How I Would Solve Hatch Standoffs (LONG POST)
Preface
This is a fairly long post, so skip sections as you please. The main content is in the Solution section of the post, where the changes are. The rest is primarily meant for discussion and my reasoning/additional ideas on the change.
The Problem
While the hatch is a fairly important part of the game due to the survivor's inability to control the performance of their teammates, hatch standoffs result in uninteresting interactions between the last remaining survivor and killer. One party eventually wins, but it's very much so a "cool, I just spent 5 minutes standing on the hatch and doing nothing to get this win". Not a very rewarding victory.
My Solution
When there is only one survivor and the hatch opens for an alternate method of escape, the killer has the ability to temporarily close the hatch for 45 seconds (subject to change) by performing an animation similar to kicking a generator or pallet. After doing so, auras of both the killer and survivor are revealed to each other for 6 seconds, as well as an audio notification for the survivor so they know the hatch was closed and their position is compromised.
Once the hatch has opened, all remaining generators regress 100% of their current repair progress (subject to change). Completing a generator after the hatch has opened prevents the hatch from being closed by the killer.
As a result of these changes, the killer can no longer grab survivors out of the hatch jumping animation during this stage, and any hits the killer may land during the animation do not interrupt it. The hatch also cannot be closed to interrupt the jumping animation. It must be closed before the survivor reaches the hatch. During the 45 seconds, the hatch cannot be opened with a key by the survivor.
Successfully downing and hooking the last survivor after closing the hatch will reward 2,000 additional bloodpoints in the Sacrifice category.
Reasoning
At the end of the game, this would give more interaction between the killer and survivor. It is rewarding for the killer if they down and hook the survivor because they denied their last avenue of escape. It is rewarding for the survivor if they escape because they led the killer on a chase or snuck around the killer to get to the hatch. It also encourages strategic use of the hatch close mechanic given to the killers. Sometimes it will be better to kick the hatch down to reveal the survivor's location, while other times it may be better to wait until the survivor gets close to close it. Overall it would lead to more interesting games that wouldn't consist of it ending with a 10 minute hatch standoff.
Overall, I believe that this would lead to more healthy and enjoyable gameplay, and can pose as an alternative mechanic to build and play around. Survivors would have an actual use for Left Behind, and new perks can be introduced for killer to be more effective at this stage of the game as well. Better yet, it would not be hard to implement due to the assets required. Aura reading, the kicking animation, and the hatch closing animation are nothing new to the game, and can be recycled and used for this purpose.
Anyway, tell me what you think. I know there are some flaws with this idea, as with any idea regarding this stage of the game really, but would be willing to discuss them. Thanks for reading!
Comments
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I disagree with your solution.
Of course, you define the problem purely by the Check-mate phenomenon, where the killer cannot hit the survivors and the survivor cannot jump in.
And this is where I think things go wrong: The problem doesn't start here in my view. It started before the hatch was ever introduced into the game;
Before there was a hatch, games in which 2/3 people were dead, inevitable escalate into the death of the last few survivors who now by their own, have to do sometimes triple the amount of generators alone then their entire team was able to do, and this leads into something very un fun;
You don't want to lose before you are dead.
So what is the problem? The first problem is that the death of teammates caused such a great amount of damage in the ability of the team to repair generators that you as a team become dependent on the state in which 4 survivors are alive. Often after the death of just 1 survivor, you can expect the death of all.
Now here's the second problem: We know that the game becomes DYSFUNCTIONAL once 1(sometimes 2) survivor(s) die(s). Instead of fixing this disproportional damage to a teams efficiency after the death of 1 survivor. we got the hatch, which basically is a mini-game that is there to replace the dysfunctional main game.
Problem 3: Since your chance to die rises tremendously for every survivor that dies, we suddenly create a jump up in survival chance once only 1 survivor lives. Which results it: When there are 2 survivors alive, they have to wait for each other's death in order to get their replacement game.
Problem 4: Because the hatch is born out of the need for there to be a chance at winning, it practically needs to be close to a free win. Unless we solve the problems that caused it.
Problem 5: There is a check-mate problem.
Now, your solution tries to add to the replacement of the dysfunctional main game, and that by trying to have you complete 1 generator:
You are likely NOT going to be able to finish your generator. Even less so if your team finished a lot of those and there are only few that the killer has to patrol.
Because your teams generator efficiency plunders while the killers regression ability doesn't, you will likely see more regression than progression.
Albeit why I suggest instead doing the most standard thing you can do regarding check-mate scenario's for both the hatch AND the gate:
https://forum.deadbydaylight.com/en/discussion/39771/bloodwarden-for-free-on-every-killer/p1
This would count for the hatch as well, and allows the killer to always hit survivors without it being a mistake.
Killers can still grab survivors out of the hatch, but survivors can no longer afford to stand right next to the killer.And to solve what I mentioned to be problem 1,2,3:
And by then, the hatch doesn't have to be a free escape and neither is it necessary. With the basic check-mate scenario's eliminated, we can then discuss the purpose of the hatch, as it's no longer about replacing the main game.
That is how I think the hatch is solved.0 -
I can agree that needing to do 1 Gen after hatch is closed can be extremely difficult. You are alone, yes every single Gen is at 0 so you have more choices of Gens to work on but the Killer is searching every single one. If he finds even 1 Gen worked on twice after he kicks it, he knows you're there. That Aura you have in the beginning may be all he needs to catch you.
I made a simpler solution where the hatch is closed or maybe it was always closed, and it needed a key to open it, period. The key would spawn in a random chest, looted or not and you had to find that key and use it on the Hatch. Like your idea I also said that once the Survivor uses the key the Killer does not get the hatch grab animation, it is not allowed and the Survivor is able to just hop in. This makes it like your stealth solution and also need an objective to escape.
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I can agree that the problem of the hatch extends past the hatch itself and into the stages prior, but reworking how the early game functions does not seem like something that could realistically happen with Behavior. This is meant to be a fairly simple change that would be easy to implement. Plus I somewhat enjoy the idea of the hatch being in the game, which I know is an unpopular opinion, and can be a good mechanic in the game if adjusted properly.
The generator regression amount is subject to change as I mentioned in the post, and adding repair speed is also on the table and would clearly be a balance factor if it were to be implemented. The reason for making the generators regress was to make it so a survivor couldn't just 99 a gen as their buddy was about to get hooked, then finish it for the free hatch escape. I do agree that the ability to do generators decreases as less survivors are playing, and that is an important factor.
The idea was that with the remaining generators on the map, the killer would have multiple objectives to defend and could not focus entirely on sitting on the hatch. So, as a result, it would be fair for the survivor. If the killer finds you, you can lead them on a chase to the hatch and simply jump in without getting grabbed. Or they kick the hatch down and initiate a chase, and if you survive long enough, you get an escape. You don't HAVE to repair a generator to escape, but it is a way to pressure the killer into either kicking the hatch down before you disable their ability to, or patrol other generators before you get a free escape. The killer can't be in two places at once.
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@HatCreature said:
I can agree that needing to do 1 Gen after hatch is closed can be extremely difficult. You are alone, yes every single Gen is at 0 so you have more choices of Gens to work on but the Killer is searching every single one. If he finds even 1 Gen worked on twice after he kicks it, he knows you're there. That Aura you have in the beginning may be all he needs to catch you.I made a simpler solution where the hatch is closed or maybe it was always closed, and it needed a key to open it, period. The key would spawn in a random chest, looted or not and you had to find that key and use it on the Hatch. Like your idea I also said that once the Survivor uses the key the Killer does not get the hatch grab animation, it is not allowed and the Survivor is able to just hop in. This makes it like your stealth solution and also need an objective to escape.
The hatch being closed is temporary, and would only last 45 seconds, but yes it can be opened by completing a generator. That isn't really the main idea of it though. Completing a generator is primarily meant to prevent the hatch from being closed in the first place, if the killer wants to stand on the hatch and wait for you to get close before closing it, then you have another option. So it forces killers to do something at this stage (in this case, patrolling the remaining gens) other than stand at the hatch and wait for you to get close to it. Completing a generator once it gets closed sounds impossible, especially with the aura reading associated with it, but could have some last-second cases where it could work. I may have just worded it in a way that didn't convey the message I wanted, so I apologize for that.
In essence, the change with the generators is meant to be a preventive measure, not one that opens the hatch once it closes.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7vG49IiNQ8