Stage Builder
The Stage Builder is a feature in Super Smash Bros. Brawl that allows players to create their own custom stages. Builders must choose to create a small, medium, or large stage, which will affect the number of parts that can be placed and the location of blast lines. Next, the builder selects a theme: a mountain, a ruin-ish building, or a futuristic chamber. Each theme has its own set of special stage elements which allow for slight variations in stage design depending on what theme is used. The final step before building is picking music, which can be any track that has been unlocked (but only one track may be used per stage), though the player will have a chance to choose a different track after the stage itself is built.
There are different structures and building materials the player can use depending on the background chosen earlier. There are three different sizes for most of the structures, as well. The player, however, is limited in the number of parts they can use per stage. Each piece used will use up a certain amount of memory for the map, and some pieces take up more memory than others. Once ready, the player can test the stage through the editor; however, the player is limited to using Mario with the default controls for the controller being used. One can also switch back to the editing screen to make more changes. Custom stages are compatible with SD cards. The limit to the number of custom stages a player can have depends on how much room one has in their internal Wii memory or SD card. The player can also send stages to their friends.
Types of parts the player can use in this mode come in three categories. Standard pieces include things like blocks, platforms, ramps and stairs. Structures are available as well, such as trees, mushrooms and rock arches. Features include Drop Blocks, springs and other things that are not simply platforms. Stages require a minimum of four horizontal areas (for spawning points) for the game to allow them to be saved.
Ultimately, in this mode, the player is limited by their own level of creativity (and memory usage). Many people have modeled stages after stages from Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Starter parts
There are three categories of parts: Floors, Structures and Features. The following list gives the name (unofficial), description, variations by theme and size of each available part.
Floors:
- Platform: A drop through platform, texture, 1x1
- Diagonal Platform: A slanted drop through platform, texture, 1x2
- Short Platform: A halfsized drop through platform, texture, 1x1
- Block: a normal block that can have a ledge, texture, 1x1
- Stair Block: A simple stair block; able to walk up properly, texture, 1x2
- Ramp Block: A right-angle triangle shaped block able to be walked on; characters slide downwards when on it, texture, 1x2
- Long Ramp Block: A bigger version of the Ramp Block, texture, 2x2
Structures 1st part
- Mountains:
- Ruins: Pillar, good for wall jumping, 3x3
- Chamber:
2nd part
- Mountains:
- Ruins: Stone slanted block, flat then slanted on the right side, 2x4
- Chamber:
3rd part
- Mountains:
- Ruins: A platform with a top, good for upward combo's, 3x4
- Chamber:
4th part
- Mountains:
- Ruins: slanted stone block, 2x4
- Chamber:
5th part
- Mountains:
- Ruins: Small pillar with slanted platform, top platform drop through,
- Chamber:
Features
- Horizontal moving platform: drop through, no changes, 1x5
- Vertical moving platform: drop through, no changes, 5x1
- Ice block: slippery block with no ledges, no changes, 1x1
- Drop block: drops downwards, no changes, 3x1
- Spikes: Causes 15 damage when hit by spike, no changes, 2x1
- Stairs: Simple climbable stairs, no, 1x1
Unlockable Parts
There are also certain parts and features that can be unlocked to use in the Stage Builder.
- Spring: Green or Orange spring (Green goes higher), no, 1x2
- Conveyor belt: Moving conveyor belt moves all things in one direction, no, 2x2
- Rotating Platform: Spins four platforms in a Ferris Wheel motion, no, 4x5
- Edit Parts A: Play 10 times or more on created stages.
- Edit Parts B: Create 5 or more stages in stage builder (not including the 3 sample stages).
- Edit Parts C: Create 15 or more stages in stage builder (not including the 3 sample stages).
Modding
Due to what have been perceived to be arbitrary limitations of the Stage Builder mechanism, a multitude of hacks via USB Gecko and external applications such as Stage Studio have allowed Smashers to create more elaborate stages by removing most of these limitations; workarounds allow for overlapping blocks, unlimited blocks in a single level, and more complicated movements for some platforms.
Some mods also allow for a beta block in the Stage Builder; referred to as a "bump", the block essentially acts as a permanent Bumper item, similar to Peach's Castle.
Trivia
- The futuristic chamber background is similar to the background in the Subspace Emissary's Research Facility II where players fight the two False Samuses or when Samus first encounters Ridley. Similarly, the ruins background can be seen in the distance behind part of The Ruins.
- If one attemts to change the way that a spring is facing, the spring will turn green.
See also
Super Smash Bros. Brawl menu items | |
---|---|
Group | Brawl (Time · Stock · Coin Battle · Team Battle) · Rules · Special Brawl · Rotation · Tourney · Names |
Solo | Classic · All-Star · Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary · Events · Stadium (Target Smash!! · Home-Run Contest · Multi-Man Brawl · Boss Battles) · Training |
Wi-Fi | Spectator Mode · With Anyone · With Friends |
Vault | Trophies & Stickers (Trophy Gallery · Trophy Hoard · Coin Launcher · Sticker Album · Sticker Center) · Stage Builder · Album · Challenges · Replays · Masterpieces · Chronicle |
Options | Screen · Deflicker · Rumble · Controls · Sound · My Music · Erase Data |
Data | Movies · Records (Group Records · Brawl Records · Notices) · Sound Test |