fr0st2k
Smash Journeyman
Melee, oh what an absolutely fabulous game. We will never forget the great memories it has given us; the hours of dedication to mastering each character, the frustrating moments all of us have shared, and of course, the countless hours of fun it provided for us.
However, like all good things, Melee's time has come and (whether or not you accept it) gone. Melee has had a huge impact on all of us here. We all love the game, or else we wouldn't be on this site patiently awaiting brawl (for those of use who havent gotten it yet anyway). But the impact it left, just might be too much to shake off.
We have played for years and years. I won't take credit, but many of us have worked hard to create a proper competitive atmosphere for the previous two installments, and have been very successful.
With the advent of Brawl, a new wave of fans have emerged and entered this competitive community. This is where my humble view begins. The years spent developing the Melee scene into a competitive one was the work of a relatively small group of dedicated fans (small when compared to the fanbase as it is NOW). They toiled, they discussed, they argued, and of course, THEY PLAYED, they played a lot. They learned what works, they learned what didn't, and the eventually all came to a communal understanding of how things worked.
However, the new wave of smashers flooding into their peaceful commune, never came to this communal understanding.
This is where my first fundamental point lies. It is that this understanding between the two groups is nonexistant. When one talks to the other, there is an large wall separating the twos thoughts and opinions , and it must be chiseled and broken before any kind of understanding can take place (the strength of the wall varies person to person of course).
Both groups have their flaws, which is making these walls harder and harder to break.
The newcomers:
I see a lot of the old members trying to chisel this wall down between you newcomers and themselves, although many times, they find themselves faced with unbreakable walls. A lot of people simple won't except that they have more experience than yourself, and you can learn a thing or two from them.
So I ask this question to the newcomersL: Can you at least try and be considerate of others opinions. Accept that there are indeed some things that you can't argue, or out of proper respect, shouldn't argue?
The old members:
It wouldn't be fair to ignore you guys while pointing blame. The biggest problem I have seen with older members their inability to bend. Bending helps a team stand tall. As i stated in my opening paragraph, Melee has indeed left a large large impact on us all, but on the older players much more so than the newer ones. Don't allow yourself to be so encompassed by what Melee WAS, to forget that Brawl CAN BE, something entirely new, and better.
Melee's potential and competitive spirit was founded through experimentation and through time. I agree, that using the past to enlighten the future is going to be a great benefit while shaping brawls future, but to infuse Brawl with as many of melees traits as possible, hardly seems fair for Brawl.
This is my second fundamental point. We need to shake off melee. We have all had a lot of fun with melee, and we all want to start having that same amount of fun with Brawl. In fact, we all want it TOO quickly. I see many topics where people are trying their hardest to find out the newest "advanced techniques." Perhaps looking for a little smashboards fame, or maybe they just really want to find that replacement for wavedashing. It's of little importance, but it shows that people are trying, actively, to seek for similarities between melee and brawl.
I really dont think this is a good idea. I think by doing this, we aren't allowing brawl to be as unique as it can be. We are infusing Brawl with our melee experiences, and detracting from Brawls true potential.
As a smash community who should emphasis true professionalism, this is a downright crime.
I ask that we all, as fans of the series, and fans of Brawl, try to push forward with Brawl as it is, and not as what we all hoped it to be, or hope it will be.
I'll leave it at that. I hope i offended no one, and I hope people get something out of this. This board is in a huge cacoon right now, and the actions we take now will decide on whether it emerges as an ugly moth, or a beautiful butterfly (lame i know ...lol)
Thanks for reading this book....
However, like all good things, Melee's time has come and (whether or not you accept it) gone. Melee has had a huge impact on all of us here. We all love the game, or else we wouldn't be on this site patiently awaiting brawl (for those of use who havent gotten it yet anyway). But the impact it left, just might be too much to shake off.
We have played for years and years. I won't take credit, but many of us have worked hard to create a proper competitive atmosphere for the previous two installments, and have been very successful.
With the advent of Brawl, a new wave of fans have emerged and entered this competitive community. This is where my humble view begins. The years spent developing the Melee scene into a competitive one was the work of a relatively small group of dedicated fans (small when compared to the fanbase as it is NOW). They toiled, they discussed, they argued, and of course, THEY PLAYED, they played a lot. They learned what works, they learned what didn't, and the eventually all came to a communal understanding of how things worked.
However, the new wave of smashers flooding into their peaceful commune, never came to this communal understanding.
This is where my first fundamental point lies. It is that this understanding between the two groups is nonexistant. When one talks to the other, there is an large wall separating the twos thoughts and opinions , and it must be chiseled and broken before any kind of understanding can take place (the strength of the wall varies person to person of course).
Both groups have their flaws, which is making these walls harder and harder to break.
The newcomers:
I see a lot of the old members trying to chisel this wall down between you newcomers and themselves, although many times, they find themselves faced with unbreakable walls. A lot of people simple won't except that they have more experience than yourself, and you can learn a thing or two from them.
So I ask this question to the newcomersL: Can you at least try and be considerate of others opinions. Accept that there are indeed some things that you can't argue, or out of proper respect, shouldn't argue?
The old members:
It wouldn't be fair to ignore you guys while pointing blame. The biggest problem I have seen with older members their inability to bend. Bending helps a team stand tall. As i stated in my opening paragraph, Melee has indeed left a large large impact on us all, but on the older players much more so than the newer ones. Don't allow yourself to be so encompassed by what Melee WAS, to forget that Brawl CAN BE, something entirely new, and better.
Melee's potential and competitive spirit was founded through experimentation and through time. I agree, that using the past to enlighten the future is going to be a great benefit while shaping brawls future, but to infuse Brawl with as many of melees traits as possible, hardly seems fair for Brawl.
This is my second fundamental point. We need to shake off melee. We have all had a lot of fun with melee, and we all want to start having that same amount of fun with Brawl. In fact, we all want it TOO quickly. I see many topics where people are trying their hardest to find out the newest "advanced techniques." Perhaps looking for a little smashboards fame, or maybe they just really want to find that replacement for wavedashing. It's of little importance, but it shows that people are trying, actively, to seek for similarities between melee and brawl.
I really dont think this is a good idea. I think by doing this, we aren't allowing brawl to be as unique as it can be. We are infusing Brawl with our melee experiences, and detracting from Brawls true potential.
As a smash community who should emphasis true professionalism, this is a downright crime.
I ask that we all, as fans of the series, and fans of Brawl, try to push forward with Brawl as it is, and not as what we all hoped it to be, or hope it will be.
I'll leave it at that. I hope i offended no one, and I hope people get something out of this. This board is in a huge cacoon right now, and the actions we take now will decide on whether it emerges as an ugly moth, or a beautiful butterfly (lame i know ...lol)
Thanks for reading this book....
