If you haven’t heard, there’s a little game that was just recently came out called Halo3. Love it or hate it, this game is packed with features, options, and modes that go so far beyond what other console games are doing that I have officially given Halo3 my NextGen Seal of approval. For those of us that are against everything toting two guns and grenades, it’s time we set aside our differences and learn something from one another. So what can Master Chief teach us about Smash?
<p align="center"> <img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/master_chief2.jpg" height="321" width="340" /></p>
<!--more-->If you haven’t heard about it already, there’s a mode in Halo3 called <a href="http://gamevideos.com/video/id/15005">FORGE</a>. The video does a great job of explaining what the forge is so watch it now if you haven’t. Forge is basically a map editor mode where players can tweak tons of options in a map to play however they want. What’s also cool about this mode is, it’s also a game mode that can be played with friends. All players have the power to edit the level and drop in items as the match is being played. It’s pretty exciting.
What if Brawl had a mode like this. Sakurai loves options after all. Melee is a testament that fact. How many other games lets you mess with damage ratios AND player handicaps? If the Dojo updates have told us anything, we know that Sakurai is putting more options into Brawl than in any other of his games combined. He’s already letting us play with at least four different types of controllers while giving us the options to rearrange the buttons “however we like” (Sora). Some of us feel that such ideas so completely far fetched they will never see the day of light. What are the chances that Smash will have a Forge like mode?
What if I told you I’ve already played it? I call it <strong>Smash Forge</strong>!
Using AR and going into the debug/developer mode allows us to play Melee like never before. By hitting the D pad in different directions, a specific item/enemy/pokemon can be selected and essentailly equipped to the down direction. At any point in the battle, hitting Down will spawn that item/object near your character. It’s not exactly Forge, but keep in mind, this mode was technically created about six years ago. You know, last gen.
I’ve already blogged on how random spawning items aren’t the only way to go (Heck it’s not even the best way to go by far). Having items equipped or spawn in specific locations according to a timer would not only take Smash into new interesting directions, but it would eliminate the chance of randomly exploding in a match.
This option is the equivalent to how Bungie creates the complexities in Halo’s multiplayer. By adjusting weapon locations in the map and how quickly they respawn, the entire match is balanced. Because the location of these items don’t change, strategies can be built around going for them, or defending against them. Knowing what’s out there is key to developing a strategy. After all, how can you plan against something if you don’t know what it is? In the end, it doesn’t matter if the rocket launcher is overpowered, there’s only one of them on the stage, you have to go all the way out of your way to get it, and the number of shots you can take are limited. It would seem that Smash could take a few suggestions out of the Bungie/FPS book.
If you have access to AR, set up a match and try some of these modes. (Keep in mind, items have to be turned on to be able to spawn items. Otherwise only enemies will be available)
<strong>OCTOROCK-OUT</strong>
<p align="center"> <img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/link.jpg" height="374" width="228" /></p>
In this mode, players get to duke it out in an exciting 1v1 match. I suggest starting on Final Destination to keep things simple. On each end of FD, span three Octorok. Now fight! The Octorok will continually shoot rocks at the players on a set rhythm. After learning the rhythms of the rocks in the heat of battle, crazy new combos can be set up. The rocks aren’t very strong, so the traditional style of combat is still very important. Beware, stray too close to the Octorok bunch and their jumping animations will send you flying away followed by a barrage of rocks.
Like with any Smash Forge mode, if you don’t like the way the items/enemies are set up, feel free to change it yourself. It’s as easy as attacking the Octorok. If you don’t want your opponent to camp the guns on Corneria, then put some Octorok down there. Remember though, everything is done in real time. If you take too long setting something up, or if you fail to put up a defense, your opponent can get the better of you. It’s a struggle for power, as each player tries to alter the field according to their own wishes. And with the power of Smash Forge, it’s possible.
<strong>Pokemon Duels</strong>
<p align="center"> <img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/poketatsm.jpg" /></p>
In this mode, each player gets one Pokeball. Both players in this variant will have to play by honor rules (where each person follows the additional rules that are agreed upon that exist outside the videogame). Set the type of Pokemon before the duel by hitting Right on the D-pad. When both players are holding a ball, they can start fighting. Because when holding a Pokeball, you can’t use A attacks or grabs, players will have to strategize while being limited to B attacks. Perhaps you’re good enough to throw your ball in the air, attack get a few attacks off, and then catch it again. Because both players know what type of Pokemon will come out, they know how dangerous the situation can become and how far away they need to be to stay safe. Before the ball is thrown, it’s a struggle to see who will throw their ball first. Try knocking the Pokeball out of your opponents hands so they don’t have a chance to use it how they want. Try reflecting or catching their Pokeball so that you’ll have two monsters while your opponent has zero. After the Pokemon are all gone, it’s a straight 1v1 duel until someone is killed. Repeat.
If you try this mode, you’ll see that just a little knowledge and planning goes a long way in developing battle strategies. Before, Pokeball were too random. What I mean by this is when a Pokeball is thrown, there are too many possible Pokemon that can come out. Because no one knows what’s going to come out, it’s hard to develop a strategy around your Pokemon. By eliminating all the randomness out of the items in play, no one can complain about luck and who got the better Pokemon. That’s right! No complaining. You knew I had a Porygon2. In fact, you had one too!
<strong>Mine-games</strong>
<p align="center"> <img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/mine.jpg" /></p>
Just as the title suggests, this mode is all about motion sensor bombs. Each player can spawn and use unlimited motion sensor bombs. Because the bombs blow each other up if they get too close, there are bound to be safe areas somewhere on the stage. Don’t give your opponent a chance to set things up. Attack quickly! Put pressure on the situation by laying bombs on the sides of the stage. That ought to make your opponents think twice when recovering. If you die, quickly get back and use the invincibility to run through all the bombs you don’t like. If you have a projectile, use it to control which bombs you want on the stage and which bombs you don’t. Can you set up a bomb in secret? Mine-games!
These are just some of the possibilities for game types created in Smash Forge. These types of games aren’t possible with randomly spawning items. Even with Smash Forge in melee, you really have to appreciate all the hard work Bungie put into Halo3. And though Halo3’s Forge is limited to awkward dual analog controls, the Wiimote would give this mode far more accessibility. Imagine playing with the Wiimote and Nunchuk. Smashing your opponent off the stage would buy you a few seconds to use the Wiimote’s pointing capabilities to drop an item anywhere you want on the screen. It’s fast, simple, and intuitive.
Believe and Forge ahead into the Future!
<p align="center"> <img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/master_chief2.jpg" height="321" width="340" /></p>
<!--more-->If you haven’t heard about it already, there’s a mode in Halo3 called <a href="http://gamevideos.com/video/id/15005">FORGE</a>. The video does a great job of explaining what the forge is so watch it now if you haven’t. Forge is basically a map editor mode where players can tweak tons of options in a map to play however they want. What’s also cool about this mode is, it’s also a game mode that can be played with friends. All players have the power to edit the level and drop in items as the match is being played. It’s pretty exciting.
What if Brawl had a mode like this. Sakurai loves options after all. Melee is a testament that fact. How many other games lets you mess with damage ratios AND player handicaps? If the Dojo updates have told us anything, we know that Sakurai is putting more options into Brawl than in any other of his games combined. He’s already letting us play with at least four different types of controllers while giving us the options to rearrange the buttons “however we like” (Sora). Some of us feel that such ideas so completely far fetched they will never see the day of light. What are the chances that Smash will have a Forge like mode?
What if I told you I’ve already played it? I call it <strong>Smash Forge</strong>!
Using AR and going into the debug/developer mode allows us to play Melee like never before. By hitting the D pad in different directions, a specific item/enemy/pokemon can be selected and essentailly equipped to the down direction. At any point in the battle, hitting Down will spawn that item/object near your character. It’s not exactly Forge, but keep in mind, this mode was technically created about six years ago. You know, last gen.
I’ve already blogged on how random spawning items aren’t the only way to go (Heck it’s not even the best way to go by far). Having items equipped or spawn in specific locations according to a timer would not only take Smash into new interesting directions, but it would eliminate the chance of randomly exploding in a match.
This option is the equivalent to how Bungie creates the complexities in Halo’s multiplayer. By adjusting weapon locations in the map and how quickly they respawn, the entire match is balanced. Because the location of these items don’t change, strategies can be built around going for them, or defending against them. Knowing what’s out there is key to developing a strategy. After all, how can you plan against something if you don’t know what it is? In the end, it doesn’t matter if the rocket launcher is overpowered, there’s only one of them on the stage, you have to go all the way out of your way to get it, and the number of shots you can take are limited. It would seem that Smash could take a few suggestions out of the Bungie/FPS book.
If you have access to AR, set up a match and try some of these modes. (Keep in mind, items have to be turned on to be able to spawn items. Otherwise only enemies will be available)
<strong>OCTOROCK-OUT</strong>
<p align="center"> <img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/link.jpg" height="374" width="228" /></p>
In this mode, players get to duke it out in an exciting 1v1 match. I suggest starting on Final Destination to keep things simple. On each end of FD, span three Octorok. Now fight! The Octorok will continually shoot rocks at the players on a set rhythm. After learning the rhythms of the rocks in the heat of battle, crazy new combos can be set up. The rocks aren’t very strong, so the traditional style of combat is still very important. Beware, stray too close to the Octorok bunch and their jumping animations will send you flying away followed by a barrage of rocks.
Like with any Smash Forge mode, if you don’t like the way the items/enemies are set up, feel free to change it yourself. It’s as easy as attacking the Octorok. If you don’t want your opponent to camp the guns on Corneria, then put some Octorok down there. Remember though, everything is done in real time. If you take too long setting something up, or if you fail to put up a defense, your opponent can get the better of you. It’s a struggle for power, as each player tries to alter the field according to their own wishes. And with the power of Smash Forge, it’s possible.
<strong>Pokemon Duels</strong>
<p align="center"> <img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/poketatsm.jpg" /></p>
In this mode, each player gets one Pokeball. Both players in this variant will have to play by honor rules (where each person follows the additional rules that are agreed upon that exist outside the videogame). Set the type of Pokemon before the duel by hitting Right on the D-pad. When both players are holding a ball, they can start fighting. Because when holding a Pokeball, you can’t use A attacks or grabs, players will have to strategize while being limited to B attacks. Perhaps you’re good enough to throw your ball in the air, attack get a few attacks off, and then catch it again. Because both players know what type of Pokemon will come out, they know how dangerous the situation can become and how far away they need to be to stay safe. Before the ball is thrown, it’s a struggle to see who will throw their ball first. Try knocking the Pokeball out of your opponents hands so they don’t have a chance to use it how they want. Try reflecting or catching their Pokeball so that you’ll have two monsters while your opponent has zero. After the Pokemon are all gone, it’s a straight 1v1 duel until someone is killed. Repeat.
If you try this mode, you’ll see that just a little knowledge and planning goes a long way in developing battle strategies. Before, Pokeball were too random. What I mean by this is when a Pokeball is thrown, there are too many possible Pokemon that can come out. Because no one knows what’s going to come out, it’s hard to develop a strategy around your Pokemon. By eliminating all the randomness out of the items in play, no one can complain about luck and who got the better Pokemon. That’s right! No complaining. You knew I had a Porygon2. In fact, you had one too!
<strong>Mine-games</strong>
<p align="center"> <img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/mine.jpg" /></p>
Just as the title suggests, this mode is all about motion sensor bombs. Each player can spawn and use unlimited motion sensor bombs. Because the bombs blow each other up if they get too close, there are bound to be safe areas somewhere on the stage. Don’t give your opponent a chance to set things up. Attack quickly! Put pressure on the situation by laying bombs on the sides of the stage. That ought to make your opponents think twice when recovering. If you die, quickly get back and use the invincibility to run through all the bombs you don’t like. If you have a projectile, use it to control which bombs you want on the stage and which bombs you don’t. Can you set up a bomb in secret? Mine-games!
These are just some of the possibilities for game types created in Smash Forge. These types of games aren’t possible with randomly spawning items. Even with Smash Forge in melee, you really have to appreciate all the hard work Bungie put into Halo3. And though Halo3’s Forge is limited to awkward dual analog controls, the Wiimote would give this mode far more accessibility. Imagine playing with the Wiimote and Nunchuk. Smashing your opponent off the stage would buy you a few seconds to use the Wiimote’s pointing capabilities to drop an item anywhere you want on the screen. It’s fast, simple, and intuitive.
Believe and Forge ahead into the Future!
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