Big-Cat
Challenge accepted.
We've all talked about things like which characters to add, what music, stages, gameplay mechanics, online, etc. to add, but one thing I feel is grossly neglected is the invaluable training mode. In the time that has passed since Brawl came out, fighting game training modes have gotten to become very good, providing plenty methods of testing attack propertiers, combos, defensive strategies, etc. Things like block positioning, CPU recordings, and dummy settings are excellent additions to Training Modes to help the players boost up their game.
That being said, what are some things that can be done to help improve the quality of Smash's Training Mode? I've got some ideas myself, but before I write them down, read this carefully.
DO NOT THINK OF THINGS STRICTLY IN WHAT PREVIOUS SMASH GAMES HAVE BROUGHT.
Now with that said, here's some suggestions. The idea behind these is to provide as many options and training tools as possible. This is also to help beginners level up in the necessary areas so they aren't so intimidated.
Record - Let's you record up to three possible recordings of a CPU for as long as you want. You can choose to have these three done sequentially, or randomly to help improve your reading skills. Alternatively, you can just have the same recording loop.
Mash Settings - For things like being frozen or in a broken shield state, you can use this to alter how fast the dummy mashes out of them. The fastest setting would be the fastest humanly possible setting.
DI Settings - On knockback, you can choose which direction the dummy will DI in. Perfect for when you're stuck on how to punish bad DI reads. You can choose a specific direction or make it randomized.
Automatic Restart - Instead of having to pause, take a page from Virtua Fighter and have the select button be used as a reset button.
Restart Settings - Unlike in other games, you can choose where you and the dummy want to be positioned relative to the stage. Once you have the position you like, you can have the game take a "snapshot" of the positions and every time you restart, you can go back to that position every time. Else, you can reset it to the default setting.
Hitstun Bar - A feature that I love in Skullgirls, have a small bar underneath the attacked opponent indicating how much hitstun you have left.
Frame Data - Another feature from Virtua Fighter I've come to love. This would be something on the bottom left of the screen (or right if you prefer) that will tell you the frame data for an attack you just landed. This would include the number of startup frames, active frames, recovery frames, and your advantage on hit AND block at the same time. It would also include a combo counter and an indicator for when the opponent can tech on the hit.
Hitboxes - Ooh, everyone will love this. This is simply an option to make hitboxes visible. This is incredibly important for spacing and figuring out why some combos won't work otherwise.
Character specific settings - This is something else for when you want to get something down based on certain setups. For example, if Olimar were to have his game changed where he plucks Pikmin on certain parts of the stage, you could turn on the option to have the areas highlighted to indicate which Pikmin can be plucked where.
Any other suggestions?
That being said, what are some things that can be done to help improve the quality of Smash's Training Mode? I've got some ideas myself, but before I write them down, read this carefully.
DO NOT THINK OF THINGS STRICTLY IN WHAT PREVIOUS SMASH GAMES HAVE BROUGHT.
Now with that said, here's some suggestions. The idea behind these is to provide as many options and training tools as possible. This is also to help beginners level up in the necessary areas so they aren't so intimidated.
Record - Let's you record up to three possible recordings of a CPU for as long as you want. You can choose to have these three done sequentially, or randomly to help improve your reading skills. Alternatively, you can just have the same recording loop.
Mash Settings - For things like being frozen or in a broken shield state, you can use this to alter how fast the dummy mashes out of them. The fastest setting would be the fastest humanly possible setting.
DI Settings - On knockback, you can choose which direction the dummy will DI in. Perfect for when you're stuck on how to punish bad DI reads. You can choose a specific direction or make it randomized.
Automatic Restart - Instead of having to pause, take a page from Virtua Fighter and have the select button be used as a reset button.
Restart Settings - Unlike in other games, you can choose where you and the dummy want to be positioned relative to the stage. Once you have the position you like, you can have the game take a "snapshot" of the positions and every time you restart, you can go back to that position every time. Else, you can reset it to the default setting.
Hitstun Bar - A feature that I love in Skullgirls, have a small bar underneath the attacked opponent indicating how much hitstun you have left.
Frame Data - Another feature from Virtua Fighter I've come to love. This would be something on the bottom left of the screen (or right if you prefer) that will tell you the frame data for an attack you just landed. This would include the number of startup frames, active frames, recovery frames, and your advantage on hit AND block at the same time. It would also include a combo counter and an indicator for when the opponent can tech on the hit.
Hitboxes - Ooh, everyone will love this. This is simply an option to make hitboxes visible. This is incredibly important for spacing and figuring out why some combos won't work otherwise.
Character specific settings - This is something else for when you want to get something down based on certain setups. For example, if Olimar were to have his game changed where he plucks Pikmin on certain parts of the stage, you could turn on the option to have the areas highlighted to indicate which Pikmin can be plucked where.
Any other suggestions?
