Stage design guidelines?

[libertyernie]

What makes a good stage design for Project: M competitive play? I'd love to design a stage that works well in P:M, but since I'm not familiar with the competitive Smash scene (read: not good enough) I'm not quite sure what elements to include or avoid when making a stage.

 

[Kati]

Walk off edges are illegal (bridge of eldin). Anything with walls allowed for infinite back in melee, and though I've read that there are no longer any infinites, I doubt the community will learn to accept any stage with a wall. The majority of stages employ a triangular platform layout (like battlefield), which is a tried-and-true standard for smash. The problem with making a custom stage with a triangular platform layout is that it might not offer anything new. If you make the platforms too high, camping can become an issue (kongo jungle 64). Dreamland 64 is known as having extremely large boundaries, favouring characters with effective recoveries, so unless you have some other convincing element in the stage, I suggest making boundaries that resemble battlefield's. Lastly, make sure that the stage doesn't have too much going on or else it may lag in in doubles (skyloft).

 

[\Apples]

Another issue with more stages that use the triangular platform layout is that they become redundant as %#@$. Walls don't pose opportunities for infinites anymore, to my knowledge. But yeah, most people just don't like them because the metagame they want to be a part of is void of walls.

 

[Xenozoa425]

Avoid anything with BF-esque or PS2-esque layouts. I'm not hating on BF or anything, but we have so many stages with triangle layouts. Something new would be a nice change of pace.

 

[\Apples]

I really need to get Central Highway finished up. It's mind blowing that there isn't already a stage in existence with that platform layout.

 

[hotdogturtle]

Another issue with more stages that use the triangular platform layout is that they become redundant as %#@$. Walls don't pose opportunities for infinites anymore, to my knowledge. But yeah, most people just don't like them because the metagame they want to be a part of is void of walls.

Walls still have the problem of allowing people to live for way too long by means of teching. Even Hyrule 64 has that issue in P:M, and the walls there are hardly taller than the characters. It gets worse if the walls are bigger.

 

[trash?]

I think walls could work, you would just need to be a bit more... conservative with them. Like that one stage transition in delfino plaza, where you're on the shine tower. That one could work with a couple of changes here and there.

 

[#HBC | Joker]

Another problem with walls is that you can just put your back to them and camp, especially if they're trying to approach from the other side of it. Stuff like Corneria's fin, and the lower section of Hyrule Castle can be over centralizing.