I need some vectoring help!

[SirIanAsh]

Hi everybody!
I like to play smash a lot but when it comes to advanced techniques I'm horrible...

Now, one thing that's really annoying me is when my friends vector.

I know they vector when I'm playing as Toon Link and I do a back-throw from the edge of a stage, and they are at about 110% and they do not die.

Basically what I want right now is someone to explain to me how to vector, and please make it a bit easy for me to understand

 

[Niala]

Vectoring is very simple, really. Basically, when you're hit by an opponent and are sent flying, you can hold a direction to influence your flight path. Are you being hit up? Hold down and you won't go as far. Are you being hit left? Hold right and you won't go as far.

You can also add to the direction, i.e., if you're being hit up, make yourself go further upward, which helps avoid stupid d-throw>uair combos from those nasty and players. That being said, until you find it necessary to do otherwise, you can just hold toward the stage every time you get hit and you won't be sent flying as far.

 

[birdmanman]

Does air dodging affect vectoring at all?

 

[Niala]

Does air dodging affect vectoring at all?

No-- vectoring is a directional input that directly affects your flight path, it's completely independent from air dodging. What you might be thinking of is the momentum slowing effect it had in Brawl, where air dodging after your hit-stun faded would shorten your total knockback distance. I'm actually uncertain as to whether or not that mechanic has returned to Smash4, but I don't suspect it did.

 

[birdmanman]

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[wingedarcher7]

In order to get the most out of it, should you start inputting the direction as soon as you get hit or would the directional influence still work just as well even if you use it after the hit went through?

 

[Niala]

Thanks for the clarification.

No problem~

In order to get the most out of it, should you start inputting the direction as soon as you get hit or would the directional influence still work just as well even if you use it after the hit went through?

I actually don't know the answer to this question, sorry. I would think vectoring would have to be applied at the moment of contact, as that's how DI was done in prior games, and that if you tried to change the vector afterwards it simply wouldn't work. But it could be a cumulative, tapering change that you could apply throughout the hitstun. I'm really not sure.

In any case, there's a thread here: http://smashboards.com/threads/vectoring-the-replacement-to-directional-influence-in-smash-4.368780/ with information regarding vectoring. Perhaps somebody there could answer your questions more effectively than me.

 

[SirIanAsh]

Vectoring is very simple, really. Basically, when you're hit by an opponent and are sent flying, you can hold a direction to influence your flight path. Are you being hit up? Hold down and you won't go as far. Are you being hit left? Hold right and you won't go as far.

You can also add to the direction, i.e., if you're being hit up, make yourself go further upward, which helps avoid stupid d-throw>uair combos from those nasty and players. That being said, until you find it necessary to do otherwise, you can just hold toward the stage every time you get hit and you won't be sent flying as far.

When do I do that? Do I have to do it before launching or during?

 

[Niala]

When do I do that? Do I have to do it before launching or during?

Like I said, I'm not 100% sure on that, but I suspect you would have to input the vector before or at the moment of contact, not during the flight. As long as you're holding a direction when you get hit, it'll apply.