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[VistraNorrez]

Really enjoyed this. Planning on picking up Splatoon 2 now.

 

[shadowkat]

I wasn't fond of the maps honestly.

 

[sleepnaught]

Really stupid to have it at these times, never got to make any of them. Why couldn't they just have it for 3 days all day?

 

[KevinG]

Really stupid to have it at these times, never got to make any of them. Why couldn't they just have it for 3 days all day?

As said a good several times in the thread, this wasn't a beta test. It was a server test.

Need to pike as many people into those hour slots as possible. If it leased the entire weekend, it spreads the server strain.

 

[phanphare]

Really stupid to have it at these times, never got to make any of them. Why couldn't they just have it for 3 days all day?

these testfires were more for them than they were for us

 

[Betty]

As said a good several times in the thread, this wasn't a beta test. It was a server test.

Need to pike as many people into those hour slots as possible. If it leased the entire weekend, it spreads the server strain.

Sure but they could've stress tested a bunch of times then let the game stay up for an extended period just as a thank you, even half a day would've been nice.

I only got to play one match but it was alright.

 

[lastrealgameralive]

Anyone record footage of what happens when two Stingray specials collide!?

 

[NimbusD]

Does Splatoon have larger maps or more than 4x4?

 

[phanphare]

Does Splatoon have larger maps or more than 4x4?

larger maps, yes

> 4x4, no

 

[OryoN]

Does anyone else think Splatoon is better with less weapons like this? I feel like the previous game suffered from having way too many options.

Like, fighting games feel more balanced with a smaller roster of characters. Having +50 characters in a game sort of dilutes it in my opinion.

But the same (again in my opinion) is true with Splatoon. Too many guns are in the first game and it sort of makes the experience a little less pure than when there's a small handful of choices.

I devilishly feel like weapon selection could get a little overwhelming in the first game since there were just so many combinations to think about. That probably bothered me more in the personal level of deciding what to user thank in an overall balance level done once I was in a game I didn't really think about it very much.

I definitely like not having to think about figuring out 3 gear slots and 12 perks to use though. I get that it's important to give the game that extra depth but I'd like to be able to pick clothes just based on style and not feel like I'm at a disadvantage for not min-maxing my stats.

When the original game first came out, people were complaining about the limited options. After several bi-weekly updates however, the game modes, maps, weapons and gear expanded to the deep selection we currently have. I can understand the feeling of being overwhelmed, for people who jumped on in the latter portion of the game's life, or those who left and came back several months later.

However, having all these options is not a bad thing at all. In fact, due to the way weapon classes, sub weapons and specials work, Splatoon has this innate ability to offer a ridiculous amount of unigue play-styles - more so than most online shooters out there - by mix-matching so many elements. This ensures that everyone will be able to find the most comfortable load-out for their play-style. If that's too much, you do have to option to stick with the "starter" weapons, as nothing is added to your inventory until you purchase them. From there, you can focus on the type of gear that enhances the way YOU play.

Its all about you! That's really the key, and what makes Splatoon competitive play so appealing. There's no textbook solution for what options a person should pick. What's works for one person may not work for you. So there's no reason to feel like your selection is the "wrong way." So yeah, having options is great, and you are free to stick with the default items. They won't throw everything at you from day-1, so being there from the beginning may help with that feeling of being overwhelmed. Good luck!

 

[Deleted member 10571]

Ah damnit, there's no more testfire lol. Thought there's another one today but nah.

Well. I didn't get over the controls at all for now, but nevertheless it's gonna be a day one for me. Love the style, dig the music, and I'm a huge sucker for player customization. Still so far away though lol.

 

[Tendo]

Wish this was out sooner now

 

[ryechu]

Will our load outs be totally customizable in the final game? I wanted to try other guns out more, but I couldn't live without the curling grenade that came with the dualies.

I'm willing to bet it will be the same as Splatoon 1. Loadouts will not be customizable but each weapon will come with 2-3 variations. This is really good thing when it comes to maintaining balance and variety. You should be able to find a few overall loadouts that you like once the game comes out, and more while the dlc is being released. Splatoon 1 had something like 90 different weapon loudouts.

 

[Lord of Ostia]

I wasn't fond of the maps honestly.

Really? One is incredibly similar to a great map from Splatoon 1, and the gym map is cool with a lot of verticality and chokepoints. By the second test fire I found myself taking advantage of the environment to get the jump on enemies and splat them. Don't agree at all.

 

[twothunder]

i missed the last testfire... i thought there was one more around now but nope

I hope they have a few more later

 

[MoogleWizard]

I had more trouble with the controls, or with the controller rather, than I thought. Playing with the joycons detached was horrible for me, my brain couldn't adjust to the fact that I don't have to move both at once for aiming, it was much better when I put them on the grip. I guess it's my muscle memory from the Wii U game messing with me, though I haven't played it in six months or longer. I really missed the gamepad, the size and heft somehow make gyro aiming easier for me. And I sorely missed the second screen and the map, especially for quick jumps.

Other than that, it was great. Silky smooth, lag free gameplay and not one disconnect.

 

[Bjoern the Smexy]

I really liked the Testfire.
I played one hour each yesterday and today, both at 12pm CET.

Worked super fine. I live streamed both of them too and even then I had zero lagging problems once I got into a match. At most it was one of the other guys who lagged for a brief moment, but other than that everything went smoothly. Felt even better than Splatoon 1's Testfire and final game, actually. And my Switch console is actually in a spot where it doesn't quite get the best wifi signal, so that makes it even more amazing.

That said though, I will probably not pick up the game on day one.
I will get it, but I think I'll wait until some of those weapon and map packs have hit, so I won't be bored as fast as I was with Splatoon 1.

Also, another slight concern, I am a bit dissapointed that this game apparently runs at only 720p. It's not bad, since 60fps makes everything better, but I was actually hoping it got pushed to 1080p (or at least 900p like Zelda), just to get a clearer image.
Let's see what the final game brings to the table though.

EDIT: Oh and also I hope they let us remap the Jump button from B to X. My muscle memory from Zelda still made me bring up the map all the time I wanted to jump. It was annoying
Also also I really thought I could use the right stick for horizontal and vertical movement in addition to gyro aiming. But it only uses the horizontal axis. And that's a bummer.
I mean, it still works, but using the right stick for vertical axis control as well as horizontal axis control worked in addition to gyro aiming was sooooooooo good in Zelda BotW.
Splatoon 2 feels like a step backwards in that regard.

But as I said: Let's wait for the full game. Maybe something will change until then.

 

[lastrealgameralive]

Definitely prefer the bridge map to the gym map. I can't wait to shoot the Stingray special upwards through the bridge.

Playing with the joycons detached was horrible for me, my brain couldn't adjust to the fact that I don't have to move both at once for aiming, it was much better when I put them on the grip.

Yea, the grip feels like the better control option. Separating the joycons looks cool in person, but I think it will require a couple more testfires to do fancy maneuvering and shooting with your Inkling. For me it will anyway.

 

[antibolo]

The two maps seemed pretty similar to me, didn't even notice there were two at first.

 

[whyamihere]

I'm annoyed because I thought it came out next month but then remembered we have so much time left

 

[CoconutTank]

Tictac's charge hold montage got an article on Kotaku http://compete.kotaku.com/splatoon-2s-snipers-are-pulling-off-incredible-shots-1793638183

I have to admit, I did pretty bad for the last testfire lol. I did end up seeing some names that I recognized from Splatoon 1, so maybe that was a good sign. Still did best overall with Splattershot, and I still don't like the dodge on Dualies that much.

My specials ranking would be the following, based on what I remember now:
TentaMissiles > Inkjet > Stingray >= Splashdown

 

[phanphare]

really surprised to see people praise botw's gyro implementation. I thought it was garbage. you can't aim with the gyro and stick simultaneously which pretty much negates the benefits of that setup. I can see how it could be more intuitive than Splatoon's at first but once you get a feel for gyro aiming botw's is way too restrictive.

edit: also the gyro sensitivity in botw is too low for me

 

[Monumma]

Have you already talked about this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYcAxHxKhQA

(people with sploosh-o-matics?)

wat?

 

[Geg]

Have you already talked about this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYcAxHxKhQA

(people with sploosh-o-matics?)

wat?

I ran into one during the first and second testfire hours, it's most likely some kind of placeholder for people who DC before the match starts

 

[lastrealgameralive]

. . . I still don't like the dodge on Dualies that much.

Same here. I didn't see anyone wreck havoc on teams dodging around in the process.

My specials ranking would be the following, based on what I remember now:
TentaMissiles > Inkjet > Stingray >= Splashdown

That looks about right. It was interesting that of the two maps in the testfire that the bridge map is the only map in the Splatoon universe where someone has a large solid overhead crossing (i.e. no grating players can squid through) to hide under from missiles. Iirc, there was no stage structure in Splatoon outside of the spawn point to shield you from an Inkstrike.

 

[13ruce]

Enjoyed this more than any other competive game i played imo, Can't wait.

Edit: Don't even play online multiplayer games that much anymore, only GTA mostly and Battlefield/front and sometimes cod.

 

[BizzyBum]

Enjoyed this more than any other competive game i played imo, Can't wait.

I totally overlooked the original Splatoon when it came out, but this game was fun as fuck. I'll definitely be picking this up day 1 now.

 

[13ruce]

I totally overlooked the original Splatoon when it came out, but this game was fun as fuck. I'll definitely be picking this up day 1 now.

Same, shame i did game is pure fun just like Mario Kart Online. Well lesson learned also day 1!

 

[mobilesworking]

I played like shit last night. It's still the game I love but holy moley am I out of practice.

 

[Dark-Cloudz]

you can't aim with the gyro and stick simultaneously which pretty much negates the benefits of that setup.

Pretty sure you can in Zelda.

 

[phanphare]

Pretty sure you can in Zelda.

when I play I notice that moving the stick overrides the gyro input

 

[Peltz]

When the original game first came out, people were complaining about the limited options. After several bi-weekly updates however, the game modes, maps, weapons and gear expanded to the deep selection we currently have. I can understand the feeling of being overwhelmed, for people who jumped on in the latter portion of the game's life, or those who left and came back several months later.

However, having all these options is not a bad thing at all. In fact, due to the way weapon classes, sub weapons and specials work, Splatoon has this innate ability to offer a ridiculous amount of unigue play-styles - more so than most online shooters out there - by mix-matching so many elements. This ensures that everyone will be able to find the most comfortable load-out for their play-style. If that's too much, you do have to option to stick with the "starter" weapons, as nothing is added to your inventory until you purchase them. From there, you can focus on the type of gear that enhances the way YOU play.

Its all about you! That's really the key, and what makes Splatoon competitive play so appealing. There's no textbook solution for what options a person should pick. What's works for one person may not work for you. So there's no reason to feel like your selection is the "wrong way." So yeah, having options is great, and you are free to stick with the default items. They won't throw everything at you from day-1, so being there from the beginning may help with that feeling of being overwhelmed. Good luck!

I think the game allows for enough depth without customization. Like Rocket League. There's endless strategy you can have as a team even without all the various types of rollouts.

 

[atr0cious]

when I play I notice that moving the stick overrides the gyro input

Yup, you can only move the left stick, right stick must be untouched. It's a crude way to satisfy more motion control adverse people. Where as splatoon allows horizontal movement with gyro.

 

[Biske]

So last night was amazing. I branched out and was changing up using all the weapons. And something clicked and I was having dominating successful matches, with all of them. Even with the Sniper.

Being able to hold the shot and go into cover is a huge game changer to me. Makes Sniper so much more mobile and aggressive. So great for my devil may care charge kind of gameplay. So that was awesome.

But my crowning achievement? I killed all 4 members of the opposing team in one missile strike. Was amazing.

 

[HungOverOnATues]

really surprised to see people praise botw's gyro implementation. I thought it was garbage. you can't aim with the gyro and stick simultaneously which pretty much negates the benefits of that setup. I can see how it could be more intuitive than Splatoon's at first but once you get a feel for gyro aiming botw's is way too restrictive.

edit: also the gyro sensitivity in botw is too low for me

It also lacks very fine motion. Not sure if it's a hardware issue (low gyro resolution) or if it's just how the game implements the gyro (a minimum threshold for movement before it does anything, perhaps?) but trying to set a beacon on objects far in the distance is a bit of a pain.

 

[phanphare]

It also lacks very fine motion. Not sure if it's a hardware issue (low gyro resolution) or if it's just how the game implements the gyro (a minimum threshold for movement before it does anything, perhaps?) but trying to set a beacon on objects far in the distance is a bit of a pain.

after playing Splatoon with the pro controller, split joy con, and in handheld mode botw's gyro issues are all on the game's implementation of them

 

[J@hranimo]

I totally overlooked the original Splatoon when it came out, but this game was fun as fuck. I'll definitely be picking this up day 1 now.

Same, shame i did game is pure fun just like Mario Kart Online. Well lesson learned also day 1!

Cool you guys enjoyed it! So far, this is shaping up to be an even better game then the first.

 

[Spenny]

I enjoyed it overall. The playable maps were quite boring. I'm a sucker for Splatoon though so I'll probably pick it up. The only reason I wouldn't is if they don't change the way the map rotations work from the first game or if there isn't a competent lobby system.

 

[CO_Andy]

there will be bigger maps and returning stages if you rewatch the trailer

It also lacks very fine motion.

the sensitivity of the gyro needs to be adjusted on map view. hopefully the devs don't overlook it

 

[-shadow-]

Have you already talked about this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYcAxHxKhQA

(people with sploosh-o-matics?)

wat?

Considering the person couldn't play and was booted out every time I assume it's just a glitch that would load in the wrong icon if someone jumped out too early.

 

[SmokedMeat]

I played like shit last night. It's still the game I love but holy moley am I out of practice.

I don't know if it's being out of practice or the maps were smaller? It seemed like there were more player/enemy encounters throughout the match. I'm also noticing a lot of talk about number of kills, which is sort of odd for Splatoon.

 

[Waji]

EDIT: Oh and also I hope they let us remap the Jump button from B to X. My muscle memory from Zelda still made me bring up the map all the time I wanted to jump. It was annoying
Also also I really thought I could use the right stick for horizontal and vertical movement in addition to gyro aiming. But it only uses the horizontal axis. And that's a bummer.
I mean, it still works, but using the right stick for vertical axis control as well as horizontal axis control worked in addition to gyro aiming was sooooooooo good in Zelda BotW.
Splatoon 2 feels like a step backwards in that regard.

It's fun because the first thing I did in Zelda was change X and B because it felt weird and now I don't have this problem with Splatoon since B are jump in both : P.

I agree wth the vertical axis, it would be nice to have this.
Any chance ?

 

[Tom Nook Sawyer]

Considering the person couldn't play and was booted out every time I assume it's just a glitch that would load in the wrong icon if someone jumped out too early.

They posted an updated video and that's apparently exactly what it is. It goes to the 1st weapon in the list for disconnected players

 

[Tusk]

Been so long since I played Splatoon, I couldn't aim for shit. Felt bad. Best I could do was use the roller. Ended up winning more than I lost though at least. Somehow.

Still, had fun and seriously can't wait for the game to release.

I really liked how you could interact with the lobby music between matches.

 

[MrPanic]

So yeah, participated in 4/6 testfires, not much of my impressions changed so I'll just update my old post in italic.

Impressions

Netcode:
Seems solid so far. Against the few jp players I played it seems to hold up a bit better than Splatoon 1, though still felt iffy at times. Matchmaking overall was iffy as well for this first stresstest. I personally had no disconnects (apart from the moment my switch just totally stopped connecting to the internet once), but there were a lot of matches that ended with disconnecting players, leaving the game in a 3v4 or 2v4 state which completely ruins matches in this game. I'd say about 50% of my matches had disconnecting players.
- Definitely a lot less disconnecting players in later testfires. Overall I don't feel like the netcode changed at all over Splatoon 1. Still the same lag shenanigans against jp players, but overall perfectly serviceable.

Controls:
Played with the joycons + grip. Worked surprisingly well honestly. After Zelda I felt like the gyro was a bit iffy, but it's completely solid in here. I do feel the Pro controller is gonna play way better with this game as the buttons on the joycon feel to close together, I definitely pulled the map screen up a couple of times while I was in a panic situation. Gonna try handheld mode next hour, see how that plays out.
- Handheld mode works fine in my experience. My true surprise came when I tried the two seperate joycon configuration, which plays reminiscant of the good shooters on Wii with wiimote and nunchuk. Using gyro controls with the right joycon and basically pointing that thing like a actual gun to the screen works absolutely amazing. No doubt this will become the main way I'll be playing Splatoon 2 in the future, by far the best control method imo.

Gameplay:
Just your good old Splatoon, it honestly feels like the exact same game to me. I spend most of my time trying to figure out everything new so I don't have specific impressions for weapons yet. I will say I'm not a fan of how the new map screen works, just a bit too intrusive and the direction you have to press for a specific teammate is too subtle, makes me look to the map too long.
- Got used to the map screen, it's not that intrusive anymore. Still just feels like regular Splatoon, though the change of not having any specials with I-frames is a major improvement. As for the maps, Reef is a fine map, kinda disliked how cramped Fitness felt though I wouldn't call it bad. Overall I'm still in love with Splatoon's gameplay.

Graphics:
Not a big upgrade over Splatoon 1 and there's a weird filter over it, might just be AA or something. Disliked the washed out look it gave the game on my tv. I remember Splatoon looking more crisp. The new visual details in the maps and on the characters are nice though.
- I'd recommend everyone to jump into the Switch' setting and turn the RGB setting from automatic to full range. For some reason it automated to limited range which was the cause of the rather washed out look the game (and all other games) had on the tv. Silly how the switch' default settings can make your games look worse...

Just want the game to come out now. I got the feeling my Switch is gonna collect some dust until this game hits.

 

[DrArchon]

My specials ranking would be the following, based on what I remember now:
TentaMissiles > Inkjet > Stingray >= Splashdown

Eh, I can't in good faith agree with the Tenta Missiles being the best in the test fire. They're so easy to avoid and they don't cover that much area with ink, whereas the Inkjet is risky but much more consistent in getting kills and covering turf.

Stingray and Splashdown are worse than both though, I agree.

 

[Biske]

Eh, I can't in good faith agree with the Tenta Missiles being the best in the test fire. They're so easy to avoid and they don't cover that much area with ink, whereas the Inkjet is risky but much more consistent in getting kills and covering turf.

Stingray and Splashdown are worse than both though, I agree.

Tenta Missles are just plain fun, and like when I killed the whole other team... insane. I think they are really great close up, cause you can goin for the kill as they are panicking.

Even far away, since they have the target on them, you can see where they are being forced into and go after them.

Splashdown I had a ton of splashdown offs, where me and another splashdown would both splash down haha.

Inkjet feels the most fair as a special cause its risky as hell.


Stingray is super hard to use well, for me at least, but who boy, if someone knows what they are doing with it you are screwed. Someone tried to hide behind a wall from my stingray... didn't end well for them.

 

[lastrealgameralive]

The inkjet does net more kills, yet if I am not mistaken the splattershot shoots out more ink per second than the inkjet weapon. So perhaps players would have to land after killing someone with the first inkjet attack assuming the teammembers are smart to take cover or are ready to snipe you to then ink more turf in a time crunch for Turf Wars.

The inkjet allows you to attack players in two ways: cannon fire and inkjet spray. The TentaMissiles allow you to attack players in three ways: splattershot+tentamissiles, splatbomb+tentamissiles, solo tentamissiles.

Has anyone thought of using the inkjet as an evasive or merely transportation utility? I'm not sure about this but I think if the inkjet was activated on one side of Moray Towers and the player tried to make it over to the other side where the snipers are usually perched their altitude would drop and they would land in the stagepit area below.

 

[-shadow-]

They posted an updated video and that's apparently exactly what it is. It goes to the 1st weapon in the list for disconnected players

Wrong YouTube link!

 

[majik13]

So its totally over?