Online play
Online play, also known asnetwork play ornetplay, is the act of playing games in theSuper Smash Bros. series with other players via the Internet. Thus far,Super Smash Bros. Brawl, both versions ofSuper Smash Bros. 4, andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate have had netplay officially supported byNintendo; while originally released without native netplay capabilities, modern methods exist for playing bothSmash 64 andMelee online.
InSuper Smash Bros.[edit]
- See also:Project64k
TheNintendo 64 does not natively support online play, though the idea was explored as part of the64DD add-on. As such, online play forSmash 64 is accomplished through the use of emulators, such asProject64k. Owing to the lower system requirements of Nintendo 64 emulators and the rather fragmented community surroundingSmash 64, netplay is among the most common ways to play the game in the current scene. Initially, netplay was achieved via servers such as Smash FU and The Galaxy, but the community has since changed to mostly using peer-to-peer connections.
InSuper Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
- See also:Project Slippi
While theNintendo GameCube does have limited support for internet connectivity withappropriate adapters,Melee was released prior to the official release of these adapters, and as such, it does not natively support online play. LikeSmash 64, online play forMelee is generally accomplished through emulators, particularlyProject Slippi.
Prior to Slippi andDolphin featuring netplay functionality, experimental online play was previously performed by a variety oftunneling softwares that could directly connect GameCube consoles to one another, such as viaXLink Kai or exploits inPhantasy Star Online for the GameCube.These methods, however, were difficult to set up, required extensive knowledge of the software on hand and networking protocols, and required both players to be using the sameversion ofMelee. Matches themselves often haddesyncs, withitems notably being implicated.
Online play later experienced mainstream popularity with the GameCube and Wii emulator Dolphin, which allowed for considerably easier connectivity between players, as well as being considerably more reliable in terms of synchronisation. Initially holding only niche popularity due to Dolphin's high system requirements, the gradually increasing power of personal computers and improvements to Dolphin's performance have allowed for moreMelee players to partake in online play.
InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
- See also:Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection,Dolphin
TheNintendo Wii was the first Nintendo home console to support online play out of the box, with Nintendo allowing the device to take advantage of theNintendo Wi-Fi Connection (WFC). As a result,Brawl was the first game in the series to officially support online play, allowing players to fight against either strangers or friends. In addition, gameplaymods forBrawl could also be unofficially played online via this protocol, though all players would need the mod in order to prevent desyncs from occurring.
Upon selecting theNintendo Wi-Fi menu, the player is given two options:With Friends andWith Anyone.With Friends requires inputing Nintendo Wii friend codes to connect with other players for private online games.With Anyone offers three options:Basic Brawl,Team Battle andSpectator Mode.Basic Brawl is meant for 1v1 matches where the rules were based on a mixture of a voting and lottery system.Team Battle is much of the same except for teams.Spectator Mode allows players to watch other online matches without participating. This mode included a betting system where spectators could win rewards for correctly predicting which fighter would win.
Official support for online play inBrawl was ended on May 20, 2014. A variety of methods, however, still allow forBrawl to be played online; replacement WFC servers, primarilyWiimmfi, make WFC mode continue to work just like it used to. TheDolphin emulator also runsBrawl and supports netplay with less latency than WFC.
InSuper Smash Bros. 4[edit]
- Main article:Nintendo Network
LikeBrawl, bothSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U andSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS natively support online play, this time via theNintendo Network. The service offers a variety of improvements overBrawl's online play, particularly in regards to options and matchmaking. The overall concept, however, remains the same, with players being able to play against either strangers or friends via the Internet. The latest version of the game must be downloaded to access online modes.
As of version 1.1.0, upon entering theOnline submenu, the player is given five options:With Anyone,With Friends,Tourney,Conquest,Spectate, andShare. Upon selectingWith Anyone, there are two options to choose from:For Fun andFor Glory.For Fun is an unranked mode that can be used with any ruleset.For Glory uses a matchmaking system based onGlobal Smash Power and is restricted to no items, and Ω Form stages only.With Friends functions similarly toBrawl.Tourney is similar to the mode in previous games, except online with occasional tourneys run by Nintendo themselves. This mode went defunct on November 8, 2017 after the discontinuation ofMiiverse.Conquest aggregated global wins among specific groups of characters (known as teams) in With Anyone during a limited time, and determined the victor based on the number of wins. Players who backed the winning team would win prizes. The mode was discontinued on January 3, 2019.Share is a server that allowed players to upload content for others to view. Several options in this mode were discontinued on November 8, 2017 after the discontinuation of Miiverse, including uploads toYouTube, sharing snapshots and sharing custom stages. However, sharing replay data and Mii Fighters remained available.
Official support for all online functionality inSmash 4 ended on April 8, 2024, with the discontinuation of online services for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U consoles. A variety of methods, however, still allow for both version ofSmash 4 to be played online; replacement Nintendo Network servers, primarilyPretendo, resurrect these online modes as if they were never discontinued. Emulators like Cemu, Citra, and their many forks also support online play.
InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
Ultimate has native online support, much likeBrawl andSmash 4. However, this time online play is a paid service as part ofNintendo Switch Online. Rather than selecting from modes with specific rules, players can now choose their own preferred rules and the game will attempt to match players with similar desires. Compared to previous games,Ultimate allows for a wider selection of rules when playing with anyone. Just likeSmash 4, the latest version of the game must be downloaded to access the online modes for the same reasons.
As of version 4.0.0, upon opening theOnline submenu, the player is given four options:Smash,Spectate,Shared Content, orOnline Tourney. Upon choosingSmash, there are three options to choose from:Quickplay,Battle Arenas, andBackground Matchmaking. Quickplay has the player selectSolo orCo-op (local), with aPreferred Rules switch underneath the two options. Preferred rules include the format, time limit, stage, stock count, whether Final Smash Meter is on or off, and which items should be turned on. If a player accrues enough Global Smash Power with a single fighter, the player can use that fighter inElite Smash: a mode similar to Quickplay where players are only matched with other players in Elite smash. However, the player needs to maintain that GSP count, and will be kicked from Elite smash if they dip below the threshold.
Upon choosing Solo or Co-op, the player(s) can choose their character(s), and are taken to theOnline Practice Stage. There they can train with CPU partner(s) while waiting for opponent(s).
If the player(s) chooseBackground Matchmaking, they can chooseSolo orCo-op, their fighters, and their preferred rules. While waiting for their opponent(s), they can participate in various different modes.
Battle Arenas are a new form of online play for the series, being able to make it visible for all (Public), or for Friends only.Arenas can have a password set, preventing unauthorized players from entering. The type can also be set, forAll Skill Levels, Veteran Players, Glorious Smashers, Anything Goes, Playground,amiibo Battle (available after update 3.1.0),Elite Only, andBeginners Only (both available after update 6.0.0).
Many players have opted to use emulation via theyuzu emulator in combination with external video streaming software such asParsec as a means to playUltimate online. This has become popular in the wider competitive scene mainly due to the problems faced with the game's native online service, with some top players such asFatality andDark Wizzy using this technique to play.
In competitive play[edit]
Online competition has been a staple of the scene ever since the introduction of network play inBrawl, though serious online tournaments were unheard of until the release ofSmash 4 outside ofAllisBrawl's ladder playoffs, due toBrawl's notoriously poor online performance and players at the time predominantly playing on poor Wi-Fi connections. The ability to match with players regardless of location makes it an important avenue for players who wish to compete, but are either unable or unwilling to travel to large-scale gatherings like tournaments. Like offline tournaments, online tournaments usually have an organizer that oversees the bracket, while having players that are matched friend each other on their respective systems, play their matches, and then report the results to the tournament organizer.
The use of online battles as an outlet for serious competition, however, is controversial. The inherent latency that comes with playing a game online — thus resulting inframerate drops,online desynchronization, and even complete disconnections — makes them significantly less suitable for testing the skills between players, especially for a game that tests players' reaction times in competition likeSmash. The need of an internet connection also opens up other issues, such as worse performance if one participant does not have a stable internet connection, and interference or some other form ofgriefing. These concerns have led the community to prefer offline play whenever possible and disregard most online competition as little more than diversions before 2020. Masahiro Sakurai himself has expressed the opinion that playing anySmash game online is not ideal, feeling the lack of camaraderie from playing against unseen strangers instead of one's friends makes the game less fun.[1] However, the majority of players would still play online to practice, as it allowed them to conveniently play whenever they want, and play far more different players than they would have access to at their locals, being an invaluable source for obtainingmatchup experience.
As with many other games, online competition received renewed attention during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Starting from the beginning of 2020 and continuing into the end of 2021, nearly all public events and gatherings either put strict regulations on in-person attendance or were cancelled entirely, including most offlineSmash tournaments. As such, the community began prioritizing online tournaments, some of which acted as stand-ins for cancelled offline tournaments. While the aforementioned problems with online still persist, the competitive scene has slowly begun to recognize that, given the proper equipment and preparation, online play is a valid method for competition, with many high profile tournaments being online-only and annual circuits integrating online tournaments into their roster for credit towards the finals.
The necessity of unofficial tools to play the olderSmash games online resulted in renewed friction between the community and Nintendo, the latter of which openly disapproves of the use of any mods. This came to a head with thecancellation of The Big House Online, the planned online replacement to The Big House 10, in November of 2020, after Nintendo ordered a cease-and-desist of the tournament due to its planned use of Project Slippi for theMelee tournament. Many community members felt that Nintendo's actions were in poor taste during a pandemic that prevented most offline tournaments from occurring, the backlash of which eventually culminated into the #SaveSmash movement.
A player who predominantly plays online is often called a "Wi-Fi Warrior" or Online Warrior. These players have historically had the community doubt their ability to perform as well in an offline environment, due the belief that these players adapted to an online environment that would not have their skills translate to an offline environment without the input lag of online play (or less charitably, believe these players outright exploit the increased input lag and instability of online play in their play styles). Whether this ideology is fair or not is debated, as often these players do perform at a comparable level when they compete offline, and sinceBrawl, many top players, if not the majority of them, were initially "Wi-Fi Warriors" or players who did play online a significant amount.
Trivia[edit]
- Online functionality forSmash 4 closed exactly 10 years after the airing of theNintendo Direct that announced that online play would be present in the game.
