Fuqua
Smash Apprentice
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2014
- Messages
- 136
Hello, this is my first post on smashboards 
So I was wondering how you would design the online part of the next smash if you were in charge of it. I think we can all agree that brawls online was kind of…. ****, so there is a lot of improvement that can be done in the online department of smash.
I’ll now post my vision of the online mode in smash 4.
So since Smash has always been a game that appeals to multiple kinds of gamers, I think the online mode should reflect that. On one side we have the gamers that just want to play free for all’s with items on and have a fun time with the game. They really don’t want to bother with looking into the games mechanics or putting a lot of time into becoming better at the game. Then there are the gamers who are more interested in the competitive aspects of smash, they want a well-balanced and deep fighting experience where the better player wins.
These two types of gamers don’t work well together. The competitive player is going to beat the non-competitive player every time, making it frustrating for the non-competitive gamer. On the other hand the competitive gamer would love the play against a player of his skill level. Considering this information, I would suggest that we separate those two types of gamers from the very beginning.
That’s right, the very first option when you enter the smash online environment should be:
UNRANKED / RANKED
Unranked is for the player that just wants to have “fun”, ranked is for the player that wants to play competitively.
When you choose UNRANKED you have the following options:
- 4 Player Free for all
- 2v2
- 1v1
- (Lobby type system where you can create rooms…)
4 Player Free for all, 2v2 and 1v1 have pre-set rules (all items on, 3 stock, stage gets chosen at random from one of the players choices). This is pretty much the “quick match” option, its simple and fast.
The lobby type system could be really cool. A player creates a room and sets all the rules (items, only certain characters allowed, tourney, special rules…) for that room. Then he gives the room a name and a description. Other players can then join that room if they like the rules chosen by the host. If you don’t find a room to your liking you can just create your own room. You could also see the ping of the host and search for a room with a good connection. You could also set passwords and only allow certain players to join the room.
When you choose RANKED you have the following options:
- 1v1
- 2v2
- Leaderboards
1v1 and 2v2 have pre-set rules (4 stock, no items, only certain stages, 8 minutes time). Unlike UNRANKED, your performance in RANKED will be noted. You will have a profile that displays your WIN/LOSS ratio and other Stats. I won’t go into too much detail since the RANKED portion of the online is basically like the online of most fighting games. I really like Street fighter 4’s system where you can choose who you want to play against and you can see the connection. Leaderboards would be cool too, who has the best Peach? Which team combination is the most successful in 2v2? Who is the overall best player whit the best WIN/LOSS ratio? This type of information is very interesting for the competitive player, and it goes without saying that playing competitively is much more fun when your performance gets noted and you can set goals that you want to achieve, like becoming one of the top 50 Marth players or something like that.
That’s pretty much it. I know, in comparison to brawl this might be a lot to ask, but in comparison to other fighting games this is pretty reasonable.
I know you could add A LOT more modes but I wanted to keep it to the basics, anything more than this is just bonus for me.
I invite you now to make your own online infrastructure or criticize mine. What do you disagree with and what would you add? How likely do you think it will be that something like this will actually get put in the game?
So I was wondering how you would design the online part of the next smash if you were in charge of it. I think we can all agree that brawls online was kind of…. ****, so there is a lot of improvement that can be done in the online department of smash.
I’ll now post my vision of the online mode in smash 4.
So since Smash has always been a game that appeals to multiple kinds of gamers, I think the online mode should reflect that. On one side we have the gamers that just want to play free for all’s with items on and have a fun time with the game. They really don’t want to bother with looking into the games mechanics or putting a lot of time into becoming better at the game. Then there are the gamers who are more interested in the competitive aspects of smash, they want a well-balanced and deep fighting experience where the better player wins.
These two types of gamers don’t work well together. The competitive player is going to beat the non-competitive player every time, making it frustrating for the non-competitive gamer. On the other hand the competitive gamer would love the play against a player of his skill level. Considering this information, I would suggest that we separate those two types of gamers from the very beginning.
That’s right, the very first option when you enter the smash online environment should be:
UNRANKED / RANKED
Unranked is for the player that just wants to have “fun”, ranked is for the player that wants to play competitively.
When you choose UNRANKED you have the following options:
- 4 Player Free for all
- 2v2
- 1v1
- (Lobby type system where you can create rooms…)
4 Player Free for all, 2v2 and 1v1 have pre-set rules (all items on, 3 stock, stage gets chosen at random from one of the players choices). This is pretty much the “quick match” option, its simple and fast.
The lobby type system could be really cool. A player creates a room and sets all the rules (items, only certain characters allowed, tourney, special rules…) for that room. Then he gives the room a name and a description. Other players can then join that room if they like the rules chosen by the host. If you don’t find a room to your liking you can just create your own room. You could also see the ping of the host and search for a room with a good connection. You could also set passwords and only allow certain players to join the room.
When you choose RANKED you have the following options:
- 1v1
- 2v2
- Leaderboards
1v1 and 2v2 have pre-set rules (4 stock, no items, only certain stages, 8 minutes time). Unlike UNRANKED, your performance in RANKED will be noted. You will have a profile that displays your WIN/LOSS ratio and other Stats. I won’t go into too much detail since the RANKED portion of the online is basically like the online of most fighting games. I really like Street fighter 4’s system where you can choose who you want to play against and you can see the connection. Leaderboards would be cool too, who has the best Peach? Which team combination is the most successful in 2v2? Who is the overall best player whit the best WIN/LOSS ratio? This type of information is very interesting for the competitive player, and it goes without saying that playing competitively is much more fun when your performance gets noted and you can set goals that you want to achieve, like becoming one of the top 50 Marth players or something like that.
That’s pretty much it. I know, in comparison to brawl this might be a lot to ask, but in comparison to other fighting games this is pretty reasonable.
I know you could add A LOT more modes but I wanted to keep it to the basics, anything more than this is just bonus for me.
I invite you now to make your own online infrastructure or criticize mine. What do you disagree with and what would you add? How likely do you think it will be that something like this will actually get put in the game?
