I suspect that fatshark’s metrics do not capture a sizable set of players who are choosing not to play the game because there are often no challenging damnation maps. For me, it is the most frustrating thing at the moment and I know I’m not alone. I suspect the map rotation system we have must be due to some server limitations or technical somethings, and thus the suggestions to let us just choose our maps and modifiers are not practically possible. Assuming that is the case, I think it would still be possible to address the problem.
Currently there are 3 maps available at every difficulty. It could be changed to reduce difficulty 1 down to a single available map, difficulty 2 down to two available maps, while adding another one or two at difficulty 5 with that processing capacity. Everything is new to beginning players, and so giving them options isn’t that meaningful, and experienced players that are leveling second characters will generally skip those difficulties.
That gives us at least 4 damnation maps active on rotation. One should always be high intensity shock troop gauntlet, past a certain level of skill it really is the only meaningful challenge and so it needs to be always available. Another should be hi intensity with or without the current special modifier, so as to encourage people to start leaning into challenges without being overwhelmed by specials. The others should be regular difficulty with a low intensity thrown in occasionally.
No doubt many people will demand complete freedom to choose maps and modifiers, but I’m really just trying here to pitch a solution that solves the most frustrating problem (lack of available challenge) in the most realistically achievable way.
Honestly not being able to pick the map wouldnt bother me as long as a high intense shock gauntlet was guaranteed to be on the board at all times. I think that’s a fair compromise since we will probably never get to pick the modifier or map ourselves.
I think I’ve suggested similar before, it really is the best way to solve this without changing too much about the current setup. Difficulty 1 and 2 having as many options as they do makes very little sense. Also, intensity levels should never match, so sick of seeing doubled-up Low Int. Really I think the entire special conditions setup needs a rework where it’s completely randomized with no overlap so you can have, say, Power Supply Interruption on one lane, Low Intensity Hunting Grounds on another, and the highly requested always-available High Int Shock Troop on the last alongside the normal difficulty Damnation. Makes it far more likely for a player logging in to find a match they WANT to be playing while keeping the element of surprise Fatshark seems to want.
it would be extremely odd if they data doesn’t check for time online and players disconnecting
imo the networkers are currently not available to change any mission select logic due to working on the console version
Even if it can be done, it would not be viable for public lobbies.
Darktide has so many possible combinations of difficulty, map, secondary objective and modifier, that it would require a gigantic playerbase to fill those lobbies with people who chose the same combination of factors.
I hope they can make full choice work for private lobbies though.
A guaranteed damnation HI+STG mission is the best solution for now.
This should be something that they can definitely do with their tools, considering that they can turn on specific new modifiers or maps, if they want to.
They also changed the number of missions available for each difficulty in the past, so removing one slot from Diff1 and giving it to the “extra hard” mission, should also work just fine.
I’d start my own memorial for this problem but its not worth the effort. Fatshark must already know the problem they’re just not addressing it for one reason or another.
I realized the other day that I don’t even care anymore what map I play, no one does, we’ve all played them a billion times. Its good to have variety but the difficulty is definitely the problem.