spoiler

Bowser's Castle - Main platform with two suspended platforms above. Two moving platforms start inside the stage and rise (synchronized with each other) to the same level as the top stationary platform. Uniquely, the bottom of the stage, as well as the slanted sides, are covered in magma, which will damage and knock downward players who hit it. Despite the magma's apparent corner sticking out, it only contacts and knocks back when the player would be hitting the inward slant regularly. That can be left out entirely without impacting the stage's function, I just thought I'd experiment with it as a sort of distinction to other stages (like how Lylat's got the sucky edges that no one likes).

Spoiler

Big Bridge - A standard flat+plat without moving platforms. The middle platform is somewhat higher than the two side platforms. Very lightly based on Big Bridge from Final Fantasy 5.

Spoiler

 

[Raijinken]

And lastly (for now), three more past stages.

Brinstar - I initially had this one spaced so that the top platform kill% was the same as in the stage proper (55 for a full Mario upsmash on Mario), but later lowered it to be more consistent with other stages. No acid, and you can't rise through the bottom platform (as one-way platforms aren't possible in the stage builder, to my knowledge), so the main body is solid (it also doesn't break apart).

Spoiler

Pokemon Stadium - Nothing more to say. Obviously doesn't transform.

Spoiler

Yoshi's Island Brawl - The middle platform can't tilt, and I can't make the moving Ghost Platform substitutes go below the blast line. To make up for this, I made them go inside the stage. This gives them a bit of a different dynamic from the original, since there are times (think Mac) when you can now hit the wall, miss the platform and ledge, and land on the platform below. I also made the platforms follow different movement patterns: The one on the left goes inside the stage very near the bottom of the stage, making it a slower round trip but provide more coverage in general. The one on the right goes into the stage at a sharp angle near the main platform itself, and doesn't go as far, so it's there more often, but is less forgiving if you miss it.

Spoiler

 

[ATH_]

I'm quite liking these stages we're seeing here. :D
Is there any sort of way to take a screenshot on the Wii U and get it here? (I presume by getting it off of Miiverse or something)
I make stages like this all the time and it's fairly fun to do so. :3

 

[Raijinken]

I'm quite liking these stages we're seeing here. :D
Is there any sort of way to take a screenshot on the Wii U and get it here? (I presume by getting it off of Miiverse or something)
I make stages like this all the time and it's fairly fun to do so. :3

Courtesy of @ ParanoidDrone , you can just use in-game screenshots (Z button or whatever) and copy them from the SD card (they're saved as jpgs), or if you want to show the Stagebuilder screen with the grid and platform paths, take a Miiverse screenshot and upload it.

 

[Rifick]

These look amazing! I'm not sure about competitive viability though until I try some of these out. Good job!

Thanks. I do tend to aim for fun/original stages first, and focus on competitive elements after. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these need a slight tweek here or there to fully achieve competitive viability, but thankfully that's the beauty of the stage editor. I can go back and make those changes to better fit the preferences of the community.

 

[ATH_]

Courtesy of @ ParanoidDrone , you can just use in-game screenshots (Z button or whatever) and copy them from the SD card (they're saved as jpgs), or if you want to show the Stagebuilder screen with the grid and platform paths, take a Miiverse screenshot and upload it.

If I used the same SD card that my 3ds uses, would it screw anything up for the 3ds?

 

[ParanoidDrone]

If I used the same SD card that my 3ds uses, would it screw anything up for the 3ds?

I...don't actually know. Intuition says no as long as you don't muck about in files you shouldn't be mucking about in, but I'm not 100% certain.

 

[ATH_]

I...don't actually know. Intuition says no as long as you don't muck about in files you shouldn't be mucking about in, but I'm not 100% certain.

Hm, okay. I'll try and make copys of all the files I have on it. Then I'll use it.

 

[Raijinken]

Try backing it up, but yeah, shouldn't be an issue, as the folder names differ.

I still keep mine separate as a matter of paranoia, but I know for a while we used my brother's DSi card for both his DSi and Brawl screenshots.

 

[webbedspace]

No acid, and you can't rise through the bottom platform (as one-way platforms aren't possible in the stage builder, to my knowledge)

I kind of want to see a flat+plat where the flat is just a two-way fall-through. Would it basically become Shark City, pop. the Good Recovery Pals? If anything, it'd be a never-before-seen thing in the series.

(Maybe this got experimented with in the Brawl days and people found critical issues with it.)

 

[LunarDistortion]

Here is one of my favorites to play on.

Stage Name: Nature's Stadium
Stage Designer: LunarDistortion
Stage Size: Small
Stage Music: (Pilotwings Resort) - Pedal Glider
Stage Description: Battlefield type main platform, 2 unequal platforms on both sides of the main platform, leaf platform on right side above the bottom blastzone, multiple unequal platforms leading up to the top blastzone.

I don't know how well this fairs competitively, but it's very fun to play with friends and Amiibo on.

 

[Raijinken]

I kind of want to see a flat+plat where the flat is just a two-way fall-through. Would it basically become Shark City, pop. the Good Recovery Pals? If anything, it'd be a never-before-seen thing in the series.

(Maybe this got experimented with in the Brawl days and people found critical issues with it.)

The issue there is you can't make fallthrough ledges grabbable in the Stage Builder. I'm experimenting with some designs of that nature (just with solids on the ends), but it's impossible to make something like Brinstar, Kongo 64, or Halberd from that standpoint just due to engine limitations. I'm really interested in the sharking, as you call it, as a potential design appeal. Would basically amount to riskier Smashville with less movement.

 

[Conda]

Competitive 1v1 on one of my custom stages w/ commentary:

I'll be creating and uploading episode 2 of my Custom Stages series soon. Look forward to it.

 

[webbedspace]

In case any of you need more ideas for flat+plats (Though admittedly G&W's and Marth's are the only two I find that interesting.)

 

[Rifick]

Will upload some of my creations whenever I find a good means of screencapping my U. Anyone have suggestions?

I.Nintendo.net
It requires posting to social media, but if you use facebook you can set it to be visible to "only me".

 

[Conda]

Another video of a 1v1 on one of my custom stages that I hosted and commentated:

Custom Stages episode 2 is still being worked on.

 

[Raijinken]

Made a few more for your viewing pleasure.

Crateria - A somewhat larger stage heavily inspired by Brinstar. Perhaps large for singles, but excellent for doubles.

Spoiler

Valor - A blend of Castle Siege's third form and platforms resembling the top-right end of Hyrule Temple. Named after the Dread Isle of Fire Emblem 7. Despite my use of fallthroughs to pave the ground, I've noticed no odd behavior (such as projectile collisions) on the transition. It could be removed entirely and only affect the ground height by mere pixels. I could also maybe have it angle into the main ground, forming a ramp instead of a step, if there's an issue.

Spoiler

Eryth Sea - Inspired by the eponymous region of Xenoblade Chronicles, this stage features two islands connected by a fallthrough. The left island has a rising platform that fades into the stage proper (a la Fountain of Dreams), the right end is static.

Spoiler

Eagleland - Rather loosely based on the crane from Fourside and the roof slopes of Onett.

Spoiler

 

[webbedspace]

Would the wide blast zone limitations make it more difficult to build a stage with standard horizontal kill percentages? For most characters, they're just going to fall down more often than hitting a left-right blast line, but for characters with recoveries like Peach or Villager, I have to wonder.

Eryth Sea

I kinda like the look of this one.

 

[Raijinken]

Would the wide blast zone limitations make it more difficult to build a stage with standard horizontal kill percentages? For most characters, they're just going to fall down more often than hitting a left-right blast line, but for characters with recoveries like Peach or Villager, I have to wonder.

I kinda like the look of this one.

Thanks!

As for horizontal kills, if you make a flat platform overlapping the silhouette on the builder screen, that takes about 80 damage for Mario to kill Mario with a full-charge upsmash (no influence from DI etc). You can reduce or increase that a bit by making higher base platforms, but due to how the camera works, you may end up having a lot of "dead space" below before they hit the bottom blast line. I'm an idiot and mistook horizontal for vertical.

You can make horizontal kills easier if you have a wide main platform base (for comparison, Mario's roll covers 7 blocks on the grid and FD is five rolls across). Unfortunately there's no way to make the blast zones more distant, but another option is to include barrel cannons pointing outward. Thus, once you hit the cannon, though it may not be instant, you will be fired into the blastline unavoidably. Only becomes an issue in last-stock scenarios where the winner would fall to their death.

 

[Bergbuur]

Stage Name: Chulkan (just smth Random with Volcano in German)
Stage Designer: Bergbuur
Stage Size: small
Stage Music: Super Mario World Medley (smth Random)
Stage Description:
My favorite stage. But im not sure if the lower edges and the pillar in the middle arent too much to be competitive.
pillar is fun to walljump and throw enemies against it. Its possible to stand on top of it but not easy

if you know a better name for the stage or a track that would fit, tell me please

 

[Raijinken]

Stage Name: Chulkan (just smth Random with Volcano in German)
Stage Designer: Bergbuur
Stage Size: small
Stage Music: Super Mario World Medley (smth Random)
Stage Description:
My favorite stage. But im not sure if the lower edges and the pillar in the middle arent too much to be competitive.
pillar is fun to walljump and throw enemies against it. Its possible to stand on top of it but not easy

if you know a better name for the stage or a track that would fit, tell me please

For Music, I'd run either Brinstar, Brinstar Depths, or Norfair, since Metroid music fits perfectly with that background in general.

Functionally, the lower ledges are a cool idea, but can (and probably would) encourage camping (it's very hard to approach that lip in general, especially against someone like Shulk or anyone with a spammable long-reach move).
The wall is also a neat idea, but it makes aerial approaches very hard (especially since the player must go under/over the wall and be attacking an uphill opponent). It also rather forces your kill directions to be either straight-vertical or towards whichever side of the stage you're already on.

 

[Conda]

The oft requested episode 2 and 3 of my custom stages series. Check them out!

2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REokAzLMCc8

3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VVDMOUPz8Y

 

[Foozal]

The oft requested episode 2 and 3 of my custom stages series. Check them out!

2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REokAzLMCc8

3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VVDMOUPz8Y

Those vids are always a fun watch!

 

[DC| Reset Bomb Jigglypuff]

I have a severe inability to create original custom stages. I can only recreate stages.

 

[Raijinken]

I have a severe inability to create original custom stages. I can only recreate stages.

It can be kinda hard to get into the mindset of "Let me make something original yet enjoyable" especially without practice. I basically started just by recreating stages, and then as I had to make more and more adjustments for the limits of the editor, I started just piecing together things I thought would make a good stage. Then I got feedback from friends, and for the most part, they were well-received.

 

[DC| Reset Bomb Jigglypuff]

Stage name: Space Rubble
Designer: Reset Bomb Jigglypuff
Stage size: Medium
Stage Music: Try, Try Again
Descirption: A flat stage with two small, out-of-sync platforms that rise out of the stage repeatedly. This helps prevent camping.There is also a large platform that moves back and forth across the screen. Players are forced to constantly change their strategy and mix up their approach. This leads to some interesting senarios.

Image:

Grid:

 

[Raijinken]

Stage name: Space Rubble
Designer: Reset Bomb Jigglypuff
Stage size: Medium
Stage Music: Try, Try Again
Descirption: A flat stage with two small, out-of-sync platforms that rise out of the stage repeatedly. This helps prevent camping.There is also a large platform that moves back and forth across the screen. Players are forced to constantly change their strategy and mix up their approach. This leads to some interesting senarios.


(I have no idea how to upload images,sorry)

If you have an SD Card in your U, any screenshots taken there are saved as JPEGs, which can either be uploaded to an external site (or to the public folder of a dropbox), or inserted specifically into posts here.

 

[DC| Reset Bomb Jigglypuff]

If you have an SD Card in your U, any screenshots taken there are saved as JPEGs, which can either be uploaded to an external site (or to the public folder of a dropbox), or inserted specifically into posts here.

I can't insert the image from my computer, for some reason.

 

[DC| Reset Bomb Jigglypuff]

There, got it.

 

[Raijinken]

Stage name: Space Rubble
Designer: Reset Bomb Jigglypuff
Stage size: Medium
Stage Music: Try, Try Again
Descirption: A flat stage with two small, out-of-sync platforms that rise out of the stage repeatedly. This helps prevent camping.There is also a large platform that moves back and forth across the screen. Players are forced to constantly change their strategy and mix up their approach. This leads to some interesting senarios.

Image:

I like it. Kinda reminds me of Dracula's Castle in PM.

 

[DC| Reset Bomb Jigglypuff]

I like it. Kinda reminds me of Dracula's Castle in PM.

I just updated it to include the grid, to.

 

[MisterrQuentin]

My Miiverse: https://miiverse.nintendo.net/users/MisterrQuentin/posts
-------------------
Stage Name: Citadel
Stage Designer: MisterrQuentin
Stage Size: Medium
Stage Music: Culdcept
This is my personal favorite because of how well it plays, But that might just be me being bias, as i have only tested it with cpu's.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Name: Standoff
Stage Designer: MisterrQuentin
Stage Size: Medium
Stage Music: Lip's Theme (Panel de Pon)

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Stage Name: Tie Breaker v2
Stage Designer: MisterrQuentin
Stage Size: Medium
Stage Music: Bubblegum K.K.

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Stage Name: Showdown
Stage Designer: MisterrQuentin
Stage Size: Small
Stage Music: Title (3D Hot Rally)
This is probably the least interesting one, but its still fun none the less.

 

[Judo777]

I feel like I just tag @ Overswarm in this thread. He tried something like this in Brawl, so he has alot of insight in what to look for and possible issues with custom stages.

Also I really need to learn how to make custom stages. I tried once and embarrassingly to admit, the interface confused me, and I gave up lol

 

[digiholic]

[...]

Images are showing up as broken for me. Mind re-upping them at imgur and editing them in?

 

[Overswarm]

I did a pilot for custom stages in Brawl.

Pros:

• We can make stages as good or better than the 'normal' stages by plotting out what we want first and meeting that goal. "We need a small stage that encourages off stage play" = a small stage that encourages off stage play.
• Of the three stages I made, 1 was hated, 1 was used strategically, 1 was one of the most common starters and counterpicks (it was behind smashville, but ahead of battlefield for starter usage)
• The stages breathed new life into the scene by a surprising amount; people you wouldn't expect got excited.
• It was stupid easy loading them on every wii with an SD card
• It gave a lot of newer players the feeling they had an edge because they practiced the stages when others didn't
• Stages directly influence the metagame. We know this already, but this time we have control. If Character X likes stage Y, we can make stage Z to even things out.

Cons:

• Stages directly influence the metagame. Since we have control, it can lead to issues where a character that didn't have a bad CP stage suddenly has one, etc., etc. Fingers in pies and all that.
• It gave a lot of newer players the feeling they had an edge because they practiced the stages when others didn't. This made players angry, as they didn't practice new stages and then lost to them by expecting the status quo to remain the same. You can see the same thing happening right now with customs. "What?! I air dodge and you punish with pika side-b and kill me at 44%?!" instead of "oh, I guess I shouldn't air dodge in these situations". Same with stages.
• Someone has to decide the stages. It was easy for my pilot because that someone was me. I was trusted to not make stages specifically benefiting character X and posted my goals for the stages openly and had a team in the area test them. The team was some of the better players anyway so we had good coverage. For a huge area, this could be difficult and would likely end up being "tournament X is using these stages, so we use the same stagelist" for better or worse.
• Out-of-region players are disincentivized to travel, at least a bit; I had a 100 man tournament with these customs on, but the sentiment is still there. It can be irritating to suddenly play on a stage you have no reason to practice otherwise but when it isn't even a stage created by the devs its highlighted.
• In-region players are practicing stages that aren't played out-of-region. Yeah, you can get good on Equity and win in Ohio and KY but everywhere else isn't using them.

All in all, it's a neutral thing. They add stuff and are fun and I could see them working out, but even in Brawl (where we had pretty limited stage selection) it wasn't a "we have to have this".

There's no real advantage or disadvantage to using them that weighs out over the other. If you have small tournaments in your region and want to have a blast with these stages, go for it. If you want to host a national with custom stages, go for it. It's hit and miss when deployed perfectly.

 

[DC| Reset Bomb Jigglypuff]

Stage Name: Citadel
Stage Designer: MisterrQuentin
Stage Size: Medium
Stage Music: Culdcept
Stage Description: There are two moving platforms that move as one, they go back and forth from the center to the right at a slight incline.

Stage Name: Standoff
Stage Designer: MisterrQuentin
Stage Size: Medium
Stage Music: Lip's Theme (Panel de Pon)

Stage Name: Tie Breaker v2
Stage Designer: MisterrQuentin
Stage Size: Medium
Stage Music: Bubblegum K.K.

Stage Name: Showdown
Stage Designer: MisterrQuentin
Stage Size: Small
Stage Music: Title (3D Hot Rally)
Stage Description: This is probably the least interesting one, but its still fun none the less.

Your images don't show up.......

 

[Enderwoman]

Cons:

• It gave a lot of newer players the feeling they had an edge because they practiced the stages when others didn't. This made players angry, as they didn't practice new stages and then lost to them by expecting the status quo to remain the same. You can see the same thing happening right now with customs. "What?! I air dodge and you punish with pika side-b and kill me at 44%?!" instead of "oh, I guess I shouldn't air dodge in these situations". Same with stages.

This is easily resolved with stage sharing. When that feature is released players can download the stages on to their consoles to practice on them.