Universal Controller Fix

Universal Controller Fix, abbreviated as UCF, is a mod for Super Smash Bros. Melee. The mod was released in August 2017 and is currently in beta; it is used to eliminate discrepancies between the performances of GameCube controllers during competitive matches. UCF is intended to address the differences in quality between controllers, as a player with a better controller can perform certain advanced techniques more reliably than a player with a worse controller. Under UCF, a player with any controller can perform techniques to the same level of consistency as with high-quality controller.

Universal Controller Fix alters the original Melee with two major changes:


 * The dashback window is increased from one to two frames. When playing the, Nana's behavior is modified to move exactly as she would in vanilla Melee, preventing any unexpected occurrences in the modded version.
 * If the control stick is held against the rim, and the player's shield is angled such that a shield roll is impossible, the spot dodge threshold is decreased from -0.7 to -0.8. The lower threshold makes it so that spot dodging will not interfere as easily with shield dropping, and can be consistently performed on any controller.

History
Universal Controller Fix was first released to the public by on August 8th, 2017, accompanied by a YouTube video detailing its usage and changes. Since then, UCF has been modified several times for minor changes and bugfixes, and is currently in V0.73 beta.

The usage of UCF in tournaments has been controversial. Some players and TOs have advocated for its usage, arguing that its implementation creates a more even playing field for all competitors. Because of the unpredictable nature of the quality of GameCube controllers, these players support UCF for eliminating discrepancies between players who have good and bad controllers. Others disagree, believing that pure vanilla Melee should be the only version of Melee played in tournaments, while citing logistics and other issues of uniformity that would complicate widespread introduction. Reggie Fils-Aimé, | in an interview with ESPN eSports, has stated that Nintendo is against the usage of UCF at tournaments as well as other modifications, and has a no-tolerance policy for modifications in its tournament environments. However, it is clear that he did not understand the intentions behind UCF at the time of the interview, seeing it as something that would create an uneven playing field while the purpose of UCF is to eliminate unevenness between controllers. As such, it is unknown whether he would maintain this stance upon learning more about UCF.

UCF was implemented at various tournaments shortly after its release, including and. An episode of controversy, however, occurred at Shine 2017, the first major to utilize the mod, during the losers' eighths set between and. ChuDat initially won the set 3-2, but UCF was not activated during the set. As a result, the set was ordered to be replayed with UCF turned on, and Leffen won the rematch 3-2, knocking Chu out of the tournament. Although many players criticized the decision to replay the set, this was seen as a failure on the TOs' part for accidentally leaving UCF off, rather than a shortcoming of the mod itself.