Should Killers be given an FOV slider?

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Jallybwan
Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
edited April 26 in Polls

Hello,

I am here to discuss the concept of an FOV slider for Killers, and possible rework ideas for Shadowborn. I believe that an FOV slider would enhance Killer experience and make the game more fun without becoming unfair, and I am far from the first one to ask for this change. I recall a dev stream in which one of the devs mentioned that they wanted to toy with the base Killer FOV (87 degrees) but were unsure of what to do with Shadowborn.

Here is my reasoning and justification, with bolded text acting as a TL;DR:

  1. Increasing FOV does not give the Killer a huge advantage. I have heard from various people that Killers' FOV should not be increased because it would somehow make them overpowered - but let's be honest, DBD isn't the game of hide and seek that it was in 2016. Increasing FOV would not help Killers chase Survivors, apply pressure, stall gens or even provide that much help in finding a stealthy Survivor. The increased FOV does not change what a Survivor looks like on the screen, so the only difference is when the Survivor is inside the Killer's FOV or outside the killer's FOV - and when the Killer can simply move their mouse to change that anyway, an increased base FOV would not influence that in any significant way.
  2. Some people are unable to play Killer with base FOV. This may be limited to a few specific killers (Nurse and Huntress) or all Killers, but the fact is that some people physically cannot play Killer without Shadowborn or they'll get motion sickness. Tying this back to the first post, I would argue that instead of Shadowborn giving the Killer an advantage, it removes a disadvantage that some players have. Currently, these people have to play with three perks instead of four, which is not fair.
  3. It is not integral to DBD's balance, as some people claim it is. The absolute most significant impact it has on balance is making certain Killers (like Nurse and Huntress) easier to play. Not more powerful. Easier. And the two aforementioned Killers, on whom Shadowborn currently has the most impact, are two of the hardest Killers in the game to begin with. It will not make them easy, only easier. Aside from ease and personal comfort, Shadowborn (and Killer FOV in general) has no effect on the balance of DBD.
  4. It doesn't matter if Shadowborn's rework is good, because Killers gain its effect at base and thus only benefit. Self-explanatory. This is perhaps the only impact that an FOV slider would have in the game - Killers gain an extra perk to toy with. Arguing that this would make Killers overpowered is essentially saying "Killers should never be given new perks."
  5. Any bugs this may cause should be easily fixable. For example, if increasing FOV meant that a Killer could see their own model, you could make the Killer's model (excluding weapon and power) invisible to the Killer. Or, you could set the Killer's model to be further back. If this would cause flashlights to be able to blind you from further back, you could add something that says "the beam has to originate from within a certain angle in front of the eyes to blind the Killer."

And now, in terms of reworking Shadowborn, here are a few ideas I've come up with off the top of my head. As mentioned above in point 4, the quality of this rework is not important.

  1. Make it so that walking survivors leave scratches that disappear more quickly than running scratches.
  2. Make it a combination of Bloodhound and Predator, but nerf the individual bonuses (e.g. scratches and blood both stay for an extra 2 seconds, as opposed to one of the two staying for an extra 4 seconds).
  3. Make it so that you can hear footsteps louder than usual, like Stridor (I know Shadowborn's perk has to do with eyes, but let's be honest, that isn't a huge issue).

Should Killers be given an FOV slider? 100 votes

Killers should be given an FOV slider
34%
MogletmoxHexPhantomMask20763GerppuliPeasantPokerface303MiriamGPluFherthusTheetisSN1P3R5G3TH3ADprinceharlequinJallybwanArashiNoHantaABannedCatBigbootiejudy666[Deleted User]dfrenchieeAvilgusmonka 34 votes
Killers should not be given an FOV slider, but their base FOV should be increased
33%
apathytheclownFallenRanger0JnnsMuJetTheWaffleCatDrBoneSawJplanas98arslaNgrayon444RaptorrotasMert_MKlunaticlifterCyberianFauxdoitagain_musstang62xTudorMrPenguindivonemanam[Deleted User]nickoffordBrexton 33 votes
Killers should not be given an FOV slider, and their base FOV should not be increased
31%
MandyPuggyMohawkFoggyDownpourOnryosTapeRentalsFibijeanSpartagone45TapeKnotshardsSteenGooierAven_Fallenad19970TheRockstarKnightCJsDBDGrootDudekonchokrch614TaigaAhoyWolfCAPTAINAustin6EnderloganYT 31 votes
Base FOV should be 0 degrees
2%
Yung_SlugLonelyBananana 2 votes
Post edited by EQWashu on

Comments

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    I clicked the wrong category when making this, my bad - could a mod please move it to the right board?

  • vossler25
    vossler25 Member Posts: 416
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    Killers should not be given an FOV slider, but their base FOV should be increased

    It should be a new base cause when survivors are close they nearly disappear from screen, #########? As for slider, that can be used to advantage, especially for PC, long range search and chase sight, if looking far away, you lower fov as that also ends up zooming your screen, and if near you up it and you can't lose someone and close combat is too easy, so a new base, up the FOV enough that survivors are still in sight oooooor an idea I think is even better, killers have individual FOV it's stupid that someone like Carter has the same FOV as Frank who has a mask

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    That's fair.

  • Fibijean
    Fibijean Member Posts: 8,342
    edited December 2019
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    Killers should not be given an FOV slider, and their base FOV should not be increased

    While I understand and sympathise with the motion sickness argument, and would love to see a different fix for that if possible, I don't agree with forcing players to play a certain way in games in general on principle, and in the case of DBD I don't agree that stealth should be made even less viable a tactic than it already is just because looping and being aggressive is the meta right now.

    If there were some way to increase the killer's FOV to help with the motion sickness while simultaneously buffing stealth so that it doesn't suffer as a strategy because of the change, I could get on board with that.

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    It doesn't really affect stealth, though. I covered that in my reasoning.

  • Fibijean
    Fibijean Member Posts: 8,342
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    Killers should not be given an FOV slider, and their base FOV should not be increased

    I read your reasoning. I think it will affect stealth more than you realise.

    As you stated yourself, "the only difference is when the Survivor is inside the Killer's FOV or outside the killer's FOV" - and that is a key aspect of stealth gameplay. A good stealth survivor knows when they are inside the killer's FOV and is able to use that to their advantage, a skill which would be completely negated by the introduction of an FOV slider. Yes, the killer can "simply move their mouse to change that" but by that logic, we should just give the killer 360 vision at all times and be done with it.

  • ABannedCat
    ABannedCat Member Posts: 2,529
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    If survivos need a near enough blind player to stealth effectively, then they are just bad at hiding. Get good, survivors.

  • rhodamia
    rhodamia Member Posts: 275
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    Killers should not be given an FOV slider, and their base FOV should not be increased

    As this is all opinion, I hope you take no offense. But I believe more vision is a buff (even a slight one). Since it takes you from a disadvantage to normal, the majority of players will take it from normal to advantage. If that makes any sense. And in an effort to keep things balanced for the majority. I see the change as unfair. (And don't get me wrong, I'm all for killer buffs. If they called it a buff I'd be fine with it. But call it what it is). Again. My opinion. I hope you find a way to enjoy the game without motion sickness in the future! Good luck friend.

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    Then, if not an FOV slider, would an increase in base FOV be acceptable (say, to 100 degrees)? The survivors who are truly dedicated to stealth would get used to Killers being able to see more.

    As for "let's just give the Killer 360 degree vision", I should've clarified that the FOV slider would remain within reason (perhaps 120 degrees at the absolute max, if not less).

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
    edited December 2019
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    Obviously, being able to see more is an advantage. I'm arguing that the advantage is extremely slight and would have little to no impact on gameplay, even when talking about stealth.

    You've stated that you "see the change as unfair", but "if they called it a buff I'd be fine with it." Do you mean that calling the change anything other than a buff is unfair?

    If you do think more FOV is unfair, why is that? I have seen many people insist that an FOV of exactly 87 degrees is integral to DBD's balance, but I have yet to see any argument that proves it's something that would radically affect the game. For example, would you consider Shadowborn to be overpowered? If not, I do not see how increasing the base FOV without the use of Shadowborn would be overpowered either.

    I am personally not one of the people who gets motion sickness without Shadowborn, but one of my favourite Twitch streamers - an extremely skilled Huntress by the name of Umbra - is. She has put thousands of hours into Huntress, being one of if not the best Huntresses out there, and yet she is limited to essentially having three perks due to motion sickness. This is out of her control.

    As for a survivor's perspective - I am a Killer main, so I realize that I must ask someone on the other side for their view - I have asked Twitch streamer and YouTuber Ussylis for his opinion on Killer FOV. He has expressed full support for an increase to base FOV for Killers. Similarly to Umbra, Ussylis is among the best survivor mains out there - personally, aside from Fungoose, he is the best I know - and I believe that if he is okay with it, it would not cause a serious lack of balance.

    Thank you for being respectful! I appreciate the discussion. ^-^

  • Fibijean
    Fibijean Member Posts: 8,342
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    Killers should not be given an FOV slider, and their base FOV should not be increased

    I wouldn't have a problem with a base FOV increase mainly for the sake of those who have actual health problems playing with the current setup, as long as stealth gets buffed in other ways to compensate for the change. It's already not the most powerful strategy, I just don't want to see it get devalued even further.

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    I still disagree that stealth would be impacted very much, if at all. I do stand by my "the Killer can just move their mouse to capture a Survivor on the screen" argument - I understand the "well let's just give Killer 360 degree vision" counter-argument, but I think that within reason it would have zero or very little effect on stealth.

    That being said, I agree stealth does need a buff - specifically, stealth should be easier to be productive with. Right now, it can be quite challenging to be stealthy without being useless (immersed), and I think that needs a change. Killers do have adequate means to find a survivor, if not through their base kits then by perks like Whispers, Thrilling Tremors, Infectious Fright and BBQ (although BBQ has plenty of counters that render it useless against someone who is aware of how to avoid it). This is coming from me, and I absolutely suck at tracking, even with Whispers :P

  • Fibijean
    Fibijean Member Posts: 8,342
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    Killers should not be given an FOV slider, and their base FOV should not be increased

    I feel quite strongly about it as a stealth-focused survivor, but I'm happy to agree to cordially disagree on that particular point. I think this last comment in general is a good middle ground to settle on 😊

  • SilentSpectre
    SilentSpectre Member Posts: 830
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    Killers should not be given an FOV slider, and their base FOV should not be increased

    FOV is everything in this game -- that's why shadowborn is and always has been an S tier perk.

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    Could you explain how Shadowborn is S tier, and why FOV is everything in this game?

  • Yung_Slug
    Yung_Slug Member Posts: 2,238
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    Base FOV should be 0 degrees

    Would flashlights and stalking also be changed?

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    I see no reason why. Stalking falls under the "Killer can just move their mouse" argument, in my eyes.

    Nice vote, btw.

  • Yung_Slug
    Yung_Slug Member Posts: 2,238
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  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    Removing FOV entirely would make Killer take actual skill Kappa

  • Yung_Slug
    Yung_Slug Member Posts: 2,238
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    Base FOV should be 0 degrees

    Just listen to sounds. Spirits do it all the time and they're top tier. Vision clearly isn't necessary.

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    Please do explain.

  • lunaticlifter
    lunaticlifter Member Posts: 426
    edited December 2019
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    Killers should not be given an FOV slider, but their base FOV should be increased

    Lmao people seriously think that Shadowborn counters stealth... there's no shadowborn who makes you see blendette in yamaoka or macmillan... i support the change, cause just the other day i decided to use shadowborn on all killers, or at least the ones who require mechanical skills, it helps when survivors get closed(backrev, back hatchets, blink etc.) and for the quality of life.. i also play on console, so when the fps drops with the slow camera it helps so much, both in gameplay and motion sickness... please devs think about this change @Peanits

  • TheRockstarKnight
    TheRockstarKnight Member Posts: 2,171
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    Killers should not be given an FOV slider, and their base FOV should not be increased

    [BAD WORD], I clicked the wrong one.

    I want the base FOV increased, but no slider.

    The limited FOV is only a hindrance and those who don't increase it will be less capable then their peers that do the same.

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    I see 17 votes for not increasing the base FOV, and yet only three people - one of whom has presented an argument with no backing - has given a reason why. What is so horrifically bad about increasing the base FOV?

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    Ahhh, unlucky. You should be able to change your answer after you've voted, tbh.

  • TheRockstarKnight
    TheRockstarKnight Member Posts: 2,171
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    Killers should not be given an FOV slider, and their base FOV should not be increased

    Agreed.

    I'll need to be more careful next time. :/

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    Well now the majority of votes is "Killers shouldn't have an increase to FOV", but could someone actually explain their point? I've had exactly two people put forward an actual argument, one of whom has stated that they'd be happy with a base FOV increase. What is so horrifying about allowing people with motion sickness to play with 4 perks?

  • Raven014
    Raven014 Member Posts: 4,188
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    I don't know the answer to this. I'm fine with either way, tbh.

    Unless Shadowborn is fundamentally changed, similar with M&A, I don't think they should be just because of those perks being made less useful (or pointless in Shadowborn's case).

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    I mean, some people physically can't play without Shadowborn or they'll get sick. They have to waste a perk slot in order to play. I personally can't play Nurse, Legion, Billy, Demo or Oni without Shadowborn (don't own the latter two but I played on PTB).

  • Raven014
    Raven014 Member Posts: 4,188
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    Well... again, I defer to others since I'm fine with both options. That's all.

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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  • Branrich
    Branrich Member Posts: 25
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    Killers should not be given an FOV slider, but their base FOV should be increased

    I think the devs ought to seriously consider this post by allowing a base fov of at least 100 (slider or not). I would argue that killer players with motion sickness are actually currently locked into 2 perks: shadowborn and corrupt intervention. In Otz’s video on best killer builds more than 80% had CI. The depip squad addressed this speed imbalance as well by destroying high ranking killers running ruin without any perks or their own. And what ended up getting nerfed? Ruin! Part of what makes the game fun is trying to figure out what perks the killer has and adjusting play accordingly. When 2 slots are taken by fov and gen slow it dramatically reduces the diversity and unpredictability of the game. Also I flat out disagree that fov hurts stealth. If anything hopefully the fov helps to nerf the toxic and unfair 360. 1st vs 3rd person is the real advantage not a tiny bit of fov.

  • Rydog
    Rydog Member Posts: 3,275
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    Holy necro

  • Jallybwan
    Jallybwan Member Posts: 472
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    Killers should be given an FOV slider

    I agree with most of this except that 360-ing is toxic or unfair. It's... not. You can still hit them; Shadowborn just makes it easier.

    360-ing was toxic when autoaim was worse than it is today, and you could literally force the killer to miss. Now, if the killer misses, it's usually on them (unless "a i m d r e s s i n g" screws them over)

This discussion has been closed.