Zapp Branniglenn
Smash Lord
Hi everybody, I was willing to bet money they'd announce a global test smash demo at E3 and the dataminers would get to the juicy frame data sooner than anybody else. That didn't happen, but it appears the E3 demo is making an appearance at more events, such as the RAGE tournament in Japan, and CEO 2018. With such an abundance of footage, I decided I ought to work on counting all the frame data of the playable characters so that people are more informed about how specifically game speed has been altered. It's also a game very similar to Smash 4, so I can understand what I'm looking at. It's not extensive, if a move isn't used in a particular way, then I can't get accurate data, and I refuse to make educated guesses despite having done this sort of work in the past. I also left sources for all of my counts if anybody wants to proofread me
It should be noted that any total frames or landing lag values discovered could potentially be lower, since I can't technically know when a move ends unless my hands were on the controller buffering something or holding shield. Also please understand that this is a demo of the game and nothing we've seen and counted is necessarily permanent. I'd rather not have people in here freaking out about buffs, nerfs, or the lack of either. There are character subforums for that. What I am willing to do is answer questions.
It should be noted that any total frames or landing lag values discovered could potentially be lower, since I can't technically know when a move ends unless my hands were on the controller buffering something or holding shield. Also please understand that this is a demo of the game and nothing we've seen and counted is necessarily permanent. I'd rather not have people in here freaking out about buffs, nerfs, or the lack of either. There are character subforums for that. What I am willing to do is answer questions.
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How did you count frames? On youtube videos you can advance frame by frame using the comma and period keys. Not all footage is 60FPS though. Check the settings to make sure that there is the option for 720p60 or 1080p60 and select it. If there's no 60, the video is not in 60 FPS, and any counts would be inaccurate.
[*]Where can I find Smash 4's frame data to compare? You can use the charts I helped write, or Kurogane Hammer.
[*]What's the difference between Total Frames and FAF? Total Frames is the total duration of an attack. FAF (First Actionable Frame) is the first frame you can act after that attack. So in short: Total Frames = FAF - 1.
[*]Does EVERY aerial have less landing lag? Pretty much. The two exceptions I can confirm are Bayonetta's N-air and B-air landing lag being unchanged. But I think everything else is reduced that I've discovered.
[*]What's the landing lag for air dodges? 10 frames for the Brawl air dodge and 15 for the directional air dodge. Much less than Smash 4, but I guess they gotta keep up with so many attacks being this fast.
[*]I see this attack all the time, why don't you have its startup? I need a hit on the move's first active hit frame. Otherwise any data I put up would just be misinformation about a move that isn't any slower. Like Cloud's Up-Air for instance. I know its startup is unchanged, but I'm still looking for that first hit frame that nobody will ever land unless they mispace the move hilariously.
[*]I see this Smash Attack used all the time, why don't you have its startup? Smash attacks often have very early charge windows and I don't like having to guess around them for the proper startup. Even professional players charge their smashes unintentionally for a frame or two when the charge window is as early as frame 3. So for smash attacks, I only counted the ones that weren't charged at all.
[*]Why doesn't Samus, Pac Man, Mega Man, etc have more data? Because nobody is playing them. I did the best I could hunting through free for all matches with the camera zoomed out. Plus some moves are just never used, or never used properly.
[*]Can I help add data to these charts? Sure! I added notes on the first sheet about this game's odd visual quirks that interfere with accurate counts. If you count something I don't have, be sure to give me a timestamp. I will not add anything to my charts unless I can personally confirm for myself. Also, for returning characters, here's a resource for what their moves used to look like. It helps figure out what the first frame of an animation such as dashing.
[*]Will you do this again when the game releases? All 68+characters? Boy that sounds like a fun vacation, but yeah probably. I won't have to if somebody manages to datamine the game's code, but I'll certainly be curious enough to do this once I have the game in my hands. Plus doing my own recordings and counting them is several times faster then hunting for moves I haven't seen yet across hours of footage.