Proper missiling (+1)

[0RLY]

I'm bored so I'm making a thread. Kay?

So recently I've been pondering this...

Because it takes longer to shoot a homing missile than it take to shorthop and land, technically it doesn't matter when you shoot the missile because it gets canceled by the time you land. Also, the missiles are homing, so it doesn't matter what height you shoot them from. The only difference is when the missile comes out.

Shooting the missile earlier
+ The missile comes out sooner
O Changes projectile placement
-- You can't do anything after the missile comes out

Shooting the missile later
+ You can rethink your decision since you're spending the first half of the shorthop doing nothing
O Changes projectile placement
-- The missile comes out later

The bullets don't particularly mean anything. It's not a pros/cons thing.

Anyways, the point of this is... Is it better to shoot the homing missile earlier or later or sometime in between? Super Missiles are a given, headshots are better.

Okay, as I expected. People answered "It depends".

How about this, in terms of a two projectile barrage, what would be the hardest to dodge? Two missiles closer together could be dodged by a single roll, while two missiles farther apart would be easier to airdodge (twice) through. I could see that two missiles farther apart would cause more problems for foes trying to jump over the missiles. Our options are:

hMC > h-Missile
sMC > h-Missile
hMC > s-Missile
sMC > s-Missile
hMC > hMC
hMC > sMC
sMC > hMC
sMC > sMC

Two grounded missiles obviously suck. Uncharged shots is also an option, but right now, I just want the focus to be on missiles. Zairs will almost always follow the missile barrage to hit foes out of their airdodges/reflecting thingys.

 

[Rohins]

Neither is flat out better. Use both depending on the situation. Also, use standing missiles appropriately. Canceling the lag is only useful if you need to perform an action afterward. Like you mentioned the trade off between these two missile methods is when the missile comes out. Standing missiles come out the fastest at the cost of some lag in the end.

Oh also regarding missile canceling smash missiles. You don't have to get them as low as possible. If you "head shot" and they attempt to shield it will shield stab nicely (assuming they have taken shield damage).

I guess I'll contribute to the original idea of your thread though. Landing a homing missile close to the ground is more useful if you need to act immediately after the missile. The higher homing missile would be more appropriate if you are further away but still want that extra mobility OR if you want the missile to come from a higher angle (hitting people who are holding the edge.)

 

[Hive]

I find the best way to missile is to press forward and B together.... @.@ jk

 

[Julz]

Shooting the missile earlier does change the placement to being slightly higher, thereby creating a deadzone, since the homing missiles are slow and incapable of making sharp 90 degree turns. Which means characters will be able to run underneath and hit you. This negates the main reason why you'd want to shoot missiles earlier, to hit an opponent sooner (because you don't have much time before they reach you). I'd definitely say that canceling the missile is better for that reason.

However, the rising missiles do have their uses. Like maintaining momentum and being a much more viable substitute for a second missile after a missile cancel as opposed to it being grounded (missile cancel to rising missile > missile cancel to grounded missile).

 

[ll Mafia ll]

I find the fastest way to shoot 2 homing is to cancel as I land, and then fire from ground.
Same thing with one from ground, one from air. Cancel it, and then jump up immediately and shoot.
Those are two fastest I believe.

 

[Throwback]

The rising HMC will have the longest flight time to reach a grounded target, since it has further to travel. Similarly, it will reach an airborne target with less flight time.

 

[Smash_Gigas]

I personally practice firing two missiles as close together possible so "grounded" foes don't powershield my second missile, possibly allowing the speedy characters to approach more quickly. If anything, my third missile will be further apart than the first two to make the foe think a little more. (HMC--> [Rising]HMC--> Grounded H.Missile) I can see spreading the missiles further apart to be more effective against airborn foes. It may cause them to airdodge more often, possibly leading to a punish worse than Zair. Though I don't take this into consideration much, as I have other weapons I prefer to use against aerial opponents, which juggles into my overall game.