Merging maps and keys into one item

MrMori

What are your thoughts on this? They are pretty much never seen anymore except for archive challenges. They both have similar functionality, "tracking objects, giving information, etc". I think it makes perfect sense. It wouldn't even be complicated to merge the items because you could just take the amount of each addon/item and add them together.

I'd like to see a fourth actual item outside of flashlights, medkits and toolboxes. Broken key is useless without addons, green map is quite weak, but together, they could be a "map with a broken key", get it?

What do you all think?

Seraphor

I'm in favour of it, both Maps and keys see relatively little use, due to their effects being very niche, and combining them could turn them into an item with equal weight of a Medkit, Toolbox or Flashlight.

In fact, I even came up with a concept for this myself a while back:

@Seraphor said:

I've always found it odd that we have two classes of items that (now at least) only exist to track auras. So why couldn't these functions be combined into one item class that's used to track auras, using add-ons to determine what additional objectives are tracked?

I've formed this idea on the basis of three issues I have with or regarding these items:

1. Since the Hatch rework, Keys have become virtually useless for opening the Hatch, and still very rarely used for their aura tracking features. That aura tracking is very useful, but it doesn't appear to be good enough to get many players using them.
2. Maps are also rarely seen, despite not being changed. Of course this is probably because they were previously used with Keys in a SWF to locate the hatch. As it turns out, their limited aura tracking isn't quite good enough to make up for this.
3. This will seem unconnected but... basekit Kindred. It's requested over and over again as a bandaid fix for solo survivors to deal with camping. It's never going to happen, but these items could make up for it. We have medkits in place of healing perks, toolboxes in place of repair perks, and flashlights provide additional ways to stun. So why not have items that replace aura perks? Do these items already do that? Kinda. Do they do it effectively enough? No.

So I've come up with a concept where instead of having Keys or Maps, we instead get Keyrings. We can attach various charms, and indeed keys onto these Keyrings, and they effectively serve as buffed Maps that could be used to open the hatch, if they have a functional key attached to them.

https://us.v-cdn.net/6030815/uploads/DULKSWT7SJJN/keyrings1.png

Please forgive the scuffed icons.

The main addition here is that simply equipping the Keyrings will provide the survivor with one permanent basekit feature, the ability to see the auras of fellow survivors within a short distance. Effectively replicating Bond but slightly reduced. This is comparable to a Medkit replacing Selfcare.

In addition, Keyrings can still be channelled, using up charges, to activate further aura tracking abilities. As default that includes survivors further away, and generators within that same short distance zone.

https://us.v-cdn.net/6030815/uploads/L32R2JSLFYX5/keyrings2.png

For common/uncommon add-ons, we get the general distance/charges upgrades, plus a few additional abilities. Some of these are simply existing Key or Map aura tracking abilities that I've integrated back into Keyrings, however the Eroded Token's new effect is entirely novel.

The Eroded Token would allow you to see the aura of survivors who are within 16 metres of the killer, when using charges. This would serve as a sort of Kindred-lite, as if you start charging the Keyring and see a survivor appear further than 16/24 metres away from you, you can infer that the killer is close to them.

https://us.v-cdn.net/6030815/uploads/TUYJMLA90CGF/keyrings3.png

Then we get the rare and up add-ons.

The Gold Token is straight up Kindred replication, although obviously limited by the charges of the Keyring.

The Broken Key now sees a new lease of life, it's no longer useless, it can be used to track the Hatch, even while it's open, giving you as the last remaining survivor an edge over the killer in the race to the hatch.

Attaching the Dull Key allows the Keyring to function just as the current Dull Key does, giving the ability to open a closed Hatch. Then the Skeleton Key combines both together, giving you the aura of and ability to open the Hatch.

I think these changes, essentially combining the best parts of Maps and Keys into one, would make an item that may actually be as useful as a Medkit, Toolbox or Flashlight, and provide solo survivors with additional effective options to gathering info, that won't feel like a waste of a slot that using Kindred does for some.

catnipthegreat

I have said a few times that they should just remove keys and add the addons from the keys to the maps.

Then, make the key a last-ditch effort scavenger hunt.

Key spawns during the end game collapse (if 1 survivor remains), hidden somewhere in the map. If a survivor finds the key, they would be able to reopen the hatch previously closed by the killer.

This would prevent hopeless situations where there is just no way for that last survivor to make it out. Situations where the doors spawn in a way that the killer can just stand in a particular spot and have a perfect view of both-- then if the survivor makes a move for it.. they have no chance at all of making it out.

A hopeless situation may be more understandable and acceptable, were it not for the changes to certain perks during endgame with the reasoning being "the killer is helpless against X" see decisive strike, or off the record etc. -- there is precedent here for fixing "hopeless or helpless situations"

If the killer has 3k'd and you played hard and made it to the end... it feels -bad- when you see the gates right on top of one another and the hatch closed immediately. there is nothing you can do but die.

the idea of hiding the key in the match would also add another layer to the game, another objective and a race against the clock.