ReedRGale
Inkling Commander
So to preface this, let's just think about other subs here:
The first sub weapon you encounter is the Splat Bomb. Mid-range/close-range one hit KO--more or less--when you have someone in the bomb range. It uses a good amount of total ink so that it balances out its powerful pushing and pressuring capability. That said, it's a pretty darn solid sub.
Then there's Burst Bombs. At first they don't seem so glorious in comparison to their splat bomb brothers, but they have a multitude of uses that are covered in this guide. (Props to @SquiddiamFancyson ) Climbing walls for certain weapons, a mid-range option for many close-range or long-range weapons, manipulating shots to kill, splatter-hopping; sure they take more time and care to manipulate, but they have a lot of uses. Versatility is the name of the game.
The last in that group is the Suction Bomb. It can stick to surfaces that would otherwise be bounced on and revealed. You can hide it, it has a huge blast radius and one-hit kill area, creates great pressuring and makes for great escape routes--really, it's a lot like the splat bomb. Just longer time to explode, greater blast radius and, of course, stickiness.
Seekers are a little different. They leave a trail of ink where they go continuing until they run into something, they explode in a rather large radius and, when they lock onto someone, they follow them which slightly increases their accuracy. Not the best sub, but it has some good pressuring capability, creates a safe line of travel and can deal with some enemies at a range that other subs just can't because of range limits.
Sprinklers are wonderful, if a little underused--in my opinion. They can safely ink and area without a person having to put themselves at risk. They work as great bait and attract attention. They can create a safe zone for battle for a short while. They increase the speed at which one could theoretically charge their special weapon. There's more uses, but those are just a few.
Squid Beacons are the tactical sub. They allow for a safe jump point that doesn't reveal the fact that someone is jumping to them to anyone else. They allow the team to hold certain points much longer than they have any right to. They can give the leg up when a team is losing... if the team knows how to take advantage of it and the player knows how to use them.
Then there's Point Sensors which make the user a walking Echolocator. Think that you can't win an engage? Throw a sensor to inform teammates of the hider's position. Need a better shot at the enemy? Sensor. Scouting ahead for hiding rollers? Sensor. The information this sub provides can be invaluable in the right hands.
Disruptors are hard to use, but serve as a pretty large inconvenience to certain weapons, namely rollers and brushes, limiting a lot of their options. It can make for a safe get-away sub because it slows enemies and makes it hard for them to follow, so you think you can't win an engagement? Throw it their way and get out of there. Like the sensor, you can use it to scout, but not as well--still if you hit them, you have a great advantage in the engage.
And let's not forget Splash Walls. These are a tactician's dream, creating and impasse in a lot of narrow corridors, securing easy getaways and safe situations to kill people with. It gives major pushing power to weapons that otherwise have no right to push and it can save a team's life when used correctly because of the sheer amount of damage it can soak up. All this balanced with the large ink amount it consumes and you have a wonderful, balanced sub.
So... what about Ink Mines???
They aren't that stellar as far as I can tell. You have a limit to one which wouldn't be so bad if it had a huge blast radius and a different stimuli for explosion. But as it is, it's just about the same as the Suction Bomb.
Because it's set off by enemy ink and not enemy proximity, the enemy usually has some safe area to swim through when they go through the explosion, so it's usually not a deathtrap.
It can be used cleverly behind a corner, but the issue is that they rarely go off when they haven't been inked by enemy colors so much of the time it just doesn't proc.
The time it takes to lay a mine doesn't match the speed at which you could throw a bomb, so you can't use it to pressure enemies the same way because you'll likely be killed, set off your own mine, then watch it kill nothing.
I recognize there are uses for the sub in certain situations, namely for tower control, but as it is, it seems like the sub at least deserves a little bit of a buff. Thus far, the best thing it has going for it is the fact that it doesn't seem to use very much ink.
Increasing the number of mines that could be laid to three? That'd leave for more tactical minefields at least to keep the enemies on their toes. Changing the situation in which the ink mine procs from ink-triggered to enemy proximity alone? That way it could still be escaped from as long as there's a safe path back, but otherwise wouldn't explode. Maybe lowering the time it takes to lay a mine?
Thoughts? Opinions? Am I totally wrong here?
The first sub weapon you encounter is the Splat Bomb. Mid-range/close-range one hit KO--more or less--when you have someone in the bomb range. It uses a good amount of total ink so that it balances out its powerful pushing and pressuring capability. That said, it's a pretty darn solid sub.
Then there's Burst Bombs. At first they don't seem so glorious in comparison to their splat bomb brothers, but they have a multitude of uses that are covered in this guide. (Props to @SquiddiamFancyson ) Climbing walls for certain weapons, a mid-range option for many close-range or long-range weapons, manipulating shots to kill, splatter-hopping; sure they take more time and care to manipulate, but they have a lot of uses. Versatility is the name of the game.
The last in that group is the Suction Bomb. It can stick to surfaces that would otherwise be bounced on and revealed. You can hide it, it has a huge blast radius and one-hit kill area, creates great pressuring and makes for great escape routes--really, it's a lot like the splat bomb. Just longer time to explode, greater blast radius and, of course, stickiness.
Seekers are a little different. They leave a trail of ink where they go continuing until they run into something, they explode in a rather large radius and, when they lock onto someone, they follow them which slightly increases their accuracy. Not the best sub, but it has some good pressuring capability, creates a safe line of travel and can deal with some enemies at a range that other subs just can't because of range limits.
Sprinklers are wonderful, if a little underused--in my opinion. They can safely ink and area without a person having to put themselves at risk. They work as great bait and attract attention. They can create a safe zone for battle for a short while. They increase the speed at which one could theoretically charge their special weapon. There's more uses, but those are just a few.
Squid Beacons are the tactical sub. They allow for a safe jump point that doesn't reveal the fact that someone is jumping to them to anyone else. They allow the team to hold certain points much longer than they have any right to. They can give the leg up when a team is losing... if the team knows how to take advantage of it and the player knows how to use them.
Then there's Point Sensors which make the user a walking Echolocator. Think that you can't win an engage? Throw a sensor to inform teammates of the hider's position. Need a better shot at the enemy? Sensor. Scouting ahead for hiding rollers? Sensor. The information this sub provides can be invaluable in the right hands.
Disruptors are hard to use, but serve as a pretty large inconvenience to certain weapons, namely rollers and brushes, limiting a lot of their options. It can make for a safe get-away sub because it slows enemies and makes it hard for them to follow, so you think you can't win an engagement? Throw it their way and get out of there. Like the sensor, you can use it to scout, but not as well--still if you hit them, you have a great advantage in the engage.
And let's not forget Splash Walls. These are a tactician's dream, creating and impasse in a lot of narrow corridors, securing easy getaways and safe situations to kill people with. It gives major pushing power to weapons that otherwise have no right to push and it can save a team's life when used correctly because of the sheer amount of damage it can soak up. All this balanced with the large ink amount it consumes and you have a wonderful, balanced sub.
So... what about Ink Mines???
They aren't that stellar as far as I can tell. You have a limit to one which wouldn't be so bad if it had a huge blast radius and a different stimuli for explosion. But as it is, it's just about the same as the Suction Bomb.
Because it's set off by enemy ink and not enemy proximity, the enemy usually has some safe area to swim through when they go through the explosion, so it's usually not a deathtrap.
It can be used cleverly behind a corner, but the issue is that they rarely go off when they haven't been inked by enemy colors so much of the time it just doesn't proc.
The time it takes to lay a mine doesn't match the speed at which you could throw a bomb, so you can't use it to pressure enemies the same way because you'll likely be killed, set off your own mine, then watch it kill nothing.
I recognize there are uses for the sub in certain situations, namely for tower control, but as it is, it seems like the sub at least deserves a little bit of a buff. Thus far, the best thing it has going for it is the fact that it doesn't seem to use very much ink.
Increasing the number of mines that could be laid to three? That'd leave for more tactical minefields at least to keep the enemies on their toes. Changing the situation in which the ink mine procs from ink-triggered to enemy proximity alone? That way it could still be escaped from as long as there's a safe path back, but otherwise wouldn't explode. Maybe lowering the time it takes to lay a mine?
Thoughts? Opinions? Am I totally wrong here?
