Splatoon 2: developers on performance (framerate, resolution), returning stages, Splatoon 2 potential
This week, Famitsu has a massive 48-page feature about Splatoon 2 in its latest issue, releasing on Thursday in Japan (Wednesday afternoon/evening for Europe and North America). In there, there’s an interview with the developers, and more precisely…
- Hisashi Nogami (Producer)
- Yusuke Amano (Director)
- Seita Inoue (Art Director)
- Shintaro Sato (Programmer)
Thanks to the usual early leaks, quite a lot of tidbits from that interview have leaked on the internet, and you will find them just below. But before you start reading, please keep in mind the details below come from an incomplete and potentially inaccurate transcript, so a grain of salt or two is highly recommended while handling them.
First, we have details about the returning elements from Splatoon (such as the weapons, stages, etc.): we learn that they were ported from the original game without any change, at least as far as the actual models are concerned. However, everything was re-coded from scratch, so they’re effectively “new” elements in their old “shell”.
About returning content, the developers clarified that not all stages from Splatoon would be added to Splatoon 2. It will be just like Super Smash Bros. games: only a selection of stages will be kept. Those will receive various modifications and adjustements, so they will not be 1:1 replicas of the originals.
In the end, Splatoon 2 will have more stages than Splatoon, though of course, they will be released one by one, on a regular basis (and will not all be available at launch).
In TV Mode, the game runs at 1080p, but the resolution may be lowered if there’s a lot of ink on the screen. It looks like the game uses the same dynamic scaling system as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, scaling the resolution on the fly to optimise performance.
That’s one point the developers focused on: they worked hard to make sure the game ran at a smooth 60fps at (almost) all times. In the original, the resolution was sometime lowered depending on the situation, but it’s not the case in Splatoon 2 anymore. The developers were able to use the power of the CPU in an efficient manner, effectively reducing the amount of processing power required to display everything.
Regarding the framerate, everything related to gameplay (such as the battles themselves) run at 60fps. The rest runs at 30fps, such as the various elements in Inkopolis (just like in the original).
About the Special Weapons, the developers note that they’re indeed stronger than ever. However, as you’ve probably noticed by yourself during the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire or the Splatoon 2: Splatfest World Premiere, you really need to think carefully about where, when, and how you use them, or they will be completely useless.
Right now, the developers are not planning to add any rules to Ranked Battles. Players will have to do with Rain Maker, Splat Zones, and Tower Control, at least for the time being.
About the “Splat Power” (mentioned in this post), it was added in order to deal with the difference in skills between players who did play Splatoon, and those who will start with Splatoon 2. After all, both types players will start playing at the same time, but the first group will be able to rely on all the knowledge and skills built while playing the original.
The Splat Power is there to make sure players are matched with people of the same level as soon as possible. What’s more, there is now separate rankings for each mode, so they needed something to have proper and accurate match making as early as possible. Speaking of ranks, the maximum one is still S+, just like in the original.
In this interview, the developers reiterated that the goal of the game isn’t to kill your opponents: you do not get any points for that, no matter the mode. They want players to think of ways they can lead their team to victory instead.
As for Salmon Run, we already knew that it would not be playable all the time, only during specific timeframes. Thanks to this interview, we now know that this mode will be available for about 12h, every two to three days. Since your “employer” is the one providing you with the weapons to use, they’re all suited to the mission: you will not be “penalised” for choosing the wrong weapon.
The developers also clarified something regarding the Nintendo Switch Online application, that allows you to invite other players by various means, including SNS. Basically, you will not need to register people as friends to invite them via the app. In fact, you can simply copy/paste the URL of the invite anywhere (email, IM program), and people will be able to join.
Finally, Yusuke Amano (Director) explained that, deep inside, he didn’t consider Splatoon a success, and that Splatoon (the franchise) still has (a ton of) potential. In other words, the original may have sold pretty decently (especially for a Wii U game), but Splatoon 2 has the potential to sell so much more than its predecessor.
Source: Famitsu
Via: Hachima Kikou
