No Online Restrictions In Super Smash Bros Brawl

This is a petition concerning the lack of online options in Nintendo's next entry in the Super Smash Bros series, Super Smash Bros Brawl. It is understood that this petition will not reach Nintendo in time for them to make the appropriate changes to the game before release, and so the point of your signature is to instead encourage Nintendo to add in additional Wi-Fi capabilities through the use of WiiConnect24 in the future.

I've outlined four major current problems with the SSBB online system. (Some of these hopefully have been addressed by the time you are reading this.)

1. Matches With Strangers Are Random

Nintendo has provided a lobby system where you can specify your match settings, and join games of your choice, but the problem is that this mode, looks exclusive to matches with those already on your friends list. Consider the amount of options in Smash Bros Melee, and then consider that Brawl is sure to have even more. Is it really fair to take away customization from the player?

There are a lot of things that must be decided before a match can start: The stage (There will probably be a lot more this time), special settings (Stamina, Super Sudden Death, Gravity High/Low, Mega/Minny, Flower/Bunny, Metal/Clear, Curry/Reflect, Slow/Fast, etc), items (which ones are on, and how often they appear), match type (Time, Stock, Coin, Bonus), match settings (Time Limit, Stock Limit, Stock Time Limit), number of players (2, 3, 4), team settings (Red, Blue, Green), and handicap settings (For those who want a challenge.).


A tiny fraction of all the customizable options in Smash Bros.

Yet it seems that matches with strangers won't let you customize any of this. Either it will be extremely random, or extremely limited in presets. Why can't we have a lobby system for strangers, like the one available to friends? It's true that some people prefer to just play in a random match quickly, but "Quick Match" could still be kept as an option.

Alternatively (or additionally), give an option inside Quick Match that allows users to connect only to games that include specific settings. For example, if the only two settings that matter to me are 1 vs 1, and Stamina, I should be able to tell the game to only add me to matches if they have at least those two settings. Since I did not specify any other settings, I could be potentially paired with someone who specified something completely different from me, and our match types would be combined.


In this picture, player 3 is selecting the stage, which probably means you each vote on a stage to play, ala Mario Kart DS

2. There Is No Ranking System

The official Smash Bros site states the following about random battles:
"There will also be no battle records kept for this mode, so whether you win or lose, it doesnt matter. Just sit back and play."

No battle records at all? If there are no battle records, then how exactly does the game figure out how good you are? Now not only do users need to hope for match settings that they like, but they also need to hope that their opponent isn't so bad that it makes the match boring, or so good that it makes the match overly frustrating.



Bam! Bam! BambambambamBAM! Poor newbies didn't know what hit them.

A common argument is that if you're in a ranked match, the other user may disconnect if he knows he's going to lose. There are two possible solutions to this, however:

A. Give a loss to the person who disconnects.
Or
B. Allow both ranked and un-ranked matches.

There needs to be a ranking system so that users can actually play against other people of their own skill level.

3. You Can't Befriend New People

The game allows you to type in a friend code each time you want to add a new friend to your list. (Which goes up to 64, maximum.) However, what does not seem to be possible is to have a random match, and then add your opponent as a friend if you thought he or she gave you a good fight.


Most people won't ever get their roster much bigger than this.

It could be argued that if one really wants to fight custom matches with strangers, they could just go online on a Nintendo themed website and trade friend codes with the users there. However, this creates problems, because before you fight someone, you have no idea of how skilled they actually are. In others words, populating your friends list is no small task. It takes a lot of forum browsing, number entering, and skill testing!

Since both players need to have each other as friends, if only one person decides that the other is not in their skill level anymore and removes them from their list, then the other player will have to find replacements. (Or be left wondering why their friend is never online.) Speaking of which, if you or your opponents are not active enough, then that's just another reason to be deleted from a friends list. Forget taking a break for a month and then coming back; either your friends will have removed you, or will have stopped playing themselves. You may not even want to come back again, knowing that you have to re-populate your list.

4. Limited Communication

So why can't we just add an opponent as a friend (thus enabling chat between us, and custom matches) after a match? The answer is simply because the online service is meant to be family friendly, and if there are some teenagers swearing at a little kid they don't know in the middle of the match, then this ruins that environment. I understand that.

However, the Wii now has parental controls which ask the parents if their children should be allowed to communicate online. Why is this option here if it is not being used? Implement this feature, and you'll notice, one by one, each and every one of these other problems can be resolved.

Simply make it so that if this parental control is on, you can't chat, and you can't see anyone else's name. When off, there should be no restrictions at all. If parents can be trusted to figure out how to disable the web browser on the Wii (which gives children access to things much worse than a few swear words), then they can be trusted to figure out how to disable chatting, which is located in the exact same place.


There is chat for friends, but even it is limited.

And how about some voice chat? The Wii doesn't currently have an official microphone, but if it ever does, this would be a great feature to add. Give an option to mute it for those who don't like to hear others talk online.

~*~

These are all issues that can and should be resolved using the WiiConnect24 service. Since this is a game that will be played competitively for half a decade, (or until however long it takes for a sequel to come out), I do not think it is asking much to put these important features on the radar for the future.

I am not a hater. Super Smash Bros Melee is my favorite game of all time, and I have been playing it for six straight years on my Gamecube. Still, in the back of my head, I've always wanted an online mode, and now that it's finally possible, I don't want to wait another six years for it to be done properly. We ask this of you, not because we are bitter, but because we truly love this franchise, and want it to be realized to it's fullest potential.