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Splatoon (Nintendo 4x4 team shooter, Wii U, 2015)

These items have probably already been mentioned, but just thought I'd pass them along...

From Treehouse Live, Day 2, with the developers:


  • There are four maps currently shown in the trailer and demo, but "many more" are in development
  • The level designers have so much fun making maps that people in the department next door keep telling them to calm down
  • Some maps will focus on wall-climbing; others will emphasize varying elevations so you have to consider the angle of your shots
  • Squids were chosen over octopi because their arrow-shaped heads make it easy to tell where they're going on the GamePad map
  • Likewise, shooting ink instead of bullets is useful since you can see the attack before you're hit
  • The art direction is final, with the more urban environments meant to make you feel like you're spreading graffiti
  • The music direction is also final, and the idea is the music heard in the trailer and demo is music the Inklings listen to in their world
  • To go along with the above point, this is why some of the Inklings wear headphones
  • Members of the dev team are the ones yelling "Splatoon!" in the theme song
  • The ink-spraying competition is a fun sport for the Inklings, and the ink is an eco-friendly substance that disappears with time
  • The sound effects team worked really hard on the sound of the ink splattering in various ways
  • The texture of the ink changes based on whether it's a fresh coat or multiple layers
  • They promise the graphics will continue to improve more and more leading up to launch (they already look fantastic, IMO)
  • You pick your loadout before each match, I.E. a charge-shot sniper rifle, a paint-roller melee weapon, etc.
  • You might be able to customize your character's appearance, as well, but they're still thinking about this
  • As others said previously, there will be a variety of modes offering a lot of content (including single-player)
There may be more, but I'm going off of memory, having just watched the half-hour segment.

Some people need to read the bolded. I'm seeing too many people believing that the demo is the entire game and there will be no variety.
 
Is there a way to tell what the opposing team's score is? If not, what is the point of knowing the points for ink coverage during the battle?
If you're only shown your own score, after a while you are able to use it as a rule of thumb metric to see how well you are doing. My source is dozens of hours in Kid Icarus Uprising free-for-all.
 
The game looks really fun, but I'm wondering just how much longevity it will have. I have no doubt I'll enjoy it, but I don't know for how long.
 
The game looks really fun, but I'm wondering just how much longevity it will have. I have no doubt I'll enjoy it, but I don't know for how long.
I've watched multiple Treehouse playthroughs lasting 30+ minutes each and had a huge smile on my face the whole time. That's just me watching, and just watching one mode with limited content. They've promised the final product will have tons of modes, maps, weapons, etc. For it to convey such fun already is an extremely promising sign. I think we're looking at the next Mario Kart in terms of enduring appeal.
 
If you're only shown your own score, after a while you are able to use it as a rule of thumb metric to see how well you are doing. My source is dozens of hours in Kid Icarus Uprising free-for-all.
Yup (but I haven't played KI). Under ideal conditions you'd be shooting all the time, and shooting in areas not covered by your own ink to get the highest score possible. After playing a while you'll know if you're lagging behind mid-round, or by the end you'll know who on your team didn't do enough. Your role in the team may determine how high or low your score is as well.
 
This is the timeline where Miyamoto decided to not make Halo.

It's also the timeline where we got a Canvas Curse sequel announced at E3. Not bad!

I just got back from the Miyamoto Halo universe. Its way better. The west got a proper mother 3 release
 
I've watched multiple Treehouse playthroughs lasting 30+ minutes each and had a huge smile on my face the whole time. That's just me watching, and just watching one mode with limited content. They've promised the final product will have tons of modes, maps, weapons, etc. For it to convey such fun already is an extremely promising sign. I think we're looking at the next Mario Kart in terms of enduring appeal.

I think it will come down to how the online is implemented. The worst part about Mario Kart 8 for me is how hard it is to play with friends due to the lack of lobby system and inability to queue together. I can honestly spend 15 minutes trying to join my friend while being bombarded with "unable to join" errors because the game is full and as of last patch you can't queue up while spectating. They need to make it fast and easy to party up and join together or it will die off fast IMO. I'm still praying for a MK8 patch.

I will say though, it'll be nice playing a shooter without half the other team using an aimbot (PC gamer before I got the Wii U).
 
How do you know? Miyamoto's Halo could be the best game ever.

Part of what makes halo good are the characters, world and atmosphere generated from the game. It woudn't be the same.

There is a lot weird amazing shit canon to halo, that is bungie specific , it wouldn't be as good. That would also require miyamoto to be very active with the community, that wouldn't happen.

I mean sure you can make good gun play, but halo is more than gunplay.
 
I will say though, it'll be nice playing a shooter without half the other team using an aimbot (PC gamer before I got the Wii U).
What's an "aimbot?" Is it some sort of cheat PC players sometimes use to always hit their mark in shooters? I only really play L4D2 when it comes to online shooters, and I stick to co-op so I'm not usually being shot at, LOL. I used to love Unreal Tournament '99 back in the day, though.
 
Originally Posted by St3v3

I will say though, it'll be nice playing a shooter without half the other team using an aimbot (PC gamer before I got the Wii U).
Pc gamers can cheat.
Wii gamers ?
I don't thnk so unless they hack the Wii U ?
And as far as I know it's not the case.


Originally Posted by St3v3

The game looks really fun, but I'm wondering just how much longevity it will have. I have no doubt I'll enjoy it, but I don't know for how long.
Are you worried because of Titanfall ?
 
What's an "aimbot?" Is it some sort of cheat PC players sometimes use to always hit their mark in shooters? I only really play L4D2 when it comes to online shooters, and I stick to co-op so I'm not usually being shot at, LOL. I used to love Unreal Tournament '99 back in the day, though.

Basically it's a cheat that will just headshot everybody in sight, you can either hold the fire button yourself or some cheats will auto aim entirely. Aimbots ruin every PC shooter.
 
Doesn't Steam have protections against cheating like that?

It's an arms race, people always developing new cheats that circumvent the aimbot system, VAC has cut down a lot (late 90s/early 00s cheating was a beautiful, chaotic, terrifying world) but it's still around
 
It's an arms race, people always developing new cheats that circumvent the aimbot system, VAC has cut down a lot (late 90s/early 00s cheating was a beautiful, chaotic, terrifying world) but it's still around
Your posts tend to make me smile, Jintor, and this time it was the bolded bit, lol
 
It's super fun to see the footage that has the developers behind it, both in the Digital Event, and the Treehouse footage. You can tell they're super proud and excited for the game, and it's really genuine too. Like they want to share their favorite toy with you. Hopefully they're aware of all the positive reception this garnered at E3. I really hope this is a big success for them.
 
Your posts tend to make me smile, Jintor, and this time it was the bolded bit, lol

Since I was in Australia we missed a lot of it just because of population density or lack thereof, but it was a great time playing CS 1.6 and having your entire team killed off when they rounded a corner by precise shots to the head with inhuman response time and no misses.

And by great time I mean fucking terrible
 
It's super fun to see the footage that has the developers behind it, both in the Digital Event, and the Treehouse footage. You can tell they're super proud and excited for the game, and it's really genuine too. Like they want to share their favorite toy with you. Hopefully they're aware of all the positive reception this garnered at E3. I really hope this is a big success for them.
Yes, this is the exact impression I get from the devs. I love how enthusiastic they were about the music in particular. They're just beaming with happiness over what they've created. It kind of reminds me of Fire Emblem: Awakening, where the staff was so passionate about the game and their passion was evident in the final product. I'm seeing extraordinary amounts of passion here.
 
Since I was in Australia we missed a lot of it just because of population density or lack thereof, but it was a great time playing CS 1.6 and having your entire team killed off when they rounded a corner by precise shots to the head with inhuman response time and no misses.

And by great time I mean fucking terrible
Oh, I thought you lived in Japan, for some reason. Probably because you're the same (or similar) timezone as Japan.

Hey, do you see kangaroos around where you live? That's like fascinating to us Americans.
 
I am so fucking hype for this game; can't get over how ingenious the paint system is for PvP shooter gameplay. Easily the best/most creative thing at E3. Hopefully they flesh it out and put it on a retail disc.
 
A family friendly shooter is an awesome idea. At least I don't think anything objectionable is presented as far as I can tell.

I think local co-op with everybody in your family could be very fun and addicting.
 
A family friendly shooter is an awesome idea. At least I don't think anything objectionable is presented as far as I can tell.

I think local co-op with everybody in your family could be very fun and addicting.
Unfortunately, there's been no indication of local multiplayer so far. Maybe they think having access to the GamePad map and gyro is too important, or maybe they think splitting the screen would make it difficult to get a read on the lay of the land. I mean, it's quite possible they'll still add local multiplayer, they just haven't confirmed it yet, unless I missed something.
 
Unfortunately, there's been no indication of local multiplayer so far. Maybe they think having access to the GamePad map and gyro is too important, or maybe they think splitting the screen would make it difficult to get a read on the lay of the land. I mean, it's quite possible they'll still add local multiplayer, they just haven't confirmed it yet, unless I missed something.

Wiimote and Nunchuck better be supported. I mean, it's just so good to play shooters with. I don't think the gamepad is too important here though. The map can be put as part of the hud as well as warping call signs designated to the dpad.
 
I'll certainly take this over yet another military shooter. It looks completely refreshing, which is something the genre needs so much more of.
 
Wiimote and Nunchuck better be supported. I mean, it's just so good to play shooters with. I don't think the gamepad is too important here though. The map can be put as part of the hud as well as warping call signs designated to the dpad.
Actually, you're totally right. They could put a mini-map on screen and number your teammates, the numbers corresponding to one of three directions on the D-Pad. You then tap the direction to rocket-jump to that teammate.

This does assume, of course, the d-pad will be free and not already assigned to something else, which I suppose is still possible.
 
Wiimote and Nunchuck better be supported. I mean, it's just so good to play shooters with. I don't think the gamepad is too important here though. The map can be put as part of the hud as well as warping call signs designated to the dpad.
I feel like that the suspense of taking your head away from the main screen is part of the action though, you don't get that with an on-screen HUD.
 
I feel like that the suspense of taking your head away from the main screen is part of the action though, you don't get that with an on-screen HUD.
There's some merit to that. It'd be uncharacteristic of Nintendo to forego a local multiplayer mode altogether, though, which is why I think they'd loosen up and let people do it even if it makes for a slightly different experience.

Then again, it's uncharacteristic of Nintendo to make third-person shooters in the first place, so who knows what we're dealing with here, lol.
 
Actually, you're totally right. They could put a mini-map on screen and number your teammates, the numbers corresponding to one of three directions on the D-Pad. You then tap the direction to rocket-jump to that teammate.

This does assume, of course, the d-pad will be free and not already assigned to something else, which I suppose is still possible.

I saw a picture of an official control setup from the demo, but I can't find it anymore. I'd love to work on a wiimote control scheme if I could see all the actions.

Ok, found it, it was on the stream. So, here's my idea so far:

B - Shoot
A - Jump
Z - Squid
C - Secondary weapon function/ zoom or whatever
----------------------
(-): to toggle D-pad menu for team callouts
(+): menu
----------------------
left/right D-pad - Switch items
up/down D-pad - unused for now

But yeah, as of now there's plenty of room for a setup like that.
 
I'm guessing Inklings are made out of ink themselves. They can shape-shift between their squid and humanoid forms, but their corporeal structure can be temporarily collapsed by sufficient ink-based kinetic impact. They then reconstitute their original forms back at base. *adjusts imaginary glasses*
I also think each color of ink is its own hive mind, through which individual manifestations (Inklings) are neurally connected. One really cool story theme: humans no longer inhabit these environments, either due to an apocalypse or desertion. In the meantime, the inks have infested and reclaimed areas for their own, and Splatoon's various game modes represent the Turf War between the ink factions over territory. Think Pikmin's brand of nightmare fuel, but for a third-person arena shooter.

Re: putting GamePad info on-screen, contemporary shooters often let you bring up a semi-transparent scoreboard already, and Doom source ports have transparent automaps you can toggle. So just pressing a button to flip to a slightly-more-obscured screen setup and back again should work fine.
 
After watching all the gameplay videos from the Treehouse, I feel like some version of Splatoon would work really well on the 3ds. I hope this is successful enough to become a franchise. splatjumping would look amazing on 3d and some gyro+circle pad aiming would be great as well.
 
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