Feedback: Lights Out Modifier
Hello everyone and the people from BHVR,
in this post I want to give my feedback for the new modifier Lights Out because I really liked it and want to see some improvements so we can enjoy this modifier even more next time. In addition, I also really like the idea of new modifier and hope more will come soon.
POV Killer
I'm a killermain and I really enjoyed this modifier because it felt so funny and different than the normal modus. One big enjoyment was that rather "weaker" killer such as Doctor, Legion, and Ghostface are really good in this modifier while Nurse and Blight, the strongest killer, are rather bad for this modi. Of cause, already strong killers such as Chucky and Spirit are also strong in the Lights Out modifier but it was nice to see that different killer perform well. I really hope you, the developers, will add more different modifier where different killers are great rather than the usual ones. Another point was the jumpscare part of this modifier because even though I was the "stealthy" killer, I got sometimes jumpscared by the survivor when they suddenly stand infront of me. On the otherside, it was also a great hide and seek feeling when you could hear a survivor and was looking for them. This was in this modifier very funny. Lastly, it was also such an relief to be not worry about map-offerings, strong items, or broken perk combinations because they didn't exist in this modifier.
However, this modifier is very killersided due to the fact that survivors had less reaction time and SoloQ was really bad due to missing HUD (see POV Survivor). Another issue was the missing information of where to go after the hook, because after a hook, I didn't knew where to go. I checked the generators but often found nobody, so I went back to the hook to find someone, which felt very akward. In addition, this modifier - like the main modus - gives killers no reason not to tunnel. As a result, giving killers a reason to hook different survivors and information to find other survivors should be added in someway to the mod. Lastly, it is a little bit unfair that killers such as Bubba and Hillbilly have no M2-powerbar. This gives them an akward disadvantage for no reasons. Please, don't do this again, it makes no sense. I saw some posts where other players said that some killers are too strong for this modifier and should be banned for the next Lights Out-event. This is a tuff decision because on the one side it feels bad if the player's mainkiller is unplayable for the time limited event and also where can we make the line between a killer is broken/unhealthy and not broken/unhealthy for the modifier? However, on the otherside if this makes the modifier healthier and more enjoyable for survivors when they don't see the broken killers every second match. Though, if the developers push survivors a little bit more, maybe we don't need a banlist but it's like I said a very tuff question and should not get a high priority for now.
POV Survivor
From the survivor pov I have to say, this modifier is very scary because you always expecting the killer will come to you and grab you or the killer is stalking you because it could be Myers or Ghostface. This feeling is amazing and I really like it because you always have to swing your camera around you and thinking "pls don't grab me". I also like the idea that generators make sounds so you know where to go. More chests are also a great idea. I really like the idea that survivors have to pick up items via chests because this gives them a little sidequest. I saw some complains about the fact that we only had four maps, but I find this great because this makes it easier to get familiar with these maps - for example: so you get a better sense of where loops/paletts can spawn. Knowing where you are and where the loops are is key in this modifier and it is easier to get familiar with four maps instead of every map. So four maps are more than fine. The chosen maps are also balanced overall in this case (Léry's Memorial Institue is usually killersided but due to the generator sounds, survivor had found the generators easier. Ormond is more survivorsided but due to the no-terror-radius advantage it was more fair I would say).
However, this modifier is very killersided and survivors need some tools to come up with this factor. One issue is tunnling because on the one side it is hard for killers to find another survivor after the hook/they have no reasons not to tunnel, while on the other side unhooked survivors have no tools to counter tunnling - only the 10 seconds of basekit BT. It would be great if survivors would get something like 20/30 seconds of basekit BT for this modifier. For the not tunnling reward, maybe - just an idea - something like "once one survivor is dead, the map becomes less darker for the remaining survivors. For spreading hooks, the map becomes less darker for killer". Another big issue is the missing HUD because this only effects SoloQ in a negativ way - SWF have communication (Discord). As a result, don't turn the HUD off next time because it is unfair. You can turn off the progressbar for generators, chests, healing, recovering ect. but not the needed HUD for SoloQ.
Overall
After nearly eight years, we finally got a new modifier and I really hope we will get more different modifier in the near futher (near futher not in eight years, in like two months). This modifier is nothing really special in case of creativity but it is something new and something new is always welcome. It would be great if we get to a point where we have a modifier-rotation with a little tome every month (e.g. january lights out, Febuary light on, March blight off. The tome can be really simple with nothing special). The limited time for this modifier is also more than fine because it is not unique enough to play it more than a week. In addition, it makes more fun in a limited time. I'm also okay with it when you, the developers, go crazy with other modifier, don't be afraid of crazy-stupid modifier ideas (different task instead of doing generators or a funny twist). Lastly, Borgo looks really great in this modifier, please make this Borgo for the mainmodi instead of this ugly readcolormuck.
tl:tr:
This modifier is a good step in the right direction so don't stop with new modifier. However, it is not balanced at all and need some right adjustments to be fairer for both sides (give survivors something against tunnling, killers a reason not to tunnel, not turning the HUD off for the love of SoloQ, some killers such as Bubba and Hillbilly had a disadvantage for no reasons).
Year, this is my feedback for this new modifier and sorry for my bad english, it's kinda late^^