Signal



Signals are quick messages in online multiplayer battle modes in Splatoon and Splatoon 2. They are only sent to members of the same team, and serve as a means of communication and finding friendly Inklings in danger. There are currently two different signals: one used to indicate joy, and one used to call other players to the caller. The messages have some visual and audio effects, accompanied by the message's text appearing on-screen. These signals are not visible to the opposing team, nor can the enemies hear them or see the Inklings make a pose.

Using
At any point during a match, a message may be sent by using ; the message depends on the direction pressed. It is possible to send the "Down" signal at any point, but when the Inkling has been splatted, the "Up" signal becomes unusable in Splatoon, and changes to "Ouch!" in Splatoon 2. This is perhaps to stop players from calling their friends to certain demise. When the player is in a life ring after being splatted in Salmon Run, the "Up" signal changes to "Help!", so as to indicate that they need to be revived by a teammate.

In Octo Valley, serves to switch between Sub Weapons instead.

Appearance
When the player sends a signal, some rings come out from below their Inkling, and the text corresponding to the message appears on-screen above the messenger. If the Inkling is standing still, they'll also strike a pose, which can be canceled at any time by moving. For the other players on the same team, the message's text also sticks to the borders of the screen, when the player is not facing the signaling Inkling, and appears through walls, regardless of distance. Inkling teammates that are sending a signal will have the message displayed on top of their large button, on the right side of the GamePad's screen.

Audio-wise, teammates will hear an Inkling announce their signal out loud, if they're in range. The GamePad will also play signal voice clips from teammates, regardless of distance. As for the calling player themselves, their own Inkling's signal shout will only play very quietly.

It should be noted that if a player uses a signal after being splatted, or shortly before, their signal's text will appear on the bottom of the screen, even when the camera shifts to the splatter. This can cause some players to think that the opponent used a signal and they were able to see it, when in reality, it's just their own signal.

List of signals
Currently, there are two signals in-game, activated by pressing Up or Down on. The exact text sent by the signals differs between region.

At its core, the intent is for the "Up" signal to alert teammates that the Inkling needs help, or wants teammates to Super Jump, and for the "Down" signal to serve as a general happiness shout. The signal's text appears on the screen of each player on the signaling Inkling's team, but while the signal is the same, the on-screen text corresponds to the respective player's region. For instance, if a North American player in Splatoon presses Down on, they will see "Booyah!" on their screen, but a European teammate will see "Nice!" appearing from the first Inkling. Because of this, some confusion may arise if players misinterpret the "Up" signal, which could be seen as either encouragement or a cry for help, due to the ambiguity of the term "C'mon".



Trivia

 * Sloshers have a unique animation for the C'mon! ("up") signal. If an Inkling uses that signal when wielding one, they will swing the Slosher in a circle to their side a few times while saying it.