So I'm awful, and I don't know where else to ask

[Zero Meddler]

Is surviving always a must? Or are exchanges usually not worth it? Sometimes I can't tell in the heat of the game.

It's a bit difficult to say for certain since every game plays out differently. Sometimes, you can get into battles and win most of them one game, but get roflstomped every time you get into a fight the next game. Because of this inconsistency, deciding and surviving fights should be a priority whether it's by winning them or retreating. Think about it. When you get splatted, you lose your current position, you're unable to aid in any way for a few seconds, lose a bit of special (even if you have Special Saver, you're forced to spread some ink before you can use it), and must spend time to get back to where you were. You waste time and that's something you can't afford to do in this game, regardless of the mode. On top of that, if you (or a teammate) are dead, it creates a temporary 3v4 (or worse) situation which the enemy team can capitalize on and make a push while facing less resistance than normal. This could also turn YOUR push into THEIR push which can turn the tide of the game and make you wonder "What happened?".

Winning fights will give you the same advantage though whether your team capitalizes on it (or IF they can) can decided if it was even worth engaging. Retreating means you give up your position, but you can aid your allies to get it back and keep your special. You could also use that time to flank the other team and create the 3v4 situation for them. Also, you can help your team claim turf and/or get the objective.Trading with enemies can be worth it, but in my experiences they really aren't. You don't change anything in terms of player numbers since it could go from 4v4 to 3v3 or 3v4 to 2v3. If they were holding a powerful position and you trade with them, it could be worth it, but again, I can't say for certain.

The only other thing I can really say is be smart about what battles you go into. Is it worth engaging the enemy in combat? What do I gain if they get splatted? What do they gain if I get splatted? What escape route do I have should things go sour? It'll take time to develop the ability to quickly ask and answer these questions, ESPECIALLY during the heat of a battle. If you need to, go to Turf War and practice these skills. You have nothing to lose there so practice as much as you need to there. I hope this helped you in some way.

 

[jsilva]

It's a bit difficult to say for certain since every game plays out differently. Sometimes, you can get into battles and win most of them one game, but get roflstomped every time you get into a fight the next game. Because of this inconsistency, deciding and surviving fights should be a priority whether it's by winning them or retreating. Think about it. When you get splatted, you lose your current position, you're unable to aid in any way for a few seconds, lose a bit of special (even if you have Special Saver, you're forced to spread some ink before you can use it), and must spend time to get back to where you were. You waste time and that's something you can't afford to do in this game, regardless of the mode. On top of that, if you (or a teammate) are dead, it creates a temporary 3v4 (or worse) situation which the enemy team can capitalize on and make a push while facing less resistance than normal. This could also turn YOUR push into THEIR push which can turn the tide of the game and make you wonder "What happened?".

Winning fights will give you the same advantage though whether your team capitalizes on it (or IF they can) can decided if it was even worth engaging. Retreating means you give up your position, but you can aid your allies to get it back and keep your special. You could also use that time to flank the other team and create the 3v4 situation for them. Also, you can help your team claim turf and/or get the objective.Trading with enemies can be worth it, but in my experiences they really aren't. You don't change anything in terms of player numbers since it could go from 4v4 to 3v3 or 3v4 to 2v3. If they were holding a powerful position and you trade with them, it could be worth it, but again, I can't say for certain.

The only other thing I can really say is be smart about what battles you go into. Is it worth engaging the enemy in combat? What do I gain if they get splatted? What do they gain if I get splatted? What escape route do I have should things go sour? It'll take time to develop the ability to quickly ask and answer these questions, ESPECIALLY during the heat of a battle. If you need to, go to Turf War and practice these skills. You have nothing to lose there so practice as much as you need to there. I hope this helped you in some way.

I'd agree with that in theory, although in practice it doesn't always work out that way. For instance, earlier I played a game of Tower Control and my team had the clear advantage and won, not by a knockout but still a confident win. At the end I was surprised to see the rest of my team had very negative K/D ratios (for instance 5/12), and worse overall than the other team. I was the only one in the positive. But to say it was all me would be silly, my team was good and I felt confident playing with them.

But of course if you're not around you're not able to help your team for that time. Maybe it'd be better to say that you should generally try to avoid getting splatted unless you see good reason to risk getting splatted? :)

 

[KayB]

I haven't watched entire series :) Perhaps you could just watch the video that's relevant to your rank right now. Even though he's better than the average B+ player, maybe you can see what the level of play looks like to get you to A-. Here's the particular video in question, where he goes from B+ to A-:

Oh I literally just realized this was FOW when I clicked on this video lmao. So that's where is break from smash went.

 

[Isan]

I played last night and went from B 54 to B+ 30 and dropped to B 8 and got to B 34.

Fuuuuuuck. I really felt I had it before I started getting trunched lol

When you start to do really well in ranked mode, you tend to get more confident and comfortable. That's a death sentence for this game. If you're not playing at your absolute best, you're not going to advance. It's best to let yourself rise by little increments rather than get greedy for the satisfaction of "one more win." It's hard to do; Most of my losing streaks are because I decided to get either ****y or greedy, then paid the price. If you can hold back after you're fairly satisfied, you're (most of the time, some days you could just be on a roll) better off laying off and playing Turf Wars or something of the like.

Also, if you ever need a place to rant about the random bullshit you encounter in Splatoon, I have just the place for you, a little thread I started: http://squidboards.com/threads/how-do-you-deal-with-losing-streaks.7891/

If nothing else, you can go through and look at all my frustration as I went from A to S. It's kinda funny.

 

[VideoGameVirtuoso]

One of the concepts that seperates all the ranks is splatting your opponents. At S+, everyone has very good accuracy and have strong map awareness. At A+ and below, people will still panic and miss easily, not always focusing on the objective. If you maximize your range, place yourself in a good position, and are aware of enemy locations, you will become better as a player and rise higher in rank.

 

[PolygonGeorge]

Wow, you've really struck gold with a wealth of good advice being given here. I started reading thinking "oh yeah, I can definitely add something to this" and then slowly made my way down the thread reading everyone's excellent and more succinct advice and thought "everyone's said it better than me" haha.

But I've made it down here now, so I may as well add something while I'm taking a breather before I go back up.

One thing that helped me so much was watching videos of skilled players. I know you said you don't have much time to watch videos but even if you take five minutes out of your day, watching someone better than you can be immensely helpful.

People who helped me on YouTube were FiveLeafClover and thatsrb2dude. Very impressive players. I also have a ranked battle series (under the name Polygon George) on YT but mostly hover around A+ and S rank. You could watch them for tips, but I often act like a neanderthal. Yeah, actually, on second thoughts don't watch me for tips haha.

One things FLC said in a video: always try and attack your opponent when they can't see you. Whether that be from another direction or whatever, especially with Splatoon's poor netcode, you are ten times more likely to win an encounter when your opponent isn't anticipating your approach or isn't aiming at you.

Anyway, I'm sure the lovely people on here will help you a lot of you take their advice on board :).

 

[KayB]

Anyone have any good videos for charge weapons like the eliter? All the videos I've been finding have been pretty much everything else.

 

[Zero Meddler]

I'd agree with that in theory, although in practice it doesn't always work out that way. For instance, earlier I played a game of Tower Control and my team had the clear advantage and won, not by a knockout but still a confident win. At the end I was surprised to see the rest of my team had very negative K/D ratios (for instance 5/12), and worse overall than the other team. I was the only one in the positive. But to say it was all me would be silly, my team was good and I felt confident playing with them.

But of course if you're not around you're not able to help your team for that time. Maybe it'd be better to say that you should generally try to avoid getting splatted unless you see good reason to risk getting splatted? :)

My tip is generally speaking and games like yours can happen. Though it's still worth considering these factors. Its saved my squid bacon many times. You do make a fair point though.:)

 

[Power]

Anyone have any good videos for charge weapons like the eliter? All the videos I've been finding have been pretty much everything else.

Well, if you want game play, I would recommend watching my videos ( :0) as I believe I have a solid grasp on the game. It is mostly 3k scope play, in the sig.

There is no commentary, so if that is what you are looking for, someone else might have it.
(If it means anything, I am S+)

This is a bit of an old video, but it seems to be suitable for this kind of thing.

 

[jsilva]

Anyone have any good videos for charge weapons like the eliter? All the videos I've been finding have been pretty much everything else.

Interestingly enough I just happened to come across one tonight :) This video isn't especially long and this guy seems really good to me. I like how he/she can become effectively aggressive sometimes and is very useful to the team overall.

 

[Isan]

Interestingly enough I just happened to come across one tonight :) This video isn't especially long and this guy seems really good to me. I like how he/she can become effectively aggressive sometimes and is very useful to the team overall.

nuuuu, not another damage up burst bomber~

The only guy I really ever watch play Splatoon is Hank from Nintendome. His early squid science videos tell you a lot about the specific boosts of all the skills out there, and he gives pretty decent info on new weapons and maps when they come out.

 

[KayB]

Interestingly enough I just happened to come across one tonight :) This video isn't especially long and this guy seems really good to me. I like how he/she can become effectively aggressive sometimes and is very useful to the team overall.

This video makes me think I should use EL3k with stacked damage ups and it acts as splatterscope too because of the charge time. I'll try it out once I grind items, though I'm sort of getting used to Splatterscopes Splat Bombs and Bomb rush combos. They are really good for a lot of things.

 

[jsilva]

Well, if you want game play, I would recommend watching my videos ( :0) as I believe I have a solid grasp on the game. It is mostly 3k scope play, in the sig.

There is no commentary, so if that is what you are looking for, someone else might have it.
(If it means anything, I am S+)

This is a bit of an old video, but it seems to be suitable for this kind of thing.

I watched a few games. Thanks for sharing! Definitely great gameplay. My son is getting into sniping. He's a very good player (9 years old and a high S!) but new to the sniper weapons. Is there any advice you could give, in particular to aim faster? I try to help him as much as possible but I'm mainly just advising in overall gameplay as a sniper rather than sniping itself because I'm very bad at it. I'm a close up kind of player.

 

[Power]

I watched a few games. Thanks for sharing! Definitely great gameplay. My son is getting into sniping. He's a very good player (9 years old and a high S!) but new to the sniper weapons. Is there any advice you could give, in particular to aim faster? I try to help him as much as possible but I'm mainly just advising in overall gameplay as a sniper rather than sniping itself because I'm very bad at it. I'm a close up kind of player.

Ahh, well I remember I used to practice flick shots, drag shots from any angle in the testing range, that made aiming at people easier for me.Of course that didn't solve all of my problems, as a lot of variables exist in real matches, (people falling, jumping, attacking you etc) As razor sharp aim in the testing range was developed, I would take that into actual matches, and over time the aiming at people falling and such developed. It is a long work in progress, as I deranked many times, but was rewarding as I am able to play at a consistent level now. (My sensitivity is -2 if that helps)

I would also focus on the most commonly taken routes and try to time my shots so that it hits at the moments a player appears, (tough to learn, but satisfying)
Hope this helps!

 

[jsilva]

Ahh, well I remember I used to practice flick shots, drag shots from any angle in the testing range,

Can you describe the flick and drag shots? I'm not sure what you mean.

 

[PolygonGeorge]

Can you describe the flick and drag shots? I'm not sure what you mean.

I know it wasn't a reply to me, but I think this guide addresses those techniques :).

 

[boredguy108]

Sorry KayB, but I don't really have any new advice to add. But I will wish you good luck.

Can you describe the flick and drag shots? I'm not sure what you mean.

When you use a charger weapon, there's essentially a laser sight that will show where you're aiming.

Flick shots usually refer to when a charger hides this laser (either by pointing at a wall/ground) then immediately "flicks" their aim to an enemy once they've charged up a shot. This is good for catching enemies off guard, but they're somewhat unreliable to pull off, in my opinion.

Drag shots is when a charger just keeps (or "drags") their aim on single target and takes a shot whenever they can land a shot. This tends to more reliable for hitting enemies, but you won't be surprising anyone that sees the laser sight.

In general, I find flick shots are better for offensive plays, while drag shots are more useful for defending an area.

Edit:

I know it wasn't a reply to me, but I think this guide addresses those techniques :).

Well, looks like you beat me to it.

 

[Isan]

So I found a video.

Let me just say something first.

This guy is an *******, he's a grown man making fun of a playerbase of children.

Despite this, he is really good with the E-Liter 3K. Extremely good. If you use that gun, I recommend watching this video (just mute the jerk).

He also uses the Dynamo Roller and Inkbrush variants. He uses the Kraken a lot (bleh), so if you use the Custom E-Liter, you could probably get something from that too.

Meanwhile, I'll sit in the corner with my Luna Blaster, plotting some not so fair sneak attacks

 

[KayB]

So I found a video.

Let me just say something first.

This guy is an *******, he's a grown man making fun of a playerbase of children.

Despite this, he is really good with the E-Liter 3K. Extremely good. If you use that gun, I recommend watching this video (just mute the jerk).

He also uses the Dynamo Roller and Inkbrush variants. He uses the Kraken a lot (bleh), so if you use the Custom E-Liter, you could probably get something from that too.

Meanwhile, I'll sit in the corner with my Luna Blaster, plotting some not so fair sneak attacks
View attachment 2475

I don't think you actually linked the video lol

 

[Isan]

I don't think you actually linked the video lol

Wow you're right, I done goofed. Here you go.