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Theory on Hillbilly Nerf
For the record im not salty about hillbilly nerf this is just a theory. I've played alot of other games that release new things every update. They either A nerf other things so the new thing is stronger so people buy it or B make the new thing ungodly OP so everyone is forced to buy it in order to win. I think its A. My evidence is this. Behavior said Billy was the most balanced killer and the player with the most skill would come out on top so why would they nerf him? Most players argue that billy nerf was unnecessary and he should of been left alone. Now playing Billy is less fun and harder to play as for most people. I would argue his add ons needed reworked and that was it. They also made his overheat rate higher before the new killer came out. So why would Behavior just nerf a high mobile killer that was super balanced? Well my theory is this. The Blight. Think about it. Would anyone use the blight if Billy wasn't nerfed? Billy was 10x stronger then the blight before nerf and could instadown people. No one would use the blight at that point. He would just be another not used killer like pyrmid head, deathslinger, oni, demo. Speaking of oni. Oni was probably made as a alternative to billy and it backfired because billy was better. Then they were gonna release the blight. They nerfed hillbilly so more people would buy blight and more people would play him. To increase the odds of people playing him they give him 3 really good perks. Idk im just bored and I just thought of this. Please tell me what you guys think. Am i crazy?
Comments
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Here man I think you dropped this
edit: also as a pyramid head main i feel offended that you dont realise i exist and will now cry.
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I like ur thinking but I disagree with the part about oni, pp head, deathslinger and demo not being used. There are plenty of people who main these killers out there and I don’t think people not playing blight would have been an issue. Blight offers more unique and diverse gameplay once you master him whereas billy is played more as an m1 killer where he can do a few cool flicks and tricks here and there. I don’t think there’s really been one truly weak killer released since legion, you could argue demogorgon but I wouldn’t say he’s weak just not strong, so it does show that BHVR does like to release stronger killers so that people will buy them. I’ve also noticed that a lot of killers end up nerfed after release because they were too strong, like pyramid head and oni.
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"Behavior said Billy was the most balanced killer"
They never said this. This was said by the community, but since 2017. A lot has changed since then.
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Devs are survivor mains and simply want the game to be as easy for them as possible. They don't care about making it fair, fun, or balanced, it's all about making survivor easy.
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This is rather more about personal feeling that any evidence, since I've never seen any of the Devs actually say that Billy was the most balanced killer. For example, your claim that Blight is significantly worse than Old Billy. Unless you are including busted add-on combo's, then you are incorrect. Billy couldn't counter hold-W, he didn't have nearly the same map pressure, and if the survivors were in a strong area there was nothing that Billy could do. Plus, I come acors afar more Oni's, Slinger's, and PH's than most other killers except Spirit and Legion. Even ignoring my experience, they are still commonly picked killers from what I've seen in streams.
Not to mention the fact that Billy was one of the most complained about killers before the Nurse nerf (I don't know why the complaints dropped off so sharply, but they did). Or the fact that they put a lot of time and effort into his overheat system to address the complaints, then accidentally made him unfun for the majority of players, ironically without sacrificing any of his potential.
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No they did very much say he was the most balanced
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No they did not. Maybe learn to read?
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Yes you say this as every patch survivors have been nerfed lol.
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No, it's killers who get nerfed.
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Yeah I've yet to see the actual quote. Seems like an urban legend at this point until proven otherwise.
BHVR was happy with his design but he was overperforming. Removing the add ons so the chainsaw couldn't charge as quick, cooldown swing wasn't as quick, and giving him a limit so he couldn't rev forever was definitely the right direction to go with him.
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A few notable killer nerfs such as Billy, nurse and like a one more name the last survivor buffs.
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Yes killers get NeRfEd...
Recent patch:
- Badham nerfed for survivor
Few months ago:
- Nerfed maps to remove infinites
- Nerfed maps to make then smaller
- Nerfed the amount of tiles/pallets on certain maps
- Nerfed hook tech
Future nerfs:
- Keys
- Early game slowdown mechanic
Yes only killers get nerfed. This is literally everything I could think of in 5 minutes so imagine how many more there is.
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Did you just point to a list of killers I see rather frequently, and say that they aren't ever played? The best example you gave was the Demogorgon. I see Pyramid head less often now, but not because of some nerf. I see Oni and Deathslinger all the time. Oni is pretty much Legion, but with much faster speed and an instant down. Oh, but he can't vault things. He can just instantly break them. You know who actually needs re-worked? Legion. People play him purely out of love for him, but he isn't exactly up there compared to the other killers you just mentioned. He MIGHT be on the same tier as Demo.
As for your prediction that they maneuver to push people to buy the new killers, you're exactly right, but the answer is B. It is a very common practice for developers to intentionally release an overpowered character to coax people to buy them for the temporary game advantage. After sales stagnate, they move to nerf that character and prepare for the next release.
I wouldn't exactly call what they did to Billy a nerf. It was gonna be a nerf, but because the prospect of an actual nerf upset so many people, they had to pretty much revert it. Yes, they balanced it a bit more, but I don't think I've EVER seen anyone overheat Billy's chainsaw without actually trying to, so it may as well not even exist. I don't see any difference, other than the fact that they actually buffed many of his add-ons. Imagine a chainsaw that doesn't make any sound at all. Don't have to, because Billy's got an add-on for it. In fact, as a result of their decision to backpedal on the Billy nerfs, they had to further buff Bubba, otherwise he'd wind up back where he started, with people opting to play Billy instead, because he was simply a better chainsaw killer. Now Bubba can start his chainsaw half way across the map, and come racing up as someone is unhooking, and down both them. 8 seconds of pure sprinting (at least) and with almost no activation timer.
I am fine with Billy being able to sprint, but I'm honestly entertained that, compared to other characters with sprint abilities (like Legion, who carries a small knife), Billy can legit drive his chainsaw across the map for 30-40 seconds, and as long as it hasn't gone into overheat (driving the chainsaw doesn't use but a fraction of the meter), he can hit something and immediately go again. Legion misses a swing, and he can't even move for several seconds. Even Blight, whose background is that he was supposedly super frail, seems to recover a hell of a lot faster than Legion does, and he STILL moves faster. Don't forget the addons that automatically reveal everyone nearby when he's running too. Who does that sound like? At least Legion has to score a hit first. There's just a severe lack of consistency between these killers, and you're right: It certainly does feel like they're leaving many behind while they peddle the new guys. The issue is that they don't seem to go back and revisit a select few of them, perhaps because they're genuinely afraid to, therefore they stay below the curve, because "Hey, at least they're playable." Many of these new killers are Legion, with most of his abilities (on crack), but without any of the drawbacks. And yes, in case you haven't guessed by now, I have a love for Legion.
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"billy is an m1 killer"
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Which is exactly why Exhaustion exists, pallets have been removed, maps like Hawkins exist, deadzones exist, Nurse exists, Spirit hasn't been nerfed yet, Pyramid Head and Deathslinger were made, DS was changed, Healing was changed, genspeeds were increased by 20 seconds, NOED exists, Pgtw exists, Ruin exists, BNP was nerfed twice, Instablind was yeeted, Pallets were nerfed, Syringe went, infinities went, Entity blocker exists, pallets were nerfed again etc etc. Because the devs only care about survivors.
Or you can think like a rational person and realise both sides have received changes that, for the most part, have been beneficial to the health of the game- Wait no that needs you to change how you think and take off your bias glasses, and then you'd stop getting your Oppression Points. My bad.
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I don't think that the Billy nerf is connected with the blight, everyone know that Billy hadn't limit on his chainsaw use but that kept him balanced against survivors red ranks, for me I still prefer play with nerf Billy that the blight, by habit I guess
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Man I still miss old Billy way too much. What they did to him was so dumb. That stupid bobblehead animation when revving, his awful posture and the way he moves and that horrendous scream every time he starts to chainsaw. Not even mentioning the first person animations not lining up with the third person ones, and the camera being even worse. The only thing that's better is his chase music, other than that I can't take him seriously at all anymore, he looks like such a joke, and like he's a killer in beta with unfinished animations. It's so bad. Before, Billy chases used to be intense and look great, now they look comical.
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Yeah I'll be honest when I say that I haven't really touched Billy since the mid chapter update. Also I rarely stumble on a Billy in a lobby anymore, it is a shame.
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So the devs, created a game where they only like playing 50% of the game, and design the game so they can get the most fun out of again, only playing 50% of the game they made? Riiiiight
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Its been like this forever, they cucked nurse pretty hard adding charge and cooldowns meanwhile Spirit got only a slap on her wrist (no collision and prayer bead change). Trapper got barley a buff that let him reset his traps on the ground, you are better off playing someone like Hag or freddy instead but you know, they cost money unless you are up for some long shard grind.
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Ok m1 killer was the wrong word. What I meant was he plays like a normal killer at loops and such but has a few anti loop tricks up his sleeve. Where as blight suffers far less from standard looping.
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They did say it, but they never stated WHY that was the case.
They would have been going off emblems more than kills. With as many Billy players over-relying on his saw for downs, his Chaser emblem would have been far lower resulting in high kills, but average emblems. "Balance".
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any half decent billy will almost always go for a saw and only m1 if your injured or at a tile where its impossible to zone you or get a flick
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Yea ik I used to main billy but you still run around loops relatively normal until ur in a position to flick or bait or backrev etc. I’m just saying there’s a difference between a billy being looped and a blight.
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"the best player often comes out on top"
Idk man that sounds like a pretty balanced killer to me
But your probably one of those people who think a killer is only balanced when survivors always come out out on top
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"the best player often comes out on top". That means Hilbilly is pretty much balanced. It doesn't mean he is THE MOST BALANCED killers. He may very well be, but that's not what the devs said.
Anyway, since you instantly made assumptions about myself without knowing me, you are probably one of those people that will attack anyone who says anything that doesn't fit their agenda.
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Im A pyrmid head main also but he kinda sucks lol.
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So then what would be the peak of balanced? Wouldn't the best balance be the player who is better than the other player will always win?
Also Mad that I made assumptions about you but then makes assumption about me. Looks like you need to look up the word hypocrite
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You are missing the point. Let's try one more time, slowly:
You quated Aven_Fallen who said the devs never said the Hillbilly is the most balanced killer. Therefore, the discussion here is not if the Hillbilly is actually the most balanced killer or not. The discussion is if the devs said that or not, which can be easily determined by looking at the topic you linked. They said "the best player often comes out on top". From this you can only infer that devs believe Hillbilly is pretty much balanced, you can not infer that devs believe he is the most balanced.
The post doesn't say how he ranks against other killers according to the devs. You can not possibly know from that post if the devs believe there is a killer that's more balanced than Billy or not.
Again: the argument isn't if Billy is actually the most balanced killer or not, the argument is if devs said that. They didn't. It's your own misinterpretation. They only said he is balanced, not even a single word about he compares to other killers in their opinion.
About the other thing: I'm not mad, just pointing out facts. You completely misinterpreted my post(see a pattern here?) and assumed I meant Billy is OP. You made assumptions about me out of thin air. On the other hand, my "assumption" was based on what you wrote, not on some made up things. So no, I don't need to look up the word hypocrite.
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he kinda sucks lol
Here's where we'll have to disagree. I think he's an exceptionally good killer.
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He's only strong when you use the OP obsidian goblet add-on.
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Only when you use Fire Up with it
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*Furtive chase has entered the chat*
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If your gonna ignore my question why even bother
plus if I try to actually have a serious discussion your gonna make more of your assumptions
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Can we be less toxic?
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This a thousand times, I really do not know why but this comic trend was already there before they butchered him. I mean look at his cosmetics which try to be funny while they are not. Meanwhile other killers and survivors got good skins, just not for billy. Now you can listen to him, screaming while he tries to take a dump suffering from constipation. This rework should be thought about before you ever buy a skin for a killer again, i mean, they literally manage to make him so stupid that you do not want to play that killer anymore.
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Billy was insta sawing people and turning at right angles. He was stupidly op.
"Perfectly balanced" Ok there Thanos. Balanced by who's standards?
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He was fun-nerfed because he was too popular, and I guess that ties most closely to A.
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I am not sure why people are so confused about his nerf.
In the old days, there were literally 2 killers at red ranks. Nurse, and Billy. Both were strong enough to deal with the abundance of safe vacuum pallets. Over time, the maps were nerfed, and the amount of pallets compared to release is maybe 1/3 of the original amount?
But meanwhile, even after the (extreme) map nerfs, you still had Billy running around with an instantsaw or crack add-ons when the original and only counter to crack billy was essentially throwing pallets non-stop.
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yeah all these nerfs and survivors are STILL on top
pretty weird right?
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Not weird at all. They were extremely strong before so the devs tried to close the divide. I was just replying to a comment that tried to say the devs are survivor favoured.
Currently the balance of the game is this.
Low ranks - Killers destroy survivors
High ranks - Very good 4 man swfs will win most games
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The devs said the best player often came out on top. I guess we know who the better player was...
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I'm so happy to see that other people also agree that the changes outside of the cooldown were some of the worst parts of the patch. I can't stand the roar, and his entire existence feels like some sort of April Fools' joke. I used to enjoy being scared when going against a Hillbilly, but now I can't have that because I have to start laughing at how idiotic he looks and sounds. And it's not the happy kind of laughter.
At least for you, you like his chase music. I'm impartial leaning on the side of "why change it?".
To me, the entire gaming experience feels just out of beta, and that's only from the amount of bugs currently in it without considering the unfathomable design choices.
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I'm pretty sure people aren't confused about his nerf. Theories about the ulterior motives behind the nerf are coming out, yes, but it is my understanding that everyone knows the developers just didn't like that Hillbilly was so plain and yet so good. They wanted to be able to make a marketing push by "updating" something (the whole, not the individual parts) that didn't need to be updated.
i.e. money and novelty play critical roles, but to what extent we are unsure.
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By literally everybody good at the game.
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Devs have to tiptoe around their words because they're the word of god here. Say one wrong thing and the forums burst into flames. Do you not know what soft words are?
Besides, actions speak louder. He got a new mechanic implemented. Despite all your delusions. Fancy that.
So swf hitsquads and sweaty killer mains. Gotcha fam. Tunneling is a legit strategy. Comms isn't cheating. Because that's how you get good at the game right?
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Everyone agreed insta saw and crack billy needed nerfs, but his basekit was fine.
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