Supporting Splatoon Competitively

[WaifuRaccoonBL]

ultimately, if melee can survive 14 years just on the merit of being a good game, without any kind of support from the developers and publisher and a venomous attitude against it from the general fgc, i think splatoon can get by just fine. obviously they're very different situations - melee is a fighting game with its core gameplay being local multiplayer and can probably outlive the heat death of the universe, and splatoon at its heart is an online experience and will only as live as long as its servers are up, it's just an example that if a game is good and has passionate players, it will survive, if not thrive

side note: as annoying and forced as the YOU'RE A KID NOW/YOU'RE A SQUID NOW meme is, it'll at least attract attention to splatoon from stream monsters and other such communities who just revel in tired jokes. i guess that's a curt point, but it's just an example of how easy it is to get other communities interested in our game.

I think it is fair to at least argue that Melee is going on more than 14 years for more reasons then just good. Especially if it can be argued Brawl and Smash 4 are also good. Melee has other things like a very active community, memes, podcasts, hype trailers, etc.

Melee also has one of the best things for spectator sports. Things happen in it. There is always some sort of combo or death happening less then every 30 seconds. People can even die in 5 seconds. This really doesn't have much to do with how good it is except for because that it is good, people will play it for the spectators.

So then the question has to be ask, is there enough going on in Splatoon for people to get hyped about constatnly while watching? I think there is, just like I think Smash 4 has it to. But ultimately it is up to the speculators to decide.

 

[FlareHabanero]

I want to talk about two things. One is what I have been noticing so far, the other is defining what it means to "support."

So one thing I've been noticing is that there has been a lot of anti-movements for a while. Anit-tech, anti-similar-to-smash, etc. And while it is good to have discussion, thats the problem. There isn't any discussion going on. A lot of these anti people are simply posting things and expecting you to agree with it. And when you try to have a debate about it, they immediately stop trying to have a conversation and accuse everyone who doesn't agree of being "toxic", (which buzzwords have no place here), and only the people who agree as being "the good noble people."

The main problem coming from this isn't so much that these exist. Rather, the person who made the discussion and then hit the eject button didn't learn anything. Because of that, they usually try again and again...Which means fighting again again. And because it can be from the same user, personal issues start developing. And soon it becomes one giant mess, and a split happens which is what apparently they are trying to prevent.

Also, discussions should continue, no matter how "toxic" it gets. If it is bad, the mods will handle and decide. Claiming a buzzword is happening solves nothing.

We need to grow. So we need discussions.

Fatal problem is that people are actively trying to compare Splatoon to Super Smash Bros. in the first place. They're not the same game at all, with each game having their own set of rules and objectives. Want to play Super Smash Bros.? Play Super Smash Bros. For comparison sake, it's the equivalent of using Animal Crossing terminology for Street Fighter (Time traveling hype!).

The toxic aspects also stems from how very toxic the Smash community is, what with how there are groups fighting among each other with a particular group especially having a rather vile disposition. Because Splatoon is new and a large chunk of the people come from Smashboards, people naturally want to avoid problems now and later by dodging the same issues that ruined the Smash community.

Also, yet again, no one knows what a tech is. I'm saying that right now, because you know a community is bonkers if the basic ability of jumping is on par with a ukemi.

 

[WaifuRaccoonBL]

The toxic aspects also stems from how very toxic the Smash community is.

First off, we need to have a stop here. The word toxic is what is known as a buzzword. It is solely used to degrade other people without giving a true explanation. People don't take those who use the word "toxic" seriously as a fair warning.

With that said, completely ignoring the competitive aspects of smash doesn't help anyone either. Reinventing the wheel and then trying to make it different to the wheel for the sole purpose of being different doesn't help anyone either. It is like trying to make square wheels instead, there is a reason they are round.

Lastly,

Also, yet again, no one knows what a tech is. I'm saying that right now, because you know a community is bonkers if the basic ability of jumping is on par with a ukemi.

If you are referring to splathopping or splatdashing well. We are in a strange position as to what is considered a tech.

 

[colorbanditblk(blkhipstr)]

Along with others have said I think another thing that is vital if this is going to survive is the community not to crusade against competitive play and its players. Smash has a major problem that I have seen where more casual players have developed a hatred of advanced tactics and competitive play in general and view them as taking the game away from them in some way(this wasn't helped by Sakurai either with his condemnation of them during the release of Brawl).
So the fanbase can be very split on things. Smash is a big enough series where even with that split each group can do their own thing and it will still be successful. Something like that happening here would destroy this fledgeling community though I think. The community as a whole has to be ok with the game evolving past what it is day one. Advanced techniques might end up being developed and become more common in competitive play and we have to make sure that doesn't split our community.

Sorry for the mini rant but I feel like this is something that will need to be nipped in the bud quickly.

I can say, without a doubt, how true this can be. One community I was in for quite some time was the Mario Kart community. It was fun but what divided the community often was advanced tactics that were normally used in competitive play. A positive is that advance tactics kept the game fresh and made easier to spot a skillful player but the negative was that it caused strife within the community and players would literally excommunicate other players who were deemed "nooby/bad"--- even with sub-par skill--- and left no room for development say like the "The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer," type of aspect. I know that a lot of competitive games go through this and I will still try my hardest but I assume this might become an issue for Splatoon as it is with other games.

 

[Life]

First off, we need to have a stop here. The word toxic is what is known as a buzzword. It is solely used to degrade other people without giving a true explanation. People don't take those who use the word "toxic" seriously as a fair warning.

I'm inclined to disagree.

As far as I'm aware, the word "toxic" used in this context was popularized by Riot Games to describe behavior in their game (League of Legends) that had a negative effect not only on the immediate game being played, but on future games as well:

The reason we use the word 'toxic' is very intentional.

In our observations and research on player behavior, we find that a single source of negative behavior can ripple through hundreds or thousands of games. For example, let's say we have a game with 10 players--9 are positive, and 1 is negative. The 1 negative player is racist, rages all game, and intentionally leaves the game. This experience can negatively influence some of the other 9 positive players in the game. Some of these 9 players will play another game of League of Legends and instead of being positive, they might start the game neutral or negative. Their actions can then influence 9 other players in the game, and toxicity spreads.

(emphasis his)

Now of course "toxic" got misappropriated by those same idiots to describe any behavior they didn't like (which is just about every behavior that doesn't directly pander to them), but that'll happen to basically any word used to describe this type of behavior.

My question is this: is there a better word for behavior that brings out the worst in people to the point where it negatively influences future interactions? My first instinct is "viral" but that's already taken by another internet behavioral phenomenon. Pathological? Epidemic? Discordant? Those all sound way too forced. Contagious, maybe?

 

[Hi_C]

Fatal problem is that people are actively trying to compare Splatoon to Super Smash Bros. in the first place. They're not the same game at all, with each game having their own set of rules and objectives. Want to play Super Smash Bros.? Play Super Smash Bros. For comparison sake, it's the equivalent of using Animal Crossing terminology for Street Fighter (Time traveling hype!).

The toxic aspects also stems from how very toxic the Smash community is, what with how there are groups fighting among each other with a particular group especially having a rather vile disposition. Because Splatoon is new and a large chunk of the people come from Smashboards, people naturally want to avoid problems now and later by dodging the same issues that ruined the Smash community.

Also, yet again, no one knows what a tech is. I'm saying that right now, because you know a community is bonkers if the basic ability of jumping is on par with a ukemi.

Well considering a number of us play both games, the crossover is going to happen. Splatoon, Smash, and Pokemon are the more competitive Nintendo titles along with Mario Kart to an extent (I can't speak on their behalf since I haven't really played the game.) The reason that the comparison is being made is because Smash Bros is the biggest competitive scene next to like maybe Pokemon. Also, nothing that you are saying is actually really true. Maybe your personal experience with Smash Bros is ruined because of the community, but saying that the online community is ruining the game is pretty ridiculous. You can act "toxic" online because there are little consequences. You are behind a keyboard, and unless you are well know, your identity is pretty much masked.