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Which is better for CASUAL 3-to-8-player smash bros. free-for-all matches: stock or time?
- Thread starter Spring-Loaded
- Start date
Always time - there will always be a skill discrepancy, and the person with the least experience will never want to sit there after a minute and be reminded they're not as good at the game.
Imagine if Mario Kart immediately disqualified you for finishing laat on the first lap.
Imagine if Mario Kart immediately disqualified you for finishing laat on the first lap.
Time obviously. Much more accommodating of all skill levels. Imagine being the person that loses all their stocks in the first minute and having to sit there not playing for the rest of the match. Anyone answering stock either hasn't actually played with casual players, takes Smash way too seriously, or is completely out of touch.
Absolutely stock, always. But with like, 5-6 minutes time as well.
And then you obviously don't attack the worst players as much, so that they have a chance to get into it, and not die way before everyone else.
My (secret) goal when playing free-for-alls is always to make sure everyone is at 50%+ on their last stock before anyone dies! :) But it's usually no big deal if someone dies a little earlier now and then, there has to be a consequence from playing badly, so that you're encouraged to do better next time.
And then you obviously don't attack the worst players as much, so that they have a chance to get into it, and not die way before everyone else.
My (secret) goal when playing free-for-alls is always to make sure everyone is at 50%+ on their last stock before anyone dies! :) But it's usually no big deal if someone dies a little earlier now and then, there has to be a consequence from playing badly, so that you're encouraged to do better next time.
Yes! But I still voted stock anyway because playing smash with time is super strange to me. :D
In the scenario of casual play as you laid out... time for sure. Wouldn't want people to potentially be out for a good minute or two just watching... especially with 3-8 player smash as the pace will slow down around 2-3 left.
Yeah, this post sums it up best.
Shocked that the majority of responses don't get this. It's Time.
As someone who plays a ton of 5+ matches and ALWAYS uses stock, I have literally only ever encountered one person who does this (and it resulted in everyone targetting them first for the rest of that session, lol).
Exactly. Teaming up on the jackass is one of the joys of friendly free-for-all Smash.
As for OP's question, "casual" doesn't really factor into it. It's all about skill level. If skill levels between players varies significantly, go for time. If everyone's skill level is equal-ish, go for stock (even for casual items-on crazy matches).
With good players: Stocks
But the question is Casual and they would have more fun with time so nobody get left out under the game
But the question is Casual and they would have more fun with time so nobody get left out under the game
Yup thats what I would say as well. Time mode is just all around more inclusive and its obviously more fun for the person who's constantly getting yeeted off the stage every 30 seconds because they are bad at the game.
This, time is vastly superior for parties/casual play because it doesn't have play elimination.
I think it's hard to play well with stock, because realistically the most effective strategy is to avoid fighting. Even if you avoid fighting for half the intro, you'll be in the latter half of the game with more HP than everyone else, and by the time you finish and clean up, it won't even look like you didn't participate.
Then the same 2 or 3 players are left at the end every time, because they have the same strategy, that's not a lot of fun.
Time is very casual, but I think it can be fun, and it encourages aggression which is a fun thing.
Then the same 2 or 3 players are left at the end every time, because they have the same strategy, that's not a lot of fun.
Time is very casual, but I think it can be fun, and it encourages aggression which is a fun thing.
There is literally an option to turn on the score in time battle, it's been there in every smash bros game. What even is this criticism of time battle? The only criticism is it isn't on be default and I agree, it's silly that the default option is "don't display score".
Depends on the players' skill level, really
If it's a bunch of Smash fans then they'll probably have a more fun with stocks
if there are any people involved who aren't as familiar with the game, playing against a timer will let them feel like they're actually doing SOMETHING and there's less of a chance of them sitting around twiddling their thumbs until everyone else runs out of stocks
If it's a bunch of Smash fans then they'll probably have a more fun with stocks
if there are any people involved who aren't as familiar with the game, playing against a timer will let them feel like they're actually doing SOMETHING and there's less of a chance of them sitting around twiddling their thumbs until everyone else runs out of stocks
It is definitely time. It lets everyone play the full match and running away is less viable to win. I would also say fill up with Computer players to 4 or 8 if playing with real casual players. There is more going on and more chances for first timers to get a lucky kill in and have fun. Talking from anecdotal experience.
Time for sure. The people who aren't as good or not as invested still get to bat around for the whole match, and the people who do care get the stat sheet at the end! Everyone's a winner.
Stock is better with fewer players, Time is better with more. Time is also better if there's a larger skill difference.
Stock is by far the more appealing mode in general because it communicates what's going on and creates more of a sense of urgency and finality, which adds to the fun, but in an environment with several players, it can lead to a handful basically only playing for half the time if they get eliminated early. Considering this is specifically a casual, high player count environment, I'd say Time.
However the real answer is to just ask the people involved what they want to play. If everyone is at least mildly familiar with Smash and happens to personally prefer Stock, even if there's a skill difference, Stock is a better choice because it's what those people want.
Stock is by far the more appealing mode in general because it communicates what's going on and creates more of a sense of urgency and finality, which adds to the fun, but in an environment with several players, it can lead to a handful basically only playing for half the time if they get eliminated early. Considering this is specifically a casual, high player count environment, I'd say Time.
However the real answer is to just ask the people involved what they want to play. If everyone is at least mildly familiar with Smash and happens to personally prefer Stock, even if there's a skill difference, Stock is a better choice because it's what those people want.
OP
OP
The posts that mention avoiding player elimination seem to be spot on.
playing stock and making the focus be on who is winning the whole time is inherently sweaty, which seems at odds with the concept of casual players/matches. With time, everyone's just focused on doing as much as they can until the match is over, and the winner can more often be a surprise(at least with score display off which is the default).
poll was about which is all-around better for this scenario though, not about individual preference.
casual here refers to everything: casual players, non-tourney stages, using items, etc.
playing stock and making the focus be on who is winning the whole time is inherently sweaty, which seems at odds with the concept of casual players/matches. With time, everyone's just focused on doing as much as they can until the match is over, and the winner can more often be a surprise(at least with score display off which is the default).
poll was about which is all-around better for this scenario though, not about individual preference.
casual here refers to everything: casual players, non-tourney stages, using items, etc.
I usually do like two stock and 3 minutes. They're very short matches but it gives everyone frequent options to change characters and stages.
EDIT: I also play random mostly and have items on, so even though I'm the best out of my friend group it's not uncommon for me to be the first out.
EDIT: I also play random mostly and have items on, so even though I'm the best out of my friend group it's not uncommon for me to be the first out.
While I agree with the sentiment behind the Time mode argument and it's actually very valid in terms of level of play, I still say stock mode because it's better in terms of understanding. Even as a player who has played Smash since the N64, I can get lost in a time match in terms of telling if you're ahead or behind, who's in the lead and should be the focus, etc. Stocks are just lives though and even a newcomer can understand that concept very quickly.
Added bonus, since stocks give a clear indication of leads, it can lead to some fun moments of on-the-fly truces, betrayals, and just general SOCIAL engagement even in the middle of a match. I took Smash for Wii U to a LAN party once and everybody else there was mostly into Halo, but the host convinced them to let me hook it up to the big TV for a few rounds of Smash. With so many of us, we opted for the full 8-player experience. By round two, it was essentially 1 vs 7 team matches with friendly fire on. If not for the vast gulf in play experience, I'd have probably been put off by them ganging up on me, but in reality, it ended up being a hell of a good time.
Added bonus, since stocks give a clear indication of leads, it can lead to some fun moments of on-the-fly truces, betrayals, and just general SOCIAL engagement even in the middle of a match. I took Smash for Wii U to a LAN party once and everybody else there was mostly into Halo, but the host convinced them to let me hook it up to the big TV for a few rounds of Smash. With so many of us, we opted for the full 8-player experience. By round two, it was essentially 1 vs 7 team matches with friendly fire on. If not for the vast gulf in play experience, I'd have probably been put off by them ganging up on me, but in reality, it ended up being a hell of a good time.
I don't think the time limit is why people play time mode. It's the lack of elimination.
As for the question, I'd simply recommend playing what your friends like best. I used to play stock with my friends all the time, and thought that was the best way to go. With Ultimate, I played online with competitive types a bit more and they pretty much ruined stock mode with their play style, and it happened quite often. Stock or Time is a matter of who I'm playing with, both modes can be fun but it seems stock encourages some less fun playstyles.
Time so no one gets left out. Plus you can barely keep track of kills that way so who's going to worry about winning?
OP
OP
That does sound fun, but it also sounds really sweaty and intense, the opposite of casual. Even with imposter tabletop games that are more purely that social aspect (don't need to understand complex controls), the disparity of desire for intensity across players can be unenjoyable for some.
in my experience with having groups of people unfamiliar with a given game or unfamiliar with other players, that teaming up/betrayal aspect can be daunting and uncomfortable for some players, and moving away from 1v1 stock tourneys to free-for-all time matches helped everyone enjoy it more. I had one person back out because they felt like a burden or handicap because of their skill level, but they had more fun after the switch.
Can't believe stock is winning the poll, for casual play... Time gives casual players who aren't good at the game more time to actually play, learn and have fun, rather than just lose all their stocks early and then just sit there. Stock is only better if all players are on a similar level and know the game
Stock, but you show mercy when someone is behind on stocks. Never liked time where whoever lands the final blow gets all the glory. It just seems incredibly annoying and random and encourages bad play of spamming smash attacks as a fat character.
OP only framed casual play as being 3-8 player free for all matches with items, which is how I play (in stock mode).
OP only framed casual play as being 3-8 player free for all matches with items, which is how I play (in stock mode).
