Hook Camping Should Be Nerfed

Hi everyone, I’m a killer main who play’s survivor on occasion to unlock new stories from the archives.


It seems that 30 percent of the time I play survivor, I find killers who camp hooked survivors which just ruins the fun for anyone who plays survivor. This really needs to be addressed in a way that actually motivates killers to stop doing it.


There should be a new status effect where killers can only inflict deep wound status to injured survivors if they have stood within a certain radius of a survivor for 20 seconds or so. This effect would be paused when killers are damaging generators and completely stopped when there are other survivors within the hook radius unless the killer is already affected by the status effect. The effect progress would not be visible to the killer but the effect itself would be visible when it is activated.

Doing something like this would stop killers from camping and decrease the chance of a survivor dying on their first hook and getting frustrated. This would need to be balanced with some other survivor reworks (cough… dead hard), but could potentially make the game more fun for survivors and killers alike.

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Comments

  • Metronix
    Metronix Member Posts: 226

    I'm sorry, I have to agree with @Anoniemoose. No.

    You kinda need to define camping. Protecting your prey on the platter needs to be available. Unhooking would just become a sidetask, that can easily be done. Plus, hooks with a survivor un it would become a safezone for survs. You did not clarify the radius, but imagine a hook right beside a gen... sure let that survivor get to the second stage, we can finish this gen without any danger... So yeah, your idea is not practical for the game.

    Have nice evening/day/morning :)

  • DemonDaddy
    DemonDaddy Member Posts: 4,167

    Few killers can force camping effectively. With a few situational exceptions survivors have the chance to counter this with coordination alone; 2nd chance perks like bt aren't even needed but do additionally contribute to the odds of success.

    For all those complaining that they don't get a chance to play, your control of the situation ends when you fail to avoid the down. Dying on hook from a camp or tunnel is a result of your failed chases and then the team's for not making the attempt to overcome the opposition.

  • TotemSeeker91
    TotemSeeker91 Member Posts: 2,358

    Tried this kinda thing already, survivors abused it, so survivors don't get to have hook techs

  • Leatherface1990
    Leatherface1990 Member Posts: 718

    I agree this is how anyone can win as a killer every game down 1 and do this.

  • Leatherface1990
    Leatherface1990 Member Posts: 718

    Lethal Pursuer+Iron Grasp+Agitation+NOED. Get 1 survivor down drag to the basement. Body Block entrance. 4K. The game is busted.

  • MB666
    MB666 Member Posts: 968
    edited June 2022

    yes for sure BUT...... you have to either fix bad map design or fix gen speeds first to start punishing hook camping cause high MMR without camping is almost imposible to win. (I hate this playstyle but there no other way to win against people that know how to connect tiles on maps and making chases taking a looooong time)


    you know getting 5 safe tiles and not being able to down a single survivor plus gens getting done in about 30 seconds at the start of the match isnt fair too. (if you dont do something with gens or map design first ...them many killer will probably leave if you punish camping with how BS are the maps sometimes currently)

  • Leatherface1990
    Leatherface1990 Member Posts: 718

    Constipated game development at its finest = DBD.

  • TheSubstitute
    TheSubstitute Member Posts: 2,479

    That depends. If we're talking about a competitive sport then it is not a good reason.

    If we're talking about broader customer appeal then possibly. If you want a wider customer base than whether it is overall healthy for the game, attracting and retaining players then it is a consideration.

    This is just a video game afterall. When the devs finish their health update we'll see how it goes anyway.

  • Leatherface1990
    Leatherface1990 Member Posts: 718

    fishing in an aquarium takes SKILL

  • Steel_Eyed
    Steel_Eyed Member Posts: 4,033

    Grabbing healthy survivors needs to go. Camping is advantaged because survivors have no protections doing it, so killers who are poor chasers can just stay by the hook and 'chase' the same survivors they cannot catch normally there.

  • WishIcouldmain
    WishIcouldmain Member Posts: 4,082

    They probably will when they change the meta

  • legacycolt
    legacycolt Member Posts: 1,684
    edited June 2022

    But then innocent killers can’t choose their hooks anymore to have a strategic advantage and basement becomes obsolete.

    Idk someone from bhvr has to come up with a genius idea.

  • Cybil
    Cybil Member Posts: 1,163
    edited June 2022

    something is a little sus about the post history of op and the first reply...

  • WishIcouldmain
    WishIcouldmain Member Posts: 4,082

    They did said they’d make base changes after DS and BT changes. Think they’ll be bad changes?

  • DBD_Pinhead
    DBD_Pinhead Member Posts: 763
    edited June 2022

    Killer main? Doubtful. Survs are responsible for their own "fun". You can't nerf a strategy without dismantling core mechanics of the game. That requires more than playing with perks and giving out a useless status effect like Deep Wounds. Nice bait though...

  • Barbarossa2020
    Barbarossa2020 Member Posts: 1,369

    Well if your only appeal is to have easy mode for survs then enjoy your 4 v generator simulator.

    Not every survivor can be saved.

    The game is about simple pressure, if a killer doesn't get a hook before 2 gens are done then camping really only becomes the viable option unless you have some end game build.

    For a killer behind there is very few options to create pressure, kicking gens is meaningless, chases can be endless with d.h so why not use bait and go fishing, at the least you'll get 1 kill. Most of the times you get another or potentially 4.

    There are plenty of things i don't find "fun" in dbd but i understand that that is how tactics work.

  • Deathstroke
    Deathstroke Member Posts: 3,507

    That's needs nerf too maybe gen speed should 90-100s doing alone at the start of the match. But after killer would get first hook then normal speed back.

  • ad19970
    ad19970 Member Posts: 6,375

    Of course it is. As a dev you want to make sure both sides are as unfun as possible. Having a strategy that is incredibly unfun to go against and takes 0 effort shouldn't be one of the most viable strategies in the game. Not even close. It should be incredibly weak. That's just obvious game design.

    If there is a strategy that the vast majority of players dislike, something should be done about it.

    Not to mention that camping in particular hurts solo survivors more than swf.

  • Tsulan
    Tsulan Member Posts: 15,095

    Body block what entrance? The 2 doors? The wide stairs?

  • Jejune
    Jejune Member Posts: 795

    Killer shouldnt be able to interact with unhooked person for like a minute or until they do any progress in the game. Its a simple fix that would stop tunneling, but killers could camp to down unhooker.

  • bloodmoneylove
    bloodmoneylove Member Posts: 12

    No

    In end game where everyone refuses to leave but stay to troll camping comes in play killer will most likely camp toxic survivors good survivors and weak survivors just do gens nerfing camping won't work cause they will just pull u off the save and rehook u It won't change nothing the only thing killers will lose is points if we are too close to the hook but I don't care about the rank anymore so all strategies apply.

  • TheSubstitute
    TheSubstitute Member Posts: 2,479

    I'm not a survivor main so it'll be kind of hard for me to do 4 v generator. I work in business and I'm pointing out that, if a tactic loses more customers than it gains, then from a business perspective it makes sense to change it.

    Will the devs consider that? No idea but people can't exactly say that DbD is losing its playerbase and then say the devs can't do things to entice people in. No idea how changing camping would affect it. This is just a video game, however, not a sport that has to be kept pure and, to keep things in perspective, it's an outlet for entertainment value and nothing more.

  • Jejune
    Jejune Member Posts: 795

    I dont understand how. They would be like a ghost to the killer and survivor wouldnt be able to do anything even bodyblock until they touched a gen, totem, doors, heal etc. You would still be able to down person who unhooked. Also how does map size affect any of it. Also for sake of arguement lets say they did make all maps smaller you realize that you would have pallets everywhere those pallets would have to be strong every totem would be visible because of lack of space on the map, etc.

  • TheSubstitute
    TheSubstitute Member Posts: 2,479

    It is highly subjective. That's why I said maybe. I have no idea myself if the devs would change aspects of base game mechanics to compensate for it or, at least, I hope they would but it is just a video game. In my opinion, face camping is unhealthy for the game, proxy camping is unavoidable no matter what unless the hook mechanic is reworked and, factually, I have no access to the data so I can't say whether any changes would increase or decrease the player base.

    My point was, though, that fun is definitely a consideration in whether or not something should happen in a video game. DbD isn't a spectator sport nor is there any large market for it as an esport. Video games succeed or fail on the basis of whether or not they're fun enough to attract enough players.

  • ThiccBudhha
    ThiccBudhha Member Posts: 6,987

    Okay, so what you want to do is pick any killer besides Leatherface, right? And face camp yourself. You will learn the counterplay REAL fast. Heck, you probably would as Leatherface too, but there is a percentage of survivors intelligent enough to not even try which is why I recommend going for literally any other killer so that you learn faster.

  • Bennett_They1Them
    Bennett_They1Them Member Posts: 2,513

    I don't know, that could act as infinite health for survivors who loop decently near the hook.

    I think basekit bt that deactivates if you take a hit for someone would be better.

  • TheSubstitute
    TheSubstitute Member Posts: 2,479
    edited June 2022

    I'm not a dev, have no data on it, and am not employed by BHVR so no idea. If you're looking for a general approach it would be does changing it have a positive effect on the player base. I honestly think you're reading way more into my comment than what I said.

    A poster said that fun should not be a consideration; I said it is definitely something that could be considered but I have no idea what BHVR would do but it could be, and I'm not saying I know whether it is or not, but it could possibly be a consideration. That's it.

    If any specifics are to be found that would have to come from BHVR.

  • Jejune
    Jejune Member Posts: 795

    But as I said, making map smaller doesnt balance it. You would have to make loops and pallets stronger. You would have hooks 2 seconds away, making wiggling completely pointless. It would 100% make gen rushing more prevalent. You would have to nerf and buff alot of perks to fit the new map realities.

    Back to my question how does map size affect the killer who wouldnt be able to even sniff the unhooked survivor. You could make the map 1 by 1 meter long and the killer would have to stand there and do nothing for a minute so that he could finally down him the survivor. You could say that without it (1min immunity) they would just tunnel and camp the other person but the game will still end before that happens especially if the survivor got BT effect and DS. So instead they could know that they cant do anything to the person that was unhooked, instead focus on either the person who unhooked or stop the other 2 surivors doing gens.

  • Kaitsja
    Kaitsja Member Posts: 1,833

    Camping is a valid tactic for pressuring survivors when used correctly. I think the best solution would be that healthy survivors can't be grabbed during an unhook. This would encourage killers to force a trade.

  • Thrax
    Thrax Member Posts: 974

    I suppose it depends which side I'm playing and what perks seemed fun to choose.

  • rvzrvzrvz
    rvzrvzrvz Member Posts: 940

    I play a lot more killer but low rank survivor is full of facecampers tbh, it's 1/3 of my games if not more, and since I always play solo very few teammates are able to coordinate and counter it, these games are the worst it's not fun in the slightest when killer just facecamp his very first hook

    I find pyramid heads cages have a cool design, it simply relocate far away if you stay too close for too long.. if all hooks are like that then facecamp isn't a thing anymore, or possibly only the first hook could relocate not the second ? Idk but just to avoid that first hook facecamp, very frustrating

  • pseudechis
    pseudechis Member Posts: 3,904

    I think this is something people don't realize about the survivor role that loss of license is part of survivor game play, its why you have a team.

    This is another thing people don't realize about the game, their version of fun isn't the universal definition of fun. "I personally don't find it fun" isn't enough of a reason to change something for everyone.

  • danielmaster87
    danielmaster87 Member Posts: 9,292

    Not yet.

  • Hilidaris
    Hilidaris Member Posts: 164

    Wonderfull idea, So I can get body blocked by someone not only for 12 seconds but for a whole minute !

    Unless you want the unhooked survivor to become a ghost of somekind that materialize back only when interacting with anything ?

  • pseudechis
    pseudechis Member Posts: 3,904

    This is always the way it goes.

    Camping/Tunneling topics are typically about punishing the killer player for doing it or buffing the survivor through the roof giving virtual in game immunity to them.

    Usually because the posts are highly emotional "I hate camping waah!" rather than rational objective suggestions about gameplay.

    Yeah I don't have a solution to it either because everything I can think of is easily exploitable by the other side. I also think it doesn't really need a solution because its not really a problem.

    People could make the argument that camping is unbalanced, but if there is an unbalanced game element then I'd rather it fell in the killer's favour than the survivors because at least that's thematically appropriate for the game.

    Big bad killer monster doesn't play fair, that sounds like Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Freddy Kruger ect ect.

    (before any dumblocks chime in with the typical "you're just a biased killer main" BS, I ask you... would you watch a scary movie where the big bad monster wasn't even threatening or scary and was fair and thoughtful?

    Incompetent villains and incorruptible heroes whom always win dull zero stakes adventures are the realm of marvel movies, plenty of superhero games out there leave DBD for the horror fans.

  • Arkmenhah
    Arkmenhah Member Posts: 68

    Short answer is no. Long answer has many things behind it. Killers can have their "favorite hook", which is a hook that spawns right in the middle of a strong trigen, or right into a critical choke point of the map. Camping these kinds of hooks is an extremely good decision, as you can have absolute control of that area, forcing survivors to take more risky choices. In a lot of matches, especially in bigger maps, the killer's information perks will let him know where the other survivors are. And will let them know if walking down to flush them out of the gen they're working is doable, or if they'll just see the gen complete halfway. If the killer decides to try and stop the gen and loses it, they also give a risk-free unhook to the survivor team. So in these situations where you physically is unable to protect a gen, might as well protect something, which is the hook. And some killers, most notably Hag, Trapper and Demogorgon, are EXTREMELY territorial killers, and excel at defending their turf, which includes the "favorite hook". After all gens are done, the killer has literally nowhere else to go, so standing by the hook camping it is most of the times their only option, same can be said on endgame collapse.

    Nerfing hook camping isn't any solution, it will only destroy some killer concepts without anything in return. Killers shouldn't be forced to leave a hook because they'll be punished by the game for staying, they should WANT to leave the hook by having a good reward in their grasp. Same can be said about tunnelling down a survivor, the reward for doing so early on is too high, and decides the whole match, but perks like No Way Out and Barbecue give different rewards for killers who don't tunnel.

    Now, there's the "noob hook facecamp". You got targeted by this, I got targeted by this, everyone got targeted by it. On your casual match, Mr. Leatherface downs a survivor with his chainsaw, then carries them to a hook. Then they just stand there looking his food dead in the eye, because he knows survivors cannot do anything about it. Mr. Leatherface will most likely lose the match, by getting a single kill, maybe a second if the winds are in their favor. Mr. Leatherface will be happy anyways, because they aren't hungry anymore, and they killed someone, YAAAAY. This is a problem on the game, and it has a very simple counter, but it is extremely boring, which is doing gens as fast as humanly possible, opening the gates and leaving before Mr. Leatherface makes their way to another survivor. Should BHVR ever want to deal with that, and honestly, they sould want to, they'll need to break Leatherface's legs and rework his chainsaw. But we already have another chainsaw killer, it would be hard to do something different that isn't already what's going on.

    The solution to your problem is very complex. BHVR needs to find a way to reward the killer that leaves their hook with something that rivals the sheer pressure behind rubber-banding, hook stages, and premature removal of a survivor, and that at the same time doesn't break the game. And the existance of perks like Borrowed Time and Decisive Strike makes camping even stronger, since they cannot be activated if unhooks don't happen, it is a direct counter to 2 of the strongest survivor perks in the game.

  • Arkmenhah
    Arkmenhah Member Posts: 68

    Same can be said about Dead Hard, there isn't any skill involved in pressing E towards a strong tile when being chases, the skill shows up once the survivor is in said tile, where they can win mindgames. Unless of course, the tile is connected to another strong tile (Very commonly seen in MacMillian maps), then it becomes a situation where a killer can't do anything but drop chase and try to get a surprise hit later. We can also say there's no skill behind Borrowed Time, you don't need to plan your unhook, you can just run in healthy, tank the first hit, hope there's no Save the Best for Last being stacked, unhook, and have your skin saved by the guy you just unhooked, who's taking your second hit for you. There's also 0 skill involved in jumping right into the killer's arms just to Decisive Strike them. There's DEFINITEDLY no skill involved into bringing a Brand New Part and rushing a gen 40 seconds into the match. What takes and doesn't take any skill is completely relative to how much it is being abused.

  • Alphasoul05
    Alphasoul05 Member Posts: 601
    edited June 2022

    If, for example, two survivors are injured and choose to slam a gen out before healing so one of them can save, then I should not be punished for turning and sitting at the hook to guarantee that survivor goes struggle. If you are going to play greedy then I should have the ability to punish you for it.

    A lot of people don't want to fix the problem they just want to punish the killer and make saving someone free, and that I just really don't think is a good, or healthy, idea. In fact, a lot of people who suggest fixes are basically all about giving one survivor who is hooked completely and totally immunity from the killer and being able to just be freely saved. Okay, why even have people be hooked or saved at all then? Why not have them be randomly teleported like Pyramid Head's ability, and then they break out of the cage all by themselves 60 seconds later?

    Somehow I get the feeling making a change that's going to upset people who play fairly and people who play "unfairly" isn't going to go over too well.