Stale Moves and Decay Prevention
By AlphaZealot | Published: September 16, 2008 5:50pm EST
 The term “stale moves” refers to the decay in both damage and knock back of an attack if used too many times, often in succession. Under current theory, (without knowing the exact code) Brawl holds the last nine moves performed in an attack queue. This queue is then referenced before determining the damage of the next attack. The more times the next attack is already in the queue, the less damage that attack will do. Attacks are only added to the queue if they connect with the opponent (not their shield) or with a destructible object in the environment, like the pillars on Luigi’s Mansion. According to SCOTU, a player who has extensively tested some of the finer points in Brawl, move decay follows this basic formula: Current Attacks Damage = [94.424 e^ (-0.0991 * X)] * (Base Damage of Current Attack) where X is the number of times that move is in the attack queue. For example, let’s say the following attacks are performed by Diddy Kong against Bowser (the opponent is irrelevant). The number after the addition symbol is the damage dealt by that attack, followed by the total damage on the opponent. Attack 1 - S-Smash: + 18% = 18% Attack 2 - D-Tilt: + 8% = 26% Attack 3 - U-Tilt: + 7% = 33% Attack 4 – S-Smash: + 17% = 50% Attack 5 – S-Smash: +15% = 65% Attack 6 – D-Tilt: + 6% = 71% Attack 7 – S-Smash: + 14% = 85% Attack 8 – S-Smash: +13% = 98% The formula predicts that if the next attack is an S-Smash that its damage will be 10.35% because its base damage is 18% and it occurred five times in the last nine attacks. [94.424 e^ (-0.0991 * (5))] * (.18) = 10.35% Actual results: Attack 9 – S-Smash: + 12% = 110% Here, the formula looks like it was off by almost 2%. In actuality though, it was off by about 1% because there are unseen decimal values that get rounded up or down. SCOTU also explains that “the earlier in the queue this attack is, the less it impacts the decay, although the earliest it can be in the queue makes less than a 10% difference than if it were the last attack landed.” This further explains why the number is slightly off. Let’s take a look at one last attack. The formula predicts that if the next attack is a D-Tilt that its damage will be 6.195% because its base damage is 8% and the number of times it occurred in the queue was two. [94.424 e^ (-0.0991 * (2))] * (.08) = 6.195% Actual Results: Attack 10 – D-Tilt: + 6% = 116% Here the formula looks pretty accurate. Taking into account that the D-Tilt was one of the first moves in the queue would make little difference, since 10% of 8% is less than 1% (unlike the S-Smash, where 10% of 18% is 1.8%). That this number appears to be rounded down also helps confirm that the previous number was rounded up. Preventing attack decay from affecting your game is relatively easy, though it varies from character to character. The main thing to keep in mind is which moves your character needs to use to KO an opponent. With most characters there are two or three effective KO moves that should be used sparingly. Alternating the use of just two moves makes sure that no attack bottoms out lower than about 70% of its power, since at any given time that attack should be in no more than five positions within the queue. Alternating between three attacks or more will have increasingly more positive affects on limiting decay. Spamming a single KO move and not using the other move at all until it is needed is another way to make sure there is always one effective move that can be used for the final blow. Characters with projectiles have almost a built-in remedy for dealing with move decay. Observe how Diddy Kong can keep his S-Smash fresh by throwing three bananas between each use. Attack 1 - S-Smash: 18% Attack 2 - Smash Thrown Banana: + 8% = 26% Attack 3 - Smash Thrown Banana: + 5% = 31% Attack 4 - Smash Thrown Banana: + 6% = 37% Attack 5 - S-Smash: + 16% = 53% Attack 6 – Smash Thrown Banana: + 6% = 59% Attack 7 – Smash Thrown Banana: + 4% = 63% Attack 8 – Smash Thrown Banana: + 4% = 67% Attack 9 - S-Smash: + 16% = 83% Attack 10 – Smash Thrown Banana: + 5% = 88% Attack 11 – Smash Thrown Banana: + 3% = 91% Attack 12 – Smash Thrown Banana: + 3% = 94% Attack 13 - S-Smash: + 17% = 111% Similarly, keeping 3 bananas between each Smash attack and alternating between the D-Smash and S-Smash keeps those two KO moves even fresher. Attack 1: D-Smash: 16% Attack 2 - Smash Thrown Banana: +6% = 22% Attack 3 - Smash Thrown Banana: + 5% = 27% Attack 4 - Smash Thrown Banana: + 4% = 31% Attack 5 - S-Smash: + 19% = 50% Attack 6 - Smash Thrown Banana: + 6% = 56% Attack 7 - Smash Thrown Banana: + 5% = 61% Attack 8 - Smash Thrown Banana: + 4% = 65% Attack 9 - D-Smash: + 16% = 81% Attack 10 - Smash Thrown Banana: + 3% = 84% Attack 11 - Smash Thrown Banana: + 4% = 87% Attack 12 - Smash Thrown Banana: + 4% = 91% Attack 13 - S-Smash: + 17% = 108% The most efficient way to keep a character fresh who has two KO moves and a projectile is to alternate between those two moves and use just two projectiles between them (not three as shown above). Overall, if you keep your attacks varied you’ll seldom have to worry about stale moves affecting your game play. However, having a system in place along with mental checks on how frequently you use your more powerful moves will allow you to increase your KO efficiency. Keeping a move close to 100% power instead of closer to 80%, which occurs after just three uses in a nine move queue, can often be the difference maker in getting a knock out. |
