Am I Doing Something Wrong, Or Am I Doing Something *Right*?

StarLost
StarLost Member Posts: 8,077
edited September 2020 in General Discussions

Apologies in advance for length.

Hey all. Very new player here (yay, first post), piddled around a few weeks ago but only really started playing two days ago.

The draw for me was the killers - I love the concept and the variety here was appealing.

So...things were really fun at first - and with the current sale, I bought a few additional killers to muck about with. I never 'won', but I felt more like I was facilitating a fun game, which sort of feels like the killer's purpose. Not great, but I generally ended up getting 1-2 kills a game. I felt like I was playing against people near my skill level, or at least not crazily above. I felt like I was gradually improving, as were my opponents.

However, after a few games, things went a bit squiffy. I started getting rolled. Games where I never saw a survivor aside from them running away. Games where people just destroyed me, without me feeling like I had any impact on the game at all. Games where they moved as a group, with one person constantly hovering around me obviously feeding them my location, or all following me and taking down hooks as I try to use them. Extremely coordinated. A Discord premade?

I started checking the post match rankings, and it was inevitably 2-3 very high ranked players (red rating? Not sure on terminology here) with a single lower ranked dude - and this wasn't a once off thing. I can't think of a game where I wasn't the lowest ranked person in it.

Somehow, I've plugged away to rank 12 (in 3 days...isn't that a bit too fast?)., hoping that things would even out. They...didn't. I think I've won a grand total of 2 games, and that was mostly other people DCing.

I know, git gud and all that - but it's really hard to learn from games like this - currently, I don't feel like I'm getting any better. I simply do not understand the mechanics of the game enough to really understand what these survivors are doing and how, let alone how to beat it.

I don't mind losing as long as I had fun, but losing like this is a massive demotivation, especially when they refuse to end the game or start mocking me. It's my first time playing that map, chaps! Grrr. Vent over. I'm starting to get nastier in how I play, and am not above camping someone once the exits are open to try and secure a kill - not the way I'd like to play, but about the extent of what I can do.

So either:

  • I started playing too late in the game's lifespan and the only people left are crusty old vets doing premades.
  • I'm doing something that is causing me to be matched up with players vastly more experienced than myself. Hah, maybe I'm a natural? I...doubt it.

Any thoughts? Is my experience out of the norm? Or are there just no other new/intermediate players? Apologies for the length.

I'd really hoped for a few days to learn the ins and outs of the game, but I'm starting to get frustrated.

TL/DR: Why am I, as a complete novice, getting matched against groups of highly experienced players, nearly every match, whether I'm playing a killer at level 5 or 35?

Comments

  • DWolfAlpha
    DWolfAlpha Member Posts: 927

    The match making right now is based on what killer you're playing. Your first few ranks are usually going to be against other low rank players. After that, the mmr should be in place. But if you switch killers, it won't know how good you are with that killer. Play the same killer for awhile and you should start to play against survivors more suited to your skill level with that killer. Unfortunately, that means you'll have a few bad games in the meantime

  • StarLost
    StarLost Member Posts: 8,077

    Thanks. I hoped that was what was going on, so I decided to stick to a single killer for a bit. I didn't change, except that I went from seeing lots of purple with the odd green to lots of red with the odd purple.

  • nursewannabe
    nursewannabe Member Posts: 1,075

    Matchmaking has always been trash. And yes, the ranking system sucks as well.

    I really hate how newer players are affected by this, because it either discourages them to keep playing the game or it pushes them to follow certain mindsets that blame everything on the other side and doesn't push to self improvement. Hopefully the new mmr will be better than the first one.

    As of now, the only advice I can give you is to keep playing trying to ignore this aspect and focus on learn g how to read survivors, and play survivor yourself to get a grasp of their mindset. Also, watch some killer main streamers. Otzdarva, Scorpionz, Fungoose, the entity left hand or Ohtofu to mention a few. DON'T watch people like truetalent, space coconuts or hexy: you'll unlearn whatever you've learned until now and will start playing the game with wrong mindsets

  • StarLost
    StarLost Member Posts: 8,077

    Thanks mate. I tried peak times and I didn't see a difference.

    The paranoid in me wonders if it's high level players queuing with a low level player/new account to roflstomp newbies - and I wish I was crazy here, but there is usually a pattern. 2-3 very high level accounts and one lower.

    Yeah, hope the matchmaking or what have you gets fixed soon, because ...I really want to like this game.

  • StarLost
    StarLost Member Posts: 8,077


    Oh no, I blame myself. I'm...not very good.

    See - I'd love to learn and improve, but it's tricky when my opponents are so much better than me that it's hard to even understand what went wrong/right, let alone how to counter it. Not quite sure how to tackle a group sticking together and moving from objective to objective with one player on permanent lookout.

    Actually did try to watch some Youtube videos of games, but again - a bit over my head.

    About the only thing I really gained was from a new player tips video on what talents etc. to pick, and who to grind on first (that came out wrong), but that's about it.

  • MadLordJack
    MadLordJack Member Posts: 8,814

    DBD is in a pretty considerable surge at the moment, and it's been steadily growing for years. You don't have to worry about not having fellow new people to play with.

    That being said, the matchmaking is a bit busted at the moment, it's based around your rank but as you have seen you can rank up way too quick and get matched against teams that are way too good because there's so few red rank killers and it prioritises fast matchmaking over fair matchmaking. (I have no opinion on whether that is okay or not.)

  • nursewannabe
    nursewannabe Member Posts: 1,075
    edited September 2020

    This is why it's important you play both sides, something like 70/30 if you enjoy one side most. So you can enter both mindsets, and will learn how to predict the opponents moves

    What killers are you playing btw?

  • Fibijean
    Fibijean Member Posts: 8,342

    Yeah, that is another issue admittedly. I believe parties like that are matched based on the average of all ranks in the party - if it's two or three high-ranked players with one very low rank, the average is probably around purple ranks (5-8) which is very much within the acceptable matchmaking range for you at rank 12. The current system has a lot of things wrong with it, and that's just one of them. Like I said, all you can really do is tough it out until the new matchmaking system comes into play. In the meantime, I would recommend maybe looking at some guides or just watching gameplay on Twitch or YouTube to familiarise yourself more quickly with the game so you don't feel so completely lost in those situations. But for what it's worth, you have my sympathy 🙁

  • DWolfAlpha
    DWolfAlpha Member Posts: 927

    Did you keep getting destroyed? Cuz it's supposed to (assuming it's working properly) set you up against players with a comparable skill to the killer you selected. For example, I'm pretty good going up against a Trapper or a Demo, so the killers that I play against are usually pretty good at those killers. But I'm absolute garbage against Doctor. I'm like, a rank 7 ish survivor, and I struggle against rank 16 Doctors.

  • SMitchell8
    SMitchell8 Member Posts: 3,302

    I started a couple of months ago as a spirit killing machine. Now im being looped to high heavens. The mmr explains that then 🙃

  • DWolfAlpha
    DWolfAlpha Member Posts: 927

    Really? I thought they reinstated the mmr when cross play dropped.

    If it is using the old match making right now, about a year ago, they made it so swf matches based on the highest ranking player

  • Fibijean
    Fibijean Member Posts: 8,342

    As far as I know, it's still disabled. That seemed to be what they were saying on the stream yesterday, anyway.

  • DWolfAlpha
    DWolfAlpha Member Posts: 927
  • unluckycombo
    unluckycombo Member Posts: 582

    Trust me, you're not doing anything wrong. The game has a really high learning curve to get into, and the matchmaking isn't great.

    Honestly, I know this sounds a bit counter-productive, but playing a bit of Survivor might help. Survivor is a lot easier to get into, and will help you at least start to understand the basics of the game without being as punishing. Especially if you can get some more experienced players to help you learn in a SWF or something. I know Survivor isn't really as fun as Killer, but it's not as harsh to learn imho, so you might have an easier time trying to learn some of their basics, and then applying what you know there to some of your killer gameplay.

  • StarLost
    StarLost Member Posts: 8,077

    Currently? Leatherface, Doctor and Pig.

    Yeah, kind of. Unless someone DCs, I'm lucky to get more than one kill, if that - unless I'm playing Leatherface, in which case I usually get at least two (using some very campy methods).

    It's an idea, certainly.

  • TheWarNung
    TheWarNung Member Posts: 794

    Bubba, Doc, and Pig are great choices for someone starting out. They're all easy to learn, reasonably powerful, and just gosh-darned fun. They've also got some good teachable perks to start you off with. BBQ and chili will get you extra BP in every match, so use it often while you're leveling up. The only other good starter killers I can think of are maybe... Daddy Myers and Ghostface?

    This game does have a steep learning curve, and moat of the players have years worth of headstart on you. Don't let it get you down. As someone who picked up the game shortly after launch I can't even begin to imagine having to learn 21(?) Killers and roughly a gajillion perks from scratch.

    Really though, the best advice I can give is to remember to have fun. I nearly quit early on after a string of losses. Then I watched a streamer to get some advice and got a sharp reminder that this is a game. Don't be like I was.

    See you in the fog!

  • Almo
    Almo Member, Dev Posts: 1,120

    Killer-specific matchmaking isn't in place at the moment; that's part of the MMR system. MMR is currently turned off while we make some adjustments. It will come back "soon". We're aware of how important matchmaking is, and we're working to improve it.

  • nursewannabe
    nursewannabe Member Posts: 1,075

    Then on twitch I'd definitely recommend watching Drey for doctor gameplay and Scorpionz for pig, as they are their respective mains and really good at them

  • Moisette
    Moisette Member Posts: 127

    People already helped you out, but I wanted to add my two cents 8u

    My sister started playing the game around the time I took a hiatus earlier this year and she wasn't very good. Same issues like you have and all. But she kept playing and got pretty good at the game within a few months. So while I know it can be discouraging, if you're having fun - just keep playing and you will see yourself getting better :3

  • StarLost
    StarLost Member Posts: 8,077

    Wow, thanks mate!

    Really enjoying your game thus far. Not a fan of playing survivor, but killers can be immensely fun. That said, I hope this gets going soon because...woof, am I having a rough time of it (and the playstyle I'm semi forced to adopt...I'm sure it's no fun for survivors either).

    Thanks. I mostly played Doctor because I wanted his 'Generator kick' thing as this has saved my bacon many times. Doing Hag next for Ruin (I like to play a hit and run game) and then...probably whoever has a good teachable. Not settled into a killer yet as I'm still very much learning.

    Likely going to main Pig, Freddy, Spirit or another sneaky killer.

    Yeah, did Bubba first for chilli - did rather well as him but I'm not a fan of his playstyle. Want to be a sneaky, jumpscare-y villain, not a berserker.

    Did Doctor next for his Generator thing and doing Hag next for Ruin. Who else should I am to get a teachable off before I choose a main?

    Pig is crazy fun but I never seem to do well with her. Doc...well, I can be annoying?

  • StarLost
    StarLost Member Posts: 8,077

    KYF?

    Also - what friends? I've just started this game :)

    Ugh, really hoping the Killer matchmaking actually happens soon. Having a miserable time with the game no matter what I try (literally 2/3 games are against an obvious premade and I'm not exaggerating when I say every single one has been foul and at least mildly BM).

    Really hollows out my motivation to keep on trying.

  • TheWisp2006
    TheWisp2006 Member Posts: 32

    I think part of it is higher ranks playing with their lower ranked friends

  • CalamityJane
    CalamityJane Member Posts: 487

    Long story short, the matchmaking is horrible. There's no possible way to balance matchmaking when; a. red ranks can party up with brown ranks, b. the matchmaking will literally just chuck anyone together if you've been queued for more than a few minutes, and c. as you said it only takes a couple of days to get out of brown ranks because the rank system is desinged to push you up fast.

    It means there aren't many players considered low rank to match you with, those that are can be with their high rank friends and drag them into your match to demolish you, and that's in the best case where it even cares about your rank when it matches you, which it doesn't because there's not many people who are near your rank.

    MMR isn't going to fix it, because all the same issues will still be there, it will just be on a per-killer basis that your ranks don't match, rather than a global one.

  • robotron
    robotron Member Posts: 41

    I don't want to come off as negative but the game experience as a killer does change greatly after getting to higher ranks. Some of my favorite memories with the game were in 15+. As a killer I could have 4ked every game if I had wanted because many survivors were still learning, but like you said, it was about creating a fun experience. I didn't mind getting a 2k or 3k if it meant everyone had fun. It was fun staring at survivors through windows as they repair gens and then watch them freak out as they notice you or other silly things. At higher ranks that completely changes and you realize you have to become a bit sweaty or else the survivors will bully you.

  • SweetTerror
    SweetTerror Member Posts: 2,695
    edited September 2020

    This is one of DBD's biggest downfalls, the fact that it doesn't have a training mode. There are so many aspects to this game that the game doesn't teach you, which forces you to search online for streamers to teach you how to play this game.

    The devs recently admitted in their recent Q&A that after all these years a training mode is still not planned. They don't seem to care how this affects newer players like yourself. The matchmaking is atrocious, the toxicity is disgusting, and the fact that this game doesn't teach you anything or let you practice is pathetic.

    Hopefully the new MMR will make life a little easier, but there is no excuse for this game not to have a practice mode.

  • hillbillyclaudmain69
    hillbillyclaudmain69 Member Posts: 1,528

    Match making has been like that for a while. As soon as you hit green ranks, you go against red ranks. Its not fair, I know, but if you stick with it you will be able to kill them. I'm sorry that this is happening to you, especially because I can relate.

  • endexxon
    endexxon Member Posts: 7

    Yeah the matchmaking rn is very strange so I feel your pain since I'm going against like every rank today.

    Don't feel discouraged by the toxic peeps and just focus on getting better(by watching vids or playing the game) .

    You'll get better just try to stay cool and enjoy somehow

  • Hex_Llama
    Hex_Llama Member Posts: 1,820

    Aw, man. What you're describing is exactly what happened to me when I started playing last year. Like, every detail, including being followed around the map by that one Nea, and trolled by people who should be a lot more sportsmanlike. I also came into this thinking it was a friendly game where I was facilitating an experience. I also was frustrated that I didn't even get to play, and had no opportunity to learn.

    I know that hearing everybody say, "That's normal -- onboarding for this game is really rough, and the people are mean," doesn't help. But the onboarding is really rough, and the people are mean. It's not something you're doing wrong.

    If I'm being 100% honest, I played killer on and off for a year, and then I switched to mostly survivor because I left so many killer games feeling sweaty and hounded. Like, I got a lot better at the game during that year, and you will, too, but the feeling of constantly getting fed to red ranks SWF never truly went away.