A survivor tactic that (almost?) never works. Why would someone do that?
From time to time in my killer games, there is that gen survivors are focusing on no matter how close I am. (edit: at five gen)
They always leave too late and at least one of them gets a hit.
As soon as I'm a bit away, downing the one who got hit, the others jump back on it.
In my experience it never ends well for them as all they get from that is hooks, slugs and injuries.
As survivor I never do that and I don't understand why they do it.
Comments
They are probably attempting to prevent you from setting up a 3 gen.
I forgot to mention it was at 5 gens.
Doesn't mean that's not what they're doing.
In fact, it's easier to break a potential 3 gen before the killer digs in to try and defend one. I'll actively go after middle gens on Ormond and Sanctum of Wrath and similar just to reduce the chances of getting in a 3 gen even though those gens are more risky.
For "middle" gens like main room in RPD or main building in Ormond it's good to rush them early, to spread gens more
In the middle at least there are incentive (like you said, plus an achievement for Ormond if I recall) . But it also happens on the corners.
If survivors are doing this on corner gens, this might just be them falling victim to Sunk Cost fallacy. They've already spent X amount of time repairing that gen. They don't want to lose that progress to your regression, so they try to force it. Even if they shouldn't.
That makes sense.
How far have they progressed? If I work on one for a long time I am tempted to finish it even if I risk it with an approaching killer. Honestly, one of the great things of DbD is the sensation I feel here. I know it is silly but I want to be done with it at all costs.
It can depend.
The Killer is close but seems to be ignoring the gen b/c they're chasing another surv. In this case ,it can be beneficial to stick to the gen and keep working on it, even early game as the other surv(s) are also in range to try a save if the opportunity presents itself. This also counts to a surv moving back to a gen when the Killer engages in chase with another. Especially, if that gen got kicked.
The gen is almost done. Popping a gen guarantees that it cannot be regressed whereas leaving a gen unfinished could mean a significant amount of progress lost or, in the worst cases, all progress lost. This is by and large a judgement call - especially, at 5 gens - but overall survivors will stick to a gen and take a hit if it means they can finish it.
Connection issues. The Killer is a good distance away but suddenly isn't and it's not because they're a high mobility Killer.
'Common knowledge'. JuSt Do GeNs is a common call in DbD, but like 99'ing the gates, etc. context is very important on when to stick a gen and when not to. However, most will default to cranking out gen progress because it's such a repeated mantra.
Learning curve. A little bit related to everything above. Knowing when to stick a gen and when not to is just part of the survivor learning experience. This includes judging distance accurately to get as much progress as possible, but still letting go in time to avoid a hit/down/grab, knowing when to go back even if the Killer is still around, etc.
Usually : half, 3/4 as they are 3 or 4 on it. But while they keep pushing they see me down them and/or hook them one by one and yet they keep trying.
As I said : it almost never end well for them.
I should have mentioned the killer I play is usually either Huntress, or more likely Nurse ...
If I was in the same situation, I would scram and start a new gen at the opposite side of the map.
Did I mention it almost never ends well for them? They drop like flies and don't even bother healing when they jump back.
The sunk cost fallacy explanation from @FFirebrandd is the one that rings the most true so far (IMHO). I only see one of our hard-coded flaws to explain it. Although ... The learning curve must also be in play.
I would say sunk cost and also social pressure. I feel like I shouldn't let go of the gen if the other person isn't letting go of the gen. And then, if they're the unlucky one who gets chased, I feel like I should try to finish the gen so at least we get something from it.