DBD's Fatal Flaw
- DBD is fun, so you play a lot.
- If you play a lot, you will get to red ranks.
- Red ranks aren't fun.
- So now you quit.
You WANT people to play a lot. But what's the reward for that? As you rank up, the gameplay options get narrower and less interesting. You get punished for every sub-optimal perk, every sub-optimal play. Because if you run into a sweaty opponent, they will take advantage of it.
It's not that I don't want a challenge. It's that sweaty games take away the fun from the game. I can't learn a new killer because all my games end in 5 minutes. I can't try out new perks. I can't use interesting survivor builds because then I get singled out and tunneled, or I can't help a team mate who is being tunneled.
- Running 2-3 gen regression perks for killer is NOT fun, for either side.
- 4 minute games are NOT fun, for either side.
- A drawn out end game with camping and hook trading is NOT fun, for either side.
- Being punished for using sub-optimal perks is NOT fun, for either side.
- Being punished for every single mistake is NOT fun, for either side.
What is fun then?
Trying out different killers and builds. A bit of unfairness and imbalance is fun! - annoying perks and strategies, yet not designed to end the game faster. Longer games where you're not constantly racing against the clock. Interacting with opponents. Making a mistakes and learning from them without it ending the match.
What's the solution?
Scrap the ranking system, keep the point system. This game is not suited for competitive and it should NOT be balanced. As I said, the unfair stuff on both sides is actually what makes the game fun. A lack of ranks will relax the players and let them focus on getting the most out of every match.
Comments
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As much as I like the idea, what happens when you take away the ranks and new killer players go up against a previously red rank sweat squad SWF who still play as if they're holding onto their rank 1 badges, because they can't just turn off the need to play well...even knowing they're against someone who doesn't know a thing about the game, the killer would get bullied even then.
And the same goes for the other way around. A bunch of new solo players or even a casual friend group going up against some sweaty old red rank killer who still has it built into their brain that they need to play optimally and win no matter what...you can't switch off the need/want to mindgame even the worst of players.
This game needs some kind of matchmaking and MMR is on its way, not saying it'll be fantastic...but an unranked DBD would not be a happy one. You can't mix casual and competitive players in one pool.
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I wish there were a choice at the beginning of the game between "casual" and "competitive".
That said, I wish that human beings could be trusted not to abuse the choice between "casual" and "competitive".
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This kind of stuff still happens when players come back after a long break and are pushed back down ranks. Or when the matchmaking system fails. Yet the result of the rank system is eventually 80% of your games become sweatfests.
I agree that being punished for mistakes IS the price of being at the top. However, I don't want to be at the top. I get pushed into red ranks very quickly. But then I have no joy in the highly competitive games. Especially when I want to play one of my weaker killers. As I said, the choices and gameplay variation gets narrower and less interesting. I would say the majority of the player base feels the same.
Of course there is the competitive community of players like Otz, etc. I want to point out that Otz is also a speedrunner who doesn't mind doing the same thing 100 times. However, me and most players don't find that fun. It's simply not good use of limited leisure time.
This is exactly why so many people go through phases - quitting and coming back months later, or never coming back at all. Overall it hurts the game.
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This is why we need a working MMR system.
We need a valid matchmaking system, because there's nothing fun about a newbie killer going against a team of veteran survivors, or vice versa.
Ranks don't accurately measure skill, only loosely related to play time, and they cap out way too early.
No matchmaking system is every going to be perfect. You're not always going to be going against Stridor Spirits or Seal Team Survivor because you're currently rank 1, but we need something more accurate than ranks, and that's MMR.
Just as the current system pulls in players from within 6 ranks if it fails to keep it within your colour, and then goes looking outside of those 6 ranks after that, any MMR system will also have contingencies to widen the net if it can't find players within your MMR bracket. The difference will be the MMR brackets will mean a lot more than ranks. A red rank could be a elite expert or a potato, but an MMR bracket will be a more accurate skill bracket.
Post edited by Seraphor on2 -
Yet another evening of silent bell wraiths, nurses and SWFs.
I can't get out of red ranks and I get absolutely no joy out of playing in red ranks.
The devs have hit gold but don't seem to realize what draws players in and why they stay. I never gave a damn about ranks and optimal builds. I still don't. There's tons of competitive games where you repeat the same thing over and over. If I wanted that, then I'd be playing those games.
I'm finished with this game for good. I'm done supporting it.
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That's why a lot of players derank so they can continue enjoying the game they paid for.
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