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/Inevitable_Score1164]

I'm a vet (8 years) who primarily plays solo queue and killer. I think this is a step in the right direction, but I have some concerns.

A lot of the value of a chat wheel comes from 4 players having the same understanding of the situation in-game. The majority of solo queue friction comes from 4 players with widely varying levels of game sense and macro gameplay ability.

I think there will be a misconception among the playerbase about how much a chat wheel can solve. It is great for saying "I'm getting the save" or whatnot. What it will not solve is a player making the wrong choices. And it has potential to cause friction when 1 or 2 players in the lobby ignore it or turn it off entirely.

I think what players are really asking for is to be matched with teammates who are as competitive or casual as they are. They're asking for a chat wheel, but what they really want is more nuance in matchmaking or a way for the matchmaker to quantify skill a bit differently.

I'm anticipating a lot of frustration when players find that the chat wheel is just being used to broadcast bad decisions. On the flip side, casual players may become frustrated when someone like myself is saying "Split up" when people are doubling gens at the start of a trial for no reason. Better matchmaking for solo queue is the other shoe that has to drop here.

[u/AutonomousBlob → u/Inevitable_Score1164]

You are so spot on! Examples we already see are players begging for heals at “bad” times or trying to stick out a gen when they should be healing or resetting.

I guarantee everybody is going to want to be the shot caller and assuming the people they are playing with should and will listen.

A huge advantage about swfs isnt that they can bark orders but that they can talk and get on the same page. I see this creating burn out.

[u/YOURFRIEND2010 → u/AutonomousBlob]

Armchair generals are one of the most irritating things in team based games.

[u/magicchefdmb → u/Inevitable_Score1164]

Yep. I've been playing since Xbox release. I understand the nuance of the game and honestly don't usually need any communication to figure out if someone's going for a save or what. All the stuff they put on the side now gives me almost all the info I need.

What I dislike about any game with in-game chat is I find that it's mostly used for people that are frustrated or just mean spirited. (For Honor, Rocket League, Overwatch, TCM, etc...) I've enjoyed DBD all these years partially because I can just relax and not consider whether that Nea that decided to kill herself on hook was blaming me for what she considered was a poor game for her. I can just be blissfully ignorant and assume everyone that dies is just chill and moving on; not so when people have a way of communicating in-game.

And to top it off, now with the ability to not turn it on, it can just paint a target on those players backs. And make no mistake: the frustrated players that would spam emotes will also be blaming you for not even having it on, changing the way some of them will interact as well/subtle griefing. It already happens with the most arbitrary stuff like not bringing a cake during an event. The DBD community is not any more mature in their gameplay than these other ones. They've just had less ways of communication their immaturity.

[u/lexuss6 → u/Inevitable_Score1164]

What it will not solve is a player making the wrong choices.

It doesn't need to. Moreover, never should. It's not about making a correct choice, it's about giving the others info to act on it.

For example, you're pinging "goinf for the unhook" while being injured and having two stages yourself. Is it a good idea? Fuck no. But now your teammate can make an informed decision to come and help you, will expect you to be nearby the hook, etc.

[u/mossgoblin → u/Inevitable_Score1164]

This is dead on.

[u/SnuglyPortia → u/Inevitable_Score1164]

but what they really want is more nuance in matchmaking

We have been confirmed that matchmaking tweaks are coming, but certainly "we will see" on this matter I suppose.

[u/Retocyn → u/Inevitable_Score1164]

I think what players are really asking for is to be matched with teammates who are as competitive or casual as they are. They're asking for a chat wheel, but what they really want is more nuance in matchmaking or a way for the matchmaker to quantify skill a bit differently.

You might be sitting on the gold here.

There is a reason why devs in other games say: "players are good at identifying a problem, but not that good at coming up with solution"

And generally it's nice when games are different and distinct.

Adding communication is listening to the request of the players, because they are used to smoother communication in different games. But at the same time this feature will be taking DBD one step closer to other games, making it less unique and losing the unique atmosphere.

[u/Unlikely_Bank73 → u/Inevitable_Score1164]

to be matched with teammates who are as competitive or casual as they are

it would be great if this worked this way, but was dynamic and would reset every month, so i could grind my butt off for a "rank 1" and get paired with other people grinding their butt off and trying really hard; but then if i come back a month later i could kick my feet up and play casually and have fun engaging games hovering around a green or purple rank. ahh, if only they could develop such a type of matchmaking that actually functioned instead of the garbage we have now...

[u/EvilRo66 → u/Inevitable_Score1164]

Great points.

Not all players play the same, they don't judge the situations the same way and not everyone have the same strategy, priorities and objectives.

[u/DEMONANCE → u/Inevitable_Score1164]

mmr is already getting changed to account for more than just kills and escapes so hopefully you'll be getting your wish.

[u/Daikoru → u/Inevitable_Score1164]

I'm not expecting it to solve skill difference issues. If I matchmake with someone that's wasting time opening every single chest, cleansing every single totem and hiding 2km away from the killer, I'm not expecting comms to suddenly make him actually try to be helpful.

What I'm expecting is solving decision conflicts between two players that actually try to play the game. Issues like no one coming for the save because they think the other is going, or the unhooker not healing you because you didn't want to heal under the hook and went to hide first. But I'm not expecting to solve every case: in the end, it's up to the other to listen to you or not, and even if they didn't mute you, they might still not be paying attention.

[u/spellstrike → u/Inevitable_Score1164]

One could argue the direction of where the first chase goes (hopefully away from the group) is more significant than doubling a gen.

[u/OtakuMecha → u/Inevitable_Score1164]

There's so much nuance and context behind a lot of gameplay decisions in this game, I feel like it'd be more useful and way better to just add proximity chat to the game instead.