What bothers me about L4D

[Metalgamer81]

3.) If you or your teamates get bitten they are infected. Do you kill them or find a medical center?

To be fair, apparently the playable characters are immune to the virus. That explains why players can't become infected. Except in versus mode apparently, but I still don't quite understand what that means being that nothing actually happens.

 

[PitrDeVries]

Well, think of it. Four well-armed, skilled survivors would do extremely well against a classical shambling horde, in the context of the maps presented. The game would be far less exciting if the zombies could not run.

As far cannonical zombies go, I have yet to see a video game about haitian mind-control drugs and voo-doo slaves, so the truly classical zombie has never been realized in a video game.

They're just zombies. Period.

 

[Metalgamer81]

I really do love it hehe. Only a developer with such skill like Valve could EVEN pull this game off the drawing board, I mean its selling points are frankly awful from a plain pespective.

1. 4 Identical Character, all the same attributes
2. A complete no plot game with barely any interaction at all
3. Only 10 weapons in total and they include fairly generic Uzis and M16's etc.
4. Only 4 campaigns to play through and limiting number of maps
5. Full retail price for hwat appears to be a download centric game.

Only Valve could pull it off .

The identical characters don't really bother me; it would have been nice to have some type of distinction in terms of ability to take damage, movement speed, etc. But the point is that this is supposed to be a co-op game. Players shouldn't have to fight over which character they get. That's most likely why the versus mode chooses your special zombie for you. The special zombies are all different and that's where the real fun is anyway.

2. There's a plot, just no development. Which is fine by me; it worked for portal and it works here. I don't need to know the details, I just need to know what my goal is. I think the idea here is that you're a survivor who is blindsided by this whole event. The characters in the game don't know the details and the players don't either; I think it's beneficial to immersion.

3. The lack of variety in weapons doesn't bother me. This is not a game that is based on who has the better gun; it's mostly a matter of power vs. precision. Shotguns are more powerful, uzi and assault rifle more precise. The sniper rifle is all but useless, so there is actually one weapon too many in this game. You don't need a huge arsenal of guns when your enemies are unarmed. Some skilled players see shotguns as the front line weapon and automatic weapons as rearguard; shotgunners stay crouched and in front, machine gunners hang back and protect them. It's a good strategy.

4. This part does bother me. There are 20 stages in total, which seems pretty decent but it gets boring to play through the same 4 episodes again and again. I'm already bored with all of them. The in-game achievements give players something to go for, but many of them are silly and not worth doing or very difficult to get a group to allow you to do. The game definitely should have had at least two more episodes from the start and expansion packs should definitely be released. Due to the shortness of the game at launch, I think Valve should give up another campaign or two for free.

5. I don't see how the game is download centric, since I've yet to download anything for it, but there really isn't a lot of game here. An online game like this should definitely have more content. I think what we're paying for here is the uniqueness of the game itself. It is in many ways unlike any other game. It combines co-op multiplayer shooting with survival horror in a way that works surprisingly well.

I think what thunderbrew is overlooking is that L4D is not the next TF2 or Counterstrike; it's not trying to be Call of Duty. It's a different kind of game. It shouldn't be like those other games because that's not the kind of game it is, period. While I agree that it needs more content the fact that it is not a great fps is only true because it is not a fps in the traditional context. It's a great game in its own right.

 

[wordsmith]

the reason you don't run through levels is simple- when zombies attack you, you stagger and slow down. If that wasn't the case (as it was in the beta), you could run the whole level by simply punching zombies in the face as you run past, meaning only Special Infected could actually do anything to you.

as for not feeling "pressured" to move on... Just hole up in an area for a couple of minutes. Suddenly it's not so easy to hold 3 hordes, 2 smokers, 2 hunters and a tank. With low ammo

 

[bmf185]

You know I never really bought the whole 'mutated rabies' bit. Rabies is a virus. Viruses, while fascinating, are horribly debilitating to an infected person; they don't make one faster or stronger. Valve is basically telling us that we are being attacked by very upset dehydrated people with fevers and some weird mutants. Mutated toxoplasma gondii parasites would have made for a MUCH more believable story, as they alter the brains of rats and half of the people in the world are already infected.

http://www.livescience.com/technology/060210_technovelgy.html

I love L4D though. No matter how hard I can scoff at the story I do.

 

[DirkGently]

If you stand around long enough the "horde" is supposed to come after you.
Also they aren't quite zombies they are just vicious mindless violent people, and some mutants.
As just people that are overly violent they are easy enough to kill, they most likely feel no pain.

*ahem*

Wow, this topic got crazy.

There are still quite a few folks who want to make this argument that the zombies in L4D are not supposed to be zombies. This is a bad argument for several reasons.

1) Since before its release this has been touted as a "zombie" game.
2) The back of the package, the instruction manual, the graffiti on the walls and the dialogue between characters during gameplay make constant references to "zombies" and directly refer to the monsters in the game as "zombies."
3) At the end of each stage after the stats roll by it says "(# of zombies) were harmed in the making of this film."

Anybody trying to make the argument that these are not supposed to be zombies is simply not paying attention.

Moving along, the cool thing about fantasy is that we can do whatever we'd like with it. One idea of "zombies" may clash with another and it's all good. I think that when I originally posted this I was a bit disappointed that L4D was not the Romero film in game form that I was hoping for. In any case, I do love L4D and if Valve's idea of zombies are something of a cross between 28 days later style RAGE victims and classic Romero zombies, I'm cool with that.

I think it's pretty clear, however, that in our current consciousness Max Brooks' idea of "zombie" is the prevalent one, since the whole "zombie craze" of the last few years seems to stem from his books which are awesome.

Edit: Doh,hit the button too soon. Real message in a sec.

I think the main problem here is that you're thinking of your own concept of a zombie, Max Brooks's Zombie. Herein lies the problem, as there is not global definition of 'zombie' that applies to every single mentioning of the word 'zombie' throughout history. It's a zombie game in the sense that you're approximately .001% of the population of the city, and you've got the other 99.999% outside trying to kill you and further spread their disease/virus/parasite. In my opinion a 'zombie game/movie/show/book' is less about the zombies themselves and more about the atmosphere that's created.

Also, to whoever called out 'rabies' as bad excuse for the zombies/infected, what's a good one? Space Radiation? Genetically Engineered Wasps Created By The Government To Reanimate Cows To Help Feed America? A virus that just pops up out of nowhere? A super virus by a global corporation with worse security than Jurassic Park? Thank you, but I'll take Super-Rabies over those. Okay, maybe not, but still, the reasons for zombies has never exactly been that great.

Though, to be honest, I do wish Valve had hidden some form of exposition in the games. Whether you find people's cell phones and listen to their voicemail, or talk on the radio with the government, or whatever, it'd be a pretty nifty little extra thing to the game. You get some more background on the infection, the outbreak, the state of the world at large, etc.

 

[bmf185]

[

Also, to whoever called out 'rabies' as bad excuse for the zombies/infected, what's a good one? Space Radiation? Genetically Engineered Wasps Created By The Government To Reanimate Cows To Help Feed America? A virus that just pops up out of nowhere? A super virus by a global corporation with worse security than Jurassic Park? Thank you, but I'll take Super-Rabies over those. Okay, maybe not, but still, the reasons for zombies has never exactly been that great.

I just told you.

 

[DirkGently]

[

Also, to whoever called out 'rabies' as bad excuse for the zombies/infected, what's a good one? Space Radiation? Genetically Engineered Wasps Created By The Government To Reanimate Cows To Help Feed America? A virus that just pops up out of nowhere? A super virus by a global corporation with worse security than Jurassic Park? Thank you, but I'll take Super-Rabies over those. Okay, maybe not, but still, the reasons for zombies has never exactly been that great.

I just told you.

Told me what?

 

[bmf185]

[

Also, to whoever called out 'rabies' as bad excuse for the zombies/infected, what's a good one? Space Radiation? Genetically Engineered Wasps Created By The Government To Reanimate Cows To Help Feed America? A virus that just pops up out of nowhere? A super virus by a global corporation with worse security than Jurassic Park? Thank you, but I'll take Super-Rabies over those. Okay, maybe not, but still, the reasons for zombies has never exactly been that great.

I just told you.

Told me what?

You know I never really bought the whole 'mutated rabies' bit. Rabies is a virus. Viruses, while fascinating, are horribly debilitating to an infected person; they don't make one faster or stronger. Valve is basically telling us that we are being attacked by very upset dehydrated people with fevers and some weird mutants. Mutated toxoplasma gondii parasites would have made for a MUCH more believable story, as they alter the brains of rats and half of the people in the world are already infected.

http://www.livescience.com/technology/060210_technovelgy.html

 

[SolidJohnny]

No wonder why you don't like it. you play on easy and you think they're zombies.

They are not zombies, they are infected people with a virus, and they shouldn't eat you because they're not zombies.

I will tell you that repeatedly until you get it in your head.

They're not zombies.
They're not zombies.
They're not zombies.
They're not zombies.

Not zombies, eh?

Then why does the back of the box read "Four survivors in an epic struggle... fighting HORDES of SWARMING ZOMBIES." Why does Zoey say "Oh no... the Zombies killed GOD!" during the Dead Air campaign?

way to troll.

Anyway, in spite of the fact that SolidJohnny seems to think that zombies aren't zombies, a lot of good points are brought up in this thread. The fact is that L4D is a really fun game and while it is difficult if not impossible to put the more classic interpretation of "zombie" into a game it would still be cool.

I have to disagree with some of you that say that the whole idea of zombies eating people is not necessarily typical of the archetype, but that's only because Romero has been imitated so much that it has become the accepted ideal.

Moving along, I find the game to be too easy on normal but advanced is remarkably better in terms of making me feel like I have to keep moving. Once I learn to control my FF I'll have to have a go at expert.

I never said it wasn't fun. I love L4D and play it almost everyday. I'm just saying they're (infected?) I didn't know they were zombies because I got this game on PC and don't have a box for it, so I cant read the back of the box.

 

[SolidJohnny]

My only complaint about this game is it needs more vs campaigns.

Mods/Dlc's will take care of that, until then enjoy the awesome versus mod.

I don't think L4D has DLC for PC

 

[_Serendipity_]

My only complaint about this game is it needs more vs campaigns.

Mods/Dlc's will take care of that, until then enjoy the awesome versus mod.

I don't think L4D has DLC for PC

???

Of course there will be, valve are primarily a PC-based company.

But, in any case, I really like L4D, and what they've done for the zombie mythos. Then again, I loved 28 Days Later, and find the running-screaming-gouging-punching zombies much better than shambling zombies. Slavishly sticking to an established idea is silly and cramps innovation.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I've been working on a config file that slows the Infected down, boosts their health considerably (still getting up after two shotgun blasts to the chest; headshots really count) and ups the amount you'll find just wandering all over the place, as well as the numbers of the hordes that rush at you. Sadly, my playtesting crashed, along with the game, during the church bell scene in Death Toll. I did manage to end up with some interesting battles [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/theroguewolf/Games/L4DHorde1.jpg] beforehand, though.

I'll probably work some more on it tonight.

 

[Necrophagist]

A zombie game that met your expectations would be impossible. Essentially, one bite would turn you into a zombie, and the only way to kill them would be a headshot. The planning is what makes this game great - it's certain death for run-and-gunners. So if you bolt of on your own and think you can run, guns blazing, to a safe house, a tank or smoker is going to rip your balls off.

I think this is a perfect game, but I would appreciate a "head shot only" mode. It wouldn't be hard to hot-fix it in, either.

The only real disadvantage to this game is the quality of gamers on XBL. A great majority of people I play with are tactically retarded and have no concept of teamwork.

 

[hippo24]

What difficulty are you playing on?

Try playing expert. Call me when your crying and a tank is raping your ass.

Sorry whats your number, TsunamiWombat isn't in the phone book and that tank is almost done ripping me a new one.

 

[mocruz1200]

seriously, want a good experience?
play this game at 1 am while your getting a little sleepy with Bose headphones
everything is quiet and BAM, smoker grabs you.
i jumped out of my seat and almost started yelling.
the only thing that could be improved in this game would be to add more maps, which im sure valve is doing as we speak