Overtime

[ReeSquidGig]

Overtime is the worst! Ex; You are already winning the game in the last 30 seconds, then everyone gets knocked out, then during the countdown, the other team gets the tower/Rainmaker/splatzone, and you try your best to stop them, then they guard the areas that they suspect someone will try to sneak by, and they hide and knock you out over,,,and over... and OVER again!!! then by the time you can actually reach your target, they won in overtime, and you lost the lead!!! don't you hate this!? but.. there are some opportunities to catch your target right before over time starts, but even before overtime, You end up losing right before the 5th second! That's just karma rolling in! you win one battle you lose the next, How do you stay in one rank!?

 

[Airi]

In all honesty.... If your team can defend the objective for five minutes, why can't you handle a few additional seconds? When a team loses in overtime, it is always the team's fault. I've lost in overtime many times and it was always our fault. Most of the time, my team (this includes myself) panicked and didn't play right. Our panic did us in and caused us the loss. If we had just focused and kept our wits about us, we wouldn't have lost the match. Most of the time, overtime losses are brought on by panic felt by the winning team. People have trouble keeping themselves calm enough in overtime because they begin to worry about losing. And that worry is what causes the loss they so feared.

It is frustrating. I can agree with that. But it's our own fault for causing ourselves that frustration usually. :c

Really, I think overtime only sucks in Splat Zones. In Rainmaker and Tower Control, overtime ends the exact moment the losing team loses the objective. However. in Splat Zones, it's not done that way. The other team has to recapture the zone or prevent the other team from recapturing it for a few seconds. It's a little odd that overtime in SZ doesn't end immediately when the zone is lost by the losing team like it does in the other modes. o_O

 

[Peachfanclub]

In my experience, the squad leading at the start of overtime tends to come out the victors, especially given a comfortable lead. I've played like 50 ranked battles by now and only 3 have gone into overtime, it's very likely in Splat Zones, and conversely unlikely in Tower Control. I don't know what happens if the squad that was behind comes back but doesn't reach the goal, but I would imagine that squad would become a bigger target than ever... which is why I learned to drop Squid Beakons.

 

[binx]

@Airi: Actually it's not entirely true. You can let the tower go in overtime, if you or an ally come back on it in a few seconds. For rainmaker, if you kill the leading team carrier at 4:58 you'll still have overtime, yet the objectif is neutral. I think the rules about when there is overtime and when it stops are quite natural (like, this is the most natural things to do, isn't it?).

Often in TC? when you kill the rider, you can also go on the tower, so it actually ends the overtime. But what if you're a sniper? Then you'll have the same problem than in SZ, an opponent can still take it and you have yet to kill him. On the opposite, what if you're a dynamo or something like that in SZ? Taking the zone can be reaaaally fast (Mahi for the extreme example).

Well anyway. @ReeSquidGig: As it was said, you need not to panick. Keep you blood cold, make a plan that make YOU stop the overtime (not your allies, just assume they'll die, and if they do stop the overtime it's a bonus), and make these plans in advance.

For instance, when I have a special that can end the overtime very easily, I often build it at the right time, even dying without using it one minute before the end (depending of the weapon, but I use some which keep a fair amount of charge). It's quite rare for me to lose in overtime. It only happens when I use some weapons I'm not great with, with non-aggressive special. Typically, when I'm an E-Liter, as I can't make the most-important shot at the end. But if you use a weapon you are good with, you just have to take the overtime possibility into account in your plans. If you don't, well, just pay for it. A good player thinks about the next moves after all.

And before ending this I have to say: it's good to have overtime. Can you imagine the game without it? You're dominating like crazy, you just wiped the whole team, you just need 5 more points but the timer stops? Please.

 

[Cyan]

Extra Time (PAL - aka Better Translated Version :P) is a good mechanic for Ranked, and there are numerous reasons why it exists. There's no need to complain about it existing, and calling it bad or annoying because it causes you to lose. It exists so that the losing team has a reason to keep fighting, to prevent rage quits and to keep the matches competitive, close and exciting. If it wasn't there, people would rage quit dc most matches when it became clear they weren't going to win because they were in the last minute of the match without much luck pushing and knowing full well that the timer would end before they could take the lead. I just looked on Inkipedia for the information on how Extra Time triggers and works for the other modes and overall, it's a fair system (bar Tower, which has the hardest Extra Time for too many reasons).

Let's start off with Splat Zones, Extra Time will trigger if, and only if, the losing team has control of all zones ("You've secured all Splat Zones!"/"We're in control!"), if that hasn't been triggered, and the clock hits zero, boom, no Extra Time. When it is triggered, it'll end if the enemy team capture the zones, neutralise a zone and keep it so for 15 seconds or the losing team takes the lead. For this mode in particular, the losing team need to have their specials ready to help set up a final stand, to push the enemy back and stall the, away whilst the timer ticks closer to the lead. They need to be coordinated, set up a good defence, and close off all entrances to the zone. If they screw up, then it is their fault for losing, however it may not entirely be their fault in all matches. The winning team needs to keep their cool, survey the situation, and get in where they believe there's a weak spot in the defence to wipe them and take the zone. If they lose the lead, it's generally their fault for panicking, rushing in without thinking and getting splatted, being a detriment to the team. They need to take their time (but not too much, since they are time pressured for the lead) to ensure they can successfully break in and prevent the losing team from taking the lead.

Tower Control is the one that sucks in Extra Time for the losing team, as this only triggers if they're on the Tower, and ends when the Tower times out from them not being on it. This one sucks because the winning team only needs to Kraken, Bubble, Killer Wail or Inkstrike at the Tower, thereby forcing them off the Tower and allowing them to get on it, ending the losing team's chance of taking the lead. Of course, in the rare occasions where the losing team is close to their current distance they can do the opposite to force the other team away from the Tower to take the lead. All in all, this mode sucks for Extra Time, so you really need to get the lead early on and hold on to it, as it's easier to win as the leading team in Extra Time than it is to win as the losing team.

Rainmaker is more interesting though, and ever since I learnt how it worked has made things a lot easier to prevent Extra Time from ever triggering. Extra Time triggers if the losing team has the Rainmaker currently, or the leading team drops it in the last 15 seconds of the match. It will not trigger if no-one has been in control of the Rainmaker for the last 15 seconds, if the leading team is in possession as time hits 0 or the losing team drops it in the last 15 seconds. This Extra Time really focusses on teamwork, as the Rainmaker carrier becomes the biggest target since when they get splatted, the Extra Time period ends. So the other 3 teammates need to help protect the Rainmaker and assist in splatting the other team, to allow for a good push to take the lead. It requires the Rainmaker to also not make poor judgements, if they try anything too risky they can get splatted before their teammates could clear the way or assist, effectively throwing the match. If you're the team with the lead, don't pick up the Rainmaker unless it's on your side or you can successfully hide it in the last part of the match, or wait until the last 15 seconds is reached before splatting the Rainmaker, and stall out the shield as they aren't left with much time to pop the shield open and grab it.

Overall, you need to just keep calm, focussed and make the best possible judgements within each mode and each Extra Time. Working well as a team and being effective with your positioning and choices can be a big help in coming out victorious in Extra Time. A well timed special or sub can be so critical in the outcome of the match, and you need to make sure you do it right. If everyone on the team works together and keeps it cool and collected, Extra Time should rarely ever go wrong (unless you're playing Tower Control).

 

[Award]

From my experience I'd say OT generally ends with the team that was in the lead going into it retaining the lead about 70% of the time. The other 30% is probably 50/50 split between my team making an impossible turnaround or the other team making an impossible turnaround. The former elating and the latter infuriating every time. MOST of the time OT just causes a stressful last few seconds but doesn't turn around the game. But it definitely happens.

Mostly, anxious teams choke when the buzzer starts going off. At any rank. They start doing stupid things, bum rushing the enemy, etc. It doesn't matter if they're C+ or S+, people do it at all ranks. Or sometimes teams just get totally empowered by the OT and everything just comes together for some amazing push.

My most infuriating OT losses were one where we had a 3-91 lead in museum TC. The OT buzzer started. Somehow my entire team kept throwing themselves into the tower and getting killed in a panic again and again and again..... They could NOT stop the tower. I had splatterscope and kept shooting opponents off the tower, but they kept SJ'ing (I'm assuming someone had QR and/or QSJ) non-stop to the tower and I could not keep up with sniping them off fast enough as I was the only one actually killing them without getting killed. Finally one of them flanks me and by the time I respawn they landed the KO. That was rage inducing.

Another one was both one of my most amazing and most frustrating games. Flounder SZ. I had Fresh Squiffer. We have a very large lead. Then in the last minute or so, TWO of our teammates disconnect. Now this is Flounder so the zones are pretty far apart. My remaining teammate was awesome. I rarely get awesome teammates but this guy was the real deal. We each took our side and did our best to cover a zone. 1v2-3 at any given time. We were defending quite well, and keeping them from gaining control....but JUST in the last second they seized control and sent it into OT. The two of us alone, each one on one zone continued taking zones back one at a time and stopping their countdown for a full 40 seconds, splatting tons of them. But as we never were able to claim BOTH zones at the same time they kept taking it back and whittling one or two seconds off at a time, and we ended up losing. Arigato, awesome unnamable Japanese player dude.... But we were robbed (and the game took a full 12p to rub the salt deeper.)

But the ones I hate most are the lag induced lossess. RM in triggerfish, TWICE I had a perfect shot lined up to stop them before they took the lead. Twice I took the shot, it should have hit, and somehow didn't. I know chargers are hitscan and that's not supposed to happen. But I'm pretty sure I know how to tell when I aimed a point-blank charger shot at someone and should have it. Sometimes RM carriers and tower tower riders have weird hitboxes for some reason.

On the other hand there's several matches where somehow we actually got the lead from waay behind in OT and I still have no idea how we managed to do it :P


Personally zones OT is the worst. TC and RM have pretty clear objectives except when lag and teleporting towers get in the way (my favorite is charger shots directly at the tower that splat no one and leave no ink on the tower floor...) SZ just gets fiddly between lag, and wonky control percentages.

 

[binx]

Just wanted to give some precisions/corrections about what Cyan said.

First, to trigger the OT in SZ, you don’t need to have the zone(s) in control at 5:00. You can have them neutral at 5:00 if you had them just before. It’s the same for TC, if you have the tower at 4:58 then you jump off, OT begins at 5:00 and you can come back on it.

In RM it’s different as you can’t let go of the RM just before 5:00. But, if you kill the opponent carrier at 4:55, you obviously will go in OT.

The duration of “neutral-state OT” varies. I would say TC is around 5 seconds, it’s very short. But I kinda disagree with the 15 seconds in SZ. I think it should be around 10 seconds, which is already a lot. For RM I’m not too sure about 10 or 15 seconds. Since I discovered the range of weapons on Inkipedia were doubtful, I’m not convinced by their numbers. Well, it doesn’t matter much but if someone want to know the exact duration I guess this should be tried out in private battle.

About the special, of course they are very powerful throughout the game AND in OT. Some are especially good to prevent turn around. But don’t say they are absolute. I could win TC OT against kraken (successfully turning the game around) several times. The wail is the best special to end TC OT. Basically, to still keep OT going against a wail, you need the rider to jump off at the last time, the opponents must be killed before they take it, and then you take it back. Super jumps can be effective too, giving more time while possibly sacrificing. The killing part is the hard part.

But well, it’s part of the game to realize in advance what their specials are, and secure the path before the tower. I sometimes try to find “that guy who will probably build his special” to kill him in advance, for instance.

A last thing about OT: psychology is really important. Because OT brings its lots of constraints, the playstyle changes, and the players’ behavior too. In some games, you can feel quite early that you will lead all the way to 5:00 and lose in OT, or the opposite, especially in TC. Because the power-push is real. Remember the tower goes faster if it already went somewhere, and the more players ride it, the faster it goes.

 

[Award]

Just wanted to give some precisions/corrections about what Cyan said.

First, to trigger the OT in SZ, you don’t need to have the zone(s) in control at 5:00. You can have them neutral at 5:00 if you had them just before. It’s the same for TC, if you have the tower at 4:58 then you jump off, OT begins at 5:00 and you can come back on it.

In RM it’s different as you can’t let go of the RM just before 5:00. But, if you kill the opponent carrier at 4:55, you obviously will go in OT.

The duration of “neutral-state OT” varies. I would say TC is around 5 seconds, it’s very short. But I kinda disagree with the 15 seconds in SZ. I think it should be around 10 seconds, which is already a lot. For RM I’m not too sure about 10 or 15 seconds. Since I discovered the range of weapons on Inkipedia were doubtful, I’m not convinced by their numbers. Well, it doesn’t matter much but if someone want to know the exact duration I guess this should be tried out in private battle.

About the special, of course they are very powerful throughout the game AND in OT. Some are especially good to prevent turn around. But don’t say they are absolute. I could win TC OT against kraken (successfully turning the game around) several times. The wail is the best special to end TC OT. Basically, to still keep OT going against a wail, you need the rider to jump off at the last time, the opponents must be killed before they take it, and then you take it back. Super jumps can be effective too, giving more time while possibly sacrificing. The killing part is the hard part.

But well, it’s part of the game to realize in advance what their specials are, and secure the path before the tower. I sometimes try to find “that guy who will probably build his special” to kill him in advance, for instance.

A last thing about OT: psychology is really important. Because OT brings its lots of constraints, the playstyle changes, and the players’ behavior too. In some games, you can feel quite early that you will lead all the way to 5:00 and lose in OT, or the opposite, especially in TC. Because the power-push is real. Remember the tower goes faster if it already went somewhere, and the more players ride it, the faster it goes.

IMO Neutral OT is what a lot of people dislike about OT. IMO there should be no neutral OT. If you managed to claim the objective and be on your way to victory, you should be allowed the chance to see it to the end of your control (OT) - but if you do NOT have control of the objective when the timer runs out I don't understand why you should be given the opportunity to claim it. The timer ended, the match is over, you're behind, and you don't have control of the objectve - it seems a pretty clear game over. But the game then asks "well...ok...since you just got the chance, do you want the objective now?" I think that's where the psychology breaks down too. Half the time nobody realizes they're in OT for a few seconds because it doesn't really make sense they should be, you've kind of accepted defeat at that point.

And I'd prefer to not think of the 4-rider power push in TC. It gives me nightmares. Particularly in Kelp Dome for some reason. :p

 

[binx]

I'm pretty sure this would be way more awful not to have OT just because some dynamo just came flying out of nowhere and stopped the counter in one flick at 4:59... Or any other situation where the neutral is actually not really desserved by the defending team. The tolerance is pretty much forced. Same when you kill RM carrier at 4:59. It's like "come on, we just killed him! We should have a chance! Referee, advantage!"

Hm, and people "accepting defeat" just don't understand the OT rules then, and I would say they're kinda in this case. I was surprised the first time I saw OT, but then I tried to understand and I did. Now the game is one year old... People should be able to either understand or find how it works on the internet.

 

[Award]

I'm pretty sure this would be way more awful not to have OT just because some dynamo just came flying out of nowhere and stopped the counter in one flick at 4:59... Or any other situation where the neutral is actually not really desserved by the defending team. The tolerance is pretty much forced. Same when you kill RM carrier at 4:59. It's like "come on, we just killed him! We should have a chance! Referee, advantage!"

Hm, and people "accepting defeat" just don't understand the OT rules then, and I would say they're kinda in this case. I was surprised the first time I saw OT, but then I tried to understand and I did. Now the game is one year old... People should be able to either understand or find how it works on the internet.

Well I'm not arguing against OT - if the team that's behind HAS CONTROL when the timer runs out, they get their "Referee, advantage!" moment. It sounds good that the underdog team can make a bold play in the last second to force OT and take a lead, but it's not really that great a feature when the defending team effectively gets a handicap. Because Splatoon moves so fast and a turnaround can happen at any time, it takes a very well considered defense and "cautious aggressiveness" to defend the RM successfully until the end of match only for them to get a sniper shot in or such and suddenly your well played defense is forced into OT. At best it's an abusable mechanic (wait to take out the defending carrier UNTIL the last seconds to guarantee OT and cause chaos) at worst, it lead to what surprises both teams as sort of randomness. MOST matches don't end that way which is what makes it so disorienting when it happens.

TC is a little more predictable, but SZ tends to be the MOST unreliable in neutral OT due to how awkward zone controls can be. "Who has it - wait HOW did they get it - they barely even inked it?!"