Did we get anything that stayed with the player quality of life update stuff last year?
Now I'm fine with a shift in design direction if that's what's wanted or so, but they really removed every single change from a year of planned base gameplay reworks…it just was a utter and major waste of time. we got no meaningful slugging changes, no tunneling protection that matters base kit, they slapped 5 seconds onto unhook safety just to roll it back this upcoming update. it really just feels they saw core problems but due to vocal reactions backed up hard and things got course corrected the other way.
I'm saying this out of a care for the game but it seriously has a major stagnation issue. this along with probably one of the roughest new player experiences for both sides. it really just feels like the game has no choice but to push content to keep drawing numbers in.
Real talk, i would genuinely like to just deal with the worst rounds the games got, like actual slugging fixes that aren't abusable and a static scaling gen rush mechanic so a new killer that's struggling has a chance to bring stuff back somewhere. I know I'm not a developer and these are probably hard to implement but it's still really worth trying to purse instead of just ignoring it and tossing a bandaid out that needs to be bought perk wise.
Right now it just feels we're sticking to a status quo that bleeds potential new players out. hype doesn't last forever and while I've enjoyed this game for a long time this direction just kind of seems bleak to me.
I'm hoping I'm wrong cause i enjoy the memories here still, but maybe others also have that long simmering fatigue with this
Comments
Everything that wasn't in that one specific update stayed, yeah. Map and Keys rework, Fog Vials existing, the Myers rework, changes to survivor spawns, the FOV slider, and I want to say visible teamwork perks and customisable auras were on that roadmap too? That's just off the top of my head, I'm definitely forgetting a bunch.
It's important to remember that initiative wasn't just the anti-tunnel and anti-slug. I can sympathise with wanting more changes to those things, I feel the same way myself, but that is its own conversation.
For the record though they're actually bringing something back from those PTBs alongside lowering the anti-tunnel duration, so that's something. It remains to be seen how that tradeoff shakes out.
Most of what you've listed here either predates or was unrelated to their stated QOL intiative.
https://deadbydaylight.com/news/quality-of-life-initiative-2025-phase-1/
There was an updated version of that roadmap that definitely added the Myers rework and I believe "new item" which became Fog Vials, at least, but on reflection I do think the teammate perks being visible and customisable auras were unrelated.
Thanks for finding the original roadmap though, I couldn't find it- very good example because we did get and keep most of this. Looking it over, I think it's just the stuff being discussed from 9.2 and 9.3 that didn't happen, and the MMR rework that got delayed. Not a bad hitrate for a roadmap that has that much in it.
while content is nice, i just wish the quality of life and improving the core game took more precedent. I'm fine with give and take, I'd gladly trade. killers getting anti gen rush for a 2min unbreakable that only really comes into play when people are getting mass slugged.
While i do love this game it's just a vicious cycle and I'm bummed to think mmr working will actually enhance the negativity the game has a ton more and will silently be rolled back. the feast or famine approach to balance and snowball while giving amazing highs kinda eventually gets beaten out by a negativity bias that seeped beyond the communities walls.
This is one of the hardest games to recommend to new players and on the outside bad experiences past players had years ago still get around
the feast or famine approach to balance and snowball while giving amazing highs kinda eventually gets beaten out by a negativity bias that seeped beyond the communities walls.Yeah, this has been observed for awhile. When DbD 'works' the game quality is amazing, but how many trash game happen in between? Are you the type of person who puts up with all the garbage chasing the great game? How long until it burns you out?
I agree, I really wish they would do more to work on the gameplay elements that can result in the type of DbD games that lead me to tell others 'never, ever, play this'. It used to be worst, at least we don't have server close out three gen situations anymore.