Stage element
A stage element is any aspect of a stage. There are many kinds of stage elements and they may exist conceptually, as events, or as tangible parts and their abstractions. A stage is typically made up of many elements, the most common of which are backgrounds, a large central platform, and edges. There are some things that appear during gameplay on stages that are not a part of a stage, such as characters and most items.
Some elements have virtually zero impact on gameplay, such as the score on 75 m, while others may aid players or are hazards. Some elements may even serve multiple roles, intentional or not, such as the Shy Guys on Yoshi's Island who may bring food or accidentally obstruct projectiles.
The elements in official stages cannot be removed or altered in any in-game way except those that are dependent on whether or not items are turned on. The Stage Builder in Super Smash Bros. Brawl introduced the first way for players to create their own stages, although all the provided parts (except for the theme and background) are exclusively tangible and there is no way to create abstractions or events.
Element varieties
Note the following list contains superficial or tentative titles.
- Platforms
- Edges
- Launchers
- Ladders
- Water
- Hazards
- Switches
- Transporters (see Warp Pipe)
- Backgrounds
- Background characters
- Some weather effects such as rain
- Scores
- Blast lines
- Transformations
- Physics changes
- Camera shifts
- Loops
- Cycles
- Rails
- Random events
- Microgames
