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My idea on how to balance keys.

PrincessPoop PrincessPoop
in General Discussions

As we all know by now, keys are a bit of a problem. The biggest issues with keys are that they are too game changing for how easy they are to activate, they do not have enough counter-play, they are basically a free escape when used by SWF, and they have the potential to screw over teammates when used in solo queue. With all that being said, I do think there is a way to balance keys without removing their core purpose, which is to escape through a closed hatch.

So my idea to balance keys would be this:

  • Hatch spawn rules remain the same.
  • Everyone in match is notified when hatch has spawned.
  • Keys can no longer be used instantly. Instead the survivor must perform an unlocking process which will require a progress bar to unlock hatch.
  • If the unlocking process is interrupted, the progress bar resets back to zero.
  • When a survivor with a key starts the unlocking process, everyone in the match is notified, including the killer.
  • This notification gives every player the exact location of the hatch, including the killer.
  • The time it takes to finish unlocking is dependent on how many survivors remain in the match. The more survivors that remain means the longer it takes to open.
  • If the survivor successfully opens the hatch, it will remain open for a certain period of time. (30 seconds for example)
  • If the survivor successfully opens the hatch, they do not immediately leave, they still have to manually jump through the hatch.
  • During this time the killer cannot close the hatch.
  • Once the hatch has closed the EGC will start and the exit gates will power.
  • Once a key has successfully opened the hatch, no other keys can be used on it again.

Okay so now let me explain why I think these changes would be a good way to balance keys. First off, the reason there should be an unlocking process is to make them harder to activate. Being able to use a key instantly feels cheap and the reward is too great. This will make players with keys have to choose the right time to use them so they don’t get interrupted and have their progress reset. It adds a little bit of skill to keys which they definitely need.

Secondly, the reason for why everyone in the match is notified and given the location of the hatch when the unlocking process begins is because it simultaneously closes the SWF/solo q gap, while giving the killer actual counter-play. As survivor wether you are SWF or solo q, you now have the same amount of information to work with. Once you see that the unlocking process has begun, it gives you a certain amount of time to get over to the hatch before it closes. Likewise as killer, you will have a certain amount of time to make it to the hatch to stop the unlocking process.

And lastly, since this would make hatch escapes much more difficult, the reward should also be greater. This is why I think killers should not be able to close the hatch after it has been successfully opened by a key. The remaining survivors will have a short time period to try to escape before the hatch closes automatically and beings the EGC.

Overall this is just a very rough idea that I came up with and I’m sure there are issues with it that I haven’t thought about but I would love to get some feedback on this, what you like/dislike, why and why not etc.... so please let me know!

@Peanits

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