About the Thumbs up Feature and an idea against Toxicity!

Overwatch

You got EXP when you endorsed another player in Overwatch, so that incentive can be carried over to DBD by making the action of thumbing another player give a small amount of BP, say, 1000 BP. Not a lot, but enough to encouarge somebody to give a thumb.

I'd probably only use it as Victim on another Victim or Killer, but never Killer on Victims

I could see myself thumbing fellow Victims and Killers as Victim, but also Victims as Killer. There's times when I get a shred of respect for somebody doing a really good loop chase, without T-bagging to provoke, and those I could see myself thumbing. Other cases too, but that's situational.

Yeah we'll see, it's an interessting system but I don't think it's really a fiting for the community of dbd.

I also have a lot of passion for these kind of systems for trying to reduce toxicity. Toxic behavior in multiplayer games, especially in competitive environments like DbD, can really detract from the experience. Your ideas to improve the Thumbs Up system and reward positive behavior are creative and I think bHVR should do something in this area, but there are a few pitfalls we have to stay clear of, maybe I can help refine your ideas with a bit of critique so that bHVR can make the best choices they can think of.

1. Tying Thumbs Up to BP (Bloodpoints) or Rewards

• While adding BP rewards for receiving a Thumbs Up seems like a great motivator, there are potential issues with it:
  • Exploitation Risk: Players might start using the Thumbs Up system simply to farm BP rather than as a genuine acknowledgment of good behavior. For instance, friends or premade groups could easily exchange Thumbs Ups regardless of how the match went, which would dilute the purpose of promoting sportsmanship. We see similar issues with games like Overwatch, where endorsement systems can sometimes feel meaningless when used thoughtlessly.
  • Superficial Engagement: Tying rewards directly to Thumbs Ups might encourage players to prioritize farming these acknowledgments instead of actually improving their behavior. This could lead to more transactional and less meaningful interactions, where players act nice just for the reward but return to toxic behavior when they aren’t being watched.
  • Veterans: As a veteran of the game, I personally find that additional Bloodpoints or shards don’t significantly motivate me. Many players who have been around for a while might feel similarly. The thrill of accumulating points diminishes over time as veterans often have ample resources and items. To really capture our attention and engagement, the rewards would need to be something more substantial and meaningful, like Auric Cells or exclusive content that resonates with our long-term commitment to the game.

Alternative Suggestion: Perhaps instead of direct BP rewards, the system could be more about cumulative rewards over time. For example, if players receive consistent positive feedback across multiple games (without reports or bad behavior), they could unlock exclusive charms or cosmetics. This would reduce the potential for immediate exploitation and encourage long-term behavior change.

2. Honor Shop

• The concept of an Honor Shop, inspired by League of Legends, is an interesting idea, but it could face similar issues:
  • Reward vs. Intent: In League of Legends, players have been known to farm honors just to gain access to exclusive rewards. As a result, the Honor system sometimes feels less about truly rewarding sportsmanship and more about unlocking cosmetic perks. It would be a shame to see DbD’s endorsement system fall into this same trap, where the focus shifts from improving behavior to just earning items.
  • Toxicity Persists Despite Systems: Even with League of Legends’ extensive Honor system, toxicity remains a significant issue in that game. This shows that rewards alone might not be enough to fundamentally change the behavior of toxic players. In Dead by Daylight, where emotions can run high due to the asymmetrical gameplay (Killers vs. Survivors), a simple reward system might not be effective enough on its own to curb negativity.

Alternative Suggestion: Instead of focusing on an Honor Shop with exclusive skins, maybe the system could emphasize meaningful in-game recognition. For instance, players who receive a consistent level of positive feedback could have special matchmaking privileges like slightly faster queues or priority matchmaking with similarly well-rated players. This would reward positive behavior with tangible in-game benefits, rather than just cosmetic ones.

3. Notifications for Thumbs Up

• I understand the motivation behind wanting players to know when they’ve received a Thumbs Up, but this might not always have the intended effect:
  • Potential for Toxic Reactions: If a player knows they received a Thumbs Up from the other team, it could sometimes backfire. In the heat of the moment, players might use it sarcastically, leading to passive-aggressive behavior. For example, a Killer might receive a Thumbs Up after a frustrating match and feel as though it's a mockery rather than genuine appreciation.
  • Distraction or Fatigue: Having constant notifications of positive feedback could feel overwhelming or distracting for some players. It could also lose its impact over time—if every match ends with a notification saying “Good job!” it might start to feel routine and meaningless.

Alternative Suggestion: Instead of notifying players after every individual match, maybe the game could give periodic updates. For example, after several matches, players could receive a summary showing how many Thumbs Ups they've earned over time, helping them see their overall positive impact in the community. This would feel less spammy while still offering players that sense of accomplishment because by that point they might have forgotten the match that sarcastic thumb up was given for.

4. Focusing on Systemic Change

• It's great that you're thinking about ways to motivate players to behave better, but the core issue might be that toxic players aren't always interested in receiving positive feedback. A system that rewards good behavior is only effective if players genuinely want to improve their interactions. In competitive environments, some players will still prioritize winning over sportsmanship, and external rewards alone might not address that.
• Reporting and Moderation: One aspect to consider is that positive reinforcement needs to be balanced with strong moderation of toxic behavior. Improving the reporting system and ensuring that truly toxic players face meaningful consequences (like temporary bans or restrictions) can be just as important as encouraging positive behavior.

For a system like this to effectively reduce toxicity, it needs to avoid being easily exploitable and should focus on creating a genuine culture of positive behavior, rather than just incentivizing it through rewards. Perhaps a combination of consistent, meaningful recognition (not tied to instant rewards) and stricter penalties for toxic behavior would work best in a game like Dead by Daylight.

Ultimately, changing player behavior is complex, and while rewards can help, the most important factor is creating a community culture where positive behavior is valued for its own sake, not just for the BP or skins. Like if it was easy EVERYONE would be doing it.

If you need more help identifying pitfalls I can give you a list, there are so many ways these kind of systems could work and then don't, because humans are humans and hard to predict.

what if it was endorsements like OW but instead the higher you get the more BP you get per match that’ll be cool and they could show it besides your calling card

true on lol ppl do it for the free rewards when you reach max endorsement.

On overwatch people did it because you gained 3 lootboxes, exp etc.