WHY Are Splatoon 3's Maps So AWFUL?

A few things in this video I wanted to add that I didn't get the chance/forgot to talk about: -Sorry about the awful audio quality, I didn't really have a good recording space at the time I was doing voiceover; I tried to fix this as best as I could in post but there's still echo in there, I will make sure this is fixed in any future scripted content I do -This video started production back in late October; college and a Christmas vacation kept me very occupied as I worked on this video off and on over the coming months (and probably also just laziness) -Musselforge is a bad map because it heavily favors short-range weapons while also suffering from many problems that plague Mincemeat, like only having one real Rainmaker route -Fun fact about Mahi, before the water level drops, it is the SMALLEST map in Splatoon history with roughly 1360p of turf; for reference, the previous smallest map was Splatoon 1 Blackbelly Skatepark at 1528p (just in case you thought the map couldn't get any worse!) -Nintendo has since released a patch where... they reduced the points for special required on short-range shooters like .52 Gal and Splattershot while also giving paint buffs AND a pfs buff to Nova, therefore INCREASING special spam. (It's both hilarious and sad that Carbon Roller, a weapon that cannot paint, has a 200p Trizooka while Splattershot is now 190p.) Also Crab Tank got a minor slap on the wrist and Splash is still untouched. We have remained in crab meta since LATE OCTOBER. Who knows what Nintendo wants for this game anymore? (I could probably do a whole video on why the Splatoon 3 team's balance approach sucks but that'll be for another time) -I am by no means a competitive player; did this video make it obvious? DATAMINE SPOILERS: -Mincemeat Tricolor was datamined to have an object that blocks charger sightlines from the perch and it's hilarious, it's a car on a stick; they should really add that to the normal map

This is what I’m saying, the hate towards chargers SHOULD be redirected to the map design. E-Liters shouldn’t be controlling all routes into mid which is a problem in Mahi and Mincemeat, it has gotten to the point where I just log in for my daily level-up and do some Salmon Run before leaving, I get more enjoyment playing Splat 1 on my Wii U. (Along with the fact they have completely neutered the Brella class and have left it suffering for years now)

What I don’t understand with the new spawn system is why they don’t give you exclusive flanks/highground… Eeltail literally shows what they could be doing with the elevated grate to the left of your spawn drone, but they never use it to it’s full potential :(

As a backline player, I can say wholeheartedly that I love flank routes. It feels super satisfying to catch a glimpse of enemy ink on the map or in the corner of my eye and predict them coming. Way more fun than torpedo number 75 and splat bomb number 120

If I could give the developers one piece of advice for future maps, just please make sure there's lots of paths and not just have everything lead directly into mid.

I love that they decided to bring back Flounder and Museum, but I really wish that other fan favourite maps like Mahi and Hammerhead got into Splat 3, such a shame they were completely left behind, it would have been so much fun to play on them again after 6 years

It’s Hilarious that while most weapons in this game paint more and can do more in big areas, mahi shrunk. I really hope they redesign mahi and a lot of other maps. Also, bring back Blackbelly.

16:00 Original Hammerhead was actually one of my favorite maps when I was younger because of how cool it was. Now it's not even the same map...

That's why when i play Splatoon 3 i feel like i play same 3 maps!! It's because they are basically the same, they all push you in the middle and make you fight. Now i see it thanks to this video

You know the game is wonk when the second you have to defend, it feels like such an impossible feat to contest it cause the other team cycled their crabs, the e liter laser is tickling you and the only option you have available is to take the L

You know what also adds to this. Brellas sucking. If Tenta Brella was good, Chargers on Mincemeat/Hammerhead would be less used. If Splat Brella was better, Shooters would be nerfed.

Really solid video on map design. It wasn’t perfect in 2 but it certainly was much better than currently. Maps didn’t favor chargers in 2 much but they went too far in the opposite direction by having straight line maps with no flanks. These maps aren’t unfixable I think. Mostly because they seemed to be better in pre-release footage and heavily altered for the game we have now. Why they did this I don’t know but clearly most of us don’t like it and I hope they take our criticism into account.

Everything just gets funnelled into a corridor. You have to sneak past the enemy’s front line to even have chance to kill the charger.

As a Charger main, I can confirm that it really isn’t that much fun to play on these maps. I literally stand completely still staring at my static screen for almost 5 minutes straight. I don’t know about you, but staring at almost nothing for 5 minutes straight is not what I would consider “fun”

So that explains why it feels more immensely tilting when the other team is controlling mid with long range weapons and chargers. As a short range frontliner there are literally no flank routes to safely take them out you have to run straight at them and die. why did they think making the maps into hallways was a good idea.

This is my first splat game and it's been very fun so far. Got into S rank and would carry games every couple games or so and sometimes go off and get 20+ kills. But these maps some times just feel so bad with it feels like 3 lanes that even worse 2 or 3 can be covered by a single person. Flounder heights is probs my fav map so far cause it's so big and different from the rest. This game would feel so great if the maps are more varied but we will have to see ig

I think the devs have been hesitant to alter the maps because they've been waiting for the meta to calm down, but it's been pretty much set in stone for a few months now. Adding flank routes would not make the game any less fun, and even if it did introduce a new flank based meta, atleast it would be more fun the the extreme range, sub spam, and special spam meta we have now.

A map that might make it back into the game is bluefin depot. I really hope they don't mess it up terribly if they decide to add it in. It was one of my personal favs in splat1 and i'd hate to see it get ruined by the new map developers. It was already a kinda charger friendly map, but there was cover. I hope they don't remove that is they add it in.

Here are some of my ideas for improving the Splatoon 3 maps, I hope it's not too hard to understand with just descriptions. Scorch Gorge: Just use the beta version, I think maybe the devs were worried about the map being too big but I'd rather have a too big map than a too small map. Eeltail Alley: Just use the beta version, with some adjustments like more cover on the bridge and some bumpers in mid. Mincemeat Metalworks: Raise the slightly lower platform to the right of the trucks to be level (I don't know why it's slightly lower anyway) then add some full and partial cover to the ends of the trucks to allow players to stand there and not get instantly sniped, remove all the scrap metal piles on the left and right sides to make the rightmost path in front of the grated walkway connect to the truck section by a grate with a path underneath allowing players to walk completely around the truck area in a circle, also add that bumper into the centre of the map. Undertow Spillway: Remove the big glass wall near the sniper perch and lower the uninkable wall on the jutting out glass to make it easier to throw bombs up to it also make it transparent to see through it, with the big glass wall gone add an uninkable ramp to walk up to flank the sniper perch, on a side note that little ink able alcove just past the trench where this proposed ramp is going to be is practically useless so nothing of value is lost. Hammerhead Bridge: Extend the useless right path from spawn all the way to the right side of mid with a drop down to right mid and behind the pillar, this would also give a vantage to see if enemies pushed in and help fight them, also extend the left ramp just after dropping from spawn left and then forwards to allow dropping down to the area left of the uninkable box along with a high vantage point, also make the right ramp down from spawn uninkable to slow down enemies getting into spawn as with the middle path and the two other paths I've suggested you wont need the direct slope path to approach mid whereas the enemy team NEEDS to walk over a sizeable uninkable section to reach the enemy spawn. Mahi-Mahi Resort: Honestly this map has way too many issues to think of how to fix it, so instead the devs should scrap all of New Mahi and go back to Old Mahi and work from there instead of trying to make anything good with this mess.

Every time I've been spawncamped real bad it was on scorch gorge, Mahi Mahi, eeltail ally, or mincemeat metalworks I wonder why