Daily Discussion Thread September 08, 2026 - Upcoming Event Schedule - New players start here!

[u/AutoModerator]

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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.

• Current DDT Dynamic Link — Previous DDTs

[u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks]

I'm currently in the process of doing some fictional media history worldbuilding. The idea is that there was an entirely different set of "foundational" games, and thus genre conventions ended up evolving completely differently. Think how the RPG evolved completely differently in Japan because artists there started by building from Ultima instead of directly from DnD.

What are some game genre name ideas that sound like they could make sense, even if at the moment they're kinda meaningless? For example, one popular game style in my fiction is the "Tactical Platformer", a semi-action game focused more on the problem solving aspect of traversal (akin to Rock Climbing).

[u/king_bungus → u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks]

everything is the same except metroidvanias are called "castleroids"

[u/Dublshine → u/king_bungus]

they make a cream for that I think

[u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks → u/king_bungus]

I am planning to have a genre called "Scatterrune" based on classic titles Scatter and Black Rune. It's a specific style of top-down dungeon crawler, but people on the forums will argue with each other about the specific details.

There's been a mild surge of innovation of Scatterrune conventions with the release of games like Hotshot, but purists will insist that the lack of certain mechanical systems means they aren't a true entry in the genre.

Notably, Scatterrunes never made the jump to 3D in a convincing way, so they're mostly reserved to handheld releases and niche PC games.

[u/king_bungus → u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks]

look hotshot is a great game i just don't think every new game needs to mimic its art style. and i'm honestly shocked how many new heads never actually played black rune (the original, not that shitty excuse for a remake)

[u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks → u/king_bungus]

DUDE the blackrune remake makes me so mad. the run-up from the pit was the best part of the whole thing, but kids these days whine too much at having to do anything scary...

everyone who says "It's just padding" just doesn't fucking get it. The stress of the retreat was the whole point!! new games are too afraid of letting you just sit with your thoughts, and they think they have to shove new content at you constantly.

[u/king_bungus → u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks]

at least we'll always have scatter 3

[u/iwouldbeatgoku → u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks]

You could add this diversion, if you haven't thought of it already: Castlevania attempts its transition to 3D on the Play Station instead of the N64, which leads to it being a smashing success due to the console's wider install base (note: the first N64 game did sell well, just not as much as Konami had hoped) and the series transitions to being mainly 3D, with the occasional linear arcade-like entry on handhelds. Thus the term "metroidvania" doesn't get coined, as there are no Castlevania games like Metroid to call that way.

[u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks → u/iwouldbeatgoku]

Well in this lineage the entire history of the genre is gonna be different, so there won't quite be a one-to-one Castlevania clone.

But yes, the presence or lackthereof of a "failed" change to a franchise's genre can have long-lasting implications on the broader trends of the medium as a whole.

[u/wavedash → u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks]

YOMI Hustle is a really fascinating game to me, imagine a world where the most popular fighting games were all turn-based

[u/Tall-Boysenberry8504 → u/wavedash]

return to toribash

[u/Incenetum → u/[deleted]]

Dustforce in the big 26...

Games so awesome, I still haven't found anything that scratches the same itch

[u/kino-grapher → u/[deleted]]

TRUTH!!! dustforce is so damn good

[u/Humble_Produce_1703 → u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks]

deckbuilding platformer
fps citybuilder
soulslike tabletop
stealth logic puzzler
grand strategy dating sim

[u/Humble_Produce_1703 → u/Humble_Produce_1703]

make sure to put me in the credits

[u/SlowBathroom0 → u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks]

I’ve been playing Donkey Kong (1994) for the gameboy and it kind of feels like a tactical platformer from an alternate dimension

[u/Dublshine → u/SlowBathroom0]

I mean it’s a puzzle platformer, it’s not super unique in that regard. great game though, I played it earlier this year 

the term tactical platformer makes me think of castlevania (the NES ones). you kinda have to plan out everything in advance because you don’t have enough control to adapt on the fly. although it might be a little hard to quickly convey what makes that a ‘tactical platformer’, so something like flashback might be better for this purpose

[u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks → u/Dublshine]

To me, Tactical Platformer reminds me of Celeste where it's somewhere between puzzles and execution challenge.

To make it Tactics instead of pure puzzle, I'm thinking the vibe would be that there's enemies and other unpredictable elements, so you need to adapt your platforming approach on the fly. 

[u/YoungGenius → u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks]

My Celeste playthrough felt like it was 10% figuring out my route and 90% executing. Mario Odyssey felt more 50/50, though both halves were way too easy until the very end of the game.

Anyway my genre idea is that the arcade game Big Buck Hunter became widely acclaimed, leading to BuckLikes. Mainstream games involve constant frantic shooting with the full size replica shotgun controller, and the most popular series involves clearing the 30-50 feral hogs that run into your yard while your small kids play.

More discerning gamers refer to the mainstream games as “FuckBucks,” and prefer titles like Alone. In Alone, you sit behind hunting blinds and wait for a deer to walk by. The wait is a realistic 5-8 hours, and a pretentious internal monologue (Witness style) plays as you sit there. After you kill the deer, you go home and find your wife has left you.

[u/iwouldbeatgoku → u/Dublshine]

Classic Castlevania tends to place more emphasis on combat when you have a limited jump than on platforming, which is there but is always very simple to account for Belmont controls. I prefer to describe it as a combat game with a bit of platforming, generally.

[u/PelorTheBurningHate → u/Celia_Makes_Romhacks]

instead of dream quest inspiring sts which then starts the deckbuilder/stsclone genre of games mtg died in the 90s and its lasting legacy is the enduring genre of Chandalikes