Smash 4 has an awesome feature in the form of control scheme customizations. The most ideal settings are completely up to personal preference. There are several options and there are advantages and disadvantages to each one.
I use a GameCube Controller, and since that’s what a good portion of the smash community uses, I will use that as the example. Other controllers are just as good, arguably.
Let’s take a look at the custom control scheme screen:
There are many possible schemes, and ultimately it is up to you which one you pick, but there are specific changes that offer various benefits you may want to consider.
– Tap Jump: Tapping the control stick Up will cause you to jump. Turning this feature off allows for easier usage of Utilts and Uairs.
– Rumble: Changing this feature will not affect anything other than whether your controller vibrates during play.
– A + B to Smash (Shake to Smash) (Not Pictured): By pressing A and B (or shaking your controller), it will Smash in the direction inputted on the Control Stick.
Common Tweaks to Default Settings:
- C-Stick: Some players, including myself, do not rely on the C-Stick for smash attacks. Instead, changing it to Attack allows easier usage of Tilt attacks.
- Some players may change this to Special Move, if they want an easier time doing a Downwards Afterburner Kicks as Bayonetta.
- X/Y: Some players may decide to use one of these buttons as either a grab or a shield.
- This is useful if you like controlling these actions with your thumb.
- L/R: A few characters may benefit from using either L or R as a Jump instead of shield.
- This makes Short Hop aerials very easy to do.
- Doing this also may benefit characters that need to attack instantly out of jump, suck as Sonic or Villager, or potentially anyone if the situation applies.
Vastly Alternate Schemes:
- Bidou: Typically done with a Wii U Pro Controller, as it has four shoulder buttons (it can be done on the GameCube Controller, but the technique is more difficult to master since the right thumb would have to travel between the C-stick and the A, B, X, & Y buttons very quickly). This setup is done by changing the ZL button to Special Move, ZR button to Attack, R button to Jump, and the Right Stick to Special Move as well. This scheme relies on the ZL button being pressed to hold a special move input, while the Right Stick is used to allow simple pivoting and control of the character. Some techniques are made a lot easier with the use of Bidou, but the task of changing your control schemes and rewriting that muscle memory may make this scheme more trouble than it may be worth. But don’t take my word for it! ZeRo does a fantastic job further explaining this concept in this video:
That’s all for now – as I come across more controller setups, I’ll be sure to update this post!
– parson
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