For Glory

The "For Glory" option highlighted in the "With Anyone" menu of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

For Glory (ガチ, Serious) was an online mode in Super Smash Bros. 4.

Overview

In this mode, all matches were played on Final Destination or on Ω forms of other stages, with no items naturally spawning, and with character customization disabled. Players could select to play two-stock one-on-one matches with a five minute time limit, two-minute time battles in two-on-two, either with a friend on their setup or by being teamed with another player online, or 4-player free-for-all matches. Self-destructing in a time match cost the player two points instead of the default one point. Both wins and losses from matches were recorded in this mode, alongside other statistics.

If a player disconnected during a match in For Glory, their character would from then on be controlled by AI set to a low level. A player idle for 15 seconds during a match would be disconnected automatically. However, this idle check only looked at the player's control stick; a player who pressed buttons could still be disconnected for activity if they do not move for 15 seconds (such as a Mr. Game & Watch repeatedly using Chef to edgeguard an opponent that cannot get around it but remains alive). In rare instances in which a connection was especially bad between the players with constant pauses that do not cease, the game may disconnect all players without penalty and automatically end the match in a no contest.

For Fun was a counterpart of For Glory in that it forced free-for-alls and items, had a nearly unrestricted stage selection, and did not count losing towards records. With the discontinuation of Nintendo Network on April 8, 2024, For Glory can no longer be accessed, although fans have made custom servers to access online play again.

Reception

For Glory received divided opinions from the community. The main draw of the mode was to get players quickly and easily matched with a wide range of other players under competitive rules, without having to set matches up through external means. However, it also received criticism for encouraging only a small subset of competitive play, with the presence of only Final Destination and Ω forms preventing players from being able to practice on other competitively viable stages. For Glory was also heavily criticized for its seemingly nonexistent or illogical matchmaking system: despite it being claimed in the Nintendo Direct that announced the mode that there would be "some sort of matchmaking based on skill" present, players found themselves matched up against other players of all skill levels at what seems to be random, from top competitive players down to seemingly first-time players, regardless of how frequently they won or lost. This lack of a logical matchmaking system led to the persistent belief that only low-level players play on For Glory, as higher-level players are rarely matched up against each other on the mode. Additionally, in the Wii U version, players' name tags were visible to each other, which griefers and salty players notoriously abuse to insult and demean their opponents. One more criticism of the mode is it disallowing players from being able to play as the Mii Fighters, which is often cited as one of the main reasons, alongside their varying legality in different tournaments, as to why the Miis became the least played characters in competitive play. However, through modding, it is possible to play as the Miis on For Glory without any repercussions.

Despite these criticisms, For Glory saw heavy usage by competitive players, whether it be for serious practice, to warm up for a later online session, when they had no one they know available to play, or to just fool around, with even top players like Nairo and ZeRo frequently streaming themselves playing on For Glory. However players usually set up their own matches with other players on the With Friends mode, whether through Anther's Ladder, Smashmate, or some other external means, when trying to get more serious practice online. Additionally, it was the most common online play option, in part due to it being the only way to play 1v1 and thus be far less susceptible to lag.

While 1v1 matches on For Glory were generally agreed to have some application in practice, no such merit existed for the 2v2 mode, due to having team attack off and running on time mode instead of the competitive standard stock mode. Additionally, the lack of team attack lead to degenerate strategies exploiting it being prominent, including infinite stalling such as two Pac-Mans exploiting their inability to hurt each other with Pac-Jump to infinitely ascend.

For Glory Hell

While never officially documented nor ever referred to by official sources, For Glory contained a system to punish players that were implicated as a problem through the built-in report system, dubbed "For Glory Hell". Infracted players were intentionally isolated by the system from the normal playerbase and were only matched up with other players in the For Glory Hell system. When in For Glory Hell, players found themselves having to wait much longer for matches and being matched up only with the same few players over and over, with a number of players in For Glory Hell being those who had poor connections, abused the name tags, played an extremely campy style, and/or grief to whatever degree they could under For Glory's restrictions. Non-malicious players found themselves in For Glory Hell after false reports by salty players and griefers exploiting the system; players who won a lot while playing a defensive style or frequently showboat in particular found themselves in For Glory Hell for this reason. How long players are meant to stay in For Glory Hell was also unknown, with most reports indicating being stuck for around a week. However, players who continue to play on For Glory while infracted found themselves stuck there for longer periods of time, with it being believed that other players within For Glory Hell report their opponents. This kept players in For Glory Hell for longer as the system is tricked into thinking they are problematic due to the reports they keep receiving.

Much like For Glory itself, the response to the system has was mixed. The main point of contention is the lack of any official documentation on it, with something that forms a crucial part of the online experience eluding any mention from Nintendo or a related party. Without a bulletin or notifications of sorts, players were left unaware of when they get in For Glory Hell and when they get out. Despite the aforementioned Direct claiming players would receive infractions for abusing the report system, nothing of the sort happened for such players, nor have there been players illegitimately placed in the system verifiably taken out via manual intervention. While it was generally considered well-meaning and works to cut down on the much-maligned misbehaviors of online play, the fact that legitimate players can find themselves in For Glory Hell through report abuse by ill-meaning players almost completely gainsays its intention.

Glitches

• In version 1.0.1 of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Peach could have potentially triggered an automatic ban for "dishonest play" after plucking a non-Vegetable item via her down special, making the game believe that the player was cheating to bring items into the mode. Nintendo acknowledged the glitch and promptly released an update that fixed this issue.
• Single person matches can happen. It is technically not known what causes this, but it is likely to be due to the opponent getting disconnected just as the match is beginning.
• If a player has a mod activated that gives access to normally unplayable stages such as the All-Star Rest Area, For Glory's random stage selection may select one of these stages to be played on for a round. However since these stages weren't meant to be played on, they don't have properly configured blast lines, which can result in players being unable to KO each other, or being instantly KO'd as soon as the match starts and as they get off the revival platform.

Gallery

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  For Glory's Smash description in for Wii U.

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  For Glory's 1-on-1 description in for Wii U.

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  For Glory's Team Smash description in for Wii U.

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  For Glory's Records description in for Wii U.

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  For Glory in the With Anyone menu in for Nintendo 3DS.

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  For Glory's description in for Nintendo 3DS.

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  The For Glory menu in for Nintendo 3DS.

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  For Glory's Smash description in for Nintendo 3DS.

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  For Glory's 1-on-1 description in for Nintendo 3DS.

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  For Glory's Team Smash description in for Nintendo 3DS.

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  For Glory's Records description in for Nintendo 3DS.

See also

• Basic Brawl
• With Anyone