Heavy Splatling: Analysis and Thoughts

[WaifuRaccoonBL]

Heavy Splatling Gun

Lv Unlocked in Shop:
-WIP-

Cost:
6800

Shop Description:
-WIP-

Type:
Splatling

Stats:
-WIP-

Sub:

Splash Wall

Special:

Inkstrike

Genreal Strategies:
-WIP-

Team Strategies:
-WIP-

Success/Tournaments won:
-WIP-

Extras:
Filename:
-WIP-
So, with all that out of the way, please discuss your thoughts on the Heavy Splatling.

 

[KnightofPizza]

It looks like that if you start firing, you can't stop, but if you go into Squid mode, you stop your firing altogether, giving you a way of canceling your shots for saving Ink, mindgames with charges, etc. I dub this new technique, "Splatling Cancel". ...Someone find a better name for this.

 

[Ataw]

From what little time I've had to use the Heavy Splatling, it feels a lot like the regular Jet Squelcher. Both of them have incredible range (I tested the range of both weapons side-by-side, and they both seem to have identical range, but that's just my own personal test), and they have the same sub and special weapons, being the splash wall and inkstrike respectively.
I feel like the Heavy Splating can be put to better use as both an offensive and defensive weapon than the Jet Squelcher. To me, however, it doesn't feel like the Splatling would be that great at covering the ground in ink (and I know someone's going to prove me wrong now that I've said that); it feels more like it's mainly used to attack other players.

 

[PyroBandit]

So my general strategy with this weapon is to throw down a Splash Wall, get behind it, and then immediately fire a fully-charged shot. The wall blocks all damage, while allowing me to mow down everything in sight. And if someone tries to get around the Wall, I'll still have enough time to stop them from flanking before having to recharge.

Of course this strategy rips through ink really fast, so it can really only be done once at a time, but it worked great in Tower Control.

 

[Short272]

The range of the Jet Squelcher + the DPS of a Splattershot + the startup of a Charger. It's a fun weapon, and there's a lot of ways you can mix things up. It seems to be pretty bad for turf, but it's definitely great for mid-long range kills. I believe ~half charge is enough to secure a close range kill. That isn't all that bad but you better not miss.

 

[LMG]

Alright, the test results are in. The Heavy Splatling has the range of a Jet Squelcher (at max charge), the damage of a Dual Squelcher (or at least very close) and (possibly) the rate of fire of an Aerospray. Accuracy and range improve with the charge time, but in close-quarters combat it can still be relatively effective if you charge for at least 3/8 of the total charge time. Also, you can cancel a barrage by going into squid (going inside your ink isn't required). It's a pain to use this weapon, but it's a Splatling, so things balance out quite nicely in the end

Edit: I'd say one key thing you have to learn with this weapon is "how much charge do I need?"

 

[ILikeKirbys]

Okay, so I managed to get the new update working after a while and tried out this new weapon, and...
THIS IS AWESOME
I'm loving the Splatling, it's like an inverted L3 Nozzlenose, where instead of getting a few shots when you tap the trigger, you hold it for a while and then shoot a torrent of ink when you let go. I was dreading this when I first realized it could be like it is, wasn't sure it would be usable if you couldn't fire it continuously, but it feels like a good weapon, and more importantly it's really fun to use. It's just so much fun to just let it rip and splatter enemies from a distance, which is why I used to try and play Chargers (and then get annoyed when I was helpless up close and quit, until I found the E-Liter 3K Scope and its Burst Bombs, but even those aren't great for me). As for being a good weapon, it can cover turf pretty easily by just moving from side to side while releasing a full charge a couple of times (not completely without holes, but it's fairly good at this, in my experience) and it has great range so you can hit people from outside their max range AND it has a pretty good windup time so you can attack aggressively (though you do need to be mindful of when your ink-stream's going to end so you can retreat) AND it has Splash Wall for you to hide behind while you wind up to wreck people AND its fire rate is superfast like shooting an Aerospray really far forward in a straight line (but with little spread) AND it has Inkstrike for when you want to claim an area (or reclaim it) or just make enemies move (like, say, an annoying E-Liter). Yeah, it takes a few shots to get splats, and yeah, you're a sitting duck while winding up, but that's not so terrible when you consider the range and fire rate it has.
Overall, loving the Splatling.

 

[florence]

i don't know how i feel about the range of this weapon, it might be a biiiit too long. otherwise, i think this weapon is great! i was worried it would be too clunky/difficult to use, but that's definitely not the case.

 

[Recettear]

It's like a sniper, pretty much, except worse for moving around through enemy ink quickly. Your job should be to stand and guard a spot without moving much especially through enemy ink, like Gatling Guns should work, though it does have intermittent pauses because you have to charge it to fire every time, so it's not a true Gatling Gun I suppose.

If you're bad with chargers and want to do the same job it does decently the Gatling Gun should work pretty well.

 

[Mr. Kibbles]

With the Heavy Splatling Gun it's important to note three things:
1) The distance of the shots is proportional to the amount of charge stored
- This has a limit like all other guns (in the testing area it was about 5-6 lines down)
- The base with no charge shooting is about mid range (3-4 lines)
- The range increase stops for the most part after the first ring of charge, so the only advantage of a full charge is more ink
(full [two ring] charges use up most of the ink and unless your covering up an important area it's mostly a waste)
2) The game gives an audio chime right when you hit the one ring sweet spot - you will most likely want to use this in all long ranged combat and arguably when your splattering turf (need to test the latter).
3) Short range has several contingency plans
- retreat +/- splashwall is safest option
- slow, uncharged burst work well enough with rollers who want to roll you down rather than brush you
- mini, quarter or half charges are viable for weapons that don't one shot you

I'm really glad they added something for the heavy weapons fans in the community. I have allot of Heavy TF2 experience, so I don't think I'm getting hit too hard by the obvious drawbacks of a gatling gun. I hope everyone enjoys it too! I also can't wait to see the splatistics people get the hard stats. I made my own little page worth of charge times, distance etc but I'm sure peer review among the community will make the weapon understandable.
I'm having a blast with this weapon, and I'm going to try my hardest to make it viable. :)

 

[Short272]

This gun is all about commitment. You have to commit to your positioning, shots, splash wall, and your role in the team.

 

[Mr. Kibbles]

This gun is all about commitment. You have to commit to your positioning, shots, splash wall, and your role in the team.

Yeah, commitment is what it's game is all about. You move so slow that its more appropriate to commit rotating across nests like a sniper to hold down turf.

 

[KnightMB]

I've played and played against the weapon in all turf wars, tower control, & splat zones. It's fun in turf wars, not so much for painting turf but for holding the enemy back while your team mates keep at work. In tower control, I've seen it used well to hold back a position or route. Once you charge it, any signs of movement and you lay waste to the area. In splat zones, it can have a mixed row of route guard and zone guard. Overall, a very different weapon to use. I think those that want to have a specific guard role, will love this weapon. Not as mobile and up close, you need either some fancy footwork and good aim to keep from getting splatted.

 

[Lag Chan]

Difficult to use, but very rewarding. This dominates in Ranked thanks to how defence is such a crucial role, especially in Tower Control. The Splash Wall solidifies how defensive this weapon is, the pair makes it very tough to get the drop on a Splating when they know what they're doing. It's main drawback of course is that with how defensive the weapon is, you can't really be aggressive with this weapon, you have to rely on your teammates to open the way for you if you're planning on moving up, unless you want to be a sitting duck charging up and inking the path. On top of that it's pretty situational in Turf War and is even more dependent on support since it's not the best at inking. Regardless it's a fantastic addition and I'm going to be using it plenty, especially since it can make Tower Control a piece of cake to win.

 

[ILikeKirbys]

Difficult to use, but very rewarding. This dominates in Ranked thanks to how defence is such a crucial role, especially in Tower Control. The Splash Wall solidifies how defensive this weapon is, the pair makes it very tough to get the drop on a Splating when they know what they're doing. It's main drawback of course is that with how defensive the weapon is, you can't really be aggressive with this weapon, you have to rely on your teammates to open the way for you if you're planning on moving up, unless you want to be a sitting duck charging up and inking the path. On top of that it's pretty situational in Turf War and is even more dependent on support since it's not the best at inking. Regardless it's a fantastic addition and I'm going to be using it plenty, especially since it can make Tower Control a piece of cake to win.

Actually, I've had quite a bit of success going aggressive with the Splatling. It's a bit tricky, you really need to know your max range and have good accuracy, and yeah, waiting for teammates to open a path is probably the better strategy, but it's doable and quite fun (at least, for me).
Still, defense is where this weapon shines, that's true. And yeah, I've had a surprising amount of success on Tower Control with it, much more than usual (which is to say, I've won multiple matches in a session).
This has become my main. I might keep the Rollers in reserve for when my aim's off, and the Octobrush for when I need speed, but this is my new favorite weapon.
So on a final note, does Run Speed Up affect how fast you move while firing?

 

[ThatSquidYouKnow]

I use the charger, so I absolutely love this weapon. It spreads ink decently, but you want to go for defense.

 

[Blue24]

Actually, I've had quite a bit of success going aggressive with the Splatling. It's a bit tricky, you really need to know your max range and have good accuracy, and yeah, waiting for teammates to open a path is probably the better strategy, but it's doable and quite fun (at least, for me).
Still, defense is where this weapon shines, that's true. And yeah, I've had a surprising amount of success on Tower Control with it, much more than usual (which is to say, I've won multiple matches in a session).
This has become my main. I might keep the Rollers in reserve for when my aim's off, and the Octobrush for when I need speed, but this is my new favorite weapon.
So on a final note, does Run Speed Up affect how fast you move while firing?

Weapons while firing/rolling in general do not get impact from run speed.

If a weapon has quick frame animations then it can get a benefit in a way. The Nozzlenose is the best example of this and probably gets the most out of run speed while "technically" continously firing. I believe one of the splattershots get minor benefits as well.

 

[Marie]

This gun is an assist/defender weapon.
This weapon is unable to handle close range combat as it requires to be charged, however it does small blasts when tapped, but not strong enough to kill an opponent.

*This weapon should NOT be used to brute force your way into the battlefield, play defensive with this weapon, however this does not mean it doesn't have it's offense-pushing power.

Due to how long the gun fires at full charge, you'll be able to kill from a distance, however this gun does not have the same range of a charger,
I've been told that letting the Splatling charge twice, adds extra range and power, but I cannot confirm for sure.

This weapon has strict accuracy. It will fire where the crosshairs meet, and won't really splatter, so I don't entirely recommend it for Turf Wars, not saying it isn't helpful. This weapon, like the charger, is better used above ground, where you can aim down and cover ground from above.

It comes with and
You can use to protect yourself as you dish out kills, and it helps in Moray Towers for some passageways.

You have a chance of finding success with this weapon in Tower Control as this weapon's charge will let you cover the entire tower and any foe on it.

This weapon has a pretty steep learning curve, You cannot simply pick up this weapon and play it, like Aerospray, it requires your skill such as the paintbrush does.

Advantage Maps: Saltspray Rig (Tower Control), Camp Triggerfish (Tower Control)
Unconfirmed Advantage Maps: Moray Towers (All), Bluefin Depot (???)
Standard Performance Maps: Walleye Warehouse (Turf), Urchin Underpass (Turf), Arowana Mall (Turf)

 

[SkyBlue]

This weapon was made for me.
.52 gal main here. While the splatling doesn't have the maneuverability, and by that I mean to just constantly shoot and move wherever, it's still not as slow/hunkered down as I thought it was going to be.
I loved the .52 for how I could defend areas and quickly(2hko relatively fast) take out enemies. The .96 deco competed with it for a while due to its advanced range, but in the end the fire rate was not for me.
The splatling though...It gives me range, power, and speed, while also giving me great aim and the assistance of a reticle. Also without the line to tell enemies where I'm aiming, all with the price of a pretty quick charge, and fun SPLATATATATATATATATATATOON! let loose-barrage of ink.
I've always envied chargers for their reticle, but not anymore >:D

 

[BackwardCap]

It's really easy to move up and ink pathways quickly by using short (around 20% of the first circle) charge firing. The turf coverage is much better when aiming slightly low to the ground. Highest score so far was 8XX pre-win.