Splatoon 3 - Observer Cam Thoughts

By Boing

Introduction

Hello! I am Boing. I am a tournament streamer. Most of my experience is with Inkling Performance Labs as a main streamer for Splatoon Advanced Circuit and Swim or Sink. I have also done streams for 20XX (the Failboat costream), Bad Ideas Only, as well as individual tournaments organized by friends. Every time I have streamed a tournament, I have operated the overlays as well as the in-game spectator camera.

Reason for this Document

As the competitive Splatoon community works to develop as a scene, we should build tools that empower current and future production staff to do their jobs well. From my time as a tournament streamer, I have noticed that there is a lack of guidance for how to operate as a spectator for tournament streams. This hasn’t been too much of an issue, as the scene is small and basically all staff are active players themselves, with varying degrees of game sense. They know what to look out for. However, as we grow, we should devote time to put words to what we “play by ear,” so that we can draw in people who are specifically interested in this sort of production work. Not everyone who wants to stream, wants to put the time into playing to develop that game sense. They want to work on improving their production.

Assumptions

There are a few assumptions that I will be making in this document. The first is that you know how to navigate the game Splatoon 3, join a private battle lobby, and operate the spectator controls. I want to focus on informing the decision making with the spectator camera, not how to physically use it. If I have tips in mind, I will write them, but that is not the direct goal of this document. The second assumption is that there is only one person doing the spectating. In an ideal world, we have multiple spectators, who observe gameplay from various angles. The streamer can switch between views and decide what’s most entertaining or informative for the audience and commentary. That isn’t a reality for most of us; we’re running online tournaments on skeleton crews of volunteers. That’s okay, that’s admirable, and that’s the type of person I’m looking to help.

The State Diagram

The state diagram is not a TL;DR of the thoughts, but I designed it to be useful on its own. This diagram shows an algorithm that a spectator can follow to keep the camera following the action during a tournament match. I will use this chart to inform the structure of the rest of the document.

Working with Commentary

Pretty much any time you’re doing spectator work that has an audience, you’ll be working with commentary. There are exceptions, such as analysis videos, but that is an entirely different set of skills. That can be paused, replayed, rehearsed; it’s about catching the important moment and blowing it up in great detail. Realtime spectator work is about being agile, keeping your mind open to what the next exciting play is going to be.

While working with other people can be intimidating, commentators are also one of your most valuable assets. While you are scanning the gameplay for opportune moments, so are your commentators. They are bringing their own knowledge and experience to the table. They might notice things you won’t. They’re also the ones that the audience will connect to more directly.

Your commentators are also your first audience members. Before your stream makes it to your viewers (usually), the commentators are getting the first look at it. They rely on your observer work to do their jobs well. Your focus as a spectator should be to synergize with their words as much as possible. If a commentator notes that a specific player is doing something interesting, it is best to make an effort to showcase that. If they are discussing specific weapons or kits, shift over to a player that is currently using that loadout to give more context to viewers. If someone is talking about the state of the map, or “map control,” it is a good idea to shift to the free camera or overhead to show the game state.

That being said, you should never completely relegate all control of the camera to the commentators. If you are observing a play in progress, it is good to let the play reach a lull in the action before jumping to what a commentator just mentioned. Some plays will happen so quickly that you don’t get to show them in great detail. It’s better to accept those blips in information and just move onto the next opportunity. If you panic and doubt yourself, you will make the camera work more frantic, and the viewers will be confused.

It sounds like a lot of responsibility, and it can be, but it’s also something that everyone wants to see done well. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your commentators for feedback after a stream. If you were doing something that distracted them, or made their job harder in some way, they’ll likely be more than happy to tell you about it. It will also improve your relationship with them and relieve mutual frustrations. Production is a team effort, and you should use that to everyone’s advantage.

The Camera Types

Game Start

The start of every match in Splatoon 3 will be quite formulaic. As a private battle observer, you will default to overhead view once the players are introduced. Your main plan of action as the observer is as such:

As soon as the players are introduced, you may switch to the Map view. The teams are not yet interacting at this point, so it is a free opportunity for the audience to process the team compositions and gear choices. Gear choices are only visible on the Map view, so it is important for the audience to have the chance to view this information once.

After a few seconds on the Map view, remove the map and show the overhead. This phase will vary in length, depending on the map. Smaller maps will evolve into team fights sooner than others. If the teams are not yet interacting, it’s a good idea to hold the Overhead view for a bit longer.

Once the teams are interacting, go into Free or Objective view.

Free/Objective Camera

The Free and Objective cameras serve nearly identical purposes. They provide an overhead view that is at a closer angle than the true Overhead view. An observer will spend most of their time in these two cameras. They have the benefits of being close enough to see the action of individual players, while also giving more information about the match than the individual Player camera.

When using the Free camera, do your best to keep your movement smooth. Whether or not you have motion on, use gentle muscle movements to adjust the camera slowly, and try not to start and stop too frequently. Keeping the camera moving is an important part of keeping the shot interesting, but it doesn’t have to be dramatic to be effective.

This applies to Objective camera, too, but to a lesser extent, as you can still rotate the camera around the objective point.

Differences/When to Use Which

I generally consider free camera to be superior, and recommend using it for a majority of the time spent outside of the Player camera. There are, however, some objective locations that don’t permit the Free camera to get a good shot of them (e.g. the clam baskets on Scorch Gorge Clam Blitz), and this is where the Objective camera can be handy.

Player Camera

The player camera is the most familiar view to anyone who plays the game. It will likely be your second most common camera. You will want to go into the Player camera when you identify a situation that seems like it will impact the state of the game.

Picking a Player

With eight players to choose from, it may seem overwhelming or like a guessing game to pick one to focus on. There are some guidelines that should make that decision easier.

• Are the commentators discussing a certain player or weapon?
• Is the player actively interacting with the objective?
  • Are they painting a zone, carrying the rainmaker, throwing clams, or riding the tower?
• Are they flanking the enemy team?
  • This is very good at breaking up the monotony of a stalemate around the objective.
• Are they sharking in a place where the enemy team does not notice them?
  • These moments are highly entertaining when they are successfully executed.
• Is the player performing an aggressive slayer role?
  • This playstyle will have more action for the audience and commentary to process than a supportive role. Of course, roles are flexible in this game, so this is not a hard and fast rule.
• Is the player at a vantage point with great visibility?
  • Backline players are often holding high ground. This can serve as an additional “overhead” angle that feels a little more exciting and fresh, especially if you feel that you’ve been on objective view a bit too much.

These sorts of questions will help you identify which players are actively shaping the game state, and those are the plays you will want to catch with the Player camera.

Remember that you do not have to spectate players at any specific time. If you don’t think you have a good opportunity, then don’t force yourself to go to Player camera.

Switching to Another Player

One of the main reasons you’ll switch to another player is because the player you were spectating was splatted. The natural progression is to switch to the view of the player who won the fight. If you are going to switch to another player, it is best to wait a few seconds, so the “Splatted by [weapon]!” dialog can appear, as well as the “kill cam” perspective of the player, before you switch to them. Please note that you should not wait this long if the splatted player had a Tacticooler buff. The camera will jump to spawn, which is disorienting.

You may also switch to another player if the team fight is ongoing, but the current player has disengaged, and another player is engaging. If you are going to switch to another player like this, it is best to pick a player that is already in view of the camera, as the audience and commentators will be able to make sense of the transition more easily. The closer to the current camera, the better.

Player Name

While using the Player camera, you can hold ZL to show the current player’s name. This is advantageous because the commentators and audience know who they are watching. However, there is a downside that the button icons for the player characters appear above the characters’ heads. I will leave this as a personal style choice. I prefer to hold ZL for the vast majority of my time spent in Player cam, as I think the benefits outweigh the negative impacts. I understand if you feel differently.

Mid-Game Overhead

Overhead camera should be used sparingly. It is good at showing the overall game state, but does not provide information about how players are interacting. This is why I only recommend using it after a wipeout or if the teams are not interacting. After a wipeout, it can be useful to show how quickly the pushing team can claim territory and control space.

As soon as it looks like the teams may start to fight or contest each other in some way, switch to Objective or Free camera.