Saltspray TC was the biggest shitshow I've ever seen in the game. Many weapons, not just chargers, could hit every part of the tower's path from the ledge just outside of spawn. Still fun, but absurd.
The problem with Port Mackerel TC was mostly splash walls. They reach higher than the tower platform, so they were essentially death curtains along the linear path. Also killer wails. You'd think they could draw a completely new, winding path though.
Blackbelly Skatepark RM was really small. Imagine the same path as TC but at squid swim speed. Not sure I've played the others, but I would guess Saltspray RM is too small and Piranha Pit too big? But yeah, I imagine the devs could be able to relocate the goalposts.
Looking at this: http://splatoonmaps.github.io/
Why no Port Mackerel/Saltspray Rig TC since October 2015?
No Piranha Pit/Blackbelly Skatepark/Saltspray Rig Rainmaker since February?
Can't they fix all that (don't even know what's wrong by the way) instead of removing them from the rotation? It shouldn't take half a year.
I'd be afraid of rolling a 2 out. It's pretty dang close to 3, so unless you really want to test your luck I'd probably hold onto the two 2Subbed pieces.
If you played Spyke Simulator(TM) like Jeff Vader and didn't have to worry about those things then it'd be different.
I know. I think I'll wait for a while, so that I can stockpile the shells and enough cash to justify the risk, but until then, I'm pretty happy with the foundation that I have with my build.
We had Tower Control Blackbelly Skatepark not too long ago. I hate that map since I always lose, but I managed ranking up to S rank because of that map.
So I decided to get back into the game after months of inactivity and the one thing that stands out to me is how crazy intense matches get. I've felt my technical skill improve vastly in just a couple of days since I'm forced in order to compete, and I've been fluctuating between S and S+.
I feel like they have to increase the time it takes to respawn because you're barely punished for dying now. Waay back I remember even a 4-2 power play and I knew it was gg because you'll eventually clear out the area and gain control of the map, but now that rarely happens (insta win that is)
Snipers are crazy skilled now as well, I noticed the team with 1 charger almost always wins on some maps so winning is basically lottery still. Kraken/bubble boys are very annoying when you outplay them but they pop the special just before dying, I still count it as me winning the duel.
Folks in the Discord have already been aware of this for a while that it's been a personal mission of mine to come up with a functional gear setup to use with the Custom Jr., since I'm apparently a glutton for punishment. Anyway, I've experimented around with a few different potential approaches to this but never settled on a particular strategy, so I figure why not pick GAF's brain about it a bit to at least see which of my options make the most sense to try and develop.
One thing that I've been fairly settled on for a long while has been using Haunt as a part of the build. Since the weapon's already mostly built around being a debuff/support machine I like the thought of tagging enemies as much as possible. The custom lacks the regular Jr's bubble to survive direct encounters, and since the base weapon is arguably one of the worst in the game, having haunt at least provides a debuff in the event of getting caught on a bad situation. The idea is that there's no situation in which an opponent leaves an encounter without some sort of disadvantage. I've also been feeling lately that ink resistance might be a must to have on as well, since getting caught on even a small bit of enemy ink for any period of time likely spells death, since there's very little chance of winning out an encounter against an enemy already aware of your presence and aiming in your direction.
So the main question I'm working on at the moment is, if those two abilities are taken as given, what of the "regular" abilities becomes best to focus on to complete a support-based Custom Jr setup?
Things I've considered so far...
- Run speed up - Being able to strafe quickly while shooting would help in potentially avoiding some counter-shots, not to mention being able to stay close enough for the Jr's spray and weak range to maintain more consistent hits against moving enemies. Any little edge that keeps people from slipping back and out of range would be crucial in any sort of engagement.
- Swim speed up - Always a useful ability anyway, but its main benefit in this case would be the added survivability potential. Since the Custom Jr is pretty pitiful in direct confrontation, a lot of swim speed to be able to make a quick escape would be crucial. Could also help in more quickly flanking and ambushing.
- Bomb range up - Disruptors, disruptors everywhere. More range means more ability to keep other weapons out of range from killing the CJr, and can provide some instant support for teammates. I'm less inclined to rely on this for much more than a main on the hat, gear-wise, since trying to roll for bomb range subs doesn't have much for good odds and I'm not one to save-scum my way to victory.
So those three are more based around adding to the CJr's ability to deal with Squid v Squid encounters. The other school of thought was to base the build more around being a consistent Echo machine:
- Quick Respawn - Coming from the notion that the CJr isn't great for out-and-out winning encounters (in my personal case I wind up with a lot of trades especially), this is pretty self-explanatory. Get back into the game sooner to get back to covering turf and building echo.
- Special charge up - Not much explanation needed here. One thing the Jr can do is ink fast, so building locator fast makes sense. This seems most useful in the early game, as once most of the map is claimed by either team and the real fighting ensues, deaths can mean losing that charge pretty fast unless you start winning encounters.
- Special saver - Even just having one main's-worth of this can come in really handy for making sure that you can get echo's consistently even during hectic matches. What I haven't entirely figured out yet is whether this loss prevention helps to keep special more consistently than respawn or special charge would. Better to build up the echolocator steadily, or do it more quickly with other skills at greater risk?
Out of those six abilities, I figure I'll probably want to settle on only one or two of them to really hammer into the build. On a fundamental level I guess it mostly boils down to if I want to improve my own character's direct capabilities, or just go fully into echo-building and basically punt the idea of ever doing much actual fighting. There's lots of options, but whether any of those options are actually useful...?
Snipers are crazy skilled now as well, I noticed the team with 1 charger almost always wins on some maps so winning is basically lottery still. Kraken/bubble boys are very annoying when you outplay them but they pop the special just before dying, I still count it as me winning the duel.
I only have an issue with all of these in TC. The linear path of the tower (as opposed to multiple paths in rainmaker) means that a sniper left uncounter-sniped can lock the game down. Secondly, a team with all kraken/bubble can make a four unit invincible push on tower, whereas in rainmaker you can quickly end the push by splatting the vulnerable holder. Nozzlenoses and jet squelchers win with abysmal K/Ds just because of that brain dead special.
Nintendo can either ban kraken or make it compulsory in TC, otherwise I'm not playing it in solo ever again lol.
man, you just made me nostalgic for when I could main the custom jr and wreck house..
I feel like some ink saver subs would be good. that way you can better approach large areas of enemy ink by lobbing out some disruptors. I do this with burst bombs, if there's a large area of enemy ink I can lob a few out and see if someone's hiding in the ink. also if you know you're about to get splat'd this will increase the chances that you have enough ink to quickly disrupt your enemy before you get got. that + a death booyah will typically set your teammates up for an easy kill.
I'm not really a big fan of bomb range up because of the opportunity cost of having it vs. having something else. I've gotten really good at swimming in ink to get some momentum and then jumping out, lobbing a bomb at the peak of the jump, and then pulling back in to where I started the jump.
special buffs would be good as well, I'd probably settle on special charge up.
for me my ideal setup would probably be two swim speed ups, two special charge ups, and two ink saver subs
It’s been some time coming, but after some discussions in the SplatGAF Discord, I have decided to run a new tournament for GAF just for fun!
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, GAFHouse 4!
This time, we will be running a Low Power Weapon Tier Tournament, using similar rules to the S&F Low Power Tournament that was held by Squidboards several months ago. Basically, this ruleset bans essentially all current “meta” weapons, alongside other strong weapons that overshadow their variant counterparts (e.g. Trislosher over Trislosher Nouveau). This ruleset was chosen so that GAFHouse simply “wasn’t another tournament” where the current meta weapons prevail, and to make things more interesting.
Saturday April 16, 5 PM EST
2 PM PST
10 PM GMT
Sunday April 17, 8 AM AEST
<— This is so I can actually be awake to help run this. Timezones suck.
——
Signups:
Signups are available using the Google Form, >HERE< (Quote to reveal), and will be available until April 12 5 PM EST.
Once Registration closes, teams will be semi-randomised such that the ranks of players will be approximately even. A maximum of 6 players per team will be assigned, subject to signup numbers. Ideally, you should have access to the SplatGAF Discord Room for best participation in the tournament.
SplatGAF Discord can be found >here<
——
Tournament Format:
All game modes will be allowed at any stage of the tournament, including Turf War. Please be excited, as well as prepared!
Teams will play each other using a Round Robin format, where every team plays every other team once (I am not expecting more than 6 teams). Each Set will be a Best of 5. Game Modes for each set will be randomly determined using the Discord bot “DannyBot” using the !random mode command prior to each set playoff. All playoffs for that set will use the same rules. Stage will always be set to random.
Wins and Losses will be recorded over the course of the entire round robin. The top two teams will then playoff in a final Best of 7 Showdown, again using random stage and mode generation.
In the event of ties in the round robin score, performance between the two teams in question will be factored in to decide a winner.
——
Low Power Mode Activate! The Ban List (available on Discord as “!tag gafhouse4 list”
Tentatek Splattershot
Octoshot Replica
.52 Gal
.52 Gal Deco
.96 Gal
.96 Gal Deco
Luna Blaster
Neo Luna Blaster
Dynamo Roller
Gold Dynamo Roller
Krak-on Splat Roller
E-Liter 3K
E-Liter 3K Scope
Custom E-Liter 3K
Custom E-Liter 3K Scope
Kelp Splat Charger
Kelp Splatterscope
Custom Blaster
Custom Range Blaster
Custom Jet Squelcher
L-3 Nozzlenose D
Zink Mini Splatling
Heavy Splatling Deco
Trislosher
*** Safety rule: Any Sheldon Pick Weapons will be banned if they are released before the tournament. ***
You cannot use ANY of the weapons listed above at any time, period. Any team caught using any of the weapons will immediately lose the current game where the violation in question occurs. Repeated violations will result in disqualification.
*Please Note: The bans are not set in stone and are subject to change if there is sufficient argument against anything on this list, or if people feel stuff should be added. I have already consulted the public members of the SplatGAF discord regarding this list, but discussion is thrown open to the forum OT.
——
Player Subs:
Players can sub in/out between games within a given set. Before proceeding with each game, please communicate with each to inform people of desired substitutions, and allow enough time for substitutions to be made.
If you are planning to substitute players mid-set, try to select a lobby host that will not need to swap-out and thus disconnect all players mid-set.
——
Disconnection (D/C) Rules:
In the case of a disconnect, the team whose player disconnected may request a rematch if:
The disconnect did not occur in the after the first two minutes of the game

The team did not attempt to continue the game
As this is GAFHouse, honour rule will be used, and no proof will be required to dispute D/Cs. I trust you guys to keep things fun and fair.
Should a rematch be required:
Only the disconnected player may be substituted

All remaining players must use the same weapons and gear

This will only be allowed once per set.
Additional disconnects after this, provided it is not the same player, will also only be allowed once per set (maximum of two D/C subs). Further disconnect issues will not be factored in, and games must be played as is.

——
Score reporting:
Scores are to be reported upon the competition of each set using the following format:
Team A - Team B: (Team A Score - Team B Score)
All scores are to be reported in the #gafhouse chat room, a sub-room on the SplatGAF discord. Teams should ensure that at least one member on their team has access to this channel to report scores.
——
Further help?
All questions and inquiries should be directed to me, Toadsili T, preferably via DM on the Discord Server. I will also occasionally check PMs here on GAF if people prefer this method.
——
Credits
James, for starting GAFHouse (We miss you)
Scarth on Squidboards, for the original Low Power ruleset.
Oceanink offensive Ruleset, which was partially reused here
SplatGAF Discord
... and you!
I've noticed that on the Moray Towers, sometimes right after I use a killer wail using the splat roller, I instantly two seconds later get my main special filled again and can use killer wail again. Not sure if that's a glitch or something to do with my gear's abilities.
Also, there was one time I literally was shooting at an opponent for like 30 seconds straight (I forgot with which weapon), and the opponent did not get splatted. :/
I've noticed that on the Moray Towers, sometimes right after I use a killer wail using the splat roller, I instantly two seconds later get my main special filled again and can use killer wail again. Not sure if that's a glitch or something to do with my gear's abilities.
Also, there was one time I literally was shooting at an opponent for like 30 seconds straight (I forgot with which weapon), and the opponent did not get splatted. :/
That must be what happened to me, some player used two wails next to each other in very quick succession so I was trapped when I dodged the first and sat in a corner... then comes the second perfectly aligned with the other with no space between them - lolwut. Maybe it was 2 different players but I highly doubt it, the area they sat in was contested why would both target me when I'm nowhere near instead of my teammates.
I only have an issue with all of these in TC. The linear path of the tower (as opposed to multiple paths in rainmaker) means that a sniper left uncounter-sniped can lock the game down. Secondly, a team with all kraken/bubble can make a four unit invincible push on tower, whereas in rainmaker you can quickly end the push by splatting the vulnerable holder. Nozzlenoses and jet squelchers win with abysmal K/Ds just because of that brain dead special.
Nintendo can either ban kraken or make it compulsory in TC, otherwise I'm not playing it in solo ever again lol.
They should just make it where invul specials' timer run down exponentially while on tower or tower can't be pushed by invul specials (stalled but not pushed).
My suggestion would be to be an echo machine with a complete set of special duration up/defense up. There's a gear combo that's all Inkline brand with special duration mains. Hope you like the color pink.
My suggestion would be to be an echo machine with a complete set of special duration up/defense up. There's a gear combo that's all Inkline brand with special duration mains. Hope you like the color pink.
You really think special duration over saver or charge? I've always kinda wondered about that with echo, since the extra location time is nice, but if the enemy tries to charge in while located and dies it would negate the time bonus, and if they know enough to stay back, I'm not sure that the extra couple of seconds would have much impact. I'd rather try and gear up to gain echos more often rather than having fewer that last longer.
My octo tee wound up rolling two special charge and a run-speed, so I just tried a build around those two somewhat, and...it didn't work very well. The overall boost to special charge wasn't enormous, but I definitely didn't feel like it was building echo much faster than going without it at all. I already know that the effect of special saver feels more immediately noticeable.
And as for defense up, I have considered it a long time ago but I'm not sure how much it would help in the long run compared to other skills. All I can see it being used for would be to perhaps survive a bit more often while trying to retreat, because getting caught in a firefight, even stacking a bunch of defense will only lessen the TTK for a few particular weapons, and likely doesn't provide enough to stay alive if an enemy has you lined up. Defense combined with swim speed and ink resistance, alright, but then you're not getting any sort of benefits to the disruptors or echo at all. A little bit of hardiness in exchange for more overall utility isn't something I'm sure I'd feel great about.
Echolocator gets the largest raw increase in duration of all specials, going from 12 to 15.5 seconds with three mains. I've been working on this set myself and looking for the right echo weapon for it, but had never considered the custom jr. until now. But I think it could be a good pairing, as it's one of the best inkers and thus could forgo special charge up.
As for special saver, given that echo activates instantly, you can generally hit it even if you know you're about to be splatted to prevent waste. It's certainly a nice skill if you're killed with a full meter, but since it seems to work on a percentage basis, it's not so valuable if your bar isn't near full.
It's important to remember that defense up is not the same skill as when the game was released. Since being buffed, just one main makes splattershots and a few other weapons require an extra hit to splat, not just gals. The basic idea here is indeed to stay alive, to keep moving and echoing and supporting, but it can also help you offensively in a rushdown against the top meta weapons.
Though my proposal is sincere, I must admit a large part of the attraction is the dream of a 3x3 grid of defense up icons. Maybe a perma-echo support build is silly... you certainly don't wanna like be one of those players who spend the entire match off in a corner charging their inkstrike. Gonna test this out myself and report back (without the defense part yet).
Think of it as a way to get a whole group of people using more variety. Not as a way to ban the meta or prove things viable/unviable. It's just a fun rule set to make for sets you wouldn't typically see.
Rapid Blaster has always been good though? lt's one of these weapons that are often cited in the "worst weapons in the game" lists on the internet and l never understood why. Like the Sploosh. "Impossible to use in ranked", "you'd be better off with an Aerospray" they said.
Yeah, pretty much. The H3 received range and turf coverage buffs, but that only raised it from terrible to bad. Honorable mention goes to the N-Zap becoming even speedier.
didn't realize the rapid blaster got buffed but it makes sense
I remember trying it out early on and liking the weapon type but not finding it viable in matches. then I came around to it recently during a splatfest and then in splat zones and now the rapid blaster deco is one of my 3 mains. thing can wreak havoc.
I did try the rapid blaster out a couple of times pre-buff. I saw potential in it but it was still a bit too slow for its name.
Now the family, especially the rapid blaster pro deco are among my favorite weapons. Always go for directs!
I do hope the brushes get a movement buff as to when you swing the brush you can move back and forth more freely. I think Run speed up should effect it as well.
Rapid Blaster has always been good though? lt's one of these weapons that are often cited in the "worst weapons in the game" lists on the internet and l never understood why. Like the Sploosh. "Impossible to use in ranked", "you'd be better off with an Aerospray" they said.
Rapid Blasters have the worst kill speed for main weapons against 100HP squids, and regular Blasters can OHKO. Those are the two big sticking points against RpBs since forever. On paper, and when evaluated in a controlled environment like the testing area or in demonstration videos, RpBs don't do too well. And I guess in practice, the spacing necessary for RpBs is really brutal.
Edit: Make no mistake, I am still pretty happy that the RpB family got those firing speed buffs, but that hasn't really reversed the opinion against RpBs by much.
Yeah, pretty much. The H3 received range and turf coverage buffs, but that only raised it from terrible to bad. Honorable mention goes to the N-Zap becoming even speedier.
My first impression of the custom jr is that it's actually a lot better than I expected. I've been playing it similarly in a way to the H3: information (i.e. echo) is your best defense, only enter situations where you have the upper hand. I also like disruptor as a defensive tool. As opposed to say the trislosher where your disrupt then rush down, with the CSJ I disrupt and then yell "Back the fuck up!" at my TV.
I tested special duration vs. special charge up with this kit as well- 3 mains of each. I'll spare you the extended math, but basically duration has a slight edge (0.78 sec/point inked vs. 0.72). In large maps and when you're not dying, special duration feels better, but in the opposite situations the edge goes to special charge up, so it's really down to personal preference. Ideally you would mix the two, but there's only one piece of gear that does so naturally.
Folks in the Discord have already been aware of this for a while that it's been a personal mission of mine to come up with a functional gear setup to use with the Custom Jr., since I'm apparently a glutton for punishment.
I'm okay ish at this game. I've noticed I'm doing better on ranked lately and killed my losing streak with this, as long as I play a certain way and don't distract myself too much with filling the special meter.
My first impression of the custom jr is that it's actually a lot better than I expected. I've been playing it similarly in a way to the H3: information (i.e. echo) is your best defense, only enter situations where you have the upper hand. I also like disruptor as a defensive tool. As opposed to say the trislosher where your disrupt then rush down, with the CSJ I disrupt and then yell "Back the fuck up!" at my TV.
I tested special duration vs. special charge up with this kit as well- 3 mains of each. I'll spare you the extended math, but basically duration has a slight edge (0.78 sec/point inked vs. 0.72). In large maps and when you're not dying, special duration feels better, but in the opposite situations the edge goes to special charge up, so it's really down to personal preference. Ideally you would mix the two, but there's only one piece of gear that does so naturally.
I don't think I could ever call the CJr "better than I expected," but I do think it still has a place on a team if it's geared right. It has to rely on solid teammates more than most any other weapon because there are so few situations in which it has a combat advantage. I still haven't gotten around to trying a duration-focused build for it (I really haven't ever used special duration for much of anything tbh) but I think I'll give it a shot some time. In my playing today I was making more liberal use of disruptors to try and keep folks away, and that seemed to help as much as anything. Some bomb range up can be a lifesaver when dealing with enemy dynamos.
I'm okay ish at this game. I've noticed I'm doing better on ranked lately and killed my losing streak with this, as long as I play a certain way and don't distract myself too much with filling the special meter.
Very mobility-focused. I've been using some run speed up lately and haven't actually had as much success with it as I would've thought, but I could see why the way you have it set up works decently. Mostly I just don't think I could ever bring myself to wear that helmet, lol.
I did try the rapid blaster out a couple of times pre-buff. I saw potential in it but it was still a bit too slow for its name.
Now the family, especially the rapid blaster pro deco are among my favorite weapons. Always go for directs!
I do hope the brushes get a movement buff as to when you swing the brush you can move back and forth more freely. I think Run speed up should effect it as well.
Yeah, the Pro Deco is my go to weapon in tower control on certain maps. Yesterday's rotation for ex was really good for it: Kelp Dome and Camp Triggerfish.
The idea for kraken in Tower Control is that the increased knockback can make it easier to just push them off of a tower. Plus it's large and a little awkward to hold in place under pressure compared to bubbler.
Just a reminder to those talking about Tower Control and how Bubbler and Kraken cheese is really poor to the metagame.
To make an analogy around the problem, it's like in Team Fortress 2 if you could cap an objective if you're ubercharged or invulnerable with the Scout's Bonk! drink. Or more sensical in Splatoon, if you could carry the Rainmaker with those specials active.
The idea of Kraken/Bubble having some sort of penalty in the style of "Special duration cut significantly" or "It will barely push at all" would not help the meta at all. Because even then, they're still pushing it, chain it back to back, and turn the tides of battle, meaning that it's still complete load of bull.
And what they attempted to do in terms of fixing it, "Increased knockback taken whilst riding a tower with specials active", does not really help in the long run, they can still push the tower itself, and that with the way latency gets mixed into the frustration of defending/pushing, the enemy riders will take little to no push force at all, making the said nerf borderline pointless.
A proficient kraken user will know how to use the tower's pole to ensure when you shoot it, you're just pushing it on the pole. Camp and Depot are the most difficult to pull off due to the design of the maps, but still successfully done all the time.
A proficient kraken user will know how to use the tower's pole to ensure when you shoot it, you're just pushing it on the pole. Camp and Depot are the most difficult to pull off due to the design of the maps, but still successfully done all the time.
Oh dear, who thought it was a good idea to add a long range weapon with insane ink coverage and on top of that give them bubble/kraken? It doesn't make any sense. None of my weapons are viable on the current maps, it's very frustrating.
