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Masahiro Sakurai addresses Ultimate's Netcode

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Following Update 8.1.0, containing the addition of the stage Small Battlefield and a few minor updates to online. In the latest Famitsu issue, Masahiro Sakurai talked in his column about the netcode for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Source Gaming founder and ex-owner, PushDustIn, has provided a full translation of the column.

Some of the highlights include:
  • Sakurai noting that, while Battlefield is used often in competitive play, it was originally designed for four players.
  • Mentions that it would have been impossible to make 100 'Small Battlefield' stages, but that they still wanted to add a single option.
  • Making input delay when fighting 1v1 was made lower, but the side-effect contains matches possibly dropping.
  • Small adjustments to matchmaking and other optimizations are still being tweaked.
  • Limitations in what's able to be done to tweak online.
  • Sakurai looked into rollback netcode and decided against it; the side effects were noted to be "substantial".
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has now sold 20 million games. Sakurai notes the column by saying he will do his best to make all feasible adjustments and improvements to the game.
Author's Note: What did you think of Sakurai's latest Famitsu article? What updates are you hoping for? Let us know in the comments below!
 
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Lucas "Thirdkoopa" Guimaraes

Comments

It should be noted that Smash Bros as a series, have been using a similar online engine for more than a decade, ever since Brawl. Ultimate's engine as a whole is reused from SSB4.

If rollback is going to happen, it likely requires a complete engine change in order for it to be possible. This, as you can tell, is an absolute behemoth of a task, with the current pandemic not helping this case. It also likely results in numerous, significant side effects to the gameplay, which is what Sakurai elaborates on.

As unfortunate as this is, we unfortunately have to make due to what we have, only hoping for various tweaks to the online gameplay, which fortunately has been confirmed since 8.1 to be happening.
 
D
I still feel like us "Wi-FI Warriors" will continued to be shamed, since we're constantly accused of abusing the netcode.
 
I still feel like us "Wi-FI Warriors" will continued to be shamed, since we're constantly accused of abusing the netcode.
While it's totally understandable why so many people only use Wi-Fi, it is incredibly frustrating how horrible some people's Wi-Fi can be. It makes some matches downright unplayable and can completely kill the online experience for some. I just find it tragic how Nintendo made it such a hassle for people to use a wired connection that I bet less than 10% of the entire playerbase actually uses it.
 
Given Bandai Namco's luck with netcode for their other current fighting games, to resolve the issue it would be better to simply work with a different company entirely.
 
D
While it's totally understandable why so many people only use Wi-Fi, it is incredibly frustrating how horrible some people's Wi-Fi can be. It makes some matches downright unplayable and can completely kill the online experience for some. I just find it tragic how Nintendo made it such a hassle for people to use a wired connection that I bet less than 10% of the entire playerbase actually uses it.
My guess is only the serious Smashers use wired internet, the same Smashers who go to locals and stuff. I only bought a LAN adapter because I thought I was serious. Now I seem to have one for no reason.
 
My guess is only the serious Smashers use wired internet, the same Smashers who go to locals and stuff. I only bought a LAN adapter because I thought I was serious. Now I seem to have one for no reason.
Yeah, I think you're absolutely right. I too bought a LAN adapter because I was serious. I wanted to smooth the online experience so I could better train for in-person locals. Then COVID hit and well....the IRONY.
 
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