Puzzlebox: Would you rework it? How?
I am sad to report that I've barely gotten to play the game since the release of the Hellraiser chapter but from what small handful of games I've played against Pinhead (the rest were the ole usual crew) I have to say that I really like going against him. He felt fresh, engaging, I saw a variance in skill and how punishing he was in the right hands, etc.
But I have one Survivor-sided 'complaint' (it's more of a wish). The puzzle box, which is such a great thematic addition, is just a set of skill checks. I really do wish there was something more engaging with it - dare I say more challenging? What that looks like I really don't know. I'm not a game designer and I know that a 'mini game' isn't something you can easily just toss into a game but I had so hoped that there'd be some new mechanic involved with solving the puzzle box.
What do you guys think? And for those who agree with me what ideas do you have for a unique puzzle box solving mechanic? Something linear would have been interesting - a bar across the screen that required different key/buttons be pressed. It's in the same vein as the circular skill checks but would have been different than just M1/R1.
(( Edit: Hellraiser 'chapter' not 'challenge', derp.
Comments
-
I wish the puzzle box was like the yellow glyph. It would be much more fun.
4 -
I thought of that too! If it were like the yellow glyph but didn't disappear, rather just forced you to keep going until you got X number of sequential successes, it would have been a lot more stressful and interesting than the generic skill checks. I mean I was hoping that solving the puzzle box would have me hurrying and sweating and focused on it, muttering 'come on, come on' to myself. Instead I was casually rotating my camera to make sure the coast was clear. LOL
1 -
maybe make it like a yellow glyph but honestly i think the box is fine.
0 -
Tbh any mini game other than skillchecks is a welcome addition in my books.
2 -
If they complicated the mechanic, they would also need to increase the interval between spawns. It is a cool concept but feels more like a chore. I would be in favor of a more engaging mechanic, though.
0 -
I wish it felt less like a chore i have to do every 30 seconds. I waltz over to the box, i open it, 1/10 times the pinhead teleports to me and i am engaged. the other 9/10 times nothing happens and i just wasted my time to complete a few boring skills checks then run allll the way back to whatever i was doing. I wish the box was at least slightly more complicated, hell even yellow glyph sort of skillchecks would make it feel like an exciting thing i have to skillfully do. Anything but 2-3 completely normal skillchecks and a small chance to see the only engaging element of playing survivor.
0 -
I wouldn't rework it. Some changes though
- Survivor can no longer cancel opening the box after they initiate opening the box.
- Survivor's no longer can always see the box. Both Killer and Survivor can see the box aura when within 16 meters within the box.
Survivors currently have way too much available counter play while the Killer just has nothing to control their own power. It's like "Master Survivor sama may I use my power now?" - That doesn't feel like your much of threat.
1 -
I'd say I'm all for allowing survivors to see the box at any distance. Chain Hunts are punishing if they aren't dealt with immediately. This coming from a killer main.
0 -
I play both sides, and I've seen a lot of Cenobites running his pink add-on that makes it so that survivors can only see the box within 16 meters, and to be honest the only change I've noticed is that he actually got his power 2-3 times in a match instead of just - maybe once. Most often even with this add-on the hunt rarely even starts let alone lasts any longer than a few seconds.
At least this way the Killer isn't required to run a pink rarity add-on to balance the killer, and a little buff so the killer can activate their own power maybe once in a match.
0 -
Easily breakable Chains and Stupid/useless range add-ons aside, My biggest gripe has always been about the Lament Configuration box's mechanic itself. The chain hunt is the only thing that turns Pinhead into a 1v4 focused killer instead of a 1v1, as it has the potential to distract the entire survivor team. The big Issue I have is that:
- Survivors always see the box's aura as soon as it spawns.
- If a survivor simply picks up the box, that ends the chain hunt for everyone but them, and all they have to do is solve it to get rid of that.
- it take 45 seconds for the box to respawn after being solved by a survivor, and 90 seconds after that for a chain hunt to initiate, IF no one bothers to pick it up. That's 135 seconds or 2mins 15 seconds between chain hunts in matches that, on average, take 10 minutes to finish!
- Whenever a Chain hunt actually does initiate, if ever, it only lasts for like 10 seconds at most before someone picks up the box and ends it.
- Basically, survivors have to ALLOW it to happen, via ignorance of how much time they have, or on purpose.
I've gone many rounds without a chain hunt ever initiating, because the devs haven't learned their lesson with Plague, Trapper, the Twins, and have once again given survivors complete control over an aspect of a killers power... hell they even highlighted and gift wrapped it for them!
If I were a dev for this game, and due to how costly it is to the killer for a survivor to solve the box/how costly it is to teleport to it, I'd simply change it so that:
- Survivors don't see the box's aura at all until AFTER a chain hunt begins
- Picking up the box doesn't stop a chain hunt, pause it, or prevent its progress for anyone until AFTER it has been solved
- Change the iridescent add-on that reduces the boxes aura range to 16 meters to apply only AFTER a chain hunt initiates, when the box's aura is revealed.
With 4 survivors constantly running around, and the box spawning in wide open places while emitting a very noticeable sound, it's not like it's so difficult to find that they need game long aura reading on it in the first place. That, and Solving the box to prevent or stop a chain hunt for your team while risking Pinhead teleporting to you himself, seems like a much more worthwhile and rewarding trade off. While this change won't help with how weak the chains are, it could at least allow pinheads 1v4 mechanic more of a chance to activate instead of being denied from ever happening at all due to too much information on the survivors side.
1 -
The only change I would make is that survivors progress doesn't reset when hit with a chain. As it is now you have to get to the box then find a little crevice so you're not hit whilst solving it if chain hunt is already active.
0 -
i think the box is fine personally
maybe decrease the time between spawns though? it feels like it takes a long time for it to spawn again if someone solves it
0 -
It feels pretty balanced.
Makes the Survivor drop their current item for it, and potentially lose that item if they get chased off.
Pinhead can choose to teleport or not. I would like to be able to cancel this teleport though, about the only thing missing there I think.
If he doesn't teleport, the Survivor has to do skillchecks, which I think should be a bit harder. They were easy AF for me to hit at least. I'd go with something maybe 2x the size of an Overcharge check, maybe a bit bigger.
If he does teleport, it still breaks the Chain Hunt and restarts the series of events. This portion is pretty nice imo. Survivor has a chance to get away, but if they get outplayed, they are done. Feels a bit random at times as to where he'll appear, but that's something you can deal with easy enough.
During a Chain Hunt, it sucks trying to finish it, but that's the whole point of the Lament Configuration in the game. If you don't complete this secondary objective, your game suddenly gets a bit nastier. It pulls Survivors off gens, something Killers have been wanting for years now, and also rewards them with some extra BP when they complete it. If they choose not to do it in a timely fashion, oh well. Sucks for them, and yes, I've been on the receiving end of this a few times. It's terrible.
About the only thing I would like to see is a reduction in the visibility of the box. I know Pinhead has add-ons for this, but I think it should be reduced to a base 40 or 32 meters visibility, not the entire map as it is now.
0 -
unfortunately I don't think they would do this cause of new players.
0 -
I've noticed that I seem to teleport in the direction the survivor is facing, or it's rng and I'm just unlucky
0 -
From what I've heard, you appear behind the survivor. If the spot you were supposed to appear is blocked it will be in a certain radius of the survivor.
0 -
I could care less about the box's skill checks or lack of them. What bothers me is that it's so safe for the survivors in every way. They can see it from infinite range away before the chain hunts are even active, simply picking it up stops everyone's chain hunts, and when Pinhead teleports to it while they solve it the chain hunts get reset anyway.
I want the chain hunts to continue until the box is solved. I also want Pinhead's teleport to be an interrupt move. When he teleports to a survivor solving the box, the chain hunts should continue for everyone, and the box should teleport somewhere else so that other people can solve it while the initial survivor is getting chased.
0 -
If they can't cancel opening the box won't they be a sitting duck for the killer?
0
