How do I stop sucking?

[Twilord]

Question in title. I can't seem to get better than 400 points of coverage.


I know the general idea of 'don't huddle together and focus on the floor' but even with that basic awareness I keep losing hard.

 

[Agosta44]

-Go for mid immediately from the start. Do not waste time covering your base area
-strafe and cover as much unclaimed terf as possible at the start
-KEEP MOVING. DO NOT STOP
-challenge the opposing team whenever you come across them. RUN IF YOU ARE IN A SITUATION YOU CANNOT WIN
-You should be holding down ZL almost always. ZR will override it when you shoot

I averaged 1300 points over 4 hours of play (counting both wins and loss scores). Follow these rules and you'll easily start to get over 700.

 

[Gsnap]

Well... What are you doing? Which weapons are you using? Motion controls on or off?

Practice in single player to get used to the moving and shooting. Don't worry about losing at first. Every loss is time spend learning. You'll know the maps soon enough.

 

[Twilord]

-Go for mid immediately from the start. Do not waste time covering your base area
-strafe and cover as much unclaimed terf as possible at the start
-KEEP MOVING. DO NOT STOP
-challenge the opposing team whenever you come across them. RUN IF YOU ARE IN A SITUATION YOU CANNOT WIN
-You should be holding down ZL almost always. ZR will override it when you shoot

I averaged 1300 points over 4 hours of play (counting both wins and loss scores). Follow these rules and you'll easily start to get over 700.

That is the exact opposite of what I had been doing, bar hold the squid trigger... Embarrassingly I did 100 points worse trying your (quite logical) techniques. xD

 

[Agosta44]

That is the exact opposite of what I had been doing, bar hold the squid trigger... Embarrassingly I did 100 points worse trying your (quite logical) techniques. xD

Are you using motion controls? Turn them off if you are. If you're doing worse using the methods I posted either practice up or good luck.

 

[PrinceOfKoopas]

Are you using motion controls? Turn them off if you are. If you're doing worse using the methods I posted either practice up or good luck.

Motion controls are better. <_<

 

[Twilord]

Are you using motion controls? Turn them off if you are. If you're doing worse using the methods I posted either practice up or good luck.

I turned them off earlier to no change (haven't turned them back on since no change is no change). Oddly I did better in the testfires where I was constantly using them, but then again I don't remember being humiliated by Japanese players during those either.

 

[Box]

It can be very demanding to move around some of the stages in this game because they have a lot of verticality. I had a lot of trouble until I settled in on a good sensitivity. Try starting with the defaults and adjusting them slowly. I find the analog controls to be very stiff so I've been using gyro.

I would recommend using the Splattershot Jr and just focus on moving around the maps. The junior makes wider trails which can make doing some of the vertical maneuvers easier if slower. If you want to try even more basic stuff, you can hit up the firing range in Ammo Knights or the single player. But to get used to the movement required, you're going to have to play turf war.

 

[Twilord]

It can be very demanding to move around some of the stages in this game because they have a lot of verticality. I had a lot of trouble until I settled in on a good sensitivity. Try starting with the defaults and adjusting them slowly. I find the analog controls to be very stiff so I've been using gyro.

I would recommend using the Splattershot Jr and just focus on moving around the maps. The junior makes wider trails which can make doing some of the vertical maneuvers easier if slower. If you want to try even more basic stuff, you can hit up the firing range in Ammo Knights or the single player. But to get used to the movement required, you're going to have to play turf war.

I am thinking about buying the Custom Splattershot Jr. Maybe getting myself a speed-boost or two.

 

[Agosta44]

Motion controls are better. <_<

I disagree (sans charger) but that's a discussion for a different thread.

 

[RespawningJesus]

Find a control scheme that works for you. Some people are going to say that motion is better or that analog is better. Screw that. Find what is most comfortable for you.

Once you figured out on what control scheme you prefer. Try finding the right sensitivity. Go with the default of -1, anD go up or down the scale until you find something comfortable.

After that, practice, practice, practice.

 

[Flakk]

Don't force yourself to use motion controls. I respect this game's controls but it ain't my thing.

low scores sound like a focus on kills over turf coverage. Start out covering whatever your team is too lazy to cover and then focus on the enemy turf after that (1% of new turf is 1% extra to you but 1% of enemy turf is +1% to you and -1% to the enemy). The paint roller is the best weapon for this but don't try and start fights unless you can jump on someone off guard as anyone remotely competent will kite you and win. If you don't like the paint roller you can try and pick a weapon with the Bubbler and it has great team ultility and if enemies catch you unawares you can activate it and get a free kill. Overall it's pretty hard togive proper advice as all I know is that you get low scores.

other hints:

-you can use the map to see where enemies are, they won't appear explicitly, but you can see their movements by the ink. If a bit with a lot of enemy ink seems fairly still on the map you can scout it out and have a chance for a free chunk of ink.
-Ping. There's a basic ping system in this game which isn't used much, if you feel like you need an teamate to claim this area just call for help and teamates will usually come (Even the whole team sometimes lol)
-High ground is great for controlling areas. Usually large important areas will have towers or side platforms to allow for easier control. Short range weapons such as rollers and the Splattershot jr will not help much but standard splattershot and charger users can dominate with these. Of course don't stay there for too long just get a couple of kills or the area inked over then move on.
-Outplay enemies. Most fpses are usually a game of quick draw, but the speed of splatoon means that even when caught unware you can usually dodge in squid form and duel the opponent on equal ground. Switch from kid to squid when you see him moving his gun over to you. If you outrange, run backwards shooting him while outranging and squidding back a bit when he gets closer (The aformentioned kiting)
-A group of squids with more specials ready than the other group will usually win a teamfight, try and force one when the enemy just blew one of theirs and/or your special is ready.

 

[Twilord]

Don't force yourself to use motion controls. I respect this game's controls but it ain't my thing.

low scores sound like a focus on kills over turf coverage. Start out covering whatever your team is too lazy to cover and then focus on the enemy turf after that (1% of new turf is 1% extra to you but 1% of enemy turf is +1% to you and -1% to the enemy). The paint roller is the best weapon for this but don't try and start fights unless you can jump on someone off guard as anyone remotely competent will kite you and win. If you don't like the paint roller you can try and pick a weapon with the Bubbler and it has great team ultility and if enemies catch you unawares you can activate it and get a free kill. Overall it's pretty hard togive proper advice as all I know is that you get low scores.

other hints:

-you can use the map to see where enemies are, they won't appear explicitly, but you can see their movements by the ink. If a bit with a lot of enemy ink seems fairly still on the map you can scout it out and have a chance for a free chunk of ink.
-Ping. There's a basic ping system in this game which isn't used much, if you feel like you need an teamate to claim this area just call for help and teamates will usually come (Even the whole team sometimes lol)
-High ground is great for controlling areas. Usually large important areas will have towers or side platforms to allow for easier control. Short range weapons such as rollers and the Splattershot jr will not help much but standard splattershot and charger users can dominate with these. Of course don't stay there for too long just get a couple of kills or the area inked over then move on.
-Outplay enemies. Most fpses are usually a game of quick draw, but the speed of splatoon means that even when caught unware you can usually dodge in squid form and duel the opponent on equal ground. Switch from kid to squid when you see him moving his gun over to you. If you outrange, run backwards shooting him while outranging and squidding back a bit when he gets closer (The aformentioned kiting)
-A group of squids with more specials ready than the other group will usually win a teamfight, try and force one when the enemy just blew one of theirs and/or your special is ready.

I actually wasn't focused on killing, more on a 'thou shall not pass' approach combined with protecting my, usually specifically mine but to a lesser extent any of my colour. I noticed I actually got it up to 700 points when I stole turf a team-mate was about to take near the start the of the match. But that was on Saltspray rig so as a four-time testfirer I probably was at an advantage. (I also went hell for leather at the end of that round... because enemies seemed to have given up on the bit I was protecting.)

Your advise in general however is really sound and I will be taking much of it on-board. Definitely agree that one key trick is knowing went to let go of the high-ground.

A bit confused by your wording regarding specials.

 

[tokyodown]

Motion controls are better. <_<

Huh?

My best advice is to not over-commit to killing. Try to stay alive and cover the areas around you. And you know, it's the first day so you're bound to get better

 

[Twilord]

I figured out some stuff. Mostly that I needed to stop being quite so obsessive, and a little more outgoing.

I am now using the Aerospray MG (with Seeker and Inkzooka packed in), with boosts for running speed, for recharge time, and for ink cost on the main weapon.

Getting 900 in most matches since I changed approaches.

 

[AGES]

Study the weapons/strategy of the other players as much as possible. This can give you opportunities to play off your opponents mistakes as well as being ready for what they have to throw at you, if you know how to counterattack. This obviously comes with having experience with the game but it's never to early to start trying to notice patterns people tend to do.

WORK ON YOUR MOVEMENT. What sets this game apart from other shooters is how movement focused it is. Practice in recon or in an actual match transforming back and forth between kid and squid to traverse the territory in creative ways as quickly and smoothly as possible. The better your movement and subsequently your escape tactics are, the less you will be telling yourself "oh, there was no way to escape from that guy."

Moving on from the last point, always be ready for a bubble to come up at any time, especially from SSJRs, and be ready to escape accordingly. A successful runaway game can lead to you being able to better position yourself in a way where they are at a disadvantage, and you are able to punish them accordingly(teammates, your own bubble, kraken, long range snipe, roller, etc) while they no longer have their shield to protect them.

 

[Twilord]

So I've wrapped my head around Turf-Wars; I usually lead my team.

BUT I suck hard at Splatzones and would welcome tips on doing better in this style.

 

[ChivalRuse]

Motion controls are better. <_<

Not sure if this is a troll post. But good luck flick sniping with motion controls.

 

[iTwAsLucK]

So I've wrapped my head around Turf-Wars; I usually lead my team.

BUT I suck hard at Splatzones and would welcome tips on doing better in this style.

What is it in particular that you're having trouble with?

If it's killing other players... my K/D improved drastically when I realized that shooting over people does no damage for some reason, and you need to be aiming directly at them. Just a small tip.

Other than that... don't rush into the zone alone. Don't die if you're the only person near the point (as people on your team will look to jump to your location).

And use your specials to change the flow of the game!

 

[Lyn]

Try to cover areas that are covered by the enemy team more. Avoid conflict unless necessary. Try using the roller.