Competitive Melee has hit a new bump in its continual development. The introduction of a new mod to controllers has led to a new controversy, and the scene has taken to the issue with serious discussion.
The Smashbox
In July of 2016, a new controller known as the Smashbox shook the Melee community. Created by Dustin Huffer, and inspired from controllers of the FGC, it was designed to give an alternative to the stock Gamecube Controller(GCC). Replacing analog stick inputs with digital button inputs allowed players full control of their characters in a way that was rarely explored before. Yet, controversy followed.
With inputs becoming digital, many of the inherent flaws of the GCC design were ignored by the Smashbox. Dashback, which is where a character starts the dash animation in the opposite direction they faced, had limitations on the GCC. The possibility that the controller would read the input as turning around, rather than dashing, was present in every GCC. The Smashbox ignored the problem completely, as the digital input would read out on the frame required for dashback to always occur. Add in the increased control over recovery moves, the potential for higher running speed, a finer control of small movements, and other small advantages, and the controversy grew. Even now, the controller is in a legal gray area for many tournaments.
Hax and the Arduino
Some time after the Smashbox had been around, Aziz “Hax” Al-Yami and a team started work on their own version of a digital box style Melee controller, called the B0XX. Over the course of an intense Melee career, Hax piled up hand injuries that steadily grew worse. On January 1st, 2015, he announced his departure from competitive Melee as a result of the injuries. Since then, he has made appearances, but they are rare. With the B0XX, he found that the strain lessened by a significant degree. Ever since, he has been on the forefront of pushing digital box controller legalization for the larger Melee scene.
On June 9th, 2017, Hax announced the “Gamecube Controller Project.” Available for purchase from day one, the project removed the deficiencies of the GCC at the software level. By rewriting how a controller reads the inputs of the analog stick, it allowed a GCC to be able to perform at the same consistency level as a digital input controller. In essence, the problems that held the GCC back were fixed with a $2 computer chip. Yet, any significant change has controversy, and the mod proved no exception.
The Fallout: Community Response
oh and also, if TOs are not smart enough to ban arduinos until a more informed verdict is out I am not going to attend that tournament haha
— William Hjelte (@TSM_Leffen) June 9, 2017
real talk though, the hax gc controller mod for melee is one of the best things I've ever seen and we'll probably never use it >__>
— Zachary Sain (@LunchablesTX) June 10, 2017
I'm gonna put aside my own ego and say that hax has a lot of good points. Still dont really think that the arduino mod will be tourney legal https://t.co/k5aYrWDj7D
— Balance | Typo (@hrcTypo) June 9, 2017
In all seriousness@ssbmhax makes a convincing argument & delivers it well
Lot to think about. Props for moving the discussion forward ❤️
— The Crimson Blur (@OXY_Crimson) June 11, 2017
My super preliminary stance on software mods.
Don't like it, butttttt
Only dashback related things make sense.Should be console-side mods
— Cloud9 Tafo (@tafokints) June 10, 2017
Influential Smash peers had quite a bit to say about the project. Some good, some bad, and some on the fence. As the mod stands now, it is in the legal gray area that the digital controllers stand now. The potential for misusing the mod, and the work required to detect it, are one of the biggest barriers to acceptance. Still, adaptation of the mod has already started. Various players from local regions have already installed the mod, and plan to help others install it for them. Even Mute City Customs, a prominent modding team, has said they might install it. At this point, banning the mod may introduce just as many issues as adapting to it.
The Hax video is certainly interesting. We'll look into offering this service when it has cheat prevention and is deemed legal by most TOs.
— MuteCityCustoms✈️CEO (@mutecitycustoms) June 9, 2017
Possible Consequences
The mods quick adaptation may be attributed to the low barrier to entry. For $2 and an hour for installation, any player can acquire a controller that outpaces even those used by professional players. With such widespread use being adapted so quickly, the possibility of greater controversy is also rising. There is a chance that a local player may abuse the mod. If this were to occur, the controversy would likely explode to all new proportions. As it stands, people are cautious about the mod, and players may be adapting too fast for Tournament Organizers(TOs) to adapt.
Finally, there is the chance that we may see local PRs change as a result of mod adaptation. It is unlikely, given the vast amount of nuance required to play Melee at a competent level. Yet, we may see players able to grind tech faster than ever before. With less focus on fighting the controller, and more on what makes good Melee, local scenes might see players adapt to the meta faster than they would have without the mod. This is all speculation, and the scene is split on how this mod will change the development of newer players.
Possibility of More Solutions
My personal opinion is that the best way to avoid cheating and improve the community is to use a memory card exploit to fix dashback
— Balance | Typo (@hrcTypo) June 10, 2017
After a few days of brainstorming, there has also been a push towards other solutions. Memory card exploits would allow TOs to patch in fixes that would negate the need for the mod. By fixing the code of Melee itself, any stock controller would be on a level playing field for competitive viability. Both the mod and the exploits would serve to fix the same issue. Yet, the exploit seeks to fix the issue on the side of TOs, rather than players having to each fix their own controller. Both solutions seem to be agreeable to the larger community. At this point, it may come down to a race of adaptation. Whichever solution grows first, may just become the community standard.
Overall, the introduction of the “Gamecube Controller Project” may be a turning point for competitive Melee. Whether the mod will be allowed, or how it will change the shape of the meta, is all up to speculation. Given how long the scene has continued to debate the use and legality of the Smashbox, this may be a discussion that will be around for a long time.
