The New UI
I am going to be as calm and reasonable as I can be. I've put a lot of time into this game, so it's something I... suppose you could say I'm passionate about. As such, I apologize if any feelings of frustration or anger spill out between the lines.
Character Portraits - This is the one feature that is praised by most, but I'm afraid I am not one of them. Make no mistake, it's great we can link a name with a character without having to pause and check. Its functionality is not the issue. The issue is the use of the normal character portraits, yet still using the old icons for the "dying state" and "Hooked State." What this means is that the portraits clash with the stylistic choices of the HUD, and I can't help but question why the portraits used for the Adept Achievements were not used in their stead as they fit the style of the HUD quite well.
Information Spread - This is hands down the worst part of the new HUD. The information spread. Every piece of information in DBD is very important. Perks light up and have timers/cooldowns that you need to track on the bottom right. On the upper left, there's the status of each survivor alongside their hook counter if you're a survivor (more on this), the bottom left has your killer power/survivor item, the center-left has the killer's hook counter, to the right are BP scoring events that fade very quickly now, and top center is the gen counter. There's JUST TOO MUCH important information scattered around so you have to physically move your head to keep track of everything. Compare this to the Old UI which had survivors, gens, and killer power/survivor items on the bottom left, perks on the bottom right, and score events on center-right. Simple and easy to read at a glance.
Survivor Hook Counter - This is awesome. Helps solo queue a lot, allowing them to track who is on what hook and make informed decisions without the use of comms. It was a great addition.
Killer Hook Counter - This is insulting. It's just... bad. I struggle to find the words to describe it even. They deprive the killer of individual hook counters because... killers gonna tunnel? No. What I do now is to focus on two survivors, as usual, keep an eye on BBQ stack to tell how many unique hooks I have, and then use simple logic to tell who is on what hook. They claim that keeping track of who is on what hook is part of the "challenge" which I vehemently disagree with. Depriving the killer of this information isn't a challenge; it's an annoyance that feels like it was made assuming the worse of the player base without even asking what we have to think of it. A scummy killer will tunnel for the sake of it. A smart killer will hardly notice a difference. In no instance does the new hook counter help in any shape or form. If anything it's a little frustrating when you hook everyone, see 8/12 hooks filled, and go, "8 hooks and I haven't killed anyone?! Are you kidding me?!" This whole thing just leaves me puzzled and wondering why even include a counter at all if it serves no real purpose.
Why - Is the question I find myself asking. WHY were these changes made? Are there additions planned the old UI was not capable of? If so, can you share a few? Even still, why not emulate the old HUD—why completely change the entire format of everything? Why weren't we asked if both sides should have individual hook counters as this was a widely requested feature from both sides? Why weren't asked what changes we would want to see in a new UI at all? This isn't a tiny balance change—it's a complete overhaul of a basic system that's 1) been existent since the game's release and 2) something that affects everyone.
The worst part? These were known. These were known things and reasons people disliked the new UI, but it was released anyway because "console people didn't have a chance to experience it."
As a console player, I have to say, if this is the reasoning that the HUD was released with almost no changes, I honestly think you should stop making PTBs then. Because the point is to receive feedback, which was done, yet the reason given feels as if it boils down to, "yeah, but what do they think?"
Feedback is feedback. PC and console players are only different by the hardware they play; hardware that has no bearing on how they experience the UI, unlike actual gameplay/balancing. As a member of the community, I feel ignored. I feel as if changes made are made thinking, "We know what is best and you'll come around." Maybe that's just my frustration talking. I don't know.
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