Missing Old DBD

Fun Intro

First of all, I totally understand most of the changes and why they were needed, but I wish there was a way to play old DBD in an official way without risking a ban. That's why I said a while back there should be game modes for old DBD, among other things. Here's a few reasons why in some ways old DBD was better, even if we should keep the game in its current form, and more thoughts on other game modes! 😀

Game Modes

I think there should actually be 2 versions of the old DBD game modes, maybe DBD Retro and DBD Classic.

DBD Classic would take place when Chapter 5 was released, or maybe even Spark of Madness. People miss old Treatment Theatre, the old Doctor effects, and the overall feel of super old DBD.

DBD Retro could take place when Ghost Face was released. This was old DBD, but not "really" old DBD, and I really miss old Ormond... The game had a different feeling than when the maps were changed but still didn't quite feel like DBD in the super old days.

These are both nostalgic stages of DBD that I think were important to understand how we got to where we are and the good memories made along the way. 🙂 Newer players could get a taste of the old game. As I said before, this doesn't have to include the same broken mechanics or bugs, just the same general game with some older mechanics.

Perks

One of the reasons I wanna see older DBD is because I really don't like perks anymore. The game prioritizes balance over fun, which again, is okay, I just want the option to go back. I liked the familiarity of knowing all the perks and what they do, and I feel like right now, learning the perks just feels like homework. There are too many perks with too many conditions. A lot of the perks also feel inconsequential now. I think the perk rework was unneeded, as what BHVR should have done was bring out more perks with better effects so there's more variety in the meta, not kill the old meta.

Take iron will, it was simple. You don't make grunts. Now it's a 75% decrease and doesn't function while exhausted. The biggest smack of this change is you almost get old Iron Will on characters like Ace and Ada, but some Characters like Laurie and Jeff desperately need it, and they get less value out of it, so it's a wasted perk slot. It's not like you couldn't hear footsteps, or see pools of blood.

Speaking of Laurie, I feel like the whole Halloween Chapter was done a little dirty. DS was an iconic part of DBD. I look back at old animations (like the one above by CuteC3), and even fanfics (laugh at me in the comments😑) and it looks like the fans really enjoyed the fact in DBD's lore survivors could stab at the killer once per trial. I like the new Off The Record which basically replaced DS, but what does it do for the lore? It doesn't play with the obsession mechanic, and it's not nearly as interesting, even if it's stronger and I do like it. DS didn't have to die for it.

DH is another one that I really miss. The risk and payoff is not worth it anymore. I don't think DH was all that fair, but I do think it was fun, so in another game mode I think it should be back. Even as killer, I miss waiting out DH.

Ruin was fine the way it was, if it needed to be changed it should have just been after someone dies it deactivates. I think it should be restored as right now, it's not strong enough to even be a hex, and that's keeping in mind you can't use gen-kicking perks on gens that have ruin.

Survivor Items & Healing

Circle of Healing was a broken perk that should have never been introduced, but healing as a whole didn't need the whole nerf it got. Now more survivors die on hook, especially in solo-q. The way Self-Care was nerfed so hard before Circle of Healing is still astounding to me. Circle of Healing should at least still work with med-kits imo. I play killer, I understand it's annoying that survivors can just run away and heal, but how about this, med-kits self-heal faster, but all can only heal you once, so self-healing uses more charges for yourself than when you heal others, expect for the now ultra-rare add-on that gives yourself 2 heals.

What happened to BNP? Not only do you have to get the skill check, but if you don't you've wasted an ultra-rare, and you can't ever use it again? Basically, all you really get from BNP is old gens... Really nice 😞

Keys and maps were already pretty useless, but all this just makes me wanna bring a yellow/brown med-kit or flashlight. It's not very interesting.

Aesthetics

DBD Has An Aesthetic Problem — BHVR I made this a while back. I stand by the points I made in that post but I had some people commenting that they like the new aesthetics and that they make sense. I think I even had some commenting maps were changed so more people could play with ease, but I think this is all the more reason to bring back old maps, but only as optional game modes along with some of the old perks, minus the new killers.

Closing...

DBD just doesn't feel like the same game it was, but I'm stuck with this version that feels significantly less fun, and less familiar. It's fine, I just really wish I had the option to experience the fun of the older days again. I would understand if some genuinely broken mechanics were changed before releasing older versions as game modes, but some of the OP mechanics really were fun, and DBD shouldn't be being made into some kind of esports game Imo.