Techs or exploits? No one really knows.
I know I am not the first and won't be the last to bring this topic to the table, but since the quality of life initiative updates are on the way I think it is an appropriate time to ask the developers once again what constitutes something to be an exploit or a "tech".
A "tech" (or technique) for me is something a player performs to either give themselves an advantage or put their opponent at a disadvantage Sometimes a tech is initially unintended by the developers, but might be added as a feature. An example of a tech that became a feature is survivors facing The Knight can, while being chased by a guard, touch a vault location to force the guard to touch it themselves as well, before continuing to hunt the survivor.
An exploit can be defined in almost the same way, but unlike a tech, it is always unintended-such as a survivor reaching unreachable spots where the killer can never catch them.
I deliberately chose these examples because what players call "techs" is often subjective. Many interactions can be seen as either techs or exploits depending on the individual perspectives. The developers are the only ones who can determine what is truly and exploit or a tech.
The reason I wanted to revisit this topic is the recent changes in the 8.6.0 PTB. On the PTB, Oni "flicks" have been patched, but what turned out to be an undocumented bugfix is actually a bug as confirmed by Mandy in another thread. Unlike my first example, where a tech was intentionally added to the game, Oni flicks introduce a unique problem which is that console players cannot perform them. This blurs the line between exploits and techs even further and raises an important question: if a tech is only accessible to a portion of the playerbase, should it still be considered a tech?
What I'd like to hear your opinions on are:
Can something be an intended feature in the game if a significant portion of the playerbase is unable to even attempt it? Why? How much should balance decisions be influenced by the use of techs/exploits? Is it fair for killers like Oni to be weaker on other platforms simply because? Why?
Comments
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From my experience, whenever you ask the community the difference between a Tech and an Exploit, it typically goes:
Tech ⇒ "Thing I like."
- Sometimes not intended but the community likes it.
- Technique is more of a "positive" term since it presents the thing as more of a "skill-based interaction where the more skilled player comes out on top".
Exploit ⇒ "Thing I dont like."
- Often not intended but portions of the community dislike and/or opinions are split.
- Exploit is more of a "negative" term since it presents things as a "flaw in game design, bug, and/or glitch that is being taken advantage of".
Exploits and Techs can be removed, but I think it is better for the game overall to add them intentionally as a more polished mechanic.
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