Ranked Battle (Splat Zones, Tower Control and Rainmaker) Discussion

[InkCGO]

I queued for a game, and got put in Bs. Queue time was just 5 seconds. I do not understand.

 

[Azza]

I'm getting frustrated with splatzones, I lose so many, but win so many TC. :s

 

[marintaos]

I'm honestly thinking about dropping Ranked all together because of lag. My connection isn't even bad but when I'm playing with people on the opposite side of the world I get splattered like 10 seconds in from an invisible splat bomb and end up loosing every single game I enter. I honestly wish there was an option to play national and international to avoid getting boned from connection issues that aren't your fault.

 

[Rellek]

I'm honestly thinking about dropping Ranked all together because of lag. My connection isn't even bad but when I'm playing with people on the opposite side of the world I get splattered like 10 seconds in from an invisible splat bomb and end up loosing every single game I enter. I honestly wish there was an option to play national and international to avoid getting boned from connection issues that aren't your fault.

This so much. What's worse is being disconnected after starting a match. Not even getting off the spawn platform and seeing "Communication Error" is not a very happy experience.

 

[Shalnark]

Does anyone else hate Tower Control?

I feel like the mode is a joke sometimes and the weapons that your teammates use have more of an impact on the outcome of the match than in the other modes. For example, If you have an inkbrush on your team, which has a near-useless sprinkler and a barely-helpful inkstrike, you're probably going to lose because the match becomes like a 3v4.

 

[Azza]

This so much. What's worse is being disconnected after starting a match. Not even getting off the spawn platform and seeing "Communication Error" is not a very happy experience.

While I can understand being at a disadvantage because of your teammates level or weapon choice. I still prefer tower control over splatzones.

 

[Rellek]

Does anyone else hate Tower Control?

I feel like the mode is a joke sometimes and the weapons that your teammates use have more of an impact on the outcome of the match than in the other modes. For example, If you have an inkbrush on your team, which has a near-useless sprinkler and a barely-helpful inkstrike, you're probably going to lose because the match becomes like a 3v4.

The inkbrush shouldn't be underestimated. Like... at all. That Sprinkler is super useful when you've taken the tower back from the enemy pushing it into your territory (there is undoubtedly a ton of enemy ink everywhere) use the sprinkler to save some of your team's time and to build up and inkstrike to hit that damn sniper that no one can shake.

Teams that have an inkbrush should support the inkbrush user by drawing enemy fire while he sneaks up from behind to give them a good whoopin'. Not only that but creating paths for him to move into position is awesome too. It's a beautiful thing when you shoot a path beside and behind an oncoming enemy to have an inkbrush be like, "Surprise!"

 

[HextupleyooDOT]

Forgive me if this is a common question, but I've put considerable effort into trying to find the answer, and I haven't found it anywhere, so I'm just gonna ask. =P

In Ranked Battle, once you're at the higher ranks and winning/losing gets you +/-10, how does it determine whether your point change is 6, 8, or 12? Has anyone written down some kind of chart or guide that describes how it gets calculated? Because I feel like it's rather inconsistent, but perhaps the conditions are just very specific.

One of the stranger things I encounter regularly is the instance where you're in a room full of players who are 2 or more ranks below you (e.g.: A+,A-,A-, A- vs A-,A-,A-,A-) and a win still nets you 10 pts. In comparison (if I recall correctly), a match where two of your team members outrank the opposing team by 1 rank will only net you 8 pts (e.g.: (A+,A+,A,A vs A,A,A,A).

In fact, in the instances where I'm an entire letter grade above the rest of the lobby (e.g.: A,B,B,B vs B,B,B,B), wins and losses are still worth 10. Is it because a single team member won't make the difference, but 2 will? If by some crazy happenstance I was an A+ player in a room full of C players, would wins still net me 10pts?

If nobody has the answer here, I think I'll conduct a study, but I figured I'd ask before putting in the time. =P

 

[Rellek]

I haven't written anything down, but from general experience I can say that it occurs mostly in A lobbies unless there's a severe rank difference (Like an A in a B- room)

Generally, it takes 2 rank differences to change the amount of points afforded to you. So the instance for 8 points you have up there is correct by this line of thought.

I do remember a time back in the beginning when I was but a C player there were 2 As in the room. They got paired on the same team (wtf right) and I ended up winning the battle. Got 16 points fromt hat one. So do the math there. Just some data for your research if you choose to do it.

 

[Dragonhunter970]

Is it just me or Chargers are the most useful in spat zones, as zones are right next to high sniping perches.

 

[xXDR.SWOOCEXx]

A charger could easily be killed or forced off of its perch by a splat bomb. That's why I love the dual squelcher.

@HextupleyooDOT I think whether you get a knockout or not also has an effect on how many points you get.

 

[Njok]

It's based on the ranks (including points) of both teams iirc. Can't seem to find the exact explanation at the moment.

I don't think a knockout has anything to do with it.

 

[ILikeKirbys]

I have a bit of a problem in Ranked. It doesn't have to do with any of the modes specifically, but this is the Ranked thread so here it is:
I just got into A rank today, and I'm not sure if I've actually gotten any better or if I just got good teammates frequently enough. I think I got a bit better around the second Splatfest, and a bit better again after switching to the Splattershot Jr. and a Special-Charge/Duration-Up-intensive-with-some-Ink-Saver-Subs set of gear to get more and longer Bubblers during the last Splatfest, but I still get splatted frequently and have a bit of trouble splatting enemies (some of it might be lag, but most of it's me) and I still suck at Tower Control, though I'm good enough at covering turf and alright at Splat Zones. So I think I need to ask: How can I tell if I've actually gotten better? Sorry if that's not actually relevant to this thread, it just seemed like the right place to ask.

A charger could easily be killed or forced off of its perch by a splat bomb. That's why I love the dual squelcher.

I love that about the Splattershot Jr. It's good to toss up a Splat Bomb and make a Charger move or die (usually move, but occasionally they die). It's also good for Suction and Burst Bombs, though arguably less so for them (Suction Bombs are slow to explode, giving a bit longer than a Splat Bomb does to get away, and Burst Bombs only splat enemies after a few hits, so they're arguably not as good as a Splat Bomb for that purpose). Even a well-placed Sprinkler could distract them briefly (they'd have to shoot it or get splatted. Because Sprinklers can splat enemies. This has happened to me), though I wouldn't consider it ideal for dealing with Chargers (but if you have it, might as well go for it).
Also, Inkstrikes are great for making enemies get off of perches (or get splatted. It happens, occasionally), as are Killer Wails and (to a slightly lesser extent) Inkzookas and (to a significantly lesser extent) Bubbler and Kraken (Kraken has invincibility and great mobility to get to sniper perches, while Bubbler has invincibility and the ability to shoot back at the Chargers; both are useful for dealing with Chargers, though in different ways). All of those require your Special to be charged, so they're not entirely reliable anti-Charger options, but they're good when you have them.

@HextupleyooDOT I think whether you get a knockout or not also has an effect on how many points you get.

Not to my knowledge, I think it's about the disparity between the winning and losing teams' ranks (so beating a bunch of As as a team of Bs results in the Bs getting more points and the As losing more points, while the As beating the Bs results in the Bs only losing a few points and the As only gaining a few points). I've heard that if someone disconnects and you lose (which you probably will if someone on your team drops out), you only lose 1 point, but I've lost the full amount when I lost after someone disconnected, so I dunno.
But I could be wrong.

 

[BaraBeast]

Splatzones is garbage while control tower is super fun. Just means I have to wait a few hours between my ranked play sessions.

 

[Blue24]

I have a bit of a problem in Ranked. It doesn't have to do with any of the modes specifically, but this is the Ranked thread so here it is:
I just got into A rank today, and I'm not sure if I've actually gotten any better or if I just got good teammates frequently enough. I think I got a bit better around the second Splatfest, and a bit better again after switching to the Splattershot Jr. and a Special-Charge/Duration-Up-intensive-with-some-Ink-Saver-Subs set of gear to get more and longer Bubblers during the last Splatfest, but I still get splatted frequently and have a bit of trouble splatting enemies (some of it might be lag, but most of it's me) and I still suck at Tower Control, though I'm good enough at covering turf and alright at Splat Zones. So I think I need to ask: How can I tell if I've actually gotten better? Sorry if that's not actually relevant to this thread, it just seemed like the right place to ask.

Youve gotten to A with the Splattershot Jr? Thats impressive. For Tower, Try the Custom Splattershot Jr. Disurptors are amazing in Tower Control and Echolocater is always good to know where your oponents are and prevents your opponents from getting jumped. I also don't like the bubble all that much in TC, outside of certain pushes. It can just get pushed around. Try the custom when your losing alot though I don't want to be the reason you lose ranks :P.

 

[ILikeKirbys]

Youve gotten to A with the Splattershot Jr? Thats impressive. For Tower, Try the Custom Splattershot Jr. Disurptors are amazing in Tower Control and Echolocater is always good to know where your oponents are and prevents your opponents from getting jumped. I also don't like the bubble all that much in TC, outside of certain pushes. It can just get pushed around. Try the custom when your losing alot though I don't want to be the reason you lose ranks :p.

Well, I used a bunch of weapons (quite a bit of Octobrush in the B-/B/B+ ranks, considering going back to that, had some success during Splatfest so maybe it'll become a secondary choice, and the .52 Gal Deco got me out of C-/C/C+, though I'm not as enamored with it as I once was; don't quite remember the other weapons, but there were quite a few), but recently in A- I switched to the Splattershot Jr. and got all the way to A+ (haven't had any success there, but I kinda expected that). Don't see how that's impressive to be honest, the Jr. probably has the most balanced offensive loadout in the game (Splat Bombs are great for throwing at far-off enemies, while Bubbler's invincibility (and ability to be passed to your teammates) is hard to beat for best Special).
But I'll give the Custom Splattershot Jr. another chance. I suck at Tower Control normally (usually switch to the Tentatek Splattershot when it's on, with a very spotty success rate, or just play Turf War, maybe level up some gear), but maybe Disruptor/Echolocator could be what I need to help out there. And yeah, Bubbler isn't as good for Tower Control as I thought it would be. Should I use Special Duration Ups with Echolocator though? I only ask because my Splattershot Jr. loadout has quite a bit of it, and I don't know if Echolocator is one of the specials that isn't helped by having Duration Up (like Inkstrike and Killer Wail, for example, where it just gives you more time to aim, but those weapons should be fired off quckly to be effective, at least I think so).
And don't worry about me losing ranks because of your advice. I'm pretty sure I'll be dropping back to A rank soon enough regardless, I'm not quite good enough to hang in A+ yet.
Thanks, mate.

 

[Blue24]

Well, I used a bunch of weapons (quite a bit of Octobrush in the B-/B/B+ ranks, considering going back to that, had some success during Splatfest so maybe it'll become a secondary choice, and the .52 Gal Deco got me out of C-/C/C+, though I'm not as enamored with it as I once was; don't quite remember the other weapons, but there were quite a few), but recently in A- I switched to the Splattershot Jr. and got all the way to A+ (haven't had any success there, but I kinda expected that). Don't see how that's impressive to be honest, the Jr. probably has the most balanced offensive loadout in the game (Splat Bombs are great for throwing at far-off enemies, while Bubbler's invincibility (and ability to be passed to your teammates) is hard to beat for best Special).
But I'll give the Custom Splattershot Jr. another chance. I suck at Tower Control normally (usually switch to the Tentatek Splattershot when it's on, with a very spotty success rate, or just play Turf War, maybe level up some gear), but maybe Disruptor/Echolocator could be what I need to help out there. And yeah, Bubbler isn't as good for Tower Control as I thought it would be. Should I use Special Duration Ups with Echolocator though? I only ask because my Splattershot Jr. loadout has quite a bit of it, and I don't know if Echolocator is one of the specials that isn't helped by having Duration Up (like Inkstrike and Killer Wail, for example, where it just gives you more time to aim, but those weapons should be fired off quckly to be effective, at least I think so).
And don't worry about me losing ranks because of your advice. I'm pretty sure I'll be dropping back to A rank soon enough regardless, I'm not quite good enough to hang in A+ yet.
Thanks, mate.

Well it has low accuracy and not the best range. Which means your good at getting close (flanking, etc) or good at playing ink dodgeball or have amazing bubble skills. I don't see alot of Jrs in Ranked, to be honest.

Special Duration does affect echolocator which is nice because you can start building the meter up again while its still active.

 

[ILikeKirbys]

Well it has low accuracy and not the best range. Which means your good at getting close (flanking, etc) or good at playing ink dodgeball or have amazing bubble skills. I don't see alot of Jrs in Ranked, to be honest.

Special Duration does affect echolocator which is nice because you can start building the meter up again while its still active.

Ah, I haven't got that much of any of those (I'm alright at getting close, but that doesn't win games by itself; I dunno what ink dodgeball is, but given my consistently high death count I'm going to assume I'm pretty bad at it; my Bubbler reaction time's gotten better, but it's not where I want it yet). Really I'm just alright at supporting good teams and haven't got much in the way of solo skill. Hence my earlier concerns about my possibly only getting into higher ranks by getting carried by good teams. I've gotten somewhat better since then, though.
Also, I saw plenty of Jrs in Ranked, in the B/B+ lobbies.

Also, thanks for the tip! Wouldn't have assumed Echolocator would work with SDU because it didn't show the meter, but that's actually pretty neat.
Now I just have to reconfigure my loadout with a Damage Up main and a Damage Up sub or two somewhere and I'll give the Custom a shot.

EDIT: I got back into A+. Tried out the Custom Jr. in Tower Control, but I didn't like how it felt (maybe I'll start liking it with time, but for now it just doesn't feel like the weapon's loadout synergizes well with my playstyle; I like offensive play, but I like having a midrange attack method as well, which the Custom Jr. lacks; Disruptors are good, but don't really work for me outside of Blasters and the Nozzlenose, and Echolocator is good, though I never built it while trying this out), so I think I'll stick to the Tentatek Splattershot (Suction Bomb/Inkzooka works pretty well for getting and keeping the Tower, and I never realized how much range the Tentatek has until today, this thing really can do mid-range combat) and the regular Splattershot Jr. (Splat Bombs are good in general, Bubbler is the best overall Special in my opinion, and the range isn't so bad since I've gotten better at flanking and ambushing) for that mode for now. Any other ideas for weapons I should try for this mode? I prefer going on offense, something all the weapons I use in Ranked are good for (Splattershot Jr. has good ambushing ability with its main fire, distance attack power with Splat Bombs, and invincibility that can be passed to teammates through Bubbler is damn near invaluable: Tentatek Splattershot is very well-rounded, with respectable mid-range and great short-range power through its main fire, decent ability to force enemy movement and control space with Suction Bombs, and long-distance destruction with the Inkzooka, though it'll probably be replaced with the Octoshot Replica when I reach that; Octobrush is great for getting around by running and has fairly powerful and wide swings, has Squid Beakons for getting teammates and myself back into the fight (or strategic retreats) and has the invincible Kraken is nice for escapes and occasional splats), but I want to expand my horizons a bit as well. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.

 

[FlareHabanero]

>Blackbelly Skatepark
>Urchin Underpass
>Turf Wars
>Dynamo Roller

Thank you Satan.

 

[SGM]

Gonna have to wait four to eight hours for a mode you want now, but... this still looks insane. I'm not looking forward to Rainmaker whatsoever.