To DEVs: The complete Killer power DONTS check list
DEVs, this is not intended as trolling or complain. I do think these DONTS can help you to design more balanced killer powers.
Please print out this list and put it on the wall, then you will not have to overhaul killers in the future like Freddy and Legion.
Killer abilities should NOT:
- Have wallhacks of any kind - e.g. Freddy, Legion, Doc - it breaks survivor stealth, is very annoying for survivors. Stealth is a core survivor concept, it shouldn't be broken. Wallhacks also promote another DONT: "Tunneling".
- Include Killer invisibility - e.g. Wraith, Freddy - breaks survivor stealth, is very annoying for survivors. Apart from stealth it also breaks the concept that survivors have superior vision (Myers and Pig are ok, they are not invisible, you just have to put more effort to notice them)
- Invalidate too many survivor defensive game mechanics - e.g. Nurse, Legion, Hag, Doc - generally new killer powers should not be based on REMOVING existing survivor abilities, they should be based on creating NEW killer abilities instead. With some killers Survivors are robed of their only 3-4 defensive game mechanics (stealth, palletes, windows, loopable obstacles, better vision than the killer), there is not much left and they are not given anything in return. The game feels dull, survivors feel helpless, because they can't influence the gameplay anymore. The "This killer will break the way you are used to play" approach to killer design should not be implemented by making survivor game mechanics useless.
- Have permanent insta-down ability - e.g. Billy, Cannibal - very annoying. Insta-down is too strong not only against survivors, but also compared to other killers with no insta-down anility. It makes it hard to balance the game between killers. If you have to do something to activate the insta-down ability temporarily (i.e. Myers Tier III), then that's ok.
- Have tendency for tunneling - e.g. Legion, Freddy, Doc, Hag - it's frustrating for survivors. It is linked to the "Wallhacks" DONT. Wallhacks, Doc's hallucinations/creams and Hag's traps reinforce tunneling.
The only killers with balanced killer power CONCEPTS (they could still use some tweaking of their killer power VALUES, but the core concept is fine) are: Trapper, Clown, Spirit, Huntress, Myers (insta-down is questionable), Pig (except for annoying Reverse Bear Traps and Jigsaw Boxes).
How can I prove that these DONTS work?
Reason #1: let's sort Killers by their number of broken DONTS:
- Freddy, Legion, Doc: 3
- Hag: 2
- Wraith, Nurse, Billy, Cannibal: 1
No comments needed.
Reason #2: almost 2 years ago I posted a killer idea on Steam forum, because I was frustrated with the existing killers. Then Myers and Pig came out. Myers is almost identical with that killer idea (except for Myers-specific Stalking and Tier 3), Myers is loved by most players. Pig (except for Reverse Bear Traps and Jigsaw Boxes) is a clone of that idea. If it's a coincidence or not doesn't matter in this case. That idea was based on the same considerations as this DONTS list and I thought I could share it with you.
Some Killer mains will not agree with this list, because there is a conflict of interests, they want killer powers to be as strong as possible, this is natural, but you as DEVs are interested in balanced killer powers more than anyone else.
Good luck with future killer ideas.
Comments
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I do love me some
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killers are still allowed to walk, right?
or will the entity just block us in the basement for all eternity?
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With our newest update, we plan to keep Killers planted into the ground (with the exception of the Nurse, who we chained to a rock). We also included a new perma-blind feature for all Killers to truly understand how Whispers and Stridor were suppose to function.
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@Mister_xD no that would be basement camping.
Your getting blocked in the corner of the map.
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Just another bait post folks move along.
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Do you want to start the trial with all 5 gens completed at this point?
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...
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how DARE the devs give killers actually threatening powers
every killer should just be a complete clown
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Remember Devs, it's important to keep around a sheet of paper on your design room wall specifically of things this one single guy doesn't like. If you guys aren't building your whole ethos around a killer Idea he dumped on the steam forum a few years ago, You're not doing it right.
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1
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Survivor perk donts: Any second chance perk.
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Nice bait m8
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Don'ts for survivors:
- No perks that let a survivor escape the killer's grasp or hook on their own. They worked hard for their catch and shouldn't lose it with a single survivor perk
- No perks that let survivors go fast or get a distance advantage on the killer. They already can vault windows and pallets faster than the killer so they don't need anything else
- No stealth perks, survivors have crouching and lockers already, they don't need more stealth
- No objective perks, there are 4 of them and only 1 of you so they can do the objective really fast anyways
- No healing perks, it is hard enough to injure survivors to begin with and they can heal each other already so they don't need perks for it
- No time wasting perks. The killer's time is precious so wasting it is unfair
- No vision or detection perks. Survivors have third person and can see each other when downed or hooked, plus the killer has a red light and heartbeat constantly so having more detection is breaking the game
- No teamwork perks. The killer doesn't get a team so that is an unfair advantage
- No items. Survivors shouldn't be able to bring in items that give a huge advantage, and the killer can't prevent it and there is no disadvantage
- No offerings. The killer can only give one item but the survivors can do 4 so that is unfair advantage
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Sweet! Time to bring Saboteur, Unbreakable, Head on and Urban evasion!
None of those are any of the things you just listed as unfair.
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It's funny you listed Spirit as a fine killer concept when she ACTUALLY goes invisible. The devs keep the shimmer on wraith and allow you to see Freddy during the transition, but a coinflip killer literally popping up in front of your face is okay. There's not much outplay potential because you receive no feedback when playing against her.
At least Nurse can be fun to juke, even if she's stronger.
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@tatterz While you are right about Spirit violating this list I would like remind you that Spirit can't see you either. Meaning that if you can predict her then you can avoid getting hit by her power every time.
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OP abandoned thread and never defended their post.
Rip
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For all the dismissive comments from players who have played this game 1+ year.
I started not so long ago, and I can say with 100% that majority of survivors lose vs killers. Killer players have huge advantage in that they don't need co-ordination with teammates in order to have a chance at winning. A lone killer who relies on himself only, therefore it's all purely up to a player's skill.
Whereas with survivors more often than not, it's pure luck to get very good players who play their cards right in order for at least 2 players to escape.
The game is unbalanced for the majority of players who play as survivors, because most of them have average skills and do not co-ordinate using mics in regular rank games, which drastically reduces odds of winning against killers.
I'm not talking about friends who use mics, I'm talking about regular ranking games.
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SWF > Killer > Solos
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Sorry no. Playing Survivor is easy mode.
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You basically just said that all killers have bad powers. And that survivors should be able to influence and control the pace of the game despite not being the power role?
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Ooooh boy this OP sure is in for that survivor mains dream of killer bully sim are'nt they?
Very Subtle about it...
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Play clown for the rest of your rank 1 life. have. fun. o/
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