SCOTU
Smash Hero
It's come to my attention that some people are unfamiliar with the terms "glitch", "exploit", and "intentional"
I have written this analysis in hopes to clear that up. I have defined what these terms mean, and given examples from both Melee and Brawl of what are glitches, what are Exploits, and what is intentional.
Note: THIS IS NOT A MELEE VS. BRAWL THREAD. I like both games, I'm just using examples from both. I AM NOT COMPARING THEM IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. PLEASE DO NOT COMPARE THEM BASED ON THIS ANALYSIS.
Some Definitions First:
Glitch: An oversight in programming that fails to check for some behavior and in certain circumstances generates an outcome that the game programmers probably couldn't tell you what would happen if you input the glitch. This almost always refers to specific non-general checks.
Exploit: A combination of 1 or more general game mechanics often when used at boundary cases. The programmers of the game would probably be able to tell you what would happen if you input the exploit, but either didn't think of it themselves, or didn't care. While not strictly intended for use in the game, it is clearly within the rules of the game.
Intentional: Put in the game to be a feature of the game.
MELEE & BRAWL===================
[Short Hop]
Pretty obvious this is neither a glitch nor an exploit. Very obvious that the developers intended that if you held down the jump input for less than it takes you to get in the air, you'd have a jump of lower height.
[Fast Fall]
Also obviously intended, pretty straight forward, the code checks to see if you're on your way down, and if you hit down.
[Teching]
Obviously intentional. Special animation, sound effects, and character state.
[JC Usmash/ Up-b]
Not a glitch, nor exploit. If this were not in the game, you'd have to press A exactly the same frame as up to do a usmash with the control stick (same thing goes for up-b), making it very difficult to perform either of these moves. The developers dealt with this by adding code that allows you to perform a usmash or up-b during the start of your jump.
[Boost grab]
I cannot fathom how this could not a glitch. The only evidence against it being a glitch, is that it's still in Brawl.
[DI, SDI, ASDI]
All Obviously intentional, because there's no way to accomplish such specific behavior without specific checks for it.
The Smash 64 Japanese Page (http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/Control.html ) even tells us how to SDI:
"The instant after a hit, during 'hit stop' (aka hitlag), the person that can't do anything can snap the control stick and move their character in that direction."
(Translation by Sensei Hanzo)
[Reverse Aerial Neutral B]
pretty straightforwardly intentional, probably so you could turn around in the air with your neutral (typically 1 directional) special.
BRAWL===========================
First a piece of background info: Brawl, unlike Melee, runs a commercial physics engine (Havok) that focuses on generating real life-like physics. Why they chose an engine aimed at something they're trying to avoid is beyond me, but whatever. The point is that, Havok runs based on forces being applied to objects, rather than just manipulating the objects positions and velocities. To work around this to give the feel of a smash game, and not a real life simulation, the developers must have needed to add forces on characters during certain moves at certain points to give the attacks the right sort of movement, taking into account how the average casual player would be holding the control stick (which also probably generates a force). Because of this, Brawl is full of momentum exploits due to these additional forces, and oversights in how they could be abused.
[Platform Auto Snap]
probably an exploit due to the way the game checks if you land on moving platforms (moving platforms are therefore probably programmed differently than stationary ones)
[Wave Bouncing]
Exploit of brawl force based physics that generates momentum opposite the way you're facing (typically to counteract some/all/more than the momentum gain from pressing forward)
[Boost Smashing]
I cannot fathom how this could not be a glitch.
[Craq Walking]
Another Exploit of Brawl's force physics
[Glide Toss]
Probably a glitch caused from an oversight in the item throw check against being in a roll
[Dash Pivot Cancel]
Another Exploit of Brawl's force physics, and their expecting you to be holding a different direction
[RAR]
Obvious Exploit: you can jump out of your turn around animation, and the turn around animation marks you as facing the other way immediately.
[Grab Armor]
Obviously the developers concept of trading a hit for a grab. Purely intentional.
[Jab Lock/ Laser Lock/ etc...]
Exploit in how attacks are handled on a fallen character. Apparently they never thought about what would happen if you attacked them fast enough.
[Stutter Stepping]
Exploit based on the window that you have to smash side to do an fsmash. Something like if you've hit side in the last X frames, and you're inputting a fsmash, do an fsmash. Their way of making it reasonably easy to fsmash with the control stick without dashing or jabbing.
[Zap Jump]
Exploit that has to do with weird additive momentums, potentially having to do with the direction Lucas is facing.
[Infinite Dimensional Cape]
Exploit that has to do with how you can leave the ground and go back to it, adding more time to the move
[Quick Attack Cancel/ Infinite Second Jump aerials/ Bowser Claw infinite DJ/ etc...]
I can see this as a glitch because you're clearly still in lag, clearly not autocanceling and resetting your DJ on the ground. You're just double jumping out of the specific attacks, while refreshing your double jump. MAYBE an exploit based on a boundary case of ending an attack and landing at the same time.
[Grenade Stripping]
clearly a glitch. They just forgot to only drop the one grenade lol.
[Gatling Combo]
I can only see this as a glitch, someone related to boost smashing, but it seems to be a glitch, since it only works on specific characters with very specific attacks and timings, and not universal ability to do it (only after hit)
MELEE===========================
[L-Cancel]
Common Misconception that this is a glitch. IT IS NOT. A different form of L canceling, known as z canceling was in smash 64. On the official Smash 64 Website, Z Canceling is described in the controls section (http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/Control.html - Rcade describes where: http://allisbrawl.com/forum/topic.aspx?pid=485211#p485211). Z canceling is obviously not a glitch. Despite it's ridiculous bonus of canceling all aerial landing lag (leaving only normal landing lag), the mechanics of z canceling make it appear as obviously not a glitch. The mechanic works by if you press z X (I don't know the exact number for 64) number of frames before landing in aerial landing lag, you will land with only normal landing lag. This means that the game must keep track of the most recent press of Z and when you land, check if it was within the timing window. This mechanic carried over from 64 to Melee in the form of L canceling, except that you receive 1/2 aerial landing lag, instead of normal landing lag (i.e. they nerfed z canceling).
For Reference, The line from the site in Japanese translates to:
"While doing an attack in the air, if you press the Z button just before landing, landing lag (suki?) is canceled and you can connect(?) a normal landing."
(Translated by Sensei Hanzo)
[Wavelanding]
A fundamental, obviously intentional function of the air dodge that says if you air dodge into the ground, you get some momentum based on traction, and 10 frames of lag.
[Wavedashing]
Some will claim that this is a glitch, when it is in fact, not. It is an exploit. The air dodge has 2 fundamental properties that are very clearly defined by the developers: 1) stop your current movement in favor of the direction you air dodge in, and 2) if you air dodge into the ground, you receive a slide, and 10 frames of special landfall lag. If you combine these two clearly defined properties of the air dodge by air dodging immediately after jumping, you get a wavedash.
[Edge Hogging]
Obviously intentional. There's a bonus you get if you do this (positive points, btw). Since they would've had to put the trigger for you to let go of the edge during a roll at the end, it wouldn't have made much difference if they put it somewhere else in the animation, so it's pretty obvious that rolls intentionally count as being on the edge still.
[Dash canceling]
From a dash or run, crouch, to cancel the dash in only the amount of frames it takes to crouch, pretty obvious it's not a glitch nor an exploit, but just the developers adding a way to stop running.
[Amazing Dash Canceling]
Exploit. Canceling the "stop running" animation into a crouch which you don't need to wait for the whole crouch. Since you're no longer running, the dash cancel flag on crouching isn't set.
[Pivot]
Not a glitch. Exploit. From your dash, you can dash in the other direction, but doing so puts you in standing position for one frame. Since you're standing, you can do anything.
[JC grab]
This is the only mechanic that gets widely used in competitive Melee that I can consider candidate for glitch. Probably an oversight from a check to see if you can grab or not. Unlike most attacks, you need to be able to grab out of shield for a shieldgrab, so their check for whether you can grab or not had to be different from that of an attack. It was probably something like "you can grab if you're in landing lag or doing an attack", with the oversight of starting up a jump.
[Crouch canceling]
Obviously intentional, it reduces knockback, hitstun, and knockback angle, pretty obvious there's just a check to see if you were crouching when hit.
[Meteor Canceling]
There's a specific classification of moves called meteor smashes, that generate a unique character state, that when meteor canceled, generates a unique animation. Obviously intentional.
I have written this analysis in hopes to clear that up. I have defined what these terms mean, and given examples from both Melee and Brawl of what are glitches, what are Exploits, and what is intentional.
Note: THIS IS NOT A MELEE VS. BRAWL THREAD. I like both games, I'm just using examples from both. I AM NOT COMPARING THEM IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. PLEASE DO NOT COMPARE THEM BASED ON THIS ANALYSIS.
Some Definitions First:
Glitch: An oversight in programming that fails to check for some behavior and in certain circumstances generates an outcome that the game programmers probably couldn't tell you what would happen if you input the glitch. This almost always refers to specific non-general checks.
Exploit: A combination of 1 or more general game mechanics often when used at boundary cases. The programmers of the game would probably be able to tell you what would happen if you input the exploit, but either didn't think of it themselves, or didn't care. While not strictly intended for use in the game, it is clearly within the rules of the game.
Intentional: Put in the game to be a feature of the game.
MELEE & BRAWL===================
[Short Hop]
Pretty obvious this is neither a glitch nor an exploit. Very obvious that the developers intended that if you held down the jump input for less than it takes you to get in the air, you'd have a jump of lower height.
[Fast Fall]
Also obviously intended, pretty straight forward, the code checks to see if you're on your way down, and if you hit down.
[Teching]
Obviously intentional. Special animation, sound effects, and character state.
[JC Usmash/ Up-b]
Not a glitch, nor exploit. If this were not in the game, you'd have to press A exactly the same frame as up to do a usmash with the control stick (same thing goes for up-b), making it very difficult to perform either of these moves. The developers dealt with this by adding code that allows you to perform a usmash or up-b during the start of your jump.
[Boost grab]
I cannot fathom how this could not a glitch. The only evidence against it being a glitch, is that it's still in Brawl.
[DI, SDI, ASDI]
All Obviously intentional, because there's no way to accomplish such specific behavior without specific checks for it.
The Smash 64 Japanese Page (http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/Control.html ) even tells us how to SDI:
"The instant after a hit, during 'hit stop' (aka hitlag), the person that can't do anything can snap the control stick and move their character in that direction."
(Translation by Sensei Hanzo)
[Reverse Aerial Neutral B]
pretty straightforwardly intentional, probably so you could turn around in the air with your neutral (typically 1 directional) special.
BRAWL===========================
First a piece of background info: Brawl, unlike Melee, runs a commercial physics engine (Havok) that focuses on generating real life-like physics. Why they chose an engine aimed at something they're trying to avoid is beyond me, but whatever. The point is that, Havok runs based on forces being applied to objects, rather than just manipulating the objects positions and velocities. To work around this to give the feel of a smash game, and not a real life simulation, the developers must have needed to add forces on characters during certain moves at certain points to give the attacks the right sort of movement, taking into account how the average casual player would be holding the control stick (which also probably generates a force). Because of this, Brawl is full of momentum exploits due to these additional forces, and oversights in how they could be abused.
[Platform Auto Snap]
probably an exploit due to the way the game checks if you land on moving platforms (moving platforms are therefore probably programmed differently than stationary ones)
[Wave Bouncing]
Exploit of brawl force based physics that generates momentum opposite the way you're facing (typically to counteract some/all/more than the momentum gain from pressing forward)
[Boost Smashing]
I cannot fathom how this could not be a glitch.
[Craq Walking]
Another Exploit of Brawl's force physics
[Glide Toss]
Probably a glitch caused from an oversight in the item throw check against being in a roll
[Dash Pivot Cancel]
Another Exploit of Brawl's force physics, and their expecting you to be holding a different direction
[RAR]
Obvious Exploit: you can jump out of your turn around animation, and the turn around animation marks you as facing the other way immediately.
[Grab Armor]
Obviously the developers concept of trading a hit for a grab. Purely intentional.
[Jab Lock/ Laser Lock/ etc...]
Exploit in how attacks are handled on a fallen character. Apparently they never thought about what would happen if you attacked them fast enough.
[Stutter Stepping]
Exploit based on the window that you have to smash side to do an fsmash. Something like if you've hit side in the last X frames, and you're inputting a fsmash, do an fsmash. Their way of making it reasonably easy to fsmash with the control stick without dashing or jabbing.
[Zap Jump]
Exploit that has to do with weird additive momentums, potentially having to do with the direction Lucas is facing.
[Infinite Dimensional Cape]
Exploit that has to do with how you can leave the ground and go back to it, adding more time to the move
[Quick Attack Cancel/ Infinite Second Jump aerials/ Bowser Claw infinite DJ/ etc...]
I can see this as a glitch because you're clearly still in lag, clearly not autocanceling and resetting your DJ on the ground. You're just double jumping out of the specific attacks, while refreshing your double jump. MAYBE an exploit based on a boundary case of ending an attack and landing at the same time.
[Grenade Stripping]
clearly a glitch. They just forgot to only drop the one grenade lol.
[Gatling Combo]
I can only see this as a glitch, someone related to boost smashing, but it seems to be a glitch, since it only works on specific characters with very specific attacks and timings, and not universal ability to do it (only after hit)
MELEE===========================
[L-Cancel]
Common Misconception that this is a glitch. IT IS NOT. A different form of L canceling, known as z canceling was in smash 64. On the official Smash 64 Website, Z Canceling is described in the controls section (http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/Control.html - Rcade describes where: http://allisbrawl.com/forum/topic.aspx?pid=485211#p485211). Z canceling is obviously not a glitch. Despite it's ridiculous bonus of canceling all aerial landing lag (leaving only normal landing lag), the mechanics of z canceling make it appear as obviously not a glitch. The mechanic works by if you press z X (I don't know the exact number for 64) number of frames before landing in aerial landing lag, you will land with only normal landing lag. This means that the game must keep track of the most recent press of Z and when you land, check if it was within the timing window. This mechanic carried over from 64 to Melee in the form of L canceling, except that you receive 1/2 aerial landing lag, instead of normal landing lag (i.e. they nerfed z canceling).
For Reference, The line from the site in Japanese translates to:
"While doing an attack in the air, if you press the Z button just before landing, landing lag (suki?) is canceled and you can connect(?) a normal landing."
(Translated by Sensei Hanzo)
[Wavelanding]
A fundamental, obviously intentional function of the air dodge that says if you air dodge into the ground, you get some momentum based on traction, and 10 frames of lag.
[Wavedashing]
Some will claim that this is a glitch, when it is in fact, not. It is an exploit. The air dodge has 2 fundamental properties that are very clearly defined by the developers: 1) stop your current movement in favor of the direction you air dodge in, and 2) if you air dodge into the ground, you receive a slide, and 10 frames of special landfall lag. If you combine these two clearly defined properties of the air dodge by air dodging immediately after jumping, you get a wavedash.
[Edge Hogging]
Obviously intentional. There's a bonus you get if you do this (positive points, btw). Since they would've had to put the trigger for you to let go of the edge during a roll at the end, it wouldn't have made much difference if they put it somewhere else in the animation, so it's pretty obvious that rolls intentionally count as being on the edge still.
[Dash canceling]
From a dash or run, crouch, to cancel the dash in only the amount of frames it takes to crouch, pretty obvious it's not a glitch nor an exploit, but just the developers adding a way to stop running.
[Amazing Dash Canceling]
Exploit. Canceling the "stop running" animation into a crouch which you don't need to wait for the whole crouch. Since you're no longer running, the dash cancel flag on crouching isn't set.
[Pivot]
Not a glitch. Exploit. From your dash, you can dash in the other direction, but doing so puts you in standing position for one frame. Since you're standing, you can do anything.
[JC grab]
This is the only mechanic that gets widely used in competitive Melee that I can consider candidate for glitch. Probably an oversight from a check to see if you can grab or not. Unlike most attacks, you need to be able to grab out of shield for a shieldgrab, so their check for whether you can grab or not had to be different from that of an attack. It was probably something like "you can grab if you're in landing lag or doing an attack", with the oversight of starting up a jump.
[Crouch canceling]
Obviously intentional, it reduces knockback, hitstun, and knockback angle, pretty obvious there's just a check to see if you were crouching when hit.
[Meteor Canceling]
There's a specific classification of moves called meteor smashes, that generate a unique character state, that when meteor canceled, generates a unique animation. Obviously intentional.
