Netplay
Odds are, if you're getting into Melee in this day and age, your first exposure will likely be netplay. It's a fast and easy way to get experience, before and after you make the step to in-person events. This page will go over how to get Slippi netplay set up on your computer, and a crash course on tournament etiquette that we'll talk about more later in this guide.
What's Slippi?
In 2020, soon after the COVID pandemic began, Melee was in a state of crisis. With no in-person events running, communities spun up netplay tournaments, but they were delay-based tournaments and didn't get close to feeling the same as playing on a CRT in-person.
In June of 2020, Melee was given a gift - Slippi netplay. Developed by Fizzi (and other incredible community members), Slippi enables rollback netplay for Melee on the Dolphin emulator, allowing us to play Melee online with input delay that's very close to 1:1 with console.
Slippi is freely available at Slippi.gg, which lets you queue up on unranked or with a friend in Michigan Melee (check the #netplay tab on Discord!).
It can be difficult to get everything set up if you aren't a techie person, so don't hesitate to come to the Michigan Melee Discord and ask for help. We're always happy to help out new players.
Your best friend to get Slippi set up is going to be melee.tv. David Kimball created this website to be a easy-to-use resource to get Slippi set up and maximize it's potential. After you follow this guide to install and run Slippi, click this link to find his guide on optimizing the Slippi experience. I'll give you some surface level info here to keep in mind.
Use the highest refresh rate monitor you can. Netplay is absolutely playable on a 60hz monitor (the overwhelming majority of monitors are 60hz) but it's a concrete fact that 120hz or 144hz feels significantly closer to CRT Melee. If you're just starting out and you only have a 60hz, you'll be fine to learn the basics, but consider investing in a faster one after you've been playing for a few months.
You need a pretty good computer. Dolphin runs great, but it's imperative that you maintain an unwavering 60fps to play Melee, and a Chromebook probably isn't going to cut it. Most nice laptops can handle it, and a desktop made in the past few years with mid-grade components can as well. If you aren't sure if your computer can cut it, head over to the Discord and ask, we'll be happy to help out. Diet Melee is also an option if you find that your computer is really close to a static 60fps, but you need an extra edge.
AMD Ryzen processors have... issues. We aren't sure why, but they just don't play nice with netplay and can cause tiny input drops that don't happen nearly as often on Intel processors. That being said, you can absolutely play netplay with a Ryzen processor, just keep this in mind in case you feel like something is wrong.
Make sure you always play in fullscreen.
Ethernet is REQUIRED. If you are playing somebody across the street from you, you might be able to get away with Wi-Fi, but in the vast majority of situations, Wi-Fi will give you an awful experience. Even direct with other Michigan players is less than stellar. If you don't have a great way to run an ethernet cable to your setup, consider a powerline adapter (not as good as a direct hookup but potentially much better than Wi-Fi), or just buying a REALLY LONG ethernet cable, which are pennies per inch. It can't be stressed enough how bad of an experience Wi-Fi will give you and your unfortunate opponent.
Controller Adapter Primer
If you already have a Gamecube controller, we can talk about the adapters a little bit. These are your two main options: the Mayflash and the Official. They're functionally identical, but the Mayflash is cheaper and almost always in stock. Get yourself one of these in addition to a GCC and you'll be ready to go.
Melee.tv has a great guide on how to get these all set up for the best experience. You can use any controller for netplay, but it should go without saying that your Xbox 360 controller will not work with a Gamecube at a local.
Step 1
Go to slippi.gg/downloads and download the Slippi launcher. Ignore the other option.
Step 2
Run the program. When prompted, choose "Also install Gamecube adapter drivers" if you have a USB GCC adapter (Mayflash or Official).
Step 3
Click on "Create an account".
Step 4
Make an account. You can use your real email or a burner, just don't lose your password!
Step 5
Go click the link in the verification email. Check your spam folder, it might be in there. After that, click "Check Verification".
Step 6
Make your connect code. You'll give this to people if you want to play with them. You can only do 4 characters by default, but you can pay extra to change it.
Step 7
So you're gonna take your Melee ISO that you legally ripped from your retail copy of Melee and put it here. Make sure your copy is version 1.02.
You're all set up
Nice work! Hit "Continue" and then "Play" on the following screen.
What Am I Looking At?
Ranked: You have to subscribe to Slippi to access the ranked beta as of this writing. It's $5 and is essentially a Patreon subscription. This is entirely optional and will be free in the future after Slippi gets more feedback. You can go to this link to sub to Slippi and access ranked.
Unranked: This will queue you up for zero stakes unranked play. This is free and there are no shortage of people queuing unranked in the midwest, so this is your best bet to get some games in.
Direct: Using that connect code you made earlier (the one that looks like "NEWB#123"), go to the #netplay tab in Discord and ask for some games. They'll either give you their own code or have it in their Discord name (you should do that as well, makes life easier for everybody), and you can play games with that specific person for as long as you desire.
Teams: Teams is doubles, there is a #doubles channel in Discord you can ping to find a teammate and when you find all three people willing to play, you're off to the races.
Some Notes
So you're all set up! If you did everything on this page, you should be ready to play netplay. Don't forget to do everything in this guide to make sure your set up is the best it can be. A couple little things worth mentioning:
Replay files will save in a folder in your Documents folder. You can play these replays back in the Slippi launcher to review games you've played. Fair warning, these files are surprisingly big and they'll add up very fast, so keep that in mind if you're tight on storage.
Netplay etiquette is an entire can of worms, but most multiplayer video game rules apply. Faceless jerks populate all online video games, but that doesn't mean you should be one.
You WILL get bodied for a long time. This is a fact of life in Melee. Experience is a bigger factor in Melee compared to other competitive games, and you have to put in the time to overcome this and start taking games. Don't expect to start beating other players in a weekend, just focus on improving your movement and execution. Don't be afraid to spend a few hours practicing every week.
Played some netplay? Got chaingrabbed by a Sheik and now you want to attend your first in-person event? Make sure you know the rules!