Splatoon 2

[Hero-of-Time]

17 minutes ago, MicroLovePony said:

Found some rather interesting analysis on Splatoon 2's reception from the press. While a lot of it is expected (chat, matchmaking etc...) it's amazing to me that despite being a sequel with plenty of extras the game still can't quite shake off it's "update of original" image it got partially thanks to the "leak" of a definitive edition to the original coming to Switch. Still not a bad overall score. Managed to beat Crash

More info at the link below.

Read here

For me, it does feel like Splatoon 1.5 and that's without even thinking about the rumours. Sure, the Salmon Run mode is new and great but that's about it. The campaign, while fun, just feels like the 1st game, if a little more challenging, and most of the issues that people had with the original are still present in this one. Had certain things been given an overhaul then the upgrade would feel more substantial. As it stands, the game just feels like an update rather than a full blown sequel.

[Hero-of-Time]

@Kav will probably be interested in this, seeing as he's into shooters. Apparently Splatoon 2 doesn't run that great. This article popped up last week and is now doing the rounds again over on Gaf.

Quote

Splatoon 2’s online experience is considerably worse than the original game in quite a number of categories. The game runs 30% slower than Splatoon 1, meaning the metagame is going to be heavily skewed to favour high damage, low time-to-kill weapons. Adding to that, players have been drawn into the title by bold claims that later have proven to be absolute nonsense. Good online multiplayer networking plays a much larger role in enticing people to play at a competitive level. If Nintendo are dead set on making Splatoon 2 a competitive title, then they should focus their efforts to make dedicated servers possible in 2018. Dedicated servers would also bolster security and anti-cheat measures. Cheating online became a very big issue for the original game, so they would be doing themselves a huge favor.

The full analysis can be found HERE

I guess that explains why some times I lose gun fights when i've clearly done more damage than my opponent or why I can die after only being hit a couple of times. None of this really bothers me as i'm not playing to raise my ranks but it is interesting to read about. Had I been playing ranked mode then this would be an issue for me.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Hero-of-Time

[drahkon]

Jesus Christ, that's bad. Even on a non competitive level that's horrible. I've experienced the issue in Infinite Warfare...it sucks.

And we'll have to pay a monthly fee for this? Nintendo better step up their game.

[Dcubed]

They probably did this to help when playing online via public WiFi/4G teathering.

 

Seems like a sensible choice considering the use case.  They have LAN support for serious competitive play anyway.

[Hero-of-Time]

13 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

They probably did this to help when playing online via public WiFi/4G teathering.

 

Seems like a sensible choice considering the use case.  They have LAN support for serious competitive play anyway.

I've seen this suggested a few times by others and while it makes sense I don't think it excuses that those who are looking to play more competitively online are getting pretty screwed over. Splatoon is an online game, with a ranked mode, that looks to be pretty messed up if this data is to be believed.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Hero-of-Time

[Nicktendo]

I've been getting really frustrated with the matchmaking recently. First few days it was perfect, but now I'm getting loads of disconnects and keep getting put on incompetent teams. As in, I'd get more kills than the rest combined and more than double the second best player in terms of area covered. Normally I'd let this slide if it was the odd occasion, but it's happening so consistently that the game just isn't fun for long periods. I'm at level 20, and when I get put in a team with a load of sub level 8s up against an entire team of teens and twenties it's just frustrating as hell. I'm not trying to say I'm better than most, blah blah blah, because I'm really not, but the matchmaking is simply atrocious, it lacks any kind of intelligence. I don't mind playing against similar or tougher opponents, but when I feel like I'm on my own for games on end, it just saps all the fun out of it. I've lost my fresh ranking in loads of weapons and have been having to sit through a few time bans over the past couple of days, even though I know my connection is not the issue. Sorely tempted to just put this game to one side or exclusively stick to Salmon Run. It needs sorting out ASAP. 

[Nicktendo]

On another note incidentally, when in game I haven't really noticed any of the issues with lag. In Splatoon 1, I was constantly getting splatted before I could even react, in this game I've not experienced that at all. That was my biggest frustration with the first game (though probably due to the fact I was playing with the Japanese 90% of the time), so I'm glad it doesn't seem to be rearing it's ugly head this time round. The new maps are great, if a little small, and the weapons seem much more balanced. Overall I'm pleased with how this turned out, but there's still some issues that are really holding it back. 

[Hero-of-Time]

2 minutes ago, Nicktendo said:

I've been getting really frustrated with the matchmaking recently. First few days it was perfect, but now I'm getting loads of disconnects and keep getting put on incompetent teams. As in, I'd get more kills than the rest combined and more than double the second best player in terms of area covered. Normally I'd let this slide if it was the odd occasion, but it's happening so consistently that the game just isn't fun for long periods. I'm at level 20, and when I get put in a team with a load of sub level 8s up against an entire team of teens and twenties it's just frustrating as hell. I'm not trying to say I'm better than most, blah blah blah, because I'm really not, but the matchmaking is simply atrocious, it lacks any kind of intelligence. I don't mind playing against similar or tougher opponents, but when I feel like I'm on my own for games on end, it just saps all the fun out of it. I've lost my fresh ranking in loads of weapons and have been having to sit through a few time bans over the past couple of days, even though I know my connection is not the issue. Sorely tempted to just put this game to one side or exclusively stick to Salmon Run. It needs sorting out ASAP. 

Thing is, like a lot of other issues, this was present in the original game, as well ( shoddy matchmaking). So I haven't got any faith that they will sort it out. 

Another issue i've started to encounter is just how long it actually takes to fill a lobby. No word of a lie, I must have sat close to 7 mins yesterday waiting for the lobby to fill up. It's happened a few times now and sometimes the game just boots me back to the starting area due to connection being lost to host/other console or whatever it says. There is definitely issues with their servers and they really need to sort it out if they expect people to pay for their online service come next year.

[Hero-of-Time]

1 minute ago, Nicktendo said:

On another note incidentally, when in game I haven't really noticed any of the issues with lag. In Splatoon 1, I was constantly getting splatted before I could even react, in this game I've not experienced that at all. That was my biggest frustration with the first game (though probably due to the fact I was playing with the Japanese 90% of the time), so I'm glad it doesn't seem to be rearing it's ugly head this time round. The new maps are great, if a little small, and the weapons seem much more balanced. Overall I'm pleased with how this turned out, but there's still some issues that are really holding it back. 

Yeah, i'm chuffed to bits that the game doesn't seem to match us against Japanese players. The connection always got messed up when playing them in the original game.

[drahkon]

5 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Yeah, i'm chuffed to bits that the game doesn't seem to match us against Japanese players. The connection always got messed up when playing them in the original game.

You racist! I'm offended.

[Hero-of-Time]

1 minute ago, drahkon said:

You racist! I'm offended.

[Nicktendo]

2 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Thing is, like a lot of other issues, this was present in the original game, as well ( shoddy matchmaking). So I haven't got any faith that they will sort it out. 

Another issue i've started to encounter is just how long it actually takes to fill a lobby. No word of a lie, I must have sat close to 7 mins yesterday waiting for the lobby to fill up. It's happened a few times now and sometimes the game just boots me back to the starting area due to connection being lost to host/other console or whatever it says. There is definitely issues with their servers and they really need to sort it out if they expect people to pay for their online service come next year.

The lack of the jumping mini-game is really noticeable, isn't it? I played around with the music for a while before I got bored, but I've also been waiting a while on occasion. Generally it's quick, especially in the evening, but at other times it's painfully slow. Still, I'm an ardent supporter of the map-rotation and the reduction to two hours. I can still get around 15+ games done in an hour, where as choosing load outs and maps every time would definitely hinder that number. I feel like I've learned all the new maps, with the Main Stage being the only one I'd consider a dud. I'm also happy to use the Sniper, for example, for a few rounds, then back out, change my gear and go hell for leather with the N-Zap '85. I personally prefer this set up to choosing prior to every round, but can understand why others don't particularly like it. 

[Hero-of-Time]

1 minute ago, Nicktendo said:

The lack of the jumping mini-game is really noticeable, isn't it? I played around with the music for a while before I got bored, but I've also been waiting a while on occasion. Generally it's quick, especially in the evening, but at other times it's painfully slow. Still, I'm an ardent supporter of the map-rotation and the reduction to two hours. I can still get around 15+ games done in an hour, where as choosing load outs and maps every time would definitely hinder that number. I feel like I've learned all the new maps, with the Main Stage being the only one I'd consider a dud. I'm also happy to use the Sniper, for example, for a few rounds, then back out, change my gear and go hell for leather with the N-Zap '85. I personally prefer this set up to choosing prior to every round, but can understand why others don't particularly like it. 

I tend to only back out if I need to change my Inkling's clothes ( switch as soon as all abilities are unlocked ) or if my meal ticket has ran out. In terms of weaponry it doesn't bother me as I have yet to use anything other than the standard gun.

Is it the Splatfest this weekend? Would be good if at least 4 of us could get a team together for it and play some time over the weekend. I have yet to choose a side and will happily just jump over to which ever side wants to get a team together.

[Nicktendo]

10 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Is it the Splatfest this weekend? Would be good if at least 4 of us could get a team together for it and play some time over the weekend. I have yet to choose a side and will happily just jump over to which ever side wants to get a team together.

I'm away this weekend, so I'm likely going to miss it 

According to the app, it seems most of the N-E heathens have sided with Ketchup, so that might be your best bet. 

[Sméagol]

Haha, I'm one of the few #TeamMayo guys around here I suppose! It's definitely a cultural thing. Mayo is the winner on the Dutch forum I go to.

 

Edited August 4, 2017 by Sméagol

[Hero-of-Time]

50 minutes ago, Nicktendo said:

I'm away this weekend, so I'm likely going to miss it 

According to the app, it seems most of the N-E heathens have sided with Ketchup, so that might be your best bet. 

Sweet! I didn't know you could check that on the app. 

Hmmmm. Hard to decide. There's a couple more players on team Ketchup but some of them don't post on here anymore, so getting a full team together will be difficult.

[Kav]

Nintendo are a joke, their attitude toward online is fucking abysmal.

Theres no excuse for it, they've had long enough to get it sorted, it's the 3rd bloody generation where they're still behind the 2007 industry standard!

Nintendon't!!!

[Pestneb]

1 hour ago, Nicktendo said:

On another note incidentally, when in game I haven't really noticed any of the issues with lag. In Splatoon 1, I was constantly getting splatted before I could even react, in this game I've not experienced that at all. That was my biggest frustration with the first game (though probably due to the fact I was playing with the Japanese 90% of the time), so I'm glad it doesn't seem to be rearing it's ugly head this time round. The new maps are great, if a little small, and the weapons seem much more balanced. Overall I'm pleased with how this turned out, but there's still some issues that are really holding it back. 

Firstly, nice to know it wasn't just me... secondly having played splatoon online a few times in the last week, it hasn't been happening there either... so I think they sorted both games out.

[Hero-of-Time]

24 minutes ago, Kav said:

Nintendo are a joke, their attitude toward online is fucking abysmal.

Theres no excuse for it, they've had long enough to get it sorted, it's the 3rd bloody generation where they're still behind the 2007 industry standard!

Nintendon't!!!

I take it you read the analysis then? Crazy stuff.

[dazzybee]

Been on holiday and getting shivers from wihdrawal.... gutted to be missing splatfest too. Absolutely loving the game, and although at first I was definitely in the disappointed 1.5 camp, now I’m playing it I’ve come to realise I don’t care, the game is simply too good and unlike anything else In the medium. 

[Hero-of-Time]

3 minutes ago, dazzybee said:

Been on holiday and getting shivers from wihdrawal.... gutted to be missing splatfest too. Absolutely loving the game, and although at first I was definitely in the disappointed 1.5 camp, now I’m playing it I’ve come to realise I don’t care, the game is simply too good and unlike anything else In the medium. 

Except for the first game.

[Pestneb]

I'm still enjoying the first game! all the japanese players seem to have jumped to the sequel, the quality of player is still fairly low, but tbh it's a lot closer to the average. All the cheats seem to have moved on, lag is gone etc. The only thing I feel I am missing out on is splatfests and the salmon run. but it seems, having read that analysis that the original is the best for now. I suspect an update will give access to dedicated servers when the subscription service comes up.

 

Personally I'd prefer Nintendo to allow a substandard peer to peer experience with associated costs covered withint he game costs alongside a more stable experience with voice chat reduced lag etc using dedicated servers for those with the subscription. But then I guess that would mean those dedicated servers wouldn't be as great as they can possibly be with a forced subscription option they seem to be taking...

[Sméagol]

I love how they're building up Inkopolis square for the Splatfest. I missed that detail when doing the first one.. Can't wait for it, I loved the vibe with the concert going on!

Also finished the single player, so now that zapfish thing is on top of the building. The final boss didn't seem that special, especially after watching a video of the first one.. I also don't think I can be arsed to play every single level again with each of the weapons.

And did a bunch of Salmon wars.. Back to being a "profreshional".

[Glen-i]

Does the app say what side I went for on Splatfest? Kinda interested if it mentions my choice despite me never using the app.

[Helmsly]

Closest match I've had so far lol