Editing Interruptibility

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[[File:Interruptibility_Comparison.gif|thumb|While {{SSBB|Meta Knight}} and {{SSBB|Fox}}'s down tilts both have animations lasting 26 frames, {{SSBB|Meta Knight}} can cancel his on the 16th frame]]
[[File:Interruptibility_Comparison.gif|thumb|While {{SSBB|Meta Knight}} and {{SSBB|Fox}}'s down tilts both have animations lasting 26 frames, {{SSBB|Meta Knight}} can cancel his on the 16th frame]]
'''Interruptibility''' refers to the gameplay mechanic where an animation can intentionally be stopped prematurely and another animation immediately starts. This does not refer to unintentional moments of interruption like being hit by an attack or any visual [[glitch]], and instead specifically refers to the player consciously deciding to stop an animation early.
'''Interruptibility''' refers to the ability to begin a new action before the current action's animation has completely finished. For example, while {{SSBB|Mario}}'s [[forward smash]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' takes 56 [[frame]]s to complete execution, the player can interrupt the ending frames and do something else as early as frame 48. In this case, many players use the phrasing that Mario's forward smash has a '''first actionable frame''' (FAF) of 48, or can be '''interrupted as soon as''' (IASA) frame 48. For most intents and purposes, this results in the last part of the animation simply being filler, as the player is likely to attack, jump, or simply move as soon as possible. Many attacks have a minor amount of interruptible frames during their [[ending lag]], while [[special move]]s and get-up animations typically do not; some attacks such as [[Marth]]'s or [[Ness]]'s [[down tilt]]s have a significant interruptibility window which allows them to perform another action significantly faster than the animation would suggest.


==Overview==
In ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', interruptibility is not very common, only being used at the ends of some [[taunt]]s and non-final [[neutral attack]]s. ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' expanded interruptibility's applications to many attacks, and ''Brawl'' continued the idea as a common mechanic. It is important to note that in terms of [[buffering]] from ''Brawl'' onwards, the window for an input to be buffered is related to interruptibility, and not the entire animation when applicable.
Every attack in the game lasts a certain amount [[frame]]s, though nearly all of them do not have to last the entire duration. If the player performs a new action during the window when the animation can be canceled, the character will snap to the first frame of the new animation. The first exact frame the interruption can occur is typically called the '''first actionable frame''' (FAF), with the term '''interruptible as soon as''' (IASA) also being used frequently. For example, while {{SSBB|Mario}}'s [[forward smash]] starting in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' has an animation that lasts 56 frames in total, the player can perform a new action as early as frame 48, usually denoted as "FAF 48."


For most intents and purposes, the interruptible part of an animation is simply seen as filler, as the player is likely to attack, jump, or simply move as soon as possible. Many attacks have a minor amount of interruptible frames during their [[ending lag]], while [[special move]]s and get-up animations typically do not; some attacks such as [[Marth]]'s or [[Ness]]'s [[down tilt]]s have a significant interruptibility window which allows them to perform another action significantly faster than the animation would suggest.
Interruptibility also functions differently in later games. In ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'', interruptibility is included in the script for each animation in the main character files whereas in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'', interruptibility frames are included in a separate character parameter file. The main effect this difference has is that in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'', a move cannot be interrupted until the script reaches the interuptibility frames even if the frame value is lower than previous actions whereas this is not the case in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate''. An example of this difference can be seen with [[Ganondorf]]'s forward aerial.  


In ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', interruptibility is not very common, only being used at the ends of some [[taunt]]s and non-final [[neutral attack]]s. ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' expanded interruptibility's applications to many attacks, and ''Brawl'' continued the idea as a common mechanic. Interruptibility continued to become even more common in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate''. It is important to note that in terms of [[buffering]] from ''Brawl'' onwards, the window for an input to be buffered is related to interruptibility, and not the entire animation when applicable.
In ''Brawl'' and ''Smash 4'' (and ''Ultimate'' prior to {{SSBU|2.0.0}}), Ganondorf's forward aerial becomes interruptible from frame 45 and the move auto-cancels on frame 55. In ''Brawl'', the auto-cancel window is listed first on the script so the move cannot be interrupted until the script reaches the command. The script will not reach the command for the move to be interruptible until the move can auto-cancel and since the move auto-cancels on frame 55, this delays the interruptibilty command for 10 extra frames. In Smash 4 however, the game has two separate scripts for interruptiblity and auto-canceling so the auto-cancel command will not override the interruptibility command. As a result, the move can be interrupted on frame 45 and has 10 frames less ending lag than in ''Brawl'' which is naturally beneficial.


Interruptibility also functions differently in later games. In ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'', interruptibility is included in the script for each animation in the main character files whereas in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'', interruptibility frames are included in a separate character parameter file. The main effect this difference has is that in ''Melee'' and ''Brawl'', a move cannot be interrupted until the script reaches the interuptibility frames even if the frame value is lower than previous actions whereas this is not the case in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate''. An example of this difference can be seen with [[Ganondorf]]'s forward aerial, which can auto cancel. In ''Brawl'' and ''Smash 4'' (and ''Ultimate'' prior to {{SSBU|2.0.0}}), the auto-cancel window of frame 55 is scripted before the interruptible window of frame 45, meaning forward aerial has an FAF of 55 in practice due to the game reading the script sequentially. The change to a separate parameter changed the FAF to 45 as always intended, indirectly buffing the attack by improving its safety.
A script command to enable interruptibility still exists within ''Smash 4'' and the command is even still used for [[Wario-Man]]'s animations. If there is an interruptibility command in an animation's script, it will override the interruptibility from the character parameter file.  


A script command to enable interruptibility still exists within ''Smash 4'' and the command is even still used for [[Wario-Man]]'s animations. If there is an interruptibility command in an animation's script, it will override the interruptibility from the character parameter file (if it occurs earlier in the animation).  
It is possible for actions to be interruptible with only certain kinds of actions and specifically not with others, such as the case with [[jump cancel]]ling. This is known as '''selective interruptibility''' or '''limited interruptibility''', though many players use the "interruptible as soon as" phrase to refer to it, which can result in confusion due to the term's history. In ''Melee'', aerials cannot be cancelled with air dodges, while they can be in ''Brawl'' onwards. Most grounded moves (such as many down tilts) can be interrupted with a [[dash]], jump, or other attacks, but not with some combination of shielding, walking, or turning around. Selective interruptibility is far less common from ''Brawl'' onwards with almost all attacks with interruptibility being completely interruptible although characters who can [[crawl]] cannot interrupt their down tilts with crawling (although backwards crawling works in ''Brawl''). A character stuck in the animation of their aerial or air dodge will not be able to grab the ledge until it is completely finished, regardless if it can be interrupted much earlier. This is most prominent with {{SSB4|Sheik}}'s forward aerial.


It is possible for actions to be interruptible with only certain kinds of actions and specifically not with others, such as the case with [[jump cancel]]ling. This is known as '''selective interruptibility''' or '''limited interruptibility''', though many players use the "interruptible as soon as" phrase to refer to it, which can result in confusion due to the term's history. In ''Melee'', aerials cannot be cancelled with air dodges, while they can be in ''Brawl'' onwards. Most grounded moves (such as many down tilts) can be interrupted with a [[dash]], jump, or other attacks, but not with some combination of shielding, walking, or turning around. Selective interruptibility is far less common from ''Brawl'' onwards with almost all attacks with interruptibility being completely interruptible although characters who can [[crawl]] cannot interrupt their down tilts with crawling (although backwards crawling works in ''Brawl''). A character stuck in the animation of their aerial or air dodge will not be able to grab the ledge until it is completely finished, regardless if it can be interrupted much earlier. This is most prominent with {{SSB4|Sheik}}'s forward aerial in ''Smash 4''.
In ''Super Smash Bros.'' and ''Melee'', interrupting a delayed [[double jump]] results in [[double jump cancel]]ling. This is no longer possible from ''Brawl'' onwards, where doing so only interrupts the animation of the double jump (as well as any special properties it may have, such as Yoshi's knockback resistance), not the execution.


In ''Super Smash Bros.'' and ''Melee'', interrupting a delayed [[double jump]] results in [[double jump cancel]]ling. This is no longer possible from ''Brawl'' onwards (although it can still be done with certain special moves), where doing so only interrupts the animation of the double jump (as well as any special properties it may have, such as Yoshi's knockback resistance), not the execution.
==Trivia==
 
*Most other fighting games also feature interruptibility, but extra frames are used for the sole purpose of making attack animations less choppy if performed by themselves, and are not as useful for throwing opponents off with deceptively fast moves. These extra frames are also not subject to any restrictions like moves in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series can be.
If a fighter is holding an [[Assist Trophy]], all forms of interruptibility are temporarily disabled until the fighter uses the Assist Trophy or drops it. This extends to all attacks, all landing animations, special moves, airdodges and even [[hitstun]] animations, which tend to last for longer than the hitstun itself, effectively making hitstun greater than usual, although oddly [[hitstun cancelling]] still works as normal.
 
The introduction of [[Ryu]] to the series brought a new mechanic lifted from his [[Street Fighter (universe)|home series]] called [[Special move canceling]]. This mechanic behaves similarly to interruptibility, though instead applying the animation cancel to the instant an attack connects instead of towards the end of the animation and only certain attacks can be canceled into.


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