_____________________________________________
#05 - Problems
_______________________________________________________
Introduction
Walleye Weekly is a newsletter-type of thread that is posted weekly. It will cover topics related to Splatoon. If you're up to date with all the squid news, there probably won't be anything new here for you to read about. However, if you don't search around for news, you can find out what all the hubbub is about, here. Without further ado, let's get kraken.Ride That Tower!
OverviewTower Control, Splatoon's latest new gamemode, was released on Ranked Play! The goal is to capture a tower by standing (or swimming) on it, which powers the tower to move on a set course. This course leads to somewhere on the opposing teams side, which means kills and teamwork are even more of a requirement than in Turf Wars and Splat Zones. Various weapons are better in this gamemode than in the other gamemodes, with specific subs and specials you'd purposely want in Splat Zones become unnecessary in Tower Control. You might be the one of many that switch weapons depending on the gamemode.
Since this gamemode is also in Ranked Play, the modes alternate from Tower Control to Splat Zones with every map change. This has struck some unhappy campers with some in the community, where many would like the ability to choose the gamemode to play, whenever they'd want to play it. While some prefer Splat Zones over Tower Control and vice versa, the ability to pick one to play willingly while others pick the other gamemode is not implemented into Splatoon. Although a small problem has arose from the addition of this new gamemode, you have to admit, it's pretty darn fun.
Initial Thoughts
While this gamemode serves as the alternative to Splat Zones when it's in the current rotation, I find this gamemode much more enthusing as the rest. It feels more face-paced and teamwork orientated. Of course, this is with all the gamemodes, but it really exaggerates the need of teamwork. You won't find one guy being able to knockout the other full-person team, but even with both sides having a full-person team, the end results vary depending on which team works better together. You can have everyone on the tower to make it move faster, but it's safer for one person to hide in ink and have the other three teammates protect him. This way, if someone dies, all they have to do is Super Jump to the squid on the tower, while the teammates that are still alive are still protecting them. If said teammates do die, it either results in the other team riding the tower back to the middle, or the one person on the tower cleaning up the left-over enemies that have already been weakened due to the protecting teammates.
You'll never find yourself alone in the fight to control the tower, as the main focus is the tower, rather than the ground for once. You and the enemy will focus on the tower, but not on spreading ink on the ground or defending it from a safe area. This is because the tower is moving, and forces players to adapt to the location they are on the map. While some places on Splat Zones are safe for Chargers or Dynamo Rollers to spam ink safely, there is no real place for that in Tower Control because you're always on the run, moving to different locations. This is a key point in playing Tower Control, and one that I personally find likeable.
Tower Control also changes the value of the different subs and specials. In Splat Zones, one Ink-Strike could capture a zone and completely turn the tides from something that had come from the enemy simply splatting the ground near the spawn. This was something I always found quite silly and rather over-powering, but a such a special doesn't exactly exist in Tower Control. Tower Control adds new uses to some subs and specials that would previously be unwanted or unused, like the Ink Mines, Suction Bombs, Killer Wails, or Ink-zooka's. The Ink-Mines can be strategically be put on the tower to kill any enemies trying to try and capture it, the Suction Bombs stickiness is one of the two bombs that have the ability to hit the tower, the other one being Burst Bomb. Killer Wails can be put in the direction the tower is going, providing cover-fire or a good way to make the enemy get off the tower. Ink-zooka's can destroy anyone that sits on the tower, and can be used to clear the path when your team has the tower. A comeback or a push no longer requires an Ink-Strike, but instead could be stemmed from a Killer Wail or Ink-zooka.
Overall, I believe that Tower Control is a great gamemode that requires teamwork more than anything else, and doesn't rely on anything that I find baloney like Ink-Strikes capturing the zone in one go or Dynamo Rollers having the ability to spam ink in a safe location without ever being able to die by anything but a charger. It requires players to move around from location to location, on either side of the map. New uses to subs and specials appear the greatly benefit you when compared to the other gamemodes, making for a more diverse gamemode when it comes to weapons. All of these factors add up to be my personal favorite gamemode so far, and I hope you've formed you own opinion on Tower Control, too.
Splatfests are over
All of the current Splatfests are over. Here's the results of each!North America
Dogs win 160 - 140! Woof Woof!
Europe/PAL
Rock wins 170-130! Rock on!
Japan
Red Kitsune Flavor wins 161-139! Tasty!
Prizes
Congratulations to each team! Everyone gets a prize in the end, so enjoy! Here's how it works. Depending on what rank you received in the end, you'll get a set amount of Sea Snails. The amount depends on rank and whether or not your team won. Here's a chart. (Information from Splatoon Wiki)
Problem
Many were upset about the way Splatfests decide its winner. The scores seen above (ex: 161-139) are added together based on Popularity and Win Rate. The points from win rate are doubled, so win rate matters much more than popularity, but when it came down to it, Dogs had won because it was more popular than cats. While some say that Popularity shouldn't be counted for, some argue that since there are more bad players than good players, it cancels out. The argument stays to be discussed, but this has made some discouraged to pick their favorite side if it all comes down to popularity. What about you? Are you going to pick the more popular side just because you want to win, or will you pick your favorite side just because it's your favorite? Hopefully you'll make a decision next time you get into a Splatfest.
Final Notes & Q's
Sorry for uploading this on Monday. I just came back from another weekend vacation, so I made this as soon as I was able to. The next one will arrive as scheduled, I promise. That's it for this week's Walleye Weekly, expect either a Map Analysis or Weapon Recon (Analysis) in the next issue. Hope to see you there in a few days.Answer these when you reply!
Code:
Q: Are you satisfied with the way Splatfests are decided?
A:
Q: In the next Splatfest, will you pick the most popular team instead of your favorite?
A:
Q: How do you like the new title image?
A:
Q: Do you have any feedback of any kind for Walleye Weekly?
A:Link to previous Walleye Weekly's
#01 - Pilot
#02 - New Stuff!
#03 - Coming to a Splatoon Near You
#04 - A Little Late
