Miscellaneous Hopes for Splatoon 4 - Let it Begin

[TOD13]

"I got a Beakon here!"

instantly made me think "NEED A SQUID BEAKON HEAH!" and as a Squid Beakon user i am all for this addition to the comms buttons.

I want challenges to return and I want them to be always available. It's stupid they're timegated and only happen every so often. I want a dedicated challenge queue that switches out throughout the day, we can start with some from 3 and then have new original challenges added throughout updates.

i'm all for this one. it makes 0 sense to me why Salmon Run is always available now but Challenges aren't.

 

[NeoXVIII]

Some of my more far fetched ideas:

Since they like number theming so much, having 4 gear slots, one for pants, would be neat. We could keep the old AP system, or rework slots so that mains give 9 AP and subs give 2. Ability Doubler could be changed to Ability Tripler. This'll make the max AP be 60 even if you keep the splatfest ability.

Remove Respawn Punisher, Haunt RP effect. Maybe even QR, or make it part of weapons (mixed on removing QR but shrug).

Stealth Jump being base kit. Drop Roller being usable on more special types (splashdown, reef slider) and lasting 5 seconds instead of 3.

 

[AMICADO]

Speaking of salmon run, SALMON RUN. Salmon run should not be splat 4. WAIT. Hold your fire, alright? I love salmon run as much as the next guy, nay, more. I think salmon run actually deserves ITS OWN SPINOFF. YEAH. THATS RIGHT. I SAID IT. 10 years is enough time for a spinoff game. I’m thinking new lobby, spiffy new equipment, more frequent updates… new salmonids! New boss? Maybe? Uh… New modes! Underground mode. What happened to that, huh? And how about a DEFENSE mode that takes place on an extra big map with an extra big timer. New king salmonids? Yes please. One-potted stinger cameo? Yes please. All the grizzco weapons? Yes please! FIX the MATCHMAKING? Yes please, about time. NEW CAMPAIGN WHERE YOU GET STRANDED ON AN ISLAND? YES PLEEEEAAAASE!!! Just saying. It’d be cool.

Also, a chance to separate itself a little from the rules of the main-game. We can have new UI, new exclusive specials, weapons, graphics. Maybe more scary? Cool stuff.

 

[vamp1rebees]

I definitely want some drastic reworks to Splatfests. These stages and rulesets will never be played competitively so why hold it to that standard? Just go crazy with everything. Stages with grind rails, gushers, Squee-Gs. Maybe in some battles, both teams get crazy buffs like 2x movement speed or shot spread.

I want 2's indicators for when teammates use specials back, I have no idea why they were removed. I just want 1 and 2's styles back honestly, 3 removed so much personality from the UI and polished details that were purposefully rough.

I want more NPC species variety, they just kinda spammed jellyfish everywhere and called it a day in 3. I want to see the guys from the Deep Sea Metro, I want NPCs with some actual designs that feel unique. Hopefully with 4 being on the Switch 2, this is doable now.

FR i feel like its a waste to have inkrails and gushers and such be limited to story modes. it could make maps so interesting and give openings in ranked
plus i miss my deep sea metro friends:( sea angel jock:((((

 

[vamp1rebees]

Speaking of salmon run, SALMON RUN. Salmon run should not be splat 4. WAIT. Hold your fire, alright? I love salmon run as much as the next guy, nay, more. I think salmon run actually deserves ITS OWN SPINOFF. YEAH. THATS RIGHT. I SAID IT. 10 years is enough time for a spinoff game. I’m thinking new lobby, spiffy new equipment, more frequent updates… new salmonids! New boss? Maybe? Uh… New modes! Underground mode. What happened to that, huh? And how about a DEFENSE mode that takes place on an extra big map with an extra big timer. New king salmonids? Yes please. One-potted stinger cameo? Yes please. All the grizzco weapons? Yes please! FIX the MATCHMAKING? Yes please, about time. NEW CAMPAIGN WHERE YOU GET STRANDED ON AN ISLAND? YES PLEEEEAAAASE!!! Just saying. It’d be cool.

Also, a chance to separate itself a little from the rules of the main-game. We can have new UI, new exclusive specials, weapons, graphics. Maybe more scary? Cool stuff.

it would be so cool to have a spin off where team mates have their own roles instead of just switching weapons.. kind of in the same vein as like tank and dps roles but what if we have like. salmonid researchers or something. idk i just love salmonids and want more fish content pls nintendo

 

[OnePotWonder]

An additional hope here, that super jumping will be faster by default so one sub of QSJ isn't necessary to escape most situations.

Additionally, I think it would be very cool if Tenacity gave 10 AP of QSJ to teammates that jump to the user from spawn. It's supposed to be a last squid standing ability, so why not lean more into that identity?

 

[Snowball]

The only thing I really want is for the kit system to be reworked. Let each weapon have a pool of 3-4 subs and specials that they can choose any combination of and I’ll be happy

edit: After thinking about it a bit more, I also think ranked is a complete mess right now. X battles and anarchy series genuinely have no reason to be separated. I think they should go back to the Splatoon 2 system of having X rank be its own rank rather than a separate gamemode. I also think we should have a proper ranked team mode, like league except it lasts the entire season rather than just 1 rotation

 

[Cephalobro]

If they want to keep the scale shop for Salmon Run, then here are a few things I hope they will do:

• Trading scales, whether it's 10 of a lower tier scale for 1 higher tier scale, or 1 higher tier scale for 10 lower tier scales.
  
  
• Days when scale prices of certain items decrease temporarily, this is something they could do to entice players to play more, and really one of the few FOMO things I wouldn't mind being in the game.
  
  
• Keep the global quota from the very beginning of the update cycle so that it could be possible for players to get the really expensive items eventually if they are willing to put in the work to get them.

 

[NeoXVIII]

A daylight cycle would be neat, I don't care if it's synced to real time or runs on an internal clock to line up with events and splatfests. Something like morning, day, evening, and night lighting. It could change whenever maps and modes change (and enough hours have passed), like how one second it's day and the next it's evening in 3.

I'd like these lighting changes to be present at least in turf war, or maybe there could be new ranked modes added for nighttime. Maybe a mode that uses the ultra signal mechanics where you charge one at an opponent's base to score points while 3 have to defend you, and when you're splatted you get a penalty like in zones.

I'm not sure how night waves would be handled in Salmon Run, but 3 Salmon Run is a pretty perfect mode so I wouldn't mind 4 shaking things up. Fog could still be a thing, and maybe more common in the mornings. Rotations at night could have Mudmouths, Grillers, and Glowflies as their unique events. Cohock Charges and Mothership I can see happening at any time. Saw an "Eggstraction" wave a while back that I liked where you rode the basket to an extraction zone like TC, could be a third wave exclusive event.

 

[Vidknight]

Lore side: MORE DEEP CUT!!!

To be frank I feel that deepcut really gotten the short end of the stick OTH had two whole DLCs (although not to big of a fan of Marina in side order) exploring their character. Squid sisters had 3 hero modes also exploring their characters. Deep cut occasionally showed up in splat 3 hero mode and was basically just obstacles for the player. It kind of suck too because each of the characters backstories seem so cool each coming from a different clan that saved splatsville.

Gameplay side: 5v5 or something along the line of playing with the team size. I feel that changing the team size would go a long way for both casual and competitive. Some other ideas I had was a 2v2v2v2, or a 3v3v3. Something simple to shake up the game a bit

One more thing I would want is a weapon randomizer. I don't know why this is not in the game yet there was many a times where I was starring at the weapon select screen wondering what to play and I feel that just having a randomize weapon button will make it so that on days I don't feel like making a choice I can just press the option and let the game pick my weapon

 

[liverworts]

I think there's still a lot of potential for sea creature species made people-like, and not just implied in band album art but maybe around the maps like the jellies. Octo expansion played with this a bit and I really liked all the wacky deep sea denizens that showed up on the metro.

I wouldn't say that I want another player character species, I think the octolings were a good choice as they existed since the first game and worked very well with octo expansion but I don't see how they'd make another one that isn't too dissimilar to the others (Cuttlelings? Cap'n is the closest thing to that but is likely just an inkling). Who knows though, I'd love to be proven wrong!

Splatoon 3 already did a lot for salmon run, and it feels like a really important part of the games now. I'm excited to see how it further evolves (what will the eggs be used for now..?). Maybe some other mode will come along as salmon run did in 2?
Also... I really want squid beatz back... and maybe the arcade games. Little additions like that were fun, and tableturf battle is sort of in that vein as well

 

[isaac4]

• Banners, badges, decorations, and titles return
• Getting five stars on a specific weapon earns you the "weapon user" title and also gives you a small miniature replica of the weapon to use as a decoration
• Apartments replace lockers and can be customized similar to how customizing a house works in Animal Crossing
• The news can now play automatically
• You can customize your weapons with the option to place stickers on them (no reason to hold weapon customization back if we're only getting 2nd kits anyway)
• A day and night cycle that affects how the maps in PvP look but is also optional so if you don't want to be forced to look at the maps at whatever time it currently is then you can turn it off (that only applies to PvP maps, not the hub itself)
• Recon mode being tied to the day and night cycle
• Recon mode letting you jump to any spot in the map, having the option to get rid off all the ink you've placed, and having more freedom with the camera to easily explore other areas that are out of bounds
• More non-player npc's that you can actually talk to with dialogue that changes depending on the time or current events such as a Splatfest or Big Run
• Small tasks that you can do around the hub to either gain money or chunks giving you something to do that incentivizes exploring the hub area while also being rewarded
• A new area specifically dedicated to showing off the art plaza posts but doesn't replace the current system of player characters showing their art as you walk past them
• Main single-player campaign replacing the linear, level structure with a more open and 3d sandbox playstyle that occasionally has some traditional level segments
• New playable character in the single-player campaign not being connected to the Squid Sisters or other agents
• Future single-player DLC campaign that brings back Agent 8 (favorite agent so she needs to come back of course)
• A complete overhaul on map and kit design
• If they do 3rd kits then 3rd kits for every weapon, not just 11 of them (lmao)
• 3 month update cycle is dead
• All 2nd kits are out before the end of S4's first year anniversary
• 2nd kit designs are more than just a sticker being slapped onto the main weapon (looking at you Custom weapon brand)
• Splatfests go back to only having two choices
• Tricolor doesn't come back and is instead replaced with unique Splatfest stages designed for that specific Splatfest
• Anarchy (open) is available during Splatfests and the stages themselves will also take place during night (optional)
• Fizzbangs return to S4
• Unique stage elements are now added to Turf War specifically for Splatfest such as gushers and ride rails
• Challenges return and are available all the time with each rotation being a different challenge
• You can now record specific moments from your replays in-game and turn that into a clip which you can edit with filters or text (I got this idea from SSBU)
• Machine with Fizzy comes back PLEASE

I'll stop here since I ended up having a lot more to say than I originally thought. These are all just ideas that I would like if they did happened but most of them aren't realistic at all.

 

[Algae]

Here's the stuffs I think are important:

• Maps should not only be well-suited for competitive (I thought 3 would've done away with lateral symmetry btw), but should have Shifty-Station-like elements such as gushers and switches that have a random chance to appear per Turf War match, and are always present during Splatfests.
  • Challenge modes should appear for Splatfest themes that fit them. No more haphazard 2-hour times!
• Weapons of all categories should be rebalanced (yeah, the strongest bombs are a bit too strong, and goo tuber should become a stringer), and kits should be more consistently synergistic. Third kits should be added, with combinations that sound dumb but are still well-made.
  • Customized kits should be allowed in Private Battles.
• The "Danger!" signal should appear in all modes and be called "Watch out!". In Turf War, it'll only appear if the map is mainly painted the enemy color AND you are far forwards relative to that, so you can tell if someone is ratting through your base.
• The caution tape at the end of a Ranked battle should display "Victory" or "Defeat" instead of "Game!". This means no judge cats overlooking the map, because there's no more suspense over who won.
• Bring back losing emotes pls i dont want the other team to rub their win in my face ever again
• Regular Battles should be split into Solo and Teams, and Ranked should be split into Series and League.
• Ranked should be treated less as a progression system, and should sort players based on "ELO" rankings (e.g. your skill rating can't decrease if you win the game, and can't increase if you lose). A series of matches to estimate a newcomer's rank is also a good idea, and Rank-Up Battles aren't all bad, maybe with some other way to implement "series" of matches.
• Ink colors should be bright, not earthy like some are in 3. (yes, that's an issue even outside splatfests)
• Most Splatfest themes should have 2 teams, though a few themes are best with 3 teams.
• Eggstra Work should be more frequent, at least once a month. (Removing gameplay randomization from Salmon Run is a cool concept; reminds me of the strategic shoot-em-up Chippy.)
• There should be a single-player campaign with open-world elements, and longer-winded runs like a more traditional roguelike.
  • If the campaign is DLC or otherwise meant for experienced players, macrogame upgrades should either be absent or alter the player's strengths instead of increasing them.
  • The player should have more opportunities to customize their weapon kit mid-game.
  • More enemies should be like minibosses or rival Octolings; fewer should be like Lesser Salmonids. The game should still take advantage of weapon classes' unique attributes, such as Blasters and Sloshers hitting around cover.
  • Upgrades should more consistently make the player feel powerful, though without breaking the game like canned-special dropping does. More focus should be on player movement and weaponry. (why don't the weapons with burst movement have more mobility chips)
  • The base armor-break should be absent like it was in Octo Valley, with either extra lives or additional armors coming to the forefront like endurance in other roguelikes. Enemy design also increases the game's pace; getting hurt shouldn't be like forced downtime, but like losing a life in Geometry Wars.

Frankly, it's really in the air whether these are too much to ask. I wonder if the people who made Splatoon 3 feel like they fell behind in terms of "making new gameplay elements good".

 

[Cephalobro]

If there's anything new about Agent 8 in Splatoon 4, then my hope is that he becomes the new leader of the Octarians. Craig Cuttlefish used to be the captain of the New Squibeak Splatoon before the original Agent 3 took his place, so it makes sense that DJ Octavio also retires as the leader of the Octarians and lets Agent 8 take his place. Agent 8 himself fought two powerful AIs, one of them multiple times and won, so he definitely has the experience.

Not only that but Agent 8 also could also lead the Octarians to live on the surface, no more being stuck underground, time to (figuratively) go back to the time in which tentacle Octarians lived on the surface world.

 

[NeoXVIII]

Here's the stuffs I think are important:

• Maps should not only be well-suited for competitive (I thought 3 would've done away with lateral symmetry btw), but should have Shifty-Station-like elements such as gushers and switches that have a random chance to appear per Turf War match, and are always present during Splatfests.
  • Challenge modes should appear for Splatfest themes that fit them. No more haphazard 2-hour times!

More things to do in turf and maybe even ranked would be nice. Switches, Gushers, Treadmills, Elevators, and other interactable sections of the map.

Expanding on challenges, having Splatfest gameplay depend on the theme would be a neat way to change things up for the next game. Like Ice Cream vs Cake could have ice zones and extra sponges (sponge cake?), or Flight vs Invisibility could give everyone some QSJ AP and Ninja Squid/Stealth Jump. These changes would be absent in Pro for those who want the vanilla turf experience.

 

[OnePotWonder]

This hope could honestly deserve its own thread: Battle Drones
Like the Pearl Drone from Side Order, but usable in multiplayer battles. The drone glide would be a fairly balanced movement option; versatile but vulnerable. Drones could charge up special abilities over time and when their user splats enemy players, then instead of their abilities going off automatically, they could be activated with the L bumper.

Certain special weapons could be reworked into drone special abilities; obvious options include Drone Killer Wail and Drone Inkstrike from Side Order directly, but Tacticooler could translate well, as could Wave Breaker's initial tracking cloud. Arguments could be made for a miniature Ink Storm or a bubbler-like personal shield with HP, or even a few Tenta Missiles (probably not that last one).

There could also be a shop specifically for drone customization in the hub (with Agent 8 as the shopkeeper, possibly).

 

[Eel-Ectric]

I'd like for them to keep the customization they added in Splat 3! I don't expect them to add more just let me keep my locker and banner!
Honestly, I'd like to see the life of the octarians in the domes now that more time has passed. Like, not another "fight through the baddies" type thing more of a see the effects of the story and characters on this part of the world. Maybe as DLC? It's a wild hope lol. I think that the octarians back in the domes have been neglected in characterization or humanization.
Having more crazy stuff go on in Splatfests (as other people said) would be a great addition! It's like shifty stations... but shiftier!
I want there to be new characters. I love the idols and the squidbeak splatoon, but I think new characters would bring new life into the world and games. Also, give them as much characterization as OtH and the Squid Sisters got. They really dropped the ball on giving characterization to Deep Cut :( (compared to the other two idol groups)
I want them to keep the tradition of melancohly, character-centric DLC. Side Order's vibes are so good and Octo Expension permenantly altered my brain chemistry.

 

[QuagSass]

I am a simple squid.

I want splash wall heavy

 

[SAMICOM]

I am a simple squid.

I want splash wall heavy

Fair enough, as long as I get autobomb jr

 

[TOD13]

Fair enough, as long as I get autobomb jr

fine by me, i just want Tri-Stringer with Wave Breaker.