KrazyKirbyKid. That’s my name. I worked for years to get this name. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Kirby is a low tier, as we all know. I had to work hard with Kirby just to keep up with my friends. To be honest, Smash was so fun that I never thought of the big picture. As long as I could keep up with my friends, then tiers didn’t exist. The best part of my name that I didn’t come up with it. It was given to me from one of the respected “elders” of the D-crew (Dallas crew). Back then I was just a sophomore in High School. Compared to everyone else in the crew, I was just a kid. Because I only played one character, and I erupted with craziness whenever I got my hands on a controller, I was naturally called the KrazyKirbyKid.
<p align="center"><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/kirbyshirt.jpg" title="kirbyshirt.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/kirbyshirt.jpg" alt="kirbyshirt.jpg" /></a></p>
<p align="center">[I’ve worn one of my Kirby shirts to nearly every tournament I’ve been to since 2003]<!--more--></p>
Later I found out that Kirby wasn’t the strongest character I could have picked. In fact, he was the weakest. I found out that hardly anyone in the nation played Kirby like I did. There was no need for the Krazy or the Kid in my name. I was the last Kirby. With every battle, Kirby became fused to me. With every battle, I was propelled by my will to compete and to have fun, but there was more to it. If I gave up Kirby, then he would be no more to the competitive smash world. If I couldn’t take him to the top, then he would be at the bottom forever. I couldn’t give up on my favorite character. In many ways, it would have been like giving up on myself.
I always thought I was good at Smash, but how good was good? Tournaments were the only way for me to test myself. I never did too badly in any serious tournament. I would always scrape by trying to claim a high spot near the champs. I was always so focused on the goal, trying to do my best, that I never noticed all the excellent and well known smashers I beat along the way. What little fame I gathered along the way was always invisible to me.
So now, I’m the best Kirby player in the Nation and possibly the world. This is a very serious claim, but it’s hard not to think so when nobody else plays Kirby competitively. It was practically an endurance competition. There have been some who claimed to play Kirby, but when it came down to tournament time, they always chose stronger characters instead. I don’t blame them at all.
What’s in a Name? Everything. My history and my appreciation of smash is all wrapped up in my name. And the best part is, it’s not just me. We all have names. We’re all individuals. And we all will smash in our own way.
In today’s update, Sakurai informs us that this time names are extremely important because of customizable button configurations. Every controller type can be customized.
I’m going to stop right there, because there’s a lot to say about customizable controller configurations. Today’s update was loaded with information and slight suggestions to information. So we have to take it one point at a time.
We all think we know all the options for smash controllers. But I’m willing to bet that you haven’t thought about some of these….
<p align="center"><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/hori-fighting-stick-wii-20070626101942686.jpg" title="hori-fighting-stick-wii-20070626101942686.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/hori-fighting-stick-wii-20070626101942686.thumbnail.jpg" alt="hori-fighting-stick-wii-20070626101942686.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/dsc00254.jpg" title="dsc00254.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/dsc00254.thumbnail.jpg" alt="dsc00254.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/ss02.jpg" title="ss02.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/ss02.thumbnail.jpg" alt="ss02.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/714c9bd6-242b-46d8-ae7a-bb7fcfe17e2d1.jpg" title="714c9bd6-242b-46d8-ae7a-bb7fcfe17e2d1.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/714c9bd6-242b-46d8-ae7a-bb7fcfe17e2d1.thumbnail.jpg" alt="714c9bd6-242b-46d8-ae7a-bb7fcfe17e2d1.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/guitarhero-gitar.jpg" title="guitarhero-gitar.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/guitarhero-gitar.thumbnail.jpg" alt="guitarhero-gitar.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/50024.jpg" title="50024.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/50024.thumbnail.jpg" alt="50024.jpg" /></a></p>
That’s RIGHT! Because of the PS2 -> Gamecube adaptor, PS2 controllers and peripherals are all compatible with the gamecube. I actually watched my brother play Smash once with a PS2 controller. It wasn’t a pretty sight. With the ability to customize every button, you could play smash with a guitar in theory. Or Bongos. But the arcade style Hori sticks have caught my interest. These might be the only alternative to the original four schemes that may see the light of day/reality. I’m not saying you would choose any of the more extreme controllers to play Brawl. I just wanted to toss around some of the possibilities.
The Smash Community made a minor issue about modifying controllers. There’s a way to take the spring out of the L or R trigger so that it functions more like a button than an analog trigger. This theoretically makes it easier to power shield attacks or projectiles with the shield. This was frowned upon because it was thought to take some of the skill away from the technique. Well, with a minimum of four different controller types all with customizable buttons, I predict that frowning upon modifying controllers will be a thing of the past when Brawl hits.
If you look at the name entry carefully, you’ll see that there’s not a button to switch between English and Japanese. Nanda! Dou****araiidesuka? Well, this can only mean a few things.
1) The double arrow button in the corner switches between the two languages.
2) All of us nihongo speaking gaijin will just have to spell things out in English. In other words, they’re keeping the Japanese to the Japanese, and the rest of us to our Latin/Roman alphabet. This has a number of benefits. If the game is online, and you play someone from Japan, their name will be in Japanese and you’ll know you’re actually fighting a Japanese player (I’m ruling out the possibility of importing).
<p align="center"><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/system06_img01.gif" title="system06_img01.gif"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/system06_img01.gif" alt="system06_img01.gif" /></a></p>
Pokemon DS did it the same way. Also, by registering your region you could to track where in the world your pokemon came from. A similar system would be very exciting for Brawl. Just think, you would be able to encounter fighting styles that change per region.
If you don’t believe me look at this.
<p align="center"> <a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/various02_070628a.jpg" title="various02_070628a.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/various02_070628a.jpg" alt="various02_070628a.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/various02_070628b-l1.jpg" title="various02_070628b-l1.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/various02_070628b-l1.jpg" alt="various02_070628b-l1.jpg" /></a></p>
All the text in these images is Japanese. And instead of Tom it says Kutsu****a! This means SOCKS! What are you up to Sakurai!?
Then Sakurai mysteriously ends the update by saying he’ll do what he can to allow the custom name data to be downloaded to the Wiimote’s internal memory. This is what really got me thinking.
How much space could the name data take up? Not much, especially when you consider that the options have been reduced to just English. How much data could a “fully customized” controller set-up take up?
<p align="center"><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/miiprofilesettings.gif" title="miiprofilesettings.gif"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/miiprofilesettings.gif" alt="miiprofilesettings.gif" /></a> <a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/feature_main_img_mii_channel.jpg" title="feature_main_img_mii_channel.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/feature_main_img_mii_channel.jpg" alt="feature_main_img_mii_channel.jpg" /></a></p>
The Wiimote can easily store 10 Mii’s inside the 6k of memory. Each Mii has quite a lot of customizable options. Glasses, facial hair, lips, noses, eyes, and eyebrows can all be altered in size, and position. Add, head shape, height, and skin tone and you have quite range of possibilities. Add on top of that Name, Gender, Birthday, Favorite color, and Creator and you have a full set of information for you mii. Multiply all that data by 10 and you have an idea of how much information the Wiimote can store.
So why would Sakurai be unable to include a four letter name and some button data in the Wiimote? He surely has enough time to do it, and his team is large and talented enough. The only thing I can think of is that there is a significant amount of customization already in the game that may already be planned for use in the Wiimote’s memory.
Could it be more custom costumes? If you check the trophies in Melee, there are a lot of alternate looks, models, and costumes for most of the characcters. So why don’t we have the option to play with classic samus? Or classic Marth? Their animations would be the same too. More character costumes isn’t a far off possibility. But this still wouldn’t be a lot of data.
Could it be more than just custom costumes? What if each character could collect hats, scars, rings, bandannas, caps, or shoes to equip? Then every player’s character would look different as they play. I hear Virtual Fighter has already done something like this. I say, instead of putting a lot of time and effort into hundreds of trophies, put it into an idea like this. But, unless you can move around the collectible trinkets to different areas of your character, this wouldn’t take up a lot of space. If do have a lot of control over where the objects go, then this would be a reason why the names and controller configurations wouldn’t necessarily fit in the Wiimote’s 6k of memory.
Could it be custom move sets for each character? This might take up a significant amount of data. Assuming Brawl will have more characters than Melee, having a custom move set for each character could take up some space even if only the B moves could be interchanged.
In the end it’s all about being you. Whether it’s your name, your look, or your character, the important part is you. These are merely thoughts from a guy with the name of Kirby. What’s in a name like Brawl? Only time will tell.
<p align="center"><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/kirbyshirt.jpg" title="kirbyshirt.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/kirbyshirt.jpg" alt="kirbyshirt.jpg" /></a></p>
<p align="center">[I’ve worn one of my Kirby shirts to nearly every tournament I’ve been to since 2003]<!--more--></p>
Later I found out that Kirby wasn’t the strongest character I could have picked. In fact, he was the weakest. I found out that hardly anyone in the nation played Kirby like I did. There was no need for the Krazy or the Kid in my name. I was the last Kirby. With every battle, Kirby became fused to me. With every battle, I was propelled by my will to compete and to have fun, but there was more to it. If I gave up Kirby, then he would be no more to the competitive smash world. If I couldn’t take him to the top, then he would be at the bottom forever. I couldn’t give up on my favorite character. In many ways, it would have been like giving up on myself.
I always thought I was good at Smash, but how good was good? Tournaments were the only way for me to test myself. I never did too badly in any serious tournament. I would always scrape by trying to claim a high spot near the champs. I was always so focused on the goal, trying to do my best, that I never noticed all the excellent and well known smashers I beat along the way. What little fame I gathered along the way was always invisible to me.
So now, I’m the best Kirby player in the Nation and possibly the world. This is a very serious claim, but it’s hard not to think so when nobody else plays Kirby competitively. It was practically an endurance competition. There have been some who claimed to play Kirby, but when it came down to tournament time, they always chose stronger characters instead. I don’t blame them at all.
What’s in a Name? Everything. My history and my appreciation of smash is all wrapped up in my name. And the best part is, it’s not just me. We all have names. We’re all individuals. And we all will smash in our own way.
In today’s update, Sakurai informs us that this time names are extremely important because of customizable button configurations. Every controller type can be customized.
I’m going to stop right there, because there’s a lot to say about customizable controller configurations. Today’s update was loaded with information and slight suggestions to information. So we have to take it one point at a time.
We all think we know all the options for smash controllers. But I’m willing to bet that you haven’t thought about some of these….
<p align="center"><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/hori-fighting-stick-wii-20070626101942686.jpg" title="hori-fighting-stick-wii-20070626101942686.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/hori-fighting-stick-wii-20070626101942686.thumbnail.jpg" alt="hori-fighting-stick-wii-20070626101942686.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/dsc00254.jpg" title="dsc00254.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/dsc00254.thumbnail.jpg" alt="dsc00254.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/ss02.jpg" title="ss02.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/ss02.thumbnail.jpg" alt="ss02.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/714c9bd6-242b-46d8-ae7a-bb7fcfe17e2d1.jpg" title="714c9bd6-242b-46d8-ae7a-bb7fcfe17e2d1.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/714c9bd6-242b-46d8-ae7a-bb7fcfe17e2d1.thumbnail.jpg" alt="714c9bd6-242b-46d8-ae7a-bb7fcfe17e2d1.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/guitarhero-gitar.jpg" title="guitarhero-gitar.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/guitarhero-gitar.thumbnail.jpg" alt="guitarhero-gitar.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/50024.jpg" title="50024.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/50024.thumbnail.jpg" alt="50024.jpg" /></a></p>
That’s RIGHT! Because of the PS2 -> Gamecube adaptor, PS2 controllers and peripherals are all compatible with the gamecube. I actually watched my brother play Smash once with a PS2 controller. It wasn’t a pretty sight. With the ability to customize every button, you could play smash with a guitar in theory. Or Bongos. But the arcade style Hori sticks have caught my interest. These might be the only alternative to the original four schemes that may see the light of day/reality. I’m not saying you would choose any of the more extreme controllers to play Brawl. I just wanted to toss around some of the possibilities.
The Smash Community made a minor issue about modifying controllers. There’s a way to take the spring out of the L or R trigger so that it functions more like a button than an analog trigger. This theoretically makes it easier to power shield attacks or projectiles with the shield. This was frowned upon because it was thought to take some of the skill away from the technique. Well, with a minimum of four different controller types all with customizable buttons, I predict that frowning upon modifying controllers will be a thing of the past when Brawl hits.
If you look at the name entry carefully, you’ll see that there’s not a button to switch between English and Japanese. Nanda! Dou****araiidesuka? Well, this can only mean a few things.
1) The double arrow button in the corner switches between the two languages.
2) All of us nihongo speaking gaijin will just have to spell things out in English. In other words, they’re keeping the Japanese to the Japanese, and the rest of us to our Latin/Roman alphabet. This has a number of benefits. If the game is online, and you play someone from Japan, their name will be in Japanese and you’ll know you’re actually fighting a Japanese player (I’m ruling out the possibility of importing).
<p align="center"><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/system06_img01.gif" title="system06_img01.gif"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/system06_img01.gif" alt="system06_img01.gif" /></a></p>
Pokemon DS did it the same way. Also, by registering your region you could to track where in the world your pokemon came from. A similar system would be very exciting for Brawl. Just think, you would be able to encounter fighting styles that change per region.
If you don’t believe me look at this.
<p align="center"> <a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/various02_070628a.jpg" title="various02_070628a.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/various02_070628a.jpg" alt="various02_070628a.jpg" /> </a><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/various02_070628b-l1.jpg" title="various02_070628b-l1.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/various02_070628b-l1.jpg" alt="various02_070628b-l1.jpg" /></a></p>
All the text in these images is Japanese. And instead of Tom it says Kutsu****a! This means SOCKS! What are you up to Sakurai!?
Then Sakurai mysteriously ends the update by saying he’ll do what he can to allow the custom name data to be downloaded to the Wiimote’s internal memory. This is what really got me thinking.
How much space could the name data take up? Not much, especially when you consider that the options have been reduced to just English. How much data could a “fully customized” controller set-up take up?
<p align="center"><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/miiprofilesettings.gif" title="miiprofilesettings.gif"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/miiprofilesettings.gif" alt="miiprofilesettings.gif" /></a> <a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/feature_main_img_mii_channel.jpg" title="feature_main_img_mii_channel.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/feature_main_img_mii_channel.jpg" alt="feature_main_img_mii_channel.jpg" /></a></p>
The Wiimote can easily store 10 Mii’s inside the 6k of memory. Each Mii has quite a lot of customizable options. Glasses, facial hair, lips, noses, eyes, and eyebrows can all be altered in size, and position. Add, head shape, height, and skin tone and you have quite range of possibilities. Add on top of that Name, Gender, Birthday, Favorite color, and Creator and you have a full set of information for you mii. Multiply all that data by 10 and you have an idea of how much information the Wiimote can store.
So why would Sakurai be unable to include a four letter name and some button data in the Wiimote? He surely has enough time to do it, and his team is large and talented enough. The only thing I can think of is that there is a significant amount of customization already in the game that may already be planned for use in the Wiimote’s memory.
Could it be more custom costumes? If you check the trophies in Melee, there are a lot of alternate looks, models, and costumes for most of the characcters. So why don’t we have the option to play with classic samus? Or classic Marth? Their animations would be the same too. More character costumes isn’t a far off possibility. But this still wouldn’t be a lot of data.
Could it be more than just custom costumes? What if each character could collect hats, scars, rings, bandannas, caps, or shoes to equip? Then every player’s character would look different as they play. I hear Virtual Fighter has already done something like this. I say, instead of putting a lot of time and effort into hundreds of trophies, put it into an idea like this. But, unless you can move around the collectible trinkets to different areas of your character, this wouldn’t take up a lot of space. If do have a lot of control over where the objects go, then this would be a reason why the names and controller configurations wouldn’t necessarily fit in the Wiimote’s 6k of memory.
Could it be custom move sets for each character? This might take up a significant amount of data. Assuming Brawl will have more characters than Melee, having a custom move set for each character could take up some space even if only the B moves could be interchanged.
In the end it’s all about being you. Whether it’s your name, your look, or your character, the important part is you. These are merely thoughts from a guy with the name of Kirby. What’s in a name like Brawl? Only time will tell.