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Splatoon Datamined: Future Weapons, Maps, and Mode information leaked

Totakeke

Member
How about they release the content on the disk all at launch then actually create free DLC for the player, stuff that couldn't be done in time for launch? I might agree with you if the game had a ton of content right out the gate, but it didn't.

This is a horrible practice.

The number of maps are low, yes, but launching the game with more than 50 weapon choices would be excessive. Is it not possible that they made the game with releasing content gradually in mind and had developed more than they intended to if the game was without post-launch content?
 
The defense of this is absolutely insane to me.

You can not be bothered by it and enjoy the game, but to applaud them holding back content that has no reason to be held back?

I don't get it. It's misleading at best.

It does have a reason to be held back, though (Emphasis mine). I like to liken it to Animal Crossing, which purposefully holds back new content until your town progresses over a period of real days. The difference is Splatoon's unlocked content is for an online community which can be monitored over time and can be tied to server times, whereas Animal Crossing's isn't.

Splatoon's unlocked content was also spun off as free content by marketing, and is explicitly defined where Animal Crossing's is more organic, even though Splatoon's developers themselves had creative reasons for it, think the seasonal events like Splatfests and the development and evolution of the community to suit what they do based on mass player data. If they were holding back content for a truly cynical reason then the single player wouldn't have featured a bunch of maps which weren't planned for players to get into at launch (Bluefin Depot and Kelp Dome).

More cynical people have liked Animal Crossing's slow content unlocks to wait timers in free-to-play games, which is fair and reminds me of the criticism of how Splatoon slowly unravels its online content to the community, but I and many others find this kind of thing to be part of the game's charm and design.
 

Mononoke

Banned
How about they release the content on the disk all at launch then actually create free DLC for the player, stuff that couldn't be done in time for launch? I might agree with you if the game had a ton of content right out the gate, but it didn't.

This is a horrible practice.

This would have been a good idea.

Would you still be against them rotating maps hourly? I'm not saying this as a counter to your point. Rather, curious if you are also against them rotating content vs. allowing people to access all content how they want. So let's say they had included ALL the content at launch. Would you have been okay with them rotating maps hourly?
 

Aroll

Member
Once again, I guess if Activision, Ubisoft or EA would be caught doing this, the reactions would be totally different.
This is a pretty shitty decision by Nintendo, who seem to like to dictate what their customers can or can't do.

Because Activision, Ubisoft, AND EA would all be charging for it. This is the big difference here. Splatoon isn't doing this to "make money" - it's all 100% free. They are doing it to keep the playerbase engaged into the game longer. Since it's an online multiplayer game, it is only as good and only has legs for as long as the playerbase remains. It can be argued "make a great game and the palyer base always stays around" - but that's not always the case.

Trickling out this stuff keeps people engaged for longer periods of time and everytime they release something new, it feels like a big event and players online sky rockets. The reason Nintendo gets away with it is that IT IS ALL 100% FREE. This can't be compared to Activision, EA, or Ubisoft - because they DO do this (there is plenty of evidence proving it) BUT, THEY CHARGE MONEY FOR IT. If EA, UBisoft, or Activision created a multiplayer game where they trickled out new modes and maps to keep the games fresh fro a longer period of time and did it all for free, they would not be crapped upon. Except, they don't. They charge you an arm and a leg for a single map or weapon, sometimes bundled together, and they throw it out to you quickly because hey, a year later they are replacing that game with the next version of it.

Splatoon is fundamentally being handled differently, which is why folks are okay with it.
 
How about they release the content on the disk all at launch then actually create free DLC for the player, stuff that couldn't be done in time for launch? I might agree with you if the game had a ton of content right out the gate, but it didn't.

This is a horrible practice.

I'm not disagreeing necessarily with your general point, but they are working on a bunch of new content (stuff that's not on the disc) to be released later.
 

Einbroch

Banned
The content was finished though? So if they had held content back to roll out in DLC digitally (separate from the disc), as opposed to doing this, how does that really make it any different?
No, but that's not what I said. You're arguing something completely different. If it's done, let players have access to it and don't treat it like you're "continuously updating the game" when it's literally just hitting a button to make it live.

But, hey, if you like it, go ahead and like it. But the only reason they can get away with it is because the base game is super solid. That's all I had to say.

I'm not disagreeing necessarily with your general point, but they are working on a bunch of new content (stuff that's not on the disc) to be released later.

That's totally fine, and if they want to charge for it, they can. I doubt they will, which in case, good on them for not splitting the community. It's like they take two steps forward and one step back.
 

Penguin

Member
This sets an awful precedent. Imagine if EA or Activision hid half the maps on the disc and slowly rolled them out as "Free DLC". That way they prevent consumers from returning their copies because hey, a new map is coming out soon.

Of the methods companies have used to get people to keep playing their games

I feel like this is one of the least harmful ones.

1)It's not like you need to constantly update/download patches for the game.

2)It's not like the base game wasn't solid and well-made

3)It's paced really well when you think about the game only being out 3 weeks. Gotten a handful of new weapons, a new mode and 3 new maps.

And personally, it seems like they saved the more complex maps for the rollout. It was a nice way to intro the community to the game, and now offering up maps with new and different strategies that work on the basics.
 
Re: rolling out content gradually, a la Animal Crossing:

From this interview:

Hisashi Nogami interview said:
Can you explain the reasoning for gradually rolling out additional stages, items and modes in the months after release?

There are two reasons for this:

First, we put a lot of effort into every inch of the online stages, so by playing them over and over again users can get a better feel for the terrain, giving the gameplay more breadth and depth. The characteristics of the weapons and the strategies for using them vary with each weapon, and of course these will vary depending on the stage you use them in and even what combination of equipment your teammates and opponents are using. We want users to enjoy each and every single piece of content we've prepared, so rather than provide a lot at once, we're going to be adding them a little at a time.

Second, is that while we've paid a lot of attention to the balancing the game, the flip-side of this is that we feel the game needs weapons with a lot of variety as well as stages with complex layouts to really expand the gameplay.

The problem there is that these can sometimes disrupt the overall balance of the game.

The real fun of Splatoon comes when players are comfortable with the game, and are able to play to their full potential with other players they meet in the online matches.

We'll be adding more stages and weapons as we see how the community matures. We'll also do something similar with further game modes too.
 

TDLink

Member
UPDATE 2: Sheldon's descriptions for additional weapons

With its wide muzzle, the
{0E0000000300020000}Sploosh-o-matic{0E000000030002ffff} is
specialized for close-combat
situations.{0E000000040000}Beat back the enemy while
placing {0E0000000300020000}Squid Beakons{0E000000030002ffff} on
their turf, and then mop up
with the deadly {0E0000000300020000}Killer Wail{0E000000030002ffff}!{0E000000040000}This weapon set excels at
opening holes in the
opponents' defenses for
your teammates to exploit.

The{0E0000000300020000} Neo Sploosh-o-matic{0E000000030002ffff}
is a custom Sploosh-o-matic
emblazoned with an original
emblem.{0E000000040000}Mark your opponents with
the {0E0000000300020000}Point Sensor{0E000000030002ffff}, and then
crush them with the
power of the {0E0000000300020000}Kraken{0E000000030002ffff}!{0E000000040000}Getting in close is vital for
this setup, so it is suited to
battlers who excel at
flanking their foes.

The {0E0000000300020000}Neo Splash-o-matic{0E000000030002ffff} has
the same capabilities as the
original set, but with new
sub and special weapons.{0E000000040000}Hit your opponent with
{0E0000000300020000}Burst Bombs{0E000000030002ffff}, and then give
them a taste of precision
shooting!{0E000000040000}With the {0E0000000300020000}Inkzooka{0E000000030002ffff} too, this
is a set for an aggressive
sharpshooter who's not
afraid to get messy!

Ah yes, the {0E0000000300020000}N-ZAP '89{0E000000030002ffff}. This
is quite simply an N-ZAP '85
that was redesigned for...
legal reasons.{0E000000040000}It includes a {0E0000000300020000}Sprinkler {0E000000030002ffff}to
rapidly increase your turf,
allowing you to fire off
remarkably fast {0E0000000300020000}Inkstrikes{0E000000030002ffff}!{0E000000040000}This set is excellent at
striking where the foe
least expects it. Good for
lone wolves!

The {0E0000000300020000}Custom Dual Squelcher{0E000000030002ffff}
is exactly what it sounds
like—a Dual Squelcher with
a custom look!{0E000000040000}What's new is the {0E0000000300020000}Squid
Beakon{0E000000030002ffff}, letting you lead
your team, and the {0E0000000300020000}Killer
Wail{0E000000030002ffff} to pressure your foes!{0E000000040000}I'd say it's perfect for
master tacticians who can
keep track of the entire
field of battle.

The {0E0000000300020000}Luna Blaster{0E000000030002ffff} is a
specialized shooter that
can unleash explosive
power at close range!{0E000000040000}Its rate of fire is good,
and its blasts cover a wide
area, but you'll need the
{0E0000000300020000}Inkzooka{0E000000030002ffff} to hit far-off foes.{0E000000040000}Oh, and the {0E0000000300020000}Ink Mines {0E000000030002ffff}can
really make a difference in
the right hands, so this set
is perfect for veterans!

The {0E0000000300020000}Luna Blaster Neo{0E000000030002ffff} is
a remodeled Luna Blaster
made with original parts.{0E000000040000}The {0E0000000300020000}Splat Bombs {0E000000030002ffff}and {0E0000000300020000}Bomb
Rush {0E000000030002ffff}ensure that you'll
cause a riot of inksplosions
wherever you go!{0E000000040000}This is definitely a set for
those who prefer to throw
caution to the wind and
charge into the fray!

As the name suggests, the
{0E0000000300020000}Range Blaster{0E000000030002ffff} is a Blaster
with shots that travel
farther before exploding.{0E000000040000}Its fire rate is reduced,
but the combination of
explosive power and range
can be positively deadly!{0E000000040000}Complemented by the
{0E0000000300020000}Splash Wall {0E000000030002ffff}and {0E0000000300020000}Inkstrike{0E000000030002ffff},
it's perfect for distance
fighters!

The {0E0000000300020000}Custom Range Blaster{0E000000030002ffff}
is, as you might expect, a
Range Blaster with a slick
customized appearance.{0E000000040000}It has the same stats but
comes with {0E0000000300020000}Splat Bombs{0E000000030002ffff} to
compensate for its lack of
efficacy at close range.{0E000000040000}Coupled with the powerful
{0E0000000300020000}Kraken{0E000000030002ffff}, this set should
prove popular with blaster
virtuosos!

The {0E0000000300020000}Rapid Blaster Pro{0E000000030002ffff} is
based on the Rapid Blaster,
but it's further specialized
for increased range.{0E000000040000}Follow your {0E0000000300020000}Seekers{0E000000030002ffff} to zip
into an advantageous
position and strike from
your opponent's blind spot!{0E000000040000}The {0E0000000300020000}Inkzooka{0E000000030002ffff} makes this a
great set for frontline
fighters who like to cause
big problems for their foes!

The {0E0000000300020000}Rapid Blaster Pro Deco
{0E000000030002ffff}may be a bit of a mouthful,
but it's worth it for that
snazzy decoration!{0E000000040000}Its stats match the Rapid
Blaster Pro's, but it includes
{0E0000000300020000}Disruptors{0E000000030002ffff} to weaken your
foes before you splat them!{0E000000040000}Oh, and your {0E0000000300020000}Killer Wail{0E000000030002ffff} can
restrict them even more!
Give this set a try if that's
your sort of thing.

The {0E0000000300020000}L-3 Nozzlenose D{0E000000030002ffff} is a
standard L-3 Nozzlenose,
decorated with badges from
its manufacturer.{0E000000040000}Its stats are unchanged,
but this set includes {0E0000000300020000}Burst
Bombs {0E000000030002ffff}and the {0E0000000300020000}Kraken{0E000000030002ffff}—
an aggressive combination!{0E000000040000}Attack with a {0E0000000300020000}Burst Bomb{0E000000030002ffff},
and then finish them with
your shooter. It's an easy
set to get the hang of!

The {0E0000000300020000}H-3 Nozzlenose{0E000000030002ffff} is a
semiautomatic with more
firepower than its L-3 twin.
The H stands for "heavy"!{0E000000040000}It can't fire as rapidly, but
you can pinpoint foes
with the {0E0000000300020000}Echolocator {0E000000030002ffff}to
make every shot count!{0E000000040000}{0E0000000300020000}Suction Bombs{0E000000030002ffff} can also
make an effective defense,
so this set is a good choice
for well-rounded fighters!

The {0E0000000300020000}H-3 Nozzlenose D{0E000000030002ffff} is an
H-3 Nozzlenose decorated
with added badges from the
manufacturer.{0E000000040000}The badges don't actually
affect its abilities, but it
does include a {0E0000000300020000}Point Sensor{0E000000030002ffff}
and the mighty {0E0000000300020000}Inkzooka{0E000000030002ffff}.{0E000000040000}In the right hands, this
interesting combination of
abilities may give rise to
many unique strategies!

The {0E0000000300020000}Carbon Roller{0E000000030002ffff} is a
lightweight roller built with
low-density parts for
increased handling!{0E000000040000}Soften up the foe with
{0E0000000300020000}Burst Bombs{0E000000030002ffff} while you ink
the ground and prepare to
unleash the {0E0000000300020000}Inkzooka{0E000000030002ffff}!{0E000000040000}Want to use a roller but
don't like feeling weighed
down? Now you can have
your cake and eat it too!

The {0E0000000300020000}Carbon Roller Deco{0E000000030002ffff} is a
Carbon Roller specially
decorated by top designers.{0E000000040000}It can be hard inking a path
quickly with a roller, but
{0E0000000300020000}Seekers {0E000000030002ffff}and {0E0000000300020000}Bomb Rush {0E000000030002ffff}can
help you to do just that!{0E000000040000}Now you can approach foes
quickly and swing your
roller in their face! Perfect
for hit-and-run tactics!

The {0E0000000300020000}Inkbrush Nouveau {0E000000030002ffff}has
the same abilities as the
{0E0000000300020000}Inkbrush{0E000000030002ffff}, but it comes with
quite a different setup!{0E000000040000}You can use the brush to
swiftly lay {0E0000000300020000}Ink Mines{0E000000030002ffff}. Your
opponents won't know
what hit 'em!{0E000000040000}And since you can share the
{0E0000000300020000}Bubbler{0E000000030002ffff} with your allies,
this is a great set if you
like to support your team!

The {0E0000000300020000}Octobrush {0E000000030002ffff}is a brush
with denser bristles that
fling even more ink with
each swipe!{0E000000040000}Use that mobility to scatter
{0E0000000300020000}Squid Beakons{0E000000030002ffff} everywhere,
giving your whole team free
rein of the battlefield!{0E000000040000}No need to hesitate—you
can always use the {0E0000000300020000}Kraken{0E000000030002ffff}
to run away in a pinch.
Your team will love you!

The {0E0000000300020000}Octobrush Nouveau
{0E000000030002ffff}matches the Octobrush in
stats but features an all-
new sub and special setup!{0E000000040000}More specifically, it comes
with the versatile {0E0000000300020000}Splat
Bomb{0E000000030002ffff} and {0E0000000300020000}Inkzooka{0E000000030002ffff} for
maximum ease of use.{0E000000040000}Brushes are a fun weapon
type to use, so I'd use this
set to get the hang of
using brushes.
 

Dystify

Member
The content coming little by little is something I personally like a lot. It gives me reason to get back to the game periodically. If they released all at once I might have just checked all the content and then stopped playing after a while.
 

nampad

Member
Because Activision, Ubisoft, AND EA would all be charging for it. This is the big difference here. Splatoon isn't doing this to "make money" - it's all 100% free. They are doing it to keep the playerbase engaged into the game longer. Since it's an online multiplayer game, it is only as good and only has legs for as long as the playerbase remains. It can be argued "make a great game and the palyer base always stays around" - but that's not always the case.

Trickling out this stuff keeps people engaged for longer periods of time and everytime they release something new, it feels like a big event and players online sky rockets. The reason Nintendo gets away with it is that IT IS ALL 100% FREE. This can't be compared to Activision, EA, or Ubisoft - because they DO do this (there is plenty of evidence proving it) BUT, THEY CHARGE MONEY FOR IT. If EA, UBisoft, or Activision created a multiplayer game where they trickled out new modes and maps to keep the games fresh fro a longer period of time and did it all for free, they would not be crapped upon. Except, they don't. They charge you an arm and a leg for a single map or weapon, sometimes bundled together, and they throw it out to you quickly because hey, a year later they are replacing that game with the next version of it.

Splatoon is fundamentally being handled differently, which is why folks are okay with it.

I said if they would be doing the same...
And yeah, I guess the outrage would be huge. The thread title wouldn't be about some datamined stuff, it would be about how they locked away content.
 

Jarmel

Banned
Because Activision, Ubisoft, AND EA would all be charging for it. This is the big difference here. Splatoon isn't doing this to "make money" - it's all 100% free. They are doing it to keep the playerbase engaged into the game longer. Since it's an online multiplayer game, it is only as good and only has legs for as long as the playerbase remains. It can be argued "make a great game and the palyer base always stays around" - but that's not always the case.

Trickling out this stuff keeps people engaged for longer periods of time and everytime they release something new, it feels like a big event and players online sky rockets. The reason Nintendo gets away with it is that IT IS ALL 100% FREE. This can't be compared to Activision, EA, or Ubisoft - because they DO do this (there is plenty of evidence proving it) BUT, THEY CHARGE MONEY FOR IT. If EA, UBisoft, or Activision created a multiplayer game where they trickled out new modes and maps to keep the games fresh fro a longer period of time and did it all for free, they would not be crapped upon. Except, they don't. They charge you an arm and a leg for a single map or weapon, sometimes bundled together, and they throw it out to you quickly because hey, a year later they are replacing that game with the next version of it.

Splatoon is fundamentally being handled differently, which is why folks are okay with it.

Many of them provide more than 5 maps though. In fact COD usually provides 10 or more, so by that reasoning Splatoon is providing less content than COD but at least with COD you can play it all at once. That's not even getting into the lack of modes Splatoon has, which is absurdly low.
 

Mononoke

Banned
No, but that's not what I said. You're arguing something completely different. If it's done, let players have access to it and don't treat it like you're "continuously updating the game" when it's literally just hitting a button to make it live.

But, hey, if you like it, go ahead and like it. But the only reason they can get away with it is because the base game is super solid. That's all I had to say.

I actually agree with you that it would have been nice to have all the content out at launch, then add free DLC later. I'm curious how far do you think devs can go, in terms of how they decide how players interact with the content? Or rather, in terms of design choices. For instance, are you okay with them rotating maps every 4 hours or whatever? So let's say all content was up at launch. Would you have been okay with people only having access to 2-3 maps per 4 hours?

Or do you think that is over stepping the boundaries, and they should just allow players to access all content at once, and how they see fit? I'm not saying this as a counter to your point. Just curious what you think of Splatoon's overall decisions in terms of content being rotated and not available for full access.
 

J@hranimo

Banned
Once again, I guess if Activision, Ubisoft or EA would be caught doing this, the reactions would be totally different.
This is a pretty shitty decision by Nintendo, who seem to like to dictate what their customers can or can't do.

Actually no I wouldn't.

As long as they come out consistently and are free I would not mind at all. It bolsters growth and skill levels of the community. Then again those companies are pretty experienced in their shooters and don't have many new IP shooters coming out so their games are familiar and the playerbase knows what to expect for the most part.

Now the amount they didn't have at the start? Hell yeah there should have been more plus the Lobby system that will be in the August update. I truly wish that was there Day 1. This

The game mechanics and depth itself? Keeps me going all the time. I almost play daily.

EDIT: What the actual fuck GAF why is it taking so long to load pages??
 

Penguin

Member
I said if they would be doing the same...
And yeah, I guess the outrage would be huge. The thread title wouldn't be about some datamined stuff, it would be about how they locked away content.

Well to be fair, this isn't the first thread on Splatoon's practice at all.
 
Once again, I guess if Activision, Ubisoft or EA would be caught doing this, the reactions would be totally different.
This is a pretty shitty decision by Nintendo, who seem to like to dictate what their customers can or can't do.

"Caught" is the problem here. You're looking at it like this is something being hidden, something they tried to sneak past you but got caught doing. They've been completely open about it - stuff will be released in a staggered way, to get people used to maps and weapons gradually, and to keep the whole game... fresh.
 

ryechu

Member
people attacking this decision have no fucking idea what they are talking about. They dont even own or play the game. If the game had 100 weapons to start out, shit would be insane. People already complain about how the inkbrush and nozzlenose are useless after 2 or 3 attempts.

This datamine shows two things. 1. A lot of content was finished by launch. 2. They withheld free content anyways.

Any judgement of this strategy has to be consistent with these two factsThe only reason Nintendo could have to make this decision would be to artificially extend the lifespan of their game. This is an online shooter. Attempting to extend the online lifespan of a game should be applauded because its important for the fucking players. All the people who are attacking this decision obviously dont play the game and therefore wouldnt understand why this is good. Furthermore in their stupidity they bring outmoded negative sentiment from ondisc paid DLC other games in a non sequitur fashion over to this game.
 
Hitman seems to have taken some cues from Splatoon, though I'd imagine this more about evolving the game to community demands, where Splatoon is about fitting the pieces in to best suit the community at that point in time (see my previous post on this page)

"We are building an expanding and evolving world of assassination. The experience will begin on December 8th and we will release new locations, missions and hits over time at regular intervals through 2016, which means we’ll all be able to share in the excitement of a new content drop at the same time. Rather than unboxing a game, playing it and then that’s sort of it, we want to deliver a true community experience - creating an ongoing and evolving game which plays out with a finale that brings the story arc together. Our primary goal is to keep HITMAN players fully engaged, so between bigger drops we will be creating one-off live events and live targets to keep you immersed in the experience."
 

Totakeke

Member

So to summarize new weapons for squid folks:

Sploosh-o-matic is Splash-o-matic with wider spread and supposedly better close combat capabilities. (Doesn't this make it more similar to the Aerospray?)
Luna Blaster, a even close combat oriented version of the Blaster? Blaster is already quite short in range. Maybe it has better fire rate than the Blaster?
Range Blaster, longer range version of the Blaster.
Rapid Blaster Pro, longer range version of the Rapid Blaster.
H-3 Nozzlenose, higher damage output than L-3 Nozzlenose, maybe splatting foes in one round of shots rather than two. Has lower fire rate.
Carbon Roller, easier to handle than the standard rollers. I'm assuming it flickers faster, possibly covering slightly less ground in return.
Octobrush, inkbrush that spreads more ink with each swipe. I'm assuming it actually increases the damage output in return for higher ink consumption.
 

nampad

Member
"Caught" is the problem here. You're looking at it like this is something being hidden, something they tried to sneak past you but got caught doing. They've been completely open about it - stuff will be released in a staggered way, to get people used to maps and weapons gradually, and to keep the whole game... fresh.

They said they would release content gradually with free DLC.
Did they clarify that that content would be locked away on disc or did everyone think that the gradually rolled out content would be patches?
 

Jarmel

Banned
"Caught" is the problem here. You're looking at it like this is something being hidden, something they tried to sneak past you but got caught doing. They've been completely open about it - stuff will be released in a staggered way, to get people used to maps and weapons gradually, and to keep the whole game... fresh.

They definitely haven't been forthcoming about it being on-disk locked content. I can't blame them, as it's negative press with little upside, but they sure as hell weren't open about this.
 
people attacking this decision have no fucking idea what they are talking about. They dont even own or play the game. If the game had 100 weapons to start out, shit would be insane. People already complain about how the inkbrush and nozzlenose are useless after 2 or 3 attempts.

This datamine shows two things. 1. A lot of content was finished by launch. 2. They withheld free content anyways.

Any judgement of this strategy has to be consistent with these two factsThe only reason Nintendo could have to make this decision would be to artificially extend the lifespan of their game. This is an online shooter. Attempting to extend the online lifespan of a game should be applauded because its important for the fucking players. All the people who are attacking this decision obviously dont play the game and therefore wouldnt understand why this is good. Furthermore in their stupidity they bring outmoded negative sentiment from ondisc paid DLC other games in a non sequitur fashion over to this game.

Yes.

Also a true, major content update is coming in August (along with the Ika Musume costume), so it gives Nintendo time to work on content whilst scheduling other content to be unlocked every week up to then.
 
I wish they would just push out the matchmaking and private lobbies already. As much as I love the look of Camp Triggerfish, I care far more for actually being able to play with friends instead of against them all the time, and to be able to play with just them if I want. Why August? Why do they think it's a good idea for us to have to wait that long for a feature so basic, it should already be in the game???

Sure, maybe they didn't want a segregated player base with too many people hiding in private lobbies, but the game's been out for almost a month know, and there's certainly enough established players at this point for it to not matter. So tired of being teamed with randoms, man. It's not fun.
 
"Caught" is the problem here. You're looking at it like this is something being hidden, something they tried to sneak past you but got caught doing. They've been completely open about it - stuff will be released in a staggered way, to get people used to maps and weapons gradually, and to keep the whole game... fresh.

Bingo.

People are trying to draw false-equivalencies with hidden, paid, on-disc DLC because reasons.
 

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
It's keeps the community going. It creates events from any new content released and activates the userbase. I really enjoy it this way. It's fun!
 

Einbroch

Banned
I actually agree with you that it would have been nice to have all the content out at launch, then add free DLC later. I'm curious how far do you think devs can go, in terms of how they decide how players interact with the content? Or rather, in terms of design choices. For instance, are you okay with them rotating maps every 4 hours or whatever? So let's say all content was up at launch. Would you have been okay with people only having access to 2-3 maps per 4 hours?

Or do you think that is over stepping the boundaries, and they should just allow players to access all content at once, and how they see fit? I'm not saying this as a counter to your point. Just curious what you think of Splatoon's overall decisions in terms of content being rotated and not available for full access.

Personally I don't like the rotating maps because they are limiting player choice, like the weapons and maps. However, I'm not for "voting for maps" because that provides a host of issues.

Personally I would just have a random map pop up every match. If you don't like the maps in the rotation you're less likely to play.

However, this issue does not disappoint me like the locked content. Perhaps it's because, while it is still keeping content unavailable, it's on a much smaller scale and thus forgivable. I suppose the biggest problem is that Nintendo thinks we can't handle a bunch of weapons and maps. If they want to gate weapons, use the level system. I don't know why you'd gate stages with the current rotation system in place, though. If you want to play the shiny new map you might not even be able to reliably with the system they have.

To clarify, my whole issue is that it's all right there, just locked away. I have no issues with a rollout system. MMOs do it, etc.
 
The map rollout wasn't strictly so they can say free DLC. As the developers said it was done to ease players in the game. Look at how the latest maps a re a bit more advance than past ones. Especially the latest Bluefin Depot. I was honestly overwhelmed after not playing the game at E3 and checking the map.

Look at how narrow skyscraper is and how the camp map is built to have you shoot enemies across a ton of water hazards. Remember how people would die off the sides of the center in the Mall in the beginning. Beginners would really suck on these levels.

It's like they said in the Direct as time went on they would include more maps that were more advanced.

Besides it's been less than a month and 3 of the 5 on disc maps are out. Updates are planned till August so new free content is being given as well.

It's not like it wasn't known before there were five maps at launch.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 had the same thing for certain characters iin the 360/PS3 versions. They would be unlocked after launch for preorders while everyone else waited weeks more.
 

Geg

Member
"Ugh I can't believe Nintendo keeps getting a free pass why does no one ever complain about this" people say in a thread full of people complaining
 

TDLink

Member
I do think the Map rotation system could be improved. 2 is very limiting, it will be much better when there are 3 in the mix at once.

What really needs to happen is loadout switching in the lobby with a heads up of what is coming next. For example, if there are 3 maps in rotation and you go back to a lobby after the match ends it tells you what the next map that lobby will play is (selected from the 3 in the rotation) and then you can change your loadout in the lobby to adjust to that.
 

Jarmel

Banned
The map rollout wasn't strictly so they can say free DLC. As the developers said it was done to ease players in the game. Look at how the latest maps a re a bit more advance than past ones. Especially the latest Bluefin Depot. I was honestly overwhelmed after not playing the game at E3 and checking the map.
There are other ways of doing that than locking out maps for X amount of months, temporary level lockouts being one.
 
The map rollout wasn't strictly so they can say free DLC. As the developers said it was done to ease players in the game. Look at how the latest maps a re a bit more advance than past ones. Especially the latest Bluefin Depot. I was honestly overwhelmed after not playing the game at E3 and checking the map.

Look at how narrow skyscraper is and how the camp map is built to have you shoot enemies across a ton of water hazards. Remember how people would die off the sides of the center in the Mall in the beginning. Beginners would really suck on these levels.

It's like they said in the Direct as time went on they would include more maps that were more advanced.

Besides it's been less than a month and 3 of the 5 on disc maps are out. Updates are planned till August so new free content is being given as well.

It's not like it wasn't known before there were five maps at launch.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 had the same thing for certain characters iin the 360/PS3 versions. They would be unlocked after launch for preorders while everyone else waited weeks more.

Yup, the developers themselves even said this, and it shows that Nintendo was confident to get a large playerbase onboard from day 1 -- it had a marketing campaign the size of Mario Kart 8 in the United Kingdom, and I presume, in other regions as well, so it is all about evolving the community.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
Not a fan of the way splatoon did this, the actual content and map rotation at the start was pitifully low. I would have liked those modes already in the game.
 

Totakeke

Member
Wait wait, the biggest weapon news is probably this.

DQ2qUdu.png


A new special, and it's a seeker rush. :eek:
 

marc^o^

Nintendo's Pro Bono PR Firm
Splatton is not only legit, it's stuffed with content (which was its main criticism in reviews). August can't come soon enough, mostly for the clan feature. I can't wait for this.
 
So question, and I apologize if this has been asked but I'm not really interested in reading through several pages of the same stupid argument being made.

Is this information placeholder or finished? I'm reasonably sure that in many situations where stuff is datamined, the information is just placeholder. The assets aren't even always there, even if text strings and references are.
 

NotLiquid

Member
... Honestly considering the sheer learning curve there is with a lot of Splatoon's weapons and knowing there are going to be 33 more weapons we haven't seen yet this whole content padding was probably for the best.

Seriously, there's a bunch of people that still believe that rollers are OP.

Wait wait, the biggest weapon news is probably this.

DQ2qUdu.png


A new special, and it's a seeker rush. :eek:

Technically it's just the Bomb Rush ability, it's just that no weapon has it with the Seeker.
 
I do think the Map rotation system could be improved. 2 is very limiting, it will be much better when there are 3 in the mix at once.

What really needs to happen is loadout switching in the lobby with a heads up of what is coming next. For example, if there are 3 maps in rotation and you go back to a lobby after the match ends it tells you what the next map that lobby will play is (selected from the 3 in the rotation) and then you can change your loadout in the lobby to adjust to that.

This, I'm surprised it hasn't been bumped up to 3 now there are 8 maps to choose from. And I can't see it happening when the ninth lands next week, as Splatfests will be a thing in North America and Europe.

There are other ways of doing that than locking out maps for X amount of months, temporary level lockouts being one.

That's a fair point, though they did lock weapons out behind levels (one weapon per level, each one becomes more sophisticated), so it probably goes back to how it wants all players to have a consistent experience at the same time, and them to eek the most out of everything at the same time.
 

MouldyK

Member
So question, and I apologize if this has been asked but I'm not really interested in reading through several pages of the same stupid argument being made.

Is this information placeholder or finished? I'm reasonably sure that in many situations where stuff is datamined, the information is just placeholder. The assets aren't even always there, even if text strings and references are.

Well we know that the 2 maps are in the game because they show them in trailers and all the other maps and weapons so far have been timed unlocks.
 
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate provides an interesting compare/contrast, because like Splatoon it shipped with a large amount of weapons, armor, and endgame monsters walled behind timed unlocks. The primary differences to me are that a) MH4U already has a tremendous amount of content in the base game, where Splatoon is barebones and b) MH4U's unlock cycle is on the order of months, while Splatoon gets two or three equipment unlocks and one map unlock per week.

There was absolutely no faux-outrage over Capcom's handling of MH4U DLC, save for complaints that unique endgame content will be held back for up to six months after release. I think the only reason why people are up in arms about Splatoon instead of just being kind of discontent is how barebones the base shipped game was.
 

Totakeke

Member
... Honestly considering the sheer learning curve there is with a lot of Splatoon's weapons and knowing there are going to be 33 more weapons we haven't seen yet this whole content padding was probably for the best.

Seriously, there's a bunch of people that still believe that rollers are OP.



Technically it's just the Bomb Rush ability, it's just that no weapon has it with the Seeker.

Yeah, but it's definitely fresh. How do you maximize a seeker rush? Inquiring minds would want to know.
 
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