For the love of everything please have your internal conversations say yes.
So, new dev update. There's a section about solo survivors.
The important bit is this:
"One feature we are experimenting with is a status icon next to each Survivor’s portrait in the HUD that lets you know what they are doing. This way, solo Survivors can base their decision around what their teammates are doing, and partial groups get a better idea of their solo teammates’ contributions, making everyone feel like more of a team. This is something that can already be easily conveyed with a quick callout over voice chat, but is currently not available to solo Survivors."
We have been suggesting this (along with other things) for years. Please please please implement something like this I am absolutely begging because it is sorely needed. Don't tie things to perks like you have done in future, please make it basekit and then buff killers to compensate- something which you said you'd do in the update.
Don't make me get on my knees and sob, because if that's what it takes to implement this I will.
For reference, here is said dev update:
@Peanits said:
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Happy New Year! We’re back after a quick break and jumping right back into things with another developer update. Like last time, there’s too much to go through in one sitting, so check back tomorrow for part 2. Most of this will appear in the upcoming Mid-Chapter, but we also wanted to be a bit more transparent with what we’re working on for the future. For the sake of clarity, we’ve marked anything that’s for a later update with “Future”.
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Future: Patch Optimization Plans
Depending on where you play, it can either take a while to install a patch or patch sizes can be unusually large. Needless to say, this isn’t ideal: When new content releases, who wants to wait around for it? That’s why we’re working on improving the update process going forward.
First of all, why does it take so long? To keep it simple, the game is split up into small chunks. This way when the game updates, you only need to download the chunks that changed rather than the whole game. The trouble is, as the game has grown over the years, so have these chunks, which makes downloads and/or patch times (depending on which platform you’re on) longer.
So what are we doing about it? In the short term, for Steam only due to technical reasons, we will be compressing the files more starting this Mid-Chapter. This will make patch times as much as 50% faster and decrease the amount of disk space required by about 18 GB.
Next, we’ll be restructuring these chunks in a future update. This will affect all platforms and make patch times up to 200% faster!
IMPORTANT NOTE: In both cases, these improvements will require you to completely redownload the game. This means there will be a very large download when updating or opting into or out of the PTB. Don’t worry, this is normal! Afterwards, updates will go back to being much smaller.
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Future: Matchmaking Optimization Plans
We’re a few months into Skill Based Matchmaking (SBMM), and we’d like to shed some light on what we’ve been working on and the improvements we’ll be making going forth. Though it may be polarizing, we want to be as transparent as possible when it comes to SBMM, as the discussions that stem from it are incredibly valuable to us as we continue to work on improvements.
The game and the community are constantly changing, and the matchmaking system should always be adapted to support them. This is why we’re constantly making changes behind the scenes. One recent example came from an influx of new players. We noticed that the default rating was placing first-time players against some fairly experienced opponents. So, to remedy this, we lowered the default rating for new players so they would be more likely to play amongst each other. We’re regularly making changes like this behind the scenes to find the best balance of fast queues and quality matches.
Beyond small tweaks, we’ve identified some areas where the system could be improved. Let’s run through each of them quickly:
Backfill Improvements
If someone leaves a lobby, the matchmaker needs to find a replacement (a.k.a. backfill). Right now, it heavily favours a quick replacement over a quality one. This can lead to some matches where one (or more) players are outside of their normal skill range. We’re going to work towards finding a good balance between quality and wait times.
Disconnection Handling
Currently, the SBMM system doesn’t handle disconnects as well as it could. We’re looking to make adjustments to handle them better and make sure disconnects are treated fairly when altering someone’s rating.
Extended Breaks
When someone takes an extended break from the game, their rating does not change. This isn’t ideal since you’re bound to be a little rusty after not playing for a while, and returning to difficult matches is a recipe for a frustrating night. We’re hoping to introduce a mechanic that adjusts your rating(s) when you’ve been gone for a while to ease you back in when you return.
General Improvements
This one is a little more technical: The game will detect which server you have the best connection to and match you with other players who are close to that server. This works well enough, but if you’re right between two servers, you’ll only be matched with one set of players. For players who have good connections to more than one server, we’d like to open up matchmaking and allow them to find matches with either set of players. This can help balance out queue times at off-peak hours and even improve the quality of the matches made.
As a note, these changes will take a while to develop, but we’re confident that these will make notable improvements on the matchmaking system.
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Future: Solo Survivor Experience
If you’re reading this, you’ve been left on the hook at some point. Okay, maybe not, but the chances are very high.
Thanks to Skill Based Matchmaking ratings, we’re able to see the impact playing with a premade group has on the outcome of a match at various skill levels. The data confirms our suspicions: As skill goes up, so does the gap in survival rates between solo survivors and premade groups. In the top end of skill levels, the difference in escape rates can be as much as 15%.
This isn’t great: This difference between solo Survivors and groups makes it difficult to find a perfect balance. If we balance Killers around premade groups, solo Survivors get left behind. Meanwhile, if we balance around solo Survivors, Killers will have a rough time against groups. With that in mind, we’re working on some measures to bridge the gap between solo Survivors and premade groups, which will allow us to better balance Killers as a result.
We’re aiming to strike a balance between making the solo player(s) feel like they’re a part of the team without being overbearing. For example, we want to share key pieces of information, like “What are my teammates doing?”, but not too much info, like showing everyone’s exact location. To put it simply, the idea is to bring solo Survivors up to the same level, not give people excessive information that makes even premade groups stronger.
We want to share a very early peek at one potential way of closing this gap. Before we do, we want to stress that this is in the very early stages; we’re curious to hear what you think, but please keep in mind that it may change or even be scrapped entirely.
One feature we are experimenting with is a status icon next to each Survivor’s portrait in the HUD that lets you know what they are doing. This way, solo Survivors can base their decision around what their teammates are doing, and partial groups get a better idea of their solo teammates’ contributions, making everyone feel like more of a team. This is something that can already be easily conveyed with a quick callout over voice chat, but is currently not available to solo Survivors.
Once again, this is a very early preview- so early that we’re still discussing this internally. Feel free to share your thoughts, but please keep in mind that none of this is final or confirmed. Depending on how things go, this feature may be changed or scrapped entirely before it ever sees the light of day. We wanted to be open about this and keep you in the loop: The gap between solo Survivors and groups is not going under the radar, it’s something we’re actively working on.
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New Betas Tab
Sometimes we think up some experimental features that we’d love some feedback and data on, but they aren’t quite ready to release into the wild just yet. Enter the Betas tab!
Next time you head to the Settings menu, you’ll see a new Betas tab. Here, you’ll find betas for upcoming features that you can opt in or out of as you please. Want to share your thoughts on something early on? Awesome, opt in!
The icing on the cake: You’ll be rewarded with extra Bloodpoints for the first bunch of matches you play with a beta activated.
Unlike the Player Test Build, these Betas are also available on consoles. Everyone’s invited!
So, the only question is, what’s the first beta going to be? How about…
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Wiggle Update
Earlier this year, we changed struggling from button mashing to skill checks, making it much more accessible and a lot easier on your buttons & keys. We’ve been working on a similar update to wiggling as well, and we’re finally ready to share it with you.
Instead of mashing buttons, you’ll see a skill check while being carried- only this one has two zones and doesn’t go away when you hit it. Instead, hitting the skill check successfully will cause it to switch directions and gradually fill your wiggle meter. Keep hitting those skill checks to keep wiggling!
This interaction keeps wiggling interactive while requiring far fewer inputs and is much easier on your joysticks, making it more accessible to players with repetitive strain injuries. Additionally, each side of the skill check can optionally be bound to a different button to further increase the gap between repeated button presses.
This update will first appear in the betas tab, allowing you to opt in as you please.
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Toggle Interactions
On the topic of accessibility, another feature that will be debuting with this update is a toggle mode for interactions. This new option, which can be enabled in the Settings, makes holding a button for long periods of time a thing of the past. Simply press the button to start the interaction and press it again to stop it.
To go with it, you’ll also find a new option to cancel interactions by sprinting. Enabling this will automatically cancel actions and cause you to start running whenever you sprint.
Our goals with these new settings are to make Dead by Daylight more accessible, and to provide an alternative for players that don’t wish to hold a button for the entire length of an interaction. Plus, this frees up a hand so you can take a drink while hitting skill checks! (We’ll still predict when you’re taking a drink and give you a skill check, though, that’s our favourite feature.)
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve earned yourself a break from reading - check back tomorrow for part 2! But before you go, we have one last bit of news for today: The Player Test Build opens Wednesday, January 5th. See you there!
The Dead by Daylight team
(and just for the record, the wiggle update + toggle options are both very, very welcome accessability options too).
Comments
I hope we at least get a locker status so we know when someone is hiding inside one and being useless.
Fair enough. I just really hope that when they make these changes, they commit themselves to making SWF vs. Solo is a comparable experience from both the Killer & Survivor side... and they just start handing out killer buffs at the same time, balancing them against current SWF numbers. I'm just worried they'll make these changes to improve the solo queue experience, then do nothing for months - or even a full year - while the killer experience continues to degenerate even more.
Given the speed killer buffs tend to happen, I'm very skeptical they'll do this and at this rate, in my region in the evening, the queue feels longer than games do for Survivor at times... and it's just going to get worse. I've already gone from a 10-90% killer main to a 70-30% survivor main, simply because every, single, killer game - win or lose - just feels like an absolute sweatfest that gets old quickly.
Voice chat + ping or whatever system. Don't use voice chat if you don't want to, use the ping system or the status icons.
There should not be locker icons because people will be toxic if they see you go in a locker.
Also more icons = higher burden of knowledge for new players.
Why would they need to buff killers accordingly? I am not understanding that part.
Also, how do icons address the actual issue at hand which is that solo players more than often are commonly known to be less than efficient? Where not even perks like kindred sought to be of any use because all you saw was 3 other teammates lingering around doing nothing.
In other words, solo queue suffers mostly from players who do not want to partake in being a team player, and I don’t see how icons will buff that when it is a prevalent issue in solo queue.
To be honest, my biggest issue with SWFs is how difficult is sometimes is to start a close ranged chase, when people are using voice comms to make it easier to pre-leave generators and hide before the killer gets there. And sometimes when I throw someone on a hook, it sometimes feels pointless to leave the hook to start patrolling generators, if I think the person on the hook might be using voice comms to warn people if I’m patrolling in their direction.
Exactly, so in that case it's more efficient to camp and then you get four people insulting you.
I mean, it’s not like you can’t see the killer coming from a mile away. You only need to pay attention and even if you are not certain because of LoS or so, you can still play it safe and have a plan on where you intend on running if the killer comes to you.
Survivors who have good map awareness know this.
You're worried about locker icons but then you want voice chat. Yea I'll pass on that one, already get insulted enough via text dont need to hear 12 year olds screaming at me too
Not every generator is out in the open and low / no TR Killers get screwed by comms if they use terrain to approach unseen.
So you think SWF teammates know exactly where the killer is when they have no TR?
Because that would be incorrect.
Also, I know not every generator is out in the open but if they have TR then you know they are going to you. There is virtually no way for a person to know exactly where the killer is going 100% of the time. Even in a SWF group.
I was happy to see that section. Icons showing someone is on gen, in chase, healing, etc. would be so helpful. Not knowing their exact location is fine, knowing they are/aren't in a chase or are doing something other than hiding is helpful enough. I really hope they follow through with this one.
LoS is highly map variable and has a distance cap.
If I'm on Yamaoka Estate by the house, and I see a survivor on shack gen with BBQ after hooking a survivor - the survivor on the hook telling their buddy that I'm heading in their direction is not information that the survivor in shack has any way of perceiving for the next ten seconds. In a solo queue situation, they would have to wait until they hear the TR, and then for it to get louder (implying I'm moving towards them and not passing by) before they could react. I will still see the scratch marks of the solo survivor if they attempt to run from the area, but the warned SWF survivor will be long gone if they left when their teammate told them. And if I'm a stealth killer... yeah, no, that's not happening.
It's like Spine Chill, in a way. Most of what Spine Chill does is covered by rotating the camera, but it also works through walls and against killers who are very well camouflaged with their environment; it will cover you in situations where eyesight alone fails.
I didn't say that. Survivors can know communicate which direction the Killer is going, for example after being hooked, which can negate stealth approaches by the Killer.
I'm curious as to what they will give killers to make up for the free information (particularly knowing the exact moment a killer is occupied in chase....every game).
Maybe it will be discussed in Part 2.
Again, and I never denied that. But the notion that solo queue survivors are boundaries away from knowing the killer is coming to them is ridiculous.
As I said before if the survivor is good they would have already pre-made plans for what their next move is going to be. SWF or not.
A perk that disables the icons on hit, like Third Seal. But it's a Hex because otherwise it would be too strong.
Hex:Third Wheel
"Date's over, baby."
The classic "compensation" strategy comes tomorrow.
More to come Wednesday with the notes? Oh my, I can't be more excited than I am right now.
Right now, this is something I feel kinda conflicted over. I definitely like this a lot more than everyones favorite suggestion; make kindred base kit, cause that would definitely be too much intel.
Giving any additional intel at all is still a concept that's kinda scary to me as a killer main, cause a lack of intel is what creates moments of tension and challenge. I know that SWF already has basically unlimited intel and solo is getting the short end of the stick. And I know that this would really only give new intel to solo queue survivors, but something about this just doesn't sit right with me.
latuzi's description is describing leap and bounds the advantage of solo vs swf. Denying it is a bit strange.
Survivors can have pre-planned routes in a chase, but for killer, its not just about chase itself, its about getting into the chase in favorable position. Sometimes getting into a chase can take upwards to 30 seconds or so before the chase even begins and it comes from that informational gap. 0 TR killers are easy to counter, you can just follow them as SWF and give basic directions for where killer is coming from, denying them of their first hit.
3 - 4 years of them bringing up parity between solo and swf every stream they've done since for them to decide whether to pop up some pngs next to survivors to show whether they're doing gens or not, lmao.
DBD is moving at a snails pace.
what about wiggle perks when it comes to skillchecks? Will those function the same?
And what I am saying is that this "advantage" isn't that big of a deal when you think about the fact that in reality even when you are in a SWF team, there is virtually no possible way of seeing the killer's every move. Meaning that at best someone can give you a "ballpark" of where the killer might be headed. Your FOV isn't magically larger simply because you have comms. You can just as easy open your eyes in solo queue too.
In most cases you'll be able to detect the killer from a mile away. So it isn't like this is a constant issue in solo queue.
Solo queue has bigger issues anyway. An icon moving telling me someone is in a chase isn't going to change the incompetency that is found in solo trials.
it is time efficiency. Its pretty big deal. a lot of games can be won or lost through time efficiency. you can add loads of extra time to each chase and the difference between m1 killer getting first hit in a good start position in a chase and getting no hits with bad start position in a chase can be detrimental. I do recon that the change will improve solo by a little bit. As Madjula states, SWF can very much neutralize stealth killers.
Icon moving when someone is chase is not even new mechanic. Its just update to what is obsession system already is but now it applies to everyone instead of just obsession . I assume they'll be gen icon. I wonder if they'll be locker icon. This might be a very interesting PTB for survivor.
100% agree. I'm picturing a gen icon if they're on a gen. A running icon if being chased. Probably too much to hope for, but a guy can dream.
I'm a killer main and I completely support this. I think in the long term this can serve a very good purpose for both killers and survivors.
Many times what happens is that we (killers) completely destroy soloQ teams (which is not that satisfying, because it's usually due to awful mistakes from the survivor team's side), and get completely crushed by SWF teams. And then here we are at a 50% win rate on paper, yet both games are not satisfying.
BHVR acknowledging this bridge between the 2 types of games is great. Them trying to buff SoloQ teams is good, because then later they can buff/nerf the killers that needs those buffs/nerfs. The data and the results of the match should be more consistent.
There is one huge problem, and that's the fact that it takes a very large amount of time for them to actually decide something and also to implement it. So if they implement this feature in 3 months, then killer games will be harder for the next 3 months, while they gather data.. and then we would have to wait 3 more months until they decide to nerf/buff killers, if they decide... This is the only part that worries me
Because it would "encourage tunneling." Honey if I'm gonna tunnel someone I'm gonna do it regardless of if I know the individual hook states of every survivor or not.
You can also literally just count. Not showing hook states makes no sense.
Ah, so they're finally going to give Survivors guns. /s