Buffer
Buffering is a game mechanic in which a player may input an action shortly before it can be executed in-game, resulting in the action being carried out on the first possible frame. Many different video games of various genres implement a buffering system of some sort, but its implementation is arguably most notable in fighting games, where a decreased emphasis on frame-perfect inputs means easier access to combos, thus improving accessibility for casual players. The mechanic has existed in some form in every Super Smash Bros. game, although Super Smash Bros. Brawl was the first game in the series to allow any input to be buffered, as opposed to a select few actions.
There are negative effects to buffered inputs; most notable, a player may input a move that does not activate until their fighter is in a different spot, such as a jab near the ledge becoming a neutral aerial if they leave the stage before it can activate. This kind of situation can be deadly for characters with laggy aerials, such as Ike, whose recoveries do not provide enough vertical distance to recover after the attack ends. Unintentional buffered actions are significantly more common in online play than offline play, due to built-in frame delay used to stabilize matches combined with Wi-Fi lag that can result from a poor connection,
In Super Smash Bros.
In the original Super Smash Bros., there is no universal buffer system, so apart from a select few actions, inputs generally need to be frame-perfect for optimal play. This is a commonly-cited reason that some professional players state that Smash 64 requires more technical skill than later games in the series.
Bufferable actions include:
- Stick related actions (such as dashing, jumping and fast falling) with a 2-3 frame window (only works if the stick is held).
- Attacking after a turnaround.
- Inputting a consecutive neutral attack hit (also applies to Ness's down tilt).
- Attacking after being in hitlag when hit with armor (if the armor does not break).
- Any action when starting a game or un-pausing (with the exception of pause).
In Super Smash Bros. Melee
Much like its predecessor, Super Smash Bros. Melee does not buffer inputs in general, save for a select few. The previous game's bufferable actions were largely carried over to Melee, although there are some changes:
- Attacking after a turnaround can no longer be buffered as attacking during a turnaround will now cancel the turnaround animation.
- It is no longer possible to buffer actions out of hitlag when hit with armor.
- It is now possible to buffer actions Out of Shield after shieldstun by holding the C-stick together with a shield input. When using a regular stick, the player cannot buffer out of shield options but they can if they hold the C-stick.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl was the first game in the series to introduce a universal input buffer for basic actions. When the player is performing an animation, there is a window of 10 frames at the end of most moves and animations where the player can buffer any action, including attacks, jumps, and dodges. This allows the player to easily perform frame-perfect actions without having to perfectly time their button presses; in other words, they have 1/6th of a second to enter a precise input rather than 1/60th of a second. If the animation is shorter than 10 frames, the player can still buffer actions, but they will have less time to do so.
When multiple buttons are pressed, the game will usually buffer the first input pressed (so if the player did a forward smash, a side special and then a spot dodge for example, the game would buffer the forward smash) but there are some instances where the game can buffer multiple inputs. This can result in the player being capable of doing things which would not be possible without buffering. Some examples of this include:
- Performing any action on the first frame of a ground jump.
- Double jumping and performing an aerial/air dodge/special on the same frame. The player has to buffer the double jump first and then buffer the desired aerial action. Usually, the double jump overrides the player's attack input if both are done on the same frame.
- Performing an instant dash attack or dash grab by buffering a dash, letting go of the control stick and then pressing attack/grab.
- The player can also input an up smash after buffering a dash attack to perform a Buffered Dash attack canceled up smash. The player performs an up smash but they also carry over the momentum from the dash attack.
Despite the introduction of a universal buffer mechanic however, there are still multiple instances where the player cannot buffer either a specific action or any action. Instances where this is the case include:
- Any action out of a jump on the jump's first frame.
- Aerials or air dodge out of non-tumble hitstun (they can be buffered for when the hitstun animation ends but not when the hitstun itself ends, causing a delay when buffered. These actions can be buffered for the end of hitstun if the player buffers a double jump before hand.)
- Any action out of tumble hitstun.
- Any ledge option using the control stick.
- Grab aerials in the air if used on their own (can be buffered if the player buffers a double jump before hand).
- Airborne item catches after an air dodge
- Z-dropping items after an air dodge
- Shield after dropping the input during the 10 frame period
- All actions except for a down tilt after a down tilt with no interruptible frames.
Additionally, forward tilt, down tilt, and non-smash-input side and down special cannot be buffered unless the control stick is released before the buffer window ends.
In Super Smash Bros. 4
In Super Smash Bros. 4, the universal buffer system returns, albeit with some adjustments. There is now a hierarchy of moves that will come out when multiple inputs are pressed at the same time/during the buffer window. Special moves have the highest priority, followed by shields, attacks, jumps, and stick inputs, in that order. For ledge options, ledge jumping has the highest priority, followed by ledge attacking and ledge rolling. This hierarchy is the reason why buffering both a control stick input and a button input at the same time (or multiple button inputs) is impossible and thus, a common problem when trying to perform moves like dash attack or dash grab out of shield. This also means that multiple actions which could be buffered in Brawl (like an immediate double jump aerial or a dash attack) can no longer be buffered.
The strange buffer issue forward tilts, down tilts/specials and side specials had in Brawl has been fixed, allowing these moves to be buffered like any other move. This issue does still exist with down tilts/specials when performing a soft or hard landing however although like in Brawl, the player can still buffer these actions by letting go of the control stick before the landing animation ends.
Most of the actions which cannot be buffered in Brawl still cannot be buffered in Smash 4 although the player can now buffer actions out of hitstun unlike in Brawl. The issue where moves could not be buffered out of a down tilt with no interruptible frames has also been fixed.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
While Ultimate retains the buffering system from Smash 4 (albeit with the window reduced to 9 frames), it also introduces a second universal buffering system: holding an input through the end of a previous move's animation will now cause the held input to be buffered. This type of buffering has always existed for actions such as walking and shielding but Ultimate makes it a universal mechanic for any animation. The input can be made as early as desired, but must be held until the standard 9 frame buffer window is reached.[1] For example, holding the forward smash input the entire time after using a recovery onstage will result in it charging when the character lands. This can also cause other negative side effects while bringing its own advantages, such as making buffered airdodges more likely, but also making the online mode have more consistency in inputs. It is notably no longer possible to buffer a full hop aerial. This is because if the player inputs an aerial during their jumpsquat, it will always result in a short hop aerial, even if the jump button is being held.
