Smash Bros. Brawl is the anti-sore loser
Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 2:10pm by Jack
Do you hate it when someone purposely disconnects just as they’re about to lose to you in an online game? Does it irk you to no end? If it does, Super Smash Bros. Brawl might have an answer.
Kotaku summarizes the Dojo update for today:
Masahiro Sakurai is a freaking genius. In the Smash Bros. Dojo!! update today he reveals details on the With Anyone mode of online brawling, which basically acts just like you were playing single-player - are no lobbies. Just connect and play. That’s not the genius bit though. I’ve never played a fighting game online where I hadn’t at some point had my opponent disconnect on me just as he was about to lose. That isn’t happening in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. If you are in a With Anyone match and you drop connection, the computer takes over control of your player immediately. It doesn’t even tell the other players you went offline, so you won’t even get the satisfaction of them knowing you fled.
Genius. Take that, sore losers.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
That’s good and all, but it still doesn’t solve the problem of Brawl’s online mode sucking over all, even for a game running on Nintendo’s Friend Codes system.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
I don’t like this. What’s the point of going online to play someone if they drop out and you end up fighting a computer? It would make more sense just to play a normal vs. match. Computers and humans fight very differently, for a seasoned smash player you could tell pretty quickly that an opponent has dropped out. And isn’t the whole point of online play to play against a human opponent?
Sure, playing a disconnector is annoying, but that’s why a lot of games have a penalty system to discourage that. Since there isn’t any kind of ranked mode (as of yet) there’s no real negative association for disconnecting, and having a computer take over isn’t exactly discouraging it.
And how would the game know which difficulty to put the computer on? One of the only ways I can think of is if there was a thing running in the background measuring each player’s skill, and I imagine something like that would be incredibly hard to implement if it can even be done at all. Or maybe there’s just a setting for what comp level you play against when this does happen. But it still feels really cheap.
December 7th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
It´s just a service to us fighters who hate disconecting losers, is no big deal, you still get to play online, but to summarize the Kotaku´s sumarization
….
“so you won’t even get the satisfaction of them knowing you fled”
That´s all this is about. Pretty neat if you ask me.
December 7th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
I think it’s a great idea, I’ve had many a person disconnect during the one of few times I’ve actually been winning on MKDS or Mario Strikers, true it ain’t the same as playing against a human, but at least you get to carry on the match. I absolutely hate starting something and not being able to finish it so this sounds perfect for me.
@ neko to kuruma, there’ve been rankings for Nintendo games for ages, take Mario strikers, that has online rankings, as does Tony Hawk (may be more but I don’t play a whole lot of online). Your score also affects who you’re paired up with when you decide to go against somebody of a similar skill level to yourself (this skill level could also be used to determine what level the CPU will be at and the human takeover point)
December 7th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
this is a really great idea….I can’t stand starting online games then having the guy suddenly disconnect, then I’ll have to leave and go back to searching for another opponent. At lease if the computer takes over you’ll be granted a sure win, unless you can toggle the difficulty of the comp in this case..and the disconnecter will be given a loss for leaving…Simple as that.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
Once again, the Wii’s online mode boils down to a difficulty option called “random.”
I just don’t see the appeal in a feature like this.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Very Cool.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
I like this feature, and now I wonder why they didn’t bother adding a ranking system for ‘Anyone’ with this feature floating around. :\
December 7th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
I think you can still tell if someone quit on you if their character suddenly becomes much better or much worse.
December 7th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Andrew-MG:
This is but one aspect of Brawl’s online mode. You can play friends from across the country at their respective skill levels - so don’t summarize Wii’s online mode as boiling “down to a difficulty option called ‘random.’” It’s simply untrue.
December 7th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
This is actually pretty amazing! I’ve never heard of an online game that could do that…
I’m really surprised that anyone would complain about this: the developers are essentially covering all possible issues with the online play.
December 7th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
@ InvisibleMan:
This is the most compelling fanservice madness to ever be created and the last Smash Bros posibly, yet people still complains. I just gave up on people and decided to enjoy the game
December 7th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Isn’t this only for games against people who are not friends? So if you aren’t using friend codes to play someone and they drop you, the computer takes over only then.
December 7th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
to those who seemed confused with the friend codes and playing online with matchmaking
from what I understand, to play with one or more specific player you need the friend code, ie friends
but just random online matches, i think there is no friend code involve and no ones name/id will be revealed neither any message will shown.
I have a bit mixed feelings with computer taking over. Although its great to still play even the player dropped, but if i realize i am fighting a computer, i still feel somewhat bitter about the sore loser. While it keeps the match going, it does not solve the fundamental problem of people just dropping out for loosing. However, it does serve neatly when someone just get disconnected for having internet problem.
Just a thought
December 7th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
@bryan3089: Stay here a week or so; you’ll start to see a pretty obvious pattern
December 8th, 2007 at 4:48 am
Do you even know if they don’t simply improve the AI?
Before you go rambling about a skill jump/drop when the AI takes over, test the AI…. oops, no one here did, except for some rounds maybe *eyerolling*
December 8th, 2007 at 9:42 am
Yes, and after that week is over, leave this website and go somewhere that isn’t insane with blind loyalty. I recommend nintendoworldreport.com
December 8th, 2007 at 10:53 am
I feel like it would be better to punish folks who disconnect rather than just placate their victims. I don’t want to play against the AI controlled characters, I want a real human opponent.
And as annoying as it is, I’d rather know that my human opponent disconnected because I was whupping them than have them replaced with an AI opponent.
December 8th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
I would rather know my opponent fled because I was kicking their ass than have it replaced silently by a computer opponent. Even if I thought I was still fighting this other person, knowing they ran away means they KNEW you were stronger, whilst just beating them ’till the game is over meant they thought they had a chance. It’s more of a, ‘There was an obvious difference in strength, they ran away with their tail between their legs!’ feeling. If they must have this feature, I’d say it should tell you when it’s being switched because of a disconnect.
December 8th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
jamie: I know there have been rankings for nintendo’s online games. I was just referring specifically to brawl. There hasn’t been any news of any ranked mode yet, that’s all.
Andrew-MG: Zing!
December 8th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
I’m with those posters who want to know the enemy has fled. For annoying as it is, it does give you that satisfied feeling. Sure, replacing the coward with a CPU opponent is a neat feature to have, but I’d rather have a choice whether I want that or not. Also, if the With Anyone mode has any sort of ranking thing going on, I _want_ to score points for when the other dude flees. I don’t want to suddenly get whooped by the CPU whose level is auto-set to high. In conclusion: nice idea but I’m afraid it might end up half-baked. And that might be worse than not implementing it at all.
December 8th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
I agree with Drew on this one. I like challenging matches. Tetris DS for example is great to play because I play people near my level. Playing a 5 year old may sound fun to Jack, but I prefer playing against someone near my level. I am also sure 5 year olds don’t want to hop in a fight with a guy in a Tingle outfit that does nothing but play Smash Brothers online all day.