Why Everyone Hates Smash Bros Online

Summary

The video discusses the significant issues with playing Smash Bros. Ultimate online, focusing on the lag and input delay caused by the game's netcode. The speaker explains how the delay-based system makes certain characters, like Ness and projectile users, stronger online while technical, combo-heavy characters suffer. The video also critiques the inconsistent GSP (Global Smash Power) ranking system and lack of competitive features in online play, making it frustrating for players. The netcode limitations and lack of features for competitive play contribute to a suboptimal online experience for the Smash Bros. community.

Takeaways

• 😀 Smash Bros Ultimate's online experience has a significant negative impact on gameplay, making it harder to react to attacks and combos.
• 😀 The input delay in Smash Bros Ultimate is around 18-20 frames, which is higher than previous versions, such as Melee, making the game feel sluggish.
• 😀 Online lag in Smash Bros Ultimate is worsened by its delay-based netcode, which leads to inconsistent input timing and results in missed moves or 'eating inputs.'
• 😀 Rollback netcode, used in other fighting games, offers a better solution by predicting moves during lag, ensuring consistent gameplay despite network instability.
• 😀 Smash Bros Ultimate's netcode struggles with fluctuating lag, making timing changes unpredictable, which negatively affects both strategy and execution.
• 😀 Characters like Ness, who rely on simple and unreactable moves, become much stronger in online play due to the difficulty of reacting to their attacks in lag.
• 😀 Online play shifts character tier lists, making projectile-based characters like Young Link, Samus, and Mega Man stronger, as reacting to their projectiles becomes much harder.
• 😀 Combos that require precise timing, like those from technical characters, become much more difficult to land due to the unpredictable lag online.
• 😀 Players who are skilled at reacting to directional influence (DI) in offline play are at a disadvantage online, where they are forced to guess rather than react to their opponent's DI.
• 😀 The online GSP (Global Smash Power) system has numerous flaws, including inconsistent point gains and losses, discouraging players from continuing after a loss and leading to frequent match abandonment.

Q & A

Why do Smash Bros. players complain more about online play compared to other competitive games?

Smash Bros. players often complain about online play because the game's delay-based netcode causes inconsistencies, making timing and precise inputs difficult. This is particularly problematic for a fast-paced, reaction-based game like Smash Bros., where input delay can severely affect gameplay and character performance.

What is the main technical issue with Smash Bros. Ultimate's online play?

The main technical issue is the game's use of delay-based netcode, which leads to inconsistent lag between players. This results in input delay that can fluctuate during a match, causing frustration as players struggle to adjust their timing to unpredictable lag spikes.

How does the input delay in Smash Bros. Ultimate affect competitive gameplay?

The input delay in Smash Bros. Ultimate means that when reacting to fast attacks, players can't always execute defensive actions like shielding or dodging in time. For instance, attacks faster than 18-20 frames are impossible to react to, and this delay is even more noticeable when playing online.

What is rollback netcode and how does it differ from delay-based netcode?

Rollback netcode predicts the actions that should happen on screen and continues the game even when there's a lag spike, adjusting once the inputs are received. This results in smoother gameplay with less disruption. In contrast, delay-based netcode waits for inputs from the opponent, causing erratic delays and making it difficult to maintain consistent timing in a match.

Why can't Smash Bros. Ultimate use rollback netcode?

The Nintendo Switch hardware is not powerful enough to run rollback netcode at the level required for a game like Smash Bros. Ultimate. While rollback netcode requires the game to simulate multiple versions of the match to predict and adjust based on inputs, the Switch's limitations make this impossible without significantly downgrading graphics.

How does playing Smash Bros. Ultimate online change the effectiveness of certain characters?

Online play benefits characters with easy-to-time moves, such as Ness, who can perform combos without precise reactions. The lag makes it harder for opponents to react to attacks or defend, which benefits projectile-heavy characters and those that don’t rely on precise, fast combos.

How does online play affect the speed and technical aspects of Smash Bros. Ultimate?

Characters that require quick reactions and precise technical execution, such as those using complex combos, perform worse online due to inconsistent input delay. The lag makes it nearly impossible to react to directional influence (DI) or time combos accurately, which undermines the gameplay style of fast, technical characters.

What are some of the frustrations players face with the Global Smash Power (GSP) system in Smash Bros. Ultimate?

The GSP system has issues with inconsistent point changes. Winning a match may result in a small GSP increase, while losing can cause a drastic drop. This discourages players from continuing to play after a loss, as they don't want to lose their progress, and leads to a frustrating experience where matches feel unpredictable.

Why is it difficult for players to switch characters during online play in Smash Bros. Ultimate?

In online play, players cannot switch characters between matches without completely backing out of the session, which forces them to search for a new opponent. This interrupts the flow of the game, especially if players want to try a different character after a loss.

How does the online competitive mode in Smash Bros. Ultimate fail to support serious competition?

The online competitive mode, specifically tournament mode, often uses random rulesets like free-for-alls and items, which detract from the serious, competitive nature of the game. A dedicated 1v1 mode with no items and specific stages like Final Destination is preferred for competitive play, but this option is not available in the current online format.