How I’d Fix DBD’s core problems: SWF v. Solo, Lack of Time for Killer, Tunneling/Camping

TLDR: 

1. SWF vs. Solo -- Give survivors an Aura Reveal Button; Show survivors' perk loadouts when a match is loading
2. Lack of Time for Killer -- Rework the BLOODLUST mechanic to reward good killers
3. Tunneling/Camping -- Give survivors a new status effect -- DETERMINED

I apologize for the long read, but I think it’s worth it as after playing the game for over 1,000 hours over the past three years and being both a Rank 1 Killer and Rank 1 Survivor at times, I think I have a good grasp on what’s fundamentally wrong with the game and what can be done about it. By the way, I love the game; it’s the most tense multiplayer game I’ve ever played. I just wish the frustrating parts could be fixed without removing the core gameplay. I think my ideas would do that.

1. SWF vs. Solo

A. Add a REVEAL AURA button for survivors. On the PS4 controller, two D-Pad buttons aren’t used. Now one of these would be a REVEAL AURA to other survivor’s button for X amount of time and emit a noise that can be heard at X distance. The sound would add a little risk to using the button. There could also be a cooldown if needed although SWFs don’t have cooldowns on comms so I’d be against it.

For example, Press left on the D-Pad to REVEAL (your) AURA to your teammates for 5 seconds, during the 5 seconds the sound of the aura reveal can be heard at a distance of 8 meters.

Justification: The amount of information that can be given with comms is too great to replicate it without comms. The only way to bring SWF vs. Solo closer is to give a feature that is even better than comms. The only feature that I know of that does that is auras as they give exact locations, where comms only give general locations. 

• But the survival rate of SWFs isn’t that much better than Solos?

-- If true, likely only the result of SWFs screwing around

-- Most people don’t like playing a game handicapped

-- Similarly, most people don’t like losing while knowing that if they were playing SWF, they simply could have told the other player, you get the save, I’ll do the gen, and would have won as a result

• But an Aura Reveal button would make the game less scary and is a departure from the original design?

-- That’s true; however, the game’s been out many years now and most people don’t find it that scary anymore. Also, the game’s original design as 4 scared survivors all alone against a killer is no longer the case. Survivors are bold and try to run killers more than hide from them, and SWF exists. Plus, the game will still be suspenseful even if survivors know where the other survivors are.

B. Allow survivors to see the perk and item loadouts for each survivor when a match is loading.

I understand the reason for not allowing survivors to see their teammates’ perks and items while in the lobby. This would increase lobby dodging as certain survivors wouldn’t want to play with teammates using certain perks. 

But once everything has been locked and the match is loading, survivors should be able to see what the other survivors are running, allowing them to adjust their strategies accordingly. It’s not fair and is poor game design that solos have no idea what their teammates are running while SWFs know everything.

1. Fixing Lack of Time for Killer 

The current Bloodlust mechanic will be reworked and will no longer be based on chase time, instead it will be based on hooking new survivors.

There will now be 5 levels for the BLOODLUST bar.

BLOODLUST BAR → Level -2 = 5 pct decreased movement speed / Level -1 = 2.5 pct decreased movement speed / Level 0 = 0 pct (The level at the start of the game) / Level 1 = 2.5 pct increased movement speed / Level 2 = 5 pct increased movement speed

As killer, each time you hook a survivor who is different from the one you previously hooked, you achieve the FRESH MEAT condition. FRESH MEAT increases your BLOODLUST level by 1 for X amount of time and gives you extra BLOODPOINTS.

Each time you hook the same survivor who you previously hooked, you receive the SPOILED MEAT condition. SPOILED MEAT reduces your BLOODLUST three levels.

For example: A Trapper hooks a Claudette. He now has Bloodlust Level 1 and moves at 117.5 percent movement speed for 30 seconds. He then hooks a Dwight. He now has Bloodlust Level 2 and moves at 120 percent movement speed for 30 seconds. 

For example: A Clown hooks a Dwight. He now has Bloodlust Level 1 and moves at 117.5 percent movement speed for 30 seconds. He then hooks the same Dwight. He now has Bloodlust Level -2 and moves at 110 percent movement speed for 30 seconds. 

Justification: This rewards the killer for playing in a non-tunneling way by making the killer faster. This is much more fun for both sides than rewarding non-tunneling killers by increasing gen times. Killers who play aggressively will now be able to get across the map faster thanks to the new Bloodlust and be more dangerous in chases. Killers can still Tunnel a survivor, but they’ll be penalized for doing so, making them less lethal in chases and have less map pressure due to a speed reduction.

1. Fixing Camping and Tunneling 

Survivors now have a new status effect -- DETERMINED

DETERMINED increases the amount of charges each survivor completes per second while working on a Generator. (Basically, a built-in Toolbox for a survivor.) 

DETERMINED is not one set value; instead, it has different levels. The higher the level of the DETERMINED status effect, the quicker a survivor will complete a generator. 

For Example: 

Determined Level 1 = 1.25 charges / Level 2 = 1.5 charges / Level 3 = 2 charges 

The DETERMINED status effect increases in two ways.

1. If a killer is within X meters of a hooked survivor with no unhooked survivor in that same range for X amount of time, then survivors will get either the DETERMINED Level 1 status effect or if they already have the DETERMINED status effect, it will increase one level. 

For Example, If a killer is within 24 meters of a hooked survivor for 10 seconds with no active survivor in that same range, then survivors will get the DETERMINED status effect.

If the killer leaves the 24 meter restriction, the status effect won’t immediately turn off. Instead the number of seconds the killer was within range of the hooked survivor will tick down; once it drops below the threshold, the DETERMINED status effect is removed or reduced by one level.

For example: A killer camps the hook for 20 seconds. Then goes more than 24 meters away from the hooked survivor. If the killer stays more than 24 meters away then after 10 seconds (20 seconds for camping - 10 seconds for not camping), the Determined status effect will be removed or reduced by one level. 

This is to prevent cheesing the system.

2. For each survivor killed, the Level of the Determined status effect goes up one level.

For example: When 0 survivors have been killed, survivors do not have the Determined status effect. If 1 survivor is dead, all 3 alive survivors have Determined Level 1; if 2 survivors are dead, both survivors have Determined Level 2. If 3 survivors are dead, the last survivor has Determined Level 3.

For Example: If 1 survivor is dead and the killer camps the hook of another survivor, then survivors will have DETERMINED Level 2.

Justification: This punishes killers who camp a hook when no survivors are nearby. It doesn’t punish them if they chase a survivor near the hook. It also doesn’t punish killers who camp a final survivor when all Gens have been completed as the Determined status effect will be useless then. 

Lastly, it makes matches less inevitable once 1 survivor is killed as it boosts the ability of other survivors to complete Gens. When a teammate is killed and there are still 3 or 4 gens to go, survivors will still be able to compete and do well, making it less enticing for killers to simply eliminate a survivor as quickly as possible from a match and making a higher percentage of matches funner from beginning to end.

Overall: 

I think this would make Dead By Daylight a much funner and less frustrating experience for both killers and survivors, especially solo survivors. 

The numbers and levels are just estimates and can be tweaked for balance.