Formation

Formation is a rather complicated issue that arose during the earlier stages of our somewhat fanatical skill development. We define it as the amount of time and space needed for a particular weapon to materialize and become effective. Mostly, the formation issue causes problems in forward blocks. With some weapons, you need to throw them early so they'll be solid when they hit the oncoming shell while others can be thrown with only an instant left.

When attacking, all weapons form instantly. That is, if you are in contact with another kart and you throw a shell, it will always contact the your opponent and remove a balloon. However, in defensive maneuvers (such as the forward banana peel block), formation issues arise.

For red and green shells, there is a split second formation time during which the shell is immaterial. That is, you cannot block an oncoming shell with a thrown shell at the very last moment. Your shell will travel through the attacking shell and you will still be hit. However, peels still form instantly, which allows them to block an oncoming shell until the last instant.

MSG forms instantly, and with a wider range than shells. The side fireballs form instantly to the side of the kart, which allows for an interesting attack. While driving very closely past another kart so that you just barely pass it without colliding, release MSG and you will be able to knock your opponent out without impeding your speed or direction.