Hi all,
Are any Wii U owners like myself picking this up day one?
Have no idea how it'll work online given the lack of details and voice chat (may know more after the Direct tomorrow) but hope there's some way to organise a game online with friends.
If there is, we should give it a go. Previews sound like immense fun...
Splatoon
Re: Splatoon
I'll be playing on day one. Assuming my copy turns up.
It looks to be right up my alley, as they say.
It looks to be right up my alley, as they say.
Re: Splatoon
Yup, i'll be there day one!
There's a Splatoon flavoured Nintendo Direct
http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/05-07-2015/
There's a Splatoon flavoured Nintendo Direct
http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/05-07-2015/
-
Electric Crocosaurus
- Member
- Posts: 333
- Joined: May 17th, 2013, 1:41 pm
- Location: West Midlands, UK
- Contact:
Re: Splatoon
You bet, if I get half the enjoyment out of it that I have with Mario Kart 8 this past 5 months then it'll be a winner.
Re: Splatoon
Splatoon demo/network test this weekend!
Re: Splatoon
No way I was going to be up at 4am for the first test, but I managed to play the second one.
It really is excellent. I doubt the hardcore COD boys will like it, if you play it like a normal shooter you'll lose.
First things first: As soon as you finish the tutorial TURN OFF THE MOTION CONTROLS. They're awful, and you don't want them. At all. I had to turn the camera sensitivity down a lot as well for it to feel right for me.
The demo has just the one game mode and only 2 maps. Rounds are 3 minutes long, which sounds short but seems to feel about right. Enough time for a comeback if you fall behind early, but not long enough for it to shift back and forth lots of times which would get frustrating I think. It also means the frustration from being stuck with a lame team and getting battered only lasts a short while before you're into a new game with new teams.
The weapons play pretty differently, it's worth having a go with all of them. There's two varieties of machine-gun, a sniper rifle type thing, and the giant paint roller.
The demo doesn't have customisation beyond picking gender and skin/eye colour, everyone has the same outfit. But there's hints that the clothing you put on your inkling both affects your own stats, and also the rewards your opponent gets for splatting you, so customisation will be a big thing in the final game I think.
One thing that's there that I didn't pick up on in any of the previews is that you have a map of the level on the gamepad, and tapping one of your team mates on it will leap you across the map to their position. Can see this becoming the key tactic, at least in this game mode.
Two tips, I'll stick them in spoilers in case people want to figure stuff out themselves:
Shame that being able to form parties and do private games isn't going to be in at launch, be very difficult to do game nights on it without that.
Absolute joy to play. If you can get on for the final beta test session this evening, do so.
It really is excellent. I doubt the hardcore COD boys will like it, if you play it like a normal shooter you'll lose.
First things first: As soon as you finish the tutorial TURN OFF THE MOTION CONTROLS. They're awful, and you don't want them. At all. I had to turn the camera sensitivity down a lot as well for it to feel right for me.
The demo has just the one game mode and only 2 maps. Rounds are 3 minutes long, which sounds short but seems to feel about right. Enough time for a comeback if you fall behind early, but not long enough for it to shift back and forth lots of times which would get frustrating I think. It also means the frustration from being stuck with a lame team and getting battered only lasts a short while before you're into a new game with new teams.
The weapons play pretty differently, it's worth having a go with all of them. There's two varieties of machine-gun, a sniper rifle type thing, and the giant paint roller.
The demo doesn't have customisation beyond picking gender and skin/eye colour, everyone has the same outfit. But there's hints that the clothing you put on your inkling both affects your own stats, and also the rewards your opponent gets for splatting you, so customisation will be a big thing in the final game I think.
One thing that's there that I didn't pick up on in any of the previews is that you have a map of the level on the gamepad, and tapping one of your team mates on it will leap you across the map to their position. Can see this becoming the key tactic, at least in this game mode.
Two tips, I'll stick them in spoilers in case people want to figure stuff out themselves:
- Spoiler: show
Shame that being able to form parties and do private games isn't going to be in at launch, be very difficult to do game nights on it without that.
Absolute joy to play. If you can get on for the final beta test session this evening, do so.
Re: Splatoon
I got in to the demo too. I'll be having another go this evening. I also found it really fun. I didn't quite get on with the motion controls either, but I thought that might be just because I'm not used to them yet. Using the machine guns were pretty good, as they seemed mostly based around spraying everywhere like a madman, so you don't need to be that accurate. The sniper rifle thing on the other hand, definitely requires you to be precise. I didn't like that one so much. But I found myself having more fun with the paint roller than any of the guns, as it didn't require aiming. It also seems more efficient and suited towards the mode of "paint everything" too, and allowed you to keep moving quickly as well. The special weapon for that class was also pretty good at controlling areas of the map. With the roller I was consistently getting 1000+ points every match.
But you can turn the motion controls completely off then? I didn't see anything like that when I was playing. How do you do that? I'll have to try that out. And can you use a Pro Controller?
As for the maps, one of them I really liked, the other not so much. The warehouse one I didn't get on with so well. The layout seemed a little confusing and constrictive. I was often getting cornered, and it seems really hard to turn the tide against your opponent if you're losing. The oil rig though, was much better. It was much more open, with many more different paths to go down. There are a couple of larger open areas which became little battlegrounds in themselves as they were suited as control points. So it felt like you always had a choice of what part of the map you wanted to go for, while the warehouse just seemed like you had no choice but to butt heads directly with the opposing team.
I did come across a little problem though. Often when I tried to do that squid jump minigame as it was searching for players, I would lose connection as soon as I pressed the Start button.
Another thing I noticed which I'm not so sure about is that when the game boots up, it shows a message saying the game may contain in-game advertisements. That's a little worrying, especially from a Nintendo game. I really hope it's not obnoxious. I suspect what it actually means is that some of the clothing they'll be adding to the game will have licensed brands attached to them. I would be okay with that, as long as its consistent with the style of the game and they don't push it in your face too much.
But you can turn the motion controls completely off then? I didn't see anything like that when I was playing. How do you do that? I'll have to try that out. And can you use a Pro Controller?
As for the maps, one of them I really liked, the other not so much. The warehouse one I didn't get on with so well. The layout seemed a little confusing and constrictive. I was often getting cornered, and it seems really hard to turn the tide against your opponent if you're losing. The oil rig though, was much better. It was much more open, with many more different paths to go down. There are a couple of larger open areas which became little battlegrounds in themselves as they were suited as control points. So it felt like you always had a choice of what part of the map you wanted to go for, while the warehouse just seemed like you had no choice but to butt heads directly with the opposing team.
I did come across a little problem though. Often when I tried to do that squid jump minigame as it was searching for players, I would lose connection as soon as I pressed the Start button.
Another thing I noticed which I'm not so sure about is that when the game boots up, it shows a message saying the game may contain in-game advertisements. That's a little worrying, especially from a Nintendo game. I really hope it's not obnoxious. I suspect what it actually means is that some of the clothing they'll be adding to the game will have licensed brands attached to them. I would be okay with that, as long as its consistent with the style of the game and they don't push it in your face too much.
Re: Splatoon
On the screen where you pick your weapon you can open an options menu. I think it's the y button? On that screen there's an option to disable the motion controls.
Doubt it has classic controller support, you need the touch screen for the jumping to team mates thing.
Doubt it has classic controller support, you need the touch screen for the jumping to team mates thing.
Re: Splatoon
Ah ok I'll look for that this evening.
There was something else I forgot to mention in my other post too. I love the soundtrack. Very quirky and full of energy with catchy tunes and lots of variation in instrumentation.
EDIT: An update on the second session.
I was able to switch to non-motion controls this time, and it did make for a better experience. The default camera sensitivity is indeed way too much, and the minimum is far better. Still not the best feeling aiming, but more than sufficient for what the game is. But with this control scheme I found the machine gun classes much more competitive. Started performing on par with the roller, and I really started liking the class which had the shield sub-weapon. I still didn't really like the charge weapon though. Too many drawbacks to it. The time to charge a shot, the narrow spread of ink, the amount of ink it uses, and the poor sub-weapon. While some of that can be changed in the full game with a different loadout, I still didn't really like the basic weapon type. Machine gun and roller are the way to go.
This demo also totally sold me on the game. I was unsure before, although still interested, but now I've got my order placed.
There was something else I forgot to mention in my other post too. I love the soundtrack. Very quirky and full of energy with catchy tunes and lots of variation in instrumentation.
EDIT: An update on the second session.
I was able to switch to non-motion controls this time, and it did make for a better experience. The default camera sensitivity is indeed way too much, and the minimum is far better. Still not the best feeling aiming, but more than sufficient for what the game is. But with this control scheme I found the machine gun classes much more competitive. Started performing on par with the roller, and I really started liking the class which had the shield sub-weapon. I still didn't really like the charge weapon though. Too many drawbacks to it. The time to charge a shot, the narrow spread of ink, the amount of ink it uses, and the poor sub-weapon. While some of that can be changed in the full game with a different loadout, I still didn't really like the basic weapon type. Machine gun and roller are the way to go.
This demo also totally sold me on the game. I was unsure before, although still interested, but now I've got my order placed.
Re: Splatoon
I have a feeling the charge sniper rifle is going to play more in game modes that are less about how much paint you spread about.
I did play one game where the opponents had mastered the verticality of the oil rig level and were sniping from on high in proper COD camping fashion. Of course, doing that just means they lost the game anyway as they weren't painting the level...
Lots of people complaining that the roller is too OP, but they're pretty easy to shoot and kill if you don't panic when they come charging at you. You can also swim faster than they can roll, so getting out the way is fairly easy (as long as you're on your own colour paint). Being able to jump to a teammates position means that spawn camping isn't a valid tactic either (you can't be killed while standing on your teams spawn point).
I'm hoping they do another stress test before launch, although the download has already gone from the store so it seems unlikely.
One nice touch was that some of the billboards in the levels had Miiverse art on them, suspect they'll be taking them live from the games Miiverse channel once it launches.
I did play one game where the opponents had mastered the verticality of the oil rig level and were sniping from on high in proper COD camping fashion. Of course, doing that just means they lost the game anyway as they weren't painting the level...
Lots of people complaining that the roller is too OP, but they're pretty easy to shoot and kill if you don't panic when they come charging at you. You can also swim faster than they can roll, so getting out the way is fairly easy (as long as you're on your own colour paint). Being able to jump to a teammates position means that spawn camping isn't a valid tactic either (you can't be killed while standing on your teams spawn point).
I'm hoping they do another stress test before launch, although the download has already gone from the store so it seems unlikely.
One nice touch was that some of the billboards in the levels had Miiverse art on them, suspect they'll be taking them live from the games Miiverse channel once it launches.
Re: Splatoon
I enjoyed the game despite wrestling with the controls, camera sensitivity and I look inversion. I went to change it mid-game but in true Nintendo form, you have to wait until the game is over to change the settings.
It reminded me of Mario Kart 8 and the lack of being able to change karts/characters mid-session.
It reminded me of Mario Kart 8 and the lack of being able to change karts/characters mid-session.
-
Electric Crocosaurus
- Member
- Posts: 333
- Joined: May 17th, 2013, 1:41 pm
- Location: West Midlands, UK
- Contact:
Re: Splatoon
Some thoughts on the demo:
Sniper rifle seemed pretty useless in this mode, or at least needed a lot more practice.
Motion controls: turned those off STRAIGHT away.
The lack of private matches was irritating. I played a lot of games where the others just weren't on board tactically. There were also some cases where we all had paint rollers, where a spread of roles is better.
It quickly became apparent that the rollers were great 'front-line' characters so that you could squid move and protect them quickly. But I played too many games where the rollers would hang back painting every inch rather than moving forward; frustrating!
The squid jump is going to be really interesting, and opens up a lot of tactical options.
It looks beautiful. So much more enjoyable to look at than generic Killzone : CoD shooters.
In short, it was really promising, and with some of the kinks worked out Im expecting another winner from Nintendo.
Sniper rifle seemed pretty useless in this mode, or at least needed a lot more practice.
Motion controls: turned those off STRAIGHT away.
The lack of private matches was irritating. I played a lot of games where the others just weren't on board tactically. There were also some cases where we all had paint rollers, where a spread of roles is better.
It quickly became apparent that the rollers were great 'front-line' characters so that you could squid move and protect them quickly. But I played too many games where the rollers would hang back painting every inch rather than moving forward; frustrating!
The squid jump is going to be really interesting, and opens up a lot of tactical options.
It looks beautiful. So much more enjoyable to look at than generic Killzone : CoD shooters.
In short, it was really promising, and with some of the kinks worked out Im expecting another winner from Nintendo.
-
seansthomas
- Member
- Posts: 859
- Joined: March 31st, 2015, 8:10 am
Re: Splatoon
Really loved the demo. Didn't mind the lack of voice chat or the motion control aiming, but then I don't play many shooters. It actually allayed my fears about the Starfox controls shown off at the last E3.
Roller and splattergun seemed the way to go. Never figured out how to use the secondary weapons either or use bombs well.
The variety of ways to play it seemed really promising though. Stealthed past an enemy squid into their base then covered it in my ink. Painted a tall tower, took the high ground and protected the team rollers. Went out as a set of four rollers and took over the whole map.
All seemed highly fun. So are you guys saying you can't set up prearranged matches with friends? That sucks...
Roller and splattergun seemed the way to go. Never figured out how to use the secondary weapons either or use bombs well.
The variety of ways to play it seemed really promising though. Stealthed past an enemy squid into their base then covered it in my ink. Painted a tall tower, took the high ground and protected the team rollers. Went out as a set of four rollers and took over the whole map.
All seemed highly fun. So are you guys saying you can't set up prearranged matches with friends? That sucks...
Re: Splatoon
I'm fairly sure Nintendo have said that they are going to add the ability to arrange a party to play with at some point post-launch with a patch. So it should be possible at some point in the future, if not right from the start.
Re: Splatoon
The Nintendo direct said its part of the large content patch in August.
-
seansthomas
- Member
- Posts: 859
- Joined: March 31st, 2015, 8:10 am
Re: Splatoon
Ah OK, that's not terrible news. But a bit annoying as by then, a lot of the buzz around it may have died.
-
seansthomas
- Member
- Posts: 859
- Joined: March 31st, 2015, 8:10 am
Re: Splatoon
Nintendo do make it hard for themselves though, don't they?
When did you see any ads for the Wii U which tell people what it is? Why is a game we've known about for a year still launching with rotating maps and no ability to organise your own games? Why are games I've bought twice on other net enabled Nintendo machines not available to buy for free here?
Really hope they get these basics right next time around. I've no other console to compare it to but even I can see its not good enough any more.
When did you see any ads for the Wii U which tell people what it is? Why is a game we've known about for a year still launching with rotating maps and no ability to organise your own games? Why are games I've bought twice on other net enabled Nintendo machines not available to buy for free here?
Really hope they get these basics right next time around. I've no other console to compare it to but even I can see its not good enough any more.
Re: Splatoon
There's a far more substantial single player component to Splatoon than I originally realised though. They seem to have bailed on taking a Titanfall style 'online MP only' risk.
If the SP is good, I doubt people will mind, but as you say the fact there's not even the option to form a party of 4 and stay together seems like massive oversight.
There are some other odd decisions too. Before you can play ranked battles (instead of unranked ones) you have to reach level 10. Ok, that seems fair, it means you won't get players out of their depth in ranked mode. But apparently before ANYONE can play ranked mode a fixed number of players have to reach level 10. I assume thats cause they want to guarantee you'll be able to get a game when you pick that mode, but it still seems a little weird.
I love Nintendo, they do some great things and have design inspiration that leaves others in the dust. But my word they need to hire some people who understand basic infrastructure. (This may well be what they're hoping to get from DeNA of course, which might explain the delay to August, perhaps they're wanting to integrate it with their new online login service)
If the SP is good, I doubt people will mind, but as you say the fact there's not even the option to form a party of 4 and stay together seems like massive oversight.
There are some other odd decisions too. Before you can play ranked battles (instead of unranked ones) you have to reach level 10. Ok, that seems fair, it means you won't get players out of their depth in ranked mode. But apparently before ANYONE can play ranked mode a fixed number of players have to reach level 10. I assume thats cause they want to guarantee you'll be able to get a game when you pick that mode, but it still seems a little weird.
I love Nintendo, they do some great things and have design inspiration that leaves others in the dust. But my word they need to hire some people who understand basic infrastructure. (This may well be what they're hoping to get from DeNA of course, which might explain the delay to August, perhaps they're wanting to integrate it with their new online login service)
-
hazeredmist
- Member
- Posts: 1709
- Joined: June 25th, 2013, 12:45 pm
- Location: The DMZ
- Contact:
Re: Splatoon
Man, if you can't form a party and stick together out of the box, it would be disastrous. that and no party chat is baffling - with those things there you might just have a decent online multiplayer shooter prospect that could shift some Wii U's.
Love the fact the first thing you said was the motion controls Flabyo - precisely what I thought!
Aside from the above the game felt great, and was a lot of fun.
Love the fact the first thing you said was the motion controls Flabyo - precisely what I thought!
Aside from the above the game felt great, and was a lot of fun.
Re: Splatoon
I think the motion controls will be fine for people new to the genre, but for someone like me with over a decade of experience with twin stick shooter controls it's impossible to not keep trying to look up and down with the stick as well as turn with it.