Lets talk Online for Smash

[AIM0001]

Ok let me start off by saying this....Super Smash Bros. Brawl online was awful. Now with this new sequel coming out I expect much better online and features this time around. The good thing about discussing the online component in Smash 4 now is that we dont need character, stage, or even trailer announments to tell them want we want when it comes to playing this game online.

How can they make this online better? Heres a few sugggestions...

1. BETTER CONNECTION BOTH LAG AND EXPERIENCE WISE
The amount of lag I experienced from the online was outrageous. Making this game very unplayable. If the Soul Calibur team are on board. I'd hope for fluid online gameplay simalar to Soul Calibur V.

Also I would like some kind of voice/video chat feature. If not with strangers then atleast with my friends only during the matches. I feel it would make the online experience much better if they finally catch up with how online is played these days and allow this feature.

2. MORE MODE OPTIONS FOR ONLINE
Whats Wrong with this: Whats with the 2:00 matches? Who the h*** would want to go online to play only 2 minute matches. I can see this as maybe a Quick Match option but for it to be the only option is unacceptable.

How to make it better: They need to allow Stock, Time, Coin, Tournament modes for online. Players should be able to create a game. Set the rules and if possible pick the items. It should be up to the host to pick the time limit or stock limit of the matches. Letting them pick the stage is also possible. An alternative would be to have a Gear of War 3 or a Mario Kart 7 online voting system to determine what stage you will compete on.

3.BETTER LOBBIES
The online lobbies for Brawl were just horrible. They need to make it much more enjoyable to navigate through the lobbies and look for potientail spectator/online matches to play in. With Namco Bandai working on Smash. I can only hope Nintendo lets them assist them on making the online much better.

Now I know I left alot of suggestions out but this is just the first post to kinda get this topic started. I think many things need to be done. Super Smash Bros. is such a popular game and deserves so much better when it comes to online play. I have very high expectations for this game both online and offline. Lets hope they aknowledge this and put forth the effort to make this game a better online experience.

 

[JPW]

i thing online was new thing for them. So it was very basic. it can be fun though.

Yeah lag will play a part most of the time. But some days i'll get really good connections with my mates and the brawls will be pretty awesome.

It's about internet setups and such rather than Nintendo's fault.

Basic Brawl is kind of lame i must admit. I haven't been there in ages.

I've always wanted them to include special modes such as sudden death mode in brawls. These can be very fun at times.

Also Custom Stages next time too. It sux creating these stages and not trying them out anywhere.

 

[DakotaBonez]

By the time I obtained internet and wifi my friends had moved on from brawl so I only ever played an online match with a friend once. Why did they include so many more features than the standard 2:00 brawl!?! It was so much better. Except that we had to chat on phone with eachother to agree on setups...

I guess the point I'm really going for is that you should be able to set up 1 vs. 1 battles too along with 3 player, 4 player, or maybe even someday, ... 8 player.
Its a rare and amazing experience to get a 1 vs 1 battle on Basic Brawl online. Especially because sometimes it fills in the empty slots with CPUs.

Also would like to agree with above poster on the need for online compatibility with custom stages. I remember a couple of times I've fought people on basic brawl who had hacked copies of the game who could make us fight on a glitchy version of the online waiting room or custom stages. I can see why they wouldnt be included like if someone exploits the spike glitch which allows you to spawn players in an inescapable box.

 

[smashmanx7]

Since Nintendo is having valve and EA develop Nintendo network I have very high hopes for the online.

It all comes down to how Nintendo uses their online network to see how good it'll be in the next smash.
Also I hope they put in the ability to send friend request after matches because I've meet some good people and can't fight them anymore because they left.

 

[umegames]

I'm sure the online will be much improved this time.

It sickens me to see to this day now, how people make the online experience worse by constantly picking hyrule temple and waiting out the clock...doesn't help the game at all.

Take away time, put in 2-3 stock.

 

[Claire Diviner]

It's about internet setups and such rather than Nintendo's fault.

Actually, it is Nintendo's fault. The way the Brawl servers are made, you can have the greatest connection in the world with another person who has the greatest connection in the world, live within a block from one another, and still experience about 5-10 frames of lag. That's just the way Nintendo programmed it, and it's atrocious, given how Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii performs online. Do those games have lag? Yes, they do, but it isn't frame rate or input lag, which - in my opinion - is a step up from Brawl.

It sickens me to see to this day now, how people make the online experience worse by constantly picking hyrule temple and waiting out the clock...doesn't help the game at all.

Worse still are those ignorant ones who uses wi-fi Brawl performances as a measurement of another person's skill in Brawl in general, let alone wi-fi.

@AIM0001: You know "hell" isn't considered a profane word that SWF censors, right?

 

[smashmanx7]

http://m.ign.com/articles/2012/06/27/nintendos-social-ambitions this sorta gives insight on how Nintendo plans it's social features

 

[MelMoe]

-Better connectivity.
-Change what type of match: stock, time, hit points, etc.
-Choose restrictions: stage, characters, items, etc.
-Choose from other modes not just the standard multiplayer & spectacular modes
-A Ranked multiplayer that can be displayed on a player board.

An easy to use friend system where you can send a friend request in the waiting room or on a menu during play on any mode. Players can view a players stats & such by selecting their name. I would like if titles are added to your name based on how you play. Ex: The Bull's Eye title would be for player with great accuracy in battles; the Punching Bag title (from Brawl) means you take a lot of damage.

Voice chat would be available. I personally wouldn't want whining players while battling; so an Off Switch is necessary. I also wonder with the new console if we could have a recordable message that could be heard by other players when we taunt instead of the text from Brawl.

Spectator Mode should be live & when a player starts doing well and the crowd starts cheering, the spectators can cheer & be heard by the battlers too. The Spectators can talk amongst themselves just not the the players fighting the match. Perhaps in a multiplayer Tag-Team mode waiting players could act like spectators but can be heard by the battling players.

Downloadable content will be greatly appreciated with an online shop where you can purchase new or old content for your game. Characters, stages, costumes, menu backgrounds, songs, & other possibilities.Coins from winning battles could be the currency or wii points based on how “good” the content is.

 

[BlueXenon]

I am a mario kart player. In both Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7, you are able to join your friends rooms, and spectate their races (these are racing games) until the next race starts or you get a spot in the room. I think ssb needs these features. If a friend is brawling with random players, you should be able to join them, and if the room already has 4 players, you should be able to spectate until one player leaves. I also dont like how people can RQ/quit and disconnect everyone. I think disconnecting a room should only be an availible option if there is lag. And when someone does quit, a cpu should replace them.

 

[AIM0001]

Since Nintendo is having valve and EA develop Nintendo network I have very high hopes for the online.

It all comes down to how Nintendo uses their online network to see how good it'll be in the next smash.
Also I hope they put in the ability to send friend request after matches because I've meet some good people and can't fight them anymore because they left.

I thought the whole Valve/EA developing the Nintendo Network was rumor? I guess Im a lil behind on things??

@AIM0001: You know "hell" isn't considered a profane word that SWF censors, right?

Haha Ive been on 4 year Hiatus i couldnt remember if we were allowed to say hell or not!

 

[BSP]

From my experiences, this is what needs to be fixed

-Less Lag

I don't care what must be done to do it, but this is vital. It's extremely hard to take Brawl's wifi seriously because of how much lag there is.

-No spectator mode

This is useless. If I want to watch fights, I can watch CPUs. The matches in spectator mode aren't even live to begin with. It's just a waste of space imo.

-No HRC or Multiman Online

Sorry, but matchmaking is much more important IMO. Get those done well first, then the extra stuff can come back.

-Communication between players

There needs to be a better way to communicate with players. The only way to reliably set up a decent match with someone is to use something outside of brawl (IE AiB, Skype, etc.) This point is huge and will drastically affect how seriously the game is taken.

-With Anyone Mode

This needs to be remade into matchmaking mode. We should be able to specify how many players we want, items or no items, etc., and we should be able to communicate with whoever we face. The game can't grow if you can't contact anyone you meet online.

-Friend Codes

If the problems with With Anyone mode are fixed, I'm fine with Friend Codes staying as long as they don't restrict you from communication with people in a matchmaking mode.

That's all I can think of atm.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

Maybe the online system should reference Mario Kart 7 at some aspects...

*Worldwide
**Regional: Face random opponents that live in your region.
**National: Face random opponents from any country.

*Friends / Opponents: Go through your friend and opponent list, in an attempt to join the same room as him/her.

*Communities: Attend rooms made by specific players, or make your own room, and invite only those on your friend list to join.

 

[[TSON]]

Honestly... I can't see voice chat NOT happening in private matches - at least as an option. Pokemon has it... why wouldn't Smash at this point?
I'm also expecting that an Xbox LIVE type system come into play - everyone has a username, add people you play with, join friends' games, etc.

 

[AIM0001]

Honestly... I can't see voice chat NOT happening in private matches - at least as an option. Pokemon has it... why wouldn't Smash at this point?
I'm also expecting that an Xbox LIVE type system come into play - everyone has a username, add people you play with, join friends' games, etc.

Didnt they say something about doing screen names before E3? Ya I agree screen names are very much needed. The Miiverse members need an identity, not just a friend code number!

 

[Sidestep Abuse]

Most games I play in Brawl = Disconnected during data transmission. I wonder if the next SSB game will be like that.

 

[Sunnysunny]

^
Naaaaahhhh~
Namco's wifi on Soul Calibur 5 is widely considered one of THE best wifi set ups so far. I have faith they'll put a decent system in. Hopefully they'll be sweet enough to give us a 1 on 1 mode with competitive standards. Thankfully the WiiU can receive patches, so even if a competitive standard isn't established right off the bat, they can patch one in once it is~! Heres hoping Sakurai doesn't blatantly blow off the competitive community again.

 

[volbound1700]

Online should and will be improved a lot for this game. I expect a forum atmosphere to meet fights and a host system where fighters can choose options for the game.

 

[Frostwraith]

^
Naaaaahhhh~
Namco's wifi on Soul Calibur 5 is widely considered one of THE best wifi set ups so far. I have faith they'll put a decent system in. Hopefully they'll be sweet enough to give us a 1 on 1 mode with competitive standards. Thankfully the WiiU can receive patches, so even if a competitive standard isn't established right off the bat, they can patch one in once it is~! Heres hoping Sakurai doesn't blatantly blow off the competitive community again.

if Namco made a good online for Soul Calibur, then Smash could benefit from it. But don't count much on patches or expect this to be competitive, I'm warning you.

 

[kizzykash]

Yeah I'm pretty sure online would be a lot better in the future

But yeah....Hopefully smash 4 online would be a lot better online :/

 

[Chico113]

input delays definitely need to go, dedicated servers maybe?

 

[Grimripper]

Dedicated servers would be nice. But I'd be content with just more modes.

 

[BSP]

The input delay should be the top priority imo

 

[Johnknight1]

Please God don't let EA be involved. I don't want them to spy on my WiiU, and I want them out of my life.

Let it be Valve (who actively listen to their customers, and do a AAA job all the time) or Namco Bandai (who made a great online interface for Soul Calibur V).

Also, it would be pretty cool if fan-hosted servers were allowed (which could allow the game to have active online for many many years). Imagine if like Smash WiiU's Project M-equivalent had its' own online fan-hosted server! PC games do that, so why not=??? That'd be pretty freaking cool, and with minimal lag, it'd keep us addicting forever!

The input delay should be the top priority imo

Not a bad thought my smash brothah!!!

 

[Rayquaza07]

it will be better than brawl but if we have to pay ima be mad lul

a MPH lvl voice chat or ssf4 lvl voice chat can prob also be expected in the new "basic brawl" mode

 

[MechaWave]

• Less Lag It is painfully obvious to everyone, with or without fast internet connections, there will always be lag in someway, shape or form. It is rare to find a lagless 4-player Basic Brawl, or atleast one with absolutely no lag whatsoever that runs absolutely at 60fps.

To be honest, friendly 1v1 matches with friends are not bad, and so run well for me. It is mostly the With Anyone options that have the worst trouble.

• Dedicated Servers In MMORPGs, there are realms or worlds that are essentially separate servers. The next Smash game could benefit from "worlds" or dedicated servers so there will be less lag. Player 1 could choose Server A, Player 2 could choose Server B; however, both players can still face each other over both servers, instead of player 1 facing players only in Server A. This will allow both servers to connect but act on their own hardware, reducing lag and input delay.

• More Options I have a few proposals of what should be added in the next Smash:
Quick Match : A simple, 2-minute free-for-all match. Most casual players can hook up in here, and the possible Taunt Parties as well.
Quick Teams : A simple, 2-minute 2v2 (or 3v3 if that'll happen) match. Instead of waiting for 4/6 people, the timer should countdown once 2, 4 or 6 people are available, preventing people having to wait ridiculously long times to get a specific amount of players.
Setup Match : Make a set of rules and let the game find players who are looking for the same setup. This will allow higher-leveled players ignore Taunt Parties and whatnot. There will probably be limits, such as preventing 99 stocks and stuff. Types of matches can be Timed Match (3~8 min or something), Stock Match (1~6 stock), and Coin Battle (w/e limits). Teams can also be enabled. To those that have played Fortune Street, it should act similarly to that.
Special Match : Let each player mix-and-match their own special types, like Huge+Metal+Flower, etc. and let a randomizer choose what player setup and play for that. 2-4min timer.
Special Mode : Boss battles, break the targets, home-run contest, alloys/wireframes/whatever, event matches and more.

• New Features Such as...
Leaderboards : Maybe add something like how Mario Kart uses VR to determine skill level, and use points. Then the people who have a lot of points can be viewed on leaderboards.
Video/Mic/Text Chat : Let users message each other. Text chat could work while selecting characters or in the waiting room (it'd be difficult to text while fighting, y'know?) and mics for selection screens and ingame matches. Video chat would probably only happen with friends and it'd make more sense. Let text happen at one's own free will, not by preset messages.
Revamped Spectator Mode : Have spectated matches happen in realtime. Let spectators chat to to other spectators, let them download replays, save snapshots, etc.
Downloadable content : From Nintendo and from users worldwide. Have a option to download custom stages, snapshots and replays at their own choosing and have Top Downloaded, Highest Rated, etc. options for each.
Competitions created by Sakurai & his team or Nintendo.
Allow tags. Seriously, this should have been added in Brawl to begin with.
Having more options when someone presses Start. Quit game, quick-change settings (like turning off your mic), etc.
Have a stage roulette so people know what stage is being played on before a match starts (like in Mario Kart).
Display things like Add as Friend button, mic enabled, region (flag), character chosen, etc. in the HUD.
Have the ability to go back to previous screen without leaving the room. Cuz sometimes we have second thoughts and want to change our character.

Options such as disabling video/mic/texts,adding as a friend, disabling flags, disabling tags, etc. should naturally be included. There will always be bad things such as inappropriate comments from other users, and mic chatting cannot be censored. There will be kids, obviously, so options like mic should be disabled by default.

And as for tags, instead of these displaying above one's name, these should display in the HUD boxes at the bottom of the screen (or on the GamePad/bottom screen of 3DS, if you will). This will prevent such low and stupid limits like 5 characters. Or the tag could be in place of the character name.

Here is a HUD box design I whipped up a year ago:

So above all, you could actually disable EVERYTHING and remain completely anonymous just like in Brawl.

 

[AIM0001]

it will be better than brawl but if we have to pay ima be mad lul

a MPH lvl voice chat or ssf4 lvl voice chat can prob also be expected in the new "basic brawl" mode

I thought I read somewhere on IGN that the online service will be free. It was an interview with Iwata but IGN managed to spread one interview into numerous articles on their page.

 

[volbound1700]

I think Nintendo is going to have a lot of Internet support for Wii U unlike the original Wii and we will be using Nintendo's network, not EA or any other company.

 

[GetBentSaggy]

I think Nintendo is going to have a lot of Internet support for Wii U unlike the original Wii and we will be using Nintendo's network, not EA or any other company.

Nintendo Network is powered by EA's Origin program.

In short: Origin is the car engine and whatever else starts up a car (sorry, not a car enthusiast), while Nintendo Network is the metal, interior and paintwork that makes it look good and/or easy to use.

Also, as a former avid EA/Origin user, may God have mercy on us all.

 

[RomanceDawn]

Nintendo Network is powered by EA's Origin program.

In short: Origin is the car engine and whatever else starts up a car (sorry, not a car enthusiast), while Nintendo Network is the metal, interior and paintwork that makes it look good and/or easy to use.

Also, as a former avid EA/Origin user, may God have mercy on us all.

Is that true? I don't remember that at all. I do recall them working together for Nintendos online but nothing about it running on Origin servers.

Due to the nature of the hardware with it being so much more powerful and a social online infrastructure already built right in, expect a major improvement over what Brawl had. Couple that with the development team I think this is the one aspect we have least to worry about.

What's going to make a difference as with all console fighting games being played online is if we can get a hard wire to play online rather than just wifi. Now that be the safest way to play online, I just hope we get the option.

 

[DarkSouls]

Fighting games are difficult to program online for. Because you often require frame-perfect timing, a difference of 10 frames can completely wreck the experience. Because some lag will always be present (Especially with the USA's net infrastructure), developers just have to program around these restrictions.

It gets even worse in a game like Smash, where there are stage hazards, items, and additional players. I think that allowing people to adjust the settings would really improve online; removing items, reducing it to two players, and choosing one of the less dynamic stages would probably remove a lot of the lag.

I'd prefer GGPO-style online; it seems to work a lot better than other kinds because the lag, while it might look worse, at least doesn't happen between input and attack. I've never had problems with Skullgirls' online.

 

[Wizzrobe]

This is probably my biggest request for Sm4sh, Brawl's was terrible.

It will probably be pretty great though with Wii U's online system.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

I've stickied this thread for easier access, and so that duplicate threads can be avoided.

 

[smashmanx7]

Most likely I see this happening just like in the new Mario Mario kart you'll be able to set up communities (with a 100 person cap ) and within those communities you'll be able to setup tournaments and events. There will also be a stage store where people can downlaod for free stages people built for stage Creator and the top 5 stages will debut everyweek.

I also hope for an online leaderboard just like in the game bomberman blast where they set you up with people of equal skill level

Video chat while brawling is not a must unless the WiiU pad can be set up by my t.v and I can just play with the classic controller pro I just prefer a headset or just no talking at all because most people I brawl with are pretty loud but I wont mind if they put it regardless.

Finally I want no lag which is pretty obvious but I know that wont happen some people have bad internet and what not. just hope they do the best they can.

And this is what I expect for online

 

[---]

Probably my biggest pet peeve was the lack of options. I personally dislike timed matches (probably also encourages taunt parties) and the lack of being able to select the amount of players to play against (probably would have been good for practicing competitive Smash).

I also really hope to see the daily snapshots and custom stages expanded upon. When it was around it was probably the (only) thing that Brawl's online truly did right. Would be even cooler if we got free stickers similar to the free daily weapons from Uprising.


Still with Uprising fantastic multiplayer, the Wii U, and with Namco working on the project now, I expect a more fluid online experience even more so than what I expected with Brawl's.

 

[Robert of Normandy]

I hated Brawl's online. I don't play online much, but when I did there was always lag.

Some features I want:
-Being able to change the settings for a match. Time, Stock, Timed Stock, Items on/off, singles/teams. I'd also like to be able to specify the number of people I want to fight against.
-Being able to ban certain stages from being picked.(It's my understanding you can do this in MK7, don't own a 3DS so I don't know for sure) Being able to ban larger stages could easily discourage the taunt spammers(who I remember encountering a lot).

 

[Host Change]

As long as they fix the input lag and you can prefer good connection and people who live in a reasonable radius of you, that'll do a lot on its own. I'd like to see more playlists as well so that people can play singles, stock, ffa, teams, tournament etc and playlists with items or janky stages turned off. If they did all that and separated item and no item playlists into two separate categories, everybody could play what they're looking for.

It wouldn't really be that hard to majorly improve the online to the point where its worth playing...

 

[smashmanx7]

Okay. I have this really good idea for smash online when it comes to friends its not perfect but I just thought of it okay cocking on the online feature of smash 4 to see that you have a challenger (someone online ) attempting to steal your in order to save your rank you can either accept or decline but it you decline you lose rank points if you accept you battle

When a challengers threatens your rank it shows the Challenger approaching screen

What do you think its a work in progress.

 

[Black Mantis]

Less lag and a better interface for connecting with friends would be cool.

 

[Dotcom]

We need to completely remove the "friend code" thing. It was so tiresome and so...bad.
I'm hoping that since WiiU is moving towards DLC related things, that they have a better idea for the internet experience. Something in terms of PS3 or 360 currently, to make interface that much better.

 

[Junahu]

Kid Icarus Uprising's Multiplayer is the best indicator we have right now for predicting what the next Super Smash Bros will be like online. And that's pretty unfortunate;

1) Complete segregation between With-Friends and With-Anyone; You can play with friends, or you can play with randoms. You cannot play with friends AND randoms
2) No options for other match types in With-Anyone. Timed only, with no stage select, and all items switched on.
3) No lobby system at all.

Of course, I really want to be wrong here. Because otherwise we'd be dealing with a pretty throwaway online component.