The Honest Truth about the "Rage" mechanic

[Ravengeance]

Like most things there are pros and cons to a particular game mechanic.

PROS
-You get rewarded for surviving (good map positioning, good DI, avoiding KO moves i.e. smash attacks)
-Helps to make a match go faster, keeping the game more interesting
-It isn't random and can be measured

CONS
-Rewards players for taking damage
-Can ruin combos bc of the increased knockback
-Causes players with high dmg to play campy
-Players who have taken less/no dmg don't have the increased knockback

Why is rage in the game?
It's simple, it allows a player who has taken damage to have a better chance to make a comeback keeping games closer. (You know that's the only reason it's there.)

Why is it good?
Without it matches could potentially be even slower and you would have more lopsided matches make viewing matches less enjoyable.

Why is it bad?
You can argue about the effects of comboing etc but in general increased knockback is considered to be good. Increased knockback is given to a player for taking damage. Also, since the amount of rage increases with the percent damage this means the mechanic inherently is more beneficial to characters with higher survivability and high knockback moves.
It's the same concept as in Mario Kart the player in first gets banana peels and the player in 8th gets a speed boost. It's there to make matches still winnable for whomever is losing and keep the match closer. Granted, it is of course to a much lesser degree than Mario Kart itemization and has no randomness to it.

Does it belong in Sm4sh?
Sakurai wanted a party game, not a competitive game. From a casual/party game standpoint things like random stars in mario party and speed boosts or shells in mario kart keep a match closer. Since Smash is a fighting game it is going to be relatively technical and thus creates a natural skill gap that is less noticeable in more casual "party games." So, if it is supposed to be a party game then I guess Rage truly does belong in Smash bc it keeps the game more casual and 'newer player' friendly.

My personal thoughts:
I honestly hate the Rage mechanic. I play most games riding the line of competitive and casual. I play games casually but I also want to play them at the fairest, skill based level as possible. Now I know in mario party there's a lot of randomness (dice rolls etc) and it's a casual game. But even if Sakurai intends for Smash to be a party game it is still a fighting game. That fact alone, that it's a fighting game makes me want to have a technical skill based game. Even tho Rage rewards you for surviving and not getting KO'ed it also rewards you for taking damage.
Am I a Melee elitist? Yes. Am I a realist? Yes.

This is my opinion. Take it or leave it. I've played every smash game from the beginning and all of them have pros and cons. Any opinion is welcome. I don't hardcore play any single character in Sm4sh so some characters I play benefit from Rage others not so much.

 

[Kurri ★]

What fighting game doesn't have a comeback mechanic nowadays?

UMvC3 had X-Factor, Street Fighter V doesn't allow chip K-O, Tekken (Pokken) have a rage mechanic, Guilty Gear Xrd had Danger Time etc.

Anyways, here's something by Combofiend about comeback mechanics and new players: http://www.capcom-unity.com/ask_cap...pcom-in-wanting-sf-to-be-more-accessible?pg=3

I partly agree that Rage probably isn't the best mechanic, but I do disagree that competitive games shouldn't have comeback mechanics.

 

[TurboLink]

Just another mechanic that we're forced to suffer because Sakurai wasn't smart enough to give us an on or off button.

 

[Tizio Random]

I like the idea of rage because it gives heavyweights the helping hand they need but it was implemented poorly. The fact that it influences all moves including weak multi-hits moves is dumb and creates some jank. If it increased only the knockback of Smash attacks, and last hit in multi-hits one, it would be really good.

 

[FamilyTeam]

I really don't know how to feel about Rage because both sides need to deal with it the same way. It both helps and hinders everyone.
Of course I liked it when I was able to KO a Luigi mid stage at 83% with an uncharged sourspotted Side Smash from my Mario when I was at 218%, but I also didn't like it when a Marth did a similar thing to me.
So, in a way, I guess I'm neutral.

 

[Xandercosm]

In my opinion, it was meant to address peoples' complaints about Brawl being slow and campy. Since it allows players to KO earlier, it makes matches faster and more streamlined. If you didn't like Brawl's campy, slow playstyle where KO percent was around 170%, then you should like the Rage mechanic.

 

[Xermo]

There's hardly any honesty nor truth in your post. Your personal presumptions don't equate to being true just because it's "sakurai" we're talking about.

 

[TTYK]

There's hardly any honesty nor truth in your post. Your personal presumptions don't equate to being true just because it's "sakurai" we're talking about.

That is a pretty baseless statement.

 

[GeflGabe]

To me, the rage mechanic is one of those things that balances out the game in a way.

 

[Ze Diglett]

I honestly can't stand it, because dying at 50% to an uncharged Smash attack is just plain unfair.

 

[Stick Dude]

I dislike rage because of the cons listed in the OP, but I don't think it ruins the game.

 

[Charoite]

Rage is not random a random mechanic, and players with high percent plays defensive regardless of rage, that issue is because the majority play 2 stocks, and rage is one of the mechanics that helps heavyweight, and you in the case of altering true combos, in my opinion i really like that they force players to think outside the box when sealing stocks, so they need to make reads or study combos in diferents percents, so you need to use both your mind and skill if you want to win. IMO

 

[Deleted member 269706]

Rage is quite interesting. Normally, I would disagree with such a mechanic, but in the case of Sm4sh I think it's necessary. A lot of the time, managing to get a kill can be pretty difficult against a competent opponent, and if you're character doesn't have a kill confirm or kill throw you'll just keep hitting the opponent around for a while. If we didn't have rage, killing could become even harder and that would just be ridiculous. Now when you combine rage with some silly mechanics like Lucario's aura, or multi-hit recovery moves, very silly things start to happen. (Ex: Mario's up B killing you at 0%). I also actually like that it messes certain combos up and forces players to find more creative ways to build up damage/secure kills. I believe Sm4sh would be VERY bland otherwise.

Also just wanted to throw this in there, but I don't think rage rewards you for taking damage so much as it rewards you for survivability (that's a word right? Well it is now).

 

[MarioMeteor]

I don't know what to vote. On one hand, I ****ing despise Rage and think it should burn in hell. But on the other hand, I don't really like Melee. What do I do? Send help.

 

[Jeronado]

I'm pretty much completely neutral when it comes to rage. I've never really felt like I've been cheesed out by it so I don't really mind having it in the game. The only thing I don't like about rage is it makes memorizing combo percents more difficult. I have a rough idea in my head how much earlier combos will start/stop working based on my rage, but it's still kind of annoying.

 

[Ryu Myuutsu]

I really don't understand what was the purpose of adding "Am I a Melee elitist? Yes. Am I a realist? Yes. " at the end of your post. It really damages slightly your credibility in this issue, while your stance in this matter doesn't reflect you as being realistic but rather opinionated. Small misconception on your part.

 

[the_muffin]

Overall I like it. I might be a bit biased as 2 of the characters I play benefit from Rage the most though.

I don't think it's much different than damage building your Super/Ultra meter in Street Fighter. It just so happens that in this game heavier characters get the most out of it. Maybe if they changed it so how heavy the character is changes the percent that the max rage boost kicks in? Like if Jiggs got her max rage boost at 100% and Bowser at 150%, with everyone else somewhere in between?

 

[Ravengeance]

I really don't understand what was the purpose of adding "Am I a Melee elitist? Yes. Am I a realist? Yes. " at the end of your post. It really damages slightly your credibility in this issue, while your stance in this matter doesn't reflect you as being realistic but rather opinionated. Small misconception on your part.

It was just a preemptive defense bc a lot of time if you voice a negative opinion about Sm4sh people just call you a melee fanboy. I've played every smash, Melee is my favorite but I understand Melee 2.0 will never happen. I was just trying to look at RAGE objectively. I'd much rather rage be removed and every move in the game do like X % more dmg but I also understand with Sm4sh as it is now if you removed Rage tournaments would be 1 stock Kappa

 

[Muskrat Catcher]

What is so bad about rage? Yes, it makes it so that sometimes even true combos can be escaped from, but I feel like it is a good mechanic. However this is coming from someone who mains and secondaries so yes I have some bias, but hear me out.

In the history of smash, heavies have always been bad. With the exception of Snake in brawl, no heavy character was ever very good at all, so I think that rage was the developers' attempt to help the heavies without simply further increasing their damage or weight, and I think it worked seeing how a good few heavies are viable in this game.

In addition, I don't like kill confirms and those kinds of things where you know that you are 100% dead if you get grabbed, or hit by a certain move. Now with rage, very little is ever 100% true, which both gives the defender hope and motivation to hang on and DI really well, as well as eliminating mindless options for the attacker, making them have to adapt to their rage and their opponent's DI, making the game much deeper and more demanding of the players.

And rage is also a great comeback mechanic, and who doesn't like the ability to come back in a game? I could be playing Charizard and be at 200%, while my opponent is only at 70%, and I know that I can't win by playing neutral and fighting for the advantage, so I wonder if I up throw onto a certain platform if I can straight up win, and make an amazing comeback, so I try it, and it just barely works! Or maybe I get a good F-smash read on my opponent when they are at 20%, and kill them extremely early! Rage can make for some really hype comebacks that never would have happened otherwise!

Also, I don't think that Sakurai put rage into the game because he wanted it to be a party game and discourage competitive play. Just look at Pokkén. Pokkén was designed to be a competitive game, yet It has a rage mechanic as well that I would argue is much more impactful on the game, as once you are at 25% health or less, you deal 20% more damage and take 30% less damage. That is huge! Also burst mode is extremely hard to deal with if you want to finish someone off, especially when they have rage too. I like Smash's very moderate take on the rage mechanic, in that only a few games will even have their result affected at all by rage, but it still has a significant impact on the game and a good player will play around it or harness it.

 

[Eugene Wang]

30% of the issue with rage can be solved by just making it scale knockback growth only. The other 70% is inherent to rage.

That said, Smash's design, in its own way, is a comeback mechanic. Dealing chip damage from the underworld and back, while possible, isn't a winning strategy in Smash. At some point, you need to fish for a knockout, make a read, or maneuver your opponent into a position where they are vulnerable to seal a stock. And if you fail to do that, the opponent can even the percentage.

 

[LancerStaff]

I think rage is a good mechanic overall. Notably it makes the glass cannon/fragile speedster characters that usually dominate Smash less effective and the tanky slow ones more effective. It also puts emphasis on closing out stocks ASAP and doubles as a comeback mechanic.

The main problem with rage, janky early KOs, could easily be solved by talking it off problematic hitboxes or moves, though I don't think they're going to change it this game. The other problem is how it stacks with smash attack charge vulnerability, but again that's not hard to fix.

 

[Gamehowitzer]

I have no problem with rage whatsoever. I don't really rely on combos really and its helped me a lot in the long run. I mean i can see why people would dislike it, but like a lot of stuff in smash, "deal with it". You cant change it so why complain? Also idk about any of you guys, but i think players who rely on combos a lot are really annoying. So rage all the way i guess.

 

[Bleck]

rage is a good mechanic

 

[Lightsoul]

Rage is a good thing and without it I believe this game would be a lot slower paced. Smash 4 allows for players to survive much longer. DI is pretty beast, you are able to grab the ledge even if someone is on it and most of all....all of the balancing patches that we have gotten. Smash 4 is the most balanced game in the series and if we did not have rage in the game I believe that some characters would be way down on the tier list, matches would last much longer than 6 to 8 minutes and people who were not hardcore about this game would drop it. Rage has led to more comebacks than we can count, more heart breaks and most of all, has lead to some of the most exciting moments this smash generation.

Oh and lets not forget the salt....all of those salty player moments.

 

[Gamehowitzer]

Rage is a good thing and without it I believe this game would be a lot slower paced. Smash 4 allows for players to survive much longer. DI is pretty beast, you are able to grab the ledge even if someone is on it and most of all....all of the balancing patches that we have gotten. Smash 4 is the most balanced game in the series and if we did not have rage in the game I believe that some characters would be way down on the tier list, matches would last much longer than 6 to 8 minutes and people who were not hardcore about this game would drop it. Rage has led to more comebacks than we can count, more heart breaks and most of all, has lead to some of the most exciting moments this smash generation.

Oh and lets not forget the salt....all of those salty player moments.

Salt all the way lol Gotta love disrespect.

 

[Runic_SSB]

Kinda weird how anything that even remotely benefits heavy/power characters gets slammed by Melee players for being "anti-competitive". It's almost like they have some sort of bias toward technical combo characters.

Anyway, Rage is a good mechanic. It gives heavyweights an advantage and rewards you for surviving, not to mention it speeds up the late game by quite a bit.

 

[DKGrayson]

Realised bias as soon as I read "Matches could be even slower".

Adding a quantifier means that the writer already assumes matches are slow in the first place.

 

[MajinBuu272]

does rage stack on top of Lucario's aura?
if so plz nerf ;-;

 

[SIPP]

does rage stack on top of Lucario's aura?
if so plz nerf ;-;

Yeah, it stacks on top of aura. The thing is that you shouldn't be allowing such a high amount of rage and aura to build up on Lucario in the first place. He's Anti-Meta, poking and such will only allow him to gain strength, while not giving him a break up close could help in an MU. Depends on players and skill levels.

 

[ArikadoSD]

What fighting game doesn't have a comeback mechanic nowadays?

UMvC3 had X-Factor, Street Fighter V doesn't allow chip K-O, Tekken (Pokken) have a rage mechanic, Guilty Gear Xrd had Danger Time etc.

Anyways, here's something by Combofiend about comeback mechanics and new players: http://www.capcom-unity.com/ask_cap...pcom-in-wanting-sf-to-be-more-accessible?pg=3

I partly agree that Rage probably isn't the best mechanic, but I do disagree that competitive games shouldn't have comeback mechanics.

I've actually never thought about it that way, nice new perspective to look at it from lol

 

[MockRock]

Not honestly a huge fan of it. It makes combos less consistent, and I don't like the fact that you can land what should clearly be a kill blow, but your opponent lives because... you haven't let them hit you enough. Great.

 

[Arrei]

On the pro side, I do like how it adds a thinking aspect to the battle - because rage can lower the percents needed for combos and kill setups to work, a player must frequently keep watch of their damage and their opponent's damage to calculate the right time to go for the gold. It also keeps players in the lead from getting complacent, as they'll die earlier if they can't seal the stock for too long.

However, its value as a comeback mechanic is often diminished by the fact that it messes with combos, reducing the valid range for most true combo setups and making it harder for someone with rage to rack on damage to a point where they can actually make use of the rage to get a kill. And then there's the weirdness that sometimes occurs by applying knockback modifers to moves that are supposed to have set knockback. If they were to refine rage for the future, I'd say they should definitely get some way to flag certain moves as not being affected by it. That way, they could keep specific combo setups and moves that rely on having set knockback to properly link into themselves from failing.

 

[Deleted member]

I'm not a fan of comeback mechanics myself, I feel it's far more hype and entertaining and well, skill based while also rewarding to make a come back all on your own.

Rage is suppose to give people an additional way to fight back if they are losing, and possibly make the game faster (although I doubt that was the reason behind it), and the problem I have with this is that it adds a lot of janky scenarios where people can die too fast, and well, I don't find it fun to be penalized by the game's mechanics for winning.

I also feel that if they are trying to speed up the game compared to Brawl, Melee is an example of what works because in Melee it's not really that hard for any newcomer to KO someone, whereas in Smash 4 the defensive mechanics are buffed to the point it's a bit more time consuming to get a KO down. The benefit of being able to KO easier is that you can actually make a come back with pure skill if you only have one stock and the opponent has like their 4 still, because it's based on skill and momentum of the individual user.

Rage and comeback mechanics in general tend to make a fight seemingly faster, but actually artificially make it slower since it buffs the person that is losing and you are now taking your opponents stock, then they become enraged and now it's like back and forth slowly taking each other's stocks one by one. I'm not saying all matches happen like this, but it does play into a factor and actually makes the game slower at times when if they truly want to make a entertaining game, they should make it based more on the individual person's execution and make the KOing happen sooner so you don't have to artificially pad a game for newcomers.