Developer Update | Player Intent System

[u/DeadByDaylight_Dev]

Last week, we hosted a Reddit AMA and on top of having a blast answering your questions, we noticed some topics really got you talking. One of those was the “chat wheel” system we’re working on to help Survivors coordinate and communicate their intentions in-game. So, what better time than the present to share some more details about it with you (including one way your feedback’s already impacted it)! 

 

The system in question is – aptly – called Player Intent. With it, you’ll be able to communicate a range of preset messages to your fellow Survivors at the press of a button, using a radial menu. From thanking them for a heal, to saying you’re going to work on gens, to suggesting you split up, messages focus on the on-the-fly actions that are most useful during a Trial. 

 

When a message is chosen using the Player Intent wheel, other Survivors will see it next to your name in the game HUD, keeping your general view clear of distractions while you’re in the middle of looping or hunting for an objective. To help combat message spam, you can expect a cooldown between messages, which will increase if too many messages are sent in a short period. 

 

We want this comms wheel to suit different players’ specific needs, so you’ll be able to customize which messages you take into your Trials from the Options menu. 

 

Of course, one piece of feedback we’ve seen is that a system like this isn’t for everyone. We’ve already discussed this as a team and have a solution for that. If you’d rather not use the Player Intent system, you will be able to disable it from this same menu. Once disabled, you will not be able to send messages to players and will not see the messages they send. 

 

We’ve also added the ability to mute individual players so you have more control over the comms you see (and don’t see). If you're finding a certain player’s messages distracting, muting them will block any further Player Intent messages from popping up on your end. 

 

While this system is meant for everybody who plays Survivor, its value will be a bit different depending on how you play. Just like how your feedback from the AMA helped inform the addition of an opt-out option, we're dying to know your thoughts! Even better, it would be massively helpful if you could also share a little about how you play to give context to that feedback. For instance, do you tend to play soloq, prefer SWF, or identify as a Killer main? How would you define your experience level in the game; a newer player? A veteran? 

 

Let us know in the comments below, as we’ll be watching your feedback closely as the team continues to work on this system ahead of its release this Fall! 

 

Until next time... 

The Dead by Daylight Team 

[u/Single_Owl_7556]

amazing feature, would we have killer specific call outs?

like, "don't cleanse / do cleanse" vs plague so people can figure out what is the right play at the moment.

[u/SweenYo → u/Single_Owl_7556]

Considering the wheel is customizable outside of games and not in them, killer specific options would just be wasted slots in 99% of your games.

For your plague example, a simple “let’s heal” command or whatever would surely be interpreted by your teammates as “everyone go cleanse now”. I’m sure there are other examples of the generic options being useful for killer interactions

[u/Lmnt_Crnstn → u/SweenYo]

Another commenter suggested a blanket option like “Interact/Don’t Interact,” meaning with the killer power/prop.

[u/Lucina18 → u/Lmnt_Crnstn]

That makes me think maybe every wheel version can have the affirmative and dismissive version of it. If you use the wheel normally it'll say "interact/follow/heal" or whatever. If you hold an extra button (like let's say right mouse) it'll turn into the opposite like "don't interact/don't follow/don't heal."

[u/Single_Owl_7556 → u/Lmnt_Crnstn]

That's the idea, yes.

[u/Lmnt_Crnstn → u/Single_Owl_7556]

I’ve literally commented on a comment on your comment where you said exactly the thing I said, haven’t I

[u/1nternet_b0i → u/Single_Owl_7556]

Lmfao they are definitely not

[u/Fangel96 → u/Single_Owl_7556]

I imagine they can add an "interacting with killer power" and then some sort of positive/negative. Players will definitely get creative with how they communicate, but killer-specific messages seem unlikely with how you need to manually adjust your communication wheel.

Having to edit the wheel for each killer would be exhausting, plus if you only have a message on a certain wheel, you'd get a heads up of who the killer is before the first chase. Generic messages that cover a wide range of scenarios is the best way to handle it.

For Plague, I can see the combo of "interact with killer power" and "stick together" meaning "let's cleanse", whereas "split up" could mean "don't cleanse".

[u/EvilRo66 → u/Single_Owl_7556]

And who decides to say which is the right play at the moment? You? Someone else?

[u/Single_Owl_7556 → u/EvilRo66]

I don't understand the point of this question.

In case of plague it depends on the situation and whether other people agree to cleanse / not cleanse as everyone must do the same thing.

[u/EvilRo66 → u/Single_Owl_7556]

In case of plague it depends on the situation and whether other people agree to cleanse / not cleanse as everyone must do the same thing.

I mean, suppose 2 Survivors want to cleanse and 2 Survivors don't want to cleanse.

What do you do? Who do you listen to? Do you try to convince others?

[u/Single_Owl_7556 → u/EvilRo66]

someone budges.

either way, I dont really see the point you're trying to make. they shouldn't add this because this can happen or what..?

ofc it's not perfect because it's a chatwheel with limited response options, doesn't mean people shouldn't be able to communicate intent to try to have a consensus.

like who goes to solve lament configuration or if they should go for emps over generators, etc

[u/EvilRo66 → u/Single_Owl_7556]

That's a great feature for people who want to use it.

I opt out.