We need to talk about TNT spam

There was recent discussion with regards to weapon and map balance, and the question being asked was “Is Virus too easy?” But it was never asked from whose perspective it was easy for, is it easy for Survivors or Infected?

Of course there was constructive discourse particularly with regards to some glaring issues in specific maps – ie. Hospital having many sniper corridors and little cover, and Subway being too large (Even after the recent balance patch where some corridors and tunnels were blocked off, Subway in my opinion is still too large, but that is probably deserving of its own thread)

But I think we’re ignoring the elephant in the room here; weapon distribution.

And my question is this: Do all Survivors receive the exact same identical loadout at the beginning of each round?

This is the impression have been getting, and I am still getting, because god forbid you have the misfortune to be Patient Zero when TNT has been doled out to every Survivor in a fully populated lobby. Although the same can be said when Survivors are kitted out with the DB Shotgun and Tommy Gun combo.

You can spend the entirety of the round eating it while trying to break through a line of defence or trying to tag a survivor, even on a map that is generally stacked in the Infected’s favour.

In fact, sometimes you don’t even have to do that, because if the Survivors have TNT and are clever/cunning enough, and have intimate knowledge of the map, they will rig most if not all respawn points with TNT, effectively repeatedly spawnkilling you on the cheap and with very little effort.

If Survivors are not booby trapping respawn points for easy kills, they are forming defensive lines that are several piles of TNT deep.

When this happens, this is not fun. And allow me to reiterate this: Nothing about this is fun.

It is without a doubt; nothing short of frustration.

Virus rounds are too quick, brute force and determination only gets you so far. So more often than not, a round finishes where you can’t turn even just turn one survivor infected.

So my proposals to address this are as follows:-

1. Asymmetric Weapon Distribution

Each round begins with a fixed pool of weapons, the quantity available scales up or down based on the lobby’s current player count and are distributed accordingly at the time Patient Zero is decided.

Representative example:-
For an 8-player lobby (average player count), the following weapon quantities are available from the pool:-

  • 8 x Handgun (All survivors are guaranteed it)
  • 4 x Sci-Fi Handgun
  • 4 x Dual Silenced Handgun
  • 4 x DB Shotgun
  • 4 x Flak Handgun
  • 8 x Sonic Shotgun (Inferior to Flak & DBS, all survivors are guaranteed it)
  • 4 x Tommy Gun
  • 4 x Plasma Autorifle
  • 4 x TNT
  • 4 x Crossbow

These quantities scale up and down based on lobby player count, so you would multiply by 1.5 for a 12 player lobby and by 0.5 for a 4 player lobby, etc. All Survivors should have the means and a right to defend themselves so therefore all Survivors should be guaranteed at least one Handgun class weapon.

Obviously there ought to be some checks and balances to prevent overpowered pairings, namely DB Shotgun with Tommy Gun, or Crossbow with Flak Handgun.

For the purposes of balance and fairness of this suggestion, the Flak Handgun SHOULD be moved out of the Handgun category and be placed in the Shotgun category. If a weapon fires multiple pellets that are lethal at point-blank range, then that is behaviour that is consistent with a shotgun.

I also daresay that the Sonic Shotgun could use a slight buff to make using it viable (eg. each pellet inflicting just a little more damage), but again, I feel as if this deserving of its own thread.

The intention is that you would ideally randomly distribute to each Survivor from the pool:-

  • 2 x Shotgun class weapon (DB, Sonic, Flak)
  • 2 x Handgun class weapon (Handgun, Dual Silenced, Sci-Fi)
  • 1 x Automatic class weapon (Tommy, Plasma)
  • 1 x Power class weapon (TNT, Crossbow)

In doing this, each Survivor is forced to play to their strengths and use teamwork. rather than just rely on cheap strats for an easy win.

Weapons do not get distributed until patient zero has been decided. This allows the server to account for all heads, and from the final player count scale and distribute from the weapon pool accordingly, this also heightens the tension, and stops survivors from going ham with TNT until the round is properly under way. It also stops experienced Virus veterans from using their intuition in determining who is next to be Patient Zero.

2. More buffs for Infected

Enraged Infected already get a speed and health buff, and this is fine.

However, if an Enraged Infected is killed more than three times before tagging a survivor, they should receive small incremental health buffs upon each successive respawn.

Enraged Infected should have a lunge attack with invincibility frames. This replaces the roar/shriek that is currently bound to Mouse2, and is has a cooldown.

Regular Infected should have a gravity enabled projectile spit or vomit attack that has both a cooldown, and a max number of uses per round (maybe 3) so that it cannot be spammed. It should also be possible for this ranged attack to destroy TNT where it stands – thus giving Infected another tool in their limited arsenal.

Should this ranged attack hit a Survivor, it does not immediately turn them infected – they would need further exposure before this occurs. To use an example for comparison: Dark Souls’ negative status effects require a degree of exposure before they can first take effect, giving the player’s character time to mitigate exposure by either removing themselves from the hazard or using specific consumables to reset exposure to zero.

Late joiners who enter the lobby after Patient Zero in any given round are automatically turned infected by default, which is the current behaviour, and should remain.

3. TNT should have explosive chain reactions

Placing too many TNT in close proximity to each other should have consequences. If one explodes, nearby ones explode with it.

Applying this logic will discourage Survivors in making piles of TNT several deep, and will also discourage Survivors from laying defensive lines with TNT too close together. The logic in this is that an Infected should have some margin, if even a tight one, in which to pierce a line of defence and attack survivors.

4. Static explosive map props

Something I saw in the inclusion of Corrosion was the numerous barrels of hazardous waste scattered about.

So my line of thought was this:- What if these were explosive?

Static explosive props like this would ideally be single use per-round, and ones destroyed would regenerate at the start of each new round.

But before this can happen, the below points need to also be factored in:-

  • They need HP to absorb some projectile or hitscan/bullet damage before they can explode
  • They too are also susceptible to Infected’s projectile attack
  • They can be detonated at range by Survivors
  • They also chain react with nearby explosions – TNT inclusive (Eg. A stray round from a Survivor might inadvertently blow the lot and any of their TNT along with it)

The other maps would also need explosive hazards that are appropriately themed.

  • Desertion:- Oil or Dynamite
  • Subway:- Oil or Hydraulic Fluid
  • Hospital:- Ethanol
  • Solar:- Hydraulic Fluid or Sci-Fi themed explosive
  • Overtime:- Propane or Sci-Fi themed explosive

5. Explosion splash damage should hurt Survivors as well as Infected

Survivors should be discourage from huddling too close TNT or other explosive hazards. Any survivors that are killed by explosive splash damage while camping a safe spot will be forced to respawn and regroup.

7. Hide the red danger circles on TNT

This makes it easier for Infected to already determine where the dangerous region is, and make the necessary evasive manoeuvrer to avoid being killed by a single TNT. I think the pulsing red light on the TNT is more than enough to send the message that there is danger present.

8. Give Infected the option to choose where to respawn*

*Within reason.

  • They must be out of Survivor’s sight lines as to not break immersion.
  • They must not be within X distance of any given Survivor.
  • They are on a time limit before they are forcefully respawned at a fixed spawn point.

This is all I have to contribute.

Thoughts?