And cross-platform to boot
Super Smash Bros. boasts one of the largest and most dedicated competitive scenes in any fighting game, yet every title has been cursed with subpar online play for over a decade now.
Late last year, we covered a software engineer going through the hilt of DShadwho was working on a netcode rollback mod for Nintendo Switch emulators, and now he showed the rollback while playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the console itself.
In their new dev update, DShad explains that they’ve gone from trying to create a rollback feature in the Yuzu Switch emulator to creating a mod that will work on anything running Smash Ultimate.
This is apparently achieved by using the Skyline plugin system which allows users to load their own code into games without having to open them.
DShad showed footage of an online Smash Ultimate match being played between their Switch and PC emulator, which is pretty crazy to see.
As promised, more details on the current Rollback mod improvement for smash Ultimate.
Watch the video first (sorry in advance for my English 🤣) and read below for a summary of the information. pic.twitter.com/CIxCSsrBL7—DShad (@DShad66) March 12, 2022
Just because the mod is technically running doesn’t mean it’s ready for public use, however, as DShad explains, this implementation is still in the proof-of-concept phase, even though it looks promising so far.
The video shows one of the hardest issues to overcome to date, with the Switch getting out of sync with the emulator and not fixing itself.
DShad says he can’t promise at this time that this dream will eventually come true and has kept expectations moderate, but still thinks it should be achievable with more work and knowledge.
The mod shown previously would have worked with any fighting game running on Yuzu with footage from Dragon Ball FighterZ and Samurai Shodown, but work in progress is currently focused on Smash Ultimate only.
For now, if you want my opinion, I think it’s still doable as long as I fix the bug I already have + finish restoring the state (stock, time, obsolescence, …)
—DShad (@DShad66) March 12, 2022
The modder thinks this method will be easier to maintain once fully realized, but getting to that point is the hardest part.
Rollback has been shown to work well on the Switch in fighters like Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, though the selections are still pretty thin as incoming netcode updates for BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax will not come to Nintendo. system either.
For something like this to work on the Switch itself, users would have to modify their own consoles, which is hard to recommend without the proper know-how and understanding of the potential consequences (like getting banned from official Nintendo servers) .
Still, it’s pretty impressive to see restore not just working in Smash Ultimate, but cross-platform between a real Switch and an emulator.
DShad seems to have made great strides in just a few months, and it will be pretty crazy if it ends up coming to fruition.
As there is no timeline for the development of the mod, Smash fans will have to wait and see if it will ever become a reality thanks to the dedication of other fans.