Edits and spoilers are on!!!!!!
I'm out!!!!
Happy spring season everyone, hope all is well.
To preface this...
Tl;dr: This is about this bird.
Tl;dr of BELOW
Lasers are a ***** shine is a ***** and his boxes are full of hard parts...
...but everything else in the game is a ***** too...
I'll tl;dr in bursts on the way too.
What this means is.
What happens to Falco?
Why does this happen to Falco?
Tl;dr
Targets
How did this happen?
Tl;dr
Movement supplements and larger hit-boxes are necessary in a broader game of Smash, or crazy things to make up for what the characters lack.
Each of those specific things that enter the game... Falco has to deal with individually, uniquely, and separately.
Not ONLY character-by-character, but every time one of those 'traits' comes into play.
Move. By. Move.
To add to all of that.
Super Tl;dr
It's hard for Falco to hit someone who is playing a character well.
It's also hard for a character to hit a Falco who is playing well.
He loses a LOT of match-ups in this game, and wins a LOT of match-ups in this game.
None by much, hardly any notable enough to mention, and he can win/lose any of them at the highest possible level of play in both this game as much as Melee. This game just has a lot more stuff, and he has to handle every little piece of 'stuff' differently, so it's all on the players to make the good moves to win, simple as that. Even in the most methodically optimized play, this is still going to be the case.
Rabble rabble
Anyway, that's just some rabbling and I'm out again.
Probably nothing useful I just rabbled.
Carry on!
I'm out!!!!
Happy spring season everyone, hope all is well.
To preface this...
I was reading a bunch of the discussions from JANUARY, which was around the time I was last on here it seems. Some of the talks that came up over the Jan/Feb months were about what seemed like a bit of confusion around Falco, so I'll just touch on that while I can. I'm writing this from elsewhere so I have NO IDEA if this was covered/cleaned up/if it's relevant to reason conversations here, but whatever.
Tl;dr: This is about this bird.
Tl;dr of BELOW
Lasers are a ***** shine is a ***** and his boxes are full of hard parts...
...but everything else in the game is a ***** too...
I'll tl;dr in bursts on the way too.
To start, I tried quickly looking up for a summary I made of Falco elsewhere but couldn't, so I'll re-iterate it in super-simple form.
; Locks people down ANNNND Chokes people out WITTTTH Spacing
-That's all the eggs in his one basket, the rest comes as flare and for taste.
PM though
-Doesn't want useless characters.
-It's the Melee Playground but a newly built sand-box to play in with a bunch of new unseen toys.
; Locks people down ANNNND Chokes people out WITTTTH Spacing-That's all the eggs in his one basket, the rest comes as flare and for taste.
PM though
-Doesn't want useless characters.
-It's the Melee Playground but a newly built sand-box to play in with a bunch of new unseen toys.
What happens to Falco?
Falco basically has to make a lot of 'right' decisions just to land hits without getting hit.
Not in the sense of making a hard read on a full-distance late SH D-Air or something to start a combo
- but simply the necessary maneuverings to be made that will allow him to get what he's 'looking' for are packaged around what becomes (in Melee too, but moreso in PM) platform camping with occasional lasers.
- with maybe the occasional attempt at clipping someone with a Shine OOS - or loose laser > aerial/Grab - or shield-drop Dair or something of this nature
– basically in hopes that your short-dashes upon landing are enough to mess with the opponents spacing as they try to clip you.
Not in the sense of making a hard read on a full-distance late SH D-Air or something to start a combo
- but simply the necessary maneuverings to be made that will allow him to get what he's 'looking' for are packaged around what becomes (in Melee too, but moreso in PM) platform camping with occasional lasers.
- with maybe the occasional attempt at clipping someone with a Shine OOS - or loose laser > aerial/Grab - or shield-drop Dair or something of this nature
– basically in hopes that your short-dashes upon landing are enough to mess with the opponents spacing as they try to clip you.
Look at a move like Samus's F-Tilt. A universally solid move. It's not an approach tool - a counter-approach tool - a conversion tool - a combo tool - a pressure tool - a punishing tool, but it can function and IS functional as anything. It covers a lot.
- Any time Falco jumps, he has to be 'away' enough that this won't clip him, but 'close' enough that he won't lose space. Every laser
When you add in Crawl Attack, Jab, Missiles, whatever else, in the midst of all this is where Falco somehow how to make his move.
Either he has to deal with the complications of a Samus closing and opening gaps and space in close-quarters, or the simply and vastly dynamic options a Marth D-Tilt/Grab + F-Air/N-Air mix threatens, or a Peach B-Air that if too close will result in aerial trades or getting Dsmashed/Grabbed, and if too far will allow her to set-up turnips or close gaps, and if not managing the 'between' as he moves through the 'over-under' spacing barriers he MAY get hit by a loose Dash-Attack and that MAY be a stock.
And it's essentially that simple.
If he doesn't make the right move.
---he MAY get hit by a loose Dash-Attack and that MAY be a stock---
- Any time Falco jumps, he has to be 'away' enough that this won't clip him, but 'close' enough that he won't lose space. Every laser
When you add in Crawl Attack, Jab, Missiles, whatever else, in the midst of all this is where Falco somehow how to make his move.
Either he has to deal with the complications of a Samus closing and opening gaps and space in close-quarters, or the simply and vastly dynamic options a Marth D-Tilt/Grab + F-Air/N-Air mix threatens, or a Peach B-Air that if too close will result in aerial trades or getting Dsmashed/Grabbed, and if too far will allow her to set-up turnips or close gaps, and if not managing the 'between' as he moves through the 'over-under' spacing barriers he MAY get hit by a loose Dash-Attack and that MAY be a stock.
And it's essentially that simple.
If he doesn't make the right move.
---he MAY get hit by a loose Dash-Attack and that MAY be a stock---
This is Smash, which involves a lot of pseudo-random factors regarding a player-vs-player match. It would take a couple top players a LOT of time playing a match-up to have these nuances and kinks worked out of their own games relating to the other player. Both people are 'doing' things, and the dance is on. You MAY get a hit, you MAY get hit.
This isn't referring to 'frame perfect play, but rather 'humanly' perfect play, where at any level, this is Smash, and there will be over-and-under extending and testing waters and mental developments and precision camping and patient observation and pressure establishment and in the mix of all that - someone WILL lose space/gain space toward a victory, and that WILL change with every action.
Falco in this sense, due to having a majorly complex game and no similar universal game-plan regarding HOW he's going to do WHAT he's going to do... means a Falco has to make (at least 4) VERY ACCURATE decisions and moves throughout a single match if he's to not get clipped by that semi-pre-emptive-on-the-fly Zard F-Air/Peach DA/MK Grab/etc
- To HIT the Samus F-Tilt throughout all her defenses and pressures and moving, rather than GET HIT by it
- and to do so in a way that he'll get another hit following his own.
There are no exceptions, he quite literally HAS to do all of that with every move he makes... to win.
This isn't referring to 'frame perfect play, but rather 'humanly' perfect play, where at any level, this is Smash, and there will be over-and-under extending and testing waters and mental developments and precision camping and patient observation and pressure establishment and in the mix of all that - someone WILL lose space/gain space toward a victory, and that WILL change with every action.
Falco in this sense, due to having a majorly complex game and no similar universal game-plan regarding HOW he's going to do WHAT he's going to do... means a Falco has to make (at least 4) VERY ACCURATE decisions and moves throughout a single match if he's to not get clipped by that semi-pre-emptive-on-the-fly Zard F-Air/Peach DA/MK Grab/etc
- To HIT the Samus F-Tilt throughout all her defenses and pressures and moving, rather than GET HIT by it
- and to do so in a way that he'll get another hit following his own.
There are no exceptions, he quite literally HAS to do all of that with every move he makes... to win.
Some characters have a general target 'method' they can approach a match, and move from there. A macro-game that flows into the nuances of a mirco. (Squirtle/Marth/Snake/Diddy/Falcon/etc)
But some have an immensely diverse and complicated set of ways they have to approach every separate match with very precise micro-play with very little for macro, despite how much the macro-game actually comes into play with them. (Mewtwo/Luigi/ZSS/Peach/FALCO/etc)
- macro as in beginning at one place and working the way somewhat systematically to get to a target
- micro as in beginning anywhere and moving to whatever other place is most appropriate for a target
Falco doesn't have a fall-back base-plan outside of this dancing platform/defensive/taking-pokes game, he doesn't in Melee beyond decent-level play, and the fall-back he has against weaker Melee characters (laser > laser > shine > win) isn't possible because there are no character who don't have the tools necessary to force him into a 'CERTAIN' method.
His macro died and his micro is challenged, because...
There are no characters bad enough for him to play whatever game he wants.
But some have an immensely diverse and complicated set of ways they have to approach every separate match with very precise micro-play with very little for macro, despite how much the macro-game actually comes into play with them. (Mewtwo/Luigi/ZSS/Peach/FALCO/etc)
- macro as in beginning at one place and working the way somewhat systematically to get to a target
- micro as in beginning anywhere and moving to whatever other place is most appropriate for a target
Falco doesn't have a fall-back base-plan outside of this dancing platform/defensive/taking-pokes game, he doesn't in Melee beyond decent-level play, and the fall-back he has against weaker Melee characters (laser > laser > shine > win) isn't possible because there are no character who don't have the tools necessary to force him into a 'CERTAIN' method.
His macro died and his micro is challenged, because...
There are no characters bad enough for him to play whatever game he wants.
How did this happen?
These slower and less-fast characters (necessarily so) need something to help them be competent in 1-vs-1 matches against the characters like Puff/Marth/Falcon/Shiek/etc, including FOX as the most universal-wall to get around/keep up with for each of these diverse new characters.
- This often means mobility supplements and large hit-boxes.
With characters like Link/Kirby/etc, the simple push in this direction could work. Bigger Ftilt feet to take chips at things, better counter-approach sword attacks, each of the characters naturally gaining a bit more in space-control, pace-control, combo-converting, solid-punishing, etc in the process.
but...
With other means of improving upon these characters - you'll get more simple game-directions that involve a single flow-chart type of game-plan with a severe volatility dynamic due to massively over-emphasized direct-hard-punish-conversions (DK/Zard/etc).
Or you'll get characters that fragmentize the game so much that interacting with them is hardly possible on normal terms (Snake/Ooze/fast characters/etc).
To take someone like Melee-Bowser and attempt to SALVAGE what is such an inherently bad 'root' could only really be done in one of these ways. That's in a way what had to happen to EACH of them, but in different routes. Armor was brought as a non-interaction thing given what improvements to his hitboxes/movement was the only other way of keeping him competent with the Tops. Every character needs to be competent with the Tops.
So we have some that went a little over the top, and some that didn't make it.
Sometimes we get both and end up with things that are extremely difficult to manage and even-out when they're so stand-alone the way Falco lasers and Puff rests and Peach floats and Marth spacing and Falcon speed and Fox flexibility are. Air-dashes and bananas and grenades and bubbles and things of equal force have to be made the answers because the GOOD characters have that equivalent.
- This often means mobility supplements and large hit-boxes.
With characters like Link/Kirby/etc, the simple push in this direction could work. Bigger Ftilt feet to take chips at things, better counter-approach sword attacks, each of the characters naturally gaining a bit more in space-control, pace-control, combo-converting, solid-punishing, etc in the process.
but...
With other means of improving upon these characters - you'll get more simple game-directions that involve a single flow-chart type of game-plan with a severe volatility dynamic due to massively over-emphasized direct-hard-punish-conversions (DK/Zard/etc).
Or you'll get characters that fragmentize the game so much that interacting with them is hardly possible on normal terms (Snake/Ooze/fast characters/etc).
To take someone like Melee-Bowser and attempt to SALVAGE what is such an inherently bad 'root' could only really be done in one of these ways. That's in a way what had to happen to EACH of them, but in different routes. Armor was brought as a non-interaction thing given what improvements to his hitboxes/movement was the only other way of keeping him competent with the Tops. Every character needs to be competent with the Tops.
So we have some that went a little over the top, and some that didn't make it.
Sometimes we get both and end up with things that are extremely difficult to manage and even-out when they're so stand-alone the way Falco lasers and Puff rests and Peach floats and Marth spacing and Falcon speed and Fox flexibility are. Air-dashes and bananas and grenades and bubbles and things of equal force have to be made the answers because the GOOD characters have that equivalent.
Tl;dr
Movement supplements and larger hit-boxes are necessary in a broader game of Smash, or crazy things to make up for what the characters lack.
Each of those specific things that enter the game... Falco has to deal with individually, uniquely, and separately.
Not ONLY character-by-character, but every time one of those 'traits' comes into play.
Move. By. Move.
To add to all of that.
This also linearized Falco's optimal play. Everything from fading N-Airs to raw laser > shines are vastly different among every character, as much less is open in terms of options he has in those maneuverings given how functional every character is in nearly all situations.
If Falco is making a move, his spacing has to be ON POINT to work, and he's almost entirely built for JUST that, despite how flashy he looks to be.
A Falco who makes it far in a PM tournament had a GOOD DAY.
As in, the RNG of human-vs-human top level Smash play constantly changing game-flow worked out for him, and he happened to dodge a Fox grab at EXACTLY the right moment, and it made all the difference.
Many times.
Every time he moves away, he has to MAKE SURE he's not giving up huge space.
Every time he moves to, he has to MAKE SURE he's not getting hit in the moving.
It goes for every character, but this is Falco, and unless he's doing exactly that in his many complicated tricky ways like CC shining loose moves or poking holes through the pressure after choking someone down, then he's not going to win.
If Falco is making a move, his spacing has to be ON POINT to work, and he's almost entirely built for JUST that, despite how flashy he looks to be.
A Falco who makes it far in a PM tournament had a GOOD DAY.
As in, the RNG of human-vs-human top level Smash play constantly changing game-flow worked out for him, and he happened to dodge a Fox grab at EXACTLY the right moment, and it made all the difference.
Many times.
Every time he moves away, he has to MAKE SURE he's not giving up huge space.
Every time he moves to, he has to MAKE SURE he's not getting hit in the moving.
It goes for every character, but this is Falco, and unless he's doing exactly that in his many complicated tricky ways like CC shining loose moves or poking holes through the pressure after choking someone down, then he's not going to win.
Super Tl;dr
It's hard for Falco to hit someone who is playing a character well.
It's also hard for a character to hit a Falco who is playing well.
He loses a LOT of match-ups in this game, and wins a LOT of match-ups in this game.
None by much, hardly any notable enough to mention, and he can win/lose any of them at the highest possible level of play in both this game as much as Melee. This game just has a lot more stuff, and he has to handle every little piece of 'stuff' differently, so it's all on the players to make the good moves to win, simple as that. Even in the most methodically optimized play, this is still going to be the case.
Rabble rabble
Anyway, that's just some rabbling and I'm out again.
Probably nothing useful I just rabbled.
Carry on!
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