Splatoon! Bow to your immortal queen, and indisputed best girl- Marie

[DarkRula]

New weapons today/tomorrow.

Octobrush and N-Zap 89.

Should be good.

[Sonictrainer]

New weapons today/tomorrow.

Octobrush and N-Zap 89.

Should be good.

Sweet. New weapons to practice and use just before the Splatfest:

Ah yes, the N-ZAP ‘89. This is quite simply an N-ZAP '85 that was redesigned for… well, definitely not legal reasons. No siree. Nothing to see here. Lawyers definitely did not have anything to do with this. It includes a Sprinkler to rapidly increase your turf, allowing you to fire off remarkably fast Inkstrikes! This set is excellent at striking where the foe least expects it. Good for lone wolves and those nostalgic for the good ol’ days! The N-ZAP ’89 will be available tonight at 7 PM PT!

 

Need a brush that packs a powerful punch? The Octobrush is a brush with denser bristles that fling even more ink with each swipe! Use that mobility to scatter Squid Beakons everywhere, giving your whole team free rein of the battlefield! No need to hesitate—you can always use the Kraken to run away in a pinch. Your team will love you! Grab the Octobrush at 7 PM PT tonight!

[Pawn]

I thought more might choose Eating, but I didn't think we'd be quite that outnumbered. I was close to Charismatic (who the F is naming these ranks!?) by the end, which I'm guessing determines the amount of Sea Snails you win.

Edited July 19, 2015 by Pawn

[PaddyFancy]

I don't particularly like that the battle was won by who chose what before the actual Splatfest begins. If one team has the vast majority of votes, that gives them an extremely good chance of winning from the get-go.

[Thrippa]

Yeah, I think waterslides were way outnumbered here - based on the fact that we had several matches that failed through lack of opponents.  If I'd know there were so few on that team I'd have gone that way, since I only picked rollercoasters because the specific illustration reminded me of Thunder Mountain.  Otherwise I'd have been waterslides all the way.

I didn't get to play but the last hour or so, but I made Defender literally right at the end.  My last fight ended at midnight.

[Sonictrainer]

Good game.

[Lady Soniko]

Team Eat won for EU Splatfest too.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Marie knows what's up.

[Sonictrainer]

New weapon incoming! Check out this bad boy, the Neo Splash-o-matic. Now, this here Neo Splash-o-matic may look a lot like the Splash-o-matic, but it’s got different sub and special weapons, enabling you to use a whole new fighting style. Enemies incoming? Pick ‘em off with Burst Bombs. Enemies in the distance? Take ‘em out with the Inkzooka. 
Get your hands on the Neo Splash-o-matic when it goes live tonight at 7 PM PT. 

The E-liter 3K Scope is coming tonight at 7 PM PT! Now, I’m not sure you amateur squid researchers are able to gather this from the name, but this here’s an E-liter 3K fitted with a scope. (Don’t worry. As you guys work your way up to Squid Researcher status, this stuff will start to come naturally.) The scope narrows your field of view, but you can acquire and snipe targets from extremely far away. 

Nice. Can't wait to try both of these out later. 

[Tracker_TD]

New trailer showing new content.

In particular...

 

[Lady Soniko]

I've been waiting for the Gatling for ages, let's hope it's coming soon....

[Sonictrainer]

We’ve received a sketch from one of our researchers. Looks like an Octoling… Hey! We’ve seen this before. Looks like a false alarm. Wait a minute. Something’s different here… Whoa! WHOOOOA!

Is this new gear?

[WhoWhatMan]

Is this new gear?

I think they are poking fun at how the Octoling isn't wearing her googles.

Edited July 26, 2015 by Dan the Daniel

[Lady Soniko]

I think they are poking fun at how the Octaling isn't wearing her googles.

*Octoling

Get my wife's name RIGHT you heathen >:U

I hope this means we get Octolings playable soon, I'd scream if they dropped it during the massive August update next month...

[Sean]

Camp Triggerfish is the weirdest map they've released so far. There's a lot of wide open spaces and not a lot of routes, yet for some reason I almost never confront the enemy team and am off doing my own thing. I've had a few matches where I didn't get splatted at all, or only once.

[Fidget]

Maybe I'm a bit behind in this realization. If the splatfests only counted battles won, then it would be easy to join the team who you want to lose, and play badly, essentially out of spite. If it only counted people chosen, then it'd be easy to choose and then, well, not play the game. Though in either case the rewards would encourage proper playing, doing it this way makes it far more likely that there'll be people actually trying to see their chosen side win.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

I still really want this, I even have the amiibos, but inconsistent internet has still kept me off on it

[Mystwalker]

Nintendo of Europe tweeted this morning information about the big update coming up to Splatoon, which is going to happen on the 6th of August (5th of August in North America?).

27th July, 2015 – On 6th August, a free software update for Splatoon on Wii U brings a large amount of new content to the game, including two new matchmaking modes, new weapon types, an increase to the game’s level-cap and more than 40 pieces of new gear. Players will now be able to create a winning strategy and fight to be the best and most battle tested squid-squad around.

The new update introduces Squad Battle and Private Battle matchmaking options. In Squad Battle, players can participate in Ranked Battle rule sets with friends, rather than being teamed up with other players through a random selection. After a player creates a squad, friends can be recruited to form a team of two to four Inklings. Friends will always play together on the same team and battle against other squads at random.

In Private Battle, friends can splat it up in private, customisable matches. Two to eight friends can battle together by selecting their favourite map, mode and weapons. The number of participants ranges from 1v1 to 4v4, but teams don’t have to be even: if the host chooses, he or she can select a 1v4, 1v2, or any other combination of players.

With this robust new update also comes an increased level cap in both Regular Battle and Ranked Battle modes. After downloading the software update, players will be able to reach level 50 (raised from level 20) and rank S and S+ in Ranked Battle (both higher than A+).

While Inklings around the world are enjoying and mastering the current arsenal of weapons in Splatoon, two new weapon types will be available with the update, adding a new layer of strategy to the game. The bucket-like Slosher weapons hurl ink straight ahead at an impressive range. By adjusting the angle, these new weapons can be used to splat opponents who are up high or even on the other side of a wall. With the Gatling-style Splatling, players can charge all-powerful ink. A maximum charge unleashes the full potential of this particular weapon type. In addition to the new weapons, more than 40 pieces of gear, including everything from a leather jacket to a sushi-chef costume are coming to the various in-game shops in Splatoon.

Despite its size and scope, this massive August update is not the end of the splat-tacular free content coming to Splatoon. Following this update, more content will continually roll out through the rest of the summer and into autumn, including the Rainmaker Ranked Battle mode, additional maps and new weapons. More details on these additions will be revealed in the future.

 

Here's a summary of the content by TossTime on Reddit:

• Squad Battle: Ranked Battles with friends as a team of 2-4 Inklings, friends always play on the same team.
• Private Battle: For 2-8 friends to play any combo of team numbers (1v1, 1v2, 1v3, 1v4, 2v2, etc all the way to 4v4), can select map, mode and weapons.
• Level Cap: Raised to 50 (from 20).
• New Ranks for Ranked Battle mode: S+ is now the highest rank. Progression: A+ -> S -> S+
• Paint bucket weapon is called the Slosher.
• Gatling gun weapon is called the Splatling.
• Over 40 new pieces of gear including leather jacket and sushi-chef costume.
• More to come in Summer and Autumn including Rainmaker Ranked Battle mode, new maps and weapons!

E: Oh yeah and new screens! http://imgur.com/a/XoNTx

 

I saw some bits here and there about S and S+ ranks being in the disc, but the level cap increase to 50 was most surprising. Looking forward to that big update!

Edited July 27, 2015 by MickX
Fixed quote boxes

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Private battles sound pretty sweet, hopefully I'll be able to do it with you guys(and my cousin when/if he gets a wii-u and splatoon)

 

I'm getting this... soon

[Sean]

Never really cared about the level cap since it only served to prevent access from higher-tier gear and weapons, so I'm not looking forward to level grinding again just to get all the new equipment

Friend lobbies should definitely breathe new life into this game for me though, can't wait

[Sonictrainer]

SAFETY NOTICE: Urchin Underpass will be undergoing important
construction work. Entry will be strictly forbidden from August 2-5. 

We’re looking into what could have caused this construction notice, but word on the street is lots of new content is about to hit Inkopolis, including two new weapon types, all sorts of new gear, level cap increases and even new matchmaking options! 

I'm not sure if this means Urchin Underpass is getting a redesign or if this is to tease the August update.

[jords]

I can fulfill my squid goals to form a team of inkbrush users only and actually win a match.

 

Problem is who would do it lol

[Mystwalker]

I'm not sure if this means Urchin Underpass is getting a redesign or if this is to tease the August update.

A lot of people think it's the former. The diagram on the upper left corner seems to show the potential changes they're going to do to the map.

Personally I like that idea. Underpass is a nice looking map overall but the chokepoint into the center area can be brutal, to the point it's the one map I actively avoid playing on in Ranked rotations. More than often I either see myself having boring wins or frustrating losses in Splat Zones or Turf War due to how tightly shut the inner area of the map is and how easy it is to defend it. The diagram on the upper left suggests they are going to widen the main entrance and give some more room in the side corridors so that getting back in to fight is less of a pain.

 

I can fulfill my squid goals to form a team of inkbrush users only and actually win a match.

 

Problem is who would do it lol

You should try doing what a streamer I follow does sometimes: get a Turf War room, fill it up with Inkbrush players and play Bumper Cars. It will definitely be easier to pull that off with Private Battles now, it's just so fun and silly. xD

Come to think of it, I wonder how a 4 man team of Blasters would pull off in a Tower Control rotation. It would definitely catch some teams off-guard. Or *shudders*... 4 Dynamo Rollers.

[Sean]

Urchin Underpass is without a doubt my most hated map, so I'm glad to know they're updating it. Even during the rare times I'm on the winning side, it's just not very fun

 

 

[Chooch]

Underpass can be quite annoying but I still think there are maps that are worse. Right now the way I'd rank the maps is like this:

Blackbelly Skatepark, Walleye Warehouse, Kelp Dome, Saltspray Rig, Port Mackerel, Urchin Underpass, Bluefin Depot, Arowana Mall, Moray Towers.

Camp Triggerfish is missing because it's a little too new, but based on my initial impression I'd probably put it up there with Kelp Dome.