Tripping

Tripping (, Falling Down; officially called prat falling and referred to in game files as slipping) is a gameplay mechanic introduced in Super Smash Bros. Brawl in which a fighter trips, falls over, and sits in a prone state with a confused expression. Certain attacks can cause opponents to trip, and some items (including Poké Ball Pokémon and Assist Trophies) will cause tripping without directly attacking at all. Most attacks have a chance to trip provided the knockback dealt does not lift the target off the ground, while a few attacks are guaranteed to trip opponents.
In Brawl only, when the control stick is tapped so that the character performs a dash, there exists a 1% chance that the character will trip. In addition, if the character attempts to perform a turnaround during their run, there is a 1.25% chance that they will trip. Brawl keeps track of the total number of Prat Falls each character or name has experienced in Group Brawls.
The sound effect for tripping changes depending on whether the character tripping is from a "cartoony" or "realistic" series. In general, characters from more serious or "realistic" franchises make a light, quick whooshing sound, followed by an unimpressive falling-down noise, while more cartoonish characters make a swabbing noise, like a sliding mop, before landing with a distinctive timpani noise. This sound effect is significantly louder in SSB4 than in Brawl.
When sitting down, a character has the same options as when lying down; however, a tripped character is more vulnerable. Unlike prone or supine fighters, sitting fighters can be grabbed; getup attacks from a sitting position are weaker than from a lying down position, usually dealing 5% as opposed to 6%, lacking transcendent priority, and possessing only 8 intangible frames (getup attacks are usually intangible until the attack's hitboxes end); and rolls and stand-ups are generally subpar to their lying down counterparts, possessing fewer invincibility frames while still retaining their long animations.
==Causes of tripping==
*In Brawl, whenever the control stick is smashed left or right to input a dash or running-turnaround, there is a 1% / 1.25% chance for the player to trip, respectively. Note that by doing a side-smash or side-special input, they will usually start with some dash frames, so these can also have a 1% chance to trip.
**There is a 10 second grace period after a random trip where another will not occur.
**Terrain with low traction, such as ice, increases the chance of tripping. The trip chance is divided by the terrain's traction to get the new trip chance (e.g. 1%/0.2=5% for Ice).
*Any attack with more than 55 units of knockback, and an angle that doesn't lift the foe off the ground has a low chance of tripping them. This rate is 13.5% in Brawl, and from version 1.1.4 of SSB4 onward and in Ultimate, it was changed to 7%.
**In addition, some attacks have an additional trip chance. For example, a move with an additional trip chance of 40% has a combined trip chance of 53.5% (Brawl, old SSB4) or 47% (current SSB4, Ultimate). Even with less than 55 units of knockback, moves with a bonus trip chance always add the base trip chance.
*Tingle from the Assist Trophy can summon a banana peel effect, causing constant tripping to all opponents until he leaves the screen.
*Luigi's Negative Zone can cause incessant tripping.
*Certain hazards such as the wall on Port Town Aero Dive can cause tripping.
*In Ultimate, the Earthquake effect in Spirit Battles causes players to trip constantly unless they have a Falling Immunity spirit effect active.
==List of tripping attacks in Brawl==
Most attacks can only make an opponent trip if the target is not already sitting down and the attack knockback does not knock the target into the air. However, some have the slip effect and will therefore result in a trip regardless of these circumstances; these are represented in this list with "Slip". Copy Abilities not mentioned are the same as their originals.
Attack 	Attack 	Trip chance
rowspan=2 	Forward tilt (angled down) 	40%
Down tilt 	30% 	
rowspan=3 	Forward tilt (angled side) 	50%
Forward tilt (angled down) 	100% 	
Up tilt 	50% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	50%
Forward air (sour spot) 	30% 	
 	 	Slip
rowspan=2 	Forward tilt (angled down) 	15%
Down tilt 	40% 	
rowspan=3 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	40% 	
Reflector 	40% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	35% 	
 	Down tilt 	35%
rowspan=3 	Neutral attack (hit 2) 	20%
Down tilt 	40% 	
Back aerial 	30% 	
 	Down tilt 	35% (foot)30% (toe)
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	30% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt (foot) 	40%
Down smash 	40% 	
rowspan=3 	Down tilt 	35%
Dash attack (last hit) 	30% 	
Negative Zone 	Unknown 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Cape 	30% 	
 	Down tilt 	30%
 	Judge #2 	20%
 	Down tilt 	30%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	30%
Down smash 	20% 	
rowspan=4 	Neutral attack 	10%
Down tilt 	30% 	
Down smash (last hit) 	30% 	
Skull Bash 	30% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	30% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	40% (hit 1)30% (hits 2-3) 	
rowspan=4 	Down tilt 	40%
Dash attack 	30% 	
Down smash 	30% 	
Neutral air 	30% 	
rowspan=3 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash (before frame 32)	30% 	
Wario Waft (uncharged) 	Slip 	
rowspan=5 	Down tilt 	40%
Forward smash (rear segment)	60% 	
Down smash 	35% 	
Up air 	35% 	
Blaster 	40% (claw front)37% (claw back)	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt (clean) 	30%
Down tilt (tip) 	40% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	30% 	
rowspan=3 	Forward tilt 	20% (angled side)60% (angled down)
Down tilt 	40% 	
Down smash 	30% 	
Items 	Banana Peel 	Slip
Items 	Fan neutral 	10%
Items 	Fan tilt 	20%
Items 	Fan smash 	30%
==List of tripping attacks in SSB4==
As in Brawl, attacks can only trip if they do not knock the target into the air, so most attacks with trip chances will never trip or will only trip at low percents. Some attacks have the "slip" effect and cause soft trips that immobilize for around 30 frames, while attacks with trip chances cause hard trips that immobilize for around 40 frames. Attacks with slip are again noted here with "Slip".
Attack 	Attack 	Trip chance
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	30%
Slip Bomb 	Slip 	
rowspan=2 	Forward tilt 	50%
Up tilt 	50% 	
 	Down tilt (hit 3) 	40%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	50%
Forward air (late) 	20% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	30%
Down smash 	40% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	20%
Down smash 	30% 	
rowspan=4 	Down tilt 	20%
Monkey Flip (kick and footstool) 	30% 	
Flying Monkey Flip (kick and footstool) 	30% 	
 	Slip 	
rowspan=3 	Forward tilt (angled down) 	15%
Down tilt 	40% 	
Hand Slap (aerial, all variations) 	20% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Super Sheet (all variations*) 	30% 	
rowspan=4 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	40% 	
Reflector 	25% 	
Accele-Reflector 	25% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	35% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	35%
Down smash 	20% 	
rowspan=3 	Down tilt 	35%
Pound 	40% 	
Sideways Pound 	40% 	
 	Down tilt 	40%
 	Down tilt 	30% (foot)35% (toe)
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	20%
Down smash 	30% 	
Giga Mac 	Down tilt 	20%
Mega Lucario 	Down tilt 	40%
Mega Lucario 	Force Palm (all variations) (blast)	20%
 	Down tilt 	20%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	25%
Dash attack (hit 7) 	30% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Cape (all variations*) 	30% 	
 	Down tilt 	35%
 	Down tilt 	40%
 	Down tilt 	25%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	20%
Head-On Assault (ground leap) 	100% 	
rowspan=3 	Down tilt 	30%
Down smash 	20% 	
Reversal Slash 	20% 	
 	Down tilt 	20%
rowspan=3 	Chef (food) 	10%
Short-Order Chef (food) 	10% 	
Judge #2 	20% 	
 	Down tilt 	30%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	20% 	
 	Down tilt 	25%
 	Down tilt 	30%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	30%
Down smash (hit 6) 	30% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	20%
Down smash 	30% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	20%
Slip Gyro 	Slip 	
rowspan=2 	Down smash (R) 	30%
Shooting Star Bit 	100% 	
 	Down tilt 	35%
rowspan=2 	Forward tilt (tapped) 	50%
Down tilt (held) 	30% 	
rowspan=3 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	30% 	
Slip Bomb 	100% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash (hit 2) 	30% 	
 	Down tilt 	30%
 	Down tilt 	20%
rowspan=3 	Dash attack 	30%
Down tilt 	50% 	
Neutral air 	30% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	30%
Timber Counter (sapling) 	Slip 	
rowspan=6 	Down tilt 	20%
Dash attack (late) 	100% 	
Down smash (clean, mid) 	30% 	
Garlic Breath (far) 	Slip 	
Wario Waft (uncharged) 	Slip 	
Quick Waft (uncharged, slightly charged)	Slip 	
Wario-Man 	Down tilt 	40%
Wario-Man 	Down smash (clean, mid) 	30%
Wario-Man 	Wario Waft 	100%**
 	Down tilt 	40%
 	Down tilt 	30% (base)40% (tip)
rowspan=3 	Down tilt 	20%
Down smash 	20% 	
Nayru's Rejection (last hit) 	30% 	
 	Down tilt 	20%
Items 	Banana Peel 	Slip
Items 	Inkay: Topsy-Turvy 	Slip
The unused fourth variation of this move has a trip chance of 40% instead.
As this causes the stun effect, it can only cause tripping if the target cannot be stunned.
==List of tripping attacks in Ultimate==
While some moves have been added, removed, and some probabilities have been altered, tripping has largely been unchanged from Smash 4. Attacks with "slip" are again noted here with "Slip".
Attack 	Attack 	Trip chance
 	Down tilt 	30%
 	Down tilt 	30%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	50%
Forward air (late) 	20% 	
 	Down tilt 	30%
 	Down tilt 	20%
 	Down tilt 	20%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	20%
Down smash 	30% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	30% 	
rowspan=3 	Down tilt 	20%
Monkey Flip (kick, footstool)	30% 	
Banana Peel 	Slip 	
rowspan=3 	Forward tilt (angled down) 	15%
Down tilt 	40% 	
Hand Slap (aerial hands) 	20% 	
 	Down tilt 	40%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	40% 	
 	Down smash 	35%
 	Down tilt 	35%
 	Down tilt 	40%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	35%
Down smash 	20% 	
 	Down tilt 	30%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	40% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	35%
Pound 	40% 	
 	Stature Smash (down-back tilt) 	100%
rowspan=2 	Forward tilt (tapped far) 	50%
Down tilt (held) 	30% 	
 	Down tilt 	35%
 	Down tilt (close, tip) 	30%, 35%
 	Down smash 	30%
 	Down tilt 	20%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Force Palm (blast) 	20% 	
 	Down tilt 	20%
 	Down tilt 	40%
 	Down tilt 	35%
 	Down tilt 	40%
 	Down tilt 	25%
 	Down tilt 	20%
 	Down tilt 	20%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	30%
Down smash 	20% 	
 	Chef (food) 	10%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	20% 	
 	Forward tilt 	100%
 	Down smash (final hit) 	30%
 	Down tilt 	40%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	20%
Down Smash 	30% 	
 	Down tilt 	20%
 	Down smash (Rosalina) 	30%
 	Down tilt 	35%
rowspan=2 	Forward tilt (tapped far) 	50%
Down tilt (held) 	30% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	30% 	
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	30% 	
 	Down tilt 	30%
 	Down tilt 	20%
 	Down tilt 	40%
 	Down tilt 	40%
rowspan=3 	Dash attack 	30%
Down tilt 	50% 	
Neutral air 	30% 	
 	Down tilt 	30%
rowspan=3 	Down tilt 	20%
Down smash 	30% 	
Wario Waft (lowest charge) 	Slip 	
 	Down tilt 	40%
rowspan=2 	Down tilt 	40%
Down smash 	35% 	
 	Down tilt (close, tip) 	30%, 40%
 	Down smash 	20%
 	Down tilt 	20%
Items 	Banana Peel 	Slip
Items 	Inkay: Topsy-Turvy 	Slip
Items 	Ditto: Transform (if the summoner possesses slipping attacks)	Slip
==Controversy==
Brawls addition of random tripping was highly controversial. Though sometimes a mere annoyance in a brawl, random tripping has the potential to significantly impact matches. Since tripping leaves the player in a significant state of vulnerability while moving them a small distance forward, it is a common occurrence for players to unintentionally trip into an otherwise avoidable attack; the effects of this can range from minor damage to a premature KO. Tripping also leaves a player in a vulnerable position, akin to a tech-chase situation. Upon tripping, a player has three main getup options; rolling, standing up, or using a getup attack, and this means that an opponent can more successfully predict the action of the tripped player, often using this to land an easy combo or KO.
On the other hand, in rare cases random tripping can also make it slightly more difficult to read an opponent; a fighter may read an opponent's action and input a punish, but instead, the opponent trips, keeping them out of the reach of the attack.
The randomness of Brawls tripping mechanic was generally negatively received, viewed as counterproductive to the idea of a skill-based match with a minimum of disruptive, chance-based elements. Furthermore, unlike some other heavily chance-based elements such as stage selection or item availability, random tripping cannot be turned off in Brawl. Owing to its negative reception, gameplay mods generally remove random tripping from gameplay.
While random tripping is considered a detriment to tournament play, forced tripping by certain moves is generally better-received, since, unlike random tripping, its deliberate use can be planned for and planned against. As such, while random tripping was removed in SSB4 and remained absent in Ultimate, forced tripping is still important in some characters' metagames in these two games, such as and his banana peels.
==Trivia==
*Super Smash Bros. Melee features a bonus called "Pratfaller". It has no relation to later games' tripping, and is instead awarded to players who always fall face-up after tumbling.
*Tripping was first discovered during the Brawl demo at E for All. It was not recognized as random at the time, and some players tried to learn how to trigger it at will for use as a technique. For a time, it was known as Ink Dropping, as noted in 's famous SmashBoards thread.
*While characters from the and universes generally use the "cartoonish" tripping sound, Meta Knight and Palutena use the "realistic" sound, even though they have similar aesthetics to the other characters in their respective series; this is presumably due to their being more "serious" and adultlike in terms of personality, although other such characters as Mewtwo or do not follow this rule.
**Toon Link and Young Link are the only characters to make the "cartoon" noise.
**s use the "cartoon" tripping sound effect, while s and s use the "realistic" noise.
** uses the "realistic" tripping sound whereas and use the "cartoony" sound.
** uses the "realistic" tripping sound despite his cartoony proportions.
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Category:Game mechanics