With so many games displaying impressive real time physics, and so many gamers demanding them, I thought it would be nice to take a little time to look at the “physics” in Melee. The Dojo updated with new information regarding barrels and crates. But what’s most interesting is the screen shot of Pikachu standing on top of the crate as it slid into Wario’s face.
<a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/item03_070614e-l.jpg" title="Pika Box Rocks"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/item03_070614e-l.jpg" alt="Pika Box Rocks" /></a>
This one image shows promise of new levels of how characters and objects interact in Brawl.
<!--more-->In melee the physics at work are most easily recognized when items roll or slide down slanted surfaces. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used Kirby’s rock move on a platform knowing that I’ll slide off possibly doing more damage or escaping harm. Melee also keeps track of momentum. If you land on the edge of a platform or the edge of a stage from an air attack while moving horizontally, the character slides off the edge. Doing this cancels any lag from the move making it quite useful. The technique is called “edge canceling.”
Wavedashing is simply the momentum generated from air dodging that causes the character to slide upon connecting with the ground. If you wavedash to an edge of a platform and hold your shield, you can carry the momentum past the character’s center of gravity. The character then tumbles off the platform in a spiral. This can also happen after crouch canceling heavy hits, or after teching.
When Fox punches or Captain Falcon forward smashes their animation shows them taking a step forward. This step is more than just a cool animation. The game actually makes the character take a step foward as if they were walking and not attacking. If you repeat punches with Fox, you can make him walk forward advancing on your enemy. If you forward smash with Falcon and his front foot lands on an oil slick, he’ll slide forward at high speeds while smashing.
So now we can return to pikachu riding the crate. In melee, characters would simply walk through the crates. This is probably the result of the game being in 2D and having no way to make the character go around objects besides jumping. But now, it’s not unreasonable to say that instead of walking through crates, they’ll be solid objects to stand on or push. Keep in mind, Wario was hit by the crate and it didn’t explode. In melee, the first contact a moving crate encounters destroys it. I think it’s safe to say that Sakurai is adding such a level of detail into the game.
So what does this mean for Brawl? Maybe instead of passing through enemy characters, you can jump on them, or push them by running up against them. Maybe this time, characters won’t be able to attack through walls or other solid surfaces.
Maybe Brawl will even calculate stun and trajectory based on which direction you attack your opponents. If this happens, spikes will no longer send characters straight up. Instead characters would be crushed into the ground. Or moves like Falco’s forward smash won’t send you flying in the opposite upward direction. What if Captain Falcon’s Knee could only be used at maximum power if he got a running start throwing his momentum and direction into the equation.
What if the Ice Climbers’ ice breath could freeze the water on the Fountain of Dreams? There are already some examples of interaction on this level. For example, you can instantly thaw someone out of an ice block by using any fire attack in the game. What if in Brawl, if you continually hit someone with flame attacks, they took on more and more damage, and if they don’t put out the flames their movements would eventually slow down. What if pikachu could charge his electricity for any of his electric attacks, but they all shared the same electric reservoir? What if a strong enough shock could paralyze an opponent temporarily?
Next Gen has always meant more than just graphics and content. Attention to detail is what makes a game world seem more realistic than a picture perfect view. If the world don’t feel or act real, then it’s still fake. With Brawl I expect improvements in all areas, but especially these details.
<a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/item03_070614e-l.jpg" title="Pika Box Rocks"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/item03_070614e-l.jpg" alt="Pika Box Rocks" /></a>
This one image shows promise of new levels of how characters and objects interact in Brawl.
<!--more-->In melee the physics at work are most easily recognized when items roll or slide down slanted surfaces. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used Kirby’s rock move on a platform knowing that I’ll slide off possibly doing more damage or escaping harm. Melee also keeps track of momentum. If you land on the edge of a platform or the edge of a stage from an air attack while moving horizontally, the character slides off the edge. Doing this cancels any lag from the move making it quite useful. The technique is called “edge canceling.”
Wavedashing is simply the momentum generated from air dodging that causes the character to slide upon connecting with the ground. If you wavedash to an edge of a platform and hold your shield, you can carry the momentum past the character’s center of gravity. The character then tumbles off the platform in a spiral. This can also happen after crouch canceling heavy hits, or after teching.
When Fox punches or Captain Falcon forward smashes their animation shows them taking a step forward. This step is more than just a cool animation. The game actually makes the character take a step foward as if they were walking and not attacking. If you repeat punches with Fox, you can make him walk forward advancing on your enemy. If you forward smash with Falcon and his front foot lands on an oil slick, he’ll slide forward at high speeds while smashing.
So now we can return to pikachu riding the crate. In melee, characters would simply walk through the crates. This is probably the result of the game being in 2D and having no way to make the character go around objects besides jumping. But now, it’s not unreasonable to say that instead of walking through crates, they’ll be solid objects to stand on or push. Keep in mind, Wario was hit by the crate and it didn’t explode. In melee, the first contact a moving crate encounters destroys it. I think it’s safe to say that Sakurai is adding such a level of detail into the game.
So what does this mean for Brawl? Maybe instead of passing through enemy characters, you can jump on them, or push them by running up against them. Maybe this time, characters won’t be able to attack through walls or other solid surfaces.
Maybe Brawl will even calculate stun and trajectory based on which direction you attack your opponents. If this happens, spikes will no longer send characters straight up. Instead characters would be crushed into the ground. Or moves like Falco’s forward smash won’t send you flying in the opposite upward direction. What if Captain Falcon’s Knee could only be used at maximum power if he got a running start throwing his momentum and direction into the equation.
What if the Ice Climbers’ ice breath could freeze the water on the Fountain of Dreams? There are already some examples of interaction on this level. For example, you can instantly thaw someone out of an ice block by using any fire attack in the game. What if in Brawl, if you continually hit someone with flame attacks, they took on more and more damage, and if they don’t put out the flames their movements would eventually slow down. What if pikachu could charge his electricity for any of his electric attacks, but they all shared the same electric reservoir? What if a strong enough shock could paralyze an opponent temporarily?
Next Gen has always meant more than just graphics and content. Attention to detail is what makes a game world seem more realistic than a picture perfect view. If the world don’t feel or act real, then it’s still fake. With Brawl I expect improvements in all areas, but especially these details.
