Demo Questions for PAX PRIME

[Xiaphas]

I'm going to PAX Prime this weekend where Nintendo will have Smash4 demos for Wii U and 3DS. I'd like to answer some questions you have either by trying the demo or by asking a Nintendo rep. My pass is for Monday, so you'll have to wait a bit for the answers.

Anyways. I'm taking 10 questions and I'll do my best to answer them on Monday. What do you want to know?

Keep in mind, it will most likely still be the E3 demo, so questions about leaked characters are probably not going to get answered.

1. Sonic's downsmash
2. Combo-ability
3. Were balance changes to the characters made based on what people saw in the demos?
4. Does Peach play well?
5. Do Pit's Guardian Orbitars reflect projectiles? do they block physical attacks? can they be aimed?
6. Will unlocked characters be shared between players without those characters in local play?
7. Can Rosalina's Down Special be Cancelled?

If it's a new build:

1. Have there been changes to the physics since the E3 demo?
2. Are there new assist trophies or pokemon in this build?
3. Have any changes been made to Aerial Lag?
4. Is laser/missle cancelling back?

UPDATE!!

Got to play some smash on the 3DS today via #SmashBash, but had enough time to answer a couple of these questions.

First, it was still the E3 build, so I'm not sure we're going to see anything new at PAX Prime. I played as Marth and Pit on the pokemon and spirit tracks levels. If you don't fast fall, this game feels really floaty. In regards to landing lag, I can confirm that different attacks have different amounts of lag. Marth's Fair and Dair both had significant lag, but his Nair had little lag.

AT's, I wasn't able to pull off any kind of pivot techniques, but I was able to dash cancel into FSmash

5. Pit's orbitars cannot be aimed, however they cover both sides for a brief moment. They will block physical attacks and reflects projectiles

 

[Substitution]

Have there been any changes in the physics from the E3 demo?

 

[Xiaphas]

If it's a new build. I'll try to find out how the physics have changed.

 

[strawhatninja]

If it is a new build see if there is any new assist trophies/Pokemon not previous seen in the e3 build.

 

[TimeSmash]

IF it is a new build, is the aerial landing lag still long??

 

[KaZe_DaRKWIND]

Can you test the run stop cancel? Maybe test other AT's while you're at it?

 

[Rich Homie Quan]

The biggest things to focus on are comboability and landing lag.

 

[Leonyx]

Can you test the run stop cancel? Maybe test other AT's while you're at it?

I'd like to second this; a few members are concerned that Sakurai will remove AT's after we discovered them, so if this is a new build it would be helpful to know if they are still there.

 

[#HBC | Red Ryu]

Were balance changes to the characters made based on what people saw in the demos?

 

[TimeSmash]

Is Peach actually playable in the demo yet? If so, could someone do some heavy analysis on her??

 

[Jords2Good]

How much damage does Sonic's new Down Smash do? You think its better or worse?

 

[Xiaphas]

Can you test the run stop cancel? Maybe test other AT's while you're at it?

you mean the pivot cancel from that other thread?

I'm going to PAX Prime this weekend where Nintendo will have Smash4 demos for Wii U and 3DS. I'd like to answer some questions you have either by trying the demo or by asking a Nintendo rep. My pass is for Monday, so you'll have to wait a bit for the answers.

Anyways. I'm taking 10 questions and I'll do my best to answer them on Monday. What do you want to know?

Keep in mind, it will most likely still be the E3 demo, so questions about leaked characters are probably not going to get answered.

1. Sonic's downsmash
2. Combo-ability
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

If it's a new build:

1. Have there been changes to the physics since the E3 demo?
2. Are there new assist trophies or pokemon in this build?
3. Have any changes been made to Aerial Lag?

Is Peach actually playable in the demo yet? If so, could someone do some heavy analysis on her??

I'm probably not going to have time for a heavy analysis on a character. Especially since I have so little previous peach experience, as she's not a main for me.

 

[KaZe_DaRKWIND]

you mean the pivot cancel from that other thread?

This http://smashboards.com/threads/at-run-stop-cancel.364666/
Though you can test both if you want.

 

[Xiaphas]

This http://smashboards.com/threads/at-run-stop-cancel.364666/
Though you can test both if you want.

Got it, I'll probably test it out with Marth as I have a pretty good feel for him in Melee and Brawl

 

[TimeSmash]

I'm probably not going to have time for a heavy analysis on a character. Especially since I have so little previous peach experience, as she's not a main for me.

Completely fine, please let me know if she is playable, and anything that really sticks out to you

 

[Mighty_Guy100]

If its a new build, can you check if laser/missile canceling is back?

 

[Raijinken]

Do the designers think Aerial Lag is actually important, or
Will Final Destination modes be pre-unlocked on each stage, or
Will unlocked characters be shared between players without those characters (if I have Robin and a friend doesn't, and we play locally, will he be able to use Robin?)
Who is the Interviewee's favorite character? (That one may let them slip up and leak something if they aren't careful)

 

[Jords2Good]

I remember bowser in the e3 build and his side smash attack was really powerful.
Apparently his hitbox was at his head too.
One match bowser did his move hit the two players in front while a Yoshi came running to him from behind and it ended up hitting Yoshi too.

Basically if its a new build, is bowser's side smash hitbox still the same? Is it only around the feet this time?

 

[ミスティック Speed]

Plr

I'm going to PAX Prime this weekend where Nintendo will have Smash4 demos for Wii U and 3DS. I'd like to answer some questions you have either by trying the demo or by asking a Nintendo rep. My pass is for Monday, so you'll have to wait a bit for the answers.

Anyways. I'm taking 10 questions and I'll do my best to answer them on Monday. What do you want to know?

Keep in mind, it will most likely still be the E3 demo, so questions about leaked characters are probably not going to get answered.

1. Sonic's downsmash
2. Combo-ability
3. Were balance changes to the characters made based on what people saw in the demos?
4. Does Peach play well?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

If it's a new build:

1. Have there been changes to the physics since the E3 demo?
2. Are there new assist trophies or pokemon in this build?
3. Have any changes been made to Aerial Lag?

Please find out if Pit's Down Special reflects, also....find out how durable it is to physical attacks. Also, I'd love to know how long it lasts in general.
Just...the attack overall. Thank you!!

 

[Demon-oni]

2 Things I'd like to know if you have time for it tomorrow.

1. Does Rosalina's Down special behave like Fox's, in that you can cancel the pull at any time, or does it have a set amount of frames to it?

2. Is shield still similar to Brawl's shield? Closer to melee's? God forbid but Smash64?

 

[Admiral Pit]

Aside from me wanting as much Pit/Palutena data as possible, one thing I need to know about Pit is that the Famitsu thing for him mentions that it can block attacks.
1: I want to know if the Guardian Orbitars for Pit can block physical attacks, and if you can aim the shields up and down like Brawl's Mirror Shield. It's just this move hasn't be used much to its good potential in demo footage, so... yea.

If it's a new build with Palutena in it...
1: I'd love to know her default specials and all available costumes
2: If FD's in the build and wanting to hear its music.
3: Any other new Kid Icarus content, whether it's more items not shown in the e3 demo, and another AT besides Magnus (I'm sure Phosphora's an AT, but hasn't been shown).

Strangely it isn't as much questions I wanted to ask, but pretty much the majority of my requests are about all the Kid Icarus content and me wanting to see as much of it as possible, including taunts (and their quotes), and screen KOs.

 

[Deleted member 245254]

IF it is a new build, is the aerial landing lag still long??

For which character and attack?

Plenty of characters have ridiculously fast aerials with almost no landing lag. Look at Mario and Sheik.

 

[Xiaphas]

Taking no more questions beyond this point. Sorry, I just only have 1 day to attempt to answer these questions and who knows how many times I'll actually get to play.

 

[TimeSmash]

For which character and attack?

Plenty of characters have ridiculously fast aerials with almost no landing lag. Look at Mario and Sheik.

I meant more in general, sorry. A fair amount of characters have been shown to have too much lag to follow up on, so I was wondering if aerial landing lag had seen an overall (in lack of a better word) in this demo, if it is different than the E3 one

 

[Xiaphas]

I meant more in general, sorry. A fair amount of characters have been shown to have too much lag to follow up on, so I was wondering if aerial landing lag had seen an overall (in lack of a better word) in this demo, if it is different than the E3 one

Check my original post for an update.
I got to play a little via #SmashBash in Pike Place market, but it was still the E3 demo. Landing lag is different from move to move.

 

[pickle962]

For those still fretting over landing lag, I suggest giving this new thread that popped up today a gander...

http://smashboards.com/threads/landing-lag-fixed.365775/

Also, we will know for sure in less than two weeks about the final build for smash bros 4 (3DS version that is) and what's changed since the outdated E3 build

 

[Xiaphas]

Post-PAX Update

Lines for the Wii U Smash Multiplayer were incredibly short, so I got plenty of time to test. The version they had was still the e3 demo. So here we go:

1. Sonic's downsmash
In the chaos of a 4 player free for all with items on, it's hard to thoroughly analyze a move. However, I found the new down smash to have decent horizontal sending power in the 80-100% range, but couldn't tell you the damage numbers on it.

2. Combo-ability
I found myself in a couple 2-3 hit combos from other players that had more experience with the new game. I think once we have time to really sit down and practice with this game, more combos will emerge. It felt like there was potential, and I just sucked too much to pull it off.

3. Were balance changes to the characters made based on what people saw in the demos?
Nobody was willing to answer this question.

4. Does Peach play well?
Peach was not playable.

5. Do Pit's Guardian Orbitars reflect projectiles? do they block physical attacks? can they be aimed?
Pit's orbitars cannot be aimed, however they cover both sides for a brief moment. They will block physical attacks and reflects projectiles

6. Will unlocked characters be shared between players without those characters in local play?
Nobody was able to answer this question.

7. Can Rosalina's Down Special be Cancelled?
No, neither can Fox's reflect shield.

Other notes:

Characters that felt the best: Sheik, Rosalina (surprisingly for me), Greninja, Mario, Bowser, Villager, Link

Nailing someone with the Villager's tree falling down feels sooo good.

Greninja is really fun to play, but he feels like he lacks moves with KO potential, everything feels quick and cool though. In a sudden Death, Greninja's forward throw failed to KO little Mac, but his Bair succeeded.

I attempted to SHFFL (or I guess just SHFF) with Marth's Nair, I found this to be an effective strategy with minimal landing lag. Adapting to this made Marth feel better than he did in Brawl, honestly.

The input for short hopping may be easier in this game than ever before, which is something I have historically struggled with. I could always get the characters to do what I wanted.

Missle/Laser cancelling were definitely not present at all. Additionally, Fox felt terrible.

I was able to attempt dash canceling into Smash attacks as well as pivot canceling. Pivot Cancelling felt pretty consistent across all characters, however, dash cancelling seemed to be a lot easier on certain characters than others. For instance, the Wii Fit Trainer was especially difficult as the lag from ending a dash was much longer for him/her than a character like Mario.

I did not expect Smash Run to be very fun, I thought it would just be a mild distraction from the core game. This turned out NOT to be the case. The 5 minutes of running around the massive dungeon felt awesome. You get the feeling of progression you normally get in an RPG over 5 hours, in just 5 minutes. I will be playing a lot more Smash Run when the game comes out than I thought.

and finally, there's no way Samus was the best character in this build...

 

[TimeSmash]

Thanks for all this info! I'm a little sad it's still the E3 build, but I'm good with data all the same. The way you desrcibed Greninja reminds me of Zero Suit Samus in PM, haha

 

[Xiaphas]

Thanks for all this info! I'm a little sad it's still the E3 build, but I'm good with data all the same. The way you desrcibed Greninja reminds me of Zero Suit Samus in PM, haha

I should note that his Side Special is a LOT of fun, it's so cool to sneak your shadow behind a big melee character and then teleport to them and smack em.

 

[ミスティック Speed]

Awesome news. <3

 

[Xiaphas]

Awesome news. <3

I forgot to cover how long Pit's orbitars last. It's basically the same duration as Marth's Counter.

 

[ミスティック Speed]

I forgot to cover how long Pit's orbitars last. It's basically the same duration as Marth's Counter.

Wait, wait, wait...so it only comes up for a split second?

 

[Xiaphas]

Wait, wait, wait...so it only comes up for a split second?

yeah, it was actually very difficult to use effectively

 

[ミスティック Speed]

yeah, it was actually very difficult to use effectively

....sounds like it.
That's a terrible downgrade from the Mirror Shield....
Well, besides being covered from both sides, a spit second of defence is really bad...I figured you'd be able to hold it up for a couple seconds like the former.

edit: Does it inflict damage on those who touch it? Like in Uprising?

 

[Xiaphas]

....sounds like it.
That's a terrible downgrade from the Mirror Shield....
Well, besides being covered from both sides, a spit second of defence is really bad...I figured you'd be able to hold it up for a couple seconds like the former.

edit: Does it inflict damage on those who touch it? Like in Uprising?

it does no damage. The duration is probably a little longer than I'm making it sound, but certainly less than a second.

 

[ミスティック Speed]

it does no damage. The duration is probably a little longer than I'm making it sound, but certainly less than a second.

Tis a very situational move, indeed....
Does it push foes back upon initiation at least? it could be used to edgeguard in such a case since it expands outwards a fair distance.

 

[Xiaphas]

Tis a very situational move, indeed....
Does it push foes back upon initiation at least? it could be used to edgeguard in such a case since it expands outwards a fair distance.

Nope again. It is strictly defensive

 

[ミスティック Speed]

Nope again. It is strictly defensive

awwwwwwwwww.....
Oh well.
Thanks for the in depth explanation though! <3

 

[Jords2Good]

Thanks for answering my question. Seems like sonics down smash is pretty.good. of course I still need to see for myself.

Glad you played the game too, it must've been fun.

 

[JamietheAuraUser]

@ Xiaphas : Yeah, that thing about short hops was something I noticed from the Nintendo Treehouse footage. Ground jump startup was from 3 to 4 video frames, so probably 7 frames overall. That gives you a 5- or 6-frame window to turn a jump into a short hop, rather than a 3-frame window like in Brawl.