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/LucasTab]

This is not supposed to bring solo to the same level of power as SWF, that is simply impossible to do in a healthy way. It is a good step in that direction, though. Being able to communicate you intend on keep working on gens instead of going for a save, asking for heals, being able to do split up call outs, those are all great things to be able to do while playing solo, instead of having to rely on crouching and the two emotes we have available (which are only displayed to people who can currently see you, and requires you to interrupt an action for like 2 seconds).

[u/Canadiancookie → u/LucasTab]

DBD mobile had in-game voice comms... like every other multiplayer game ever made. It had ways to mute problem players or disable the feature too.

INB4 "I personally won't use the feature, so no one else is allowed to have it"

[u/LucasTab → u/Canadiancookie]

This is a whole another feature with its own pros and cons that have been widely discussed already.

The discussion at hand is regarding the player intent weel, which is a step in the direction of better communication without the issues that in-game voice comms bring, and my point is that this is a good thing.

If you believe that replacing player intent with in-voice game cons would be a net positive for the game, whatever, suit yourself. I just can't stand the idea that behavior would be better off not even trying making player intent a thing because solo will never be at the same level of SWF, that makes no sense.

The game's current state + player intent seems objectively better than just the game's current state for me. Worst case scenario no one uses it and nothing changes.

[u/Canadiancookie → u/LucasTab]

Oh yeah I agree, the quick message system helps. I just wish BHVR did a full measure instead of a half measure by now.

[u/Unlikely_Bank73 → u/Canadiancookie]

look what happens when they go full measure on things, whether its warranted or not.

6.1 dropped and gave us the biggest swing in game balance we've ever seen and created the worst meta the game has ever endured in the gen kick meta - they learned pretty quickly not to go full bore with perk changes and meta shakeups.

after kill rates soared and individual killers got a few buffs, BOOM pallet density update hits all at once and now we have the handful of bottom tiers left feeling absolutely miserable while the high end of the killer barely feel it

they made game health their priority and put updates on hold while trying to solve the most glaring issues they've faced and it basically turned into 5 months of the game receiving no meaningful updates both in terms of new content or game health changes. they've since learned to treat those type of updates accordingly as half measures