We are Smash Bros. A PhD Study

[bsjkupo]

First off, I am SUPER sorry if this is in the wrong place but I couldn't find a better place to put this :S

If it is wrong, feel free to lock the thread up/delete it <3

Anyway, I am working towards getting a PhD in Game Design and Ludology, one of the first of its kind in the world. As a part of this I have to write academic papers to be published at the top institutions of the field i.e. DIGRA etc

I am currently writing a paper looking at Smash4's worldwide design appeal and, to bolster the work, I have started a case study into a character that, when examined, showcase a lot about the players and community around it; that character is Sonic!

I have already had the pleasure of interviewing 6WX, Ixis and I am in the process of having my interview with Komorikiri translated but I need some more data to give the study a bit more weight, this is where you all can help!

Just reply to this thread and answer (however you want) the following questions:

1) Where do you live and what is your gamer tag?

2) Why do you play Sonic?

3) What do you think of this play style?

4) Do you agree with his Nerfs/Buffs?

5) Where is he in the tier list?

6) What is your opinion about his reception from the fanbase?

7) How do you see Sonics future in smash?

8) Anything you would like to add?

Your names will all be given credit in the paper for your assistance naturally!

Please let me know if there are any issues or problems and , most of all, Thank you!

UPDATE:
The draft paper is now up online and I will be presenting it during September at Oxford University! You can view it here:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/c...s/2016/08/MCAVOY-JAMES-Bradley-vg8-dpaper.pdf

 

[cstonic]

1)Midwest / Indiana
Tag:Tonic

2)Favorite video game character and Sonic Advance was my first video game. I also played Sonic the most in Brawl.

3)I reeaally like bait / punish and his mix up game. Its fun to play and read / get into your opponents head in multiple ways. Its great

4)Without his buffs from Brawl, he definitely wouldn't be as good as (he currently is in) Smash 4. Bthrow and Spin dash nerfs made a bunch of sense to me, so I can pretty much live with them. Up smash nerf felt like a little too much. Especially since the move already had so many other flaws (hard read to land, unsafe overall, some characters can just fall out of it (wtf LOL)) I'd be fine with nerf if it wasn't that big of a KB nerf. But ehhh, overall I'm fine with current Sonic. I don't think he needs anymore buffs or nerfs.

5)For me, Top 8-6.

6)I don't know actually, some of it is kind of deserved but the opinions are constantly changing there, so I can't say anything.

7)I think he'll stay where he's at

8)spin dash up air dude

 

[BlackPhantom]

1.) DFW, Texas area
Tag: Lars

2.) Favorite video game character

3.) Sonic's textbook playstyle is Bait/Punish. Since Bait/Punish doesn't have a set way of offense or defense, it can be streched around to suffice both and can be switched as needed during a match, while maintaining your regular baiting and punishing. This is further proven in 6wx's former aggressive (Now, not as much) playstyle, or StaticManny's (The heck kind of name is Heero???) defensive/hit and run playstyle.

The reason for this is Sonic's speed being such a threatening presence. The idea of being able to punish almost any attack from almost anywhere on the stage is amazing. However, because of this, Sonic is usually overrated and most of his negatives are overlooked.

Sonic doesn't have a projectile, already crippling his potential of a neutral. He also doesnt have safe moves to throw out in neutral, causing him to have to rely on a mistake from an opponent to win neutral. That's one of Sonic's biggest weakness: Don't give him the reaction you want and bait his approach, and you win neutral.

Sonic also doesnt have any disjoints, resulting in more trades. His lack of range cripples his neutral even more, discouraging players from close range combat against character's with more range (I.E. Sheik, Marth, Cloud) This is what results in us not approaching and resetting neutral if we catch wind of a potential bad situation, forcing us to play in a way that isn't enjoyable to watch.

My feelings toward his playstyle have changed throughout my time playing him, but I still feel that he gets more praise of his moveset than he deserves, and when people start to find out, he will plummet throught the tier lists. His speed is his saving grace, and that's what gives him the best punish game in Smash 4.

4.) I feel like they overdid the bthrow and fsmash nerf(s), causing our kill percentages on our opponents to rise into the 120%-160% range (for bthrow). I also feel like the usmash nerf was unnecessary, there were rarely any situations where it was the most optimal punish or useful at all. The rest I'm okay with.

5.)Top 10, for sure. Around 6th-8th place.

6.)His fanbase is toxic. I could care less about them.

7.)As more people learn how to fight him, he'll go down in the tier list. I exaggerated when I said plummet, but I dont think he will be top tier in the next 3-4 years. Most likely high tier, but only time (and Sakurai's nerf gun) will tell.

8.)Gotta Go Faster! Faster! Faster! Faster! Sonic X!!! Dun Dun Dun Duuuuuuuuunnnn!

 

[PeliPenguin]

1.) I live in Hertfordshire, England. Gamer tag is Peligodhunter (PGH)

2.) Sonic Heroes was the first game I ever played, the reason I got Brawl for the first time was because I saw Sonic in it, in other words I've got huge nostalgia for the character and hes the reason I still play Smash Bros.

3.) As soon as I tried him out in Smash 4 everything clicked, his Spin Dash combos can do over 30% and compared to Brawl his KO power is much better, although it is still quite weak compared to the rest of the cast as his strongest finishing moves are difficult to land and lack reliable set ups.

Being a bit of a newb when smash 3ds came out, Sonic worked out pretty well for me considering how his neutral, whilst mediocre, doesn't rely on precise spacing or projectile usage, making him easy to use at a low level as all you have to do is run in, get your damage and run out again. Whilst being easy to pick up, I felt as if there was a lot of depth to the character when it came to optimal damage racking off of Spin Dash, as well as his plethora of movement options like the Spinshot and Spring>Dair autocancel.

Sonic is also really fun to use at higher levels of play, because one can't mindlessly spin at the opponent, you have to use a lot of baits and reads to approach and get your damage, which fits my style of play perfectly. Nothing feels better than reading a tech roll with an Usmash, or reading an airdodge with a Dair or Bair.

The only thing I don't like about him is that he can't land, the fastest thing alive for some reason has loads of landing lag on his aerials, which means that once you're in disadvantage you can easily get juggled. His mediocre neutral also means he can struggle against good spacing and projectiles, but his fast running speed means this isn't as big a problem compared to other characters with bad neutrals like Dedede. Additionally, he has options to counteract this like with the Homing Attack and Spin Dash invicibility on the hop. But those are only mix-ups so the opponent can easily bait these.

Overall, Sonic is very mix-up heavy and read based. The amount of variation in his moveset also means everyone will play him in a different way, such as 6WX playing with aggression in mind whereas Staticmanny is known for being more patient.

4.) In the transition from Brawl to Sm4sh, Sonic received a fantastic improvement to his KO power, allowing to close out stocks much easier with improved knockback on his finishing moves. The mechanics of Smash 4 also benefit him, as his recovery can't be edgehogged and he has more variation in his combos. Some of his moves received large damage nerfs like Uthrow and Fair, but his damage racking ability is still one of the best so these nerfs are trivial. The only nerfs of any significance was the removal of ASCSD, removing a mix up option, and the landing lag increase on Bair, removing a spacing option although its made up for Bair's improved knockback. Overall Sonic is considerably better than he was in Brawl, as his huge KOing problem was addressed.

Over the patches, Sonic got nerfed pretty hard, the most significant being the 1.06 nerfs which reduced the damage on Spin Dash and made Bthrow KO much later. I can understand the Spin Dash nerfs, because being able to do 30 damage from mashing A was a bit crazy. The Bthrow nerf, whilst needed, was a bit too extreme, rage is pretty much required to make this move kill before 150%, should kill at around 130% on the ledge with no rage imo.

Every other nerf Sonic has received has been completely unnecessary, Usmash had its knockback reduced, even though it was only decent at best because of how difficult it was to land, now even if you have the read the move doesn't kill when you want it to, whilst characters like Mario have stronger Usmashes with considerably less lag, it makes no sense. Fsmash nerfs to end lag and knockback are also highly questionable, because like Usmash Fsmash is difficult to land outside of reads. In terms of the endlag, Pikachu and Meta Knight have powerful fsmashes with minimal endlag, they both fall under the fast character archtype so I don't understand why Sonic got the nerf hammer and those two didn't.

The only buffs Sonic got through patches was Homing Attack not targeting separate entities like Luma or Duck Hunt's can, Dair IASA is sooner and floor attack shield damage was increased. Whilst these buffs are nice, they do not make up for the nerfs Sonic received.

Whilst Sonic got nerfed badly, he is still a very viable character, he just needs to work harder to land a KO move.

5.)Top Ten in the game without a doubt. About 5th to 8th best. His viability of being able to be solo-mained is quite questionable though, as many high level sonic players now have secondaries and there are a few match ups which are tough for the blue blur.

6.) Most Sonic fans don't know what they want, at the same time his recent games have been underwhelming to say the least, so there is some justification to be upset.

7.) Sonic is always going to be a viable character imo. However, the nerfs combined with more people understanding the match-up will result in him going slightly downhill (like his career). Although he may not be a character who can win a national, he is still a threat as he is still powerful and well represented across all levels of play.

8.) People who complain about Sonic suck at the game.

 

[JamesUK7]

1) Wales, United Kingdom Gamertag is JamesUK7

2) He's my fav video game character.

3) I kinda think Sonic is a little too honest a character (Dunno how else to word it) in his gameplay, as in he can't really guarantee kills like some of the cast (50/50's), however he has a strong mix up game thanks to his speed.

4) Compared to Brawl, Sonic is already a much better character in Smash 4 so I suppose I can't really complain too much since he's a lot more viable now, as a Sonic main I'm obviously a little annoyed about the nerfs he received since the games release, the damage output nerfs I'm ok with but I feel that the Back Throw was nerfed a little too much and has made it a little harder to close out stocks because of this.

5) I think Sonic is between 6th and 10th personally.

6) I don't really know too much about the fanbase so I can't really offer much insight, sorry!

7) I think as more and more people learn how to deal with Sonic it'll be harder for us, but I think he will stay a top 10 character! As long as he doesn't receive anymore major nerfs.

8) "What ya see is what ya get! Just a guy that loves adventure! I'm Sonic The Hedgehog!!!"

 

[AT_Ion]

1) Where do you live and what is your gamer tag?
I live in Philly and my Tag is: AT | Ion (Team Airtag)

2) Why do you play Sonic?
I have played alot of the cast and one thing I dont like is running up to people and then wanting to stop and my character SLIDES INTO A PUNISH... I just got punished for moving ... I know there are other things and ways to approach but whatever ... sonic has Run up Spin Cancel Shield into his less laggy standing grab. He's FAST and I can use Spin cancel to stop on a dime and bait things ...

3) What do you think of this play style?
I like that I can move quickly and get in and get out ... his moves are quick enough and his Spike is amazing only because it looks do dangerous xD and its the BEST when you get it and get back to the stage ...

4) Do you agree with his Nerfs/Buffs?
Why did back throw have to get nerfed SOOOOOOOOOOO hard, when other characters out here have much worse *cough*Ness*cough*... I started playing him after the nerf so luckily I didnt really FEEL that nerf.

5) Where is he in the tier list?
Apparently he is top 5 ...

6) What is your opinion about his reception from the fanbase?
You mean as in sonic's fanbase? Or Smash 4?
Sonic's fanbase... I think people love to play him but might not now after his nerfed back throw cause you have to work way harder to get a kill when it gets to high percent and all someone else has to do is throw you from anywhere and you die (exaggerating), but he is still good I just think some matchups are worse for him than people think.

7) How do you see Sonics future in smash?
I dont think he will move up or down at all he is one of those characters that is in the middle not really making much noise except the few people that top with him ...

8) Anything you would like to add?
Add to Sonic? Or in general? Ito sonic I would give him just a little of his back throw power back ... like a quarter of it lol

 

[Sytal]

1) Where do you live and what is your gamer tag?
I live in Iowa and my usual game tag is just Sytal.

2) Why do you play Sonic?
Sonic is my second favorite video game character and uh, my other favorite isn't playable.
Even so, Sonic has always felt 'fun' to play as for me, and certainly not because he can be a high tier character (I mained him in Brawl after all), but because it feels great to race across the stage and play tag with opponents!

3) What do you think of this play style?
Sonic's Bait-and-Punish style tends to conflict with my habit of rushing opponents, but I feel it fits his character and abilities fairly in Smash.

4) Do you agree with his Nerfs/Buffs?
Sonics' buffs from Brawl have made me more than content with Smash U.
Patch-wise though, I feel that though some of the nerfs may have been unnecessary as Sonic already has trouble getting KOs set up. Sonic has received some buffs that have helped him, but some of his more glaring flaws have still gone untouched (Example: the B.S.B.S. mechanics).

5) Where is he in the tier list?
Examples from Sonic players at tournaments have shown that the character is strong enough to take on a majority of the rest of the cast somewhat comfortably, with only a handful of truly difficult matchups. So, I think top 10 or 5.

6) What is your opinion about his reception from the fanbase?
It depends on which fanbase we are referring to.
In the Smash U fanbase, the larger portion of Sonic's moves (about 1/4 to 1/5) are spins or look like a spin. This leads some to think Sonic only spams moves, which has given him a bad reputation. However, I mostly see thoughts like these from mid to lower level players. High level players are pretty good about this topic (mostly).
As for Sonic's regular fanbase...its really hit-or-miss. I'd say roughly 30% of his regular fanbase are cool people who I'd hang out with. As for the rest, well, the less said here the better I think.

7) How do you see Sonics future in smash?
As a higher tier character, Sonic may have another nerf coming his way. However, there is always the opportunity for a buff as well, as long as the community keeps presenting valid reasons for one to occur. He will likely remain where he is now though.
8) Anything you would like to add?
To Sonic? Perhaps a few less lag frames for some moves. He's supposed to be the fastest thing alive, right?
Otherwise, I would really like to express how much I want the community to actually understand Sonic's match ups better . I think it would change a lot of perspectives. For example, I greatly disliked ZSS until I actually learned her match ups, and now even though I'm still not fond of her in Smash U, I don't view her as a bad character anymore.

 

[Julesimanerd]

1) Where do you live and what is your gamer tag?

I live in Long Beach, CA USA and my gamer tag is Julesimanerd

2) Why do you play Sonic?

I play Sonic the Hedgehog because he was in my childhood so Nostagia mainly

3) What do you think of this play style?

I love his playstyle, I've always preferred faster characters. His playstyle is also very similar to how he plays in his own games. The spin dash is just so fun to do.

4) Do you agree with his Nerfs/Buffs?

I agree that nerfs need to happen, but I feel they overly nerfed Sonic. While it isn't terrible, it definitely is noticeable.

5) Where is he in the tier list?
I'd give him Mid Tier

6) What is your opinion about his reception from the fanbase?

I couldn't generally care about reception because I enjoy playing as him and that's all that matters to me.

7) How do you see Sonics future in smash?

I don't think Sonic is going anywhere, I think he's set to remain in Smash unless Sega declares war on Nintendo

8) Anything you would like to add

Sonic is pretty tight

 

[soniczx123]

First off, I am SUPER sorry if this is in the wrong place but I couldn't find a better place to put this :S

If it is wrong, feel free to lock the thread up/delete it <3

Anyway, I am working towards getting a PhD in Game Design and Ludology, one of the first of its kind in the world. As a part of this I have to write academic papers to be published at the top institutions of the field i.e. DIGRA etc

I am currently writing a paper looking at Smash4's worldwide design appeal and, to bolster the work, I have started a case study into a character that, when examined, showcase a lot about the players and community around it; that character is Sonic!

I have already had the pleasure of interviewing 6WX, Ixis and I am in the process of having my interview with Komorikiri translated but I need some more data to give the study a bit more weight, this is where you all can help!

Just reply to this thread and answer (however you want) the following questions:

1) Where do you live and what is your gamer tag?

2) Why do you play Sonic?

3) What do you think of this play style?

4) Do you agree with his Nerfs/Buffs?

5) Where is he in the tier list?

6) What is your opinion about his reception from the fanbase?

7) How do you see Sonics future in smash?

8) Anything you would like to add?

Your names will all be given credit in the paper for your assistance naturally!

Please let me know if there are any issues or problems and , most of all, Thank you!

1. Dax, Stockholm Sweden.

2. The sonic franchise is a huge part of my childhood with sonic being a huge inspiration in my life (Was also a nickname for me as I was a fast runner back in middle school).

3. I think Sonic can be played how the player want him to be played. You wanna go full aggro and create pressure through movement, that's possible. If you wanna play a hot/cold playstyle, works too. His kit for some reason appeals to all playstyle which something I think is quite fascinating honestly. This helps him alot, as it gives one of the best matchup spreads in the game.

4. I only see the Bthrow nerf as reasonable. Everything else should have been untouched or atleast compensated for. Like making Fthrow or Utilt useful for combos or making Utilt a viable kill move. The community's voice had too much of a say, but eh, what can you do? Just gotta live and learn I guess

5. I see him in the lower top 10, not top 3 or top 5 like most people.

6. The playerbase has seriously overhyped this character to the core. Worst part is that it's all based on ignorance. You would be surprised by the amount of people who won't accept the fact that spindash loses to jabs of most characters. Also when you try to educate them, you complain even more and cry for nerfs. Really unfortunate.

7. How I see it now, is that every top Sonic player (Komorikiri, Ixis, 6WX, Manny) have mastered one part of Sonic to the fullest (Komo with the optimal combos, Ixis with the movememt pressure, 6WX with the mixups and AT, Manny with stage control and turtle play). If we all manage to step it up and combine all these aspects together, the ultimate optimal 20XX Sonic is emerge. This will take time, and I don't know if all these top players have realized, but they all have a piece of the Chaos Emerald to become Super Sonic, now just to find the other 6.

8. Open Your Heart, Live and Learn His World With Me.

 

[Camalange]

1) Where do you live and what is your gamer tag?

Current: Brooklyn, NY
Past: Allentown, PA
Camalange

2) Why do you play Sonic?

Sonic is my favorite video game character of all time. Super Smash Bros. is my favorite non-Sonic franchise of all time. It's been my dream as a kid for Sonic to some day be in Smash, so when my dream of being a top Smash player coincided with the addition of Sonic, the question answers itself.

3) What do you think of this play style?

I love it. I always preferred fast characters who can wrack up damage. Sonic's vast technical skill and mix-up options requires a great understanding of yourself, the character, the game, and match-ups to truly open up your opponent and maximize your play. Sonic can't rely on setplay or a flowchart in most situations. Sonic rewards precise, fast movement as well as outsmarting your opponent.

4) Do you agree with his Nerfs/Buffs?

No.

I agree only to an extent. He, Greninja, and Diddy were the most unjustly nerfed. The line was drawn when they nerfed Usmash by a full 10-15%. It went from being a potent kill move to being straight trash. Bottom 6 in lowest knockback, terrible start-up/end lag, and it's not even safe on hit. The Bthrow nerf was fine because Usmash and Fsmash were both potent raw KO moves, in addition to Sonic's 50/50 setups, but taking both away and nerfing Fsmash too is terrible design. The whole disdain people have towards Sonic is his ability to "run away" and "camp", so by limiting and holding back Sonic's KO power... You're only further encouraging players to not take risks. If they won't die in a game full of Hoo-Hahs and rage, do you really think a Sonic is going to net early kills when those are taken away? No. He will run away. Fortunately, they haven't been severe enough to reduce Sonic to purely that, but it clearly shows in comparison to pre-patch 6WX play.

They're not compensating. They're merely just nerfing his KO power to make him less potent without taking into account his core playstyle or what long term effects it has on the meta. It's not solving what makes him "annoying" and only further hinders the players who choose to main this character and are dying at 90% when their opponents are at 150%.

5) Where is he in the tier list?

Top 8.

6) What is your opinion about his reception from the fanbase?

Generally misinformed. A lot of Reddit hivemind and bandwagoning with a splash of hypocrisy and a dose of ignorance.

7) How do you see Sonics future in smash?

I don't think Sonic has been pushed to his limit yet.

8) Anything you would like to add?

"dtilt > sonic lol"

 

[Rucent]

1) Where do you live and what is your gamer tag?

Middle Grove NY.
Rucent​

2) Why do you play Sonic?

Sonic is my childhood hero. Not only that, hes fast, blue, & cool. He just feels right to me.​

3) What do you think of his play style?

I love it. He can be played as an aggressive and a passive hit & run style. His movement feels fluid to me, especially of you know how to take advantage of his speed, his techiques, and the layout of the stages. Although you can't simply spin to win, I feel more accomplished when I have to utilize all my knowledge of the game, match ups, and Sonic in general in order to win. Playing Sonic is challenging in the current meta, and I like that.​

4) Do you agree with his Nerfs/Buffs?

To a point. The back throw nerf and the spin dash nerf were needed to make Sonic balanced. I also liked that they made Dair safer to use offstage. Everything else I thought was unescessary, and only made it harder for Sonic to stay with the rest of the top tiers. I'm glad that even now, hes staying strong/balanced. And I want to help push his meta in any way I can.​

5) Where is he in the tier list?

People generally put him somewhere from top 3 to top 10 in their tier list. Personally, I think Sonic is top 7-15 on the tier list. His speed, combos, and mix-up game allow him to deal with a good amount of the cast, however what keeps him from going further is his nerfed KO power. Outside of good reads, early gimps, or hit confirms close to the blast-zone, Sonic can't get kills reliably until he brings his opponent to max rage percents, which can backfire for him. He also has trouble landing, and he has to be very fancy about how he approaches a lot of times.​

6) What is your opinion about his reception from the fanbase?

They need to get good. I'm not saying sorry for researching my character, their characters and winning games. ******** won't make you improve. Researching the Sonic match up makes you improve.​

7) How do you see Sonics future in smash?

I think he will either stay in the same general area in the tier list, unless patches occur that nerf him even more or buff the characters right below him considerably. Although I don't mind if Sonic becomes #1 if its through all our contributions towards improving his meta. I'm sticking with the Blue Blur.​

8) Anything you would like to add?

Adding.. Calculus... lol nope​

 

[bsjkupo]

I would like to thank you all for helping me with this so far!

Game academia is, even after all this time, still in its infancy and the more research, data and assistance we can get is all really helpful to help improving and progressing a pastime we all enjoy.

The paper is about 2500 words deep as I write this and should be completed by tomorrow and seen for publication by the end of the week; when I receive permission I will happily (if its cool) post it up here for you all to check out!

Again, thank you for your assistance in my PhD and helping gaming academia

 

[Camalange]

Post the link to it in this thread and update the OP with it.

 

[bsjkupo]

So the paper got published and now a draft copy is available online!

Thanks again for everyone's input in this and I hope you like the paper:

http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/c...s/2016/08/MCAVOY-JAMES-Bradley-vg8-dpaper.pdf

(Note: some parts of the paper had to be cut, reduced or over/under explained due to publisher requests!)

 

[soniczx123]

So the paper got published and now a draft copy is available online!

Thanks again for everyone's input in this and I hope you like the paper:

http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/c...s/2016/08/MCAVOY-JAMES-Bradley-vg8-dpaper.pdf

(Note: some parts of the paper had to be cut, reduced or over/under explained due to publisher requests!)

Is there an uncut version of the paper?? I'm interested in what was cut.

 

[Sytal]

As someone who's written and graded tons of papers, my inner editor is trying to come out, hahaha.
Well, y'know, just a run-on sentence here and there.
But overall its seems like an interesting paper. I'm curious as to what your peers/teachers thought of it.

 

[Camalange]

Ah, very cool. I will give this a read sometime.

 

[ShadowLink84]

Is there an uncut version of the paper?? I'm interested in what was cut.

Depends on the publisher in question, such as the New England journal of medicine. They may cut material that is seen as redundant, or require statements to be reworded in order to be clearer. Formatting may be another issue they consider.

Ironically enough, I am currently working on a Master's, and my PH.D project isn't necessarily analyzing consumer appeal, but an analysis of gamer behavior, what contributes to this behavior, and other general factors.

I do not recall my tophat Majora's mask icon being so pixelated...

 

[Camalange]

I do not recall my tophat Majora's mask icon being so pixelated...

That's because avatar dimensions have been updated a few times, and if you've never reuploaded your avatar since the beginning, it's stretching it out.