Flashlights need a nerf, badly, and I'm tired of the pushback from the community.
I know a lot of other people have made this exact type of post, but I want to make it clear that none of your proposed in-game fixes are really all that helpful.
"Flashlights have a very small radius of effect, it makes them really bad!" Well, the ammount of times i've picked up a survivour or interacted with the in-game world and have someone right there ready to point a flashlight directly in my face says otherwise.
"Only skilled players can use flashlights effectively!" That may be true, but then why in the hell am I being matched up against these people in the first place? I may be a Level 56, but time played in my case does NOT equal skill for me. I still get tossed around daily by survivours that have a pretty damn good insight on what they have to do compared to people who are just trying to learn like I am.
"If you hate flashlights, then use Lightborn!" I would, if it wasn't a damn perk that in order to unlock I have to allocate Bloodpoints to a killer I have no intention of wanting to get good at in the first place.
For me, it all boils down to both the horrid matchmaking as well as the fact that the blinding mechanic is out of my control. If I am going to get blinded, I want it to feel like it was my fault that I got blinded in the first place. For instance, getting blinded for smacking a generator is fine. I don't neccesarily have to smack gens to win, so smacking one and getting blinded for it is fair. However, when I am trying to pick someone up to put on a hook and get blinded because some random survivour just so happened to pop into my field of view ready to blast me with a beam of light straight into my face with no time to react to them, I'm not going to think it's my fault. I'm going to think "Well, that was complete and utter bullcrap, what the hell was I supposed to do there?". The reason for that? I have to, yknow, HOOK PEOPLE TO FRICKIN WIN. In fact, it's so bad that I feel like I have no choice but to abandon a match and suffer a penalty because I don't wanna play with "Ruiner of Casual Gamer's Fun McGee" over there.
Don't friggin tell me to "git gud" either or that I have a "skill issue", that shouldn't be a factor in the first place if flashlights are as bad as you say they are. Either make flashlights harder to use effectively, or give the killer some way to be able to counter flashlight usage on tasks that are MANDATORY for victory.
Oh, and one last thing: My last post had people call me selfish, and I can see why. However, let me remind you that in-universe, the survivours are put into a situation where they have to struggle against a bloodthirsty monster who is exceptionally good at their job. However, playing the game gives you the complete opposite dynamic. Instead of the Killer running circles around the survivours, it's the survivours that are running circles around the killer.
Comments
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Skill issue
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The thing about flashlights is that they have extremely potent counterplay and they're heavily telegraphed because you can see that a survivor is carrying one.
If you can, you can stare at a wall while picking up a survivor you downed and the survivor coming for a save won't be able to get an angle on you to get the blind. If you can't, because there aren't any walls nearby to look at, you can leave the survivor on the ground and quickly take a look around to see if someone's lurking around for the save, and if you chase that person you pressure three total survivors; the one on the ground, the one being chased, and the one who has to stop repairing generators to pick the guy on the ground back up.
Calling this a "skill issue", in this instance, is inaccurate. It's not skill to counter flashlights, it's literally just knowing how to do it, so hopefully this explanation will help. In short: Look at a wall, or delay the pick up to scout for other survivors nearby.
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You don't always put bp into killers you want to play. You put them in just for perks as well.
It is how the game is and always was.
Also, lot of ways to get additional bps compared to years ago. Just play more and you will get lightborn soon enough.
I know locker flashlights are a bother but other than that if there is like two flashlights in your lobby you can counter them without perks by paying attention. You can also use it to your advantage from time to time.
I would only use lightborn if I am playing killer I am not comfortable with and there is like 3 or 4 flashlights in the lobby. Last second switches are possible but you can plan accordingly if you are worried.
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Double locker saves should be removed but that’s it. Flashlights are fine otherwise
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I'll consider all of your advice when I'm less damn salty, but this doesn't change the fact that I feel that not only is this game way too lenient towards survivors in a game where they should have barely any power unless in a group (Which they're usually aren't and yet still wipe the floor with me), but the game is also very unfriendly towards casual players. If the issues I have with survivors being too powerful for their own good on their own aren't fixed, then at least give the Custom Game mode more use outside of playing with friends so I don't have to put up with my level being disproportionate to my actual skill.
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I think flashlights are fine, actually one of the most balanced items in the game. My main issue is just how much Built To Last really extends the duration of usage, especially when it makes other items such as toolboxes and medkits insanely strong by proxy.
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Do the big funny and mass slug to prevent it
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Locker saves in general should be removed
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Exactly, or at least make it so thay that lockers next to doorways and openings like windows should not allow a flashlight save to be made.
Some maps like Dead Dog Saloon have terrible locker spawns in which some of lockers are always guaranteed to be next to a opening for a Survivor to come by and guaranteed a free save.
But, beside that one flaw; I do not think Flashlight need nerfs. I think medkits are stupid broken, especially CoH; when it comes to fast healing speeds
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Flashlights can be countered by looking at a wall. Alternatively, if you're in an open area or you know they have flashbangs/firecrackers which can counter the aforementioned strategy, another option is to go after those other survivors and either chase them off or down them too. Therefore, perks such as Infectious Fright are very good for that.
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I like flashlights. I think they are fine, and honestly when multiple survivors in a match bring them, I think it's a good thing. It just means many people will be off gens to be altruistic and I can generally get many hits on all of them before picking them up and face a wall. I feel like they are pretty counterable, you just gotta get in a habbit of checking your surroundings if you know someones brought one, and also facing objects so they can't get an angle.
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Flashlights don't need a nerf. They're easy to counter in most cases, either by perks (lightborn, franklin's demise, infectious fright etc.), by faking a pick up and going after the one that's trying to flashlight save or looking at a wall while picking up.
Sure getting blinded at every pallet or the click click can be annoying but every time someone comes to flashlight save, that's two people that aren't doing gens (the downed person and the one with the flashlight) and if you know someone has a flashlight, just look at a wall or fake the pick up. It's not that hard.
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Like actually
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You should try playing survivor and go for flashlight saves and see how difficult it can be to pull it off on a consistent basis.
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"For me, it all boils down to... the fact that the blinding mechanic is out of my control."
It's quite literally not out of your control, though. I have 3500 hours in this game, it's my main game, and I see a successful flashlight save happen maybe once or twice a week, some weeks not at all. Even my friends who also have 1000s of hours don't pull off a successful save every time they attempt one.
If you see people bring in flashlights, you can bring perks to counter them. If they pick them up in match, then you can still take notice what is in survivor's hands. Even if you don't notice them pick one up, they should only be able to get one good surprise in, before you catch on / counter.
Watching some youtubers play this game will likely help you understand what to do in these situations. If someone is running around trying to get flashlight saves, and you expect this, then don't pick up immediately. You either go injure or down the person with the flashlight, or fake-out the pick up (face one way, then turn to pick up - or pretend to pick up, then spin around and attack). Face walls or obstructions when picking up.
"I'm tired of the pushback from the community" seems to me like "I've discussed this before and refuse to take in feedback because my opinion is the only one that counts." There is no consensus for the need to nerf flashlights - they are difficult to use (for pick-up saves), run out of batteries, and aren't in every match.
It's fine to be frustrated and even dislike a mechanic - but that does not mean that it should not be in the game. There is counter play available, you just aren't using it or haven't figured it out (yet).
"Either make flashlights harder to use effectively..." - what's your suggestion, then? All I read were complaints.
"Or give the killer some way to be able to counter flashlight usage on tasks that are MANDATORY for victory." Picking someone up off the ground after you down them is not a mandatory action, you can leave them there and still win (or leave them for a bit and come back). It's all just part of decision making in a game like this, applying pressure, being vigilant of your surroundings. Also - there are ways to counter, as people keep repeating. Perks, understanding where other survivors are, facing walls, picking off the flashlight user(s) first, slugging etc. - telling people "don't friggin tell me to "git gud" either or that I have a "skill issue"" doesn't mean that it's not, in fact, a skill issue. [And that's fine! You can improve! If other players don't have this issue, then it means you can get there too. If it bothers you so much it ruins your experience, then play survivor, play something else, or play with the perks that block that action. Best of luck].
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First: I understand your frustration with flashlights. When I was new to killer, I hated a lot of stuff (old insta heal was one of them). Matchmaking back then could be abused by swf, because the game would take the average rank. basically 3 red ranks would invite a rank 20 in their lobby to get ez killers they could bully. Shame on me, I was one of these rank 20s until I noticed what they were doing.
The best way I dealt with the flashlights was (and still is)
1. Look at walls
2. If that doesn't work or if there are none: wait a bit before picking the survivor up. If you hear nothing it should be save. This also works vs pallet saves btw.
3. Invest the BP in Billy or look at the shrine and get light born. In this game you often need to "waste" BP to get what you want.
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Really. Try it from survivor side. I abandoned flashlights because they are so damn hard to execute and have tons of counters.
Try it first from both sides and then complain...
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skill issue
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The only thing flashlights need is angles that make sense. Sometimes you can stare at a wall and they still get a blind.
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just look at a wall
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"get blinded because some random survivour just so happened to pop into my field of view ready to blast me with a beam of light straight into my face with no time to react to them" - That's kinda the part that you seem to have some misconceptions about.
In almost every case it's neither a 'random survivor' that's blinding you, nor did they 'just so happen to pop into your field of view' . The survivor is the one with a flashlight, they intended to flashlight save, they trailed the chase - constantly. Cause the nature of a chase is that it involves the chased and the chaser running around. The surv with the flashlight has to reposition themselves, ideally without being spotted, all the time and hope they guess right about which way you gonna pick up (that is, if you are not facing an object that mkes FL saves impossible anyway).
As for the "with no time to react to them"; you are animation locked during pickup. So you don't act reactively (cause impossible). You act proactively; you anticipate what a survivor with a flashlight would do and act in a way that prevents the save. e.g. facing an object, checking places where survs could get an angle, fake pickung up one way and change your mind the last second etc. pp. The second you know someone is trying to FL save (e.g. because they already did earlier) pick-ups become mindgames (and even downs can be; ideally you want to down a surv where you can make it impossible to get an angle).
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Sorry but it's skill issue. Flaslights are easy to counter just by looking wall when you pick up or even looking other direction works. But best is to search area bit if you know there is one trying save and chase him off. If he continues coming back that's free down usually. Flaslights are mostly annoying if you know what you're doing. If survivor tries to chain blind you at pallet or blind while you carry someone looking up works.
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I'm playing a game casually with a community that treats the game competitively. Hence, why the DC Bans and all this ranking ######### exists. I don't want to be locked in a match where everyone other than me is tryharding, especially in a situation where the people I'm matched up with are SWFs and High-ranks that have no reason to be matched up against someone who has no idea what the hell they need to do mechanically. If Behaviour finally got around to creating solo-play, or even created an entire mode dedicated to casual play, with No DC penalties or rank progression, then maybe I can actually have a more enjoyable time playing this damn game without having to be locked in a match where the game just randomly decided that it would throw something at me that I have no way to properly counter. It would be a win-win for everyone. I will no longer have reason to complain about what the community deems is a good move by the devs and play in a match that is more suited to my tastes, and those who treat the game seriously can continue to play without my potential toxicity getting in the way.
Post edited by EQWashu on0 -
You should try playing solo survivor with flashlights and try to get good at using them. Then you'll have the best understanding of how to counter them and also understand why they're balanced and fine as is.
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Simply quit playing the game. What you want is to be able to ruin the game for the rest of the players because you refuse to actually get better at the game. The DC penalty isn't their because its a ranked game mode, its there because leaving(especially as killer) ruins the game for everyone else in the lobby. You are simply selfish and entitled.
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I understand you, I also don't like the idea that, for example, the DS was nerfed several times even though it's a perk that is only used once, while the flashlight can be used several times, but because they need to be skillful they don't mess with the flashlight, thing I think is unfair
however, you can take advantage of the prestige system and put lightborn in your build, it's the only way for now, at least the killers still have a solution, me playing surv, I wish there was an anti catch perk, which doesn't exist, a perk to know where there are traps on the floor, like the old small game, I'm just tired of the devs only creating gen perks rush, I like to modify my builds for new uses
But the subject here is the flashlight, I think there should be a cooldown between blindness, like if he was blinded, it would take him xx time to be blinded again, a short term idea, but that's what I thought now
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It's not that the community treats it as a competitive game - DbD just is a competitive game. It's the way it's designed, your issue is with the game itself, not the community. If you understand how a game works and what mechanics are involved, and you dislike it, then why are you even launching the game?
"It would be a win-win for everyone." No, not necessarily. Splitting the queue up for a casual mode where D/C'ing is not penalized at all would likely create rage-quitting pandemonium (if you'd been around since early game, you would know exactly what that's like and why it's just pain). It would also increase queue time for everyone, both sides. Your issue with matchmaking / rank would also not be addressed, since even though it would be a 'casual' mode - you will still end up against people who are much higher skill level than you. Player ability would be random and all over the place (the try-hards aren't going to stay out of that queue line, just to be courteous to you >_>).
If you're looking for a casual non-multiplayer experience, then Dead by Daylight is probably not for you. There are a plethora of single player horror games out there.
[I'll repeat my earlier point too. Being frustrated is fine. Struggling while you're learning is fine. Blaming the player base and game design however is just foolish. Either accept that you have things to learn, and areas to improve in - or move on. Dead by Daylight is not easy to get into, and that's okay. If you're interested in getting better, then you can do so. If you're only interested in complaining and blaming, then you'll never gain ground. Joining a multiplayer game and treating it like a single player one is toddler behavior].
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