Competition: Super Smash Bros. Melee, Discussion thread for competition Options

[yoshiyoshi]

Discussion thread for Super Smash Bros. Melee by yoshiyoshi

Bring on the Mayhem!

This competition is a straight-forward fight to the finish. Items will be on (but not frequent), and all characters may be used.

Each fight will be 4-player Free-For-All, starting with Time-Limited battles (to keep things moving), and eventually culminating in a no-time-limit, 6-life free-for-all battle in the final.

Courses will be chosen on the day (all stationary battlefields), but the final will be Hyrule Temple (bar popular protest).

The battles will be shown on the Respawn Projectors for all to see. But that's not as awesome as being the one to claim the glory!

Oh, and did I mention Streamed Via Projector?

Ready...? GO!

[Plasia]

Hey, it was great fun winning this event, it was also super hype and that's awesome! Let's talk about optimising this format.

- Keep the stock timer as it was, but have 1 less stock.

- Don't pick temple ever.

- Consider getting rid of some of the campier stages, such as Venom, Princess Peach's Castle, DK Island Kongo Jungle (because of Klap Trap)

- Have a set method for resolving ties. (should happen less with 1 less stock though).


Now some technical suggestions:

Info on Input Lag: http://www.displaylag.com/what-is-input-lag-the-breakdown/

The projector lagged, which sucked but there are a few ways to get melee setup without lag but still have it on the projector.

- Use the monitor out from a CRT TV, this way the game is played on a CRT so there wont be any input lag
- Use a powered splitter to split between a CRT and the projector.

- A more outlandish solution, but one that allows you to use a LCD monitor would be to use a wii and ntsc melee to have melee running at 480p. Then you use a device called wii2hdmi (which I have). Then as long as the display can upscale 480p without causing lag you have melee on a more common LCD Monitor.

- An even more outlandish solution: Combine the above but use Project M instead of melee. Project M has the advantage of adding many characters and the controls and physics are just like melee. The benefit of this is that there is widescreen support.

Contact me for assistance for the next event, I am happy to help.

[yoshiyoshi]

Thanks for the feedback Plasia! This is the kind of thing I love, as it gives me something to work with

I'm really glad you enjoyed the tournament, and congrats as well for your victory in a scintillating final!

My challenge with Smash Bros. is to keep it entertaining and fun for the competitors and the audience. If you enjoyed it, then it was a success. Smash Bros. is as much a spectator sport as it is a competitive sport, and I know even after I got knocked out I wanted to keep watching.

- Consider getting rid of some of the campier stages, such as Venom, Princess Peach's Castle, DK Island Kongo Jungle (because of Klap Trap)

Consider it done, especially due to the darkness issue we encountered that resulted in three restarts of a match. Hopefully this will be a 'First Tournament Teething Issue' that doesn't resurface too often.
Venom will possibly stay, but the others you mentioned will not make a return, especially any dark courses.

- Don't pick temple ever.

Temple was a case of "I opened my mouth, I need to keep my word". It is indeed too large for most competitions, and is probably best left to the free-play time.
......Although I'm sure you'll admit, it made for a tense final match, which made the victory all the sweeter for you

- Keep the stock timer as it was, but have 1 less stock.

- Have a set method for resolving ties. (should happen less with 1 less stock though).

Light-hearted comment ahead! (Highlight to read)

I've never had someone (for lack of a better word) complain about having too many lives before!

On a more serious note, the tie resolution factor definitely needs to be fixed, and your suggestion could be one of the ways out. Consider this issue a 'First Time Tournament' teething problem, and it will be confined to the past if I have my way.

So you're aware, the current method of tiebreaking (although not abundantly clear during the tournament) was based on comparison of Most KOs, then least Self-KOs. After that it gets dicey, so likely would come down to final % of the battlers (I'll need to learn to write fast! )
...Could you PM me with any other ideas you may have to get around the issue..? I'll be the first to admit my lack of experience here...

Now some technical suggestions:

Info on Input Lag: http://www.displaylag.com/what-is-input-lag-the-breakdown/

The projector lagged, which sucked but there are a few ways to get melee setup without lag but still have it on the projector.

- Use the monitor out from a CRT TV, this way the game is played on a CRT so there wont be any input lag
- Use a powered splitter to split between a CRT and the projector.

tl;dr: I'm definitely relying on feedback to work around the Input Lag issue resolved, mainly due to lack of expertise and resources. Information like this is invaluable, and hopefully I can do something with what you've suggested .

Highlight to read the long version...

Input Lag... Now this one is a pain for everyone involved, especially the players. What's interesting is that the input lag wasn't bad when we started (as you noted when helping me set up), so I'd like to know how the input lag crept in as time went on.

This is where I show my lack of expertise, and say I don't really notice lag... Unless it starts reaching a second or so, and then I compensate from there. Maybe I'm just lucky.

CRT televisions, as you noted, are starting to get a bit thin on the ground. Some of the Respawn Team and I discussed how to handle the format of the game, but quite simply, the only CRTs I had at my disposal were a (mono) 14" Samsung with no video out, and a massive 30" Sony Trinitron, of which there was no way I could transport to Respawn (too heavy for me, and not enough space in the car with the computer-y bits I was carting).

I'm yet to meet someone who wants to play any game on a 14" CRT anyway, especially if they can see it on a projector. Except for nostalgia purposes. I'm looking at YOU, thatcommander

We'd still far prefer a projector screen (as that means that more people can watch), and I've been jockeying to get the main projector screen on-stage, at least for the final bout. We can only dream.

Discussions are ongoing with the A/V team regarding display format, so bringing a CRT along MAY happen in future, but I can't guarantee it.

- A more outlandish solution, but one that allows you to use a LCD monitor would be to use a wii and ntsc melee to have melee running at 480p. Then you use a device called wii2hdmi (which I have). Then as long as the display can upscale 480p without causing lag you have melee on a more common LCD Monitor.

I wasn't willing to risk someone else's property in case it got damaged (the risk is there, we're playing a game where people may throw/yank controllers mid-game in frustration by mistake).

The GameCube is my personal property, it was available, it works, and (I hate saying this) I'll survive if it gets damaged. I'd be devastated if a device lent to me for the tournament was damaged or broken.

But hey, if someone's willling to donate a Wii and an large LCD screen that doesn't have input lag issues...

- An even more outlandish solution: Combine the above but use Project M instead of melee. Project M has the advantage of adding many characters and the controls and physics are just like melee. The benefit of this is that there is widescreen support.

Could you PM me about Project M so I can learn a bit about it? I'll be honest, I'm a Nintendo purist, but if it makes the gameplay better then it's time for me to learn a bit more, and will be considered.

Robert (yoshiyoshi)

[Plasia]

We'd still far prefer a projector screen (as that means that more people can watch), and I've been jockeying to get the main projector screen on-stage, at least for the final bout. We can only dream.

Discussions are ongoing with the A/V team regarding display format, so bringing a CRT along MAY happen in future, but I can't guarantee it.

With the monitor out from the crt you still get the game on the projector, if people want to play looking at the projector then go for it!