OnePotWonder
Inkling Fleet Admiral
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2024
- Messages
- 891
- Location
- Marooner’s Bay
- Pronouns
- He/Him
- Switch Friend Code
- SW-2068-8904-6306
We should all familiar with Big Bubbler. The giant HP shield that invalidates or is invalidated by 90% of weapons in the game. A lot of its problems can be attributed to its wildly variable damage multipliers among different weapons, but not all of them. I had a bolt of inspiration recently for a way to improve the special and make it less oppressive without even factoring in object damage multipliers. Allow me to introduce:
Bubble Barrier
This special weapon's appearance and deployment are identical to Big Bubbler, with a single difference; instead of the bubble generator floating above the base of the special, it's included within it. This means the special no longer has a weak point on top of the barrier, and its size will not be impeded by low ceilings. The Bubble Barrier can still be super jumped to even without its beakon dish, but it now counts as a solid object and cannot be passed through by players.
The most drastic difference between Big Bubbler and Bubble Barrier is the HP of the barrier. Big Bubbler has 2400 barrier HP, and Bubble Barrier only has a meagre 600 HP; however, this comes with some significant compensation. The barrier constantly regenerates 2.5 HP per frame (equal to 75 HP per second), its HP is separate from the HP of the generator, and the special doesn't end if the barrier is broken. Instead, a new barrier will be generated after 3 seconds as long as the generator remains intact. The generator has 450 HP, and the special ends early if it's destroyed. Otherwise, the special lasts up to 12 seconds.
The final major difference is if an enemy passes through the barrier, in or out, they take 30 damage. Any form of movement that deals damage, such as rollers' rolling, Crab Tank's ball form, or Splatboard's rush is blocked by the barrier. AoE attacks like Booyah Bombs and Inkstrikes are now blocked by the barrier as long as it remains intact.
The biggest issue with Big Bubbler is that it badly lacks depth. If you break the barrier, the special ends. If you don't break the barrier, the enemy team is virtually invulnerable. If you can get inside the barrier, it practically doesn't exist. There is no middle ground, no situation where Big Bubbler is used and both parties are satisfied with the interaction. Hence my rework.
The removal of the outer weak point makes it so weapons whose projectiles have multiple hitboxes can't deal 3x damage by hitting the top and sides with the same attack. The rest makes the barrier easier to break especially when focused by multiple weapons, makes breaking the barrier less decisive, makes passing through the barrier more risky, and removes cheese that would break the generator for free. Example kits:
Splattershot Jr.
Splat Bomb + Bubble Barrier
Splat Roller
Curling Bomb + Bubble Barrier
Mini Splatling
Burst Bomb + Bubble Barrier
Undercover Brella
Torpedo + Bubble Barrier
Thank you for reading through this idea. My Splatoon 4 special roster grows ever denser.
Look forward to more reworks and new specials in the future.
Any constructive feedback on this idea is appreciated, as always.
Have a wonderful day!
Bubble Barrier
This special weapon's appearance and deployment are identical to Big Bubbler, with a single difference; instead of the bubble generator floating above the base of the special, it's included within it. This means the special no longer has a weak point on top of the barrier, and its size will not be impeded by low ceilings. The Bubble Barrier can still be super jumped to even without its beakon dish, but it now counts as a solid object and cannot be passed through by players.
The most drastic difference between Big Bubbler and Bubble Barrier is the HP of the barrier. Big Bubbler has 2400 barrier HP, and Bubble Barrier only has a meagre 600 HP; however, this comes with some significant compensation. The barrier constantly regenerates 2.5 HP per frame (equal to 75 HP per second), its HP is separate from the HP of the generator, and the special doesn't end if the barrier is broken. Instead, a new barrier will be generated after 3 seconds as long as the generator remains intact. The generator has 450 HP, and the special ends early if it's destroyed. Otherwise, the special lasts up to 12 seconds.
The final major difference is if an enemy passes through the barrier, in or out, they take 30 damage. Any form of movement that deals damage, such as rollers' rolling, Crab Tank's ball form, or Splatboard's rush is blocked by the barrier. AoE attacks like Booyah Bombs and Inkstrikes are now blocked by the barrier as long as it remains intact.
The biggest issue with Big Bubbler is that it badly lacks depth. If you break the barrier, the special ends. If you don't break the barrier, the enemy team is virtually invulnerable. If you can get inside the barrier, it practically doesn't exist. There is no middle ground, no situation where Big Bubbler is used and both parties are satisfied with the interaction. Hence my rework.
The removal of the outer weak point makes it so weapons whose projectiles have multiple hitboxes can't deal 3x damage by hitting the top and sides with the same attack. The rest makes the barrier easier to break especially when focused by multiple weapons, makes breaking the barrier less decisive, makes passing through the barrier more risky, and removes cheese that would break the generator for free. Example kits:
Splattershot Jr.
Splat Bomb + Bubble Barrier
Splat Roller
Curling Bomb + Bubble Barrier
Mini Splatling
Burst Bomb + Bubble Barrier
Undercover Brella
Torpedo + Bubble Barrier
Thank you for reading through this idea. My Splatoon 4 special roster grows ever denser.
Look forward to more reworks and new specials in the future.
Any constructive feedback on this idea is appreciated, as always.
Have a wonderful day!
