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Recent Killer Design Feedback

Volkfang
Volkfang Member Posts: 17
in Feedback and Suggestions

I'm a relatively new player 400ish hours, 60-70% on killer. but I enjoy taking in info on the games I play and knowing the direction and design ideas going forward. With that said, I'm not a big fan of the recent design direction of the new killers. Starting with skull merchant, it feels like the design has been focused on giving the killers ways to exert pressure in a general way across the map, (drones, guard patrols, bio pods) but at the expense of being very potent in chase. While I think that can be an interesting give and take, one killer being better at map pressure and another being stronger in chase, the more concerning design is the latest 2 killers specifically.

Both The Singularity and The Xenomorph have a more general pressure focus with very good map movement, but the killing blow is the fact that they're chase powers can be completely removed consistently and very easily. Normally, that interaction could be very interesting. However, when comparing the strength of their chase power to the strongest chasers like Nurse, Blight, and Wesker, it feels really bad playing a killer thats not as strong as the aforementioned chasers and then just have half of the kit that makes your character cool just turned off for 1/3 to 1/2 the match. It's just not a fun gameloop and makes me want to play a killer that is reliable.

I think Wesker and Pinhead were some of the best designed killers to date. Pinhead isn't as strong a chaser as Wesker but makes up for it with his pressure from the box and Wesker is obviously the reverse, being very good in chase, but his pressure from infection cleansing isn't as oppressive as keeping up with the box. Now imagine being able to turn off their Possesed Chain or Virulent Bound, it'd feel much worse to play.

Anyways, just my 2 cents on the subject.


TLDR: I hope the current design meta for killers changes soon since having half your powers turned off a large portion of the match just feels bad and people won't play those killers because of it.

Comments

  • CrimsonMothKing
    CrimsonMothKing Member Posts: 437

    While I agree, Singularity's counterplay is awful to face, having your set up be undone if a large area feels awful, especially as it can be done in chase. However, from what I found when playing the Xenomorph on PTB, is that the flamethrowers weren't that bad. Yes they knocked me out of my power, but not that often.

    Most of the time, I was able to destroy the turret with either an M1 or Tail attack, yes it slowed me down, but that turret was then gone for a minute. Meaning that area was now unsafe. And as someone who plays a hit and run playstyle, being able to make areas unsafe was good. Unlike Singularity who needs set up, Xeno doesn't really. Plus, if you got knocked out of runner mode, go back into the tunnels for 3 seconds and it is back. Yes it wastes time, but you have knocked at least 1 survivor off of a generator.

    I like that they are making ways for survivors to interact with Killer powers, like with locking lockers for Dredge, or solving the box for Pinhead. But I can see where others are coming from with; is the survivor's time investment to counter the power, more efficient than the killer's ability to undo that effect.

  • Volkfang
    Volkfang Member Posts: 17

    I haven't played on the PTB, so I appreciate the perspective. I'm glad to hear the flamethrowers don't seem as frustrating as EMPs.

    I definitely like the interactions between killer and survivors, dredge and pinhead were mentioned, but even pig, wekser, and nemi all have at least decent killer/survivor interaction. My main point is I don't think the new direction of disabling a killers power (especially if it's their chase power) is healthy for the game.

    I understood why old eruption was bad for the game and needed to be changed. A survivor being disabled for 30 seconds and just standing there isn't good gameplay, it's just boring. The same is true for Killer when you have an unreliable power, it's just boring/frustrating to have a chase extended for X amount of seconds because your ability was turned off.

    Also just to reiterate, I'm talking more at a high level design kind of space, not specifically saying EMPs or flamethrowers need this change or that nerf. Just that in my opinion killer/survivor interaction was better as a side interaction for survivors rather than an off button for killers.