Now that Online Tourneys have been announced...

[Wariofan13]

Will this change the state of competitive play? Will major tournaments be played online and streamed? If so, how would the meta-game change and how would everyone play on a stable connection?

 

[Reila]

It will not change anything. The "tourney" players will still not consider it an actual competitive scene because of lag. Doesn't mean other players can't make their own tournaments, though

 

[Gamingboy]

I sort of mused about this here. Read below if you want to see what I said without hitting the link.

Okay, first, I'd like to put this out there: While a longtime on-again-off-again member of the community, I've never been particularly competitive, and would love to join in. However, there is the problem that where I live there isn't that much of a Smash community (only one place AFAIK, which I'm going to have to check out) and I'm not exactly financially able to travel around, especially because it's likely I'd get my *** kicked (It's not the entrance fees that kill you, it's the gas).

But, wait, with online play now around more, and the Wii U having tournaments, there could be the possibility that people like me could join tournaments and maybe, just maybe, make a name for ourselves (or, more likely, get our ***** kicked by other, better players).

But the question is... will those tournaments "count", whether it be in rankings (like the ones here at smashboards) or Smash-public opinion? Now, I'm not saying that every damn online tournament should count, far from it. But if it's something done and run and/or sponsored by a respected part of the Smash community, why couldn't it count?

Far as I can tell, here are the pros and cons:

PROS:

More accessibility. Not everyone lives in an area with a big smash scene, and not everyone has the means to pay their way to certain areas. Still others might not want to travel simply because they are afraid they will get a round pounding and humiliation. With online, that disappears, everyone can go.

Larger Potential Talent Pool. With the abovementioned people more able to play, there are thus more people available, and thus a larger potential pool of talent to take from. There are no doubt some hidden gems out there that we have no idea about because they live in Hypotheticaltown, USA, miles from the nearest Smash hotbed.

A Better Look for the community. If online tournaments- especially ones run or vouched for by established parts of the Smash community- aren't included, then it might make the community look elitist and snobby, which is bad.

CONS:

Lag. It's unavoidable. No matter how good your internet connection is, or even what your opponent's internet connection is, lag happens. And while at times it can be worked around, other times it messes up gameplay and what happens in the game.

No standard set-ups. If one person is using a freaky third-party controller that has a turbo button or some other assistant, there's presumably no way of stopping them.

Unknown Things. We don't know much about how Nintendo's tournaments on the Wii U will work, so it's unknown how streaming will work, how stage selection will work, etc. etc.

...Thoughts?

 

[Kinslayer]

It will not change anything. The "tourney" players will still not consider it an actual competitive scene because of lag. Doesn't mean other players can't make their own tournaments, though

Depends, with the wi u version the net might be as flawless as mario kart's is with a hard wired connection.

 

[Gamingboy]

I rarely get lag on Wii U MK and I have a wi-fi connection.

 

[Kinslayer]

I rarely get lag on Wii U MK and I have a wi-fi connection.

Same here, but I have Ethernet connection and MarioKart 8 runs flawlessly. I get people from all other countries in lobbies sometimes.lol

 

[Jellybat]

i don't think it will be as flawless as mk online just because smash requires insant responds with very little delay. but we should definately expect the online on wii u to have less lag than on 3ds just because you can play it wired. Wii U from what i understand is also better equipped for online playing. we can only hope for the best now.

 

[TheBuzzSaw]

Does no one remember this exact discussion around the time Brawl came out?

So far, the online support for Sm4sh is substantially better than the support in Brawl, and more players have better Internet connections. Physical tournaments will still most likely dominate.

 

[Kinslayer]

Does no one remember this exact discussion around the time Brawl came out?

So far, the online support for Sm4sh is substantially better than the support in Brawl, and more players have better Internet connections. Physical tournaments will still most likely dominate.

Yeah, they will dominate, but that doesn't mean that this type of tournament will be non-existent. In street fighter 4 offline scenes are still big but they hold online tournaments and some are qualifiers to go to major events with expenses paid. So maybe something like this will open up and expose a lot of the lesser known good smashers.

 

[TheBuzzSaw]

Yeah, they will dominate, but that doesn't mean that this type of tournament will be non-existent. In street fighter 4 offline scenes are still big but they hold online tournaments and some are qualifiers to go to major events with expenses paid. So maybe something like this will open up and expose a lot of the lesser known good smashers.

I agree. In fact, I look forward to participating in competitive online play. I'm much older and busier than when I joined the smash scene. Traveling to events is much less viable for me.

Mainly, I just wanted to suppress any ideas that people inevitably get of "OMG WE'RE ALL GONNA BE PRO PLAYERS THANKS TO ONLINE PLAY WOOOOOO".

 

[Kinslayer]

I agree. In fact, I look forward to participating in competitive online play. I'm much older and busier than when I joined the smash scene. Traveling to events is much less viable for me.

Mainly, I just wanted to suppress any ideas that people inevitably get of "OMG WE'RE ALL GONNA BE PRO PLAYERS THANKS TO ONLINE PLAY WOOOOOO".

I absolutely understand how that is. Being a tournament player myself (not for smash but for King of fighters) it takes a lot of work and experience to be a pro/high level player.
For one sitting on the couch playing at home is a lot different from playing at a tournament with a loud group around you and watching your every move. People underestimate the effect an environment can have on their ability to play.
Also online won't kill the scene offline because of the feel of being next to your opponent and playing for that glory in person is something that online will never be able to duplicate. If you don't believe me go to evo if you get a shot and feel the energy there, it's absolutely amazing to be apart of.