Public Domain
Is DbD not interested in Public Domain characters? Are those not marketable enough? Are they not so Public afterall?
I've always found it weird that a game that settles for Horror to not include a variant on some cult classic characters. They have no Vampire like killer, we have only 1 Monster killer, being Demogorgon, we have no killers with Transformations, just some power ups, like Oni for example, not a transformation he just gets angrier and grabs a bigger weapon.
Why is this? Does BHVR have no interest in them? With a cool visual design and some tweaks they wouldn't be the Cliché character. They could take some liberties and give them new abilities or personal traits that impact their abilities, imagine a Vampire incapable of controling their state? Needing to ingest blood much more frequently to not mutate into a monster. Imagine this as when Spider-Man literally turns into a Human Spider. While fed you're able to use most abilities like summoning bats, turn into a shadow when not near light sources such as completed gens and if you don't feed, you lose that but you turn into a Deformed Human Bat Monster with increased strength.
Why not have a Werewolf with 2 attacks, a toxic bite that would actually kill Survivors should they choose to ignore treating it and an aoe Roar that disorientates Survivors, blurry vision, messed up sounds, reduced movement speed for short time, something more than Doctors Static Blast. Since the werewolf won't be countering loops like Doc does with shock therapy the AOE Roar can be more powerful. The Toxic Bit would act as an the new Contaminated Mechanic from Nemesis but actually serve a purpose since it would actually impact Survivors and they'd have to find the cure or else.
Why not have a Mummy with slow walk speed but a charge power that can cast multiple abilities? Sand wave for mobility would drain the most charges, sand traps to slow survivors, insect projectiles for some range attack options when you don't have any more charges and you don't wanna suffer being a slow killer. Imagine the Mori possibilities, a Sand Coffin, Insects eating your flesh, both happening at the same time, a Mumification process, alot of possibilities.
I'd really like to see the Headless Horseman tho using his Horse would be a nightmare, they'd have to come up with something else. Maybe using Curses, placing Curses on survivors, Curses hindring repair ability for X amount of time, a Curse to prevent Healing for X amount of time, a Curse to prevent Aura readind and a Moverment Speed Curse. Each Curse would have a dedicated collor and it would be reflect in each survivor portrait so everyone knows that X survivor is afflicted with X curse. The Curses would work in a Cycle, so that Killer can know wich Curse he is applying. So say for example that you're in a an area where looping is really strong and you get the Repair Curse, you can Curse the Survivor and leave the area. An Ultra Rare add-on could let you change which curse you use so that you could apply the same Curse to Multiple people.
This are just some quick ideas that would serve to use Public Characters in a correct setting and keeping true to their origins while taking some creative liberties to present them in a different light.
Comments
Well, with this tome we just completed, there is a hint of a Dracula based creature existing.
So, I'd say just wait
I think the issue with public domain characters is that the market is saturated with them. How many works with vampires are there? How many with werewolves?
As for your idea of a killer whose power can have multiple effects, how would that work, in terms of controls? Sure, on a keyboard, you have essentially unlimited buttons, but what of a controller?
DbD Killer on Console uses triggers and shoulder buttons for everything, the 4 face buttons aren't used for killers. They can make a combo of L2/Left Trigger + X, Square, Circle,A,B, whatever for different effects on the same power.
Regarding saturation, it's not an issue, they just need to make them interesting and there's plenty of ways to do so, i gave quick examples of different mechanics or character intricacies that make them a variation of the classic character they are inspired from. IF in this limited time i can come up with ideas then surely someone somewhere at BHVR could think and prototype something right?
Regarding saturation, it's not an issue, they just need to make them interesting and there's plenty of ways to do so, i gave quick examples of different mechanics or character intricacies that make them a variation of the classic character they are inspired from. IF in this limited time i can come up with ideas then surely someone somewhere at BHVR could think and prototype something right?
Saturation is definitely an issue. Your ideas aren't exactly original either, which is part of the problem. These things have just been in the public domain for so long that whatever you think of, someone else has already done it.
Now, to be fair, I would like to see Dracula and Frankenstein's monster chapters (with Jonathan Harker and Viktor Frankenstein as survivors, naturally), but the fact is, they wouldn't be very original. The only way for them to be original would be if the devs were to deviate from the actual characters, to the point they would just be skins with completely unrelated powers.
Creating your own variation of something allows for far more freedom and, in my arguably limited experience, is way more fun to create.
When using known characters, such as Frankenstein, his Creature, Dracula, etc., people already know how the story goes. There's hardly anything to add onto it without changing the canon of the source material. Moreover, there's also the fact that when you use those characters, you also have to stay true to people's expectations and associations with the character in how you represent them, how they play, how they "feel". Otherwise, it's just not that character, which defeats the entire point.
Could they work? Maybe. I'd much rather see more creative spins on already highly established tropes, though.