The Problem With Splatoon 3's Map Design

In this video, I'm discussing the problem with Splatoon 3's map design. Movement in the game is just not built for the maps, and this is causing a lot of problems for players. This video will examine why this is and how to fix this.

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[abisk]

Thank you so much for watching this video!
As always, please comment any ideas down below.
Also, please like and subscribe if you enjoyed :D

[xana]

Gem from Squid School put it best, imo:

"When did Splatoon become a game with so many uninkable walls?"

[noizepusher]

I love the point you made about stages feeling smaller because less places matter. That’s a very good insight, if only 40% of the map is important, it’s going to feel 60% smaller because you don’t ever use that portion. I do wish you elaborated more on the older maps that did this well like Flounder Heights and Urchin Underpass, it would be good to have a way to compare and contrast what the maps were like and how they are today because I do feel as if there was a significant downgrade between games beyond the movement changing. The factoid that the maps aren’t much smaller than they’ve been in the past with the statistics showing the points per smallest map in each game was very thought provoking and informed the overall video a lot. The chess analogy was initially a bit confusing but it gave the video an overall theme and a quick and easy way to explain game design. Overall, good video!

[tomarune]

My brain has expanded to that of a nebula

[ShyGuy]

"If I move around him or bring him down to me, I'll be able to easily fight him. 😼"
*dies*

[ProChara]

The one thing I would say is faster weapons are not exactly better, weapons that control space while being seen and can effect people ahead of them do, such as chargers. I like the overall approach and the comparison between paint total and relevant areas hits it. Mentioning the decrease in paintable walls could also be good. Nice job

[ASquared]

So I guess the main solution is… wider maps I guess. Most maps tend to be linear, leading to mid with few good ways to circumvent this. A wider map would allow for that, or it would divide mid into 3 different sections, sort of turning the map into a 3x3 grid of sections rather than a 1x3 rectangle. Even a plus sign shape would be better, with spawn being one section, true mid being in the middle, and 2 side sections to flank around, each section having about the same percentage of turf to ink/control.

[Kiruklee]

What also needs to be addressed are the =horrific= bottlenecks in the S3 maps. In S2, you ALWAYS had at least two ways to get into enemy turf. Now, there's maybe one small ramp AT BEST that can be easily defended, with Scorch Gorge's suicide grate being about as wide as a SHOE at the end, meaning that battles are determined by an extremely easily flippable mid that can lead to a turnaround win in the last five seconds. It doesn't reward skill, tactics, or patience like it used to.

[_ghostfly]

very interesting video, i liked the chess analogies even if they were a bit confusing to me at first. also isnt it funny how they added a whole new mechanic dedicated to climbing walls and yet they added so many uninkable walls? brinewater has NO inkable walls apart from the block in the middle. it’s ridiculous 💀 they also added squid rolls and yet so many maps are incredibly flat. scorch gorge mid is just a huge flat open area, its so uninteresting. and lets not even get into hammerhead
i wish the map design was able to make the most of the movement system, bc splatoons movement is so cool and has been improved even more in this game with the new mechanics. they havent truly taken advantage of it yet, i hope we see some improvements soon

[loser_]

Ive had way too many matches where we just get locked out at spawn. Its not fun when everyone dies and then nobody can recover. in Splatoon 2, this rarely happened, even in ranked modes

[winterbliss]

Thank you for explaining the issues of Splatoon 3's map design better than I could. This kind of level design makes the game feels so much smaller. A lot of the maps have what I call Walleye Warehouse syndrome. Just three places you can move, and incredibly easy to get trapped in. As long as the team can cover those three areas then they have the whole game. It makes the game too Charger and Splatling friendly as well because all they have to do is control those three areas without having to deal with any flank points.

This makes the special roster even worse because specials like the Baller and even Bomb Rush could give the team the ability to push through. There were more options inside of Splatoon 2 than in 3 and I don't know if many really understand why some still prefer 2 over 3. 3 does have improvements over 2, but 3 limits the amount of options, flanks and positioning you could do towards the other team thanks to the difference in specials and the boxy, three way map design. It makes 3 a hassle to play and even somewhat boring. I hope they improve this with time as I've been playing Splatoon since the first game, and the second game is my most played Switch game. Excellent video!

[TheMarioManiac]

I really do miss how huge and vertical the Splatoon 1 map’s were. Seeing flounder heights and Mahi Mahi resort getting essentially massacred in 3 really wasn’t necessary.

[Huskie]

I’m an Ink Brush main, so these map issues are felt severely for me. The massive favoring of map designs towards backliners makes seeing a splatling or charger more of a “Guess I won’t be able to have fun today” feeling instead of “Time to find fun ways to pressure the snipers!” Being outranged by every other weapons means that on some maps with even just barely competent opponents, I can barely move anywhere without getting splatted even when I’m doing my best to maneuver or creatively flank/ambush

[Intrepidsword]

Not only are the lack of Flank routes a problem, but also the clear advantage to chargers with the large open areas and lots of high ground is also an issue, making many matches for closer ranged weapons a nightmare if any e liter is on the opposing team

[aegisScale]

Thanks for this explanation, I noticed I was having a lot less fun and a lot more rage when playing _any_ Splat 3 despite the improvements . . . and at least now I can put words to why. I just miss alternate routes man.

[roboking]

This is a really interesting take. I never thought to consider that it was the pacing of the game that made the maps feel smaller and not the maps themselves. As fun as the game is, I do think the map design really makes it suffer at times. Right now, e-liters and long-range weapons dominate because there aren't many reliable ways to get to them. Hopefully the design team takes this into consideration when modifying current maps or creating new ones.

[DudeQThat]

See, I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt this about the maps. I didn't play Splat 1, and not much of Splat 2 but from what I've played, I felt the maps played better in Splat 2 because the places you went, mattered. All routes goes to mid map destination isn't good design. Flounder Heights is the only map that doesn't feel too congested

[arttukettunen]

Honestly, splatoon 2 maps just feel the best now that I've played splatoon 3. But now I think that yeah, the gameplay was still a bit slower in 2, though even slower in the wackier maps of 1. It feels like 2's maps in 3 are really hitting a sweet spot in how big they feel vs how fast the game is. And also maps generally in 3 are really lacking in gimmicks (mahi is executed badly), they all feel samey, whereas 2 still had a variety of maps even though some were tight like 3's more-than-just-some new maps.

[SpeedsterGT]

4:25
Translated by Google:
That map is HORRIBLE! because it is so small that it creates total chaos that almost all players cannot fit in the small size. The platforms is also another thing that he hated because the shot type weapons get in the way a lot. I prefer a thousand times that they return to the original because this redesign is TERRIBLE!

[jasonzervos]

A characteristic to the Splatoon 3's map design is to use the peak hight of a squid roll (h) and make everything with that in mind. Also, Wave Breaker and Tacticooler are double that hight (2×h) which is the same with most of drops and ledges in this game. It helps to function properly those two specials, with Wave Breaker stopping at that hight and Tacticooler not getting destroyed by the rotating platforms on Museum for example. Unfortunately though, it makes everything short to the point that you lose cover just by standing.
This is more well pronounced in Bridge, Hagglefish Market and 2 Star Hotel (Mahi). The absolute pinnacle of flat and boring in the game right now.
I mean… we have squid surge and we can't use it by design.

Great video! At first I didn't understood why you brought up chess but you nailed it. It's a comparison that seams random at first but makes so much sense!