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Online play: Difference between revisions
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As of version 1.1.0, upon entering the ''Online'' submenu, the player is given five options: ''[[With Anyone]]'', ''[[With Friends]]'', ''[[Tourney]]'', ''[[Conquest]]'', ''[[Spectate]]'', and ''[[Share]]''. Upon selecting ''With Anyone'', there are two options to choose from: ''[[For Fun]]'' and ''[[For Glory]]''. ''For Fun'' is an unranked mode that can be used with any ruleset. ''For Glory'' uses a matchmaking system based on [[Global Smash Power]] and is restricted to no items, and Ω Form stages only. ''With Friends'' functions similarly to ''Brawl''. ''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 of [[Miiverse]]. ''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 to [[YouTube]], sharing snapshots and sharing custom stages. However, sharing replay data and Mii Fighters remained available. | As of version 1.1.0, upon entering the ''Online'' submenu, the player is given five options: ''[[With Anyone]]'', ''[[With Friends]]'', ''[[Tourney]]'', ''[[Conquest]]'', ''[[Spectate]]'', and ''[[Share]]''. Upon selecting ''With Anyone'', there are two options to choose from: ''[[For Fun]]'' and ''[[For Glory]]''. ''For Fun'' is an unranked mode that can be used with any ruleset. ''For Glory'' uses a matchmaking system based on [[Global Smash Power]] and is restricted to no items, and Ω Form stages only. ''With Friends'' functions similarly to ''Brawl''. ''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 of [[Miiverse]]. ''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 to [[YouTube]], sharing snapshots and sharing custom stages. However, sharing replay data and Mii Fighters remained available. | ||
Official support for all online functionality in ''Smash 4'' | Official support for all online functionality in ''Smash 4'' has ended on April 8, 2024, with the discontinuation of online services for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U consoles. | ||
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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 in [[frame]]rate 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 like ''Smash''. 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 of [[griefing]]. 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 any ''Smash'' 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.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXpFTHtlmCo&t=59s Masahiro Sakurai on online play]</ref> 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 obtaining [[matchup]] experience. | 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 in [[frame]]rate 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 like ''Smash''. 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 of [[griefing]]. 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 any ''Smash'' 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.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXpFTHtlmCo&t=59s Masahiro Sakurai on online play]</ref> 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 obtaining [[matchup]] experience. | ||
As with many other games, online competition received renewed attention | As with many other games, online competition received renewed attention during the [[COVID-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 offline ''Smash'' 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 older ''Smash'' 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 the [[cancellation 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 the ''Melee'' 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. | The necessity of unofficial tools to play the older ''Smash'' 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 the [[cancellation 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 the ''Melee'' 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 that predominantly plays online is often called a | A player that 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 since ''Brawl'', many top players, if not the majority of them, were initially "Wi-Fi Warriors" or players that did play online a significant amount. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||