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Knockback

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Revision as of 14:59, August 12, 2012 by Omega Tyrant (talk | contribs) (→‎Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Have to specify, its hitbox on airborne opponents has knockback scaling.)
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File:Knockback.jpg
As the damage meter goes up, so does the knockback of most moves.

Knockback is a measure of how far an attack sends its target. For example, Bowser's forward smash is an attack of high knockback; it launches opponents very far, so far that at high damages it's more powerful than a Home-Run Bat's smash attack. Pikachu's neutral attack, on the other hand, has very low knockback - it hardly sends opponents anywhere, even at ludicrous damages.

Basic physics

The knockback of most attacks increases as the target's damage increases. Knockback is also affected by the target's weight, gravity, and a few other conditions (such as type effectiveness). The damage dealt by an attack is a significant factor in how much knockback it deals, but it is not the primary factor - this is the reason stale moves have less knockback than fresh ones.

Each hitbox of a move has two knockback values: a base knockback and a knockback scaling (also known as knockback growth). Moves with high base knockback deal high knockback under any circumstances, such as the swing of a Home-Run Bat. On the other hand, moves with high knockback scaling take less damage to reach KO potential, such as Luigi's forward smash.

In Melee, the highest knockback delivered and received by each character is given in match results, though the number lacks meaning. In Brawl, the velocity applied (in units per 1000 frames) is provided instead of the knockback value (though it's simply knockback divided by 0.03). The unit is given as "mph"; while this would presumably mean "miles per hour", this is obviously not the case, as a 1,000 mph hit barely sends characters anywhere. The following table gives an idea of various knockback strengths:

Knockback values in Brawl
Knockback Velocity Example
10 333.333... One stage builder block per second
33.6 1120 Jigglypuff's short hop
43.2 1440 Jigglypuff's first jump
63 2100 Fox dashing (without running)
102.6 3420 Falco's first jump
131.43 4381 Sheik's footstool jump
165-195 5500-6500 Average KO range
300 10000 Jigglypuff's Shield Jump

Formula

While it is currently unknown what the knockback formula is for Melee and Brawl, the first game's version is revealed and explained on the SSB64 website:

File:SSB64KnockbackFormula.png

  • p is the percentage of the target, counted after the attack's damage is added.
  • d is the damage the attack dealt.
  • w is the weight of the target.
  • s is the attack's knockback scaling.
  • b is the attack's base knockback.
  • r is a ratio based on a number of factors, such as handicap or difficulty.

If the move has a weight-based knockback value set (so the move deals set knockback), then d is set to that value, and p is always 10.

It is believed possible that this formula is repeated verbatim in Melee, with slight changes to accomodate for the different weight units. It's expected that the formula in Brawl is equally similar, though with the addition of gravity in some form.

Other physics of knockback

  • If a meteor smash is landed on a grounded opponent, they will be sent upwards with reduced knockback (20% less in Brawl).
  • If a character is hit while charging a smash attack, they will take more knockback (20% more in Brawl).
  • Based on type effectiveness, Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon will take more or less knockback from certain moves.
  • Characters that take a certain amount of knockback will slightly damage opponents they run into while flying. This hitbox belongs to the character that dealt the knockback, and KO'ing with one is how one achieves the Dead-Weight KO bonus.

Set knockback

Set knockback, sometimes referred to fixed knockback, is a property of some attacks where the knockback dealt by the attack does not depend on the opponent's percentage or how much damage the attack does. This results in it dealing the same amount of knockback regardless of stale-move negation.

List of set knockback moves

Super Smash Bros.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Knockback chart

The following is a chart demonstrating how much knockback each character sustains in Brawl. While weight is the primary attribute for determining how much knockback a character sustains, there are other attributes that factor in, such as a character's gravity. This results in some characters sustaining more knockback than lighter characters.

The knockback value shown is how much knockback a character sustains when hit with Marth's Critical Hit at 0%, arranged from least knockback sustained to most knockback sustained.

Rank Character Knockback sustained Velocity applied
1 Bowser 490.8 14724
2 Donkey Kong 494.667 14840
3 Snake 499.367 14981
4 King Dedede 501.4 15042
5 Charizard 504.667 15140
6 Samus 505.333 15160
7 Ganondorf 508.467 15254
8 Yoshi 508.7 15261
9 R.O.B. 509.533 15286
10 Wario 509.867 15296
11 Ike 513.3 15399
12 Link 515.633 15469
13 Captain Falcon 517.133 15514
14 Lucario 520.033 15601
15 Ivysaur 520.833 15625
16 Mario 525.1 15753
17 Wolf 525.7 15771
18 Luigi 525.9 15777
19 Sonic 531.9 15957
20 Ness 532.367 15971
21 Pit 532.8 15984
22 Lucas 534.4 16032
23 Toon Link 536.2 16086
24 Diddy Kong 536.6 16098
25 Ice Climbers 536.967 16109
26 Peach 539.533 16186
27 Marth 546 16380
28 Zelda 550.467 16514
29 Olimar 556.267 16688
30 Sheik 558.5 16755
31 Zero Suit Samus 561.567 16847
32 Falco 561.9 16857
33 Kirby 565.5 16965
34 Pikachu 566 16980
35 Meta Knight 566.933 17008
36 Fox 573.367 17201
37 Mr. Game & Watch 574.133 17224
38 Squirtle 577.567 17327
39 Jigglypuff 589.1 17673

Trivia

  • Brawl has a knockback cap of 2500 (or 83 1/3 units per frame), fast enough to move from the edge of Battlefield to the center in less than 1 frame.
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