Is anyone else bummed about Splatoon's interactivity?

[suavevillain]

I truly don't give a crap about no voice chat. If you can't get skype, then what are you doing with a wii u when you can't even get a computer or mobile device that can download skype?

Refer to my icon as my reaction to people complaining about the lack of voice chat

Consoles are about convince. Not everyone's set up is the same some people don't keep their consoles and pc in the same rooms. It should had a friends option it isn't okay for nintendo to provide less than mw2 from 2009.

 

[Diableos]

I'm really glad private matches with friends are available. It's a shame that you can't tweak the rules at all, but I doubt I would personally mess with them much even if I could. While I will be using Skype or other voice chat options via PC to communicate with my friends, I'm positive there will be times when I really want to play but I can't get a full team of friends to join me, in which case I will be playing with randoms, and voice chat would certainly help us all work together. However, I don't usually communicate with randoms myself, so it's not going to bother me much. Regardless of the fact I wouldn't make much use of voice chat with randoms, having the option to do so would be great. It's a very minor con to me, but admittedly there may be times where my team is trying to communicate with me and if they're doing so, I feel like I should be talking as well.

I think it's entirely possible voice chat could be added into the game in a later patch. If it is, I think it should be optional as it is in Smash and Mario Kart. Press a button to turn it on/off. The quality won't be spectacular by any means, but I can acknowledge that some people would still love having it and make use of it frequently.

The price of the game here in the UK is roughly £35, and most new titles cost anywhere between £40-50. I'm happy paying that price for this game. I think a lot of people would be much happier with the price and overall game if some of the DLC ended up being free. Maybe a new game mode or two, along with a couple of maps to go with them. I also think more people will come around once the game is released, assuming the online connection is stable and the matches look very fun to people, even without voice chat. Once people can truly see the full game in action, it may influence their decision. Obviously it might sway them in the direction of not buying, but hey. All the cool kids play Splatoon.

 

[WECKmaster329]

Consoles are about convince. Not everyone's set up is the same some people don't keep their consoles and pc in the same rooms. It should had a friends option it isn't okay for nintendo to provide less than mw2 from 2009.

That's just sad right there. If they can't make it anywhere near as good as a game from 6 years ago, then what on earth are they smoking?

 

[Geistbox]

It's pretty backwards of Nintendo to not allow more options when this particular foray is going to matter so much for them. That said, from a personal perspective it's not going to bother me too much. Splatoon has always interested me more in how players communicate through visual feedback and it feels like the rare kind of game where any kind of proactivity adds onto the situation. The map and even the super jump mechanic seems to have been designed to support the visuals communication mattering more than audio communication and that's interesting to consider.

I'm probably going to Skype with friends whenever I play though because that's always fun, but if Splatoon had voice chat I wouldn't use it. I don't like console based voice chat and I don't voice chatting with randoms.

 

[Mr.HawK]

It's pretty backwards of Nintendo to not allow more options when this particular foray is going to matter so much for them. That said, from a personal perspective it's not going to bother me too much. Splatoon has always interested me more in how players communicate through visual feedback and it feels like the rare kind of game where any kind of proactivity adds onto the situation. The map and even the super jump mechanic seems to have been designed to support the visuals communication mattering more than audio communication and that's interesting to consider.

I'm probably going to Skype with friends whenever I play though because that's always fun, but if Splatoon had voice chat I wouldn't use it. I don't like console based voice chat and I don't voice chatting with randoms.

i agree, some forms of communication are more convenient like skype and teamspeak. when i say convenient i mean some people have all of their gaming stuff set up near their computers so it's easier for them :P

 

[Squidward Tentacles]

Why are you even here, then?

literally the username
no need to be rude

 

[Nibroc]

It's pretty backwards of Nintendo to not allow more options when this particular foray is going to matter so much for them. That said, from a personal perspective it's not going to bother me too much. Splatoon has always interested me more in how players communicate through visual feedback and it feels like the rare kind of game where any kind of proactivity adds onto the situation. The map and even the super jump mechanic seems to have been designed to support the visuals communication mattering more than audio communication and that's interesting to consider.

I'm probably going to Skype with friends whenever I play though because that's always fun, but if Splatoon had voice chat I wouldn't use it. I don't like console based voice chat and I don't voice chatting with randoms.

Well said! I welcome the lack of voice chat for that very reason. I'm quite intrigued by how people will adapt to the lack of voice chat once the game launches. I don't see it being an issue.

A Producer on Splatoon recently talked about the voice chat issue in the this interview: http://www.usgamer.net/articles/hisashi-nogami-interview- . Here's what he had to say about VC:

"In terms of communication in games in general, there are two main types: communication about strategy, and communication about feelings you have while playing at that moment. When that point is applied to this game, one interesting aspect of Splatoon is that the actions you take shooting ink can immediately be seen in the stage you're playing by yourself and other players, and conversely when you see the actions other players are taking shooting ink, it's something you can interpret immediately and then base your next actions on that and judging what that means. That's an important part of the gameplay in Splatoon.

In designing the game, we paid special attention to allowing the gameplay to cover a lot of ground for that kind of strategic communication. However we definitely understand the importance players put on that other type of communication that's more feelings-based.

And so because we understand that desire for players to have that kind of emotional communication, we can imagine players using some way or another to achieve that extra layer of communication while playing the game.

From a playtest, and all the footage I've seen of the game, I think people will quickly adapt to being able to read the tide of the battle using the map, and obviously what's going on in their immediate area. Here's hoping it won't be just wishful thinking.

 

[DE235]

Here what I know as a person who buys a lot of stuff from nintendo, they are good at making single and local multiplayer games. I can't think of a shooter they made where it had a great online component because they haven't made one. If these problems we have with their online is going to go away then we have to make a consecrated effort to make sure they hear our complaints. We can start with Wii have a voice on twitter.

 

[Lyn]

I truly don't give a crap about no voice chat. If you can't get skype, then what are you doing with a wii u when you can't even get a computer or mobile device that can download skype?

Refer to my icon as my reaction to people complaining about the lack of voice chat

That makes absolutely no sense. You realise just about every online game has voice chat, not just Call of Duty right? Also, to use Skype you have to call everyone you are going to be talking to during the game, and add each of them. Not to mention having it near you when you are playing on your Wii U.

I can't talk to everyone in the game with Skype or even everyone on my team, either. Your argument is pretty bad, sorry.

Consoles are about convince. Not everyone's set up is the same some people don't keep their consoles and pc in the same rooms. It should had a friends option it isn't okay for nintendo to provide less than mw2 from 2009.

Thank you. I really don't understand people defending Nintendo for not having basic features from things around since maybe 2006?

 

[Trieste Sp]

The lack of interactivity is definitely a con of this game. It's unfortunate, but we'll just have to make do. I can see people who have external ways of communicating with their teammates will have a distinct advantage in a match.

I understand why Nintendo is against voice chat but a least make it available with your friends. *sigh*

 

[Cadet Strongarm]

my main problem is i don't know a lot of people that own a wii-u and most people i have on skype don't have a wii-u....plus even if they did have one I've found getting several people on skype at the same time can truly be a nightmare.....since Wii-U lacks any real messaging system I'd have to wait until they signed on skype and without any further information that could take anywhere from minutes to hours to days

and honestly i don't wanna just sit on my butt hoping someone will hop on and want to play splatoon with me....that's just stupid

without a proper way to communicate with players i have to rely on finding people who are okay with giving out their skype contact info online.....and there's a lot of people who don't feel comfortable sharing that type of info with online strangers so that's already an issue i can't look past

 

[ChibiChrissy]

I'm honestly perfectly fine with all this.... but I guess that's because I don't play other fps games and always stuck with nintendo so this type of stuff isn't all that different to me, they aren't taking away any fancy features so I'm not dissapointed in that. Plus the length of the matches really don't need voice chat imo

 

[TheRapture]

I was kinda hoping for more social features. Social features keep people playing a game longer. This extends beyond voice chat - chatrooms, clans, lobbies, leaderboards, automated tournaments, etc. All these things make the game a stronger purchase and give it a longer shelf-life.

Considering if there is a Splatoon 2 that it would likely be on the next console, not Wii U, I think adding social features would only benefit Nintendo since they aren't necessarily pressured into trying to transition players into a new game in the same franchise on the same console.

 

[Cadet Strongarm]

what about the fact that our in-game name is just our default mii name? that just makes things worse because let's say a friend of yours(let's call him Jimmy)said he was getting a wii-u with a copy of splatoon and smash brothers the day it comes out....you get your copy ready to play and on your first match run into someone named Jimmy while it's possible this could be your friend....it's also very unlikely due to how many people probably have a mii named jimmy....

 

[SylentVictory]

I was kinda hoping for more social features. Social features keep people playing a game longer. This extends beyond voice chat - chatrooms, clans, lobbies, leaderboards, automated tournaments, etc. All these things make the game a stronger purchase and give it a longer shelf-life.

Considering if there is a Splatoon 2 that it would likely be on the next console, not Wii U, I think adding social features would only benefit Nintendo since they aren't necessarily pressured into trying to transition players into a new game in the same franchise on the same console.

Completely agree, social features really help keep a community alive. FPS can become boring after you unlock all the content, especially if there isn't an easy way to engage with others in the community!

 

[Cadet Strongarm]

Completely agree, social features really help keep a community alive. FPS can become boring after you unlock all the content, especially if there isn't an easy way to engage with others in the community!

sadly the splatoon creator disagree as he thinks socializing just leads to more toxic behavior

 

[DDB]

It really seems odd that you can't at THE VERY LEAST have voicechat with friends.

 

[Cadet Strongarm]

It really seems odd that you can't at THE VERY LEAST have voicechat with friends.

because the splatoon creator thinks your friends are filthy animals

 

[Litagano Motscoud]

I'm not as bothered by the lack of voice chat as much as I am people saying it's a good thing.

Indifference is one thing. Saying "yeah, it's great that this feature isn't in the game!" is another thing, and just ridiculous in my opinion. There are solutions to the problem of rude players: have the feature off by default, have parental controls to disable it, and enable people to mute. In fact, we can go a step farther and let people report abusive players, who can be reviewed by humans and have their voice chat privileges taken away. That one might be too much, since human resources are limited, but if they have the manpower, that's another way they can curb toxic behavior.

I can deal with no voice chat, but man, it just makes no sense to me to be glad a feature that might attract players is not in the game.

 

[SylentVictory]

I'm not as bothered by the lack of voice chat as much as I am people saying it's a good thing.

Indifference is one thing. Saying "yeah, it's great that this feature isn't in the game!" is another thing, and just ridiculous in my opinion. There are solutions to the problem of rude players: have the feature off by default, have parental controls to disable it, and enable people to mute. In fact, we can go a step farther and let people report abusive players, who can be reviewed by humans and have their voice chat privileges taken away. That one might be too much, since human resources are limited, but if they have the manpower, that's another way they can curb toxic behavior.

I can deal with no voice chat, but man, it just makes no sense to me to be glad a feature that might attract players is not in the game.

100% agree!!!