Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
For as celebrated as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is for being arguably the greatest crossover in video game history, the game has faced some fair criticisms for its shaky online environment. In a recent interview that we conducted with Digital Eclipse, a developer familiar with making online fighting games, we talked about rollback netcode and the online woes of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Shacknews Head of Video Greg Burke spoke with Mike Mika, the studio head at Digital Eclipse in a recent video interview. During the chat, the two spoke about the fighting game genre, where rollback netcode and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate inevitably came up.
“When you look at the complexity of those games, when you rollback and re-simulate, they’re doing a lot in a single frame in those games,” said Mika, speaking about how rollback netcode is executed in an online game. “It’s processing a lot to get there. If you have to do that in these modern games, it’s just almost impossible.” Mika makes a point about how it’s much easier to implement rollback netcode on older titles that aren’t as complex under the hood. It’s a much greater challenge to pull that off on a game as busy as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players often complain about the desire for rollback netcode, but the fact of the matter is that it’s easier said than done. Mike Mika goes further in-depth about this in the full interview, which you can find on the GamerHubTV YouTube channel. Consider subscribing there and to Shacknews for a library of exciting gaming content.