SSBM/Controls & Notation

This page is for the basic information about how to understand the controls of SSBM. There are far more intricate inner workings of the GameCube Controller and how SSBM was designed in tandem with it, taking extensive advantage of two Fully-Analog Sticks and Analog Triggers, as well as the face buttons and single bumper button. The design choices of the developers led to a highly expressive fighting engine, with some unforeseen consequences.

See SSBM/Advanced Controls for detailed information about the context pertaining to how the Nintendo GameCube Controller's Interface, the Nintendo GameCube, and the SSBM Game Engine all interact with eachother.

Controls

The GameCube Controller

The GameCube controller is impossible to ignore when it comes to the intended control scheme of SSBM, due to the design and development of both SSBM and the GameCube Controller occurred simultaneously. It is the most widespread and de facto way to play SSBM, until future community-created controllers started to be developed for the sole purpose of playing competitive SSBM.

Digital Controls

The Face Buttons

• A - Circular - Positioned in the Center of the button cluster on the East side of the controller; it is also much larger than the rest of the face buttons. The other face buttons orbit around it
• B - Circular - West-Southwest of the A button
• X - Jellybean Shaped - East of the A button
• Y - Jellybean Shaped - North of the A button

Shoulder Buttons

• Z - Capsule Shaped - Positioned on top of the controller, closest to the front on the East side. It contains a weak-tactile microswitch.

Both Digital and Analog Controls

• R - Saddle Shaped Slider and Button - Positioned on top of the controller, furthest from the front on the East side.
• L - Saddle Shaped Slider and Button - Positioned on top of the controller, furthest from the front on the West side.

Analog Sliders: The "L" and "R" Controls on the GameCube controller measure not only precisely how far down their respective physical interfaces are pushed, called the "Analog-L-Value" and the "Analog-R-Value," respectively.

"L" and "R" Digital Inputs: Each Control also contain digital button at the bottom of the apparatuses' actuation. A tactile "click" is heard when it is pushed.

Analog Controls

• Main Analog Stick - AKA the "Grey Stick" - (Measures X and Y Values)
• C-Stick - AKA the "Yellow Stick" (Measures it's own Unique X and Y Values)

Notation

Joystick Notation

Numpad Notation

Numpad notation denotes directional inputs in fighting games by using numbers that correspond to directions according to their position on a keyboard numpad.

Square brackets around a button indicate that the button can be held to charge the move
e.g. 5[b] denotes a neutral b that can be charged.

Prefixes:

• j. denotes that the input is done during a jump
• t. denotes that the input is done while tilting the stick in the specified direction
• s. denotes that the input is done while simultaneously smashing the stick in the specified direction
• d. denotes that the input is done while dashing
• g. denotes that the input is done during a grab

Normal Moves

The names of normal moves are written with u, f, b, d, or n to denote up, forwards, back, down, or neutral respectively, then the move type: tilt, smash, or "air" to denote aerial (except in the case of jabs which are simply referred to as a jab).
e.g. fTilt, dAir, uSmash refer to forward tilt, down aerial, up smash respectively.
Note that some permutations of direction and move type do not exist; there is no such thing as a nSmash or a nTilt.

Special Moves

Special moves are referred to as upB, sideB, downB, or nB corresponding to the direction held on the analog stick.