Squad Roles - Inquisition

[Cyanhyde]

Hiya squids!

Alright, so when you're in a team, you play a role. Everyone who's ever been on a team of any kind knows this. Splatoon teams have roles too, obviously. However, I haven't been on a team yet, much less a competitive one, so I know nothing of Splatoon team roles. So my question is:

What are the different squad roles in Splatoon?

All you players out there on teams, if you've got a role you'd like to mention, please say its name followed by a two-sentence (at most) description of what it encompasses.

I'll later follow this up (hopefully) with a Squad Roles - Breakdown, summing all replies to this post up in a nice, concise guide for any inklings looking to join a squad who want to know the terminology.

- Cyanhyde

 

[Starcrusher5Game]

Support- Splats any inkilings heading for the objective, or splats any inklings that try to interfere with your advancing of the objective.
Sniper- Uses chargers. Has a view of the map, and alerts squad members of any enemies incoming. It is also used as a super jump location.
Offense- A more aggressive support player. Tries to push the objective to its destination. Works with the sniper class to see any incoming enemies while pushing the objective.
Defense- Tries to keep the enemy from pushing the objective. Can also switch to support if necessary .

 

[MaryLa]

Support- Splats any inkilings heading for the objective, or splats any inklings that try to interfere with your advancing of the objective.
Sniper- Uses chargers. Has a view of the map, and alerts squad members of any enemies incoming. It is also used as a super jump location.
Offense- A more aggressive support player. Tries to push the objective to its destination. Works with the sniper class to see any incoming enemies while pushing the objective.
Defense- Tries to keep the enemy from pushing the objective. Can also switch to support if necessary .

The Support and the Defense on this little list here seem to have the same job to me.
As you put it, the "Support" prevents the opponent to get to the objective. But then you write the "Defense" ALSO tries to keep the enemy from the objective.
And apparently everyone is the "Support" except for the Sniper. Which IS a support role.
I dunno, maybe it's just badly worded, but this role-list is bothering me.
Also, I'm kinda missing the "Flanker"-type that flanks and gets a few kills and trades (usually with a few Quick Respawns and a close-ranged weapon). This guy is only there to tear away at the team so the others can push the objective. He doesn't get to push, because he'll be busy killing and respawning.

Here's my own take on Squad Roles:
Sniper: Usually someone with a ranged weapon such as the splatlings or chargers. Tries to pick people off and prevent them from getting the objective.
Support: The one that catches the Flanks and eventually pushes the objective. Someone with range but not like the sniper (for example the squelchers or the 96.). Also helping the sniper deal with close-ranged weapons.
Flanker: Someone with a close-ranged weapon (like the Sploosh or Rollers/Blasters) and Quick Respawns stacked. Does the job of getting rid of the opponents by sacrificing himself and playing very agressively.
Offense/Defense: Picks off the rest of the opponents, after the Flanker has done his job (Usually a middle-ranged weapon like the Tentatek or the 52.). Pushes the objective and tries to stay alive and defend it.

Feel free to throw in your own two cents. I appreciate criticism.

 

[Vitezen]

Support stays wherever the main force is, while defense will always stay at a certain position, which can change or stay the same, but generally is not pushing up with the team. Support is player-based, defense is location-based.

 

[Cyanhyde]

Support stays wherever the main force is, while defense will always stay at a certain position, which can change or stay the same, but generally is not pushing up with the team. Support is player-based, defense is location-based.

That sounds quite logical. I imagine specific Support tasks would include suppressing the opposing team with heavy fire or bombs, defending against snipers, throwing down inkwalls and squid beacons and unleashing a multi-team bubbler every once in a while - anything to keep your squad mates alive and fulfilling their objectives. Or if (unfortunately) you're alone on the splat field, getting yourself to where your team can spawn to you.

Does that sound about right?

 

[MaryLa]

Support stays wherever the main force is, while defense will always stay at a certain position, which can change or stay the same, but generally is not pushing up with the team. Support is player-based, defense is location-based.

OOoooh, I get it.
Like a Dynamo always keeps one part of the map, right?
Sorry, should've thought of that.

 

[Starcrusher5Game]

The Support and the Defense on this little list here seem to have the same job to me.
As you put it, the "Support" prevents the opponent to get to the objective. But then you write the "Defense" ALSO tries to keep the enemy from the objective.
And apparently everyone is the "Support" except for the Sniper. Which IS a support role.
I dunno, maybe it's just badly worded, but this role-list is bothering me.
Also, I'm kinda missing the "Flanker"-type that flanks and gets a few kills and trades (usually with a few Quick Respawns and a close-ranged weapon). This guy is only there to tear away at the team so the others can push the objective. He doesn't get to push, because he'll be busy killing and respawning.

Here's my own take on Squad Roles:
Sniper: Usually someone with a ranged weapon such as the splatlings or chargers. Tries to pick people off and prevent them from getting the objective.
Support: The one that catches the Flanks and eventually pushes the objective. Someone with range but not like the sniper (for example the squelchers or the 96.). Also helping the sniper deal with close-ranged weapons.
Flanker: Someone with a close-ranged weapon (like the Sploosh or Rollers/Blasters) and Quick Respawns stacked. Does the job of getting rid of the opponents by sacrificing himself and playing very agressively.
Offense/Defense: Picks off the rest of the opponents, after the Flanker has done his job (Usually a middle-ranged weapon like the Tentatek or the 52.). Pushes the objective and tries to stay alive and defend it.

Feel free to throw in your own two cents. I appreciate criticism.

I'm sorry I worded it really strange. Support IS the flanker role it prevents other inklings from reaching THE OBJECTIVE Ex: The tower, Rainmaker, and the Zone. Offense is the one who has the rainmaker or the tower and tries to push it. They work with support players to "support" them and get them to the objective. Defense tries to stop pushes from the enemy, like they took the tower and their trying to push it unto your base. I said defense can switch to support if necessary. Basically if the defense stopped the push from the enemy, they change their role to support and support the offensive players to get the tower to the other side. Also, in your description of sniper, you forgot that they can also be used as a super jump location since their mostly stationary.

Hope this clears up your confusion

 

[Vitezen]

@Cyanhyde What support does will vary based on their weapon and what is going on. Support will be the player that may not be able to push or defend the hardest, but can do both, and can switch as the situation demands.

 

[Cyanhyde]

@Vitezen A multi-purpose floater then. Makes sense.

 

[MaryLa]

I'm sorry I worded it really strange. Support IS the flanker role it prevents other inklings from reaching THE OBJECTIVE Ex: The tower, Rainmaker, and the Zone. Offense is the one who has the rainmaker or the tower and tries to push it. They work with support players to "support" them and get them to the objective. Defense tries to stop pushes from the enemy, like they took the tower and their trying to push it unto your base. I said defense can switch to support if necessary. Basically if the defense stopped the push from the enemy, they change their role to support and support the offensive players to get the tower to the other side. Also, in your description of sniper, you forgot that they can also be used as a super jump location since their mostly stationary.

Hope this clears up your confusion

Oh okay, that makes a lot more sense. And I did forget the sniper as super jump location, sorry :P
That's a really good description. I guess I just misunderstood the Support role.

I think we should also include a list of weapons that are suited for each role. I think that would clear things up for less-experienced players.

 

[Saber]

Honestly this is great advice and I know some people have covered this a little in videos, but someone should really make a master list of the different types of weapons and which role they belong to in the game.
If players had all the info it would help some players in making better choices when going into a battle

 

[SupaTim]

Honestly this is great advice and I know some people have covered this a little in videos, but someone should really make a master list of the different types of weapons and which role they belong to in the game.
If players had all the info it would help some players in making better choices when going into a battle

You mean like this: http://squidboards.com/threads/weapon-strategy-types-wip.7647/ ?

 

[NeoSeth]

I don't feel like the roles are really THAT concrete. Over the course of a match you probably have to fulfill several roles yourself (unless you're a sniper). I view it very generally as:

Front-line: These are the guys pushing forward. Hard. They get the most kills and probably have the most deaths. Generally you'll see them using the Tentatek, .52 gal or a similar weapon with quick kill time and good mobility.
Support: Probably only one "dedicated" support player on a team at a time. They watch the flanks, keep turf control, and generally hang back while the front-liners are pushing. If the front-liners get splatted, the support players pick up the slack and pick off the opposing front-line to keep the opponents from making a push. Often these guys also eliminate opposing suppression weapons. Could be a strong flanking and turfing weapon like the Krak-On Roller or a ranged weapon like the Custom Jet Squelcher.
Suppression: The most narrow role, this person is usually a charger and hangs far back behind the other members and exerts pressure over the map. Chargers do this by killing as many squids as possible and by frightening them out of areas. The Heavy/Hyrda Splatling and Dynamo Roller can also fulfill this role though, as they have tremendous range and kill power while trading some of each for immense turf coverage when compared to a charger.

Personally, I play support most of the time with the Inkbrush, CJS or Rapid Blaster Pro and I do still have to try to push the objective and play front-line at times. And front-line weapons will sometimes have to hang back and just turf ground while others are pushing forward or holding a point. I don't think it's as black-and-white as some people in this thread are saying, even though there are definitely roles on teams.

 

[Valkyria]

The so-called "support" role is complete BS. Want to stop the enemy team from completing their objective? Kill them. When people say "I helped that round - I supported you guys", it's nothing more than an excuse for their < 1 K/D. The only true support roles are those who are designated rainmaker carriers, tower riders, or splat zone inkers. Way too often people say "Well, I did good. I threw point sensors at the people on the tower. It's your fault for not killing them while they were marked" or "I put up a lot of beakons that round, I did my job". Bull****. By definition, if you are playing the game, the mere presence of your inkling serves as distraction to the other team if nothing else. So yes, you could say you're supporting the team based on that alone. But to make that statement more than just an excuse for poor performance, get on the tower, ink the zone, push the rainmaker, and get some kills.

 

[Ultramus]

The so-called "support" role is complete BS. Want to stop the enemy team from completing their objective? Kill them. When people say "I helped that round - I supported you guys", it's nothing more than an excuse for their < 1 K/D. The only true support roles are those who are designated rainmaker carriers, tower riders, or splat zone inkers. Way too often people say "Well, I did good. I threw point sensors at the people on the tower. It's your fault for not killing them while they were marked" or "I put up a lot of beakons that round, I did my job". Bull****. By definition, if you are playing the game, the mere presence of your inkling serves as distraction to the other team if nothing else. So yes, you could say you're supporting the team based on that alone. But to make that statement more than just an excuse for poor performance, get on the tower, ink the zone, push the rainmaker, and get some kills.

This is really, really foolish. You apparently have little understanding of this game if you think like this. Splatoon is not like other kill based FPS. 2/3 modes are determined by short intervals, and it is generally not your overall performance that will secure victory. We were clowning around the other day, and I was using the custom jet squelcher, had a game where I went 1-11, pretty awful, but it was my kraken on tower that won us the game. Making just 1 great play can invalidate an entire game of poor play. That's just how this game works. And there are definitely weapons with support roles. It is asinine to think that point sensors, disruptor, Echolocator, Squid beacons, haunt and recon are not useful, or that they should be avoided just because they don't get kills. There is also the fact that you can support with burst bombs or covering fire, and definitely assist a teammate getting a kill, but there isn't a stat for that. Or that if someone is constantly painting zone, carrying the rainmaker, or riding tower that their negative K/D was detrimental. You seem to lack a fundamental understanding of how this game operates if you don't understand that support players are necessary and important, and that looking at just K/D ratios is a shallow way of grasping skill or the impact of a particular player.

As far as roles go, OP go check out my guide in the guides section for my take on it. The short is yes there are roles, I identify them as front line, support, and flex, further info is in the guide.

 

[Cyanhyde]

@Ultramus Which category is it filed under?
I'd expect something like that to be in Team Strategy, but it's not there. I also searched it up with the "Search Guides" tab and put in your name, but nothing came up. I'll gladly read your guide... as soon as I can find it. :P

 

[Ultramus]

@Ultramus Which category is it filed under?
I'd expect something like that to be in Team Strategy, but it's not there. I also searched it up with the "Search Guides" tab and put in your name, but nothing came up. I'll gladly read your guide... as soon as I can find it. :p

I was replying from mobile so I was too lazy/too bothersome to link it then, here you go:

http://squidboards.com/threads/ultramuss-splatoon-guide-wip.15221/#post-132089

 

[Valkyria]

You unconsciously felt the need to justify your 1-11 performance by saying you were just goofing off. This tells me you’re the type who makes excuses. No wonder you have this opinion about support roles. It’s become a trend that bad players use the “I was playing support” as a permanent excuse for poor performance. Instead, try acknowledging your shortcomings and strive to get better.

Familiar with the big tournaments like Inkstorm, Calimari Cup and Booyah Battle? Then go watch some replays and tell me how often the team with the lower K/D ratio wins. Fewer than 10%, and that’s a generous estimate. Son, you can believe what you want but the results speak for themselves. Point sensors, beakons, disruptors and a bunch of other factors are a part of Splatoon, but if you and your theories can’t see that it all boils down to kill more, win more, then you’re just a victim of Occam’s Razor.

 

[Cyanhyde]

@Ultramus Holy Jesus.

I feel like I've just read the Magnum Opus of Splatoon guides. Thanks a bunch!
Also, I KNEW the .96 deco was ridiculously good! Glad I main it. I actually found myself agreeing with a majority of what you've said about weapons. Looks like I'm going to have to get a few more mains under my belt...

Also, thoughts on the Luna Blaster & Deco? I happen to use the latter frequently and have seen much success with it.

 

[Ultramus]

You unconsciously felt the need to justify your 1-11 performance by saying you were just goofing off. This tells me you’re the type who makes excuses. No wonder you have this opinion about support roles. It’s become a trend that bad players use the “I was playing support” as a permanent excuse for poor performance. Instead, try acknowledging your shortcomings and strive to get better.

Familiar with the big tournaments like Inkstorm, Calimari Cup and Booyah Battle? Then go watch some replays and tell me how often the team with the lower K/D ratio wins. Fewer than 10%, and that’s a generous estimate. Son, you can believe what you want but the results speak for themselves. Point sensors, beakons, disruptors and a bunch of other factors are a part of Splatoon, but if you and your theories can’t see that it all boils down to kill more, win more, then you’re just a victim of Occam’s Razor.

I was saying I was goofing off because I was, I don't play 100% of matches seriously, and if you weren't aware, I'm Mullin from CB, a team that has consistently performed better than your team ever has, ever. I've beaten C- every time I've met them in tournaments. Before you talk about results or people being bad, maybe know who you are talking to. If your logic is that support doesn't exist in this game then maybe stop playing because as long as you do you won't ever post results.