An Analytical consideration on Master Challenges
Ok, we all have enough: Tome 4 challenges are just placeholders! That's fine, but in any case there's a pattern in those challenges that's a bit disconcerting, and that is how impossible some of these sound. My idea is that Devs are trying to find something that is very challenging, even for competent players, but they could be struggling in creating something that is also fair.
This is why I would like to give some little piece of advice from a player POV on how to approach the design of these infamous Master Challenge - challenges that must be completed in a single match.
MASTER CHALLENGES
The concept of do something difficult in a single trial is nice, it adds to the variety of the gameplay for the killer / survivor trying the challenge - once in a while a change of pace is good!
This is why I will not suggest to transform Master Challenges from a do something in a single trial to a do something even more, but in any trial. That's the easy way out, and will simply become a grinding process, not a challenging one.
With this out of the way, let's go!
Try to avoid prominently luck based challenges
For example, to trap any survivor 4 times as Trapper can be difficult but it's fair - out of 4 survivors one or two may be less aware of dangers. To trap 4 different survivors in a trap instead is more luck based, because you not only need to place good traps, but you also have to hope that all survivors are careless.
Do not make things too reliant on what others will do
I like to think DbD is a solo game played with strangers, not a swf team game. Because of this, you can't create challenges that need the whole team to cooperate with you. To cleanse three totems in a game may be difficult, but with the proper items / perks is doable. To cleanse five totems in a game is impossible without a swf team.
This would be not only frustrating, but also incentivise early DCs for solo players.
If something is very difficult, either do it only once or avoid a master challenge for it
To pallet stun a killer is situational, but not very difficult. To blind a killer per se is doable (just blind him when he's breaking a pallet), but to rescue a survivor with a flashlight is very difficult and situational, one time per game is more than enough. Prefer something like take a hit from the killer while he's carrying a survivor 3 times if you want to promote altruistic behaviour - it's trivial per se, but doing it 3 times make it difficult and dangerous.
Avoid challenges that are 100% counterable once understood by the opposite party
To sacrifice 4 survivors in the basement is impossible if any survivor DCs or simply run far away from the basement just to spite you (and they will). To hook a survivor 4 times (or even more) in the basement is totally ok instead.
Corollary: try to add opposite challenges in the same Tome
If in the same tome a survivor challenge is to rescue 2 survivors from the basement, then even the sacrifice 4 survivors in the basement becomes much more viable, since survivors will be incentivised to be more altruistic and care less about you not achieving your goal and more about them achieving theirs.
You created a time gate for the archives, use it at your advantage!
Avoid challenges that can become impossible before the late game
If a challenge is to fully repair 4 generators, once two generators are done you could be already too late to complete the challenge, and start playing carelessly to try it again.
If a challenge instead is to fully repair 2 generators, and any % of the last generator one can't really know until end game if I can still do it.
What would change?
optional read :P
With this in mind, what would change from the tome 4 current placeholders?
Decisive Light - Blind the killer while they are carrying a survivor 2 times
- Either change it to 1 time or to blind the killer 3 times in a game
Dark Senses - Completely repair 4 gens using Dark Sense
- admitting this is a problem with wording, that is the devs mean we just need to be part of the final tap of 4 generators, it would still not be ok
- the challenge can become impossible very early in the game (as early as the first 2 gen popping)
- too reliant on what others will do
- change: either lower the amount of gens to pop (and simply pop) to 3, or rephrase in repair at least 25% of 5 different generators. It's difficult, but there are 7 gens on the map, 25% * 5 is a little more than a single generator but you have to move around a lot, plus you can't be really sure if you accomplished your goal before very late in the game
Last Minute Hero - Unhook safely 3 survivors after the EGC begins
- too luck based
- too swf oriented
- 100% counterable by the killer
- change it to unhook safely a survivor 3 times after at least 4 generators have been repaired. It would still be very situational, but at least it would make a bit of sense, and even promote altruism in 2v1 situations. Remember that EGC usually don't even begin before players are sure everyone can escape - 99% escape doors is a real thing ;)
Hold the Door - Escape one trial after every other survivor are escaped
- too luck based
- too swf oriented
- 100% countered by your team!
- change it to take a hit outside the Escape Doors just before escaping.
- still situational, but not reliant on your team mates.
- some killers can capitalise on the situation, preventing this challenge to become counterable by them. (honestly, I still don't like it though :P)
There are of course a lot of other things to consider in how to design a Master Challenge, but what I wanted to point out with this thread was more of a what not to do and why. I hope this can help somehow.
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