The hook struggle input is incredibly ableist

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I am someone with ADHD. For brief moments I can lose focus, especially when doing something monotonous like spamming the space bar. So often I die to this and its not fair at all. People with mental health, or physical issues in their arms and hands cannot play this game as we cannot struggle on the hook.

I love this game but I die so often when I shouldnt because of my disability, and theres other players who cant play at all.

Why have the DBD devs never thought about this and addressed it, why has noone ever thought that lots of people would struggle with it.

What even is the point in the mechanic except to make disabled people suffer from it, as its only a question of, can you spam space bar for a long period of time without stopping?

Please devs, support the tonne of disabled people who play or want to play the game. If theres no change then its clear what the studio thinks of disabled players.

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Comments

  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    Idea if the mechanic is really necessary:

    Have a bar that goes down over time. Tapping slowly is enough to keep it from reaching the bottom. If you can spam it for a short period then itll push it up more.

    If the bar reaches the bottom then the person dies early on the hook.

  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    That does not work for everyone. And not all disabilities are the same, some struggle more than others. This isnt an exclusive experience, thats insane to overblow what ive said this way. Its called accomodation and basic empathy.

    Good for you you have a workaround. Not everyone does, so stop being elitist.

  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    Excellent contribution with your blatant ablism. Really added to the discussion.

  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    It shows how F'ed society is when people can complain a lot about every aspect of the game as long as you dont have a disability, because that suddenly becomes about 'Special' treatment when you want EQUAL treatment.

  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    Also what movie requires button spamming for a minute with no pause?

  • terumisan
    terumisan Member Posts: 1,293
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    You might as well go play cod since the devs don't have any immediate plans for it


  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    You must be confused about the purpose of this forum, for giving feedback so they make plans... i guess you're the wolf in the memes situation.

  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    That is better than what i put. Thank you for supporting my feedback. I really hope the developers listen but I'm happy to push this further if needed to get this recognised and resolved. Its tiring to have to fight past ableist and elitist voices over what is a big improvement for us and a nothing change for the priviledged.

  • terumisan
    terumisan Member Posts: 1,293
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    They said in a recent dev stream that it was on their list of things to do just not a priority just letting you know


  • Leemus
    Leemus Member Posts: 0
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    it's important for these issues to be addressed and talked about because education is important! we live in an age of burgeoning technological advances and more and more people playing videogames so it's more important than ever that games don't get left behind in terms of accessibility! a more accessible game is a more played game!

  • FFirebrandd
    FFirebrandd Member Posts: 2,445
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    Firstly... you are in fact indirectly defending it because that's the only mechanic getting discussed for changes in this thread. If you didn't want to defend it... you shouldn't have posted what you did in this specific thread.

    Secondly... sure there are too many disabilities to build every game around every single one. However building games around as many disabilities as possible without compromising the core mechanics is in fact a GOOD thing. The colorblind options that are coming are a good thing. Changing the struggle mechanics would be a good thing. Why wouldn't you want gaming to be accessible to as many people as possible?

  • hagling
    hagling Member Posts: 279
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    i remember the devs discussing shifting the struggle phase to pyramid head's cage skill checks way back when his chapter released, then nothing really came of it. seems like that happens way too often with BHVR, they discuss a good idea to tease the community, then we wait forever while they continue implementing features nobody asked for, wanted, or ends up liking.

    they're a mess. i hope they start prioritizing accessibility options too.

  • SOMENINJANAME
    SOMENINJANAME Member Posts: 294
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    I agree that it is unfortunate for anyone who has a disability to not perform as well as they would like. However, if we start there, where does it end? Life discriminates, just on a scientific basis.

  • JediWithASniper
    JediWithASniper Member Posts: 670
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    The hook struggle is as core as any other mechanic in the game. What is being discussed here is changing a game mechanic in order for someone with a disability to be able to play it. I am not in favor of that regardless of the disability. Color blindness does not change mechanics, just colors. They are not even remotely the same.

    A game mechanic should rise or fall on its own merits, not because some group wants access. That’s a ridiculous reason to change a game mechanic. The moment you start making a, “press x instead of tap x” type of setup, the game is no longer an equal playing field.

    The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.

  • nerfdbd
    nerfdbd Member Posts: 2
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    yes but ######### the game isnt gonna make special treament for ppl that are disabled if you cant play the game because of your disablitites than go play abc mouse or something clearly the game isnt for you and no way will the devs decide wow lets change the struggle phase for this 1 person look at colorblind mode and how long they procasinated that even though thats 10000000000 times more important that your struggle phase pamdemic

  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    People with no argument always have to jump to extremes to try and counter valid points.

  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    The people complaining and the devs should explain to people like Puppers why they cant keep playing the game they love with disabilities that worsen over time. That a few people with ignorant and selfish viewpoints cried victim over the idea of changing a minor and commonly annoying mechanic because it doesnt cater to them.

    I hope i play with you guys so you can experience players dieing unfairly on the hook leaving you unable to win as a survivor.

    Or maybe youre killer mains looking for easier games.

  • JediWithASniper
    JediWithASniper Member Posts: 670
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    People who don’t know what a slippery slope is engage in foolish actions that end in disaster. There are thousands of games that cater to disabilities. Most games do not need to and shouldn’t.

  • FFirebrandd
    FFirebrandd Member Posts: 2,445
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    You're just flat out wrong then.

    Nothing about the 2nd stage struggle mechanics are core to the game. Not even close.

    As Survivor, the core things you do are repair gens, rescue people, heal, sometimes cleanse totems, and loop the killer via pallets and windows. If any of those change as far as how they work... the game could end up being incredibly different. Maybe for the better, maybe for the worse... but different. However be honest, how much different is it to have your 2nd hook state be in a PH cage? That can already happen right now in the live game. There's a small amount of difference. However if they changed that over today... does it have the potential to completely change the flow and feel of the game? No. It absolutely does not.

    The struggle mechanic IS NOT core. It just isn't. As such, I have exactly zero qualms about changing it to be more inclusive, because changing it simply will not change the overall gameplay experience

    Besides, it is being looked at by the Devs anyway.

  • FFirebrandd
    FFirebrandd Member Posts: 2,445
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    If you actually knew what a "slippery slope" was, you'd know it was a logical fallacy.

  • JediWithASniper
    JediWithASniper Member Posts: 670
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    You don’t get to say that a game mechanic that has been in the games since the beginning is not a core mechanic.

  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    You dont get a say in what people with disabilities have and need.

    As much as you want to be selfish, you have nothing in this discussion, and you add nothing but straw arguments about slippery slopes. The kind of arguments that blocked lgbt rights for centuries and still do.

  • JediWithASniper
    JediWithASniper Member Posts: 670
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  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    Just look at the lgbt community dealing with slippery slope arguments for centuries about getting rights.

  • FFirebrandd
    FFirebrandd Member Posts: 2,445
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    Who cares if it has been in the game since the beginning?

    There is literally a replacement for it in the game, right this second, and getting that alternate mechanic instead does not change the game in a large way. Beyond that, there are several ways that you can go through a game and never encounter the hook struggle mechanics. Those are just the facts of how DbD is right now.

    Those facts means that that particular mechanic is not core to the game.

  • Fraudette
    Fraudette Member Posts: 84
    edited February 2021
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    I apologize if my previous comment came off as elitist. I certainly wasn't intending it too. However, wishing to make your disability everyone elses problem out of spite, simply because they disagree, is a slap in the face to others who also struggle with disabilities and actively work harder to ensure they can assist the team.

    BHVR, as a company, most likely doesn't care enough to make any changes to gameplay for something such as this. Because in the grand scheme of things, the feature and the people who struggle to it are a smaller minority, far less so than, lets say, colorblind players. And that sucks. It sucks to feel unseen because of a disability, and it sucks to feel like you're victim to an unfair system when it feels as if its working against you. But the chances of them actually addressing this point sometime in the near future are so minute that you're better of working with what you have, thinking outside of the box and attempting to solve the solution on your own, rather than waiting for them to introduce accommodations. You're stronger because of it, and it won't fix the problem, but you'll have found a way around it and you can pass that wisdom onto someone else who may be struggling. And in a game like DBD, where everything is broken, I don't think BHVR are even batting an eye to the struggle mechanic at the moment. They're too busy trying to please the majority, and its been a feature that has received little complaint beyond "this is stupid" for so long that its never really been in the spotlight. I've heard they're working on it, but I have yet to see any actual progress on a change myself.

    It feels like accepting defeat, but not everything is going to come easy. Sometimes, its your responsibility to work around your disability, and a large group cannot always bend to ensure you're accommodated when it comes to luxuries rather than necessities. Not everything is going to cater to us, as much as we'd like it to. You have to work harder than others, and that might seem unfair, but again, you'll be stronger coming out of it, and you'll have gained plenty of respect. :)

    My suggestion for keybinds still stands. If pressing spacebar isn't working out for you, you might find that a different key or action entirely may assist in you keeping your focus for that 60 seconds. Alternatively, equip perks that encourage you to pay attention to your teammates during the hook phase, such as kindred, so that zoning out is more challenging since you'd still be engaging with the group-albeit indirectly.

    If it were up to me, I'd remove the quick-time events entirely and replace them with something else, but until then, we've just got to make do. I hope I don't come off as insensitive, because again, I understand where you're coming from - but these are just my suggestions on how to tackle the issue until we may see it brought into light.

  • JediWithASniper
    JediWithASniper Member Posts: 670
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    Right, and nobody is debating whether the mechanic is good or bad, nor whether it should be changed. What is in debate is whether it should be changed because of someone’s disability, or whether there should be dual mechanics operating simultaneously.

  • FFirebrandd
    FFirebrandd Member Posts: 2,445
    edited February 2021
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    and the answer is obviously yes. If the mechanic can be changed to be more accessible without drastically altering the game, it SHOULD be changed. The 2nd stage struggle mechanic does not drastically alter the game in a particularly large way, so it should be changed.

    The game would lose nothing by changing it and it would be significantly better for some players by changing it.

  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    Your comments are still elitist. You say your fix works for you then ignore that i say that doesnt work for me. You tell people with disabilities to work around the problem like that is possible if keybindings do nothing would you tell someone who cant walk to crawl up the stairs?

    No wonder we have so mamy scummy developers because shills will do anything to defend them. dbd devs do not need you to defend them.

  • Fraudette
    Fraudette Member Posts: 84
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    ... I don't recall defending the devs. If anything, I mentioned the fact they didn't care in a negative light. I also never said my fix "works". It was merely a suggestion to help you, since I saw no one was really offering any alternatives, and those were the things that came to mind first.

    It sounds like you just want to complain, even when offered genuine and well-intentioned advice so that you could keep playing despite not being accommodated, so I'll leave you be then. Sorry that I couldn't help you more.

  • JediWithASniper
    JediWithASniper Member Posts: 670
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    The answer to both issues is no.

    Now if you want to debate whether the mechanic is good or bad for the game, that is a separate issue.

  • FFirebrandd
    FFirebrandd Member Posts: 2,445
    edited February 2021
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    Ok then, defend your position. WHY is the answer no? In the context of a change that would not matter for the majority but be significantly better for the minority... why should that not be changed?

  • Mat_Sella
    Mat_Sella Member Posts: 3,545
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    imagine someone defending a pointless mechanic while simultaneously making themselves look like more and more of a horrible person with every response.

    No reasonable person likes the struggle mechanic. It does not provide anything to the game except strain and annoyance.

    Just to prove a point, my 'D' key literally broke from struggling from the killers grasp. Who the heck wants to break their input buttons for a game mechanic?

  • JediWithASniper
    JediWithASniper Member Posts: 670
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    The defense of the position has already been made, but here it is again.

    #1 You can’t have dual mechanics running at the same time. The reason for this is that you create an unequal playing field. So you can’t have one guy tapping x while the other just has to hold x. That is completely ridiculous as a way to build games.

    #2 You don’t alter game mechanics for disabled groups as the reason why you are altering the mechanic. The reason why is because there are an infinite amount of disabilities, and if you don’t appease them all, then you are discriminating against them. You can’t make decisions like that. You have to make decisions based on the player base, which is not disabled. The moment you start changing mechanics for the disabled group, you are no longer making decisions for the player base. Sorry, but that’s the way it is.

    Finally, I don’t care whether they keep it or get rid of it. But I do care why they do it. The moment they start catering to a minuscule group, that’s when the game gets worse, not better.

  • FFirebrandd
    FFirebrandd Member Posts: 2,445
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    #1: Never said they should do that... even though in this instance they basically have done it.

    #2: Why the heck not? Yes there's an infinite amount of disabilities, but just because you can't include all of them doesn't mean you shouldn't try to include as many as you can. Double that if the methods of including them don't make the game worse for anyone. This isn't an all or nothing thing. Its a case by case thing, and in this particular case there's no reason to keep it the same. Also... disabled players are part of the player base so... your assertion that they wouldn't be making decisions for the player base are just flat out wrong.

    #3: Not if the Devs are careful. It is entirely possible to make the game better for a minority group without compromising the game for the majority. Besides... every time they add a new killer or buff a particular killer, they are also catering to a minority group. Unless you think the majority of players main Clown (for some reason)... that rework was 100% a change for a minority.

  • JediWithASniper
    JediWithASniper Member Posts: 670
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    If you want games that are ridiculously easy, then do it your way.

  • FFirebrandd
    FFirebrandd Member Posts: 2,445
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    What on earth does that have to do with anything we're talking about?

    I specifically said that accessibility should happen as best it can without compromising the game. Take Rock Band for example. There's sometimes long stretches of repetitive button pushing. Its there because that's how a decent chunk of songs are written. "Fixing" that would break the core of the game, so it shouldn't be fixed. For DBD on the other hand... there's no reason DbD needs repetitive button pushing, so it should get fixed.

    If most of the difficulty of a game is coming from some weird, archaic side mechanic that doesn't need to be there, then that is a terribly designed game. Luckily the struggle mechanic isn't where most of the difficulty comes from in this game. Instead it comes from the fact that there's a crazy guy with a machete after you and you need to get out before he kills you.

  • JediWithASniper
    JediWithASniper Member Posts: 670
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    In any sport or competitive game, if you make rules, or design gameplay to include anyone who is not able to compete at the same level, then you get an easier game to play. There is no way to include less skilled players, (not even talking about disabled here) without changing the skill threshold. This is why nurse, spirit, billy, probably soon wraith all get nerfs. They are catering to less skill. Now if you start changing game mechanics for those who can’t hit the right button combos or whatever, the end is that it is easier to play. You lose competition when that is the governing philosophy.

  • FFirebrandd
    FFirebrandd Member Posts: 2,445
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    Well see that's your problem right there.

    You are under the impression that this is a competitive game. It isn't. This game is way too random, too asymmetric, and way too... everything to be anything more than a fun party game. I've seen some of the Tournaments for this game. They've all been either meme fests on purpose or absolute messes.

    If you were after ESports level of competitiveness... well you are just flat out in the wrong game.

  • JediWithASniper
    JediWithASniper Member Posts: 670
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    Ok, whatever. It’s obvious you don’t agree and are just looking for things to disagree on. I play this game because it’s hard, and I don’t like players who want it to be fair and easy. I don’t like when developers lower the skill threshold to include more people. If you want a separate game mode called easy, do whatever you want to that, but standard game modes shouldn’t cater to extremely small pockets of players who can’t keep up regardless of their reasons.

  • Visi
    Visi Member Posts: 48
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    Your posts are so devoid of logic that they are painful to read, and the OP is one of the most entitled people I've ever seen discuss this game.

    "Why the heck not?" You answer that question with the next sentence. A developer cannot conceivably account for every single possible disability. Game development is a business. You have finite resources and time, and that creates problems if you try to "include as many as you can." If you account for X disability, but not Y disability, then the people with Y disability get to ask the very justified question of why their disability wasn't worth the investment that X disability people got. Why was X prioritized over Y? Do you know what would happen then? They'd be called the same names OP is calling them, and it would be just as absurd then as it is now. It's cheap and quick to accommodate extremely common disabilities like colorblindness and hearing impairment, and these can be accommodated for without negatively impacting or changing gameplay for other players. The same can't be said for those who struggle to pay attention for brief periods of time. Feel free to brand me for wrongthink and hurl the ists and isms at me for being a reasonable person.


    With that said... the hook struggle mechanic is boring, pointless, and sometimes flat out doesn't work. I've died before despite mashing my ass off. It should be changed to skillchecks or automated like the first stage, IMO, but it should be changed for the right reasons, and this ain't it.

  • FFirebrandd
    FFirebrandd Member Posts: 2,445
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    I did not in fact answer that question with the next sentence.

    Just because you cannot deal with an entire massive problem does not mean you cannot and should not chip away at it. I get that this is a business and the Devs have a finite amount of resources to put into the game. Here's the thing though, having your game be playable to a wider range of people is good from both a humanitarian point of view and a company point of view. If you can make the game more approachable by changing something in a way that doesn't negatively impact the rest of your player base, why wouldn't you? Outside of Time and Money constraints that is, those do exist and hopefully your player base will be understanding of that. But, those constraints don't change the fact that it is overall a good thing to do as long as it doesn't compromise the game. The players you have with that issue will be better off and you could easily end up with more players by making those changes.

  • Kenthria
    Kenthria Member Posts: 17
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    Entitled isnt a disabled person wanting a pointless minor mechanic changes to improve experiences for disabled people, and everyone as a bonus.

    Entitled is saying something that doesnt cater to you shouldnt exist.

  • EvanSnowWolf
    EvanSnowWolf Member Posts: 1,583
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    It IS equal treatment.


    Everyone uses the SAME mechanics.


    By your logic asking people to use a mouse is ableist against people without fingers.

  • WretchedElk
    WretchedElk Member Posts: 311
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    “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.”

    I can’t remember who said it, but I think it applies here. I’m really hoping it wasn’t Hitler.

  • xenotimebong
    xenotimebong Member Posts: 2,803
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    “I want the devs to change the struggle mechanic, but they should ONLY change it because it annoys me, and not because it makes the game less enjoyable for people with disabilities.”

    Who’s entitled again?