Things I've Learned from my Alt Account

[SupaTim]

I do hate how they generally gang up on me 3-1. But I have the other problem when my team joins up together on a map like Depot. They'll all go down to the left side together, so I really have no choice but to try to take on the right side alone. Meeanwhile the 3 of them either get pinned down on the left, by 2 opponents (while the other 2 are on me on the right), OR they take the left, then race up to the enemy base to pillage and camp, leaving the right STILL undefended, except for me. Inevitably, the enemy makes a push and then starts taking the right AND left again. And it's just me. So then our base gets overrun, and that's the game. In fact few teams I play with have any concept of base defense at all. They will not defend their base. They will not try to establish a line of skirmish in mid and advance or hold that line as a front. They will simply take the shortest path possible to enter the enemy base, even if the enemy has an established alternate route around them, and try continuously to conquer the enemy base while mid falls to the enemy. I defend the base alone and my team is now cut off in enemy territory. Like the history conversation, as eliter I feel like the Maginot Line. I can be a devastating deterrent to anyone approaching from the front, but if they just can walk around me and get me from behind, I'm SOL. :D

When I do get swarmed, it's never a tight formation like your mobs. It's guerilla tactics. One from the left, one from the right, another flanking. All of them bunny hopping and janking around. And inevitably, if I have a position I might still be able to win, they have two bubblers and a kraken charged. "I don't always get attacked, but when I do, it's from the direction of my own base. "

There is so much truth here.

On depot yesterday my team was up on our perch(es), right before the drop down, just trading ink with the other team who was in mid. We seemed to stay there forever, at least 2 cycles of specials. My team would just not push in, and since I was using the DS I didn't necessarily feel comfortable frontlining. Finally, I was able to take one out from perch, then I pushed in and splatted the second enemy in mid. Pushed through their base to the right side and splatted the two enemies there (I traded with the last one). This allowed my team to push forward and we were able to win, but talk about getting pinned down. I'm not sure any of my team would have pushed to mid. And the same thing happens regarding right and left: what makes the left side so popular? I'm good, but not 3v1 good. And not S+ good.

AND HOW ARE PEOPLE ABLE TO POP THEIR BUBBLER AFTER TAKING LETHAL DAMAGE!?

Hrm...this has become like the Dead Sea thread...

 

[HappyBear801]

LOL, that might be a pretty sad statement about the forums if that's surprising :)

What kind of k/d & ink do you usually get with either weapon? I think I tend to get fairly good k/d with eliter but low or poor ink coverage, and lots more ink with carbon and I suspect I'm tossed back and forth between the "inker" pool and the "killer" pool since it doesn't know what to do with me

I usually get the same thing, but I ink more with the E-Liter than most users. I don't just sit and wait for kills; I claim too. Although I play more defensively while sniping obviously which can make it skmewhat dependent on rotation.

And how do you do hyperactive with eliter?

Burst-cancelling, short charges, and not using a scope.

 

[Zombie Aladdin]

Maybe because when you defeat a Sonic enemy, fluffy bunnies come flying out? :D

Though it's funny when you think of reality versus perception. Mushrooms with feet and goofy toothy grins: Terrifying. They're going to jump out and kill you. Robotic creations made by an evil mastermind who has actually captured and imprisoned innocent animals to be used as the living core of his contraptions: Not so bad, I'll be fine! :)

Heh, looking back, I don't know why Sonic didn't scare me. The idea that I started on the Game Gear was just a guess. Another possibility is that since Mario needs a Super Mushroom to not die touching a Goomba, I thought Goombas were deadly to the touch, whereas Sonic just drops his wallet instead.

As long as you don't drop a beacon on the spawn you're already ahead of my teams. TW matchmaking LOVES to put me against all S/S+ teams. When I suspect my opponents are S, and I get splatted, and I see a beacon sitting atop my spawn. Or, my favorite, 3 of them. I just figure "that's it, we're f*****!"

You've never seen four? Because I have.

I do hate how they generally gang up on me 3-1. But I have the other problem when my team joins up together on a map like Depot. They'll all go down to the left side together, so I really have no choice but to try to take on the right side alone. Meeanwhile the 3 of them either get pinned down on the left, by 2 opponents (while the other 2 are on me on the right), OR they take the left, then race up to the enemy base to pillage and camp, leaving the right STILL undefended, except for me. Inevitably, the enemy makes a push and then starts taking the right AND left again. And it's just me. So then our base gets overrun, and that's the game. In fact few teams I play with have any concept of base defense at all. They will not defend their base. They will not try to establish a line of skirmish in mid and advance or hold that line as a front. They will simply take the shortest path possible to enter the enemy base, even if the enemy has an established alternate route around them, and try continuously to conquer the enemy base while mid falls to the enemy. I defend the base alone and my team is now cut off in enemy territory. Like the history conversation, as eliter I feel like the Maginot Line. I can be a devastating deterrent to anyone approaching from the front, but if they just can walk around me and get me from behind, I'm SOL. :D

In some other shooting games, I'm sure spawn-camping is a perfectly valid tactic. An annoying one, but a valid one. Your teammates probably forgot that opponents can Super Jump too and that the goal is not kills, but I'm sure you're well aware of that by now. I get those teammates sometimes too. I'm going to guess: They're not even firing or hiding in ink when they're up at the opponent's spawn point, are they? They probably think that you will go take them out one by one, and then they'll splat them as they respawn. Taking the easy way out.

When I do get swarmed, it's never a tight formation like your mobs. It's guerilla tactics. One from the left, one from the right, another flanking. All of them bunny hopping and janking around. And inevitably, if I have a position I might still be able to win, they have two bubblers and a kraken charged. "I don't always get attacked, but when I do, it's from the direction of my own base. "

Well, in SZ bunching is definitely more common. Foolish, but common. But everyone's going to be in that same general spot so it's bound to happen. I've been using Carbon for it, though, so I'm down in the zone, moving constantly, and pulling back to friendly ground only to refill ink and re-evaluate enemy positions.

Somehow Museum throws off splat zones or something. I haven't played there in a while, but i remember in C ranks I'd have teams that I did not see them the entire match. I'd be on the zone with, at the time, splash o matic, and I'd be the only one holding the zone, and the only one near it the whole match.

With me, the mob formations I see them in is very dangerous because MY team is usually either 1) scattered everywhere and so they can outnumber us one by one, or 2) someone follows me not knowing what they're doing, I find the mob, they splat me because I can't take on three or four opponents at once, and then they get splatted because they thought I'd be a meat shield. Sometimes, someone who follows me wants to back me up as a splatter and moves in front of me, blocking my shots. Then they get splatted because they have no idea what they're doing, and then I get splatted because I couldn't see.

Interesting. For me, all 3 are very common. I can't say I see more inkstrikes than kraken or 'zooka. Possibly the other way around, but it's not like inkstrikes aren't super common. I'd say all the specials are pretty equally common actually. I can't go down the list and find one I don't see all the time except maybe specifically seeker rush. And even that's somewhat frequent. Interesting your players favor inkstrikes. Bubblers just irritate me, when anyone I fight has a bubbler, the bubbler is up EVERY TIME I encounter them.

What I really hate is when they have organized use of specials. The chain of overlapping inkstrikes consuming your base all at once as the opening salvo of the assault. Or, you dodge an inkstrike, only to have tornados flying at you. You hide behind cover for that as the wail fires up, and you roll out in the open ready to retaliate only to discover all 3 of them are bubbled. Or a chain of bubblers, that as soon as one dissipates, the next one renews it.

That happens a lot :(

Yep, Inkstrikes are far and away the most common special I see, both on my side and on the opponent's side. When you think about it though, what special is best suited for someone who wants to cover bits of uninked ground and to stay as far away from the action as possible? The Inkstrike, of course. All of the specials are good for splatting, but only the Inkstrike appeals to someone who just wants to ink. (Sometimes Bomb Rush, but you have to--gasp!--get close to enemy ink to ink with it!)

Consecutive Inkstrikes were everywhere on Team Naughty for me. It got nuts when they'd stagger their Inkstrikes one after the other. I had a match on Urchin Underpass where all four of the opponents had Inkstrike. One would appear after another on a slow line towards our base, and there wasn't much we could do about it. An Inkstrike by itself, there's not much for me to worry about. But when Inkstrikes fall faster than any Octostriker can muster, that's dangerous!

 

[Award]

I usually get the same thing, but I ink more with the E-Liter than most users. I don't just sit and wait for kills; I claim too. Although I play more defensively while sniping obviously which can make it skmewhat dependent on rotation.

Burst-cancelling, short charges, and not using a scope.

The inking with eliter might make a difference. I generally claim from wherever I can reach from within the perch areas, but I don't dare venture out beyond that (admittedly wide) range as it's almost certain to get me splatted. It depends though, on a map like Depot when there's a lot of action, turfing is a good way to end up defenseless with no ink or distracted. And I actually used to turf more, but realized I was giving my position away and setting up way too many flank attempts.

I still keep going back and forth on scope. At first I liked scopes, then I decided I do a lot better without one, then I was doing really well with one, and then the last few days I haven't been. I've also been playing more with Custom eliter scope. I love the mobility from beacons when it works, but the lack of burst bombs really limit my options when there's highly aggressive team. Harder to be spastic with one!

 

[Award]

eh, looking back, I don't know why Sonic didn't scare me. The idea that I started on the Game Gear was just a guess. Another possibility is that since Mario needs a Super Mushroom to not die touching a Goomba, I thought Goombas were deadly to the touch, whereas Sonic just drops his wallet instead.

Mario did not die. Mario "was defeated". You didn't have extra laves. You had extra Marios. Nintendo, being Nintendo has strict guidelines among their phraseology to keep the content friendly. Which I always found funny, considering, say, the gas powered reciprocating saws on, say, Cheese Bridge of Super Mario World "oh, Mario doesn't die when he falls on a gas recip saw and is subsequently thrown into a bottomless pit, he's simply "defeated" and you use an extra Mario." :)

You've never seen four? Because I have.

FOUR?? 4? 5-1? You mean more than one person had a weapon with beacons and chose to place beacons on the spawn?? You have GOT to be kidding.. o_O

That's when you just hit the power button, ranked or not.

In some other shooting games, I'm sure spawn-camping is a perfectly valid tactic. An annoying one, but a valid one. Your teammates probably forgot that opponents can Super Jump too and that the goal is not kills, but I'm sure you're well aware of that by now

Then why is it when the other team spawncamps us, we can't get out, there's no one to superjump to, and if you try, the enemy still gets us out there anyway. :p A spawncamp is a perfectly valid, jerky, tactic in Splatoon, if you are a superior team capable of holding the spawncamp, and being aware of when it fails. Nothing screams "I'm a humongous ahole and know you're lower skilled than me" like a successful spawncamp. However, when you are the inferior team, and you aim to spawncamp, things to keep in mind: If not ALL the enemies are contained, none of them are contained. If they have beacons deployed, they are not contained, If any of them slip past you, do not continue to hold the spawn camp and ignore the enemy as they return to painting mid and providing an uncontested jump point. DO check your gamepad to make sure your base has not become the same color as the spawn you are staring at while you've been staring at it. The enemy is smart enough to know my team will continue staring at the spawn so long as they do not get shot.

. I'm going to guess: They're not even firing or hiding in ink when they're up at the opponent's spawn point, are they? They probably think that you will go take them out one by one, and then they'll splat them as they respawn. Taking the easy way out.

I have no idea what they're doing when they're over at the enemy spawn while a war is going on at our own spawn :p The little arrow-squid on the map is the only thing I'll see of those "teammates". I will say the enemy base was still enemy color while they were standing there...

You're probably very right about their reasoning. Nothing like trying to hold the top of saltspray 1v3-4. I'd keep respawning and heading right back to the top, alone, to try to take it back, and, of course, failing.

With me, the mob formations I see them in is very dangerous because MY team is usually either 1) scattered everywhere and so they can outnumber us one by one, or 2) someone follows me not knowing what they're doing, I find the mob, they splat me because I can't take on three or four opponents at once, and then they get splatted because they thought I'd be a meat shield. Sometimes, someone who follows me wants to back me up as a splatter and moves in front of me, blocking my shots. Then they get splatted because they have no idea what they're doing, and then I get splatted because I couldn't see.

I don't know if I'd say my teams are scattered or not. I'm often out on my own because my team is either A: Bunched together into their own mob, leaving the WHOLE secondary path open for the enemy, I suppose assuming I'll take care of that part, or B: racing right to the enemy spawn engaging in every fight they can find, again and again, getting executed one at a time, and racing right back. I always find posts funny when people are explaining that you have to work with your team and support them, etc. That implies they're not leaving vast portions of map uncovered. They'll also avoid the base, and mid, and work ONLY on covering the enemy base. I sometimes wonder if my new strategy should be NOT to defend the base, but simply to rush the enemy base as they do ours, intentionally abandon our base, It's like playing Starcraft against Zerg players. If you stop to do ANYTHING in your base, they already have a wave heading for you.

I had one of your mobs yesterday. Flounder Heights. I had eliter, set up on the little outcropping "box" at the top left. Suddenly I see ink splats indicating someone's climbing the wall, I fall back to try a double quick charge. THREE of them come over the top of the wall. Not much I can do about that. And, naturally, once my position fell, the map was lost. It's always threes for these people. My teams and theirs.

Yep, Inkstrikes are far and away the most common special I see, both on my side and on the opponent's side. When you think about it though, what special is best suited for someone who wants to cover bits of uninked ground and to stay as far away from the action as possible? The Inkstrike, of course. All of the specials are good for splatting, but only the Inkstrike appeals to someone who just wants to ink. (Sometimes Bomb Rush, but you have to--gasp!--get close to enemy ink to ink with it!)

Yeah, I was going to say bomb rushes are way better for pure coverage. Inkstrikes are ok, but they're mostly for dismounting snipers and running interference, keeping the enemy slowed at their base/choikepoints re-inking. When I get better teams, they use them to quickly clean up after an enemy raid, which is a great use.

Consecutive Inkstrikes were everywhere on Team Naughty for me. It got nuts when they'd stagger their Inkstrikes one after the other. I had a match on Urchin Underpass where all four of the opponents had Inkstrike. One would appear after another on a slow line towards our base, and there wasn't much we could do about it. An Inkstrike by itself, there's not much for me to worry about. But when Inkstrikes fall faster than any Octostriker can muster, that's dangerous!

Yeah, I'm getting kind of sick of specials overall. The parades of special after special, and the fact that it guarantees whatever team has the advantage can keep the advantage since they've now charged their specials while your team respawns. That and the laggy krakens/bubblers that are invincible while I shoot them because they activated their special but it hasn't displayed it yet. Every freaking day!

(Ugh, octostriker levels. Those things made me hate inkstrikes... )

 

[Zombie Aladdin]

Mario did not die. Mario "was defeated". You didn't have extra laves. You had extra Marios. Nintendo, being Nintendo has strict guidelines among their phraseology to keep the content friendly. Which I always found funny, considering, say, the gas powered reciprocating saws on, say, Cheese Bridge of Super Mario World "oh, Mario doesn't die when he falls on a gas recip saw and is subsequently thrown into a bottomless pit, he's simply "defeated" and you use an extra Mario." :)

Hey, everyone on the street and in school would say "Mario died"or even "I died." So that's the term we're sticking with.

FOUR?? 4? 5-1? You mean more than one person had a weapon with beacons and chose to place beacons on the spawn?? You have GOT to be kidding.. o_O

That's when you just hit the power button, ranked or not.

It only happened once, but it was definitely one of those "you've GOT to be kidding me" moments, enough to be memorable. I didn't see more than four though, and I saw Squid Beakons closer to the middle later on, so 'll give one of them the benefit of the doubt and assume they wanted to see what their sub weapon was. As I rapidly switch weapons, I do that myself: I'll use it as a match begins to see what it is. So...I am sometimes responsible for putting one Squid Beakon on a spawn point. But never more than one.

Then why is it when the other team spawncamps us, we can't get out, there's no one to superjump to, and if you try, the enemy still gets us out there anyway. :p A spawncamp is a perfectly valid, jerky, tactic in Splatoon, if you are a superior team capable of holding the spawncamp, and being aware of when it fails. Nothing screams "I'm a humongous ahole and know you're lower skilled than me" like a successful spawncamp. However, when you are the inferior team, and you aim to spawncamp, things to keep in mind: If not ALL the enemies are contained, none of them are contained. If they have beacons deployed, they are not contained, If any of them slip past you, do not continue to hold the spawn camp and ignore the enemy as they return to painting mid and providing an uncontested jump point. DO check your gamepad to make sure your base has not become the same color as the spawn you are staring at while you've been staring at it. The enemy is smart enough to know my team will continue staring at the spawn so long as they do not get shot.

Definitely. I remember losing a Turf War match on Walleye Warehouse because two of my teammates immediately stood by the opponents' spawn point (I get Team Deathmatch sometimes too) and stayed there the whole match, unaware that two opponents with Carbon Rollers had escaped. The third teammate was a little inker, so it was me, with a Blaster, trying to stop two Carbon Rollers who were running roughshod over the entire middle area and our front area. (The little iinker moved towards the opponents' spawn, where there was a lot of our ink.) Any moment I had trying to splat one of them meant the other one was free to run amok, and if I DID splat them, they Super-Jumped to each other.

I have no idea what they're doing when they're over at the enemy spawn while a war is going on at our own spawn :p The little arrow-squid on the map is the only thing I'll see of those "teammates". I will say the enemy base was still enemy color while they were standing there...

You're probably very right about their reasoning. Nothing like trying to hold the top of saltspray 1v3-4. I'd keep respawning and heading right back to the top, alone, to try to take it back, and, of course, failing.

Saltspray Rig is not a stage I see anyone attempt to spawn-camp, but then again, you find different opponents than me. But when I do get spawn-camped, in places like Walleye Warehouse or Mahi-Mahi Resort, more often than not they're not even bothering to hide in ink (except to refill) or inking the ground. I also notice that when a spawn-camper remains in a room and cannot get into the position to spawn-camp, they are usually an average (sometimes slightly below, sometimes slightly above) aggressive splatter. But usually, they're a bit below average, so I think some people try to spawn-camp because they know the best they can do otherwise is ride the current of their team as neither their best inker nor best splatter.

I had one of your mobs yesterday. Flounder Heights. I had eliter, set up on the little outcropping "box" at the top left. Suddenly I see ink splats indicating someone's climbing the wall, I fall back to try a double quick charge. THREE of them come over the top of the wall. Not much I can do about that. And, naturally, once my position fell, the map was lost. It's always threes for these people. My teams and theirs.

Yep, that sums up whenever MY team gets into a mob formation. Whenever the opposing team does, they annihilate us through power in numbers. Whenever my team does, they run into the enemy ace who takes us all out. I know never to intentionally go right up to an ally sniper--I'll see where they are, but I'll then mind my own business. Sometimes, I'll see them as I pass by, but I won't stop next to them.

But I guess it comes down to there being two different types of mobs: The shooting mob (who can be scary if they work together well) and the inking mob (who get wiped out if they come across even one deccently good player). I think the former bunch up for increased aggression, while the latter bunch up for safety. You also have the person who's unfamiliar with stages and will follow some other player to learn the layout. It is okay to do at the beginning of a match, but not the whole way through. (My little inkers will often follow me from beginning to end, thinking I can be some kind of shield for them. Or not, considering I often find them running right past Splash Walls and not taking Bubblers from me.)

Yeah, I was going to say bomb rushes are way better for pure coverage. Inkstrikes are ok, but they're mostly for dismounting snipers and running interference, keeping the enemy slowed at their base/choikepoints re-inking. When I get better teams, they use them to quickly clean up after an enemy raid, which is a great use.

If used well, the Bomb Rushes definitely covers a wider area (except for Seeker) and is a bigger immediate threat. The Inkstrike, however, lets you ink from far away. Combined with the Aerospray RG's wide pattern and relatively high movement speed, it's why it's the preferred weapon for the scared inkers. (Between that and the Splattershot Jr., which has the protective Bubbler.) The Sploosh-o-matics, you'd think, would be a better choice for staying away and inking, but they have Killer Wail and Kraken, neither of which are of much use to such a player.

 

[BlackZero]

FOUR?? 4? 5-1? You mean more than one person had a weapon with beacons and chose to place beacons on the spawn?? You have GOT to be kidding.. o_O

You never know when you'll need to jump close to spawn, but not quite at spawn. That extra foot makes all the difference.

 

[jsilva]

I did end up making that video about my experiences with my alt in the lower ranks.

If you are stuck in C ranks I severely feel for you for these reasons in the video :).

Edit: For all the Americans out there, feel free to rip me to shreds for that horrendous accent at the start haha.

Thanks :) I've seen a bit of funnies when I started my two new accounts. One in particular stands out. This one dude was standing in one place in blackbelly trying to set a beacon near the spawn point. A good 10 seconds before he got it set...

 

[PolygonGeorge]

Thanks :) I've seen a bit of funnies when I started my two new accounts. One in particular stands out. This one dude was standing in one place in blackbelly trying to set a beacon near the spawn point. A good 10 seconds before he got it set...

Haha. Oh dear. At least the person probably felt like they were being helpful... hopefully.

 

[Award]

And then in today's splatfest was the Nzap carefully making sure to ink every last spot of every wall...

You never know when you'll need to jump close to spawn, but not quite at spawn. That extra foot makes all the difference.

Nono, sometimes they'll keep that in mind and put it a while foot in front of spawn Sometimes even TWO feet!. But usually they'll put it PHYSICALLY ON TOP of the spawn. ALL the beacons! If they want to jump a foot away from spawn, they'll jump to me when I'm standing a foot in front of spawn trying to repel the 4 enemies 3 feet in front of me. :D Most jumps to me happen when I'm near the spawn. On the occasions it's when I'm near mid, it's when I"m camping to ambush an enemy JUST out of reach. Without stealth jump, of course. Except of I have a beacon next to me. Then they'll jump to my beacon, requiring me to spend time and ink laying a new one, than just jumping to me. I do, so, wish I could set beacons as "for my use only."

 

[Award]

Oops, forgot to reply to this!

Definitely. I remember losing a Turf War match on Walleye Warehouse because two of my teammates immediately stood by the opponents' spawn point (I get Team Deathmatch sometimes too) and stayed there the whole match, unaware that two opponents with Carbon Rollers had escaped. The third teammate was a little inker, so it was me, with a Blaster, trying to stop two Carbon Rollers who were running roughshod over the entire middle area and our front area. (The little iinker moved towards the opponents' spawn, where there was a lot of our ink.) Any moment I had trying to splat one of them meant the other one was free to run amok, and if I DID splat them, they Super-Jumped to each other.

Yep that happens to me all the time. They somehow think they're being useful, and almost certainly aren't watching their maps and the ink forming. They sit there thinking "whow I can't believe none of them have respawned yet!" I'm sure... And carbon rollers, like brushes, almost, should be good campers, so they're almost impossible to flush out with a slow RoF blaster.

I mentioned Quake in the other thread, but one thing Quake did very right (this was for real Team Deathmatch though), was there were multiple (invisible) spawn points around the map and you would randomly spawn at any of them. So enemies couldn't camp all 5 spawns hoping you'd turn up at the one they're watching. I think 3Wave CTF did the same.

Saltspray Rig is not a stage I see anyone attempt to spawn-camp, but then again, you find different opponents than me. But when I do get spawn-camped, in places like Walleye Warehouse or Mahi-Mahi Resort, more often than not they're not even bothering to hide in ink (except to refill) or inking the ground. I also notice that when a spawn-camper remains in a room and cannot get into the position to spawn-camp, they are usually an average (sometimes slightly below, sometimes slightly above) aggressive splatter. But usually, they're a bit below average, so I think some people try to spawn-camp because they know the best they can do otherwise is ride the current of their team as neither their best inker nor best splatter.

Yeah, my squids are "special" and try to camp Saltspray..... :p I've found there's two types of spawncampers. The ones that are obnoxious, know they have you in a barrell, and they will ceaselessly bunny hop around the spawn, parading around, group bubbling if they can, shooing at the spawn shield to taunt, and huddling close to spawn backing up only to shoot you. The other type is the more tactical type. Once they have your entire base covered, they will not stand quite at the spawn, but out of range of all but eliter NEAR the spawn area, plugging all choke points, and hiding in ink. They will let you move 10 feet from your spawn, right into their ink before popping up and splatting you. This also allows them to keep refilling their specials every time you try to break out. They will never be in exactly the same location twice. And when you do manage to break out, you'll find one with ninja squid that followed you out.

Even if I DO break out for real, I generally do not have a weapon that can take back territory alone. And my team who does not look at the map will not know they can jump to me. So they will keep fighting and dying at the spawn. And then I get picked off.

Sometimes it's been so bad when they do it so early, I actually have spent the entire last minute f the match squid partying.

Interesting findings about the type that tend to camp though, I'll have to watch that. But it's hard to tell because generally there's at least 3 holding the camp.

But I guess it comes down to there being two different types of mobs: The shooting mob (who can be scary if they work together well) and the inking mob (who get wiped out if they come across even one deccently good player). I think the former bunch up for increased aggression, while the latter bunch up for safety. You also have the person who's unfamiliar with stages and will follow some other player to learn the layout. It is okay to do at the beginning of a match, but not the whole way through. (My little inkers will often follow me from beginning to end, thinking I can be some kind of shield for them. Or not, considering I often find them running right past Splash Walls and not taking Bubblers from me.)

There have been numerous times when I've recieved a BOGO shot with the eliter - I shoot one enemy and two get splatted. The other was practically glued to their heads if they got hit with an eliter round. I've also whipped out inkzooka once or twice and suddenly get two splats from the enemy right in front of me. "Stealth" players sometimes just follow in the heels of another so that if the one goes down, they pop up for the kill. It CAN be effective, if you do't expect someone else there attacking. But I imagine it's more effective in RM than TW since that means they never ink anything when a battle is nearby, and in TC or SZ you shouldn't be looking for random fights in the ink anyway if the tower/zone is in play.

Then there's been the team mates who will jump in front of my eliter. Instead of inking a trail, I get a wasted charge. Instead of shooting the enemy my teammate gets shot in the back, then the enemy can easily take both of us out, and that's the game point there.
I just love when I have eliter and a splatterscope on my team gets up to take my perch. On Moray. What do you seriously think you're going to be able to hit from there with that dinky little pea shooter that my gigantic gas pump can't hit sooner? But it's even MORE fun, when the aerospray gets up on my perch and starts shooting next to me at enemies 30ft away.

If used well, the Bomb Rushes definitely covers a wider area (except for Seeker) and is a bigger immediate threat. The Inkstrike, however, lets you ink from far away. Combined with the Aerospray RG's wide pattern and relatively high movement speed, it's why it's the preferred weapon for the scared inkers. (Between that and the Splattershot Jr., which has the protective Bubbler.) The Sploosh-o-matics, you'd think, would be a better choice for staying away and inking, but they have Killer Wail and Kraken, neither of which are of much use to such a player.

I'm still amazed Splattershot Jr. is popular with scared players - that thing is a close range killer and VERY difficult to get kills with. It's slow ttk at range makes it a sitting duck and easy to just stare down and outgun. Great players are amazing with them, but I find them very difficult to use effectively. IMO it's only noob friendly for shooting octotroopers, and a good first weapon to learn inking mechanics, but new players are better off buying ANYTHING else as soon as they can. It's a high skill floor for effective use. Even I feel vulnerable with one.

Yeah, I'd think sploosh would be ideal. Lightening ink & movement speeds, point sensors to find hidden foes and run away, or beacons to just jump back to wherever you feel safe. I can see them not caring about zone denial with a wail, but krakens are a giant invincible fish that leaves an ink trail, what's not for an inker to love? (Nevermind the fact that in practice sploosh is a highly efficient squid murder machine more than an inker...)

 

[Zombie Aladdin]

The kids and other assorted beginners (and people at beginner-level skill) using Splattershot Juniors are not using it to splat. They're using it to ink. If they've learned to use Splat Bombs, they've learned to use it to create distance from themselves and their opponents, and the Bubbler will allow them to do that almost risk-free. (Well, unless it's a stage where falling off is too easy, like Mahi-Mahi Resort or Camp Triggerfish.)

You have to get into their mindset: They don't want to splat. Splatting rarely comes up when they're playing unless they get splatted, in which case it's a cue for them to stay the heck away from that area for the next thirty seconds. If someone's shooting at them, what always comes to mind first is retreat. They'll only fight back if cornered.

You probably don't see it as often as I do, or maybe you can find opponents who are like that, but if you see someone activate a Bubbler and run away without even shooting, that's one such player.

The Kraken can definitely function in a similar way, but I would guess that the ones who want to use the Kraken are already using the Krak-On Splat Roller. That thing gained a reputation pretty early on, and I'd bet word has persisted up to today that it's this amazing inking weapon that can stop people in their tracks with a Kraken. As for why they don't want to use the Neo Sploosh-o-Matic, my best guess is that controlling a Kraken is too different from controlling the Sploosh-o-Matic. The Kraken functions like a roller, so it's easy to transition from the Krak-On Splat Roller to the Kraken, just as it's easy to transition from the Splattershot Jr. to the Bubbler.

Then there's been the team mates who will jump in front of my eliter. Instead of inking a trail, I get a wasted charge. Instead of shooting the enemy my teammate gets shot in the back, then the enemy can easily take both of us out, and that's the game point there.
I just love when I have eliter and a splatterscope on my team gets up to take my perch. On Moray. What do you seriously think you're going to be able to hit from there with that dinky little pea shooter that my gigantic gas pump can't hit sooner? But it's even MORE fun, when the aerospray gets up on my perch and starts shooting next to me at enemies 30ft away.

I get those a lot. I think I mentioned it before, but the most frequent outcome is that the person who runs out in front gets splatted, then I get splatted because I can't see. I don't know if they're trying to back me up and help me get rid of the adversary or if they're strict inkers and are confused why I've stopped.

One thing about those little inkers is that they will never, ever stop moving. Which is good! Except for when you should because it's dangerous ahead.

 

[Saeka]

When I made my second account, I saw a bunch of C- fall through grates. It was common on Bluefin Depot where inkings would try to squid through the middle path from the spawn point. It was hilarious.

 

[Award]

The kids and other assorted beginners (and people at beginner-level skill) using Splattershot Juniors are not using it to splat. They're using it to ink. If they've learned to use Splat Bombs, they've learned to use it to create distance from themselves and their opponents, and the Bubbler will allow them to do that almost risk-free. (Well, unless it's a stage where falling off is too easy, like Mahi-Mahi Resort or Camp Triggerfish.)

You have to get into their mindset: They don't want to splat. Splatting rarely comes up when they're playing unless they get splatted, in which case it's a cue for them to stay the heck away from that area for the next thirty seconds. If someone's shooting at them, what always comes to mind first is retreat. They'll only fight back if cornered.

You probably don't see it as often as I do, or maybe you can find opponents who are like that, but if you see someone activate a Bubbler and run away without even shooting, that's one such player.

The Kraken can definitely function in a similar way, but I would guess that the ones who want to use the Kraken are already using the Krak-On Splat Roller. That thing gained a reputation pretty early on, and I'd bet word has persisted up to today that it's this amazing inking weapon that can stop people in their tracks with a Kraken. As for why they don't want to use the Neo Sploosh-o-Matic, my best guess is that controlling a Kraken is too different from controlling the Sploosh-o-Matic. The Kraken functions like a roller, so it's easy to transition from the Krak-On Splat Roller to the Kraken, just as it's easy to transition from the Splattershot Jr. to the Bubbler.

LOL, it's so hard for me to imagine that mindset. Everyone in the games I play are bloodthirsty and reckless. In the words of the profound philosopher Arlo Guthrie, they just "wanna kill, KILLL, KIIIILLLLL!!!" And as an eliter/carbon main, I live danger. :D

Your little inkers just defy all video game logic. You don't avoid the goombas you stomp them! ;) Even MK has the shells! It's funny, but just so hard to put in perspective. I've had one or two that just follow me around and stay behind me, but that's not too common. The only time I ever see a bubbler is when it pops up the moment I was supposed to land the shot as it came around the corner and continues barreling toward me guns blazing. Every single time I see that player. :p

The closest I see to that type of player isn't so much the timid ones so much as the terrible ones who overestimate their abilities. Especially when I have my carbon roller I always feel bad - sometimes feeling guilty for the splats gets me splatted though. They'll come out shooting, very aggressively, thinking they've got all the moves. Then comes this roller barreling down on them and avoiding their shots and you can tell they have this "ohhh fuuudge!" moment and turn around right before the roller comes down on them. Then they do it again right after. :D

Krak-On: It's pretty noob friendly though, the inking is straight forward, the beacons let them get out of the way, the kraken sounds good on paper, but of course it's hard to fight/defend with below the high skill floor.... I'd think they'd try it, learn they get splatted with it, then move on. But I do see a LOOOT of splat/krak-on rollers, and so many of them do NOT seem to stop to fling still! Not just with scrubby lv15 and unders, either. That's what really amazes me.

Maybe you're right about Sploosh, but I can't imagine the kraken being that big a dissuasion for them with everything else sploosh would do for them. Either beacons OR sensors - both great for running despite their aggressive intent. It's built specifically for running and evading after all (with the intended purpose for daredevils behind enemy lines, but it applies either way.)

I get those a lot. I think I mentioned it before, but the most frequent outcome is that the person who runs out in front gets splatted, then I get splatted because I can't see. I don't know if they're trying to back me up and help me get rid of the adversary or if they're strict inkers and are confused why I've stopped.

One thing about those little inkers is that they will never, ever stop moving. Which is good! Except for when you should because it's dangerous ahead.

LOL! My favorite is when they see an enemy and just ignore it as if to say "Hey, outta' the way! I'm inkin' here!" I'll see that from time to time. Rollers are important business you know! I think I just tend to assume they're overzealous in getting the kill.


You had a point about the spawncampers not being great players. I got camped a few times in skatepark and mahi the other day. I noticed the camp was effective, but I had eliter and was fighting back. And then I noticed they started relentlessly attacking the spawn shield. Even wasting a kraken on it. They didn't seem to even know the spawn is invincible! It could have been a taunt, but I don't think so. The same players when they were on my team had terrible scores.

 

[Zombie Aladdin]

LOL, it's so hard for me to imagine that mindset. Everyone in the games I play are bloodthirsty and reckless. In the words of the profound philosopher Arlo Guthrie, they just "wanna kill, KILLL, KIIIILLLLL!!!" And as an eliter/carbon main, I live danger. :D

Your little inkers just defy all video game logic. You don't avoid the goombas you stomp them! ;) Even MK has the shells! It's funny, but just so hard to put in perspective. I've had one or two that just follow me around and stay behind me, but that's not too common. The only time I ever see a bubbler is when it pops up the moment I was supposed to land the shot as it came around the corner and continues barreling toward me guns blazing. Every single time I see that player. :p

There is a big difference between a single-player game like Super Mario Bros. or even multiplayer-centric ones where everyone is invulnerable to damage like the Mario Kart games. In Splatoon, if your Inkling is defeated, he or she will EXPLODE in ink, you have to watch the person who defeated you, and you're sent back to the spawn. To a kid not used to this sort of thing in video games, and may have only experienced stuff like Angry Birds, where failing has no consequences whatsoever, this can be a scary experience!

I still stand by the idea that Splatoon was marketed something like a shooter for people who don't like shooters. As the goal is not to kill, it'll get the kids who don't want to kill. These aren't the bullies in the school yard threatening other kids or poking them with sporks. These are the kids who bring their teddy bears or security blankets to school.

I sometimes see wild playstyle fluctuations though. It's not often, but it happens. Sometimes, they suddenly get more aggressive and become semi-competent. Considering more often than not, these players are named "Dad" or "mama" or some word for a parent, so I'm guessing their parents have to step in because the kids are too frightened to keep playing, especially if they run into a splat-oriented team who banishes them back to the spawn point.

Krak-On: It's pretty noob friendly though, the inking is straight forward, the beacons let them get out of the way, the kraken sounds good on paper, but of course it's hard to fight/defend with below the high skill floor.... I'd think they'd try it, learn they get splatted with it, then move on. But I do see a LOOOT of splat/krak-on rollers, and so many of them do NOT seem to stop to fling still! Not just with scrubby lv15 and unders, either. That's what really amazes me.

Maybe you're right about Sploosh, but I can't imagine the kraken being that big a dissuasion for them with everything else sploosh would do for them. Either beacons OR sensors - both great for running despite their aggressive intent. It's built specifically for running and evading after all (with the intended purpose for daredevils behind enemy lines, but it applies either way.)

Actually, I think I have a better idea why they'll latch on to the Krak-On Splat Roller and not the Neo Sploosh-o-Matic: You can start using the Krak-On at Level 7, but the Neo Sploosh-o-Matic is locked until Level 18. hence, I think the Krak-On Splat Roller, being available first, is what they get used to. That being said, even these inkers will go after nearby opponents when they have the Kraken active. I have never once seen a Kraken used strictly to retreat, whereas I've seen peopleuse the Bubbler for that many times. I guess being invincible AND being able to inflict one-hit splats at will can put some confidence into even these players.

LOL! My favorite is when they see an enemy and just ignore it as if to say "Hey, outta' the way! I'm inkin' here!" I'll see that from time to time. Rollers are important business you know! I think I just tend to assume they're overzealous in getting the kill.

I guess one way to tell their intent is to see what happens once they actually get close to the opponent. In your case, maybe they didn't even know there was an opponent there. Maybe they're pointing their GamePads downwards, so all they see is the ground in front of them.

You had a point about the spawncampers not being great players. I got camped a few times in skatepark and mahi the other day. I noticed the camp was effective, but I had eliter and was fighting back. And then I noticed they started relentlessly attacking the spawn shield. Even wasting a kraken on it. They didn't seem to even know the spawn is invincible! It could have been a taunt, but I don't think so. The same players when they were on my team had terrible scores.

From my experience, when spawn-campers fail to actually spawn-camp and have to play normally, they tend to place 2nd or 3rd in inking and will have both a lot of splats and get splatted a lot. No spawn-camper is dumb enough to sit at the spawn when nobody's there, at least none that I've seen. I've seen dumb spawn-campers that try to shoot at us through the barrier though. Sometimes, we get rid of them. More often, we don't, because those people also tend to be good at evading. Either that, or the barrier inhibits my field of vision. But they never stand still when I encounter them. They dart about everywhere and will hide from sight. I think they shoot at the barrier as an attempt to keep us from moving out of it.

I've had one match in Arowana Mall (during the Splatfest--Team Nice had it rough) where we were spawn-camped. One player, I think his name was Eric, sat at the far right corner (from the perspective of someone in the spawn) and would shoot across the entrance if he saw anyone try to leave. He was in a spot where you could not hit him unless you moved out of the spawn, upon which you were a sitting duck because it's very difficult to not get out of his line of fire. I managed to trade with him, though it was for little worth as there were two other spawn-campers waiting nearby.

 

[jsilva]

It all makes perfect sense. It matches a perfect fit for what we've seen.

I find it funny you guys are discussing this again on a different thread :)

I have to say that while it's very interesting and worthwhile to discuss, I can't agree that it matches perfectly with what I've observed. From my perspective there is some key 'ingredient' so far not explained—whether it be the specific conditions in which Splatoon's matching can repeatedly error to a high degree or whether it be to influence the outcome (i.e. to balance rank population like you've suggested before, or other potential reasons).

It seems too generic to say Splatoon is trying to balance players and 'could' be putting one strong player with three weak players (for instance). That would account for some variation and unpredictable results but not to the extent that I've seen it (in winning and losing streaks). I know there have been other aspects discussed such as tilt which was meant to fill in the gaps of understanding, but even with those things considered the explanation still seems too generic and inadequate. I can't comprehend, based on what's been discussed, how it by itself could fail to the degree that I've seen.

 

[Award]

There is a big difference between a single-player game like Super Mario Bros. or even multiplayer-centric ones where everyone is invulnerable to damage like the Mario Kart games. In Splatoon, if your Inkling is defeated, he or she will EXPLODE in ink, you have to watch the person who defeated you, and you're sent back to the spawn. To a kid not used to this sort of thing in video games, and may have only experienced stuff like Angry Birds, where failing has no consequences whatsoever, this can be a scary experience!

LOL, well it's at least a nice orange/purple/teal explosion! Flinging birds at concrete walls: Perfectly acceptable. Squids that explode in brightly colored ink: Traumatizing. Kids are pretty screwed up these days :p

I still stand by the idea that Splatoon was marketed something like a shooter for people who don't like shooters. As the goal is not to kill, it'll get the kids who don't want to kill. These aren't the bullies in the school yard threatening other kids or poking them with sporks. These are the kids who bring their teddy bears or security blankets to school.

I didn't think there were any kids like that LEFT! Most kids seem to have a mouth that would make a sailor cringe and a very unnatural affinity for anything with exposed vital organs. As one of the latter type kids you describe myself, well, heck, even I played Castlevania! But shooters took me a long time to accept (but those had real gothic themes, crucifix es with demons, zombies, and actual blood colored gore. I don't think even I'd have been so traumatized by Splatoon as these kids,and if I wouldn't, no one can be. I *STILL* can NOT watch horror films or graphically violent (when it's not over the top like James Bond or 80's action films sort of things) films. Pretty sure I'll never watch a Tarantino film! :p

I sometimes see wild playstyle fluctuations though. It's not often, but it happens. Sometimes, they suddenly get more aggressive and become semi-competent. Considering more often than not, these players are named "Dad" or "mama" or some word for a parent, so I'm guessing their parents have to step in because the kids are too frightened to keep playing, especially if they run into a splat-oriented team who banishes them back to the spawn point.

Yeah, "dad" seems to play a lot :p

Actually, I think I have a better idea why they'll latch on to the Krak-On Splat Roller and not the Neo Sploosh-o-Matic: You can start using the Krak-On at Level 7, but the Neo Sploosh-o-Matic is locked until Level 18. hence, I think the Krak-On Splat Roller, being available first, is what they get used to. That being said, even these inkers will go after nearby opponents when they have the Kraken active. I have never once seen a Kraken used strictly to retreat, whereas I've seen peopleuse the Bubbler for that many times. I guess being invincible AND being able to inflict one-hit splats at will can put some confidence into even these players.

That's a good point about the Sploosh, I forgot it gets unlocked so late. I do wonder how many of these people "don't want to kill" versus "can't aim worth anything so avoid combat." Motion controls aren't exactly "auto aim" from other shooters! It's much more like PC gaming with a mouse and requires a higher skill level from the start.

From my experience, when spawn-campers fail to actually spawn-camp and have to play normally, they tend to place 2nd or 3rd in inking and will have both a lot of splats and get splatted a lot. No spawn-camper is dumb enough to sit at the spawn when nobody's there, at least none that I've seen. I've seen dumb spawn-campers that try to shoot at us through the barrier though. Sometimes, we get rid of them. More often, we don't, because those people also tend to be good at evading. Either that, or the barrier inhibits my field of vision. But they never stand still when I encounter them. They dart about everywhere and will hide from sight. I think they shoot at the barrier as an attempt to keep us from moving out of it.

Yeah I see them darting about everywhere as well, OR they hide from sight and stealth kill you if you try to escape.

I've had one match in Arowana Mall (during the Splatfest--Team Nice had it rough) where we were spawn-camped. One player, I think his name was Eric, sat at the far right corner (from the perspective of someone in the spawn) and would shoot across the entrance if he saw anyone try to leave. He was in a spot where you could not hit him unless you moved out of the spawn, upon which you were a sitting duck because it's very difficult to not get out of his line of fire. I managed to trade with him, though it was for little worth as there were two other spawn-campers waiting nearby.

Yeah, that's pretty sadistic, and you can tell he does that all the time if he's already picked out the perfect campsite. That's not gameplay. When my team does that I'll usually just sit it out at mid and go ink corners or watch for stragglers making a comeback.

 

[Award]

I find it funny you guys are discussing this again on a different thread :)

I have to say that while it's very interesting and worthwhile to discuss, I can't agree that it matches perfectly with what I've observed. From my perspective there is some key 'ingredient' so far not explained—whether it be the specific conditions in which Splatoon's matching can repeatedly error to a high degree or whether it be to influence the outcome (i.e. to balance rank population like you've suggested before, or other potential reasons).

It seems too generic to say Splatoon is trying to balance players and 'could' be putting one strong player with three weak players (for instance). That would account for some variation and unpredictable results but not to the extent that I've seen it (in winning and losing streaks). I know there have been other aspects discussed such as tilt which was meant to fill in the gaps of understanding, but even with those things considered the explanation still seems too generic and inadequate. I can't comprehend, based on what's been discussed, how it by itself could fail to the degree that I've seen.

Actually the two threads were kind of simultaneous :p

That said, I do agree, it's not a complete explanation, there's something missing from it. I don't know if it's related or not, but it may be related to the games habit of placing 3-4 of the same weapon/class in a lobby. If I play Hydra I suddenly see lots of other hydras in rounds. If I dont' play hydra I see them seldom. If I play anything but eliter, chargers are kind of scattered. If I play eliter every round has 2-4 chargers. If I play roller, suddenly half the field is rollers. It's weird and clearly either intentionally or accidentally deliberate. Could be a biproduct of whatever potential glitch causes the winning/losing streaks too.

 

[jsilva]

Actually the two threads were kind of simultaneous :p

That said, I do agree, it's not a complete explanation, there's something missing from it. I don't know if it's related or not, but it may be related to the games habit of placing 3-4 of the same weapon/class in a lobby. If I play Hydra I suddenly see lots of other hydras in rounds. If I dont' play hydra I see them seldom. If I play anything but eliter, chargers are kind of scattered. If I play eliter every round has 2-4 chargers. If I play roller, suddenly half the field is rollers. It's weird and clearly either intentionally or accidentally deliberate. Could be a biproduct of whatever potential glitch causes the winning/losing streaks too.

I haven't paid close attention to try and find patterns in weapon selection, but I'd say the weapon selection has been pretty much all over the place in my experience. I wouldn't confidently say that it's random but I wouldn't say I see a definite pattern. I use either the Luna Blaster or the Octoshot/Tentatek, so maybe the results are different.

Interesting that you do see a pattern, or have experienced a pattern. Today I did play an annoying game of rainmaker on Arowana Mall and the opposing team had three elitres and we had no long range weapons. I was hoping they were bad snipers but it turned out they weren't :) I got them a few times with the inkzooka but about halfway through the game we got dominated and lost it.

 

[Award]

I haven't paid close attention to try and find patterns in weapon selection, but I'd say the weapon selection has been pretty much all over the place in my experience. I wouldn't confidently say that it's random but I wouldn't say I see a definite pattern. I use either the Luna Blaster or the Octoshot/Tentatek, so maybe the results are different.

Interesting that you do see a pattern, or have experienced a pattern. Today I did play an annoying game of rainmaker on Arowana Mall and the opposing team had three elitres and we had no long range weapons. I was hoping they were bad snipers but it turned out they weren't :) I got them a few times with the inkzooka but about halfway through the game we got dominated and lost it.

Yeah, there's definitely a pattern. Not a specific one, but I'm definitely more likely to see multiples of whatever I'm using - or at least that seems to be the case when it's a less common weapon (eliters, hydras, squiffers, splooshes, etc)

That's rotten luck. Typically when there's multiple snipers it's rare for the second to be good and VERY rare for the third to be :) Arowanna's a great sniper map but it's still easy enough for plays to run past the sniper - sniping on that middle ramp isn't always easy with the lateral motion most rollers and such will take. As an eliter, I'm more likely to be taken out by other snipers than by anyone on the ground, though, it's true. Splat bombs are deadly for us however ;)