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Your Killer designs are coming off Cookie Cutter.

Lixadonna
Lixadonna Unconfirmed, Member Posts: 147

Hellfire. Mage Hand. Scamper. Tail Strike. All ignore Pallets. All excel at Chase. Where is creativity going?

Comments

  • HexHuntressThighs
    HexHuntressThighs Member Posts: 1,243

    Trapper, Hag, Doctor, Nurse can all shut down pallets. This is nothing new lol.

  • Valimure
    Valimure Member Posts: 83
    edited September 1

    Latest designs and powers have basically been copies of other killers. Dracula is the most egregious offender, as the fire is exactly the same as Executioner's ability and the wolf pounce is basically the same as the Demogorgon's ability. There's gonna be some overlap at this point, sure, but it's getting pretty bad.

    Post edited by EQWashu on
  • ReverseVelocity
    ReverseVelocity Member Posts: 4,183
    edited September 1

    Holding similarities doesn't mean they're exactly the same.

    Post edited by EQWashu on
  • Twinblades713
    Twinblades713 Member Posts: 8

    I won't propose any lore to go along with these but:

    A blinding killer would be kinda cool. Maybe one that has to land a skillshot kinda like pinhead to get the blind, or maybe if you look at the killer too long - like a reverse Unknown. Don't let the blind be too long, but with testing and toning BHVR could find a good duration. Good survs, like good killers, can still run blind, but it would allow for some interesting gameplay.

    A killer that can create temporary terrain (in whatever lore-appropriate shape) to block survivors. So it doesn't add to the pile of pallet countering killers, could disallow it from being close to pallets or windows (we already have so much that blocks those).

    The main issue with coming up with new concepts for killers, is that all the available mechanics have been used, and BHVR would need to introduce more mechanics to widen the variety and combination of tools killers have. Some examples of tools that do not, but potentially could, exist in DBD.

    1. Thunderclap - directional modification, W makes you move backwards, S makes you move forwards, etc… for a period of time. Learnable, manageable, but debilitating.
    2. Tripping - Survivor falls down, but can get up. Injury or not can be directly tailored to the killer skill/perk/addon related to it. Similar to hindered with a slightly different approach.
    3. I was going to put Headaches here, but it ended up being so much like Doc's Madness that I think that ability could just be divided up and expanded upon. Let Herman be the best at it, but this is a rich effect and I wouldn't be mad if it was spread out more.
    4. Hamstring - Survivors can't crouch for the duration. Doesn't have to be the core mechanic of a killer, but just an addition to throw around for fun wherever it works.

  • Lixadonna
    Lixadonna Unconfirmed, Member Posts: 147

    What I am saying is a string of new Killers. Devs have to make sure new Killer has anti-Pallet in their Kit and do well in Chase.

  • Cadpig
    Cadpig Member Posts: 47
    edited September 1

    The main issue is that Dead by Daylight is a deceptively simple game. There really aren't a lot of dials to turn.

    The funny thing is I used to hate that about this game when it was new. I compared it to Payday 1's excessive drill camping compared to Payday 2's huge expansion in gameplay, and was waiting impatiently for Dead by Daylight's version of Payday 2. I still hope to see it someday, but Dead by Daylight has still surprised me with how much it has managed to squeeze into this very simple gameplay loop.

    Dracula may not be completely original, but playing him has still reinvigorated the game a bit for me.

  • bjorksnas
    bjorksnas Member Posts: 5,465

    They have some merit but those powers wouldn't really fit well. How do you balance blocking off pallets or windows, what about the differences in loop size and loop spread, if they get 1 block then how do they deal with linked loops ect

    Blinding as a power would be hard to balance because it all depends on the skill level, new survivors instantly lose and top end survivors effectively face a killer with no power so you would need to then also balance it across skill levels

    New status effects could work but the main problem is that at the end of the day the killer has to be effective enough to down survivors so making straight forward simple chase powers that can get consistent downs rather than some grandiose design that you have to hope can manage across all levels

  • Twinblades713
    Twinblades713 Member Posts: 8
    edited September 2

    As others have said, the game at its core is extremely simple. That being said, we really aren't going to get any sizzling fresh killer designs until new mechanics (ones I mentioned or anything else) are introduced. Regarding pallets I mentioned not allowing terrain near pallets and windows, but loops could easily be ruined for survivors with it. This is what the PTB would test and figure out.

    I somewhat agree with you on the blinding aspect, but with new designs you have to brainstorm something. At the end of the day, all killers are slight reshades of older killers and will probably continue to be so. I think the important thing (for most people, and at least for now) is that people get to play their favorite killers from lore. I bought Pig and Onryo because those are two of my favorite source material movies. Turns out they're two of the most straightforward and somewhat boring playstyles.

    I've dev'd an indie game before (not using that as a flex, it was a small project with a small audience) but what I did learn is you can't be afraid to try new things, take what works, throw away what doesn't and keep moving - unless your game is deemed nearly flawless already, and I think you'd be hard pressed to get the DBD community to agree on that. I think the game is fantastic, but it has a lot of room for growth which can keep the game exciting for many years if done well. New killers is great, but without new core design concepts being introduced at an appropriate pace, it will start to stagnate. It hasn't yet, and probably won't for a long time but it's always good to keep an eye on the horizon.

  • ExcelSword
    ExcelSword Member Posts: 512

    Mage hand is one of the best designed killer powers in a while. Using it doesn't automatically give Vecna a hit, and survivors that learn to face it can make Vecna's use of Mage Hand go in their favour. The main counter play is to not be greedy with pallets and to throw them down 1 loop earlier, so that Vecna isn't immediately behind you if he throws it up. That is just one thing you can do against Mage Hand. If he still pulls it back up then you get to throw it down on him again.

    Scamper is basically dead as a killer power. The only times it might get you a hit is at super safe tiles that funnel survivors, like the ones outside the basement on the game. If the survivor can move left or right at all after vaulting it is pretty much impossible to hit them with scamper.

  • ChaosWam
    ChaosWam Member Posts: 1,763

    Wouldn't 'cookie cutter' just be all M1 killers, instead of killers who have different ways to use M2 or different strengths/weaknesses around their powers?

  • Devil_hit11
    Devil_hit11 Member Posts: 8,082

    cookie cutter can also be re-using same power on different coat of paint. dracula is kinda of that. in my opinion, dracula is more refined version of all past killers but his poor bat form and wolf form balance makes him weaker. if his number were better, he'd be better version of existing killers due to how refined his gameplay is.