Gameplay modification: Difference between revisions

* '''Overpowered''' mods give every character huge buffs so that they are all equally overpowered.

* '''Competitive''' mods don't change anything gameplay-wise, but add features for players to practice their skill and/or improvements for tournament play, such as quality of life changes.

* '''Silly''' mods change characters or game mechanics in certain ways to result in humorous outcomes, like modifying characters such as [[Ganondorf]] to have their moves stretch to absurd proportions (which was likely inspired from the Gum Gum Fruit). Silly mods often times have overlap with Overpowered mods.

''Brawl'' remains the most commonly modded game in the series, primarily utilizing the Smash Stack exploit, though alternate methods for loading them are available. Mods for ''Melee'' often require the use of applications available for [http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Homebrew_Channel The Homebrew Channel]. ''19XXTE'', a gameplay mod for ''Smash 64'', requires patching a ROM image of the game. Mods for both versions of ''SSB4'' involve the use of kernel exploit chains on their respective consoles primarily using Layered File System (LayeredFS) patchers to overwrite parts of the game's filesystem. Mods for ''Ultimate'' require a Switch console released before July 2018 to utilize a recovery mode exploit left over from the development phase of the console, enabling the use of code hooking and file replacement via the Skyline executable patch.

Given the nature of gameplay modifications, it is possible for them to be used for cheating in tournaments. One notable case is the [[Super Pichu cheating scandal|"Super Pichu"]] scandal in the Ohio ''Melee'' scene, where a [[Smasher]] named Chaos won cash prizes in tournaments using a stealth-modded setup that [[buff]]ed much {{SSBM|Pichu}}'s traits to win against top-tier characters. However, outside of this case, cheating through gameplay modifications in tournaments is extremely rare, mainly because of the difficulty in installing them onto consoles, and the logistics in having to play on the same modded setup in every round, a difficulty Chaos faced in his own tournament runs.  

Since [[online play]] was introduced in ''Brawl'', gameplay modifications have been used for cheating online as well. Hacking [[Giga Bowser]] to be normally playable is a common method across all online games, using his near-invulnerability to [[knockback]] to trivialise beating even highly skilled players. While ''Brawl'' did not issue bans for such behaviour, as of ''Ultimate'', while possible, bans are issued. For a period of time, Giga Bowser could even be hacked into playable form on [[Project Slippi]] for play in ''Melee'', though this has since been patched. Regardless, cheating does continue to occur on the platform, namely through the use of macros to make [[advanced technique]]s easier<ref>[https://youtu.be/ddUSIDXsC44?si=7Aj63WoQwR4DGLsA How the Slippi Cheater did it: Ludwig was right]</ref>. Thanks to improvements in moderation, though, they typically get banned quickly.

''[[19XX]]'' modifies the stage selection screen to contain otherwise unplayable in versus mode stages [[Battlefield]], [[Final Destination]], and [[Meta Crystal]]. ''[[19XXTE]]'' 's selection screen contains 11 instead of the original 9 slots for stages, and ''[[19XXCE]]'' has 16 slots.

In 2018, modders found a way to change stages, first only replacing [[Hyrule Castle]], but later it became possible to replace all stages. The mod ''[[SSBMSE]]'' replaces most stages in the game with more competitive stages modeled after their appearance in other ''Smash'' games.

''[[Smash Remix]]'' is the most recent mod, and as of Patch 1.1.0, it includes five pages of stages, including stages from newer ''Smash'' games and brand new custom stages.

''[[#Smash 2|Smash 2]]'' added all stages that were in ''Melee' back into the game.

Brawl Delfino Plaza Remake.png|The ''Brawl'' stage [[Delfino Plaza]] remade with BrawlBox adding a lot of missing elements like the Grand Pianta Statue, the Red Canon to Pinna Park, and more compared to its vanilla counterpart.

Creating new stages is possible in {{forwiiu}}.

As of 2023 it is now possible to add stage alts to the game, with a recent mod for ''Ultimate'' making a plugin that lets you add stages to the game without having to replace anything.{{fact}}

{{incomplete|much more to say about it, especially PM; split into games; split into core engine - small character move changes for balance or clone character creation}}

 

''[[Smash Remix]]'' is one of the few mods for Smash 64 that would count as a Gameplay Adjustment. The original 12 characters and the mechanics of the game are unchanged, however, it mainly adds 16 new fighters (alongside 6 new boss characters), 63 new stages (with about half of them being original), and many various new gamemodes, like ''[[All Star]]'' and ''[[Home-Run Contest]]''.

''Beyond Melee'' is also one of the few mods for Melee that change up the gameplay. Beyond Melee changes mechanics of the game, changes the balancing of characters to try and rebalance them, alongside adding new fighters. Characters like Bowser and Zelda, notable for being nigh unusable in the base game, were given many buffs in order to make them more viable, with some like Zelda and Ness receiving complete overhauls. There are also 7 newcomers to the mod, being Skull Kid, Fay, Wolf, Raichu, Shadow Mewtwo, Sonic, and Meta Knight.

 

''[[Project M]]'' is one of the many modifications made to Brawl, due to its accessibility for modding capacities. It's also the most popular modification for the game, due to it changing Brawl's engine to be more like that of Melee, alongside extensive rebalancing of the cast. Many fighters got new moves and overhauls. Examples of these overhauls include:

 

'''Mario''': Became a mix of the best of both Melee Mario and Melee Doctor Mario, such as making the early hit of Fair extremely strong, like Doctor Mario, while also giving him the meteor smash portion of Mario's Fair

 

'''Zelda''': Din's Fire was completely revamped, now functioning akin to Viola's Magical Orb from Soul Calibur V. Upon using the move, it will linger for ~3.5 seconds before detonating, then returning to Zelda.

 

'''Ganondorf''': Warlock Punch was moved to a side taunt input and Neutral Special was replaced with Deadman's Volley & Drift/Dark Descent. The grounded version has Ganondorf swipe his cape, which reflects projectiles, while the aerial version has him perform a float.

 

 

 

 

 

Further clarification for all of these mods can be found further down the page

For ''Smash 64'', editing animations or models is very limited. In 2019, ''[[Smash Remix]]'' became the first mod with such features: A Ganondorf model replacing Captain Falcon got newly created animations for his smash attacks, where he uses a trident weapon.

In ''SD Remix'', a few characters got different animations for some moves, reusing animations from different moves; for example, Pichu used its roll animation for its [[Dash attack]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brEeX54mwsc], and Bowser, his aerial item down-throw for his [[Down aerial]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4fwlo0T7dg]. In March 2019, the first custom animation on a Melee character happened: Falco got his Forward Air imported from Ultimate [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpqWY2kc2Xc]

Beyond Melee added new animations not reused replacing moves for some characters, such as giving ''Dr. Mario'' his Down Air from ''Ultimate'', ''Donkey Kong'' gets his dash attack from later Smash Games, and gives Pichu a shine.

For ''Brawl'', the tool BrawlBox easily allows modders to replace models and animations. Brawl mods usually feature a lot of new custom models and animations.

For ''Smash 4'', there is a tool called Smash Forge for changing models and animations [https://github.com/jam1garner/Smash-Forge/wiki]. Mods replacing Fox with Wolf [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P6xpF6MG-Q] and Dr. Mario with one of the Ice Climbers [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO1BSz2A1eQ] from their ''Brawl'' appearances have been created.

For ''Ultimate'', there is a tool called StudioSB, which allows for model imports and animation imports. Add-ons for Blender were also made to edit some animation/model files. Material edits are done via ParamXML or CrossMod, to change properties like how metallic or bright an object appears. Brawlbox is also compatible with Ultimate animations & models.

In it's first few public versions, [[Smash Remix]] added [[Ganondorf]], [[Young Link]], [[Falco]] and [[Dr. Mario]] to the game, working however as replacements for Captain Falcon, Link, Fox and Mario respectively.

In version "0.9" released in October 2019, the dev team of ''Smash Remix'' managed to add those characters as full new entries to the roster, restoring the full original cast.

As of version ''1.4.0'' of ''Smash Remix'' several characters have been added in addition to the original 12, with backports from future entries like [[Ganondorf]], [[Young Link]], [[Falco]], [[Dr. Mario]], [[Marth]], [[Wario]] and others as well as brand new characters like Conker (from ''Conker's Bad Fur Day''), Marina (from ''Mischief Makers'') and [[Goemon]]. Some characters, such as [[Giga Bowser]], Super Sonic or Mad Piano have also been added as boss characters while still playable.

As of 2021, ''Melee'' also had mods created for it using the m-ex engine. This has been shown off in the Akaneia Build adding [[Wolf]] on December 25, 2021, followed later by [[Diddy Kong]], [[Charizard]], [[Lucas]], and [[Sonic]].

In 2015, a build called ''Project M Ex'' was created, mainly by hacker PyotrLuzhin/Петр Лужин, that worked as template for builds to easily add new slots for characters. It included all characters present in Project M, as well as [[Ridley]]. All future builds that were based on ''Project M'' and added new characters are based on this template, and mods like ''Brawl-'' switched to this template reimplementing their changes.

''[[Brawl-]]'' added [[Pichu]], Roy, Mewtwo, and newcomer [[Waluigi]] to the game. Newer mods based on ''Project M'' like ''Legacy XP'' add even more characters, that might have never been playable, into the game with completely original movesets.

There are currently no known means to add playable characters to {{forwiiu}}. A mod called [[4XM]] added {{SSBU|Chrom}} by giving {{SSB4|Lucina}} an extra costume, but they both share the same slot.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q5cjw_HPPc</ref>

Adding new characters to ''Ultimate'' the same way Brawl and Melee did isn't currently possible. However, the mod ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Championship Edition'' "added" Akuma from the ''Street Fighter'' series in its version 1.00 update released on July 1st 2021, with entirely unique moves and Final Smashes. Despite this, and without file and directory addition being possible during that time, the developer used a method called "model stacking" over Ryu and used various code edits to deal with name checks and mesh visibility toggles.  

While proper fighter addition still isn't possible as of 2023, there have recently been alternatives. Due to Arcropolis supporting file and directory addition, it is possible to increase a fighter's costume count past 8 and add more. These added slots can also have their own UI, names, sound effects, voice clips, animations, and even classic mode routes. There is also a Skyline plugin (still in closed beta) that can actually redirect a fighter's added costumes to have their own new slot on the Character Select Screen. It is also possible to give certain costumes their own frame data within their moveset through various code edits. Currently, this method is widely considered to be the closest thing to "fighter addition" in Ultimate. However, it isn't flawless and can still suffer from problems.

''Smash Remix'' is a mod with the goal to expand Smash 64 with new characters, stages, etc. while staying true to its core gameplay. New mechanics from the other ''Smash'' games, like [[wavedashing]], are not added. The vision involves having tournaments where the new characters are pitched against the old ones, all the clones being viable against the originals.

Incorporating every features from ''19XXCE'' and ''SSBMSE'', the mod adds 16 regular characters (returning and newcomers) as well as more than 60 stages. It also add many new game modes, as well as a plethora of customisation options for those modes, making the mod a robust single-player experience and multiplayer competition game alike.

''Balanced Brawl'' is unusual amongst ''Brawl'' mods in that it does not significantly alter the core gameplay physics of ''Brawl''. In its attempts to make the game more balanced, it instead primarily focuses buffing and nerfing all the characters, as well as adding some universal nerfs, such as altering how [[ledge]]s work in order to combat [[planking]]. In addition to its various character tweaks, some of the stages were also changed, though not to an extent seen in other mods; most stage hazards are still present, but instead are either weakened or occur less often. Likely as a result of its lack of immediately visible changes, ''Balanced Brawl'' was unable to find the popularity of other mods for ''Brawl'', though it did attain a small niche composed of those who opposed the changes made by ''Brawl+''.

While not officially abandoned, the last notable update for ''Balanced Brawl'', version 3, was released in 2010, with only a 2011 bugfix patch for [[PAL]] regions being released since then. Because of the effectively ceased development, ''Balanced Brawl'' is generally considered to be antiquated. As its last version was based on the ''Brawl'' [[metagame]] from 2010, some notable developments are not reflected in ''Balanced Brawl'''s changes, such as the emergence of {{SSBB|Olimar}} as a top tier character (who saw no nerfs by the final release of ''Balanced Brawl''), as well as the gradually decreasing dominance of {{SSBB|Snake}} (who saw the most amount of nerfs besides {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}).

 

 

''Brawl-'' enjoyed considerable popularity and attention when first released in 2010, and it became the most popular ''Brawl'' mod among the fanbase in this time, due to its more obvious changes compared to ''Balanced Brawl'' and its less controversial changes compared to ''Brawl+''; the game was even featured as a side-event at some ''Brawl'' tournaments, such as at [[Apex 2010]]. As ''Project M'' got farther into development and started releasing more complete builds, however, ''Brawl-'' would become eclipsed in popularity, though it still has a large, devoted cult following. Despite the diminishing popularity and lack of representation at tournaments, development for ''Brawl-'' continues to this day, with builds being released into 2022.

''[[Brawl+]]'' was the first notable gameplay mod available for ''Brawl'', and it also became the first mod to develop its own tournament scene, with it semi-frequently appearing as a side event at ''Brawl'' tournaments during its heyday in 2009 and early 2010. The mod featured multiple tweaks to gameplay that would later be seen in most future mods; in addition to changing the physics engine, some stages were changed in order to make them fit the guidelines for [[Tournament legal|legality within tournaments]], and individual characters had various attributes nerfed and buffed in an attempt to reduce competitive inequality between characters. Despite popularising the concept of modifying the base gameplay of ''Brawl'' and its presence as a side-event at some ''Brawl'' tournaments, ''Brawl+'' was immediately controversial to some members of the community, due to the fact that most of its changes were seen by many as solely attempting to make ''Brawl'' play exactly like ''Melee'', particularly in regard to changes to individual characters, such as {{SSBB|Fox}} and {{SSBB|Jigglypuff}} having become altered to make them almost identical to their ''Melee'' counterparts. ''Brawl+'s'' own staff became estranged and antagonistic towards each other because of controversies over the development and ultimate goal of the mod.

''[[Project M]]'' can be seen as a spiritual successor to ''Brawl+'', due to the two mods sharing much of the identical staff. ''Project M'' features many of ''Brawl+'s'' previous physics changes, but was able to distance itself from the previous mod and its related controversies by giving more thorough changes to all characters. Of all ''Brawl'' gameplay mods, ''Project M'' remains the most popular, due to its altered physics engine that makes it play similarly to ''Melee'' and thorough nerfing and buffing of all characters in the game; although aimed primarily at hardcore players as opposed to casual gamers, ''Project M's'' considerable "fanservice", such as the inclusion of [[Roy]] and [[Mewtwo]], new [[palette swap]]s that reference more video games than ''Brawl's'' standard selections, and other such interests have allowed it to reach popularity amongst such players. ''Project M'''s popularity led to it eventually becoming a notable side-event in tournaments, and it later developed its own distinctive tournament scene, with [[Apex 2014]]'s ''Project M'' event attracting even more entrants than ''Brawl's''.

Development ceased on March 13, 2020, with an announcement on their website [https://smashbroslegacy.com] and removal of all downloads. Project co-lead David V. Kimball stressed no Nintendo involvement in the shutdown, and directed further questions to Ryan Morrison [https://twitter.com/davidvkimball/status/1238928426716692480?s=20], similar to the Project M shutdown.

''Project+ Tournament Addition'' is a tourney-viable modification of ''Project+'' that aims to add new content while also keeping core, fundamental gameplay unmodified. It features an expansive variety of tourney-safe alternative stage skins, costumes, and quality of life features. This includes over 1,000 character costumes to choose from with each character having 20 costumes, and 4 team color options. Over 1,000 stages that are all alternate skins of existing competitive layouts, featuring tournament layout makeovers for all existing stages from Project+, Legacy TE, Project M, Brawl, Melee, and 64; as well as many brand new stages designed for this mod. The project also showcases a new code menu made with the mod in mind, that allows players to train their skills for professional tournaments. For example, there is a feature called actionable overlay that allows you to see when you are actionable during or after an attack, as well as a combo trainer tool that allows you to set your opponent's position and practice follow ups. Other new codes made for the project include a Random 1-1 code that allows the player to select a tournament stage of their choice, and be taken to a random variation of that stage. This is often used with the Endless Friendlies code shown in ''LegacyTE'' to allow players to play on many visual takes on the same stage layout for as long as they want. Many new modes that aren't seen in Project+ are featured here which include, Big Head Mode, Random Angle Mode, the return of XP's War Mode, and as well as a beta version of Retro Mode that is featured in the Special Versus Menu.  

Just like the aforementioned ''Legacy TE'', development ceased on March 13, 2020 with an announcement on their website [https://smashbroslegacy.com] and removal of all downloads. Project co-lead David V. Kimball stressed no Nintendo involvement in the shutdown, and directed further questions to Ryan Morrison [https://twitter.com/davidvkimball/status/1238928426716692480?s=20], similar to the Project M shutdown.

====''Project M EX Remix''====

''Project M EX Remix'' (''REMIX'' for short) is a more casual expansion of ''Project+'', adding many new characters and stages. Like the aforementioned ''Legacy XP'', the goal of this build is to balance quantity with quality. Good character balancing is also a goal of ''REMIX'', and the developers strive to maintain a meta that isn't completely dominated by just a few characters.

''REMIX'''s roster covers a wide range of franchises and characters, including characters that were added to later Smash titles (some with redesigned movesets like [[Ridley]] and [[Lucina]], others more faithful backports like [[Wii Fit Trainer]] and [[Sora]]), popular characters that never quite made it to Smash like [[Waluigi]], [[Geno]], and {{s|wikirby|Bandana Waddle Dee}}, and more obscure picks like {{iw|fzerowiki|Deathborn}} from ''F-Zero GX'' and [[Sukapon]] from ''Joy Mech Fight''.

''Project M EX REMIX Director's Cut'' (''REMIX DX'' for short) has more additional features and content, including [https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Elizabeth_Báthory Elizabeth] from the ''Fate'' series getting an English voice dub exclusively for ''REMIX'', Brawlification redesigns of backported characters like [[Simon Belmont|Simon]], [[Sephiroth]], and [[Pyra]], moveset reworks and revamps for ''REMIX'' newcomers like [[Silver the Hedgehog (disambiguation)|Silver]] from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, and the addition of characters to the roster like [[Kazuya Mishima|Kazuya]], [[King K. Rool]], and [[Alucard]] from the ''Castlevania'' series.

===''Project Horizon''===

''Project Horizon'' is identical to ''Project M EX Remix'' in the fact that it's an expansion of ''Project+'', but features additional characters like [[Greninja]], the [https://amongus.fandom.com/wiki/Crewmate Crewmate] from ''Among Us'', [https://touhou.fandom.com/wiki/Marisa_Kirisame Marisa] from ''Touhou'' (using 2D sprites rather than a 3D model), [[mariowiki:Foreman Spike|Foreman Spike]] from ''Wrecking Crew'' (based more closely on his original in-game sprite as opposed to his modernized design from ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie''), [https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Goku Goku] from ''Dragon Ball Z'', [https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Amy_Rose Amy] from ''Sonic CD'', [https://scottpilgrim.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Pilgrim Scott Pilgrim] from ''Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game'', and [https://neptunia.fandom.com/wiki/Neptune Neptune] from ''[https://neptunia.fandom.com/wiki/Hyperdimension_Neptunia Hyperdimension Neptunia]''. Additionally, a game mode based on ''[https://lethal-league.fandom.com/wiki/Lethal_League Lethal League]'' is included, as well as stages based on [[mariowiki:Forest Maze|Forest Maze]] and the [[mariowiki:Nintendo GameCube (battle course)|Nintendo GameCube]] course from ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!''. Other features include fan-created characters such as [https://www.knowyourmeme.com/Bowsette Bowsette] and "Zero Suit Fox" as playable fighters and songs like U.N. Owen Was Her?, a very famous song from the ''Touhou'' franchise, among others.

Unlike ''REMIX'', however, characters like [[bulbapedia:Zeraora|Zeraora]] and [https://mortalkombat.fandom.com/wiki/Sub-Zero Sub-Zero] are absent, as well as fighters that were added to ''REMIX'' from games past ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' like [[King K. Rool]] and [[Little Mac]].

==={{forwiiu}}===

==== 4XM ====

''4XM'' (previously Melee HD) [https://twitter.com/4xmmod] is a modification of {{forwiiu}} that aims to change the engine to make the game more like ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', and add most mechanics like [[L-Canceling]] and [[Wavedashing]] back. Development started in 2017, and in December 2022, 4xM Beta v1.8 was released.

==== TR4SH ====

==== Artful Phoenix ====

Artful Phoenix (AP) is the product of a joint venture between the former development teams behind popular mods Artful Lander[https://gamebanana.com/wips/46206] and Phoenix[https://gamebanana.com/wips/47573], with a combined three years worth of development and original content.  

==== Smash Rebuffed ====

==== CH4OS: Forever Unbalanced ====

Announced at the beginning of Smash Ultimate's life cycle, with the initial name being ''Project Ultimate''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMqAlEAl4eo Project Ultimate announcement video by CLASH Tournaments], additional text.</ref>, ProjectNX is a Project M-esque mod that was being developed by {{Sm|NyxTheShield}}, though Nyx saw it as his own "personal passion project" that he wasn't going to release for some time into the future. ProjectNX mostly modified the engine and didn't include ACMD moveset changes, though other changes were planned, since Nyx had made comments in the past where he said he would like to fix {{SSBU|Captain Falcon}}'s [[Knee Smash]] as well as other game balance changes. ProjectNX garnered controversy within the ''Smash'' community after its reveal, with many divided over the issue on whether or not modding ''Ultimate'' to act like ''Melee'' would be respectful to the game and its developers. The project was eventually faced with legal pressure by Nintendo and has since ceased all development.

Many global changes have been added to the game, such as wavedashing, ledge hogging, and knockback tweaks. ''HDR'' also adds some advanced techniques from ''Brawl'' and ''Super Smash Bros. 4'',  such as [[dash attack canceled up smash]] and [[Pivoting|perfect pivoting]], as well as some new mechanics of its own, such as upwards wavelanding and wavedropping- by dropping through a platform during a wavedash, a character will keep their momentum. Additionally, ''HDR'' changes how perfect shields function- instead of releasing shield at the right time, a player instead presses the special button while holding shield to activate a parry.  

Many characters have new mechanics and moveset overhauls. For example, Ryu, Ken, and Terry have received meter and combo mechanics akin to their home series and ''Marvel vs Capcom'', Palutena gained a new meter mechanic inspired by Nine the Phantom from ''BlazBlue'', and characters like Sonic and Banjo & Kazooie received heavy reworks of their moveset. Further changes and reworks are planned for many characters in the cast. A list of changes from all beta releases can be found [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QVRs8wPN8f1kzUJRiJabtrMZaNamRSQsGCKc7ezwXjA here], although a site akin to UltimateFrameData and RukaiData is under development.

Initially released on April 13th, 2021, the mod [https://github.com/chrispo-git/ult-s/releases/latest Ultimate S] is a fresh take on Ultimate with a large overhaul including lots of new features, character reworks and balancing. It also re-adds popular mechanics such as edge canceling, DACUS, and wavedashing, as well as decloning echo fighters. Most notably, the majority of the cast has received a variety of brand new moves and even command inputs. Despite this mod making major changes to characters' movesets and mechanics, it is still well-balanced and would be suitable for competitive play. As of update 3.1.0's release on August 26th, 2023, Toad and Rayman have been added as brand-new fighters, replacing Villager and Olimar respectively.