Compromise to make the game play better
Get rid of SWFs, get rid of ingame chat both pre and post. And get rid of the basement.
I will explain my reasoning. First, SWFs, they were never suppose to be in this game. Look at the game itself, it's designed to be 4 solo Q survivors against 1 killer. And we know this because first 50% of the abilities are based around information where everyone is, and second notice how none of the survivors come with a headset, or a radio? Yea that's by design. SWF has a always been a really bad option in this game, because with SWF the survivors can literally tailor their builds around just telling each other where the killer is, and that's a huge advantage.
Next is chat, chat has never served in any positive light EVER. In pregame it's designed to once again circumvent the ability to play solo Q blindly, and in post game it's designed for trolling, because what else does anyone ever say? If you want people to be able to say GG endgame, just make it a clickable button and remove chat entirely.
And finally the basement. Killers exploit that way WAYYY too much, there are killers like trapper and hag that are designed around that place being inescapable. So yea, it needs to be removed heavily.
Update: For all the people going "this game would die without SWF". First no it wouldn't, because without SWF it would simply be more balanced. Second no one is saying you can't play with your friends, I'm saying you wouldn't be able to play with your friend in any match that isn't custom. And let's face it you don't enjoy playing with friends for the "fun", you enjoy doing it because you have an advantage over the killer. Because every other aspect of the game could be done without being in a group with your friends. You can still talk to each other, you can still joke, but the aspects you're looking for is being able to 1 up killers by giving away positions and telling each other what's going on. And there's a name for that. CHEATING.
Comments
Basement.
"Designed around."
"Exploit".
Pick one.
1. As others have stated, SWF was always intended but when the game was first released they had time to complete either KYF or SWF. Upon release the lobby dodging to queue up with your buds hurt wait times badly, and now with MMR the backfilling wreaks matchmaking as well.
No doubt the effect of comms was hideously underestimated by the devs, but with more than half of all survs in at least a two-man (and that was about three years ago stats, with solo-queue even harsher now i bet the number of SWF is much higher) this mode is here to stay.
The devs have decided to get solos the info and potential to approach SWF level of coordination, so it hopefully matters less which way survs queue up. Mighty tall task imo, but that's the course they're on.
2. Can't the chat box be turned off on PC? Us consolers cannot even use it anyway, and collectively console is the much larger playerbase. I think that box has little impact overall.
3. Basement gone? Really? I look at the basement as fine with knowledgeable players, and of course a deathtrap for certain killers and builds. Killers should have a strong point if they know how to use it imo.
Umm Que times are longer for SWFs than they are for solo Q, and I know this because I tested it, every single time we went into SWFs even with 4 people it took at least double the time than it takes for solo Q. So the only one trying to add different problems is you.
You're gonna lose A LOT of players if you were to remove the option to play with friends.
Majority of survivors play the game almost exclusively with friends only, as solo is just simply not fun.