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The problem with these game modes and events

I think the biggest issue with these game modes and events is that when they get released with all the issues, being completely unbalanced, etc nothing ever gets fixed to make the event or mode balanced before it ends so people can actually enjoy it.

Obviously game modes like lights out, 2v8 are a bit harder to fix because they’re testing to see what works. And that’s okay because we know they’re gonna bring it back soon in its next iteration with all the feedback taken into account.

But for events… that’s basically a bust because they’re once a year. People get hyped for these events once a year and then they come out and are always heavily survivor or killer sided so one side always has a miserable time with no chance for it to be tweaked.

Like this Halloween event. Last year it heavily favored survivors and so killers had an awful time and just had to endure it and wait a whole year to be able to play it and have fun. Now this year, for whatever reason the devs decided “Lets move the pendulum so far in the other direction for killers.” so now the event is a bust for survivors. And now we have to wait another year for this event to come back and HOPE that they actually balance it properly.

And for the record, this is NOT an issue of “one side will always be mad cuz it doesn’t favor them.” No. Killers had a legit reason to be upset last year. Survivors have a legit reason to be upset this year.

My question is… why does no one play test this stuff before they go live? What is the process for actually trying to balance these events? Is there one?

Also I’m not interested in any comments saying “It doesn’t need to be balanced it’s a short term event.” Because that’s BS. That tells me you only care about events as long as they’re balanced in your favor because were the shoe on the other foot you’d be upset about a once a year event being unfun and unbalanced for you to play too. Being a limited time event and “you can opt out of the event if you don’t like it.” Is not a reasonable excuse. People shouldn’t have to opt out of a once a year thing because it was made in a way that favors one role over the other. /soapbox

Comments

  • fussy
    fussy Member Posts: 1,638

    Besides double tap with ghost, this event is pretty balanced. If they will remove it in some patch on next week, it will be most balanced and fun event for everyone in long time.

  • bm33
    bm33 Member Posts: 8,246

    I don't think it's that they don't play test it, it's that they play test on a closed server and they're playing it as the devs intended not how the community will play it.

    I hope that with events now being their own game mode that the devs make changes to really push the community, on both sides, to play the event as a fun celebratory thing rather than people trying to ruin the event for others and sweat fests that have been a major complaint for years now.

  • BurnedTerrormisu
    BurnedTerrormisu Member Posts: 175

    No idea what the true work ethics are at BHVR but it feels like criticism isn't part of the work environment.

    As a customer it is feels like the outcome of some changes are driven by the goal to simply change something and not the goal to find the best possible solution.

  • Unequalmitten86
    Unequalmitten86 Member Posts: 276

    I haven't lost any gens by going into the void. But I will say this for the past two weeks gens have been flying in some matches at the start. There would be only 1 person on a gen and they are done fast. I can usually catch up at 2 gens and turn the game around but not these. Endgame there are no perks or toolboxes. Today as survivor I noticed a gen get repaired 50% faster than mine. Same thing endgame no gen perks and a toolbox isn't going to last two gens. I saw this in two separate games. I am thinking there's a gen hack to make them fast.

  • DeBecker
    DeBecker Member Posts: 281

    Nobody is playtesting anything in this game.

  • Nazzzak
    Nazzzak Member Posts: 5,662

    Yeah I think the hardest thing is getting yourself hyped up for something that ultimately doesn't meet your expectations. I felt like this during the anniversary event this year. That event has always been my favourite yet this year's was lacklustre for me compared to previous years. I do think the split queues are great though because if you find an event not to your liking you can just play normal mode, which is what I'm doing now.

  • danielmaster87
    danielmaster87 Member Posts: 9,440

    I don't think these events are too much in one side's favor or the other. I think there's beginner's traps involved, where people have no clue what their abilities look like, or how to navigate the portal world. But I've never really said, "Oh my god! This event is so incredibly survivor sided!" I made the mistake of skipping the first event that featured survivors blocking windows, because I thought "That's just stupid." But all you have to do is play these events a little bit, and get used to them. They're not these horrible experiences people make them out to be. I'll get tired of them, sure, and want to move back to standard as soon as the BP bonus makes it lucrative enough. Or if the queues are just too much, I'll switch to a different game until they're back to normal. This is really basic stuff though; I don't get the outrage that's currently happening.

  • RFSa09
    RFSa09 Member Posts: 818

    The event is not that killer sided imo, the grenades are fun (and very useful for me), void portals are still insanely strong to make chases longer, the void itself have some good loops... I really don't mind the two Tap thing because It happens like, once in a while

  • danielmaster87
    danielmaster87 Member Posts: 9,440

    That's probably accurate to their work environment. So many clearly bad ideas getting into the game, more towards the survivor end than the killer, let's be honest. And it's reinforced by the community as well. There's a lot of theoretical stuff we talk about, and then soon, it's no longer theoretical because you see it. Skull Merchant, who didn't receive a proper rework but did receive a nerf of unprecedented proportions, doesn't see any play right now. It's almost like anybody could've seen that coming. Same thing with nerfing every single gen defence perk, as well as camping. Now killers are tunneling and slugging more, the community's concluded. We were way ahead of them on that, we called it, and it should have been common sense, but it isn't for some reason. It happens with killers too. Everyone could see that buffing Victor so much like they did in that failed Twins rework would be obviously overpowered, but they shipped it anyway. And I almost never say a killer thing is overpowered.

    So are they gonna keep letting groupthink ruin their decision-making, or are they finally gonna learn? It's not about pleasing the players; it's about making sound design decisions.

  • DarKStaR350z
    DarKStaR350z Member Posts: 765

    This has been my experience as well, it seems like it’s not worth the time to go into the void as killer as gens just go too quick.
    The smoke bombs are annoying and I h will say as survivor the void is pretty strong for extending chases or disappearing.

  • CrackedShevaMain
    CrackedShevaMain Member Posts: 478

    you haven’t been playing in my games then. All day yesterday I had killers go get the haunt and then when in chase they waited until they were right on my back and released their haunt then did an M1 and basically insta down you. That may not have been the case in the beginning because people didn’t know to do that. But now that word is getting out, I’m getting killers doing it every match.

  • TerraEsram
    TerraEsram Member Posts: 671

    I don't have any problem with the ghost

    But the fact that, the power of the killer is active in the void, AND the killer got an icon to say "this survivor is in the void" are maybe the problem

    And again, for the ghost, it is not a big issue, if you had the smoke bomb from survivor who are pretty nice, and it balance a little with the ghost

  • fussy
    fussy Member Posts: 1,638

    And what's wrong with killers are not powerless in the void?

  • TerraEsram
    TerraEsram Member Posts: 671

    Why the killer gain the indetectable effect, have power and can have an information of who is in the void, since the survivor are exhausted, broken (if they are injuried) in the void?

    I can understand the broken effect, survivor can go in the void just for a safe healing, but why the exhausted effect since the killer can use his own power?

  • Grigerbest
    Grigerbest Member Posts: 1,703
    edited October 21

    Literally - before I knew that killer players could insta-down a survivor with ghosts - I thought the event was pretty balanced.

    So if it wasn't for the insta-down - great event for both sides. Dear developers - just take off insta-down possibility from the killers in the next year!

    Or maybe now in the hot-fix - why not…

  • Unknown2765
    Unknown2765 Member Posts: 2,478
    edited October 21

    Killers can double tap with ghost, and survivors can escape chases with smoke bomb.

    I would say this is pretty balanced - and fun.

    You don't like it? - They made this an option, you can always go and play normal mode.

    Man, I’m so glad I’m not a developer for DBD. No matter how hard they try to keep things balanced, there’s always going to be complaints over the smallest details.

  • fussy
    fussy Member Posts: 1,638

    Look, I don't see a reason for survivors to be exhausted in void as well, but this is not the reason for killers to not have powers there. Last year simply proved it was wrong, when against many killers (NarkoTri1er already mentioned them) you can simply ignore their powers by going there.

    Survivors as always prefer to ignore that void in this year also got several strong loops and god pallets, but even with this, who said void should be safe space or something? It's already literally another small map killer should pressure and work with, so I except survivors are exhausted I see nothing wrong with how it's working this year.

  • Unknown2765
    Unknown2765 Member Posts: 2,478

    You kinda ignored what i said besides that, this event IS balanced.

    Use the smoke to juice the killer.

  • Unknown2765
    Unknown2765 Member Posts: 2,478

    I dont say this to be rude, but if you dont get value from the smoke, then its on you.

    I have great success with it, but its not 100% ofc. The streamers i watch also have no issues, tho they might be a bad example as they have 6k+ hours in the game.

    Most people i play with (both swf and SoloQ) have no issues with the smoke bomb aswell.

    I havent been downed by the double tap very much compared to my smoke bomb escapes.

  • TerraEsram
    TerraEsram Member Posts: 671

    In this case, I see no problem, okey, killer have her power back in the void, but don't give exhausted to the other side

  • tjt85
    tjt85 Member Posts: 955

    Being exhausted in the void is not all bad. I've been able to use the portals to quickly travese the map and keep my Sprint Burst at the same time.

  • NarkoTri1er
    NarkoTri1er Member Posts: 541

    and now:

    • having much stronger tiles in the void to make same killers waste their powers again in the void while vacuuming pressure inside it;
    • losing significant amount of map pressure for the sake of getting haunt is not really a good thing to do;
    • even with indicator in the void, survivor inside still has the advantage.

    And i simply don't care about it because i locked in to play separate queue meant to be for having fun with event objectives

  • Orvarihusklumpen
    Orvarihusklumpen Member Posts: 49

    Majority of the killers don't have the time to spend precious seconds getting a haunt in the void that goes in a straight line, can't go over pallets or over windows

  • kirbypower74
    kirbypower74 Member Posts: 5

    don't worry, I for one am glad you don't work there either, the balancing there makes 0 sense. "Survivors can maybe lose chase in a smoke bomb while killers can insta down with no repercussions" Sounds balanced to me :D

  • NarkoTri1er
    NarkoTri1er Member Posts: 541

    what is the most important aspect of killer's gameplay, chase or map pressure, quick?

  • NarkoTri1er
    NarkoTri1er Member Posts: 541

    problem are both sides, not just one. I play killer, survivors barely focus event objectives even when i give them signs to go for it.

    I play surv, my teammates suddenly play the way they should be playing regular soloQ (but they don't) and focus gens while barely even kicking the pumpkins and using void exclusively to siphon killer's map pressure.

    I think main problem with events is that game still revolves around gens and hooks as main objectives. We need some new kind of main objectives that are exclusive to events and can actually make event queues much more enjoyable