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Smash Ultimate Online is a travesty of online gameplay in 2018
- Thread starter jviggy43
- Start date
I remember playing SFV and Battlefield 4 and they were both a disaster online the first month then I had like no problems after they fixed the shit. Not that I have high expectations over Nintendo but im sticking to single player for the first month then see how things turn out. Been watching some twitch (Armada and Leffen) and its embarrasing to see the issues in 2018..
9.3/10 game bois!:D
9.3/10 game bois!:D
It's always wild and frustrating that people seem to ignore this. When ever it comes to talk about Smash people suddenly people act as if no other fighting games has issues in online performance from time to time. Suddenly the lag they experienced while playing Street Fighter or Injustice, etc suddenly didn't exist and happen. No all those games were prefect but Smash is the bane of their existence and isn't allowed to have similar issues. Since they claim to never have issues (which is just not believable) with other games Nintendo (which is the wrong direction to direct this at since Bandai Namco built this game and the last two) must be the stand out and dragged. Never mind we were talking about launch day of all days and launch weekend for one of THE biggest games in the industry.
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T.T, these impressions (as well as the ones on the subreddit) are bumming me out. 10 years of this crap...10 years.
Sakurai's gotta go, let this be his swan song; we will NEVER get decent online play in Smash as long as this man is leading the development of this series.
Like, they're not perfect, but if you play the likes of Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2, and ARMS, it's pretty fuckin' clear that Sakurai himself just doesn't give a shit about creating a smooth and intuitive online experience in Smash. His narrow vision for what this series should be is choking it's potential as a modern, multiplayer-focused franchise, and Nintendo doesn't care enough to do something about it. :/
Sakurai's gotta go, let this be his swan song; we will NEVER get decent online play in Smash as long as this man is leading the development of this series.
Like, they're not perfect, but if you play the likes of Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2, and ARMS, it's pretty fuckin' clear that Sakurai himself just doesn't give a shit about creating a smooth and intuitive online experience in Smash. His narrow vision for what this series should be is choking it's potential as a modern, multiplayer-focused franchise, and Nintendo doesn't care enough to do something about it. :/
Totally agree. Not just the lag, but the tick rate feels off as well. Hate having to manipulate options / skip if i want a 1v1.
There needs to be more ability to drill down options for matches. It's insane how Ninty is constantly behind in the online sphere.
There needs to be more ability to drill down options for matches. It's insane how Ninty is constantly behind in the online sphere.
After getting to Elite on 2 characters all of my choices seem to actually follow my Preferences now and match me with 1v1s instead of 4 player FFA with items and stupid hazards.
Maybe that's the secret?
Rematch not having ability to change your character is asinine though and is seriously ruining the fun.
Maybe that's the secret?
Rematch not having ability to change your character is asinine though and is seriously ruining the fun.
I feel like the connection definitely got better from Friday. Some games I felt like it was local
Yeah, 1v1 Arenas have been fine for me. Good lag, good players. I labeled with my large city and got lag free matches.
Quick Match Matchmaking is the worst matchmaking of all time. Like, literally the worst, not hyperbole. If people want to propose contenders to the title, I'm listening.
Cant be stated enough. As much as I want for glory back and having a great time having 1v1 in elite smash battle arena is where its at!
Hopefully all the matchmaking stuff is patched in and people from the Splatoon 2/ARMS team help out.
I tried to connect a few minutes ago.
First the game says to me that I left the session last time and that I should be aware that disconnections like this one can be penalized.
Me : "Wtf ?!?!"
Then I try to find a fight.
Connection Error.
Yeah, great, but now I pay for this shit.
First the game says to me that I left the session last time and that I should be aware that disconnections like this one can be penalized.
Me : "Wtf ?!?!"
Then I try to find a fight.
Connection Error.
Yeah, great, but now I pay for this shit.
I'm actually particularly surprised and disappointed with the local wireless. It's almost as bad as the online play is. (Almost.) I attended two Smash parties over the weekend and at each of them, we were excited by the idea of having one player on the TV with the rest of us on our own Switches, but none of us were any more than six feet away from the docked Switch and performance was horrible. Half-second input lag and stopping for the connection to catch up every fifteen seconds or so.
I think the Quickplay option can be vastly improved if the game allowed us to set a range of criteria to meet before matching us with other players. I understand that trying to match people with identical rule sets with the specific way we set them would be a bad way to handle things, but if you expand the range of options a player can set then that problem would be eliminated, along with not forcing players to play by rules they don't want.
For example, my current Preferred Rules are as follows:
-1v1
-3 stocks
-7:00 minute timer
-Battlefield stages
-No items
When if I was given more freedom in selecting things I would instead have:
-1v1/Team Battle
-2 to 3 stocks
-4:00 to 7:00 minute timer
-No Hazards/Battlefield/Omega stages
-No items
And it would be much easier to find people with those rules. You can also make it so that if your rules get selected you have your "primary" rules set for the match.
For example, my current Preferred Rules are as follows:
-1v1
-3 stocks
-7:00 minute timer
-Battlefield stages
-No items
When if I was given more freedom in selecting things I would instead have:
-1v1/Team Battle
-2 to 3 stocks
-4:00 to 7:00 minute timer
-No Hazards/Battlefield/Omega stages
-No items
And it would be much easier to find people with those rules. You can also make it so that if your rules get selected you have your "primary" rules set for the match.
Battle Arena also has Elite Smash?
No you can just create or join a battler arena.
The great thing about the arenas is that the community is taking over and making the rules you dont play by sakurai's rules.
The game doesn't even really need hard limits or more options. The main culprit is that 1:1 vs FFA doesn't carry enough weight in the "closeness" metric. That difference should be totally insurmountable in importance, but it gets treated as a regular variable to negotiate in the MM algorithm.
It is like a trivial hotfix, and kind of a nice reminder why almost every single major online gets a Beta test where MM gets adjusted.
EDIT: This would also help the rest of the settings matching, because there's probably correlations between the time/item settings and the "main" settings. The 1:1 crowd is so different than the FFA crowd that dumping them all together just adds a bunch of additional noise.
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I'm not saying the online is anything special. Especially in 2018.
But I've succesfully played with my sister and some friends. 4 player and 1v1, and there has been very little noticeable lag, and every game it feels like the right person is winning, and you have a full move set available, with no game being determined by the connection.
Not a high bar, but I've been waiting to be able to do that consistently in Smash forever. Maybe my expectations were just low enough, but I'm moderately pleased with the online.
But I've succesfully played with my sister and some friends. 4 player and 1v1, and there has been very little noticeable lag, and every game it feels like the right person is winning, and you have a full move set available, with no game being determined by the connection.
Not a high bar, but I've been waiting to be able to do that consistently in Smash forever. Maybe my expectations were just low enough, but I'm moderately pleased with the online.
Splatoon2 sometimes has issues but it's playable, at least competitively.
Most of the games i've played on Smash online are atrocious.
Most of the games i've played on Smash online are atrocious.
We had 3 Switches on the go at lunch today playing against each other and it was laggy. That was the systems directly talking to each other. Internet play must be a shit show at times.
A huge reason I'm not buying into online is because of this exactly. They want to charge for the same experience they've provided since Wii, and that just doesn't cut it. Whether it's lack of features, or just poor connectivity, they refuse to keep up with the competition.
And unfortunately, now as most of my friends are living farther way, online would be more important than ever for smash. But, I'm not going to buy the game and online, only to confirm it plays like butt and never play it online again.
And unfortunately, now as most of my friends are living farther way, online would be more important than ever for smash. But, I'm not going to buy the game and online, only to confirm it plays like butt and never play it online again.
My first match on Friday was a latency-fest full of attrition. I immediately trashed the online to my circle of Smash friends. How the fuck could this be just as bad as it was playing online on Brawl on day 1 in 2008?
Then after putting my kids to sleep, I said fuck it, let's try again. I set my preferred rules of no items, stock, yadda yadda (because I'm not an animal). And then I found like 2 hours worth of really fun and stable matches. Sometimes I got the 1v1 I wanted. Other times it was a 4 FFA. And other times it would be 2v2 teams with items. At that point I realized, this is fun. I'm not some competitive Smash player like I used to be during the Melee era, so why the fuck do I care so much about occassionally having a game type that isn't 1v1 Final Destination No items? Once that sunk in, I've had a lot of fun with it.
Things that I still think suck with the online:
1. When it's 4 players, you always have at least one turd nugget who just runs away and waits for everyone else to die before he fights. Finishing in the top two guarantees GSP goes up.
2. The mechanism for playing with my friends online is so god-damned un-intuitive. So I have to go to Battle Arena and create a room and give the name of the room to my friends? WTF? It's like I'm hosting a game of Counter-Strike in the year 2000. So weird.
Overall though, the online is a bit better in stability than I imagined. Of 30 matches I've played, maybe 5-6 have had annoying latency. Granted, I think me and a group of strangers all realized we were having fun and had really good connections with each other so we stayed playing for a good chunk of time. I leave any group after a laggy match.
Then after putting my kids to sleep, I said fuck it, let's try again. I set my preferred rules of no items, stock, yadda yadda (because I'm not an animal). And then I found like 2 hours worth of really fun and stable matches. Sometimes I got the 1v1 I wanted. Other times it was a 4 FFA. And other times it would be 2v2 teams with items. At that point I realized, this is fun. I'm not some competitive Smash player like I used to be during the Melee era, so why the fuck do I care so much about occassionally having a game type that isn't 1v1 Final Destination No items? Once that sunk in, I've had a lot of fun with it.
Things that I still think suck with the online:
1. When it's 4 players, you always have at least one turd nugget who just runs away and waits for everyone else to die before he fights. Finishing in the top two guarantees GSP goes up.
2. The mechanism for playing with my friends online is so god-damned un-intuitive. So I have to go to Battle Arena and create a room and give the name of the room to my friends? WTF? It's like I'm hosting a game of Counter-Strike in the year 2000. So weird.
Overall though, the online is a bit better in stability than I imagined. Of 30 matches I've played, maybe 5-6 have had annoying latency. Granted, I think me and a group of strangers all realized we were having fun and had really good connections with each other so we stayed playing for a good chunk of time. I leave any group after a laggy match.
this isn't true. you can totally change characters in battle arenas without leaving the lobby. just select your character portrait in the bottom right. if you're in a room with more than other other person it'll put you at the back of the queue, though
there are lol, you can make battle arenas for friends only
iv'e been legit shocked how well the online has played tbh. brawl was a joke and 4 worked better than brawl, but still wasn't especially playable. 90% of the matches ive played in ultimate have felt great. at least as good as any time i've played street fighter v or xrd online.
What do we have to do to get a "Competitive" stage tab in preferred rules that has FD and BF forms, but also throws in Yoshi's Island Brawl, hazardless Pokemon Stadium/Warioware and other fitting stages
Like, guys, this ain't hard
Like, guys, this ain't hard
That probably is hard, actually. There's a reason why most online games only have 2-5 queues with not all that many options.
Having a gargantuan list of mutually exclusive preferences is a mess.
Online has too many options, which leads to the MM algorithm shitting itself.
That probably is hard, actually. There's a reason why most online games only have 2-5 queues with not all that many options. You're demanding an extra layer of very specific options, but there is no consensus on what is good competitive other than Stock (not what stock), 1:1, and no items.
Having a gargantuan list of mutually exclusive preferences is a mess.
Insanely quick impressions:
Fun-factor, content, gameplay, visuals, audio, and sheer scope: 10/10, easily. The game is a stunning achievement.
Online: This is where things fall apart. Not allowing more than one person per Switch to play online is criminal, as well all the other limitations already posted here. I REALLY hope there's a chance they can patch in this option. I actually spent HOURS researching how to do this, as I refused to believe that Nintendo would not include that basic option, which is such a common scenario. I mean, just wow. My brother was so looking forward to playing with his wife, against me and others online. But nope, not possible.
Fun-factor, content, gameplay, visuals, audio, and sheer scope: 10/10, easily. The game is a stunning achievement.
Online: This is where things fall apart. Not allowing more than one person per Switch to play online is criminal, as well all the other limitations already posted here. I REALLY hope there's a chance they can patch in this option. I actually spent HOURS researching how to do this, as I refused to believe that Nintendo would not include that basic option, which is such a common scenario. I mean, just wow. My brother was so looking forward to playing with his wife, against me and others online. But nope, not possible.
Go back in time and reboot the series as an actual HARDCORE ESPORTS TITLE instead of a party game that was co-opted by a relatively niche and very outspoken competitive group of players.
Have you tried making one? Sometimes I feel like yall are old men or something. Its there. lol
I watch my brother play tekken every so often and there's always laggy matches in between. It's odd indeed but I think it's just smash fans without experience with other fighting games that do this.
Smash 4 literally had a dedicated competitive hopper (with only FD, to be fair). Halo matchmaking has playlists for both the insanely casual Big Team Battle and the uber competitive tourney modes. Both sides of the spectrum have been catered to in numerous online games.
Preferred rules just has too many options for matchmaking. I don't think it would be a stretch to narrow down the most commonly played ruleset a in Smash to FFA Time/items on/all stages, FFA Stock with the same settings, and 1v1 with the latest tournament settings according to community monitoring. Dedicated hoppers for all three of those would be great. Hell, throw in both casual 2v2 and competitive 2v2 playlists, too. Then, battle arenas already exist for players who want more unconventional rulesets.
Has to be. I've experienced lag in injustice 2, SFV, DBFZ. The least laggy game was Killer Instinct but it was still laggy at times
lol, right?
like i'm not gonna sit here and stan for nintendos online, but some of the takes itt are really weird, if not outright wrong.
i also wonder how many people experiencing bad lag are behind bad connections. the only match i had with bad lag was with an era user in africa, and i'm in washingston state.
It seems to work fine when playing in a private room with friends if everyone has a decent connection. Played for a few hours this weekend with a friend who lives across the country and had no issues. I'm sure playing with randoms is a crapshoot but that's any game.
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Why is it people always act like its impossible to appeal to both crowds when almost every online mp game has been able to do this since basically forever.
Also one crowd is constantly bemoaning allowing the other to be able to play their preferred style of mode and that crowd isnt the competitive one.
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Your argument falls apart here. Competitive Smash has never been the majority. Loud? Sure. Sizable? Possibly! But they've never been the majority of the Smash playing public.
Again, if it was, you'd have no problem getting matched into For Glory style matches and this thread wouldn't exist.
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They make up one of the largest populations of the smash community. Should have worded it better.
And no that's not true because if theres even 10 or so people in closer proximity and solid connections who want free for all that's what im getting. This argument is fallicious because you're speculating on how this system is searching for matches and how many people in my area are looking for different matches to suggest it isnt a popular choice. And even if that's the case, again, no one should be forced to play any mode they do not want to play. Even if it was only a 10% chance, or a 1% chance. You should get your mode 100% of the time when you select it.
Which is so fucking weird. You would think that it's the competitive people being dicks or elitist but so often it's always the casual players who are trying to dictate how the other group plays. It very easily can cater to both audiences. Like almost every mp game does. There should not be this level of animosity between these groups.
That argument is flawed. The Matchmaking is fucked because it may be treating the difference between 1:1 and FFA as significant as the difference between 3 stock and 4 stock. It clearly underweights what is almost universally considered the key option for differentiation between communities.
Even when you match with a player in 1:1 and rematch, it will still wait for FFA players and try to add them. That's just really, really stupid and a sign that the matchmaking itself is totally fucked.
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I honestly am debating making a thread about this because i cant for the life of me think of another franchise this big where theres such a disconnect between a director and large subsection of the player population as smash has.
Reviews are frustrating when it comes to multiplayer focused games, though this thread isnt about that in specific so i wont get into a huge rant over it right now. Im just upset Smash is this bad online. Of course I hope it improves, but I dont have a lot of confidence in nintendo with this kind of stuff.
Basketball began as a casual game for students to play indoors when it was too cold to go outside, but it has evolved over the years to suit the relatively niche group of players who play it competitively.
Lots of games begin casual and change with player feedback from the hardcore crowd. This is natural.
Yeah, when you consider that games have been marked down in the past for poor multiplayer modes, this does feel a little... premature. I'm surprised, because a lot of outlets have made a point of refusing to publish final reviews on games without first having access to multiplayer.
Although I had tremendous issues with Brawl online, and some hiccups with 4U, my experience with Ultimate has been very smooth and welcoming so far. For every match that is slightly stilted or laggy, I get about 7 or more that are very smooth and hardly representative of what some are posting. WiFi docked play.
Mileage varies I suppose, but I signed up for the service the day this game unlocked and quick play matches have been solid on my end.
Mileage varies I suppose, but I signed up for the service the day this game unlocked and quick play matches have been solid on my end.
If Smash Bros evolves to that level, fine. But it's not there. Competitive is niche. It's cool and all, but it's not what the game is made for. A dedicated mode for 1v1 every time online? That's a fine request. But to be like, "Gosh how hard is it to have a 1v1 on only final destination and battlefield stages and also a handful of other stages the competitive community has deemed acceptable with a variation of the stage hazards turned on?????" That seems silly.