Game Health Patch
I made this post to point out that game health is not synonymous with game balance, and when the devs said they were able to split the team into people working on balance and people working on new content, they still completely missed the point of a "health" patch.
What health includes:
- Minimization of frustrations
- Minimization of issues toward irl health for players (if they exist)
- Addressing the nature of the allure(s) of the game and reinvigorating them (outside of keeping players around for the novelty of new patches).
- Perhaps a bloodweb overhaul to how perks are leveled (see footnote 1)
- Changing the relationships of the members of the community with one another to be more positive.
- Addressing core gameplay mechanics that have so far gone untouched outside of perk additions. The last change we had to how generators function in the match was with The Doctor.
- Time efficiency is a big issue
- requiring pallet set up time would create additional, optional objectives for survivors to do other than gens. i.e. if the survivors focus on gens, they could probably get out faster but be left with less resources in chases, but if survivors focus on setting up first, the killer also has more time to set up and start gaining pressure (see footnote 2)
- survivor deaths are some of the biggest factors to time efficiency. Changes to how survivors die and what happens after that belong in this list as well as the balance list.
- sabotage (see footnote 3)
- Time efficiency is a big issue
What balance includes
- Some (but not all) of the above.
- Is x perk too weak?
- is y killer too strong?
- What should be happening with x mechanic
- Most consistency changes (i.e. map graphics across all maps, balanced landing tier changes (which I think were stupid), the equalization of Bubba's and Billy's chainsaw charge interactions, etc.)
- nothing to do with the community and only somewhat related with how the community feels about the game.
When people are asking for a health update, we are asking for more changes to perks like NOED or offerings like such as the mori or items such as the key BUT we are also asking for changes like the ones in the health category not included in the balance category. Removing the Hillbilly's godawful roar isn't a balance change per se (it does affect gameplay slightly, however), but it most certainly would be a change in the name of health because I hate it myself and I've seen a number of other people on this forum express their distaste with the addition.
What's worse than dodging the question about a health patch in a Q&A is pretending to answer it but butchering its intent by saying, "You mean balance. We've been doing balance (so we don't even know why you're asking the question), so no. We're good."
That response was incredibly disheartening and disappointing, because just like the Civ VI comment, the Clown comment, the comments on kill rates, and the comments on numerous other subjects, it shows that you fundamentally separate yourselves from large parts of the community (I'm sure you're right in line with some other parts) in terms of hopes and wishes for the future of the game. That knowledge is frustrating, and I'm sure it shows clearly in the few occasions the community has to show it.
And because it seems like I have to make this clear, I am specifically addressing this post to those who are
A. in charge and making decisions and
B. those who can get this message to those in charge and making decisions
I am well aware that the developers consist of a large conglomerate of individuals with individual perspectives who all perform different tasks in the company, and I am well aware that often superiors possibly make decisions with which other developers disagree but have no say. I am also aware that this community can be exceedingly toxic and harsh towards comments made haphazardly or comments that take a position contrary to the members of this forums, and I know that being that person who is targeted can be hard. But please know that many people who play the game are unhappy with it, and when a crack is seen, it is targeted ruthlessly regardless of the fact that there is another human behind the screen.
Footnotes:
1
2
3