Why Pallets?
I don't know if this was ever discussed when the game first came out or not but when the Developers were choosing things for Survivors to defend themselves with why did they choose pallets?
Pallets are huge and thick, the fact that every Killer in the game can break a pallet with two swings is a real testament to their inhuman strength. I am just generally curious as to why pallets were chosen, they could have chosen a stack of boxes or a dirty shopping cart, maybe a switch that closes a door and the animation is breaking the door etc. And in that note were doors ever on the table in the design phase? I'm not judging I am just actually curious, also why are the pallets blue?
p.s should this be in the Lore section or is General discussions fine? I'm not asking why the Entity chose pallets I'm asking why it was a game design choice so I don't think so.
Comments
-
Honestly I have to agree, I don't remember any movie that's had characters defend themselves with pallets. Sure people have barricaded themselves and thrown miscellaneous items at the monster but never anything like a pallet
Maybe a few of the developers had to work outdoors with pallets growing up and developed a bitter hatred of pallets so they decided to make others feel that same hatred
10 -
I agree. Pallets should be removed for the sake of immersion
3 -
I'm fine with is, also if someone don't like pallets, just play Spirit/Nurse, lul that's it, simple as everyone knows.
1 -
Once again I'm not complaining about pallets, I'm asking why were pallets chosen as the aesthetic for this defense.
17 -
Better question is: why not pallet? lol
1 -
I wish the game feature more types obstacles. Y'know, like, doors and cabinets often shown in horror flicks.
But deep down we already know, with the (unfortunate) current map design style, those extra obstacles will appear even more unnatural. The structures in the maps are so unauthentic it makes little sense to patch them up with doors and such.
Look a game like Last Year the Nightmare and the environments feel so much closer to "yeap, definitely built by humans."
Dead by Daylight look more like some weird playgrounds constructed by non-humans. The Entity's unearthly works of art, probably.
4 -
Probably because pallets are a clean shape. It's probably easy to work with a board to test and play with ideas. They were probably looking for an interaction that can create a temporary path blocking for the survivor so that they may start the match with protection, but will lose that protection when it gets later into the match, making it more finite and tense.
@riotangel Doors you could close would be really cool. Or places you could hide under.
3 -
Oh man finally a lightweight, funny discussion. Don't see many of these...
I have given a lot of thought to it. Partly it's how ridiculous it seems to have a number of pallets on maps like Temple of Purgation. Them olden time Babylonians, were they so keen on effective transportation? Mabye that mysterious mori line from The Plague means "ok Steve I wanna order two more pallets of diet Coke"? Why not make you know, stone slabs, rotten logs, whatever?
Second: I work with imports and I see a lot of those. Now, I can tell you, pallets in DBD are ridiculously big. Most pallets, if standing upright, are not really at an average human height, let alone taller than a monstrous fellow as Michael or Plague. Sorry to disappoint, but in real life, pushing one on someone's head would at best piss them off a little more, but stunning? Nah. They're not even heavy, mostly (ok, not all) are made of pine or other lightweight wood. Look at how weak this thing is:
I think it's time to replace them with more realistic items.
7 -
Actually i work as nightfill in a warehouse in nz And while the pallets certainly aren't as tall as me ( there about a foot shorter or so and im 5'8 ) there actually a two person lift. i don't bloody know what kind of wood there made out of (oak seems to be popular) but they are actually quite heavy, atleast 25-35kg spread over the area making them hard to lift. had one fall off the pallet stack we have and hit me in the shoulder once, kinda gave me an appreciation for the kind of heft they have. that being said our pallets have a top and bottom side not just a top side like the one featured above.
also being hit in the face with a baseball bat would stun you and they typicall weigh around a kg. its not the weight that gets you, its the angular momentum of the swing. thinking pallet logistics, having one of those swung down with the force of gravity at your face would actually hurt a lot.
Dbd's ones are comically big though not unrealistic. expecially for those created by a demon god thing
1 -
OAK? Man you guys gotta be filthy rich in those parts! I bet your fences are made of sausages.
But ok, I guess pushing something with enough force can have a nice punch I guess. Size is still off though.
And you saying "Dbd's ones are comically big though not unrealistic. expecially for those created by a demon god thing" cracked me up. Imagine you're an evil demonic being, ruling over your dark, foggy realm with pretty much all-powerful godly powers, and what do you do in your free time? Why making pallets of course!
3 -
Hey man i don't judge the entitys hobbys haha 😂, And mmm yummy fence sausages,but no in all honestly i don't know wood types all i know is oak is heavy so i said that, but its defiantly not pine wood, least not at my warehouse. though i have seen the exact style pallets you've mentioned at places like bunnings and mitre 10.
1 -
And the standard bed. How many times I wish could hide under a bed. The minus is easy to get caught under a bed, and could include a plus for increased struggle time for killer to pull out from the bed.
2 -
Or even better - have a killer vs survive struggle key spam. The killer would eventually win, but a survivor's active struggle would delay it.
1 -
The killers wouldn't bother with beds unless they knew a hook was nearby if the struggle time was increased. More ways to hide and stealth would be great, though c:
1 -
Beds? I'd just keep tossing my gas under and around... they would come out soon enough :)
1 -
riding the topic i’d say that having different models based on maps would be cool. For example: boxes in X map, wardrobes in y map.
lastly would be nice to have more thing to “break” maybe adding doors or trees well more objects to drop and stop the killer.
Obviously before any of you flame me there should be a rebalance on the breakable things like less loopable less time consuming for the killer. Btw just thinking would be nice to make the game a bit more energic and with more things to do i mean less monothematic
2 -
I think it would just be really nice to have variety in objects Survivors can throw down
It would all be the same as pallets of course but the model would be different, just anything but boring rainbow colored pallets, can't we be hit by a door for once? lol
3 -
Oh imagine some rusty, gutted car chassis on Autohaven, monoliths on the Temple, wretched looking hospital beds on Léry's... so many nice options.
6 -
I demand a horror movie with pallets as the silver bullet to defeat the all-powerful killer.
Will pay good money to watch.
2 -
We should replace them with Pianos
0 -
Wait there isn't one? Hard to believe!
0 -
Imagine if in Lord Of The Rings instead of using magic to stop the balrog from crossing the bridge
Gandalf just used a double pallet spawn to completely loop the balrog and when the balrog caught up hejust did a 360 loop which would cause the balrog to fall straight off because he lunged instead of just hitting like he should have
Wouldn't that be so much better?
1 -
Nah, there is no way to fix that garbage movie, though it would help a little.
Would be a pleasure to see Gandalf teabagging, then perhaps facecamped by Saruman.
0 -
Fact: They once considered Bookshelves instead of Pallets.
I imagine that would be tons harder to break.
0 -
This game has made us think of pallets as Godly
This game has made us say "How dare you waste the God Pallet"
WP Bhvr WP, no one in history has said or thought of such a thing before you all came to be
0 -
Don't bring real life logic into the game. If a pallet is dropped on me, I simply could stop it with one hand. They are no indestructible and unstoppable forces.
As a killer I would take it and smack you with it for trying something that stupid on me.
1 -
Literally as a killer you could just knock it sideways while the survivor is trying to loop you around it
They could have picked any object in the world that would have made sense. it could have been rusty heavy spiky metal but no
They choose a bloody wooden PALLET
0 -
It was actually bookshelves way back. I imagine pallets are a little more generic. It'd be weird to see bookshelves out in the woods or in the ironworks, but a pallet can go just about anywhere. I can't say for sure though, this was before I was around. This would be a great question to ask in the AMA this Thursday.
14 -
It'd be weird to see bookshelves out in the woods or in the ironworks
Make the skin map specific, like the hooks
1 -
Are we forgetting that the entity uses memories to create what its victims remember?
They're not in ancient Babylon. It's just a Babylonian temple.
0 -
I like the idea of being stunned by knowledge. Maybe some killers would learn that they doesnt have to camp or tunnel to win :P
2 -
Still, the Entity is a very sloppy interior designer.
2 -
I would like the ability to break pallets when there standing up also. Would slow down a lot of loops... I mean, it's like "Hey, there's a pallet there, I know there gonna use it against me, but let's just leave it there until I get it slammed on my head"...
0 -
Im also working with pallets in real life and campers. Pretty silly but it's true and yea pallets are pretty heavy but I think when you get chased from a person who wants to murder you youve got the adrenaline to drop them easily. And maybe they are resistent enough to hurt a killer for a moment. So i think it's legit
0 -
If this game actually adapted to add something like a door you can close and break down in lieu of pallets, say in Haddonfield, that would be a really cool update.
0 -
Now we need a library map, for sure. Maybe one day they'll do map-specific equivalents for pallets, such as a derelict statuettes, or a piece of piping.
0 -
I wouldn't count on that (the pallet bit, not the library part). Generally we try to keep things consistent throughout the game. Imagine being a new player and trying to remember what the pallet looks like on each map. On one map it's a pallet, on another it's a bookshelf, on a third it's a stack of boxes, etc. It would be very confusing for something that you need to be able to recognize instantly.
2 -
Superman 64 taught me to be scared of pallets because they are apparently highly explosive.
2 -
Agreed. Even simple pallet recolors based on the map should definitely be in the game. Hooks change depending on the map, why not lockers and pallets?
1 -
I think that's vastly underestimating the intelligence of people. SO MANY games have elements that change based on maps, and nobody struggles with them. As long as they're the same basic shape.
Hell, you never see people going "hmm, I downed a survivor, but that hook is made from a lamp post, not wood, so it couldn't be a hook."
On the topic of the discussion, pallets vary. I work in a factory and depending on what we use them for, some can almost be a 2-man lift, where others could be carried easily with one hand. That said there'd never be a balance that would allow a scrawny nerd like Claudette to drop them in a chase where an 8 foot muscle-bound Trapper couldn't just kick it out of the way mid-stride.
2 -
I would absolutely love map specific defenses... and sorry, but I'm not buying the whole "new people would have issues with it" reasoning.
how many new people are getting demolished by 16-20 rank killers who camp and tunnel and they don't know to gen-rush cause they're new??
its just stuff you have to learn as you play.
0 -
Come on Peanits, people is not that stupid as you think... Survivors just have to use 2 things to survive: Windows and Pallets. And do you really think they are not going to realize what is a pallet or not? LMAO, it's just a texture change. It would be a very interesting addition to the game imo
0 -
gotta get some action somehow in the entitys realm
1 -
Then lets look at maps like Yamaoka Estate or Swamp. They have walls or logs that are difficult to identify as vaulting spots on the go.
2 -
You all heard it here first. Library map is 100% confirmed!
0 -
@TAG When you have to save your friends but need to fly through thousands of rings first.
1 -
@Maelstrom10 , yeah, that those things are quite heavy. I carried about 15 of them while i was working at the storehouse. Cant say, that they aren't tall everywhere, but in my case - they were about 150cm height, while i am about 172cm.Also they were quite heavy, about 50kg. I dunno from which wood they were done, tbh
0 -
For the immersion argument, a fat middle aged guy like me would be slowed down by a second while I shove the pallet down and step over it. In reality a pallet is an awful obstacle for a serial killer
0 -
you actually suggested great pallet variations that id like to see in-game as an alternative, like remove some pallets and put something else instead
1 -
Although, I like the thought of being consistent. However, to some extent you have the tutorial section for survivors and killers. You can simply show them all off? Like it doesn't always have to cater to new players. I didn't know how to run certain loop sets when I started. I mean maybe the loops should have green and red arrows to show them where to go to get the maximum effect. From my perspective personally I think this mentality of catering to new players is seriously killing the creative and authentic artistic design of the game. Not to be rude: SWF doesn't always cater to new players when they get 3 R20s and an R1 or vise versa. Which is why people complain they got tunneled out they made noob mistakes against a killer and got wiped out.
0