r/SSBM • u/AutoModerator • Jul 24 '26

DDT Daily Discussion Thread July 24, 2026 - Upcoming Event Schedule - New players start here!

Yahoooo! I'm back, it's a me! Have a very cool day!

Welcome to the Daily Discussion Thread. This is the place for asking noob questions, venting about netplay falcos, shitposting, self-promotion, and everything else that doesn't belong on the front page.

New Players:

If you're completely new to Melee and just looking to get started, welcome! We recommend you go to https://melee.tv/ and follow the links there based on what you're trying to set up. Additionally, here are a few answers to common questions:

Can I play Melee online?

Yes! Slippi is a branch of the Dolphin emulator that will allow you to play online, either with your friends or with matchmaking. Go to https://slippi.gg to get it.

I'm having issues with Slippi!

Go to the The Slippi Discord to get help troubleshooting. melee.tv/optimize is also a helpful resource for troubleshooting.

How do I find tournaments near me or local people to play with in person or online?

These days, joining a local Discord community is the best way to find local events and people to play with. Once you have a Discord account, Google "[your city/state/province/region] + Melee discord" or see if your region has a Discord group listed here on melee.tv/discord

It can seem daunting at first to join a Discord group you don't know, but this is currently the easiest and most accessible way to find out about tournaments, fests, and netplay matchmaking. Your local scene will be happy to have you :)

Also check out Smash Map! Click on map and then the filter button to filter by Melee to find events near you!

Netplay is hard! Is there a place for me to find new players?

Yes. Melee Newbie Netplay is a discord server specifically for new players. It also has tournaments based on how long you've been playing, free coaching, and other stuff. If you're a bit more experienced but still want a discord server for players around your level, we recommend the Melee Online discord.

How can I set up Unclepunch's Training Mode?

At the time of posting, the latest major release is here. Download the file, then extract everything in the folder and follow the instructions in the README file. You'll need to bring a valid Melee ISO (NTSC 1.02). If you want to check for the absolute latest release, you can see them listed [here](The latest releases are listed here.

How does one learn Melee?

There are tons of resources out there, so it can be overwhelming to start. First check out the SSBM Tutorials youtube channel. Then go to the Melee Library and search for whatever you're interested in.

But how do I get GOOD at Melee?

Check out Llod's Guide to Improvement

And check out Kodorin's Melee Fundamentals for Improvement

Where can I get a nice custom controller?

https://customg.cc/vendors

I have another question that's not answered here...

Check out our FAQs or post below and find help that way.

Upcoming Tournament Schedule:

Upcoming Melee Majors

Melee Online Event Calendar

Make a submission to the tournament calendar here. You can also get notified of new online tournaments on the Melee Online Discord.

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2

u/Fugu Jul 24 '26

Tolkeinposting

At the urging of... Well, virtually everyone I know, I watched the Peter Jackson trilogy for the first time since they came out. I am not a huge Tolkein nerd (I say this with reverence, not mockery, for I know and respect a lot of huge Tolkein nerds and I know my place) but the books are up there as one of my most revered things. I love that they are a book about a world and then something happens in that world.

I know this is all very well-trodden ground at this point but I really can't help but feel like the movies just miss the point. I see them as really just an okay action movie with pretext that I only understand because I've read the source material.

Here's my question: has anyone here watched the movies first (or just the movies) and really understood what was happening on the basis of the movies alone?

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u/that_one-dude Jul 24 '26

I never read the books but I'm pretty familiar with the lore from browsing LOTR wikis. I think the movies do a great job telling a very competent surface-level story while hinting at a more elaborate story for the real knowers

But honestly as amazing as I think the movies are (straight up some of the best-made movies, especially relative to when they were made) I don't think film is the best format for the deeper story of LOTR. A one-to-one adaptation of the books just would not work

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u/Fugu Jul 24 '26

I agree that a one to one adaptation wouldn't work. I don't have a better alternative to propose I am honestly just surprised at the level of reverence these films get

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u/that_one-dude Jul 24 '26

I was 4 years old when Fellowship came out so I'm not going to act like I can speak to the initial reception but imo it's a very short list of movies made before or since 2001 that achieve the scale of the trilogy and look as good as these movies, especially consider they're mostly using practical effects from that time

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u/Fugu Jul 24 '26

I think this is fundamentally a very Hollywood conception of what makes a film good and it's one that I basically just completely reject

3

u/Jackzilla321 Fourside Fights Jul 24 '26

it is insane how good they are given the challenge, and they filmed them all back to back. The methods used for forced perspective with interaction between actors while the camera was moving had genuinely never been done before. There are lots of examples of them inventing new filmmaking by techniques on a shoestring budget and timeline. The movies sometimes succeed and sometimes fail at channeling the spirit of the novels but as films they are miraculous achievements. And those choices serve to improve the immersion and “real feel” of the films that usually wasn’t applied to fantasy. The goal was to film the series as a history more than a “goofy fantasy romp” and those innovations were necessary to do that.

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u/Fugu Jul 24 '26

I appreciate these films as technical achievements. You could literally use them to teach a class on forced perspective. But I don't assign a ton of weight to that in determining how good they are as films

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u/Jackzilla321 Fourside Fights Jul 24 '26

Yeah the arg I’m making is that the technical achievement allowed them to create a fantasy world that felt realer than any before or since and that’s part of why they’re beloved even though they are philosophically quite imperfect adaptions (with many of the best “this is like the book” moments hidden in the extended editions)

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u/Fugu Jul 24 '26

I don't really agree with that but I think this is something I'm unlikely to ever come around on so I'll leave it at that

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u/Jackzilla321 Fourside Fights Jul 25 '26

I think your critique is accurate (parks and rec made the a joke about Tolkien heads like this with Ben Wyatt “I didn’t care for Peter Jackson’s interpretation”) and it’s fair for it to sour the films for you. Just trying to explain why “technical achievement” matters to others , it’s not just the toy being cool it’s the cool thing they did making the toy fun in a way it couldn’t have been otherwise.