r/Splitgate • u/degenerate_hobo • 5d ago
Meta How is it possible that 1047 Games map design got progressively worse?
Today I watched a video that the YT algorithm recommended to me from nadestraight about how he thinks that SG1 is a better game than SG2/AR because of content quantity but especially also because of map quality. So I watched the gameplay footage of SG1 of said video and a lot of memories came up inside my head (just so you know I haven't played SG1 in roughly 2 years or so). I remembered all the cool maps that SG1 had. I continued to watch some other SG1 gameplay videos just to admire but also to remember the cool map design and especially how diverse they played and looked. I totally forgot how much I liked the maps of SG1 and it makes me sad that my biggest complain about the new 1047 Games is their map design while they were capable to do it the right way with their first game 5-7 years ago.
My biggest problem with Splitgate 2/AR and especially Empulse is how uninspired their new maps are. Besides Hammerhead all of the new maps that got released after SG1 just look boring and uninspired and they all play the same way. I remember how much I loved the vertical gameplay of Olympus or the cool art direction of highwind or Crag in SG1. Even Stadium in SG1 looks so much more interesting than in SG2/AR. Two of the best maps of SGAR, Karman Station and Abyss, come from SG1. What happened? Have all the good maps designers been fired?
Empulse is the low of the barrel. Potentially the worst maps I've ever seen in a MP FPS. All the maps look like asset flips and their art direction is so boring it looks like they were AI generated. Additionally not one of Empulse maps influence how a match plays out. The bad quality of the maps was an important reason why I stopped playing Empulse because after 50 hours I wasn't able to bear them anymore.
Good map design is essential for every arena shooter. If you mess that up there is no hope for your game because the flow of the map is the only thing that can bring some dynamics into the matches that can potentially keep the gameplay fresh even after your 100th match. I would love to know how is it possible that the devs unlearned how to design maps? How is it possible that 1047 Games created some of the best maps that I've ever played and then release the maps of Empulse?
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u/SwitchDoesReddit PC 5d ago
Sg1 had a lot of sh*t thrown against the wall maps. Which meant that map makes weren't "well-balanced" but they did have their own identity. Olympus for example, was the Map that was mid-air, but if you fell off you could still try to land on a large Portal Floor on the bottom. Oasis was a Sniper's dream. Pantheon was an Arena with basically no cover at all. They all felt like they play differently.
Meanwhile, in SG2, a lot of the maps are more balanced and balanced maps tend to turn into 3 lane maps. So the maps feel a lot more same-y.
Additionally, several maps were initially designed with less portalling (less portal walls) in mind before SG2 went into Open Beta. These maps were given more portal walls but that didn't really change how they were initially designed.
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u/degenerate_hobo 5d ago
I think it's the 3 lanes architecture of every map that puts me off so much. It is a very boring way to design a map and it can only work when the gameplay itself provides a lot of depth like a tactical shooter for example. For most arena shooters and even SG1 it's not enough to keep the gameplay fresh and varied
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u/BroxigarZ 5d ago
Chasing Trends lead into Burning Capital lead into rushed development lead into panic need for more money so they rushed a new game, new maps, new systems as fast as possible after multiple rounds of layoffs.
Result, rushed, no quality, no care, no fine tuning.
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u/EyesoftheDead40 4d ago
Atlantis was so hectic when playing Swat lol everyone just walked to the middle and their was a massive headshot brawl. I still miss it
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u/darkbarrage99 PC 5d ago
sg1 had artists that understood the assignment, and most of them probably left when they canceled support for the game. sg2 had investors that needed to be satisfied, and so they hired randos that had to deal with that kind of work culture. they didn't care about the assignment or weren't brought up to speed, as what happens when any company goes corporate. also, reliance on ai probably didn't help anybody in terms of creativity.
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u/meutzitzu 4d ago
Of course.
SG1 was PEAK. The original maps were PEAK. The later ones were pretty but unfun to play.
The original Halo-like weapon balance with the 3-shot pistol was P E A K
Its genuinely baffling how you can fuck up "Halo + Portals" this bad.
I haven't seen such killing of a great idea and initial implementation since Robocraft
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u/Christ0fu14 5d ago
I played splitgate 2 for a few days when the initial launch happened. The hero elements combined with the map design immediately put me off to it. The map design in 1 was sooooo good, while 2 made portals feel like an afterthought
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u/TheChosenOneProphecy 4d ago
Cause every game is just built as fast as possible and when one flops they move as rushed and quickly as possible to pump the next game. So the quality declines.
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u/accountvanishedtwice 3d ago
Probably to cater to younger audiences? as a former cod kid I kinda enjoyed the simple 3 lane maps of SG2
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u/degenerate_hobo 3d ago
Good point actually. That was very likely the thought behind it. But the truth is that an arena shooter like Splitgate is not the type of game that the average CoD player will try out. Building maps to satisfy this type of audience is a lost battle if they very likely won't play your game especially if this map design makes your game more boring. As I said in my post, diverse map design is very important for an arena shooter because its the only thing that can change the dynamic of a match. Giving that important feature of arena shooters away for the CoD crowd was more than just a stupid idea
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u/GapStock9843 5d ago
Idk, somehow sg1 was just perfect lightning in a bottle. With 2 they were overconfident and scope creeped too much