Poll: Is Left 4 Dead better off with or without story?

[wordsmith]

I can't find a link, but AFAIK:

Bill- Obviously a war veteran. I seem to remember that he fought in 2 wars, before being forcibly retired. He didn't leave the city immediately because he could either stay and fight (and re-live his glory days) or run and be a coward.

Louis- Just a regular office worker, but either the Infected killed his wife and kid, or his wife left him. Either way, he is staying to fight because he has no-one to miss him if he falls, but he wants to protect humanity

Zoey- Film student, failing/not getting the grades she needs to get, on account of being captivated with the zombie genre of film. Huge zombie fan, meaning she knows her stuff. When the infection starts, she feels that she knows enough about the enemy to help. That and shooting zombies gets her out of class.

Francis- Biker/all round tough guy. A bit of a thug, meaning that he's in his element when law and order flies out of the window. Knows he can't survive alone, so travels with the group.

I'm fairly sure I've seen an official source to confirm/expand on this, not sure where though...

 

[Angelic-Dragon]

I'm fairly sure there 'was' a story that was intended for it. But Valve listened to the wise man who said "This game should have no story" so instead they left easter eggs in each level that links them all together.
E.G. Dead Air - when you come out of the green house, go left instead of down the planks and you will see the boat you left on from the Death toll campaign.

 

[hagaya]

A good idea would be to have a story, but skippable pretty-much-everything. The intermingling of the characters in the elevator etc. are pretty well made for what they are. No cutscenes in VS mode and vote to skip on regular campaign, like the credits. Its an easy fix, and with characters like that and two weeks into an infection of Zomb-- sorry, INFECTED, what could possibly be bad about it.

 

[Fangface74]

Left 4 Dead is far better off the way it is... there is a story, but it is implied. There's an infection, probably a virus of some kind, that is changing most of the population into violent psychopaths, and mutating small portions of it. People from various walks of life have found each other, and teamed up to try to get as many of them to safety as possible. The graffiti on the walls tell stories of other survivors, dead bodies you encounter tell their own stories, such as the covered body in the subways with the makeshift funeral... this shows that his friends continued to survived and moved on. You're not some STARS investigator here, there's no discovering or fixing the problem because Zoey just happens to be a biologist and a pilot and a princess or whatever... there's just run for your life until you die. Like you would do in a zombie apocalypse. Assuming you aren't "Guy slightly out of focus, three to the left, getting his face chewed off by a zombie" in the opening sequence.

Pretty much this, Valve have said as much.

 

[DrummerM]

NO ZOMBIE IS SAFE FROM CHICAGO TED

I love Chicago Ted.

Left 4 Dead doesn't really need a story (In my opinion). A definitive story would be nice, but I think it's fine the way it is now. It's kind of fun to patch together your own story by checking out your surroundings in the levels.

 

[GenHellspawn]

Except the game has a story...


Two weeks after infection


There is your story.

That's not a story, that's a line of text that shows they couldn't give two shits about story.

 

[ssgt splatter]

Without the story. all you really need to know is, and i'm quoting the great Yahtzee on this "here are some zombies just about sums it all up"

 

[Trivun]

I think a story would be quite interesting to see how the characters all come together and how the apocalypse began, but as many people have ninja'd before me, this is pretty much implied through grafitti and so on through each level. What would be nice though, is if Valve perhaps did something like the opening video for the game (set just before No Mercy) that explained how the characters met, like a short film series on Youtube or the official website that showed the main 4 meeting and deciding to fight. I'd definitely watch something like that... (wink wink)

[/subliminal_messaging]

 

[Davey Woo]

If you listen to all the developer commentary, they say that they did originally have a running story from No Mercy into another campaign, but they scrapped it. Something like when you get picked up from the helicopter, the pilot said he'd just finished a street run, and wasn;t feeling too well, turns out he's infected and the chopper crashes. Apparently play testers said it "defeated the point of completing the first campaign" or something, I personally think a running story through all 4 campaigns would be cool, but i dont mind.

 

[wordsmith]

I'm fairly sure there 'was' a story that was intended for it. But Valve listened to the wise man who said "This game should have no story" so instead they left easter eggs in each level that links them all together.
E.G. Dead Air - when you come out of the green house, go left instead of down the planks and you will see the boat you left on from the Death toll campaign.

If you read the dev commentary, there was initally a link between the levels (so you played them through, 4 levels with 3 cutscenes shown after pickup.

Take the No-Mercy one for example. The pilot was attacked during the previous pick-up, but he'd managed to blast the thing off, saving himself. The team are flown over the motorway, suddenly the pilot starts to mutate, losing control of the chopper and eventually crashing it. The team jump clear and start (I believe) Death Toll.

Why did they cut it? The playtesters said it was "too disheartening" to be saved and thwarted 3 times, only to make it out smoothly on the last level.

 

[Psyco Slim]

it would not make sence to have a running story because all the campains are just scenarios.

(and i think Yahtzee summed up the story pretty well. "Zombies over there. Shot. They. Arse.")

 

[scotth266]

Left 4 Dead is far better off the way it is... there is a story, but it is implied. There's an infection, probably a virus of some kind, that is changing most of the population into violent psychopaths, and mutating small portions of it. People from various walks of life have found each other, and teamed up to try to get as many of them to safety as possible. The graffiti on the walls tell stories of other survivors, dead bodies you encounter tell their own stories, such as the covered body in the subways with the makeshift funeral... this shows that his friends continued to survived and moved on. You're not some STARS investigator here, there's no discovering or fixing the problem because Zoey just happens to be a biologist and a pilot and a princess or whatever... there's just run for your life until you die. Like you would do in a zombie apocalypse. Assuming you aren't "Guy slightly out of focus, three to the left, getting his face chewed off by a zombie" in the opening sequence.

True enough.
It would be awesome to have some story though... Since the world is already incredibly immersive due to the graffiti and such, it's a complete mystery as to why Valve didn't include more story.

 

[ElephantGuts]

Left 4 Dead definetly needs a story. Well, it doesn't really need it, which goes to show how amazing it is anyway, but since I'm a big fan of stories in games I really would like one.

 

[Angelic-Dragon]

I'm fairly sure there 'was' a story that was intended for it. But Valve listened to the wise man who said "This game should have no story" so instead they left easter eggs in each level that links them all together.
E.G. Dead Air - when you come out of the green house, go left instead of down the planks and you will see the boat you left on from the Death toll campaign.

If you read the dev commentary, there was initally a link between the levels (so you played them through, 4 levels with 3 cutscenes shown after pickup.

Take the No-Mercy one for example. The pilot was attacked during the previous pick-up, but he'd managed to blast the thing off, saving himself. The team are flown over the motorway, suddenly the pilot starts to mutate, losing control of the chopper and eventually crashing it. The team jump clear and start (I believe) Death Toll.

Why did they cut it? The playtesters said it was "too disheartening" to be saved and thwarted 3 times, only to make it out smoothly on the last level.

Yeah can see that being a pain finish one campaign then oh look back in the deep end again.
Well at least people can dream up the story for it.

 

[AlphaOmega]

Zombies want to kill you, get to safety

not much more needed.

 

[thiosk]

I think the story of how a black dude, college girl, biker, and vet got together had something to do with everyone else turning into zombies.

Other than that, im content to rewrite my own story every time. Radiation from the planet saturn? Bio weapon escape? Proof that we didn't really understand what jesus was talking about when he mentioned the rapture? WHO CARES.

Zombies. Shoot. They. Arse.

 

[palmcrusher]

i like it without story. nobody is going to care how zombies came around when ones biting your face :3