• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

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

Pizza

Member
So all of the content is on disc and they're making it sound like they're giving away free dlc?

Disgusting.

No? There's never a download so really it'd be silly to think it's dlc lol. It's just an "update" from callie and Marie about what stages Nintendo is unlocking for use.

I'm so dang okay with this. Every map and weapon "added" has a ton of fanfare now and it forces the community to evolve the metagame over time instead of it being established super early.

If you buy the game in a month you would still get to evolve your playstyle with the community, and playing the maps a ton makes you master them faster, instead of other shooters where it's a medley of new stuff you're trying to adapt to. you get a four hour block of time to figure out two maps, that's super rad.

There's obvious room for a third, so once we get more maps in rotation they'll probably have it be three maps. And they're drip feeding us content while probably developing more.

I'd be so down with a "splatoon season 2" pack for $20 that has like four new maps and a could guns, but downloads more to your system that gets slowly unlocked over time.

I don't like how their methods could look on paper but the way they're handeling it is so goddamn great. I love it.

Edit: also the shit looks incredible. I'm so ready for n-Zap '89, those specials are *perfect*
 

youwiththeface

Neo Member
Im not sure how it works, but perhaps the coding wasnt finished? Maybe thats part of the reason they staggered the updates.
Tbh I think the answer is pretty simple. Nintendo doesn't have that many games coming out and they want this one to last so they held back content to release in different intervals to give the illusion that new content is consistently coming out, keeping players interested.

Same with the bullshit map rotation (my biggest gripe with the game) instead of having a rotation with all the maps they give you two at a time for four hours, so by the time the 2 get ultimately stale (which always happens) and you leave by the time you come back it's a new map.

Hell I'm level 10 and I'm not sure if I have played all the maps, that's how shitty the map rotation is.

I love the game I really do, but some of the decisions really irk me
 

Dryk

Member
Man, a blast to the past, the stages have been tweaked quite a bit from last year E3. There used to be only 2 routes to the middle area in Urchin underpass instead of 2, and Saltspray Rig lower portion is unrecognizable.
They' rebalanced the grates on Urchin to favour the defenders too, and it looks like the chokepoint on Arowana was a lot longer.

EDIT: And there's crates moving along the middle section of Walleye. So many of these are so different.
 

Nightbird

Member
It's Nintendo being Nintendo. Hand-holding and controlling. How would you feel if you paid for a bag of Oreo's but the grocery store only gave you a couple from the bag a week? No it's not as bad or anti-consumer as paying for on-disc content or DLC taken from complete games. It's still artificial and annoying though.

And that's completly all right for you to feel that Way. It's just calling it Anti-Consumer that rubs me the wrong Way.

When i hear Anti-Consumer i think about shady practices to make the consumer pay horrendous amounts of Money for small stuff (like Vita Memory Cards i made a Thread about today). And what happens here in Splatoon can not even dream to be in the same ballpark, since what happens is drip-feeding content.

The only reason why people get so angry about that is because the Content at the start was so Barebones. Wich is expected from a Game with a short Development Cycle like Splatoon (The Game has been in Development for 2 years at best)


As for your Example: I would actually be thankful to the Grocery Store, since i would likely drown myself in Oreos eat them until my weight hits the Triple Digits (in kg) hahahha :p
 
I don't see the problem because it was explicitly stated that there would he five maps at launch and the map rotation system was described.

While I don't agree with having only two maps rotate (I would rather have five) Nintendo didn't obscure what they were offering.

If people think it's dumb that's a valid opinion. But there's nothing deceitful or actually treacherous here.

You didn't pay to play ten maps at beginning and then later get told you couldn't. It was always how they said it would be. The Oreo example is dumb. In that one you are buying a bag thinking you'll get them all but then they change it after. If there terms are upfront then you agreed to it.
 

Garou

Member
There is absolutely nothing shady about this since the game doesn't download anything to unlock this stuff.
 
Just because its free doesn't make it exempt from criticism. Waiting for Nintendo to unlock game content for me is not a good experience compared to it being available from the start. That's it. From my point of view its poorly thought out and I'd prefer playing the content that's there right now.

I'd like to play the content that's on the disc instead waiting for the arbitrary unlock. Pretty reasonable right?

Here is an extreme scenario: The next Mario comes out and you can only play the first world. Every week the next world is unlocked by Nintendo's servers despite the data being on the disc. They rushed the game out so the last 2 worlds are downloadable for free, but that doesn't really matter because they'll be available months from now, as per the weekly schedule. It's free so why complain right? I am not saying this will happen, just an exaggeration so that you might see the problem, why someone can have criticism for locked on-disc content for a $60 game.

Then don't get the game at launch. It's not worth 60 dollars to you at that moment.

Why would it make a difference if the locked content was on the disc or not? How has this data mining revelation changed your opinion on the amount of content that the game has provided on launch?

Besides, I'd be more for the argument that the game should be reduced in price.
 
Anyone calling this shady just hasn't been paying attention to what Nintendo has said about the game.

And I'm saying this as someone who thinks that holding this content back, along with the map rotation and load out situations were all poor design decisions.

You can argue that it's a poor idea that doesn't really benefit the game, but it's not shady.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
And that's completly all right for you to feel that Way. It's just calling it Anti-Consumer that rubs me the wrong Way.

When i hear Anti-Consumer i think about shady practices to make the consumer pay horrendous amounts of Money for small stuff (like Vita Memory Cards i made a Thread about today). And what happens here in Splatoon can not even dream to be in the same ballpark, since what happens is drip-feeding content.

The only reason why people get so angry about that is because the Content at the start was so Barebones. Wich is expected from a Game with a short Development Cycle like Splatoon (The Game has been in Development for 2 years at best)


As for your Example: I would actually be thankful to the Grocery Store, since i would likely drown myself in Oreos eat them until my weight hits the Triple Digits (in kg) hahahha :p
Isnt all this extra content already on the disc (or in other words, been there since launch)? If so, i dont think we can blame the lack of content at launch on the developement cycle. Its more a business decision then, to give out smaller bits of the game, trying to keep the community alive for a longer period of time.

About Vita, i think it was said (or was it just speculated?) that the memory prices were priced like that to offset the price of the Vita itself. If that is the case, it might not have been that much difference in price if the Vita was priced higher and the memorycard were priced lower.
 

NotLiquid

Member
Just because its free doesn't make it exempt from criticism. Waiting for Nintendo to unlock game content for me is not a good experience compared to it being available from the start. That's it. From my point of view its poorly thought out and I'd prefer playing the content that's there right now.

I'd like to play the content that's on the disc instead waiting for the arbitrary unlock. Pretty reasonable right?

Here is an extreme scenario: The next Mario comes out and you can only play the first world. Every week the next world is unlocked by Nintendo's servers despite the data being on the disc. They rushed the game out so the last 2 worlds are downloadable for free, but that doesn't really matter because they'll be available months from now, as per the weekly schedule. It's free so why complain right? I am not saying this will happen, just an exaggeration so that you might see the problem, why someone can have criticism for locked on-disc content for a $60 game.

This is an apples to oranges scenario because you're comparing a single player experience to a multiplayer one that is dependent on it's player base and the level of content that will change the surrounding meta game, as well as the way the collective base responds to the changes. Something that has it's rooting in the community's ability to be able to interact with one another in the context of the game can manage to earn itself a little leeway depending on the scenario that is proposed.

I realize what you're mentioning and what in fact most people are pointing out is a slippery slope exercise but Splatoon has yet to set a bad precedent with it's practice. The system is functional, it supports the general game and there's been no dishonesty in terms of how it's managed. Within the parameters of this particular game there are several, arguably justifiable reasons for why the rollout works. The same would not apply for a Mario platformer or some such.

I do get the general idea that it's not worth $60. For many people that probably is the case, and in that case it's better for them to just hold off. It's not like they're exactly getting suckered into this - almost all of the information about Splatoon's content schedule and content at current date is readily available.
 

MrBadger

Member
I thought it was known that they were increasing the longevity of the game's online by slowly rolling content out to keep people hooked. Why are people calling this shady all of a sudden? It's not like they're charging for any of this stuff.
 

Totakeke

Member
Just because its free doesn't make it exempt from criticism. Waiting for Nintendo to unlock game content for me is not a good experience compared to it being available from the start. That's it. From my point of view its poorly thought out and I'd prefer playing the content that's there right now.

I'd like to play the content that's on the disc instead waiting for the arbitrary unlock. Pretty reasonable right?

Here is an extreme scenario: The next Mario comes out and you can only play the first world. Every week the next world is unlocked by Nintendo's servers despite the data being on the disc. They rushed the game out so the last 2 worlds are downloadable for free, but that doesn't really matter because they'll be available months from now, as per the weekly schedule. It's free so why complain right? I am not saying this will happen, just an exaggeration so that you might see the problem, why someone can have criticism for locked on-disc content for a $60 game.

There's a difference between a multiplayer game and a single player game. I don't need to rely on others to stay engaged with the game to fully enjoy a single player game.
 

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
I thought it was known that they were increasing the longevity of the game's online by slowly rolling content out to keep people hooked. Why are people calling this shady all of a sudden? It's not like they're charging for any of this stuff.

Not only they are not charging extra for it, but it was announced way before launch. I still haven't seen any argument about why is shady.
 

superbank

The definition of front-butt.
Then don't get the game at launch. It's not worth 60 dollars to you at that moment.

Why would it make a difference if the locked content was on the disc or not? How has this data mining revelation changed your opinion on the amount of content that the game has provided on launch?

Besides, I'd be more for the argument that the game should be reduced in price.
Eh, it's still worth $60 to me. I'm a fan of the core gameplay. I just wish they went about this better for my benefit, other players, and even for Nintendo's benefit. I agree, releasing with a reduced price would have been acceptable.

The datamine hasn't affected my opinion. I suspected it could be like this before the game came out, and got confirmation with the multiplayer levels used in single player.
 
This is one of those things where it's good for players even if they don't realize it.

The map rotation system keeps everyone in the same pool, improving matchmaking. I change my loadout to match the map selection. If there were more than 3 maps at a time I'd have a hard time picking an appropriate weapon set. It also forces me to consider alternative ways of play.

It also allows people to become intimately familiar with all maps. Practice makes perfect.

The gradual map and weapon rollout has kept the community really active, especially considering the Wii U install base. Had they released everything in the beginning, there's a good chance people would've burnt out on it and never come back. It would ruin my experience if there was nobody around to play against.

Also, I only get like 2 hours to play on weekdays. With this setup, the meta hasn't gotten away from me.

Anyway, I love this structure and I hope to see it in more games.

One change I'd like to see is to reduce the rotation timer to 2 hours instead of 4. Other than that I really like it how it is.
 

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
Oh crap, they're going to make videos of everything now? :(

It looks hilarious.

I was thinking if I want to watch the next ones (if he makes for every weapon). I kind of ruin the surprise. I don't know, I might skip the next ones and not spoil it for me.
 

Nightbird

Member
Isnt all this extra content already on the disc (or in other words, been there since launch)? If so, i dont think we can blame the lack of content at launch on the developement cycle. Its more a business decision then, to give out smaller bits of the game, trying to keep the community alive for a longer period of time.

About Vita, i think it was said (or was it just speculated?) that the memory prices were priced like that to offset the price of the Vita itself. If that is the case, it might not have been that much difference in price if the Vita was priced higher and the memorycard were priced lower.

Oh wow, way to contradict myself! But i think even if we don't consider the Development Time, my point still stands that drip-feeding content the way it's done in Splatoon is nowhere near something that should be called Anti-Consumer.


To be honest, i thought about that point for the Vita again, and i must say that i think it is Bullshit. At least partly. The System has gotten a Price-Cut At some point. The System alone. It was not a split Price Cut or anything. only the System. That made me doubt if the Cards had really this purpose the whole Time. But i think thats Off-Topic here. I shouldn't have used the Vita as Example >.>
 

Zubz

Banned
Man, I just got the game, but it looks like there's a lot more coming! ... But then again, I couldn't connect to any games, so I've barely scratched the surface as-is.
 
kind of a sketchy way to make people thing you are giving away free dlc.

I agree. Charge full price, get full game.

It really merits a critical but respectful message to Iwata.

The one justification I could kinda see is that they believe binge content consumption shortens the lifespan of online multiplayer game communities. Since Splatoon's online community functions weren't all ready to go at release, they're trying to extend the game's life for as long as possible.
 

superbank

The definition of front-butt.
This is an apples to oranges scenario because you're comparing a single player experience to a multiplayer one that is dependent on it's player base and the level of content that will change the surrounding meta game, as well as the way the collective base responds to the changes. Something that has it's rooting in the community's ability to be able to interact with one another in the context of the game can manage to earn itself a little leeway depending on the scenario that is proposed.

I realize what you're mentioning and what in fact most people are pointing out is a slippery slope exercise but Splatoon has yet to set a bad precedent with it's practice. The system is functional, it supports the general game and there's been no dishonesty in terms of how it's managed. Within the parameters of this particular game there are several, arguably justifiable reasons for why the rollout works. The same would not apply for a Mario platformer or some such.

I do get the general idea that it's not worth $60. For many people that probably is the case, and in that case it's better for them to just hold off. It's not like they're exactly getting suckered into this - almost all of the information about Splatoon's content schedule and content at current date is readily available.
There's a difference between a multiplayer game and a single player game. I don't need to rely on others to stay engaged with the game to fully enjoy a single player game.

Okay, my exaggerated, quick example of Mario isn't 1:1. Change it to Mario Kart/Smash and imagine a scenario where the rollout is as close and comparable to Splatoon as possible. I would not like it there for the same reasons. Splatoon has already set a bad example by utilizing unjustified on-disc unlocks. I know the reasons the devs have given as well as the fanmade reasons for the drip feed of content. They do not satisfy me in the way I want to play.

Tom Nook is undeniably anti-consumer.
Animal Crossings entire premise is the slow roll out. Difference is it works and justifies itself there. Applying these concepts to an online shooter hasn't worked, for me.
 
I hope none of you complainers played MMORPGs in the olden days when the client would have weapons, areas and events waiting to be unlocked on the server side which would take months to come out (a similar situation to here). Plus you had to pay a monthly subscription too.

The biggest hurdle in the Splatoon datamine was the disc being dumped (in encrypted form too as publish key known) as few people can do this which is why we are hearing this nearly a month after release.

Stage-wise this reveals nothing new. The two on-disc unreleased maps Nintendo themselves already revealed via screenshots. The August update should be the interesting bit as that is data not already on the disc. With the vast amount of unreleased weapons those might take a bit longer...

Back to Splatoon dump. The best part of this for me is the sound directory has been dumped (because Nintendo don't seem to release soundtracks). The game is 44kHz audio so maybe Nintendo finally understood they are not using 1.3GB discs anymore so can go above the 32kHz they usually set. A number of the tracks are multichannel challenges (some with >=4 sound channels for ambient effects, inkopolis plaza is interesting in that it is 13 mono tracks whose levels change based on environment)

Music spoilers splatfests
Splatfests has its own stage opening, stage theme (only one) complete with last minute tune. The last minute tune is basically the normal one but Jpop Squid sisters. I'm guessing these might be the tracks missing in the sound test.

How is the single player? Or is single player mode only available when Nintendo feels like it?
The single-player is a strange mix of Super Mario galaxy and a third person shooter. There isn't a lot to it but it basically it is a very extended tutorial. You'll learn enough of the basics, a lot of it is exclusive content and only 1/6 of it is fighting bots in recycled multiplayer maps. It also has a good final boss. Finally it also explains the lore and backstory of the game. It doesn't require any online at all so no, Nintendo can't stop you playing that.

If you want a shooter that stops you playing single-player I suggest you purchase Titanfall which requires online for single-player (oh sorry multiplayer-campaign) and can only be done when there are other players (WTF) and I understand is mostly a ghostown for 2/3 of the released platforms (as there is no replay value) truly locking you out of content more than a pre-announced drip feed does. Finally, it is published by EA who are known for turning off servers so quite literally EA have single player mode available when they feel like it. But apparently mentioning the flaws of other companies is deflection.

So wait, in the online portion of Splatoon, you can only play the maps that Nintendo lets you? And they change it every four hours?

And they're also telling me I can't use content in the game that I paid for until they're ready to let me? Yeah, that sounds like a really great game.
(You could substitute this one for other posts in the thread.) Half this thread is clogged up by shitposts by people who don't give a shit about the game but rush to tell the world they think it sucks based on facts known about for months. Does it make them feel insecure to know that people are having fun with something so must attack it (or mock it becuase nintumb hurr hurr) in case it catches on and threatens their fun (like the Wii I can't call myself a gamer with that abomination existing). Or does somehow the content being complete but withheld bother them more? All forms of media have some projects held back for marketing and other strategic reasons.

Also Nintendunt online hurr hurr and it fans are toolish sheeple fufufu as a retort...ugh...

To end on a lighter note:
One change I'd like to see is to reduce the rotation timer to 2 hours instead of 4. Other than that I really like it how it is.
Double the Calie and Marie? I'm not sure if you're a genius or a monster. Staaaay Fresh...
 
What's the confusion? The process was all explained perfectly well in the Splatoon Direct, long before release.

Then the complaint should have been registered earlier.

It's a bad and anti-consumer practice. Did the Direct say all the content will be on the disc or download; you just won't be able to play it until we say so?
 

crinale

Member
Isnt all this extra content already on the disc (or in other words, been there since launch)? If so, i dont think we can blame the lack of content at launch on the developement cycle. Its more a business decision then, to give out smaller bits of the game, trying to keep the community alive for a longer period of time.

About Vita, i think it was said (or was it just speculated?) that the memory prices were priced like that to offset the price of the Vita itself. If that is the case, it might not have been that much difference in price if the Vita was priced higher and the memorycard were priced lower.

It's more like Nintendo doesn't have too many games for WiiU so they had to keep this game active somehow.
BTW Japanese devs do this a lot, even for single player games lol so it's not like Nintendo started it.
I'm looking at you Square Enix
 

KingSnake

The Birthday Skeleton
Then the complaint should have been registered earlier.

It's a bad and anti-consumer practice. Did the Direct say all the content will be on the disc or download; you just won't be able to play it until we say so?

The Direct said there are 5 maps at launch with more to come every few weeks. Didn't mention disc or download. So, why is it anti-consumer?
 

ryechu

Member
congratz on derailing a hype thread. Jesus Christ. Some people actually play and enjoy this game, were aware of what their 60 dollar purchase meant, knew that all this stuff was on disc from the first update being automatically implemented.

100% can we agree that its not shady. It cannot be shady because it doesnt stem from corporate greed. You might disagree with Nintendo's handholding, denounce the game as a casual shooter ( as if most console shooters become even close to competitive) and what have you. But holy fucking hell, no one cares about your opinions. The vast majority of people who play this game enjoy it, and respond to this leak with excitement and not bitterness. And how the hell would you know if the handholding was even neceesary when you have not played Splatoon nor risen in the ranks. You have no clue if the learning curve warrants it or not.

Releasing more advanced maps later makes sense. Releasing tricky weapons after a meta has established also makes sense. A lot of people dont like the 4 hour 2 map rotation incluind me but thats irrelevant to the topic.
 
Music spoilers splatfests
Splatfests has its own stage opening, stage theme (only one) complete with last minute tune. The last minute tune is basically the normal one but Jpop Squid sisters. I'm guessing these might be the tracks missing in the sound test.

I have to say, that music is great. Especially,
Callie and Marie sing. Just be grateful they're fixing Splatfests for you, because match making was a huge pain during the Japanese event.
 

sfried

Member
Jarmel brought up some good points as to why this is a bad practice/precedent. I see where you guys are coming from now now.

I think Nintendo should have been upfront with people on this.
I believe they were. They even had it in the Direct.

I feel they used the extra time to balance-tweak the levels, as the ones in the single player, while having changes intended for the campaign, do have noticable design tweaks from the ones we have gotten.
 

Totakeke

Member
The recently post-launch unlocked maps were present in the single player at launch. I don't think there was any effort to hide that the maps were essentially complete and they could have pushed to release it during launch if they wanted to. They just chose not to.
 

jariw

Member
I feel they used the extra time to balance-tweak the levels, as the ones in the single player, while having changes intended for the campaign, do have noticable design tweaks from the ones we have gotten.

The maps that have unlocked so far has been on disc, no tweaking of the maps were made post release. They provided one patch for the Judd/Spyke money glitch and the frame rate in the Plaza, that's all.
 

superbank

The definition of front-butt.
congratz on derailing a hype thread. Jesus Christ. Some people actually play and enjoy this game, were aware of what their 60 dollar purchase meant, knew that all this stuff was on disc from the first update being automatically implemented.

100% can we agree that its not shady. It cannot be shady because it doesnt stem from corporate greed. You might disagree with Nintendo's handholding, denounce the game as a casual shooter ( as if most console shooters become even close to competitive) and what have you. But holy fucking hell, no one cares about your opinions. The vast majority of people who play this game enjoy it, and respond to this leak with excitement and not bitterness. And how the hell would you know if the handholding was even neceesary when you have not played Splatoon nor risen in the ranks. You have no clue if the learning curve warrants it or not.

Releasing more advanced maps later makes sense. Releasing tricky weapons after a meta has established also makes sense. A lot of people dont like the 4 hour 2 map rotation incluind me but thats irrelevant to the topic.

"Shut yer trap! Only positive feedback!"

It's possible to like the game and criticize it too. Who knew?
 
Top Bottom