Slow falling- New Idea for a smash technique

[TheWhiteBowser]

I know that a lot of smash bros characters have fast fall and normal fall speeds that effect their gameplay and status in tournaments. Smash wiki lists the characters with the fastest fast fall speeds and the fastest normal fall speeds, the game has defined this as an important factor in competitive play.

So I was wondering... What if ssb4 introduced a new mechanic in the game called slow falling? Would this help in the metagame for certain characters? How do you think it would be performed? I suppose slow falling would be performed by tilting the joystick up instead of down (which is used for a fast fall).

I suppose Slow falling would help with characters string their aerials together more fluently. Or slow falling could help with performing multiple aerials in a short hop. You would probably have to adjust your controller so your wouldn't initiate your second jump while slow falling kind of like when you perform a glide with Peach. Then again if there is a new mechanic like slow falling in the next smash I don't know how it would work on the wii u gamepad.

But to the original question.
If there was a new mechanic called slow falling in ssb4 do you think it would improve the metagame and what's you opinion on this topic?

 

[nat pagle]

I don't think it would fit in Smash. Having a slow fall would give almost all the characters a much too strong recovery and every character would feel like a Jigglypuff-lite. Not to mention, characters with strong recoveries or multiple double jumps already like Jiggs would be nearly unable to die from anything short of a powerful downward spike. I'd bet Jiggs would even be able to get hit to the far left of a stage, near the blast wall, and recover all the way to the right blast wall on a mid-sized stage. That kind of think just wouldn't fly IMO.

 

[Eternal phoenix Fire]

This isn't new; every character in Brawl can do this.

 

[grizby2]

I just want the parasol back. :[

 

[Sashimi]

At first, I thought "No way. Everyone would hate it."
Then, I thought "It'd be neat to mess up your opponent's combos."
Finally, I thought "It would make edge-guarding impossible."

Cool idea, but I don't think it would work, unfortunately.

 

[Hong]

I would like this if we didn't have unlimited airdodges, or airdodges at all. As it stands, it would give too much safety and control to players in the air. If anything the series needs to make the air a more frightening place to be again.

 

[nat pagle]

I would like this if we didn't have unlimited airdodges, or airdodges at all. As it stands, it would give too much safety and control to players in the air. If anything the series needs to make the air a more frightening place to be again.

I don't think I could ever go back to being so prone to Captain Falcon's u-airs.

 

[Hong]

I don't think I could ever go back to being so prone to Captain Falcon's u-airs.

See, I don't think it's so bad.

I rather have a game where people die often and play with more stocks instead of a game where it's just a slugfest that takes forever to take off just a few stocks. The first kind of gameplay just feels like it has more potential for excitement, turnarounds and interesting character design. As someone who plays mainly SSB64, you better learn to value offence as the best defence. I can see why some people find SSB64 to be a bit... extreme, so maybe SSBM had a healthy balance.

 

[nat pagle]

See, I don't think it's so bad.

I rather have a game where people die often and play with more stocks instead of a game where it's just a slugfest that takes forever to take off just a few stocks. The first kind of gameplay just feels like it has more potential for excitement, turnarounds and interesting character design. As someone who plays mainly SSB64, you better learn to value offence as the best defence. I can see why some people find SSB64 to be a bit... extreme, so maybe SSBM had a healthy balance.

You are right when it comes to SSB64 being extreme. If you're in the air and another character comes up to you with a higher priority attack, you have no viable counter or way to defend yourself in the air. That's why air dodging was added, you had a defense on the ground in hopping away, shielding, or rolling, but in the air you're a sitting duck.

I would hate to be in Smash 4 and not have a way to avoid the air punishment. Air dodging was after all, added for a very good reason. It helped prevent the characters with high priority aerial attacks from dominating everyone else. It put more depth into the air game and removed the focus on practically guaranteed kills initiated by uncontestable aerials. See Captain Falcons u-air spam to u-special.

Then finally, taking off stocks fast is fun and all, but fast kills don't always mean it's necessarily better. Those slugfests are fun because they have more depth instead of unstoppable aerial combos and the magic sceptre being handed to those with higher priority aerials. In essence, air dodging took the defensive game of the ground and helped distribute it to the air. Hence why SSB64 felt more like an air and grab focused game where Melee and Brawl felt more evenly distributed.