"Wiggle Out of Hitstun" is a mechanic that betrays the game's design philosophy#725

This is just another controller destroying mechanic that doesn’t have any reason to exist other than “it’s in Melee.” Most people don’t even know this mechanic is in the game. I get that hitstun just works like that because you have the option to remain in hitstun indefinitely in order to give yourself tech options, and technically you don’t have to “wiggle” your stick for it to work, but you are very clearly heavily incentivized to wiggle by virtue of this being a timed input with zero visual indication. Even CPUs are programmed to wiggle their stick in frame perfect intervals in order to get out of hitstun as soon as possible.

I have two suggestions that may be able to preserve the existence of the feature AND deincentivize mashing, with the added bonus of being a way to tell if a combo is true or not, and they both involve simply adding a visual indication when you’re able to get out of hitstun with a stick input.

1.) Just a little effect, like a radial shine or something akin to the fastfall indicator, only slightly bigger
2.) Overlay a subtle shader when a character gets hit that gradually fades as the character gets closer to actionability.
Bonus: Try something with the smoke trails? Idk if it’d look good because hitstun is so long in this game but it could be worth experimenting.

I think this could go a long way to helping game feel for literally everybody. Attackers, defenders, spectators, commentators, anyone. Please please please consider this change, it makes no sense for this to be the only thing that requires mashing when it’s hidden in such an important aspect of the game.

I’m tempted to suggest just putting the character into an actionable fall state as soon as hitstun ends. That would be the easiest and most visually clear indication.

The only drawback is that you have less freedom to tech if you want to. But in scenarios in which that would apply, it’s hard not to accidentally wavedash out of hitstun anyway, so I don’t think it would be consequential.

For the visual indicator for wiggling out you can look the character and once they have past being horisontal (after 90 degrees of rotation) you’ll be able to wiggle out. You can hold buffer the first direction (which you’ll likely be doing anyway for DI) and you can then buffer the opposite direction input so it’s a 6-7 frame window do get the perfect wiggle.

Addionally, I don’t think anyone wiggling out of hitstun is mashing the input. Those wiggling out of hitstun are using the rotation of their character, the 6 frame buffer and game feel (recognising how much hitstun you’ll be in based of your % and the move that hit you).

You say it will go a long way for game feel for everyone, but from my perspective it would dramatic taint the game feel as tech situations would be less common reducing advantage state, Wiggling out wouldnt be catching people offguard when they are overzealous and everyone that does already engage with the mechanic will feel silly doing it if it was removed as it’s deeply rooted muscle memory.

I’ve now learnt you don’t even require 2 directions to be input to wiggle out, only 1 Hardpress in any direction is required.

• This isnt how the game works. This is a misunderstanding on what states you are in and when you are/arent actionable
• Suggesting they add more another visual indicator isnt going to matter. You’ll know if your combo works if you press an attack and the person is hit
• you “mash” wiggle in the same way you would mash jump (or any other action) out of tumble.