Improve Regression
Right now, regression on generators without the help of perks mostly just wastes time. Unless you can guarantee that it will have a good amount of regression time. And it can, at times, help. But the base regression is negligible with how fast paced matches are becoming.
With a default kick, generators regress at 0.25 charges a second. Four seconds equals one charge.
5.3 minutes for a full generator. 2.6 minutes for a half generator. The amount of time it can take to regress a generator only functions if a generator is left for a good period of time. The time it takes to kick a generator while pressure is put on them is far too much.
I think improving regression helps the killer manage generators better. The killer needs to be better rewarded for attending to generators and preventing their completion.
I would suggest the following changes for every killer, and adjustments to perks:
A) ALL Generators now regress passively, called Passive Regression, when not attended to at a rate of 0.25 charges a second.
This change will put a minimal amount of pressure on survivors to complete gens. As shown above, 0.25 charges a second is not a lot at all. It only becomes an issue if you leave it for half the match. Even a non-coordinated team wouldn't leave a generator lay that long very often. Generators regress this way without sparks to indicate that this regression is passive and not started by the Killer.
B) By default, when the Killer kicks a Generator, it will automatically regress 5%.
This little jolt will make kicking a generator more immediately rewarding for the killer. After all, the killer can only begin regression on a generator once; this can only be done multiple times in a row if a survivor continues to tap the generator to pause its active regression. In case you're wondering, no, it will not add on top of Pop Goes The Weasel. Pop trumps the 5%, not add onto it.
C) When a Killer kicks a generator, the generator itself will begin Active Regression, which increases the regression to 0.5 charges a second.
This buff to the regression is equal to current Ruin or Call of Brine. When uninterrupted, it will regress to 0% at a rate of 160 seconds (2.6 minutes) starting at 99%. This means that when a killer kicks a generator, survivors need to be more actively aware of which generators are in Active Regression and attend to it. However, attend to it too soon, and the Killer can just go back and kick it again, knocking off another 5%. So you can't just gen-tap, you have to be smart.
Obviously, with these new additions to the base kit, changes have to be done to gen regression perks. So here is my propositions:
CALL OF BRINE:
Whenever you kick a generator while Call of Brine is active, the Active Regression rate of that generator becomes 0.7/0.85/1 charge a second for 30 seconds or until Active Regression is ended.
Generators that are affected by Call of Brine are highlighted for the survivors in Yellow.
SURVAILANCE:
All generators within 28/30/32 meters of you are highlighted in White if they are in Passive Regression.
All generators in Active Regression are highlighted in Yellow.
Whenever Passive Regression is ended in range of you, or Active Regression ended at any point, gain a sound notification on the generator.
HEX: RUIN:
While Ruin is standing, all Generators begin to in Active Regression and loose 0.3/0.4/0.5 charges a second when not being repaired.
(Ruin remains the same because not having to kick generators to begin regression is big)
OVERCHARGE:
Whenever you put a generator in Active Regression, every 10 seconds the generator will immediately loose 1/2/3% progress until Active Regression is stopped.
When a survivor interacts with the generator, it will give them a tremendously difficult skill check. Failing this skill check will reduce the generator's progress by an additional 5% and begin Active Regression again. The skill check only occurs once.
Comments
Base regression needs a buff but basekit tier 1 ruin is too much.
I do like the idea of a kick having a small amount of instant regression as this helps combat gen tapping.
I disagree.
Ruin is strong not because it regresses at 0.5 charges a second. Its strong because it is constantly applied and evenly distributes to every gen. Meaning, whenever you push a survivor off a gen, you're gaining value.
Passive Regression is meant to mimic that value, where the Killer is rewarded, albeit very small, with pushing survivors off gens by default. I think 0.5 charges a second for spending time out of position to kick a gen for 2 seconds showcases its urgency to survivors.
The ability to control gens is supposedly what makes or breaks many killer games, and by default we just don't have the tools to address it. These 3 things together I feel would give a killer enough to address gens by default without stealing the spotlight from gen regression perks like Ruin or Pop.
Also; Tier 1 Ruin is 0.25 charges a second. Tier 3 is 0.5 a second.
Basekit Ruin is a bit OP, even at half strength (or tier 1).
5% regresion on kicks is enough if you ask me. It gives immediate pay off for your direct intervention, and bonus if a survivor taps it immediately as you can turn it into 10%. Nerf Pop slightly to 20% so it's still 25% total.
Now I'm all for other perks similar to Ruin that aren't a huge gamble like hexes. For example:
After hooking a survivor for the first time, all gens begin regressing at 200% for the next 60s. All gen regression pauses while you are within 18m of a hooked survivor.
This would be a non-hex Ruin that discourages camping.
Combine it with something like Thrilling or the Scourge perk that makes you scream when you're on a gen, or just BBQ, and you can pressure the right gens to get your regression.
As I said above; Ruin at Tier 1 is literally just normal regression. 0.25 charges a second.
At Tier 3 its 0.5.
Plus, we already have a perk that does this: Call of Brine. It isn't exactly meta.
Yes I know... what about my post suggested that I didn't know the figures around Ruin?
Call of the Brine isn't like either the instant regression or the perk I suggested.
The instant regression would be basekit, not a perk. (And would therefore already boost the effectiveness of every gen-kicking perk like Call of the Brine)
The perk I suggested doesn't require you to kick gens, it's automatic regression you activate by progressing your main objective. It would be as meta as Ruin is.
Oh, I didn't understand entirely what you meant.
Well, the idea isn't the immediate reward. Not entirely. If you add 5% regression on a base kick, then it wouldn't do enough IMO to reward the killer. The base regression on a kick needs to be boosted as well to round it off. Because 5% only amounts to a few seconds of gen progress. Which can be given back fairly easily.
The goal for all three of these changes is to give the Killer significant rewards for running survivors off gens, kicking gens, and protecting them as they regress. Performing just one of these I feel is a change too small for the current state of regression, which necessitates perks.
5% regression is more than a survivor can repair in the 2 seconds it takes the killer to kick the gen. (In fact it takes 4 seconds to repair 5%, so that's 800% regression for that 2 second commitment to kick)
That alone makes kicking a gen a credit towards the killer (as opposed to how it currently is where a quick tap can make the kick negative pressure for the killer)
That alone makes kicking worthwhile, and would therefore make every gen kicking perk more worthwhile. Overcharge, Trail of Torment, Erruption, Dragons Grip, Call of the Brine, etc. All suddenly much more worthwhile to use.
So yes, the instant regression alone would be a significant boon for killers.
There's a reason why Ruin is a Hex perk. Automatic regression with no qualifying conditions would be incredibly oppressive. An active Ruin at endgame, especially in a three-gen situation, is already virtually impossible to overcome. The only reason Ruin isn't totally oppressive is because it usually doesn't last until endgame.
Ruin without being a Hex would be too strong (hence why my suggested Ruin alternative requires killer objectives to activate and is limited to a total of 4 minutes uptime)
Ruin without even costing a perk slot would be ridiculous.
The only way I would be ok with basekit automatic regression, would be if it scaled with gens completed, and starting less than base regression speed.
5 gens remaining = 0.2c/s
4 = 0.15c/s
3 = 0.10c/s
2 = 0.05c/s
1 = no regression.
This is because early game is where you want the regression. Late game regression can snowball into an unbeatable game.
The only reason a game with that regression would be uncontrollable, would be because the survivors put themsleves into a bad 3 gen situation.
4 seconds of repair time is good. But its only four seconds. And regression at 0.25 charges wouldn't properly reward the killer if he decides to hover around the generator and control it.
The killer wins games by controlling gens but has no means without perks to control them. This just gives killers a default address to generators which would make regression perks less of a necessity. Thus improving perk variety and thus improving matches.
You won't see Ruin every match because the killer will no longer have to feel like they need to rely on it to defend gens.
So a 3 gen automatically = game taken hostage, and you're ok with that? It's not always the survivors fault, if the killer is already defending their intended 3 gen and not every survivor is clued in. Or do we want to punish solo survivors?
4 seconds for a 2 second animation is absolutely good, it makes kicking gens a valid action that isn't negated by an immediate tap, that's all that needs to happen. If you want to hang around and defend that gen afterwards you can still do that, you don't need rapid regression to do that. How long are you expecting to just be standing there camping that gen that you need rapid regression? Survivors are off doing other gens. If you can't down a survivor fast enough to apply the pressure needed then regression speed isn't the thing you need to be worrying about.
Killers win games by sacrificing survivors. You can do this in two ways, either going for kills, or controlling gens so survivors come to you. You have perks that can help with either, so whichever you want to focus on, you bring the perks that enable you to do that. This is the basic format of the game, it's not difficult. There's no need to invalidate all of the gen regression perks by making the best one basekit.
Basekit features should absolutely be barebones, and changing them to favour one side or the other is a very tight line to walk, because of how the 197 different perks in the game could interact with the basekit. So I'm sorry but no, basekit regression at a significant level is absolutely a no go, and the devs know this.