http://dbd.game/killswitch
How do i keep new players playing?
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Another good way of teaching newer players would be to play with them in custom games. That way, you can go easier on them, and teach them how to do this and that, without the pressure of a normal public game.
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Yeah i agree with all of this, and I wouldn't try to sell this game to anyone at this point because of how high-context and info-heavy it's become. I always try to advocate for the silent majority of players who are just average and casual and aren't yelling on social media. It's unfortunate that the people doing the talking are mostly the very experienced players, which doesn't help all the others.
When I started playing surv, I quickly got friend requests from fellow console players and I find them a really interesting example of the playerbase that goes unnoticed. I have two groups of friends: decent players I've met through the forum and elsewhere who understand the game and how it works—and play it well—and these PS players who I catch up with every couple months. They are terrible players and the matches are guaranteed loses, but all of them have been playing for years and have thousands of hours. I used to think they were so bold and impressive when I was a baby, and now I'm way better than them while they continue to stay the same. The split in the quality of players is truly astounding and its hard to know how to adjust for that.
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Frustration is often made worse by falling short of expectations. Many times people get put off by the game, its because they're going into it expecting a much more laid back experience than the game has unfortunately become. With matchmaking quality being as poor as it is, it doesn't take new players long to run into the result oriented nature most of the community has with the game, and when paired with the sheer amount of things to learn and exceptions to rules, it becomes extremely daunting quickly.
The most important part of getting someone to stick with the game is onboarding them properly, since the game doesn't do this even remotely adequately. The more they understand, the less they will get frustrated, and the more likely they are to be willing to improve. At this point, its exceedingly difficult to set the right expectations by introducing it as a casual game (even though it still partially is) so make sure they understand what they're committing to. If they're looking for something like Peak or Mario Kart it won't take long for the game to push them away, but if they understand that its closer to a genre like mobas regarding improvement and knowledge involving a shared agency environment (either as or against, depending on role) where commitment reduces those frustrations, they're able to build the temperament this game sometimes requires. Thats not to say these frustrations are never valid (in fact many times they certainly are) but its about having the right mindsets to deal with them as they happen.
As other have mentioned, learning the killers is also a great way to help people learning survivor. As the amount of content in the game can make it feel like homework, "tutoring" is the best way to deliver that info. In depth breakdowns from people like Otz are great, and in particular he often does a great job of explaining how things practically apply as he goes over them, but sometimes people respond better to a personalized approach. If they have complaints about a particular killer, bring them in customs and take turns using said killer and practicing interactions. Have them see how something like the Nurse's blink works from both perspectives, as many killer powers counterplays become more digestible when they see how things like juking back last second during a blink charge throws off placement. Where jukes to dodge hatchets are more predictable and when you can put yourself in spots where she is unable to hit you at all. Those types of skills not only improve how you play against those killers, but it also helps limit frustration when things look different on your screen vs the killers.
Its a frustrating game. Always has been, always will be, and most people's stance on that as a subject usually boils down to how well (or not) their experience is being accommodated to. Sometimes changes make things worse, sometimes they make them better, but its a game that changes constantly regardless of whether or not it evolves. Taking a break for 6 months and not reading patch notes can make you almost as clueless as a new player. The only constants are the things we have control over ourselves, which includes expectations and temperament, so it might honestly be more accurate to say that frustration is the default state due to how inconsistent the game is, with enjoyment being the result of not tripping (or being forced to trip) over it.
TL:DR Help set their expectations, and help them deal with using understanding of the game to cut down on frustration. Forcing things tends to have the opposite effect, so try to be accommodating rather than shielding. And most importantly, don't force them to play if they don't want to, but be willing to help whenever lack of knowledge is a main factor. Past all that, they might just not enjoy the game as opposed to what their idea of the game is.
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Well, they are new. So they need to keep track with all the killer powers and perks.
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Nothing in particular. Many people say that there is a lot to memorize like a dictionary, but that is a mistake. The correct answer is that what you memorize will become as thick as a dictionary. There's not much reason to play a game that's just a single page of paper. There is a possibility if you make it "two cards".
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Unfortunately there aren't many. I've recently come back to the game myself and am having a similar issue. It's just the state of the game.
Playing survivor just sucks, unless you have at least 2-3 players on the team who run an excellent chase, then you are basically screwed. If you are clearly effective at chase then smart killers will clock that and totally ignore you until they have you in a lose/lose position. They'll focus on the easy targets tunneling them out of convenience
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