Opinion: The new maps are too similar

[MindWanderer]

After playing nearly every map a whole bunch of times over the weekend, I'm finding that they aren't as distinct as the maps in the first game. They all follow a similar design philosophy, with lots of ways to move around and only a few spots that are challenging to reach from some directions. And the aesthetic of all of them is pretty similar, sort of generic contemporary urban/industrial.

Even the returning maps have been sort of whitewashed. Moray Towers' central, signature killing field/chokepoint has been tempered significantly, with more ways to get around it more easily. Port Mackerel still has its annoying forklifts, and the sponges are an interesting little way to let one team backtrack onto one of their ledges, but its long lanes and blind corners, which defined the stage in Splatoon 1, are broken up and made much more like other stages.

Even though they were imbalanced in many ways, I miss the maps from the first game. None of the new maps are as memorable as even Saltspray Rig, Arowana Mall, or Kelp Dome, let alone the more interesting ones. All the new ones feel like iterations on Urchin Underpass, Walleye Warehouse, and Blackbelly Skatepark, which I thought were the most boring in both layout and design.

Anyone else feel the same way? Anyone disagree?

 

[Maave]

I like Humpback Pump Track, it's like Blackbelly Skatepark but more swimmable like I've wanted. Starfish Mainstage could stand out with different lighting. It looked fantastic during Splatfest. The dark sky with bright lights really fit the level.

I do agree on the varied themes of the first game. Kelp Dome especially is quite different. Saltspray Rig feels about as industrial as the rest of the levels but being at sea makes it pretty memorable. Slap an inkrail on Saltspray to reach the back area, map fixed!

 

[antlerer]

I couldn't agree more. I hope they put all the old maps eventually into 2.

 

[Hero of Lime]

While I would not say they feel too similar necessarily, their structures have me feeling they have been designed to push everyone toward the center and have a greater focus on confrontation. That's been the general consensus from what I've seen, and I agree. Here's hoping future maps provide a similar experience to the first game, especially for turf war. I really enjoyed being able to avoid fighting to ink turf and still do well in the match despite not going after kills.

As for the map themes themselves, I like most of them a lot, but having both Port Mackerel and the Shipyard in the game at launch was not wise in my opinion. They feel way too similar thematically, and I feel a bit underwhelmed with the Shipyard in general, so it's definitely my least favorite so far.

 

[SlyBlue]

Aside from Humpback Pump Track, I agree. I feel like I'm playing on the same basic layout on all of them and there's nothing truly notable about any of them. They all just kind of bleed together into this unmemorable blob of new maps. I don't know what happened to the creativity we saw in the first game but I look forward to updates. Hopefully we'll see some more unique layouts in newer maps.

 

[herrherr]

I feel similarly. The new maps are much less distinct than S1, at least on an aesthetic level. You'd think that wouldn't be the case (after all, there's a skatepark, a shipyard, a concert stage...), but for some reason I sense a lack of variety. I can't put my finger on it.

As others have mentioned, the maps seem designed to ensure more confrontation; I guess that's just more of a preference, but I miss having bigger stages to work with.

 

[kobomb]

Ill have to agree as well on the stages except for humpback, everything feels more geared towards center confrontation, ranked seems to break that mold a bit but not by much. rainmaker is exceptionally fun on starfish. but other than that the rest are "meh" moray is a bit more tolerable though now and mackerel just..sucks as much as it used to.

 

[MindWanderer]

I will say that Humpback is the most distinct of the new maps. It's impossible to overstate how much of an effect a simple palette choice makes. The mud-brown of that stage really adds character, as do the rolling mounds. The map design itself is simple--a hill surrounded by a moat and a round arena--but the art style is the best of the new maps. Even the more boring old maps had a consistent and immediately identifiable aesthetic driven by the color palette. Even the browns and grays were carefully done in such a way as to make each map distinct at a glance.

I do like the moving bridges of Sturgeon Shipyard, but the effect is partially ruined by the lack of artistic touches. What are those blocks on the bridges? They're just like random Tetris blocks glued down.

 

[Joasa]

I would say the new maps all feel too geometric, like they designed the layouts in Minecraft or something. You have the spawn, side alleys, the the center and little areas next to that. They all sort of mush together, like everyone else said. I can use the same weapon and play style on all of them. In S1 I had to make plans and adjustments for each rotation and know my routes before I went in. This, it sort of feels like playing the same map over and over. I hope some of the new maps (Pirate Ship!!!!!) bring us some distinction, maybe another symmetric stage like Saltspray will be in our future, after all they did promise more new stages than S1 had.

 

[Dessgeega]

I kind of disagree, but only kind of, I see where everyone's coming from too. These maps are designed to force confrontation, but they tend to go about it in similar ways.

 

[speedySonic]

Wow, you have a point. Didn't even realize it while playing, but now that you mention it, they do all play similarly.

But I'm sure they'll have more diversity and complexity in the new stages that will (probably) be added soon.

 

[MindWanderer]

Apparently the early attempts at data-mining have uncovered references to all the old maps except Mahi-Mahi Resort. Of course, no idea if they've been watered down and made more similar, but we should at least get the old aesthetics back.

 

[ForteReborn]

Or at least Ancho-V Games. I am already missing it out of these maps. It was one of the maps I loved sneaking around, and screwing with the platforms when someone happens upon them.

But it is an agreement, the new maps are newer but also SMALLER in comparison. I think they are one of those chunks tossed up in the mix to bring on the classics later, and couple them at once. Though, thankfully, games can get patched and fix, so voicing complaints is a good thing to pitch nintendo. The game has only been out for like...Five days? Already they are taking a lot of hints.

 

[Hamachiカマ★]

I don't think they are very similar, I like how they are bigger and it's not as easy to spawn camp. It really sucks when even if you splat 25 times and ink over 1,000 you could still lose because people don't know how to escape spawn and clean the base. Plus the maps you mentions are the same. The mall people always go for grabbing the middle and salt spray basically has a splat zone lol.

I would like to see more gimmick maps like Mahi-mahi/ancho-v even though the maps are pretty bad in terms of size - well mahi is.

As for aesthetics I don't really see how they look similar. Splatoon has always had an urban city vibe, whether it's clothes or the maps.

 

[the]

I was thinking the other day, it seems like all of the maps were designed in a similar way to the later maps of splatoon 1, like ancho-v games and piranha pit (multiple routes to the battlefield, and overall less narrow). However, I definitely agree about there being less variety, and forcing confrontation. In piranha pit there was a way right to the sides of the map to ink turf or flank, but all of the maps in splat 2, while offering multiple routes, lead right to the center one way or another.

Also I'm noticing that p much all of the maps except the returning ones have a very similar design of "raised spawn platforms, series of steep drops leading to either the lowered areas on the sides or the raised area in the center"

 

[vanille987]

I find that the maps are different enough in terms of terrain, themes, gimmicks, paths..., and overall more complex then splat 1 stages.

But, i do agree all of them encourage confrontation.
Though i don't mind it much seeing how levels have a lot of different paths and places, making it harder to (spawn) camp and 'forcing' you to swim around your turf to avoid the tide being turned on you.

One thing i did notice is that all of splat 2 stages feel very open, wonder what effect that has once good chargers are there.

 

[the]

One thing i did notice is that all of splat 2 stages feel very open, wonder what effect that has once good chargers are there.

I think it actually raises the bar for good snipers, more open space means more area to try and avoid a sniper. There were a lot of choke points and narrow corridors in Splatoon 1 (probably most notoriously in Arowana Mall) where there wasn't a lot of room to move around, making it difficult to approach charger players. So I'm glad that the new maps do generally have more open areas with scattered structures for cover.

 

[MrCyan]

I feel like they made them more balanced overall so you don't have some of the problems you had with things like Port Mackeral in Splatoon 1.

I think overall there is a big difference in the overall color schemes. I feel like there is a lot of gray rather than more varied colors and atmospheres. Walleye Warehouse, Arawana Mall, Kelp Dome, etc. There were differentiations in the surroundings and even the color of the ground.