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Discussion: The Process of Unlocking Characters and Other Content

Do you like the unlock process in past games?

  • YES! I love spacing out the reveals!

    Votes: 256 54.7%
  • I don't mind it. It's neat once.

    Votes: 114 24.4%
  • I'm not a fan. I try to complete it quickly.

    Votes: 48 10.3%
  • NO! Just lemme play the game!

    Votes: 50 10.7%

  • Total voters
    468

godogod

Smash Ace
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Messages
643
@
Just a random scrub Just a random scrub

I don't like the first option.. It almost defeats the purpose of unlocking, because its right there and people will be tempted to do it at anytime. We got an all characters unlock for the switch version of dragon ball xenoverse 2 as a dlc for the first month and while it was fun, kind of ruined things for me.. I like sticking to a few characters and branching out.. You get to enjoy with more of what little you have in the moment. That's my opinion anyway. Maybe Sakurai could do the same thing like db xenoverse 2 initially.

as long as it isn't too time consuming/hard to unlock all characters but not too easy either(via dlc), amiibo could be a good option for instant/fast unlocking
 

CrusherMania1592

Deaf Smasher
Premium
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I hope Mewtwo keeps his Melee method as one way to unlock him, not the only way mind you but just a silly call back.

I also wonder if owning a characters amiibo will be an unlock method?
That would be one HELL of a way to unlock them...and a cheap way lol

I'd rather unlock them than going straight up with Brawl's Subspace or using amiibos to get the easy way out

I kind of hope that they leave one character in the game that they don't announce, so when people unlock them it's a total surprise.
That's gonna be quite difficult in this day and age where we will get the roster leaked before it's released
 

Next Door Dog

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jun 21, 2018
Messages
99
I'm not a fan of the early unlock option, but it might be necessary for the competitive scene somewhere down the line. Maybe wait a month or so after the game comes out and make it a DLC option (either a couple bucks or free). Characters are one thing, but there's no telling how easy/difficult stage unlocks will be.

I like the idea of playing online and fighting someone who has a character you haven't unlocked yet. Like if they're playing as Duck Hunt, they might have been playing the game for longer than you, or they figured out how to unlock them in some mode you haven't messed with yet. Early unlocks kind of cheapens stuff like that, but it's no skin off my back.

I don't see a problem with unlocks from amiibos, but I only have one anyway, so it's not too big a deal. :ultlucas:
 

Nap_

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Jul 12, 2018
Messages
439
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Yes.
The shop option it's the best for making things easy and quickly, but I hope that winning a match againts the character still become necessary.
Some of them will be cheap, others expensive and anothers needed of additional conditions. F-Zero GX used the same method: classic starters, 26 machines avaliables by money since the beginning and new machines unlocked via playing. I cannot see another way of making it easier than in previous games.
Of course, it will be more methods like VS matches.
 

soviet prince

I am the terror that flaps in the night
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  • Include an option when booting up the game for the first time to unlock everyone instantly: I've seen this requested a few times, and I agree. What's not to love about this? Having the option to either unlock everyone at once for those who want to try out their main lickety-split, or keep the unlocking system intact for those who really value it like me? Seriously, everybody wins. I can't see any downsides whatsoever.


  • that kind of kills the point of having it be unlockable. that's about as fun as owning a toy but telling yourself you can not play with it until you play with the other toys for a hour each, what the joy in unlocking something you could already have? I like to have the felling I am getting something I did not have rather then getting access to something I forbid myself from getting if that makes sense
 
Joined
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Messages
733
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Dying
@
Just a random scrub Just a random scrub

I don't like the first option.. It almost defeats the purpose of unlocking, because its right there and people will be tempted to do it at anytime. We got an all characters unlock for the switch version of dragon ball xenoverse 2 as a dlc for the first month and while it was fun, kind of ruined things for me.. I like sticking to a few characters and branching out.. You get to enjoy with more of what little you have in the moment. That's my opinion anyway. Maybe Sakurai could do the same thing like db xenoverse 2 initially.

as long as it isn't too time consuming/hard to unlock all characters but not too easy either(via dlc), amiibo could be a good option for instant/fast unlocking


  • that kind of kills the point of having it be unlockable. that's about as fun as owning a toy but telling yourself you can not play with it until you play with the other toys for a hour each, what the joy in unlocking something you could already have? I like to have the felling I am getting something I did not have rather then getting access to something I forbid myself from getting if that makes sense
Huh, I never thought about it like that. That makes a lot of sense.
 
Joined
Jun 4, 2006
Messages
8,377
Location
Long Beach,California
What if you could unlock certain characters in teams?

Like if you beat classic on Very Hard with Fox.

Challengers Approaching!!

VS...

Team Star Fox!

Then you have to beat both Falco and Wolf, with your random team mate.
 

DeltaSceptile

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
1,029
I'm hoping the unlocks are like Brawl, with each character taking slightly more work to unlock than the last, and some characters could be unlocked quicker when playing specific stages. (Ex: Ness took 5 matches, Snake was 15 matches on Shadow Moses.) I liked that games unlocks as nothing was too hard or easy, and pacing was relatively average. Plus the fact that each character could be unlocked in 2 or 3 ways.
 
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soviet prince

I am the terror that flaps in the night
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I have all of them but prob still unlock then normally for fun
 

Jedisupersonic

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I have all of them but prob still unlock then normally for fun
I'll probably do the same even if I only have some amiibo.

Also to note that Sakurai said any series amiibo would work in Smash ultimate for a character, so if you have Daisy's laying around or like Chrom's Warriors amiibo. Those will work too.
 

PF9

Smash Lord
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I have 6 Smash Amiibo of non-Original 12 characters, plus 3 Splatoon Series Amiibo, one of which I will use as my Inkling FP since I'll probably never use those with Splatoon. Looking into buying more non-O12.
 
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Ryu_Ken

Ace Adventurer and Truth Seeker
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I am crossing my fingers in hopes that we can unlock all the characters in the so-called "Spirits" Mode. Stages being unlocked from the beginning and the ability to save rulesets will help make setups a lot easier and faster.
 

Smashoperatingbuddy123

Smash Legend
Joined
Jul 16, 2013
Messages
10,909
Spirit mode should involve this way of unlocking character

But I assume there will be the traditional ways in smash as well

do a certain thing in a certain mode with a certain character (or any)

Or do a certain vs amount
 

Yoshisaurus Rex

Smash Champion
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I definitely think “Spirits” should offer a way to unlock characters. Amiibo unlock would be nice for those who want to unlock their mains or a new character they’re dying to try out right from the get go.

I also had a thought about certain stages unlocking certain characters. I remember one of the ways to unlock Snake in Brawl was to fight on Shadow Moses 15 times. If that mechanic is brought back, you could unlock most if not all characters quickly considering all stages are unlocked from the beginning.

And a question about unlocking echo fighters. Would it make sense for them to be unlocked right along with their “originals” or should they be unlocked separately?
 
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LucR

Smash Rookie
Joined
Aug 19, 2018
Messages
21
I think the best thing to do is have methods to unlock characters, whether it be Spirits mode, VS Matches or any other method, while also having a cheat code that can unlock all characters
 

DeltaSceptile

Smash Lord
Joined
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Messages
1,029
And a question about unlocking echo fighters. Would it make sense for them to be unlocked right along with their “originals” or should they be unlocked separately?
I kinda hope they get unlocked separately so they can each get their own spotlight when they get unlocked as opposed to being overshadowed completely by the main character.
 

Fell God

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A bit off topic, but I see everyone talking about how they had to leave their GC on overnight to get Mewtwo. Couldn't you just unlock him by playing matches? Pretty sure I did since I didn't have internet at the time.
 

DeltaSceptile

Smash Lord
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A bit off topic, but I see everyone talking about how they had to leave their GC on overnight to get Mewtwo. Couldn't you just unlock him by playing matches? Pretty sure I did since I didn't have internet at the time.
Yeah, but it was a god-awful amount.
 

Funktastic

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I have all the Amiibos sans Bayonetta, and I'm torn. I love unlocking characters, but I've also invested so much in these darn amiibos I feel like I should use them. #FirstWorldProblems
 

Luigifan18

Smash Master
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I definitely like the idea of unlocking characters in ways that are thematically appropriate. For instance, unlocking Ridley by scoring 250 KOs in Endless Smash (since he’s a big fan of mass murder), or unlocking Wario by collecting 100 trophies because he's a greedy treasure hunter).
 
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Michael the Spikester

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I think it should be both easy and hard that way people gets what they want. If they want the easy approach wanting to play those characters right away they'll do that but otherwise if they want the hard approach and challenge like how Melee was they'll do that. Brawl and Smash 4 did show after all there were many options to unlocking characters though according to Sakurai he says unlocking characters in this will be more "steamlined".
 
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BigMac1304

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jul 4, 2018
Messages
107
I personally love the idea of faster character unlocks. In Smash 4, I STILL haven't unlocked Tails. In my opinion, playing 1000 games of Smash Tour is way too high of a requirement. Anyone else in the same boat?
Best post on SmashBoards *Claps*
 

BronzeGreekGod

Smash Lord
Joined
May 26, 2012
Messages
1,638
What i want is good challenges to complete in order to unlock characters. Not "play for x hours", or "play x matches".
 

Vermilion

Smash Cadet
Joined
Sep 4, 2018
Messages
52
Honestly I don't think I'm going to use any particular method to unlock characters fast this time. I'm just going to play the game and unlock characters along the way, making exceptions for characters with weird requirements.
 

TrendanBrendan

Smash Rookie
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Here's an idea:
All stages are available from the get-go, right?
So to unlock Peach, play on a Mario-themed stage.
Then, to unlock Daisy, play on a Mario-themed stage again.
Then Bowser, then so on. I don't know how they'll streamline the unlock process, but this would probably be the fastest way. Although I do really like the "every 5 matches" idea in this thread.
 

ExitWound

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Aug 28, 2018
Messages
201
I want it to be like melee where doing certain things (eg. 100 man melee in 10 mins unlocks falco, the adventure mode timer unlocks luigi) causes a challenger approaching match. Especially for first time players there's the element of surprise when you unknowingly meet unlock conditions and don't know who the secret fighters are. Smash 4 was boring because we already knew every character all you had to do was play matches over and over for a couple days and then you had everybody.
 

RileyXY1

Smash Hero
Joined
Jun 8, 2016
Messages
7,099
I want it to be like melee where doing certain things (eg. 100 man melee in 10 mins unlocks falco, the adventure mode timer unlocks luigi) causes a challenger approaching match. Especially for first time players there's the element of surprise when you unknowingly meet unlock conditions and don't know who the secret fighters are. Smash 4 was boring because we already knew every character all you had to do was play matches over and over for a couple days and then you had everybody.
Although, Smash Wii U did have a bunch of hard challenges to unlock fighters.
 

Meritocracy

Smash Apprentice
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Sep 6, 2018
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There isn't a chance my idea hasn't been said before, but I'll throw my pen into the ring regardless
While I support making a nice, streamlined, character unlock method, there should be a "Unlock all fighters option" even if it's a ~80 stock match against every character, for people who don't want to have to unlock them individually
 

Mogisthelioma

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I hope it' like, "Every X games a challenger approaches." BUT, you don't have t fight them right away. Instead, they'll go into a queue. You can access this queue from the menu, and fight any challenger that you haven't unlocked yet, and in no specific order.
 

osby

Smash Obsessed
Joined
Apr 25, 2018
Messages
23,438
One cool idea: Open echo fighters at the same time with their counterparts. Like, if unlocking matches are stilla thing, make me fight with Belmontsat the same time in Dracula's Castle.
 

RileyXY1

Smash Hero
Joined
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Messages
7,099
One cool idea: Open echo fighters at the same time with their counterparts. Like, if unlocking matches are stilla thing, make me fight with Belmontsat the same time in Dracula's Castle.
There's one problem with that: Dark Samus is a clone of Samus (a starter).
 

osby

Smash Obsessed
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Messages
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There's one problem with that: Dark Samus is a clone of Samus (a starter).
Oops, correct. Eh, I doubt they'll do unlocking battles with so many characters, anyway. They're fun but grew old after a time.
 
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