Event - E3 Invitational 2014 I'm Attending the Super Smash Bros. Roundtable at E3. Any Questions For Sakurai?

[Thirdkoopa]

I have self-centered Q's but here's a question that I think would be pretty neat as an answer:

"What is the future you see the Smash games handling in?" - Frankly the answer we got during the 50 character roster thing was too vague for my liking.

 

[turtletank]

"What was the intention behind the changes to Greninjas silhouette and why do you hate Mewtwo fans."

No but really, I'd like to hear his answer to the first bit.

 

[TheSmasher916]

Congrats that you're able to make it to E3!! And thanks for the making of this thread, it's a really awesome idea.
Here are some of my suggestions:

1. "Will there be a large variety of alternate costumes this time around, and if so, will almost every character have one?" Sakurai has been pretty vague on the topic so far.

2. A question regarding his well being, more specifically about his arm.

3. If there is no reveal: "Regarding your statement last year; what is the fate of and will he ever make a return to the Smash Bros. universe?" (A question like this could be applied to Ridley as well if he is not revealed [edit: 'd by @RomanceDawn])

4. "Have you ever considered adding other straightforward (wanted to stray away from using the term "legal" because he might not know what that means) stages, other than Final Destination, to For Glory mode?"

5. "Will Final Destination forms of other stages be available outside of For Glory mode?"

6. "Will any content that appeared in Melee, but not in Brawl, reappear for these installments?"

Will add more later if I get any ideas.

 

[pwnzorz]

What challenges arose with the simultaneous development of the 3ds and WiiU versions of this game and how were they handled?

Did you or your team consult fan websites to draw feedback during early development?
- If so were western audiences considered alongside Japanese fan sites?

What is your favorite veteran to play as in this installment?

 

[Shell]

I would ask Nintendo what their views are on the competitive scene, and if this game has had any specific efforts to make the game a faster paced competitive game than Brawl was, such as through increased hitstun.

For your own knowledge- the biggest issue with Brawl is that hitstun was dramatically lowered (presumably so that new players would feel more "free" to move after being hit), which had the unfortunate result of heavily reducing followup and the reward for approaching (many attacks gave so little stun that the opponent could hit you back for hitting them).


I asked Bill Trinen about the competitive scene back in 2009 and got a very canned brushed off response (I used to work with a game site and get in to E3 similarly), but he might have a different attitude now since he seems to have loved the documentary.

This is actually not true, raw hitstun duration is the same between Brawl & Melee --

Hitstun duration in frames is knockback velocity * 0.4 (floored). That 0.4 constant (and thus the overall amount of stun in the game) has not changed since Melee.

Two factors make followups harder in Brawl:

1) You can cancel hitstun with air dodge after 13 frames or an attack after 25 frames regardless of the amount of stun you received (!) and

2) Floatier characters means that you don't have as much gravity pulling the character down on vertical sending attacks -- while the duration of stun might be the same on a given launcher between Melee & Brawl, Melee's higher gravity pulls the opponent back down more and keeps them within better range for followups for that same duration.

Now, the impact of these changes was made even worse because..

3) Sakurai et al. removed the ability to DI against low KB non-tumble attacks.

So with these things combined the only real combos in Brawl have to happen within 13 frames of stun, often low KB attacks, BUT these very same low KB attacks are often below the tumble threshold and therefore cannot be DI'd, leading to considerably less organic, cookie cutter combos...

It looks like (2) is already being addressed due to S4's physics being somewhere between Melee's and Brawl's, which is great, but that doesn't really accomplish anything without fixing (1) and (3).

@ Gnarleysquid - the Project M Dev Team has spent years digging into mechanical differences between Melee and Brawl. Say what you will about your preference for Melee vs Brawl vs PM, there are some objective design failures in Brawl (such as the ones listed above) that we would really hate to see get repeated in S4, regardless of what fun new direction it may take. There seems to be some evidence that the new game is built on much of Brawl's engine, as Brawl was built upon Melee's, so many of the coding errors and mechanical issues we've discovered are likely still lurking under the shiny new hood =/

Admittedly these sorts of technical questions may be inappropriate for a live roundtable -- we would be happy to put together a concise list of the highest impact issues for your consideration, perhaps you would be interested in passing it on to Sakurai in some capacity? The PM Dev Team wants the best Smash 4 as much as anyone else.

(more info on hitstun http://www.ssbwiki.com/Hitstun)

 

[XalchemistX]

When he walks in the room, stand up and yell in a japanese accident "HE IS ENTERTAINER!"

 

[asia_catdog_blue]

I bet no one have ask these questions yet.

1. Will there still be a Stamina Mode? I feel like it should be improved into it's own unique mode, right there with Stock Survival, Timed Battle, & Coin Fest.

2. Can there be a team mode, similar the The King of Fighters or even Pokémon? When you choose multiple characters(limited 3 to 6) and when one characters falls, another takes his/her/its place. It could be a special mode that could make up for those that liked and/or wanted transformations or miss the Pokémon Trainer.

3. Why does Pikachu still have Skull Bash, a move it can no longer use in Generation 3 and Beyond?

 

[LancerStaff]

Oh! Got some more. The guy with the KIU account forgot to ask KIU questions.

(In KIU)
"Did you leave those story threads hanging so there'd be space for a sequel?"

"Was the fusion process supposed to be figured out, or is it supposed to be a seemingly random process?"

"What do you think of the modifier transfering glitch? And would you consider making a mechanic like it in the next KI if you were in charge of it?"

"What do you think of how the best KIU players use weapons that usually KO in one shot? And would you of increased the HP of fighters, angels, and the teams' meters if you knew beforehand this would happen? "

Oddly, I don't want to ask if he'll do the next KIU. You can, but I'm not too interested.

And one for Kirby:
"Would you consider doing another Kirby game with HAL if they offered? (And can you tell them to make Air Ride 2 sometime?)"

 

[Chepe]

"Was the decision to add Greninja made before or after the release of Pokemon X and Y?"

A year ago, Sakurai mentioned that they couldn't do any market research on Gen 6 Pokemon for playable candidates because Pokemon X and Y weren't out yet. It would be interesting to know whether he received a sneak peek at Greninja through GameFreak before those games' release or if they waited until last October at the earliest to decide on a Gen 6 Pokemon.

This is the most burning question I have, as it would shed light on how the behind-the-scenes discussions with The Pokemon Company transpired this time around and provide a precedent from which to speculate on Pokemon characters in future Smash Bros. installments.

 

[SmashChu]

@ Gnarleysquid - the Project M Dev Team has spent years digging into mechanical differences between Melee and Brawl. Say what you will about your preference for Melee vs Brawl vs PM, there are some objective design failures in Brawl (such as the ones listed above) that we would really hate to see get repeated in S4, regardless of what fun new direction it may take. There seems to be some evidence that the new game is built on much of Brawl's engine, as Brawl was built upon Melee's, so many of the coding errors and mechanical issues we've discovered are likely still lurking under the shiny new hood =/

Admittedly these sorts of technical questions may be inappropriate for a live roundtable -- we would be happy to put together a concise list of the highest impact issues for your consideration, perhaps you would be interested in passing it on to Sakurai in some capacity? The PM Dev Team wants the best Smash 4 as much as anyone else.

(more info on hitstun http://www.ssbwiki.com/Hitstun)

I liked the rest of your post but I disagree with the quote. I think it just goes to the "Brawl bad, Melee good" mentality that is competitive Smash. Brawl is not flawed (not sure about coding errors but I think that is a bit exaggerated given what I mentioned before). Brawl was designed to fix the issues Melee had. Sakurai specifically said Melee was too hard in an interview. The canceling at 13 frames is a design choice more than a flaw. It prevents players from constantly dominating another player and give them a bit of breathing room. The player can get away and have a change to turn the match around. In one Brawl match, the caster noted that "In most games, a read will get you a lot of damage. In Brawl, a read is about 20-30. This is by design as the game is suppose to be one of ebb and flow. Again, this is a 4 player battle royal so having long combos and chasing doesn't work too well. And when the game is designed to be easy to get into, it doesn't makes sense to have players juggle you and knock you every which way without an out. The idea was not to turn the game into another Melee which would be to difficult and too intense for the average player. The game was always designed as an anti thesis to traditional fighting games and making another Melee would be going in that direction. If anything, Brawl was trying to correct the mistakes in Melee. This quote describes how Brawl was trying to correct Melee.

had created Smash Bros. to be my response to how hardcore-exclusive the fighting game genre had become over the years," Sakurai said. "But why did I target it so squarely toward people well-versed in videogames, then? That's why I tried to aim for more of a happy medium with Brawl's play balance. There are three Smash Bros. games out now, but even if I ever had a chance at another one, I doubt we'll ever see one that's as geared toward hardcore gamers as Melee was. Melee fans who played deep into the game without any problems might have trouble understanding this, but Melee was just too difficult."

Melee had a slew of other issues too such as L-canceling being a dumb mechanic, an air dodge that is awful or defense, and not being able to grab ledges from behind despite the fact many recoveries turned you around at a simple tilt of the stick. Brawl is not without issues. SSB4 is trying to fix some of those too such as tripping and, to a lesser degree, the low falling speed. But where Brawl was almost a total revamp, SSB4 is a tweak to make it a better game.

 

[Shell]

@ SmashChu I don't want to turn this into a Brawl vs Melee design debate so I will respond once and then let this thread run its course -- do you not acknowledge that limiting most combos to less than 13 frames of stun -and- removing the defensive ability to DI hits on most of the weak attacks (non-tumble) that are so prevalent in <13 frame combos makes for an objectively less dynamic combo game (varying followups / higher branching combo tree), regardless of how potent you deliberately design the punishes to be?

I admit that I misspoke when I called the cumulative effect of the three changes (and especially the hitstun cancel) an "objective design failure" and I understand the goal of Brawl's design, to limit the frustration of players (especially new players that aren't familiar with DI & SDI) on the receiving end of combos and to indirectly encourage more aggressive footsies due to reduced punishment risk -- that's all accomplished by the 13 frame AD interrupt, sure, but I maintain my position that the DI change and the hitstun AD changes synergize poorly.

If Smash 4 is supposed to be a compromise in design I would at least start by pushing the AD cancel window back to the attack window (fr13->fr25) and restoring non-tumble DI. Regardless of your preference in Brawl vs Melee from my experience and observations there are too many players that would be put off Smash 4 (after a year or so... everyone will still flock to a shiny new game initially) without some degree of compromise here. Please understand that I'm now not necessarily arguing which subjective design choice is better overall, but which approach will actually build the largest united smash community in S4 and beyond.

My personal ideal would be to just remove the hitstun interrupts altogether and put together a better in-game training system that teaches new players how to effectively use DI & SDI, among other things such as sweetspotting the ledge, PS reflect projectiles (should that hopefully return), rudimentary combos, and whatever other new advanced techniques Smash 4 decides to offer. Which leads me to....

-------

Getting back to the original topic @ Gnarleysquid : I have revised my suggestion. Rather than asking about potentially polarizing technical details not well suited for a round table, I would instead love for you to ask if Sakurai et al. have developed or would kindly consider adding an interactive, guided training system that covers the items I mentioned and helps bring new casual players into a fuller understanding of the game's deep mechanics. Smash is a series that attracts more casual players than most traditional fighting games, but is no shallower in mechanics (IMO) and would therefore benefit from such a training system more than any other fighting game. By aiding the growth of new players you can help prevent as much of a skill gap from forming between newer casual and veteran competitive players, thereby requiring less skill-gap compressing / "rubberbanding" mechanics built into the game itself.

I strongly feel that a guided training system would do wonders for the long term health of Smash and that something official / built into the game would have a much farther reaching impact compared to something like youtube guides, which are helpful but tend to be utilized by advanced players more anyways... even if it's not ready for launch it'd be a welcome patch addition etc.

Thanks, Gnarleysquid. Maybe I'm overplaying the significance of this, but if you can plant this idea in Sakurai's mind I think you could accomplish much more for the game and community than just getting a quick question answered.

 

[CloneHat]

SmashChu, you're saying that the poor design choices in Brawl are successful implementations, but then much more subjective features in Melee are straight-up flaws ("a simple tilt of the stick"? Hate to break it to you, but that's how all inputs work in these games). Try to have perspective. Each game had things that worked and didn't work

 

[Gnarleysquid]

Getting back to the original topic @ Gnarleysquid : I have revised my suggestion. Rather than asking about potentially polarizing technical details not well suited for a round table, I would instead love for you to ask if Sakurai et al. have developed or would kindly consider adding an interactive, guided training system that covers the items I mentioned and helps bring new casual players into a fuller understanding of the game's deep mechanics. Smash is a series that attracts more casual players than most traditional fighting games, but is no shallower in mechanics (IMO) and would therefore benefit from such a training system more than any other fighting game. By aiding the growth of new players you can help prevent as much of a skill gap from forming between newer casual and veteran competitive players, thereby requiring less skill-gap compressing / "rubberbanding" mechanics built into the game itself.

I strongly feel that a guided training system would do wonders for the long term health of Smash and that something official / built into the game would have a much farther reaching impact compared to something like youtube guides, which are helpful but tend to be utilized by advanced players more anyways... even if it's not ready for launch it'd be a welcome patch addition etc.

Thanks, Gnarleysquid. Maybe I'm overplaying the significance of this, but if you can plant this idea in Sakurai's mind I think you could accomplish much more for the game and community than just getting a quick question answered.

That's actually a very good question. I'll be sure to add it to the list. Definitely have quite the number of questions building up, and I hope to get as many of them answered as possible. Keep them coming guys, a few of you have brought up some great ones since my last post

 

[Shell]

Thanks a lot Gnarleysquid, really interested to hear the response to that one... I'm guessing it'll be something like "oh, guided training mode.. hmm... that's a nice idea, but we haven't done anything like that." But at least it might get the wheels turning.

 

[Admiral Pit]

Actually a question I'd want to ask revolves around balance. I'm aware that as a game grows older, some players, especially competitive ones, seem to be able to find hidden techniques or capabilities, in which I will use Brawl Meta Knight's infinite cape glitch and King Dedede's infinite chaingrab as examples. While it is banned in tournaments, I'm sure there's players that have sometimes abused it in Basic Brawl, which personally I don't find fun at all, like using the walls on some stages to perform the chaingrab for as long as the user wants while the victim can't do anything. As such, if such a game-breaking trick or exploit is found and if you're aware of it, will there eventually be a patch to remove said exploit?

In short terms, will any game-breaking exploit, trick, or glitch that's been found that creates major imbalances eventually get patches that will either alter or remove them completely?

By doing this, I'm hoping not that many players will be discouraged from enjoying their mains and that we'll be able to see a lot of character variety in the long run rather than just the top characters all the time, and it'd make tournaments and watching streams of them more interesting.

 

[ChunkyBeef]

That's actually a very good question. I'll be sure to add it to the list. Definitely have quite the number of questions building up, and I hope to get as many of them answered as possible. Keep them coming guys, a few of you have brought up some great ones since my last post

You might want to consider how you want to rank them. The Q&A is only an hour and a half, and you're not the only one asking questions. Might want to consider which ones are most important or most likely to get the most information.

 

[Homelessvagrant]

I'm would really love it if you asked him:

Why did you ultimately decide to remove transformations this time around and what does it mean for future iterations of smash?


I'm curious because I'm still broken by the change to pokemon trainer and I do really feel that when done right, transformations add an experience that can't be created any other way. I really support Sakurai in the majority of his decisions and while I believe the character split worked out for Zelda and Samus, I am utterly baffled that transformation characters as a whole have been removed.

I am also curious to what Sakurai's knowledge base of Project M is (as well as the overarching hacking community). I would like to know if (asumming he is aware of it) what his opinion has been of it and on whether it affected his judgement in any way coming into this game. I'm real interested on what he would to say on the matter.

Anyways thanks dude, It's really cool that you are taking the time out to help reach the US smash community to Sakurai.

 

[Davidreamcatcha]

"Everyone knows your criteria for playable characters (i.e. uniqueness), but how do you go about the process of considering and choosing playable characters in the initial phases of design?"

And ask about K. Rool.

 

[SmashChu]

SmashChu, you're saying that the poor design choices in Brawl are successful implementations, but then much more subjective features in Melee are straight-up flaws ("a simple tilt of the stick"? Hate to break it to you, but that's how all inputs work in these games). Try to have perspective. Each game had things that worked and didn't work

When you consider that the series is designed to be easy to get into, Melee's designs were flaws. They weren't making the game harder, not easier. So they are flaws. We can see with SSB4 that they are basing it heavily on Brawl. And, of course, you have the quote above where Sakurai wonders why he made Melee the way it was. Consider what he says here.

When I began working on the first Smash Bros., there was a great focus on [highly-technical] fighting games, and that's something we've seen branch off into sort of a niche direction. Now, those types of fighting games have a very high barrier to entry for new players, while Smash was always meant to appeal to lots of people from different gaming communities. When you look at fighting game forums, you'll see a preference for Melee, and yet, I think there are lots of people in the silent majority who don't post online who prefer Brawl. Ever since I started working on the Kirby series, I've always thought about the needs of the less vocal, beginning players of games.

Clearly, the games are meant to be easy to get into. Not hard. So Melee's design choices were in the wrong direction and why he says he'll never make another game like Melee. On the stick thing: The problem was that if you tilted slightly up and the opposite direction, your character would change directions. And I'm not talking about a normal tilt. Any slight change would send you the other way. So even though you were high enough to recover, you now get to fall to your death because your inputs weren't perfect. It was stupid in Melee and they took it out.

@ SmashChu I don't want to turn this into a Brawl vs Melee design debate so I will respond once and then let this thread run its course -- do you not acknowledge that limiting most combos to less than 13 frames of stun -and- removing the defensive ability to DI hits on most of the weak attacks (non-tumble) that are so prevalent in <13 frame combos makes for an objectively less dynamic combo game (varying followups / higher branching combo tree), regardless of how potent you deliberately design the punishes to be?

I admit that I misspoke when I called the cumulative effect of the three changes (and especially the hitstun cancel) an "objective design failure" and I understand the goal of Brawl's design, to limit the frustration of players (especially new players that aren't familiar with DI & SDI) on the receiving end of combos and to indirectly encourage more aggressive footsies due to reduced punishment risk -- that's all accomplished by the 13 frame AD interrupt, sure, but I maintain my position that the DI change and the hitstun AD changes synergize poorly.

If Smash 4 is supposed to be a compromise in design I would at least start by pushing the AD cancel window back to the attack window (fr13->fr25) and restoring non-tumble DI. Regardless of your preference in Brawl vs Melee from my experience and observations there are too many players that would be put off Smash 4 (after a year or so... everyone will still flock to a shiny new game initially) without some degree of compromise here. Please understand that I'm now not necessarily arguing which subjective design choice is better overall, but which approach will actually build the largest united smash community in S4 and beyond.

My personal ideal would be to just remove the hitstun interrupts altogether and put together a better in-game training system that teaches new players how to effectively use DI & SDI, among other things such as sweetspotting the ledge, PS reflect projectiles (should that hopefully return), rudimentary combos, and whatever other new advanced techniques Smash 4 decides to offer. Which leads me to....

-------

Getting back to the original topic @ Gnarleysquid : I have revised my suggestion. Rather than asking about potentially polarizing technical details not well suited for a round table, I would instead love for you to ask if Sakurai et al. have developed or would kindly consider adding an interactive, guided training system that covers the items I mentioned and helps bring new casual players into a fuller understanding of the game's deep mechanics. Smash is a series that attracts more casual players than most traditional fighting games, but is no shallower in mechanics (IMO) and would therefore benefit from such a training system more than any other fighting game. By aiding the growth of new players you can help prevent as much of a skill gap from forming between newer casual and veteran competitive players, thereby requiring less skill-gap compressing / "rubberbanding" mechanics built into the game itself.

I strongly feel that a guided training system would do wonders for the long term health of Smash and that something official / built into the game would have a much farther reaching impact compared to something like youtube guides, which are helpful but tend to be utilized by advanced players more anyways... even if it's not ready for launch it'd be a welcome patch addition etc.

The problem is your coming from a faulty assumption. Does Smash really need a dynamic combo system. Does it need combos at all? Does it need a united Smash comunity? These things appeal to only a small group of players and not everyone (see above). However, they are in direct contrast to the design of the game. You can cancel hitstun because it gives control back to the defender. He gets a change to turn the battle. He doesn't have to sit there and be pummeled because he got hit by one attack. So I'm not sure how these changes "synergize poorly" when they reach the desired effect.

A training mode is a bandage, not a solution. It doesn't matter how much training you give players. The reason for the cancel is to give the players some control. Removing that is to remove control, which is great for the attacker. But removing it and adding a training more means you still have the issue (players are very vulnerable after a hit and have no out nor a way to get their footing). Unlike most competitive Smash players, most people have careers, families, and a social life. So they can't dedicate the time to use the training mode and get to the point where they can actually enjoy the game. This is why Smash was designed the way it is. It's also one of the major reasons the series has survived so long where many other cross overs have failed. The main game needs to be done right. A better tutorial does nothing but make people upset that they are playing a tutorial.

 

[BKupa666]

Stay on topic.

So, anyhow, it's apparently just come out that this Q&A session is not going to be streamed, and is going to be instead hidden away with only video game journalists (and "journalists") having access. As such, @ Gnarleysquid , the community's access to information from this session rests on your shoulders...be sure to take note of any quality answers that may emerge from it.

 

[Johnknight1]

@ Gnarleysquid
Ask him what his favorite stage is!

(it sounds dumb, but there's a lot you can tell by someone saying their favorite stage in smash!)

Unlike most competitive Smash players, most people have careers, families, and a social life. So they can't dedicate the time to use the training mode and get to the point where they can actually enjoy the game. This is why Smash was designed the way it is. It's also one of the major reasons the series has survived so long where many other cross overs have failed. The main game needs to be done right. A better tutorial does nothing but make people upset that they are playing a tutorial.

Apparently I didn't take 18 units of classes and Ace every single freaking one of them and finish most of them early, take care of my handicapped older brother 20-40 hours a week every week, don't take care of myself physically, and I don't regularly hang out with my friends and girlfriend and family, all of whom I am close to don't exist.

Apparently Ken, Dr. PP, Korean DJ, SamuraiPanda, and HugS don't have successful careers they are thriving in. Apparently Hungrbox isn't an excelling student and Mango isn't a caring father.

Apparently none of us can have "competitive Smash players" as friends or family members, despite Ken's brother and sister entering tournaments, and my brother being my doubles partner, and many of us having fellow "competitive Smash players" as friends.

Nope, we can't do that because we play competitive smash. We're all just a bunch of fringe people, just like every person who enjoys any form of competition.

All of this is no longer true because you say so.

 

[Aninymouse]

@ Gnarleysquid
Ask him what his favorite stage is!

So much THIS. Why did I never think of this? Genius!

Edit: Gotta say tho, I had no idea Mango was a father. If he is indeed the caring father you say he is, mad respect. Mad respect. I've made pokes at him for his drinking on camera, but you know, we all have our low points. We all mess up. Hell I have no room to judge the man. I hope his son helped him get serious and be a good father. There is not much in this world more valuable than a loving father.

 

[Johnknight1]

So much THIS. Why did I never think of this? Genius!

It's also worth mentioning also because his wife (whom he married in June 2008; she's that vaunted "assistant" he always brought up, haha!!!) actually made all the stages in Smash 64 (that makes her a deity in my book).

Kinda weird how those things work out, and judging by some stage designs, I think she's involved in stage design again.

Maybe another question would be "who all is specifically in charge of stage-related projects?" I really would like to know if the people who made the stages back in 64, Melee, and Brawl are back, as well as the people who make stages for Soul Calibur and Tekken (especially Soul Calibur since they have some stages I absolutely adore, and because Final Destination looks like a Soul Calibur stage).

 

[Aninymouse]

It's also worth mentioning also because his wife (whom he married in June 2008; she's that vaunted "assistant" he always brought up, haha!!!) actually made all the stages in Smash 64 (that makes her a deity in my book).

Kinda weird how those things work out, and judging by some stage designs, I think she's involved in stage design again.

Maybe another question would be "who all is specifically in charge of stage-related projects?" I really would like to know if the people who made the stages back in 64, Melee, and Brawl are back, as well as the people who make stages for Soul Calibur and Tekken (especially Soul Calibur since they have some stages I absolutely adore, and because Final Destination looks like a Soul Calibur stage).

I didn't know Sakurai was married, and I didn't know she designed the 64 stages. That sounds amazing. Too busy to google that right now. I hope you're not mistaken.

 

[Johnknight1]

I didn't know Sakurai was married, and I didn't know she designed the 64 stages. That sounds amazing. Too busy to google that right now. I hope you're not mistaken.

"Michiko Sakurai (born Michiko Takahashi) is a graphic designer working at Project Sora, a Nintendo subsidiary studio. Michiko graduated from the Musashino Art University in 1997 and landed at a position at HAL Laboratory. After working on Kirby's Star Stacker, Michiko joined Masashiro Sakurai in the development of Super Smash Bros. She worked on the interface of the game and also created three of the stages. Since then she worked in a similar role on all following HAL games where Sakurai was involved. In 2003 when Sakurai resigned from his position at HAL, Michiko left with him and the two formed Sora, a shell company who worked in a freelance basis on several projects. After working on Meteos and Super Smash Bros Brawl, Sakurai started Project Sora, a first party studio working for Nintendo. Michiko is not only a designer but also manages the in-house staff. Michiko interfaces became a trademark of Sakurai games as evident in the recurrence of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's menu visuals in Kid Icarus: Uprising."

Source on Sakurai being married (a wiki)
One of Sakurai's friends congratulating him for getting married in June 2008
An interview with (then named) Michiko Takahashi (mostly about Smash 64 and Melee and Kirby's Air Ride I think [it's been a while since I've read it])
And here's a picture of her that she's just as ageless as he is...

Although Sakurai is more of a Benjamin Button type...

(seriously, the hell kind of drug is Nintendo hiding from us=???)

 

[ChunkyBeef]

Although Sakurai is more of a Benjamin Button type...

I about died right there.

 

[Aninymouse]

Husband and wife team up for game developement? Now that's powerful.

 

[Kel]

In addition to wanting to know if Sakurai knew about L-canceling, I would also like to know why he chose to remove dash dancing at the last minute from Brawl.

Background: Dash dancing was still in the game when Gimpyfish and the California guys played the Brawl demo before its release. Sonic's dash dance was rumored to be better than Melee Captain Falcon's. When Brawl was released we found out that all of the character's dash interruption animations had been shortened to only a few frames each.

Some guy replied to my L canceling question saying "it's obvious they knew" but this has been up to debate since I joined the scene in 2005. It's obvious wave dashing was programmed into the game (although maybe its applications were not intentional), but L canceling manipulates IASA frames in attempt to bring up your shield faster. I would like to know if Sakurai made a conscious decision to make L-canceling like it was in Melee, or if that was somewhat of an accident. It would be nice to have him answer these kinds of questions to have concrete proof behind the director's intentions. Many people claim that Sakurai didn't know what he was doing and that Melee was somewhat of a beautiful accident, but I think Sakurai might surprise us.

These questions may not be as exciting as the other questions that will be asked at the round table, but it would be nice for the community to know; which is why I assume OP is asking smashboards in the first place. Plus, these questions are more likely to receive individual answers while the more common/ exciting questions will likely receive canned responses.

 

[Chiroz]

In addition to wanting to know if Sakurai knew about L-canceling, I would also like to know why he chose to remove dash dancing at the last minute from Brawl.

Background: Dash dancing was still in the game when Gimpyfish and the California guys played the Brawl demo before its release. Sonic's dash dance was rumored to be better than Melee Captain Falcon's. When Brawl was released we found out that all of the character's dash interruption animations had been shortened to only a few frames each.

Some guy replied to my L canceling question saying "it's obvious they knew" but this has been up to debate since I joined the scene in 2005. It's obvious wave dashing was programmed into the game (although maybe its applications were not intentional), but L canceling manipulates IASA frames in attempt to bring up your shield faster. I would like to know if Sakurai made a conscious decision to make L-canceling like it was in Melee, or if that was somewhat of an accident. It would be nice to have him answer these kinds of questions to have concrete proof behind the director's intentions. Many people claim that Sakurai didn't know what he was doing and that Melee was somewhat of a beautiful accident, but I think Sakurai might surprise us.

These questions may not be as exciting as the other questions that will be asked at the round table, but it would be nice for the community to know; which is why I assume OP is asking smashboards in the first place. Plus, these questions are more likely to receive individual answers while the more common/ exciting questions will likely receive canned responses.

L-Cancelling was mentioned in Melee's dojo page as "Smooth landing" and Sakurai himself explained how to do it on the update.

It was also a part of 64 and was mentioned in the 64 manual.

It was definitely programmed in purposely, that has never been up to debate.



Wavedashing was more of a "coincidence" because Melee's physics engine was created to retain momentum at all times (like Physics works in real life). Since air dodging created a burst of momentum which dies out and since landing cancels the air dodge it also cancels the "dying out" of the momentum. Basically if you land all the momentum you had upon landing is retained and that makes you "slide" forward. The only thing that stops you from sliding forever is the fact that the game has friction/traction programmed which slows you down slowly.

Basically wavedashing was created because of how Sakurai wanted physics to work, but he didn't actually create wavedashing itself. Sakurai has stated he knew about wavedashing from early on in development and didn't care about it which is why it didn't get removed or anything.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

I don't think L-Cancelling was necessarily programmed in purposely, didn't Sakurai say in an interview that they discovered it in development but let it stay because they liked it? I don't think it was in the plans to have such a mechanic initially since it basically is a manipulation of the physics, but they just rolled with it when they discovered it.

Either way, I guess it's worth a shot to ask if there are any advanced techniques that have been put in Smash 4, I think that's probably more important and relevant than asking about previous titles, this is a Q&A about the current game after all.

 

[Kel]

L-Cancelling was mentioned in Melee's dojo page as "Smooth landing" and Sakurai himself explained how to do it on the update.

It was also a part of 64 and was mentioned in the 64 manual.

It was definitely programmed in purposely, that has never been up to debate.

Can you post sources for this? I don't see anything in the 64 manual about L canceling. I see teching mentioned. Can you post what page/ where it's mentioned?
http://www.gamesdbase.com/Media/SYS...mated/Super_Smash_Bros._-_1999_-_Nintendo.pdf

I also searched for the melee dojo but couldn't find anything. Could you post the source? I've never seen that mentioned before.

 

[Chiroz]

I don't think L-Cancelling was necessarily programmed in purposely, didn't Sakurai say in an interview that they discovered it in development but let it stay because they liked it? I don't think it was in the plans to have such a mechanic initially since it basically is a manipulation of the physics, but they just rolled with it when they discovered it.

Either way, I guess it's worth a shot to ask if there are any advanced techniques that have been put in Smash 4, I think that's probably more important and relevant than asking about previous titles, this is a Q&A about the current game after all.

That's wavedashing. L-Cancelling has nothing to do with physics.

Can you post sources for this? I don't see anything in the 64 manual about L canceling. I see teching mentioned. Can you post what page/ where it's mentioned?
http://www.gamesdbase.com/Media/SYS...mated/Super_Smash_Bros._-_1999_-_Nintendo.pdf

I also searched for the melee dojo but couldn't find anything. Could you post the source? I've never seen that mentioned before.

It might have been the 64 Dojo then. I can't actually post a source because I honestly don't have it. You don't have to believe me but back when Brawl was being released and people where discussing about how Sakurai should/would remove techs I remember people linking to something of the sort (the Melee dojo) and that's where I read it.

I'll try to find you a link, see if I can come up with anything.



If its any consolation you should think about the fact that L-Cancelling works very differently in 64 than it does in Melee code-wise (one ends the animation and "stun" time completely and tells the game to play a completely different animation while the other makes the animation and "stun" time play out at 2ble the speed and thus last half the time) yet they both achieved the same thing gameplay-wise (reduce lag).

Also making an animation play out faster (like it does in Melee's L-Cancel) requires actual code to be input into the game to make it play faster, so it wasn't some coincidence or mistake, there is a lot of unique code dedicated to the L-Cancelling mechanic.





Edit: I just googled "Smooth Landing Sakurai" and "Smooth Landing Smash" and the first 5 searches all confirm that L-Cancelling was mentioned as such in the Japanese Dojo of both 64 and Melee. I will try and get you an actual picture or something but it will probably be in japanese.



Edit2: Here is 64's dojo, archived and translated:

http://web.archive.org/web/19991117180837/http://smashbros.com/moves_advattacklanding.html

I will try to find Melee's if I can.



Edit3: Haven't found Melee's yet, but look at this thread:

http://smashboards.com/threads/need-some-vital-information.194838/



Edit4: I couldn't find a translated Melee dojo archive. Sorry about that. But I did find more than a dozen different sites (including SSBWiki) claiming that the Japanese Melee dojo also had an update explaining what "Smooth Landing" was and how to perform it, just like the 64 update. I don't know if this helps.

 

[Empyrean]

Either way, I guess it's worth a shot to ask if there are any advanced techniques that have been put in Smash 4, I think that's probably more important and relevant than asking about previous titles, this is a Q&A about the current game after all.

I think this should definitely be a question. Obviously his answer, whether a yes or a no, won't stop the community from finding exploits and unintentional techs on their own, but I'd be nice to know of the developers knowingly coded some techniques.

 

[Homelessvagrant]

Asking about what content is expected to be in the current game is a complete waste of a question. You are basically asking for information that everyone will have in a few months anyways. Now if we rephrase it to determine the methodology of thought process of adding possible said feature, then we are getting information that reaches the core of Sakurai's thought process in game design. That way the information has more lasting value.

 

[Gnarleysquid]

Stay on topic.

So, anyhow, it's apparently just come out that this Q&A session is not going to be streamed, and is going to be instead hidden away with only video game journalists (and "journalists") having access. As such, @ Gnarleysquid , the community's access to information from this session rests on your shoulders...be sure to take note of any quality answers that may emerge from it.

I came to the conclusion that it wouldn't have been live streamed as Nintendo has forbidden any sort of pictures or video from being taken. Traditionally, any of the big conferences allow it, but the Pokemon X and Y roundtable last year didn't even permit audio recordings.

As I did mention before, I have received permission to record audio during the Smash Q&A and as of yet I haven't signed an embargo for any potential reveals/details. I'll have a lot of notes to draw back on (provided I don't run into a technical hiccup, which would be devastating but unlikely), but I should be coming out with a lot of content to write up.

That accompanies a new Nintendo-related opportunity that I've been given, although I'm not at all allowed to get into specifics and I'm not sure what ramifications (if any) it'll have for Smash. We may have have a lot more questions prior to the Q&A that the community will want addressed, so be sure to give them to me the day of the Nintendo Digital Event, because I will be doing a last minute check before the event kicks off.

 

[Deleted member]

You have been quoted as saying you are "considering" Mewtwo for Smash Bros. Is this quote real or fabricated?

No offense to Mewtwo fans, I'm just sick of seeing this quote as "evidence" when it could very well be false. I'd love it if Mewtwo came back, but this quote being used to "prove" he's a shoe-in is just dumb.

 

[WaddleKing]

I mostly only got one question that i Really want an answer to: " Mr.Sakurai, There was a rumour that Meowth was originally going to be playable in Super Smash Bros. 64 but got cut due to time constraint, was this rumour true and has Meowth ever been considered as a playable character at one point? "

One minor question that i would also like to ask is: " What made you change your mind about the Villager not being suited for Smash Bros.? "

 

[Chiroz]

You have been quoted as saying you are "considering" Mewtwo for Smash Bros. Is this quote real or fabricated?

No offense to Mewtwo fans, I'm just sick of seeing this quote as "evidence" when it could very well be false. I'd love it if Mewtwo came back, but this quote being used to "prove" he's a shoe-in is just dumb.

The quote is real, he did say it. The question is whether he was telling the truth or lying when he did say it. That isn't a question that should be asked because at best he will say it was the truth and he was considering Mewtwo, which will lead us nowhere as to Mewtwo's inclusion (considering does not mean confirmed), at worst Sakurai will feel offended because he can feel the question itself implies he is a liar. Not a good question to ask.



PS: Also, he wasn't considering placing Mewtwo in. He was considering whether to use Mewtwo's new Y Mega Evolution in Smash 4. That was the actual question he was answering.

 

[Vintage Creep]

Hey, everyone! My name is Riley Little

Are you for ****ing real.

 

[Deleted member]

PS: Also, he wasn't considering placing Mewtwo in. He was considering whether to use Mewtwo's new Y Mega Evolution in Smash 4. That was the actual question he was answering.

HURRRRR

I've been misunderstanding the quote this whole time...

>Level Up!
>Promoted to Idiot Type 5!!

You are probably right in that it isn't the best question to ask though. I'm just incredibly skeptical of that quote is all.