Need Help becoming 'Fresh'

[omegaprime02]

Ok, so I'm relatively new to the game (about 20 hours of time played across all modes in the last three weeks), and have had absolutely horrible game sessions for the last few days (longest win streak 2, longest loss streak 16). Some of them, I feel, are bad matchmaking (level 50's vs sub-20's, team loadout over redundancies (AKA, 4 rollers vs 4 E-Liters)), I often grumble about those **** games, but there are a large number when we were relatively close and we lost because I made fatal errors at critical moments throughout the match, those are the one's I want to fix.

To start with, I'm a **** player, I suck and I know it, I'm looking for advice to, hopefully, improve. I'll list some things that I'm having issues with (I put these in The Dead Sea before I realized that I could actually create a thread), not all of them are things that'll have skill-based solutions, some are completely technical. in the different categories I've put it from most pressing to least.


Controls:

A) I'm getting better at motion controls, but I've been having some serious issues with the learning curve (and what feels like 15 years of CoD twitch muscle memory (Derp, it's actually 13)). The only weapons I can use with even moderate success are the Carbon Rollers, cosplaying as Speedy Gonzalez, the Krak-On Roller, as an all powerful beast from the inky depths, and the Hydra, simply because of the ridiculous volume of fire it outputs.

B) With analog, I have had significant success with the Carbon Roller Deco and the Krak-On, seriously, those two make up about 60% of my total area covered and 80% of my kills, but I'm so dependent on Auto-Aim from CoD that anything that doesn't fire like a shotgun is basically useless to me.

Any tips for either?


Countering Specific Weapons:

A) Areosprays...I have so many things I say about people that use these against me that I'm glad there's no voice chat. I, simply put, have absolutely no clue how to counter them, at all. Hell, I've usually changed colors before I realize they're there.

B) E-Liters, I have a basic idea of how to kill them, but even with my Shrimp-Pink Polo equipped, it seems like they can see many of my approaches under cover of allied ink.

C) Rollers, I know you can jump over them, I saw it on Youtube, I just can't do it myself to save my life...quite literally in this case

D) Blasters, I have about a 30% survival rate against them, my biggest question is this: are they notified when they hit someone? I don't really use ranged weapons (as per controls section above), but even when I've successfully hid from them, they fire one last round, and then start to turn away, I'm on the extreme edge of the blast in squid form, the shot doesn't even knock me out of the ink, and then they turn and hammer my exact location like I'm a vampire in the sun (take your pick on which kind, Sparkly or on fire, either works).

E) Inkzooka, I don't usually die to Krakens, Wails, or Inkstrikes, it's the freaking shoulder-mounted spewer of death that always does me in.

F) Splat Bombs, do they actually have a one second timer? I swear they don't.


Anything map-specific, I know what they look like, but I have no idea how to use the terrain for anything beyond keeping myself in cover and that it changes color when I shoot it...and that I can somehow swim up that color.


What exactly do abilities do? Sometimes it feels like they're making my life impossible, other times it's like they don't even matter.



Now for the technical one:

Latency mitigation; I've died a lot to rollers that ink where I was five seconds ago, and bombs that I thought I had successfully evaded. Are there any tricks to keeping oneself safe from the inevitable quantum fluctuations in personally observed space-time that lead to total obliteration of all my hopes and dreams?



I had more, but my sleep-deprived brain cannot recall them at this time.

 

[モモコ]

1. Out range them, aerosprays splat kinda slow for the short range too, like the .52 gal out ranges it and splats faster, ugh (I use aerosprays a lot and if the GOLD one is getting you that is pretty bad, if the siver one is getting you though with cleaver use of seekers and inking/hiding walls and jumping around and such, well found a skilled user)
2. Chargers by now or people in general by now should have a good idea of predicting movements and such. I can even turn around and shoot someone ninja jumping behind my back.
3. Lag? It may be hard to do because you may have mico lag and think it is your skills and not the lag. You need to be playing awhile before you get an eye on this. I do not know "Cod" so i am sorry I can't compare effects. In general though if you are jumping over them with some movement to them (like going in oppiste directions) just jump before they get to you and your feet should land after they pass you. This skill may be useless later on though as all mid-to high level skill will simply jump and aim down on you or small adjust aim depending on how you move to splat you.
4. Blasters work like this, they need some kind of range on you to have the blast effect to work (2 hit range splat) Your best bet is out ranging the blaster or getting in point blank. At point blank the blaster needs to hit you dead on or it will do almost nothing, like a charger. You hear a sound when you hit someone with any weapon but chargers and blasters have a second sound, the other is not really useful since it tells you what you already know, a 1 hit direct hit splat (neglecting bamboozle and rapid, both types can't splat in 1 hit or too weak charge times on the other chargers. speaking of do partly charge shots on charge get the shatter effect?) So yes a skilled blaster may look like they are shooting randomly, hear hitting you and firing a second in that direction to splat you. But any weapon has this.
5. Look for shinny hair of people that carry this special, same with bubble and kraken who wait at the last second. sometimes you can't do anything if a inkzuka user is stalking you and lining up the best shot. HOWEVER! If you hear an inkzuka firing you should notice where it is coming from and take cover. There is hardly anything you can do if someone i playing stealth and gets you with the first shot, but that goes for any weapon really.
6. I do not understand this, splatbombs blow up faster if you ground roll them.

most abilities are explained in the game, I need a bit more spific, sorry it is late so ill just stay with this for now.

for the technical, all i can do is get the wii u wired and run a speed test. look what ping is most of all

 

[omegaprime02]

CoD: Call of Duty

Yea, I have issues with the gold one right now. I'll apply what I can tomorrow, for now I'm passing out, thank you!

 

[モモコ]

I mean I heard of that game so i know what it is, I just can't compare to playing it. Also for knowing how to ink walls etc I did a quick vid on the sound you hear when you hit someone (all weapons do it) then shown you how to play around recon a map and showing how it is helpful knowing the tw of a map and rank because they have differences. Also in rank mode tower control, that tower can let you access things by jumping off it that you couldn't in other modes.

 

[birdiebee]

Ok, so I'm relatively new to the game (about 20 hours of time played across all modes in the last three weeks), and have had absolutely horrible game sessions for the last few days (longest win streak 2, longest loss streak 16). Some of them, I feel, are bad matchmaking (level 50's vs sub-20's, team loadout over redundancies (AKA, 4 rollers vs 4 E-Liters)), I often grumble about those **** games, but there are a large number when we were relatively close and we lost because I made fatal errors at critical moments throughout the match, those are the one's I want to fix.

To start with, I'm a **** player, I suck and I know it, I'm looking for advice to, hopefully, improve. I'll list some things that I'm having issues with (I put these in The Dead Sea before I realized that I could actually create a thread), not all of them are things that'll have skill-based solutions, some are completely technical. in the different categories I've put it from most pressing to least.


Controls:

A) I'm getting better at motion controls, but I've been having some serious issues with the learning curve (and what feels like 15 years of CoD twitch muscle memory (Derp, it's actually 13)). The only weapons I can use with even moderate success are the Carbon Rollers, cosplaying as Speedy Gonzalez, the Krak-On Roller, as an all powerful beast from the inky depths, and the Hydra, simply because of the ridiculous volume of fire it outputs.

B) With analog, I have had significant success with the Carbon Roller Deco and the Krak-On, seriously, those two make up about 60% of my total area covered and 80% of my kills, but I'm so dependent on Auto-Aim from CoD that anything that doesn't fire like a shotgun is basically useless to me.

Any tips for either?

I'll do my best to troubleshoot although I'm sure there are others more qualified to do so.

In my case, I played for the first 7 months of owning the game using analog controls. It wasn't until I'd finally reached S rank a second time in January that I picked up motion. I don't have an FPS/auto-aim background. Splatoon is the first shooter I dont suck abysmally at. So my experience is a bit different, but I would say a similar approach may work for you:

Get good with analog. You're used to it. I know there's no auto-aim, but picking up motion controls when you have a better and fuller understanding of the ins and outs of the game will be a lot easier, and it will make a lot more sense. It sounds like you're having more success with analog right now, so stick with that until you feel ready to transition. People will tell you that motion controls are necessary to compete with top tier players, but you're not a top tier player, yet, and there's no need to sweat it right now. I'm proof that climbing to S with analog controls is possible, and I learned so much about the game along the way. Took me a couple days to get comfortable with motion from there, and its been smooth sailing since.

Countering Specific Weapons:

A) Areosprays...I have so many things I say about people that use these against me that I'm glad there's no voice chat. I, simply put, have absolutely no clue how to counter them, at all. Hell, I've usually changed colors before I realize they're there.

Aeros are actually pretty predictable. They have among the shortest range in the game (although you use mainly carbons right now, which is a bit shorter), and their hits are weak despite being fast. Aerospray users depend on being sneaky for their kills, so tread cautiously into enemy ink. This should be standard for all operations, but if you're getting splatted by Aerosprays consistently, you're too close to their color. Roll less and fling more, in your case, or pick up weapons that cover more turf. Really, as a carbon roller you should be doing what the Aeros are doing and ambushing oblivious enemy squids.

B) E-Liters, I have a basic idea of how to kill them, but even with my Shrimp-Pink Polo equipped, it seems like they can see many of my approaches under cover of allied ink.

Flankflankflank. You can't count on being faster than their trigger. Take a route from the side and rush them down. If you can't reach them like that, throw bombs at them. Even if that doesnt kill them, it will disrupt their focus and make them relocate. You can rush them down then, too. I would advise using the regular Carbon Roller instead of Deco for dealing with E-Liters. Seekers are worthless for taking them out and you often cant fling your ink that high. I personally like using Splat Bombs to deal with E-Liters. It buys me enough time to get over to them if it doesnt kill them in the blast.

C) Rollers, I know you can jump over them, I saw it on Youtube, I just can't do it myself to save my life...quite literally in this case

I... didnt? I wouldnt rely on jumping over Rollers, man, sorry. Rollers are killing machines and are best deal with from a distance. Splat Bombs or at least mid-range weapons to take them out, unless you're confident in your ninja ambush skills, but in all honesty, Roller mains are good at anticipating ambushes. That's what they're built for.

D) Blasters, I have about a 30% survival rate against them, my biggest question is this: are they notified when they hit someone? I don't really use ranged weapons (as per controls section above), but even when I've successfully hid from them, they fire one last round, and then start to turn away, I'm on the extreme edge of the blast in squid form, the shot doesn't even knock me out of the ink, and then they turn and hammer my exact location like I'm a vampire in the sun (take your pick on which kind, Sparkly or on fire, either works).

Blasters are my least favorite. At the very least, you feel a vibration in your gamepad if you hit someone for partial damage. Blasters are hard to hide from, because the radius of their blasts are large, so they don't have to aim so much as guestimate your position. Their flaw is fire rate, of course, so if they guess wrong, you should have enough time to splat em. But the best blasters seldom let their prey escape. You have to train yourself to bail the instant you feel that first hit. Get out of their range and give them hell.

E) Inkzooka, I don't usually die to Krakens, Wails, or Inkstrikes, it's the freaking shoulder-mounted spewer of death that always does me in.

Don't hide behind low walls. Any large structure should be safe. Developing acute awareness of your enemies activities over time with experience will eventually make it not so difficult to deal with. You've only logged 20 hours across all modes, as you've said, so this is expected and not at all anything to worry about right now. You'll learn the nature of their blasts and how to counter them with trial and error, I think.

F) Splat Bombs, do they actually have a one second timer? I swear they don't.

It's about one second or so. If you spare any time hesitating when you see one, you're probably going to die. They're sneaky, but their range is limited. Again, give yourself time to get acquainted with the range they have and time you have to deal with them. I know that's not really great advice, but I mean, it's a bomb. Run away when you see it. If you die, you didn't notice it soon enough... and that's about it.

Anything map-specific, I know what they look like, but I have no idea how to use the terrain for anything beyond keeping myself in cover and that it changes color when I shoot it...and that I can somehow swim up that color.

Can you give some examples here? I'm not really sure what you are referring to. Most of the terrain in the game is all the same. If its inkable, its meant to be inked and hidden in, across all maps.

What exactly do abilities do? Sometimes it feels like they're making my life impossible, other times it's like they don't even matter.

Basically, they provide boosts and power ups. They aren't game changing, I mean, the game is perfectly playable without paying attention to your gear, but the differences are noticeable, and significant enough that you'll want to pay some attention to wearing gear with abilities that complement your weapon choice. If your weapon guzzles ink, use Ink Recovery, if you need to get that Kraken out fast, use Special Charge Up. If you die a lot, Special Saver is handy. The list goes on. These things can be a blessing if you organize it right. Check out the Build Compendium to get an idea of what works best for weapons and tweak it to your liking.

Now for the technical one:

Latency mitigation; I've died a lot to rollers that ink where I was five seconds ago, and bombs that I thought I had successfully evaded. Are there any tricks to keeping oneself safe from the inevitable quantum fluctuations in personally observed space-time that lead to total obliteration of all my hopes and dreams?



I had more, but my sleep-deprived brain cannot recall them at this time.

I don't really experience this so I don't have much help to offer.. sorry.

I hope I could be of some help to you!

 

[Skoodge]

I am not going to have specifics for your questions, but I am just going to give some general suggestions, and who you are going against.

You have to understand that some of this, as with everything will come from experience. A lot of us on SquidBoards have been playing since release, and almost daily at that. I personally have leveled two accounts to 50, and play at least an hour a day. So unfortunately you are just going to have to play more, since most people online by level 50 have probably put in more than 100 hours already.

As far as weapon countering, the best advice I can give, is just try to think everything through, and try to be 2 steps ahead of your opponent. This is why E-Liters can hit you so easily, if they see you one place, they can anticipate where you will go based upon previous behaviors, even if you have Ninja Squid. To counter this, and flip the situation, change up your tactics, go to the other side of the map, or cover base and charge your special. Then your opponent has to rethink, and you have the advantage.

As silly as it sounds Splatoon is mentally and physically taxing. Often I must take breaks, since I am mentally tired, of thinking through things like the last example. But I am also physically tired, from the adrenaline and pulse raising moments. This is why people get so angry playing Splatoon. If you can get to this mental state, no matter what weapon you use, and are fighting, you will at least have a good chance, even if the matchup is terrible.

I know this was kind of vague, but I like to remind myself of this concept whenever I start playing badly, like any other video game abuse other players habits, and reduce your own. You can always win with a better mindset than your opponent.

 

[omegaprime02]

@birdiebee things like map specific events, I keep hearing about gates that open and areas that appear, but other than the water level in Mahi-Mahi, I have no idea what kind of things can change.

Also, thank you for the advice on weapon types, for now I'll continue working on my stealth skill, so flanking and flicking are things I'll focus on.

I'll be using (and abusing) that site, min-maxing can be fun.

@Skoodge general advice is great, I'll focus on making myself a little bit more random, thinking back I realize that I'm a bit too focused on a single objective and way too predictable.

I never thought of playing it as mentally demanding, though I do realize that my mood sours as time goes on, so I'll start taking breaks more often, maybe that'll help my outlook.

 

[Floating Eyeball]

The gates in Camp Triggerfish will get lowered at some point (usually much sooner in a ranked match) to let you get into the other team's side. Just go to the right as you leave the spawn, the walls will be able to be inked up. You can see where this will take you on your map, and it's pretty useful for most ranked matches. Try to think of how the stage is going to be for them and how it'll look for you going in. Most stages are symmetrical, so it can help you visualize what you'll come up to.

 

[omegaprime02]

The gates in Camp Triggerfish will get lowered at some point (usually much sooner in a ranked match) to let you get into the other team's side. Just go to the right as you leave the spawn, the walls will be able to be inked up. You can see where this will take you on your map, and it's pretty useful for most ranked matches. Try to think of how the stage is going to be for them and how it'll look for you going in. Most stages are symmetrical, so it can help you visualize what you'll come up to.

I want to thank you, while it hasn't won me a game yet, it is making losses significantly less painful.

 

[Floating Eyeball]

You're welcome! And I totally know the feeling, I've felt like I can almost get to a spot to sneak in, but I still ended up being splatted before getting in anything great.

 

[Flareth]

Now I must warn you, this is going t be a rather lengthy read, so I've put everything into spoiler tags to divide each section.

Spoiler: Re: Motion Controls

I'm going to quote one of my earlier posts here:

I use the motion controls only when I'm using a charger. I believe it's mandatory to have them on when using it: I've tried to make do with just the R-Stick, and it's nearly impossible to hit anything, or even aim at all. The splatlings are in a similar boat, though I've had equal successes without having them on.

Most of the other weapons I feel don't need them, with the exceptions of the longer-ranged, higher-accuracy shooters like the .96 Gal and the Squelchers... of which I've used neither, so I'll have to test them out in the near future.

You say you're primarily a roller main, right? So you needn't bother yourself with using the motion controls for them. Rollers are probably the only weapons in the game that don't benefit from having them on.*

Now, if you still want to learn the motion controls anyway, my advice is to practice in the Octo Valley. Especially if you're learning to use a charger, although you'll need the Inkling Girl amiibo for that.
*Although I've heard the Dynamo Roller does. Having never used that weapon, I cannot say.

Spoiler: Re: Weapon Advice

I'll admit, I'm nowhere near close to being an authority on all weapons. Nevertheless:

• A) The thing about Aerosprays, especially the RG variant, is that they're rather lacking in the range department. Just about every other weapon (save for a few*) outranges it. Once you learn to keep your distance, they can be easily dispatched. You can make this easier by inking the ground whenever possible. This prevents them from sneaking up on you, forcing them to approach on-foot.
  
• B) E-Liters are a pain in the *** to deal with, I agree. Worse, the regular E-Liter has Burst Bombs to deal with anyone who gets too close, as well as the Echolocator to keep you from ambushing them. So harassing them with bombs and distracting them from more important targets is a better idea than hunting them down, but even that's not guaranteed. (Or, if you've got an Inkzooka charged, whip it out and blow those suckers off their perch!)
• C) Uh, I don't know what videos you've been watching, but playing leapfrog with any roller is suicidal.
• D) Blasters essentially work like grenade launchers. They fire a single, hi-powered shot that explodes in midair if it doesn't hit anything before then. That explosion deals a hefty amount of damage, enough to splat you if you've already been hit at least once; it's also got a fairly wide radius, and can be used to hit squiddos that hide behind cover.
  Now y'see, there's basically two different types of Blaster: the regular kind, which are lethal up close but have limited range, and the Rapid kind, which exchange OHKO capabilities for extra range. With the former, you pretend that they're just really strong Aerosprays and keep your distance whilst firing at them. With the latter, however, you may actually be better off getting up close, as their shots won't normally be able to splat you before you can splat them.
• E) If somebody whips out an Inkzooka, your first instinct should be to turn tail and hide behind a decently large wall. I'm thinking along the lines of the boxes in Walleye Warehouse and Port Mackerel. Splat them only if you have the opportunity to do so (ie. they don't see you and there's enough of your ink on the ground that you can swim up behind them for the backstab).
  
• F) Splat Bombs are a bit quirky. It takes one second for them to go off, but, well... they won't be primed until they land on a solid surface, and they won't actually explode unless they're on a solid surface either. So if you're throwing one at an enemy squiddo, what you should do is throw it at an angle towards the ground (in the direction of the target, obviously).

*Those being the Splattershot Jr. (which the Aerospray is evenly ranged with) and the Sploosh-o-matic, Regular Blaster, Range Blaster, Luna Blaster, Inkbrush, and Octobrush (which the Aerospray outranges).

Spoiler: Re: Maps

This isn't an exhaustive list of every map's gimmicks, but rather just a few that I know of off the top of my head:

• Ancho-V Games: There're two big platforms in the center area, each with a little fan on them. When you shoot that fan, the platforms will rise from the ground, allowing you to infiltrate the enemy base. There's also two smaller fan platforms located near the spawn point; these are there mainly to provide another way to get around, in case the enemy team's got you locked down at the usual entrances.
• Camp Triggerfish: On the right-hand side and just ahead of the spawn point, there are two inkable walls. In Turf Wars, these walls descend in the last minute of the match, giving you easy access to the side areas. In Ranked Battles, these wall descend as soon as the match starts for some reason.
• Mahi-Mahi Resort: The map is surrounded by a large pool of water, which means that extra caution must be taken to avoid an accidental death. (Protip: Excercise some restraint when swimming around near the grates.) At about the 1:45 minute mark, you''ll hear the sound of steel drums; this is the signal that the water level is about to drop soon, increasing the amount of inkable/walkable ground quite a bit.
• Museum d'Alfonsino: Giant, rotating platforms are to be found in this stage. One at each base, and another in the map's center. The center platform allows you to jump over to the opposing team's base, and the other two just... exist... to get in the way of everything? (I'm sure there's some tactical use for them, but I have no idea what it might be.)
  
• Port Mackerel: In addition to the maze of containers in the middle ground, in Turf Wars there are also two forklifts on either side of the center. These are inkable, and allow you to climb onto some of those containers. However, they can also box you in, so do keep that in mind if you have to flee from somebody.

Speaking as one Krak-On Roller user to another, I'd also take some time before jumping into a match to scout out each map and look for places to place your Squid Beakons. Ideally, there will be places that are close enough to the center, yet out-of-the-way enough that your opponents won't notice them right away.

Spoiler: Re: Abilities

@birdiebee said it better than I could. I also advise you to check out that thread. There's a lot of good builds in there, which you can use to get an idea of what works best with your weapons.
I should mention a few things, though.
Firstly, whilst a gear item's main ability is set in stone, sub abilities are randomized.* That is to say, when you buy a gear item, you won't know what subs you'll get until you level that item up and unlock the sub slot.
Secondly, a gear item can have up to three sub ability slots depending on the number of stars the gear has. A 1-star gear item has a single sub slot, a 2-star gear item has two slots, and so on. The higher the number of stars, the more points you'll need to unlock each slot.
Third, for the price of one Super Sea Snail (awarded during Splatfests), you can pay Spyke to add an additional sub slot onto a 1- or -2-star gear item, And for gear with all slots unlocked, you can also pay him to reroll the sub abilities on that item, should you want different abilities.
Lastly, the various different brands each have an affinity for a particular sub ability**. Take the Squidforce brand, for instance. All Squidforce-brand gear items are 5x more likely to get Damage Up as a sub ability over, say, Quick Respawn or Ink Recovery. Likewise, the Inkline brand is 5x more likely to get Defense Up subs. If you're interested, Inkipedia's got full information on each ability, including the effects of stacking abilities and what brands favor which abilities.
(Protip: Again, as one Krak-On Roller to the next, Special Duration Up and Swim Speed Up are your friends.)
*Technically, whenever you buy a new gear item, it will come with an initial set of subs that are set in stone; you won't know what they are until you unlock the, however, and I don't think they're selected until after you've bought it.
**The exceptions being the amiibo, Cuttlegear, Famitsu, KOG, and SQUID GIRL brands, which don't favor any specific ability.

Spoiler: Re: Lag

All I've heard is that investing in a wired LAN adapter for your Wii U can solve most lag issues. I don't know how true this is though, as I'm very much wireless-dependent.

I hope this answers some of your questions.