Suggestion for removing the "set and forget" playstyle from other killers too
So recently the devs removed Stealth Mode from Skull Merchant with the reasoning that they want her to use her power instead of "setting and forgetting".
However this playstyle is also present on other Killers, so here is my suggestion for nerfing them to the ground by removing those playstyles.
Trapper
Trapper is the prime example of this playstyle as Survivors can just step into traps randomly even when you didnt put them there yourself or if you didn't remember, especially with the Iridescent Stone. He is the embodiment of not using his power actively, sometimes it works without him. But sometimes the Rrapper must leave his net of traps for a while, so closing traps based on distance feels wrong and closing after an amount of time doesn't feel right either since reseting traps is such a hassle. So this is my idea:
- From now on only up to 5 traps will be open at a time. If another is opened, the oldest trap is disarmed automatically. This allows the Trapper to keep the traps in one specific net and to use them actively in chase, but punishes just randomly dropping traps around the map.
- This would also require a rework to the Iridescent Stone add on, since its based on randomly opening traps. So here is my suggestion: All Survivors start the trial in a bear trap, but healthy.
Hag
The Hag has some of the same issues as Trapper, but at least she needs to be near her traps and can't have the game set them for her. Still, she can forget about her traps instead of actively using them. So my suggestin will encourage you to be aware of your traps by being near them:
- Each trap has an internal timer of 30 seconds. While a trap is inside the teleportation radius of the hag the timer is paused. Otherwise its ticking down. Once 30 seconds have passed the trap gets automatically removed.
Nightmare
Freddy has always been an interesting case as he has two abilities that fall under this category. Dream Snares and Dream Pallets. Snares are mostly actively placed in chased anyway, but its possible Freddy chases into he randomly set down earlier but forgot about. So here are my suggestions.
- Dream Snares only exist during chases. Once a chase has it ended all Dream Snares vanish. To compensate for this, Freddies movement speed is increased to 4.2 m/s while placing Snares.
Next up we have the Dream Pallets. You can forget about them just like you can forget about Snares and worse you can see peoples auras when they are using them, so they can't even test safely. But those are easy to fix:
- Rework the add-ons Garden Rake, Protoype Claw and Paint Thinner. They no longer give you Dream Pallets. Instead they increase the maximum amount of Dream Snares by 1/2/3 respectively.
Unknown
The Unknown just like the Trapper has a power that the game just sets for it sometimes. And you can just completely forget about the Hallucinations until you realise "Oh I need to get to the other side of the map. Lucky coincidence there is this Hallucinations I forgot about." So, Hallucinations need to get reworked:
- Hallucination placing is now a still tracked by the same meter on the side of the screen, but placing one down is now an activated ability. Doing so will place the Hallucination where you are currently standing and give you a 10% hindered effect for 5 seconds. In addition to that, there can only be one Hallucination active at a time. Hallucinations within 20 meters of a hook automatically vanish.
I hope that you decide to implement my suggestions when removing the "placing and forgetting" playstyle entirely.
Comments
Good changes, but five open traps for trapper feels excessive. He could possibly forget that he set one, which is illegal.
No.
There is no need to nerf weak killers even more.
That is a terrible idea. Trapper used to have 5 traps, so he worked pretty similar to what you are suggesting and that was terrible. His power would be reduced to "Force a survivor away from a loop 5 times and then play M1 killer." Not to mention, this also meant whenever a survivor actually ran into a trap it happened in the same way it does now because survivors leave the loop anyway when you place a trap.
Hag wouldn't work if they ever reworked her in that way. She's a 110% killer and you'd basically make her a weaker version of old Trapper. A survivor will leave the loop when you set down a trap. So setting it in chase is mostly worthless. That is why she has so many traps and is designed around the idea of pre setting them.
Why are you suggesting to nerf Freddy of all killers? Who cares about a 4.2 m/s movement speed while placing a snare? He only has 5 of them anyway and a survivor will see them from miles away. You will not be able to make use of these 4.2 m/s. That's not how his snares work. You chase a survivor in one direction while placing a snare then chase them the other way to try and force them into the snare. The addon reworks would be completely pointless. You already never run into a situation where you don't have snares because the first snare is erased when a 6th is placed and if you can't pre set them there is no reason why you would ever want more than 2 snares at once.
The Unknown nerf would be absolutely horrible. That would make his Hallucinations work like Demo's portals in WAY worse. 10% hindered for 5 seconds is excruciating and if you can only have one at a time, the mobility is almost useless.
All of these changes are quite frankly terrible, no offense.
I agree with that.
"set and forget" is a gross misrepresentation of the trap killer playstyle and was used simply as an excuse to nerf skully beyond the devs just wanting her gone. In no way should this be applied to other killers.
This is ultimately why Skull Merchant changes are problematic, now we have survivors asking to nerf Freddy.
I guess someone told them a joke about it and they took it seriously.
So we have to avoid mentioning... well, you know who.
Are you really trying to make trap-killers less trappy? Their entire point is that you place down traps and then you wait until you catch someone off guard or you force them into them, while I personally don't like this playstyle I really wouldn't change that for the sake of the players that like to play them.
Why would you nerf freddy even more, he's already weak he doesn't need to be even weaker. His snares barely do anything even if you preplace them and his palettes aren't even too good, he still doesn't have a power mostly. You rework for the palettes doesn't even make sense, how many snares can you place basekit? 5? 7? Something like that, it wouldn't make sense at all to use this addon.
Unknown I can understand a little bit more, but keeping track of where you have your hallucinations and with which timing you can use them to your advantage is also something you have to learn, outside of that you can even already decide where to place them by tapping his power.
Them's fightin' words, my boy.
People have been asking for a buff to Trapper for years (for him to start with all traps), because his setup time is incredibly hampering, and now you wanna straight up weigh him down with this? No. It cannot be allowed.
Skullys problem was the opposite, she was not a trap killer, she was a drop and forget anti loop killer. She was basically Clown without any skill requirement.
A true trap killer sets up in an area to cuts off paths and punish survivors who don't loop them at tiles, where teh objective is to push them into your arena.
If anything she needs to be made more like a trap killer where she can set up an effective web, whose primary purpose is to catch survivors who keep hold W-ing away from her instead of playing tiles with her perfect radar knowledge. Take haste off her to have her anti loop in general made weaker, she still has an auto injury and hinder, but for the benefit of more drones that can effectively stay hidden and cut off paths.