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Wario Ware
Happy April Fools ^_^
Happy April Fools ^_^
Introduction:
Due to recent findings, I am now convinced that Wario Ware should be legal. From examining the stage mechanics in Brawl's data, and experimentation in-game, I believe I have cracked the mechanism behind the main reason why this stage is commonly banned: how the game determines the reward for success at a mini-game. Furthermore, there is strong evidence suggesting that random elements within the mini-game (when the car comes and what it will do, when the man in the background will hammer the ground, etc.) can also be determined. Unfortunately, there is nothing to suggest that the order of mini-games is determined, but much remains to be explored. The purpose of this thread is to outline the mechanics behind determining rewards, and also to serve as discussion ground in exploring other "random" aspects of this stage, with the hope that the original post will eventually come to include all known information about Wario Ware, including mini-game descriptions, success conditions, etc.
The Mechanics:
There are three potential rewards for succeeding at a mini-game: Invincibility, Super Mushroom, and Heal. For the duration of any mini-game, the game keeps track of a special value, referred to as the Reward Value, for each character. This value starts at 0, and is increased based on events that happen during the mini-game - these increases are as follows:
- Any player jumping will increase his own Reward Value by 2, and the Reward Value for all other players by 1
- Double jumps will increase the Reward Value for all players by 2
- Any player performing an A move will increase the Reward Value for all players by 1; This include grabs, pummels, and ledge attacks
- B moves have no effect
- Putting up a shield, rolling, or spotdodging as no effect
When the mini-game ends, the game considers the Reward Value of each player who succeeded in the following way:
- Player 1 is considered; if Player 1 succeeded, the game takes his Reward Value modulo 3 (divides by 3 and takes the remainder); This determines his reward; if Player 1 failed, the game adds 1 to all remaining Reward Values
- Player 2 is considered; if Player 2 succeeded, the game takes his Reward Value modulo 3; This determines his reward; if Player 2 failed, the game adds 1 to all remaining Reward Values
- ...and so on for Player 3 and Player 4, if present
Ports do not matter in this assignment. If the two players present are Players 3 and 4, they will be considered as Players 1 and 2 respectively. After taking the modulo 3 of the Reward Value, the rewards are assigned as follows:
- 0 - Invincibility
- 1 - Super Mushroom
- 2 - Heal
Video Demonstration:
I will record a match with a more extensive list of scenarios, but for now this video shows the system well:
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Stay Dry! - The jump by Sonic is not considered, as it occurs before the mini-game begins. Neither character jumps or attacks, so both have a Reward Value of 0 by the end of the mini-game. Both players succeed, so after dividing by 3 and taking the remainder, both are rewarded with 0 - Invincibility.
Pop It! - Here Pikachu jumps, double jumps and attacks the hat, while Sonic double jumps (the first jump is too early), lands, jumps, lands, jumps, double jumps and attacks. With two attacks total between the two characters, both gain 2 in their Reward Value. With three double jumps between the two characters, both gain 6 in their Reward Value, bringing them both to 8. Pikachu single jumps once, so his value becomes 10 while Sonic's becomes 9. Sonic single jumps twice, so his value becomes 13 while Pikachu's becomes 12. The mini-game ends, and the game considers Sonic. Sonic failed, so he gets no reward, and all other players have their value increased by 1, bringing Pikachu to 13. This means a reward of 1 - Super Mushroom for Pikachu.
Dodge! - Here Pikachu jumps and double jumps, while Sonic jumps, lands, jumps and double jumps, lands, then jumps one last time (the final double jump is too late to be counted). With two double jumps between the characters, both characters gain 4 in their Reward Value. Sonic performs three single jumps, bringing his Reward Value to 10, while Pikachu's rises to 7. Pikachu performs one single jump, bringing his Reward Value to 9, while Sonic's rises to 11. Both characters succeed, to Pikachu gets 0 - Invincibility, while Sonic gets 2 - Heal.
A similar analysis can be performed with the remaining mini-games.
Implication:
The randomness of the reward has been the main complaint against the legalization of Wario Ware, and with good reason. Two players can succeed at a mini-game, with one being rewarded a Super Mushroom, while the other gains Invincibility, resulting in massive damage. However, with this knowledge, this mechanic can now be transformed into a game of incredible strategic depth.
Jumping puts you "one ahead" of all other opponents. This allows you to manipulate the difference between the two values. Consider a cycle of rewards that runs Invincibility-Super Mushroom-Heal-Invincibility-Super Mushroom-... Jumping is what will allow you to set up Invincibility for yourself with Super Mushroom for your opponent. Note also that all moves except jumping do not change the relative position of the Reward Values. They increase all Reward Values by the same amount. This means that by using double jumps or A moves, you can force all players to cycle.
It should be clear that various strategies arise from this. If you notice your opponent is set up to gain Invincibility while you are stuck in Super Mushroom, you could jump at the last moment to gain Invincibility yourself, while pushing your opponent to Super Mushroom. Another example I have been exploring is as Ivysaur, allowing the opponent to set up Invincibility - Super Mushroom as described above, and then jabbing at the last moment. This pushes Ivysaur to Heal, and the opponent to Super Mushroom, with the potential of landing a 60+% Bullet Seed. The metagame on this stage will likely involve paying careful attention to your opponent's actions. The most skilled players will no doubt soon be able to do so while continuing to fight, and may even be able perform setups to simply force the opponent to jump. The possibilities are endless. I have been practising against a Lvl 1 AI, and I am able to consistently force the Invincibility-Super Mushroom scenario after only a couple hours of practice.
Not all randomness has been solved on this stage, but this shows that enough is determined so that there is no doubt in my mind that this stage should be legal. There is a decent amount of warning before each mini-game, and the nature of each game encourages fighting for positioning in the center. As there is no longer any game-breaking randomness, I see no reason to keep this banned in singles. Doubles may be a different story, as keeping track of four players' actions is likely an unrealistic expectation, leading to an effectively random result. However, let us not discount the possibility prematurely.
~T
