Splatoon

Here's where you can arrange game nights and meetups on the platforms of your choice
User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2426
Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Re: Splatoon

Post by Scrustle »

It's not exactly that I'm being forced back to the spawn point, but just the enemy teams seem too good. I think the best, and most infuriating, example is how matches on Backbelly Skatepark have been for me recently. That level, like a lot of others, is separated in to three sections. The "home" area for each team, and a central area where most of the fighting goes on. There are some side paths to flank around, but most stuff converges in the middle. Every time I've played that map recently, I find I'm killed any time I try to get anywhere in to the central zone, no matter which path I go down. The enemy team usually has at least one guy on the tower, with another guy on each side that are somehow able to block anyone who goes down any of the side paths from that route. So I can't sneak, and I can't push through either. They just hold the entire map because none of my team can get past their line, and they just manage to push further and further forward for the whole match, making the whole thing just seem like a farce. If I do ever get past I pretty much always come across another team member who might have just respawned or something, and they kill me anyway, making the breakthrough a waste.

I do try out different weapons relatively frequently. Both in matches and the testing area. I still find that I stick to the same few weapons though. Usually the Splattershot Jr., sometimes the Krak-On Roller, and occasionally the custom Aerospray or Splattershot Pro. I've had a little go with the Ink Brush, and that was okay, but I did find myself not doing too great with it. Pretty much everything else is either useless or just a worse version of the Jr. or Aerospray.

I wonder if they have changed the time-to-kill balance on the game though. Whenever I do get killed, it seems to happen very fast. I thought maybe it's because everyone is using motion controls and they've just gotten really good at it, but I can't really tell. Might just be my imagination. But I realised how fast it can be to die after we all played Halo 3 the other day. I forgot just how long it takes to take someone down in that game. That's one of the reasons why I really liked that game, and generally can't stand any online FPS that's come out in the past eight years. It was quite a shock to go back to Splatoon and realise how much more brutal it is in comparison on that one thing. It's really weird in the context of the tone and image of the games.

Oh, and on staying away from the game for a while, that's something I have considered, but it's another thing that worries me. While I am pretty much doing it now anyway just because I don't feel as enthused to play the game as before, I'm really worried that it might just make this problem worse. If I'm falling behind already, then getting out of practice will surely just make it worse. Possibly irreversibly. Like there's a new map out today (or yesterday, not sure), and I'm conflicted about it. I want to get in there and try it before everyone "solves" it, so I can keep up with the crowd. On the other hand, it might already be too late and it'll just add more to my frustration.
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Splatoon

Post by Flabyo »

The secondary weapon and specials can make a difference too. For skatepark the tower in the middle is very vulnerable to the homing bombs and the bazooka thing. Everything is vulnerable to Inkstrike (I may be guilty of over using that, heh). I find the kraken special pretty much useless.
User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2426
Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Re: Splatoon

Post by Scrustle »

Yeah, I like the Ink Strike special. Makes sense to use that on the tower in the skate park. But again, it seems like people are already wise to that and have figured out a way to avoid it. Never been too keen on the bazooka though. It requires quite a lot of accuracy. Never tried the homing bombs. They sound useful but I haven't found a weapon that has them which I like.

I like the Jr. as it has the shield. That's a really good way to win basically any fight you come across, but it's not always available. I've found the kraken pretty good. It's another invincible "get out of jail free" kind of thing, but with more offensive power (sans range) and mobility than the shield. Doesn't cover much ink though, and you can end up running out in enemy territory if you're not smart with it. They did nerf that kraken, but it's still really powerful. They gave a knockback to it when it gets hit, like when you get hit with the shield.
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Splatoon

Post by Flabyo »

I really really like the newest map, it's the most vertical one so far, and really tests your knowledge of the games climbing and jumping mechanics. Seems none of the people I've played against on it so far have finished single player, cause they're missing a couple of routes they'd know are possible if they had...

Splatfest again this weekend too, Europe has Eating vs Sleeping. I'm team food, cause sleep is for the weak!

Worth playing splatfest even a little as the seashells you earn let you add more slots to your clothing items, or replace slots on ones that are already full. So you can finally get the style you want AND decent stats.
User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2426
Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Re: Splatoon

Post by Scrustle »

So the saga of my tumultuous experience with Splatoon continues! Surely, an epic for the ages.

Anyway, things seem to be picking up again, but I'm still uncertain. Before the Splatfest I decided to play a few matches to get myself warmed up, and to unlock at least most of the extra skills on the festival tee. Had a good time. Matches seemed to be fairly even and competitive, without any of them resulting in being completely dominated.

Splatfest itself was good too. Much like the first time round. I found myself being generally successful, but not overwhelmingly so. It was at a pretty good level of competitiveness, and it was fun and kept me invested. I was a little disappointed that it was basically the same things as last time though, and they didn't include the new map in the rotation. But I guess that's just what Splatfest is and I shouldn't be expecting anything Earth-shattering from it, at least for the moment. I do think it was a bit rubbish that the new map wasn't included though. I don't think it was expecting too much for them to have added that in. But regardless, it was fun again.

Although, I did seem to get quite a few more networking problems than in the first event. I was getting matched against my own team really often. I assumed that was just because eating outnumbered sleeping, which was shown to be true when the results were announced. But I also found myself losing connection a lot more frequently than usual, and coming across unevenly numbered teams quite a lot too. There was even one match where it was a full roster on my team vs. a single player on the other. That felt a little bit mean, and the only part they ended up controlling by the end of the match was the places we couldn't get to. I will say though that Team Sleep did seem to have significantly better artists this time around.

I also found it amusing how the team ranking titles turned out this time. Rock and pop made sense, but doing the same thing with eating and sleeping sounded odd. As if everyone had some weird "Engrish" name like the kind of thing that you see when Japanese people use English words that they don't quite know the meaning of, but just think sound cool. "Eternal Eating Girl" sounds a lot more strange than "Full-on Rock Boy".

Anyway, today I went back on. Back to normal Splatoon. Things started off really bad. First match I got in to I lost connection after a few seconds. Next match was stable, but again I was completely crushed by the enemy team who just seemed to be everywhere and completely impassable. This was on Kelp Dome too, which is usually a pretty level playing field. Anyway, I decided to quit right after that match, distraught that things had yet again gone back to being horrible so quickly. The new map was also not in rotation at that time, and seeing that was part of the reason I even tried to play today. Since I haven't been on in a while, I hadn't seen it yet.

So I waited until later in the day when the maps got rotated. Just to see if the new map was there, and not really intending on getting in to a game. For one thing, with the dismal experience I've been having (sans Splatfest), I was expecting that this new map would be be a nightmare of places to fall off, and horrible choke points. But I got on, found the new map was indeed in the rotation, and first decided to scope it out in the recon mode before actually getting in to matches. There were a lot more alternate paths than I was expecting, and found some good routes to use.

So I decided I would jump in some matches anyway, and they were great! Had some really good fun again this evening, and the new map is pretty cool. It's very different from all the others so far, but still feels very even with lots of options to get around. It doesn't have to be a brutal fight in precarious positions with no room to escape. Although, I have to say that I feel things might have gone too far the other way. While some matches were pretty even, in others my team were the ones completely destroying the competition. I seemed to notice a lot of the people I was against were really low level, and/or simply didn't seem to know how to defend themselves well. In one match I went 10 kills to 0 deaths. It wasn't a clear case of just destroying noobs though. In one match which I actually lost I was up against two level 1 players, who were both the most effective and dangerous on their team. I suppose they were either playing on a friend's console, or were new to the game but just generally really talented at it. Either way, I have no idea what's going on with the matchmaking in this game.

Well, whatever. I was left in the best mood I've had with the game in quite a long while today. Really hope this continues.
User avatar
seansthomas
Member
Posts: 856
Joined: March 31st, 2015, 8:10 am

Re: Splatoon

Post by seansthomas »

I think I've only ever had a game drop on me once and a longer than 15 second wait for a game at the most 3 or 4 times. Must have got lucky I guess!

The new map really highlights who has and who hasn't played the single player campaign. I jump and scale the level whereas lots stick to the walkways.

Still loving this. Hope this August update means a dedicated night soon between C&R players!
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Splatoon

Post by Flabyo »

I've started to notice the subtle map changes in the ranked mode now. Take Kelp Dome for an example, in Turf Wars the raised mesh walkways are completely free of obstacles, and somewhere you don't spend much time as you can't reload while up there. But in Splat Zones they've added a few small cubes up there that you can paint and stand on to reload, because those walkways are the fastest way to the map centre where the splat zone is. Every level has this kind of minor change to it that adds new tactical options, but you have to be able to spot them.

They were running trailers for Splatoon a lot during EVO actually, mainly hyping up the team matchmaking that's coming next month. The trailer seemed to be suggesting that the game is 'tailor made for eSports' which suggests they might be aiming for an ESL or DreamHack spot for it... Team matchmaking will be highly competitive I suspect, being able to fix your teammates down, and have Skype chat etc... will change the tactical play a LOT. Hopefully they'll keep that separate from the casual drop in/drop out play or it could unbalance what they have.
User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2426
Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Re: Splatoon

Post by Scrustle »

New Japanese trailer showing two completely new weapon classes! A minigun and a... bucket. Also a glimpse of that new game mode they teased ages ago, and a new map that looks like it's set in some kind of urban residential rooftop area.



I also had a chance to try out the new Camp Triggerfish map. It's quite fun. The way the map is separated is interesting. It makes control of the map split longways, instead of the two teams meeting together in the middle like most maps. Some doors open when the timer goes down to one minute left, allowing a quick route around the back of your enemy's territory.
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Splatoon

Post by Flabyo »

Some interesting potential mechanics there. The minigun fills a gap we have for something high powered but with limits to movement. The bucket looks like it'll take a fair bit of skill to get good with, probably not a weapon for ranked play modes.
User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2426
Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Re: Splatoon

Post by Scrustle »

From little I can tell from the trailer, the minigun doesn't look like it slows down movement. Rather it takes time to spin up before you can start shooting. I think that might be the balance point/Achilles' heel.

Looking at that trailer again I think I spotted another new map too. In the quick shot of the new mode with that golden fish gun, the map looked like something we haven't seen before. Looks like it takes place on a suspension bridge.
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Splatoon

Post by Flabyo »

More details on the update surfacing...

The mini gun is called the Splatling Gun. Genius.

Level cap being upped to 50, new ranks being added above A+, lots of new clothing items.

Team matchmaking looks like it will be limited to ranked play. A shame, as I'd like to play turf war with friends, but it does feel like they want to keep the good players out of the way of new players (who don't have acces to ranked until they've reached level 10 remember...)
User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2426
Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Re: Splatoon

Post by Scrustle »

Actually, they're adding in two versions of that matchmaking system. One is un-ranked, and it also lets you choose specific things like map, game mode, and team sizes. The page on the Nintendo website goes over the changes in more depth:
https://www.nintendo.co.uk/News/2015/Ju ... e=facebook

They're also tweaking Urchin Underpass, which is a pretty strange thing. I can't think of any other example of a map being taken out of a multiplayer game to have the geometry changed after it's already been publicly released. I didn't think there was anything wrong with the map as it was either. I suppose it was one of the harder ones to make a comeback on, but there are others which are just as hard. Maybe they found some exploit I don't know of. Either way, does this mean they could feasibly do the same to other maps down the road? That would be very odd.
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Splatoon

Post by Flabyo »

Urchin underpass has the tightest choke points of any of the maps. The easy way to the middle is quite narrow, one harder route involves sliding up a slope and jumping through a mesh, the other takes a really long way to walk round.

Where it's most problematic is that it's very hard to get past the middle,into the opponents base as one of the three routes out has a ledge that prevents you climbing in.

I can see them remodelling the ramps to the right of the spawn point, and removing the ledge that prevents you from being able to get in there from the middle area.
MAp

Re: Splatoon

Post by MAp »

My copy of Splatoon is in the post, so please feel free to message and add me to your friends list. Especially with that August update on the way :)
User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2426
Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Re: Splatoon

Post by Scrustle »

I added you MAp. You should see my request next time you're online.

So have people tried out the new weapons yet? I tested out the blaster but I didn't care for it much. I have been exploring that weapon class lately, and I really liked the idea of a weapon like that with longer range, but the fire rate on that one is just so abysmal. The range isn't even particularly good either. I'm really liking the new inkbrush though. I haven't quite like the others they released earlier. Could never really get the hang of how to use them, but having the bubble shield with this new one certainly makes it a lot more viable.

I've been feeling a little tired of sticking to my usual stuff (two or three rapid fire types and sometimes the kraken roller), and a bit disappointed by how few of the new additions I've actually liked. But I'm glad something has finally come along which is different, and I actually like using. For now anyway. Can't wait to try out that gatling gun though. That'll either be brilliant, or horrible. I'm not really convinced by the bucket though, but it could surprise me. From the trailer is looks like it'll act like an inkbrush, but with longer range and less mobility.
MAp

Re: Splatoon

Post by MAp »

I'm still feeling my way through the shallow layers of the game so far, but I find that beyond the rapid fire guns you really need a team that knows their roles for every weapon or it's just frustrating, especially on the more linear maps.

I only know from the receiving end Scrustle, but the blaster seems more effective for killing opponents than for covering territory. I've seen a few people hide at any bottle necks and purely act as a barrier to stop the other team gaining ground past that point. I've been playing with the brush today and yeah it seems interesting, you almost move as fast as a squid when you're painting the floor so you can get out there quick and give the team a path straight into the other half of the map!
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Splatoon

Post by Flabyo »

User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2426
Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Re: Splatoon

Post by Scrustle »

Those patch notes are interesting. Seems they're doing quite a lot of adjustments to the maps, although Urchin Underpass seems to be the only one which is getting changes to the base structure, rather than adjustments to mode-specific tweaks. The changes to the ranking system are really confusing though. Does that mean you're rank doesn't change at all in any of the Tag modes, or that it only doesn't affect your rank when you're at S rank?

And as for the brush, I've still been really enjoying it. It completely changes the pace of the game. Movement speed is so much faster. You have to put yourself in a different mindset. I've even drastically changed the control sensitivity just so I can keep up with how fast you move with it. You have to retrain the way you move too. To move fast, you don't necessarily go to the squid form. A lot of the time it's more effective to chase someone down on foot and creep up behind them, or circle around them if you're approaching from the front. The speed also allows you to put yourself anywhere on the map really fast. You can push through enemy lines before they've even gotten to the centre point.
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: Splatoon

Post by Flabyo »

Moray Towers is absolute hell if the opponents have a good sniper. So many good places to camp...

At one point yesterday Turf Wars was Moray Towers and Kelp Dome. Which is rough, because whats good on one of those maps in terms of load out is really not for the other. Moray Towers is all about keeping the enemy back by sniping, but sniping is useless on kelp dome as there are so few good lines of sight (and nowhere to camp, all the good vantage points are on mesh floors and the turf wars version of the map doesn't have the little cubes to stand on that the splat zones version does). Best for kelp dome is rollers and brushes due to the massive amount of floor to cover, but those leave you at massive disadvantage in Moray Towers.
User avatar
Scrustle
Member
Posts: 2426
Joined: November 18th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Re: Splatoon

Post by Scrustle »

Huh, well I generally have a different experience then. Snipers do tend to make sense on Moray Towers, but I've never had a problem with them. Usually I find it's pretty easy to just rush your enemies. Have some of your team take the long way down, so they cover turf, while others jump straight in and push past the enemy as fast as possible. By the time they've gotten past, the other part of the team has caught up to the middle to stop the other team pushing up in to your territory. Seems to work every time for me. I just rush snipers before they can get a shot off, and they're no problem.

On Kelp Dome though, it's not rare for me to get killed by snipers who are covering the central area. There's so many routes in to that area that there's always someone coming from somewhere, and the snipers don't need to get close to get at you. While it's a very useful position to hold, being on that central tower kind of leaves you as a sitting duck. Usually I let my team mates deal with that and try to flank around instead. Only going to the middle if we already have a decent control over other areas.
Post Reply