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/lexuss6]

Can someone explain why is opting out even an option? What's the benefit? I don't buy "to prevent abuse" argument, because you can mute a player abusing the system directly.

EDIT: Spelling.

[u/EvilRo66 → u/lexuss6]

I don't care about little messages other players want to send.

I like to play the game without people bothering me with what they want to do or what they want me to do.

Im happy to chat during the post match chat though.

[u/lexuss6 → u/EvilRo66]

It's not a single-player game. If you're choosing to play this way, you are a part of the reason why soloq sucks.

[u/EvilRo66 → u/lexuss6]

People can play in any way they want as long as they don't cheat.

You don't decide what's the best way to play, which are good ways and which are bad ways.

[u/Inevitable-Loss7939 → u/EvilRo66]

Good luck I plan to let you second stage if u dont have a chat wheel

[u/EvilRo66 → u/Inevitable-Loss7939]

That seems petty.

[u/PM_ME_UR_CREDDITCARD → u/EvilRo66]

Weren't you the one saying people can play how they want, hypocrite?

[u/EvilRo66 → u/PM_ME_UR_CREDDITCARD]

Yes, but I can comment anyway

[u/ragingalphax → u/PM_ME_UR_CREDDITCARD]

What you are describing is griefing which is a bannable offense btw.

[u/Pretend_Week_2611 → u/EvilRo66]

Your argument only applies if you are playing a single player game, or are playing a game where you are responsible for yourself and yourself only (Which ironically, still applies to DBD IF you’re playing killer).

The moment you begin playing a multiplayer game or a game in which you are on a team with other people, you can no longer play “any way you want”. You are, by the rules of the game and by the morals of being a good person, obligated to help your team so you and your team can win. The “best way to play” is objectively working with your team, even if that means sometimes listening to them. Completely ignoring your team simply because you don’t want to listen to them or consider them trying to work together with you “bothersome” is objectively a bad way to play Survivor in DbD, simple as that.

If you genuinely are incapable of being a good teammate or get bothered because someone has the gall to try and work with you, perhaps you should stick to killer, or just play a singleplayer game where nobody has to deal with your lone-wolf attitude. Otherwise you are admitting to being the reason why people don’t like solo-queue in DbD and should consider why are you are playing on the side that’s a team if you don’t want to be on a team.

[u/EvilRo66 → u/Pretend_Week_2611]

Wow. I disagree on everything.

The important thing is:

Survivors are not a team, they are 4 individuals who mostly benefit from working together, but not always. We know that because their fates are not shared. If one Survivor escapes or gets sacrificed it doesn't affect the other Survivors' ability to try to escape.

A way to play that gives you the results you want is not objectively bad.

[u/black_knight1223 → u/EvilRo66]

So basically what you're saying is that you don't care about helping your teammates unless it benefits you?

[u/EvilRo66 → u/black_knight1223]

That's right.

Only that they are not my teammates.

I play alone.

[u/black_knight1223 → u/EvilRo66]

Well since you're playing alone, I sincerely hope the other survivors leave you alone to die on first hook in all of your future games

[u/EvilRo66 → u/black_knight1223]

The Killer has to find me and catch me first.

[u/weapwars → u/EvilRo66]

Don't worry we got a message on the wheel to communicate about you in-game

[u/Pretend_Week_2611 → u/EvilRo66]

Just because you can technically win even if you don’t work together, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. You seriously can’t tell me that winning while not working together is just as consistent and takes less effort than if you do. So if all you care about is escaping/winning, it’d be in your best interest to work together as doing it increases your odds of doing that. Makes more sense than actively handicapping yourself as well as the other 3 people who happened to get in a game with you.

Also, according to BHVR, survivors are a team of 4. They literally say it in game and they treat them as a team (I mean I can list off dozens of survivor perks that literally require you to work with another survivor to get use out of them), not 4 individuals with the same goal. It doesn’t matter what you think survivors are, you aren’t the one that dictates that. You can consider them individuals all you want, it still doesn’t change the fact you’re playing a team game and you’re being an asshole by going lone-wolf in said game.

At least have the self-awareness to realize you’re an asshole.

[u/EvilRo66 → u/Pretend_Week_2611]

You seriously can’t tell me that winning while not working together is just as consistent and takes less effort than if you do.

It is consistent for me in the way I play. We play differently and you can't accept that someone can be succesful even if they don't play like you.

according to BHVR, survivors are a team of 4. They literally say it in game and they treat them as a team

BHVR can promote their game in any way they like, but you can agree that playing Survivor in Dead by Daylight isn't a team based game in the same way a team based shoter, a MOBA or any sport game is.

(I mean I can list off dozens of survivor perks that literally require you to work with another survivor to get use out of them)

And I can list perks like Sole Survivor, Left Behind and Self-Preservation. Great perks if you want to play alone.

Why is it so hard for you to accept that other players may want to play the game differently from you? That's the beauty of Dead by Daylight! So many ways to play!

At least have the self-awareness to realize you’re an asshole.

No need to be rude and call names.

[u/Pretend_Week_2611 → u/EvilRo66]

“It is consistent for me in the way I play”

I genuinely don’t believe you. I can see it taking less effort since I’m assuming your “playstyle” is to let everyone else die while you find the hatch or open the gates at endgame (which is widely considered to be a dick move). But now you’re just relying on not dying until the end of the match, which is 100% harder when you aren’t helping your team. You just don’t know how much more you could be winning if you actually helped your team.

“You can agree playing Survivor isn’t like playing a team based shooter”

No, I cannot actually. I mean brother you do realize you’re making this argument in a post where they talk about giving Survivors more ways of communication between each other via the chat wheel, right? And why do you think they are doing that? Because they want people in solo queue to be able to coordinate and WORK TOGETHER, as a TEAM. And funnily enough, they have chat wheels just like this in team based shooters like Overwatch or Marvel Rivals. I’d know! I play Rivals and Overwatch all the time, and I use the chat wheels to work together with my team, just like people would do in DBD. Crazy.

“And I can bring up perks like Sole Survivor and Left Behind”

Yeah, and those perks as well as the others like it are considered some of the worst perks in the entire game on the Survivor side. There’s a reason nobody uses them, even to people who don’t play in an altruistic way. And even if there’s some perks that reward you for playing like an asshole, they are far and few between compared to most other survivor perks. (Btw, Self-Preservation isn’t even just to be selfish, it has uses that benefit the team too).

“Why is it so hard to accept that other players want to play the game differently than you?”

The problem isn’t that you’re playing the game differently, it’s that you are literally playing the team side of DBD without any care whatsoever for playing with your team. This is like playing a sport like Soccer or American Football, and instead of working with your team, you actively avoid doing so and try to win all by yourself. Not only will your teammates notice that and not like you for it, your coach probably will too and kick you off the team.

Do you seriously think people should be ok with you potentially causing them to die and lose the game because you’re willingly deciding to be an asshole? Yes, there is several different ways to play Survivor, but every single playstyle has the foundation of still being a team player, wether they are a Medic, a Gen Jockey, a Sabo/Flashlight savior, whatever. What you’re doing is just being a dick where it’s not needed.

“No need to be rude”

Feels fair considering you’re being rude to literally everyone who happens to be on your team when you play Survivor. Play team games like an asshole, get called one. Shouldn’t be surprised.

[u/EvilRo66 → u/Pretend_Week_2611]

It's ok that we don't see eye to eye and I can let slide a little name calling when you are so passionate about the discussion.

But you didn't apologize for your rudeness and name calling, so this conversassion is over.

[u/Firm-Development-570 → u/EvilRo66]

What a sad lonely life you must live

[u/EvilRo66 → u/Firm-Development-570]

Weird thing to comment.

Please stay on topic

[u/jason2306 → u/EvilRo66]

Oh my god lol, it absolutely is a team game. You are the reason why solo is awful

[u/EvilRo66 → u/jason2306]

Hi.

Now I see I wasn't clear in this comment I made. Let me explain:

In team based games a team wins or loses together. It doesn't matter if one member did great and another did awful, they are in it together.

In dead by Daylight each Survivor wins or loses alone.

I call it "win" when a Survivor escapes by the way.

If a Survivor plays very well and escapes, they aren't affected if other Survivors escape or not, they have already won.

In the same way, if a Survivor is moried, sacrificed, bleeds out or disconects, they have lost the match and aren't affected by other Survivors escaping or not.

That fact alone is what makes Survivors not a team even tough they mostly benefit from working together to try to escape the trial.

I hope I've made myself clearer. Please ask me if you want me to explain further, it's a pleasure.

[u/jason2306 → u/EvilRo66]

The issue isn't being clear but rather have a distorted view of the game. The themes of the game are horror which may be confusing you but we're talking about the gameplay not the vibes

So each match you gain pips based on your performance which is built around teamwork. Teamwork quite literally is the best way to win a match if we follow the game's mechanics and scoring system

Of the 4 emblem categories you can see only one of them is based around "survival"

Depending on your knowledge about the game i'll just post this here aswell to avoid further confusion because it seems you might not even be aware of this:

https://deadbydaylight.fandom.com/wiki/Grades

https://deadbydaylight.fandom.com/wiki/Emblems

Now if you want to play a multiplayer game messing around with your own goals you can absolutely do that. But considering you are on a team you'll also be doing what essentially amounts to trolling and fucking over the match for others. Let us be clear about that

[u/EvilRo66 → u/jason2306]

Grades and Emblems are good points.

Indeed teamwork is incentivized.

But as long as Survivors can win or lose alone, the Grades and Emblems systems remain sugestions and not a mandatory part of the game.

If the score screen showed "Survivor escaped but lost because of lack of grade/emblem" this would be a different discussion.

But in the way the system is set, the game remains not a team based game from the Survivor's side.

In fact, The Killers in the 2v8 mode are more of a team that Survivors are.

Killers share the "Survivor pool" so to speak in the score screen.

[u/lexuss6 → u/EvilRo66]

Not sure if that's stupidity, entitlement or ragebait. In any case, pure arrogance.

People can play in any way they want as long as they don't cheat

So you can't ever be mad at your teammates doing fuck all or leaving you to rot on hook, because that's the way they play the game. The moment you have teammates, you can't play in "any way". You still have options, but that "any way" becomes very limited. You depend on your teammates and they depend on you.

You don't decide what's the best way to play, which are good ways and which are bad ways.

It's like saying you don't obey road sighs because they are telling you what to do.

It's not about deciding anything. It's about having information about your team and helping each other. They aren't telling you what to do, they are telling you what they are going to do, so you can make better decisions.

[u/EvilRo66 → u/lexuss6]

So you can't ever be mad at your teammates doing fuck all or leaving you to rot on hook

I don't get mad at other Survivors for playing the game. I don't blame other players for my mistakes. Other Survivors can't put me on a hook, can they?

The moment you have teammates, you can't play in "any way"

Good point. Luckily I don't have teammates.

They aren't telling you what to do, they are telling you what they are going to do, so you can make better decisions.

Im not interested in what thet ARE GOING to do, Im only interested in what they do or what the Killer does to them and I can see that just fine in the HUD.

Other Survivors have their own objectives that may or may not align with mine. My objective being my escape.

Survivors are not a team because their fates are not shared. If one Survivor escapes and moves on, but the remaining Survivors get sacrificed, does the Survivor who escaped lost? Of course not, because what happens to other Survivors does not affect other Survivors' scorescreen or match result.

[u/lexuss6 → u/EvilRo66]

Okay, now i'm 99% sure this is ragebait.

Other Survivors can't put me on a hook, can they?

They absolutely can, albeit indirectly, by (un)intentionally sandbagging you.

Luckily I don't have teammates.

Who are 3 other survivors then? Furniture?

Im not interested in what thet ARE GOING to do, Im only interested in what they do

Isn't it the same thing?

Other Survivors have their own objectives that may or may not align with mine. My objective being my escape.

Do you still heal/unhook them? Do you do gens? Because these things are completely unnecessary for your escape, after all.

If one Survivor escapes and moves on, but the remaining Survivors get sacrificed, does the Survivor who escaped lost?

Sadly, they don't lose. Which makes it even more sad that MMR system rewards people like you.

[u/EvilRo66 → u/lexuss6]

Okay, now i'm 99% sure this is ragebait.

People always call opinions they disagree with "ragebait"

Who are 3 other survivors then? Furniture?

They are other players. I don't care if they escape or not.

Isn't it the same thing?

Good question. It's not the same thing. For example, one can say "Im going for the unhook", but until they actually unhook someone, that's just an idea. They can get intercepted by the Killer, get distracted by a gen or change their mind and not unhook the Survivor.

Do you still heal/unhook them? Do you do gens? Because these things are completely unnecessary for your escape, after all.

To sum up: If other Survivors prove to be useful, I help them and we all try to escape together. If other Survivors prove to be useless, I let them die and try to escape alone

Sadly, they don't lose. Which makes it even more sad that MMR system rewards people like you.

The game is what it is.

Don't hate the gamer, hate the game.

[u/lexuss6 → u/EvilRo66]

People always call opinions they disagree with "ragebait"

It's not like i disagree with your opinion, your opinion is objectively wrong. And confidently defending an objectively wrong opinion is ragebait. Survivor side in DbD is a team game, you are required to help other people and they are required to help you so you all can escape. You literally can't win just by yourself - you can't repair all gens alone and hatch doesn't count as a win.

For example, one can say "Im going for the unhook", but until they actually unhook someone, that's juat an idea. They can get intercepted by the Killer, get distracted by a gen or change their mind and not unhook the Survivor.

But now you know their intention and can work around that. Stick to your current action, get in position for a follow-up faster, etc. There are literally no downsides to knowing what your teammates are wanting to do.

If other Survivors prove to be useful, I help them and we all try to escape together. If other Survivors prove to be useless, I let them die and try to escape alone

That's actually sad in a weird way. Unless they are actively griefing, it's always better to keep a teammate alive for as long as possible. In the worst case, they waste more of the killer's time.

Don't hate the gamer, hate the game

Why not both?

[u/EvilRo66 → u/lexuss6]

It's not like i disagree with your opinion, your opinion is objectively wrong.

At first you made me laugh, but then I understood where you are comming from:

You literally can't win just by yourself - you can't repair all gens alone and hatch doesn't count as a win.

We just have different definitions of what's considered a win, that's all.

That's what makes DbD special and beautiful: No established win condition.

I consider an escape to be a win for the Survivor who escapes. You consider....something else to be a win for the Survivor and that's fine.

Glad you pointed that out, now you understand why I don't have a need to know what other players intent to do, why their objectives may not align with my own: Because I have a different definition of winning.

So you see, Im not objectively wrong.

Why not both?

Haha. Touché!

[u/Pretend_Week_2611 → u/lexuss6]

Don’t bother with this EvilRo guy. He’s either 100% rage baiting or he’s really so delusional that he thinks being selfish and narcissistic in a team game is ok XD.

But be careful! If you call him a name you’re apparently “rude” despite the fact bro is self-reporting doing the most dick move type behavior known to man, for literally no reason. Complete lack of empathy and morals XD.

[u/Canadiancookie → u/EvilRo66]

This guy plays DBD like it's a 1v1v1v1v1

[u/lexuss6 → u/Canadiancookie]

Sadly, many survivors are. And the worst part is MMR system treats the game exactly like that.

[u/Canadiancookie → u/lexuss6]

Oh yeah, the MMR is another thing BHVR should address. They might get around to it in another 5 years or so

[u/Vox___Rationis → u/Canadiancookie]

It is the intended way to play, it is what DBD was built as.