I don't like how Final Smashes are activated

[Jotari]

I like final smashes. And I love that Ultimate divorced them from the Smash Ball and made them a natural part of the game, it's something I've really wanted them to do for a while (though my idea was always a scale for how fast they could charge rather than binary choice for turning them on or off). However there's still on nagging issue I have with them and that's in how they're activated. Namely that you need to press the B button. Which means your Neutral Special is off the table until you use your Final Smash (at least I assume it follows you Neutral Special if you reassign buttons). What if I want to use Falco's laser a bit before launching his final smash? Or my enemy is on the other side of the stage firing projectiles at me and I want to use Nayru's Love until I can get close enough to use her Final Smash? It just seems to me that it's needlessly limiting to overwrite one of the character's moves in order to use their Final Smash. Of course that raises the question of what button could do this function? My best suggestion would be pressing A and B simultaneously, as that would be easy to do. Replacing the taunt instead of the Neutral Special could be a choice either, as taunts are less useful than the Neutral Special. Regardless of what the configuration is, I want a chance to use my Neutral Special while I'm searching for the best moment to use my Final Smash. I don't expect that would be all that controversial an opinion or anything and most people would agree, but after three games it still hasn't happened yet.

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

I enjoy the simplicity of activating a final smash and the sorta “mad rush” that happens when you get it so I’m gonna have to respectfully disagree with you.

also I know it dosent seem like it would be that confusing for new players, but there are actually a lot of people who already have trouble figuring out how to activate their final smash, so they might have a lot of trouble with A+B

 

[Jotari]

I enjoy the simplicity of activating a final smash and the sorta “mad rush” that happens when you get it so I’m gonna have to respectfully disagree with you.

also I know it dosent seem like it would be that confusing for new players, but there are actually a lot of people who already have trouble figuring out how to activate their final smash, so they might have a lot of trouble with A+B

I actually did consider that, but forgot to mention it. I think having the buttons appear above the character's head instructing the player on how to use it could be non intrusive and helpful.

 

[osby]

I like final smashes. And I love that Ultimate divorced them from the Smash Ball and made them a natural part of the game, it's something I've really wanted them to do for a while (though my idea was always a scale for how fast they could charge rather than binary choice for turning them on or off). However there's still on nagging issue I have with them and that's in how they're activated. Namely that you need to press the B button. Which means your Neutral Special is off the table until you use your Final Smash (at least I assume it follows you Neutral Special if you reassign buttons). What if I want to use Falco's laser a bit before launching his final smash? Or my enemy is on the other side of the stage firing projectiles at me and I want to use Nayru's Love until I can get close enough to use her Final Smash? It just seems to me that it's needlessly limiting to overwrite one of the character's moves in order to use their Final Smash. Of course that raises the question of what button could do this function? My best suggestion would be pressing A and B simultaneously, as that would be easy to do. Replacing the taunt instead of the Neutral Special could be a choice either, as taunts are less useful than the Neutral Special. Regardless of what the configuration is, I want a chance to use my Neutral Special while I'm searching for the best moment to use my Final Smash. I don't expect that would be all that controversial an opinion or anything and most people would agree, but after three games it still hasn't happened yet.

You know pressing A and B buttons simultaneously is used for executing smash attacks more easily, right?

You're just taking away people's option to use three moves instead of one.

 

[Jotari]

You know pressing A and B buttons simultaneously is used for executing smash attacks more easily, right?

You're just taking away people's option to use three moves instead of one.

I actually didn't know that. I'm primarily a C stick user. Though I question how that combination actually makes Smash attacks easier when I imagine you need to still input a direction, which makes it functionally the same as just pressing A without pressing B. Though fair enough if it's an option people use then it probably shouldn't be taken away if a substitute can be found. Albeit, removing it I would view as better than removing the Special button, as there are alternate ways to perform Smash attacks while there's no alternate way to perform a Neutral Special once your Final Smash is ready.

 

[soviet prince]

I just want the controlled smash's back

 

[Quillion]

Given that, at least as of Smash 4, that Final Smashes are supposed to be "super-ultra" attacks that aren't meant to be balanced, I think it's fine temporarily replacing the neutral-B.

That said, I think there should be more balanced type of "super attack", but I would rather make it a new category of move altogether. I would sacrifice one of the jump buttons (either X or Y) so that it becomes your "super special" button. It would act just like the special B button (hold X/Y and a direction to attack), but it would execute souped-up versions of your specials while consuming some meter. It would require further divorcing the super meter from the Final Smash, but I think "super specials" and Final Smashes with Smash Balls could coexist that way.

Really, I think Smash is mechanically stagnant at this point, and all the characters and modes in the world isn't going to save it unless we have a new mechanic like the one I described.

On another note, there are a lot of control options that I want in the series. The biggest one is to imitate the Crusade fangame and have the ability to turn off A-stick Smashing so I can solely use A-stick tilts much easier.

 

[Jotari]

Given that, at least as of Smash 4, that Final Smashes are supposed to be "super-ultra" attacks that aren't meant to be balanced, I think it's fine temporarily replacing the neutral-B.

That said, I think there should be more balanced type of "super attack", but I would rather make it a new category of move altogether. I would sacrifice one of the jump buttons (either X or Y) so that it becomes your "super special" button. It would act just like the special B button (hold X/Y and a direction to attack), but it would execute souped-up versions of your specials while consuming some meter. It would require further divorcing the super meter from the Final Smash, but I think "super specials" and Final Smashes with Smash Balls could coexist that way.

Really, I think Smash is mechanically stagnant at this point, and all the characters and modes in the world isn't going to save it unless we have a new mechanic like the one I described.

On another note, there are a lot of control options that I want in the series. The biggest one is to imitate the Crusade fangame and have the ability to turn off A-stick Smashing so I can solely use A-stick tilts much easier.

While just adding new specials wouldn't necessarily combat the exact issue of stagnant mechanics, per se, I think giving every character a dedicated Z Air would help to feel like the game is expanding it's range of abilities. And by Z Air I don't mean just a tether attack, but some kind of special ability in the air, either an attack that's half way between a regular and a special, or something like Peach's float or the glides from Brawl. Just never sat right with me that some characters have a whole extra move while a button is functionally unused for the rest of the class.

 

[Quillion]

While just adding new specials wouldn't necessarily combat the exact issue of stagnant mechanics, per se, I think giving every character a dedicated Z Air would help to feel like the game is expanding it's range of abilities. And by Z Air I don't mean just a tether attack, but some kind of special ability in the air, either an attack that's half way between a regular and a special, or something like Peach's float or the glides from Brawl. Just never sat right with me that some characters have a whole extra move while a button is functionally unused for the rest of the class.

Honestly, I think Zair would be good for air grabs. Couple that with including air shielding (while still retaining air dodging), and I think aerial followups in non-combo strings would be a bit more dynamic since you can read a shield and grab in the air instead of playing the waiting game or being limited to frame-trapping moves.

 

[Jotari]

Honestly, I think Zair would be good for air grabs. Couple that with including air shielding (while still retaining air dodging), and I think aerial followups in non-combo strings would be a bit more dynamic since you can read a shield and grab in the air instead of playing the waiting game or being limited to frame-trapping moves.

The issue with air grabs is that it would make mutual suiciding viable for every single members of the cast, rather than being a trait unique to a small handful of characters. The likes of Ganondorf and Bowser are much harder to edge guard or follow off stage due to their ability to initiate a mutual KO. It changes how players react and fight against them, which I think is good. Give that ability to everyone and suddenly edgeguarding and spiking become less safe and less reliable. Unless Z Air is less of a grab and more of an instant throw move.

 

[Gorgonzales]

I just want the controlled smash's back

I see we got a man of culture over here

 

[Quillion]

Unless Z Air is less of a grab and more of an instant throw move.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Zair grab should definitely be an instant throw as opposed to a grab-and-wait deal that can allow anyone to suicide.

 

[soviet prince]

I see we got a man of culture over here

imo it takes some fun out of casual smash games, the movie cinematics are interesting the first couple times but get old fast ulitmiate is the only smash game since brawl I hardly ever bother turning them on. Only one of the very few things I have a problem with this game with

 

[Gorgonzales]

imo it takes some fun out of casual smash games, the movie cinematics are interesting the first couple times but get old fast ulitmiate is the only smash game since brawl I hardly ever bother turning them on. Only one of the very few things I have a problem with this game with

I miss flying across the stage at mach 2 on a motorcycle as wario-man

 

[Quillion]

I would like to add that I too miss transformation Final Smashes. Like I said, they're essentially uber-items not meant to be balanced, so Sakurai's claim of "making the fight more fast-paced" makes no sense.

 

[Jotari]

Yeah I too like the older final smashes better. I get that these ones maybe assist in gameplay better, the old ones were more varied and usually just more fun to use in general.

 

[Janx_uwu]

If I'm remembering correctly, Sakurai said at E3 that you would be able to activate the FS meter with L+R. But I guess they patched that out between the beta and the final release. Personally I don't mind it, but it would be nice to combo a neutral special into a final smash.

 

[RawkHawk2010]

Valid complaint. Shulk's Chain Attack and Monado Buster go together like peanut butter and chocolate, but to conjure the Arts wheel after the meter is filled, you have to Air Slash, hold B throughout freefall/landing lag, and then after all that hopefully Buster isn't on cooldown.