Emperor Bulbax right? It also took some tries.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
So, my thoughts about online: Tldr; Workable.
! Lag isn't so bad, but then again, Europe's quality and distances are pretty good in this regard, I think that the furthest I've been matched has been Germany or Italy, some of the matches were terrible, but out of 70, was around 10 terrible, like 20 with spikes, and the rest smooth.
! About rules, most matches are 3 stocks, over 5 min, on battlefield. Only once I have been matched with items, another with just smash ball, like twice on hazzardful stages, a couple of hazzardless. By far the most un-fun experiences have been on final destination stages with 2 stocks, and 3 minutes, it is just stressful because it is allways someone who will keep zoning me the entire match.
! I kinda agree with the "not let you change character for the rematch" aproach, as you got matched by the individual character's score. Them agreeging with the rematch, for me to change character to someone who either counters them or something like that, it doesn't undo that loss, only if I beat them twice, with the same character, I'd be satisfied on a 2 out of 3 scenario. I don't care enough to beat randos, if it mean going "let me show you my main!".
! What I don't agree is that the GSP being tied to all game modes the same, or that the game doesn't take into account the quality of the connection to give weight to it, and if it does, it is hidden.
! GSP is obtuse, obscure, varies wildly without meaning or rhyme, and feels meaningless, while yah, I'm better than a million and a half other Ness players, why this random Incineroar beating me makes 300k Ness better than me? It is simultaneously too much information and too little information.
! I do miss taunting, is part of the character's personality. Who complained about this?
! Arenas are slow, should have more than one battle at the same time, and let you watch already started matches.
! Speaking of watching matches: I saved one replay, I beat a Lucina thanks to a lucky pk thunder rocket, and I wanted to understand what happened (if you are in the ground, and probably also in the air, have to run tests, if you touch the right side of Ness, then you will get launched to the left, even if the pk thunder itself is going right, I don't explain it very good, and I'd wish I had a video of it, but Nope!, out of the brackets!) I watched the replay, captured the video (a little annoyed that I can't go backwards), and then once I got my clip. There are no share options.
So, out of the things that I'd like to get changed:
! - Share options out of the damn clips. The switch can do it and smash blocks it FFS.
- If you are in an arena, and there are enough people waiting for a match, then they should have a match, it is not like we are awaiting for controllers!
- In media res spectate, this smells like a design complication, should be fixed.
- If the GSP is going to vary among characters, then it also has to vary among play conditions, my ability to juggle people with beam sabers and ray guns is different than my ability to fight in battlefield.
- They went back to GSP, then it means that it kinda did what they wanted, but there is a difference to know how far away are you from the top, and how far away are you to the next plateau, the "Elite smash" thing or whatever, is at least something, but more floors are going to be needed, and let me know how far away I am from that next level.
- No idea how to reduce lag, just go with correction and making sure that it impacts less on your score on laggy matches.
And out of general gameplay improvements:
! - Elevate the hazzard toggle to the stage selection screen, like with omega and battlefield.
- Better yet, give each stage their own control panel, I can only think to select Wuhu island stops, or to activate just the platforms and not yellow devil on Wily's castle, or just the rock on pirate ship, no tornado or canon barrage. I don't see this one happening tho.
- This insane goal of mine of experiencing every spirit battle. Once I beat the spirit battle (or just obtain the spirit, or even just seeing it) I should be able to go to the collection and redo the battle, while who would want to face smokey whatever again, the high end spirits were intense, and some of them even fun! Diskun, Geno, Trevor Belmont, Model X, or Nibbles, that it was just a yoshi, and then a bowser, a charizard and a ridley come to defend it. Even if it had no reward, just to battle the bosses, or test spirit combinations to see what is effective against sukapon for the next time she shows her stupid face on the bounty board, or that one cool battle just before the end of World of Light.
- Not a full stage builder, but just the assets to do other "boring"/battlefield forms.
I really hope that with piranha plant we get something more than just balance and quality of life improvements.
I dunno how to feel about this, the game is clearly lacking in certain aspects, but it has such a strong core experience, and so many layers on that one, that while asking for the corrections feels normal, then as you do you ask for more and you stop and read it and it feels greedy.
Like I was just about to go on the next rant of "the 17 stages that didn't make it and why" again.
But I'll do it because I'm weak.
! Planet Zebes -> Like Binstar, but more boring
Sector Z -> Same concept as Corneria
Icicicle Mountain and Rumble Falls -> Fuck vertical scrolling
Mushroom Kingdom (Melee) -> A ton of Mario Stages, a ton of Super Mario Bros Stages, at least some had to be cut
Pokefloats -> Legends say it was the last one made for melee.
Mute City and Rainbow Road -> A bunch of race stages.
Flat Zone and Flat Zone 2 -> All absorbed into Flat Zone X
Pictochat -> Represented in Pictochat 2
Pac Maze -> Independient screen bullshit, so we don't get the most iconic arcade game, but a fairy in ms paint.
Orbital gate assault -> reportedly the most visually intensive stage on Wii U
Pyrosphere -> Ridley confirmed
Jungle Hijinxs -> stage morph conflicts
Wooly world -> No idea
Miiverse -> without the messages is just battlefield, rebuilding miiverse for smash wasn't cost effective.