Left 4 Dead, and FPSes in general (split as OT)

[Echo35]

Is working \o/

Yeah, mine started working as well!

Excellent, that is great news.  By the way, Echo, that was fun on Left 4 Dead the other evening.  That was my wife's and my first play of the game, though, so we were still just getting used to the game at all.  Then her copy of it locked up in the sewer section, and that's why dropped out (updated graphics card driver fixed that).

Yeah, I could tell you guys hadn't played before, seeing as your wife was shooting the Witch Please tell you me you got the L4D1 and 2 combo?

[x4000]

Is working \o/

Yeah, mine started working as well!

Excellent, that is great news.  By the way, Echo, that was fun on Left 4 Dead the other evening.  That was my wife's and my first play of the game, though, so we were still just getting used to the game at all.  Then her copy of it locked up in the sewer section, and that's why dropped out (updated graphics card driver fixed that).

Yeah, I could tell you guys hadn't played before, seeing as your wife was shooting the Witch Please tell you me you got the L4D1 and 2 combo?

No, we had to buy the two copies of L4D, and that was enough money to start for a game that we'd never played.  Of course, now I'm wishing I had.  But yeah, we've figured out the witch thing finally, although I keep startling her without meaning to.  It's a very cool game, but honestly I am surprised by the lack of variety in the monsters between levels.  The visuals of the smaller zombies are different in each one, sure, but the special infected are always the same.  Just seems odd to play the first 1 or 5 campaigns, and have already seen it all.  The level designs are worth playing through on their own, of course, and the mechanics are fun enough that the lack of enemy variety is not killer, but it just came as a bit of a surprise.  There's a lot of enemy repetition in HL2, as well, which never bothered me -- but new enemies are gradually introduced with that one, which is what I expected here.

[Revenantus]

Is working \o/

Yeah, mine started working as well!

Excellent, that is great news.  By the way, Echo, that was fun on Left 4 Dead the other evening.  That was my wife's and my first play of the game, though, so we were still just getting used to the game at all.  Then her copy of it locked up in the sewer section, and that's why dropped out (updated graphics card driver fixed that).

Yeah, I could tell you guys hadn't played before, seeing as your wife was shooting the Witch Please tell you me you got the L4D1 and 2 combo?

You guys were playing L4D and I wasn't invited?!?!

Fiskbit recently convinced me to take a look at The Hidden, a HL2 mod. On each round, one person plays as the Hidden, a near invisible super mutant, capable of jumping extreme distances and feeding on the bodies of the other players. The remaining players comprise a SWAT team with access to a variety of weapons designed for tracking down and killing the Hidden.

Definitely worth a look if you're into FPSs.

[Echo35]

No, we had to buy the two copies of L4D, and that was enough money to start for a game that we'd never played.  Of course, now I'm wishing I had.

Well hey, you and your wife get two more people together and you can split a 4 pack, which makes each copy cost $34. That's what I ended up doing with some gamer buddies of mine.

But yeah, we've figured out the witch thing finally, although I keep startling her without meaning to.  It's a very cool game, but honestly I am surprised by the lack of variety in the monsters between levels.  The visuals of the smaller zombies are different in each one, sure, but the special infected are always the same.  Just seems odd to play the first 1 or 5 campaigns, and have already seen it all.  The level designs are worth playing through on their own, of course, and the mechanics are fun enough that the lack of enemy variety is not killer, but it just came as a bit of a surprise.  There's a lot of enemy repetition in HL2, as well, which never bothered me -- but new enemies are gradually introduced with that one, which is what I expected here.

Yeah, that was one of the biggest complaints with the game, is that once you complete the 4 campaigns (And that silly new half one they added) there's not much else to do, besides VS Mode (Which was SEVERELY gimped and neigh unplayable when it was first released) and Survival (Which got added much later, but is fun). Also, the fact that the SDK wasn't released until after L4D2 was announced created such a delay that the good user made maps are only now starting to come out. However, with the second one, a lot of that is changing. They've added several new special infected (Some of which are specific to each campaign) as well as given a LOT more control to the AI Director (Including the ability to change the weather and even the level paths). They've also added some new game modes (Gas Cans anyone? ) and MUCH greater weapon variety. I've even heard rumor that the weapons themselves are upgradeable, allowing you to find stuff to mod your guns in-game, like laser sights and what not, though I don't know if this is true or not. Can't ignore all the new melee weapons though . Also, they're promising the SDK will actually be launched at launch, so users will be able to start work on custom maps and mods right away this time, which will be a major boon to the community. Overall, I'm really happy with what I've seen and what they're doing with the game. Can't wait to play it!

[x4000]

Is working \o/

Yeah, mine started working as well!

Excellent, that is great news.  By the way, Echo, that was fun on Left 4 Dead the other evening.  That was my wife's and my first play of the game, though, so we were still just getting used to the game at all.  Then her copy of it locked up in the sewer section, and that's why dropped out (updated graphics card driver fixed that).

Yeah, I could tell you guys hadn't played before, seeing as your wife was shooting the Witch Please tell you me you got the L4D1 and 2 combo?

You guys were playing L4D and I wasn't invited?!?!

It was kind of an impromtu thing.  My wife and I were firing it up for the first time, and Echo noticed.

Fiskbit recently convinced me to take a look at The Hidden, a HL2 mod. On each round, one person plays as the Hidden, a near invisible super mutant, capable of jumping extreme distances and feeding on the bodies of the other players. The remaining players comprise a SWAT team with access to a variety of weapons designed for tracking down and killing the Hidden.

Definitely worth a look if you're into FPSs.

Yeah, he's been trying to get me into that for a long while -- I keep meaning to try it, I love the HL2 games.  Lately, I've mostly been playing FPS on the PS3, which is something I never thought would happen.  Red Faction: Guerilla (well, third person there), Resistance 2, and Far Cry 2.  The latter of those I really love the most, same as I loved Far Cry on the PC a few years ago.  Really tight controls, and in FC2 it's particularly fun just setting everything on fire.  I don't think I've ever felt like such a bad*** as when pulling up to a guard post with my bazooka, letting off a round or three, and then laying waste with an assault rifle as the bad guys run around in a panic.  FC2 is another game that gets a bit repetitive in its objectives and enemies, but the solution to that is simply to leave it alone for a few months and come back -- and presto, it's fun again.  Fallout 3 I was really enjoying, too, and that's at least half FPS.

Sigh, most of those I haven't touched since AI War 1.0 came out, though.  Not nearly the amount of time I used to have for recreational gaming, but hopefully as Arcen takes off more and I'm not working double jobs, that will cease to be such an issue.  That's looking sooner than I had been thinking, incidentally, though it's too soon to say anything for sure.  That Steam release was sure good to us, as of course you know.

[x4000]

No, we had to buy the two copies of L4D, and that was enough money to start for a game that we'd never played.  Of course, now I'm wishing I had.

Well hey, you and your wife get two more people together and you can split a 4 pack, which makes each copy cost $34. That's what I ended up doing with some gamer buddies of mine.

That's not a half bad idea.

But yeah, we've figured out the witch thing finally, although I keep startling her without meaning to.  It's a very cool game, but honestly I am surprised by the lack of variety in the monsters between levels.  The visuals of the smaller zombies are different in each one, sure, but the special infected are always the same.  Just seems odd to play the first 1 or 5 campaigns, and have already seen it all.  The level designs are worth playing through on their own, of course, and the mechanics are fun enough that the lack of enemy variety is not killer, but it just came as a bit of a surprise.  There's a lot of enemy repetition in HL2, as well, which never bothered me -- but new enemies are gradually introduced with that one, which is what I expected here.

Yeah, that was one of the biggest complaints with the game, is that once you complete the 4 campaigns (And that silly new half one they added) there's not much else to do, besides VS Mode (Which was SEVERELY gimped and neigh unplayable when it was first released) and Survival (Which got added much later, but is fun). Also, the fact that the SDK wasn't released until after L4D2 was announced created such a delay that the good user made maps are only now starting to come out. However, with the second one, a lot of that is changing. They've added several new special infected (Some of which are specific to each campaign) as well as given a LOT more control to the AI Director (Including the ability to change the weather and even the level paths). They've also added some new game modes (Gas Cans anyone? ) and MUCH greater weapon variety. I've even heard rumor that the weapons themselves are upgradeable, allowing you to find stuff to mod your guns in-game, like laser sights and what not, though I don't know if this is true or not. Can't ignore all the new melee weapons though . Also, they're promising the SDK will actually be launched at launch, so users will be able to start work on custom maps and mods right away this time, which will be a major boon to the community. Overall, I'm really happy with what I've seen and what they're doing with the game. Can't wait to play it!

Wow, that's something else.  I hadn't read about all that, but now that really makes me more interested in the sequel.  The first one is super fun even as it is, and I imagine that with the better variety across the board, that will really make things better in general.  Thanks for the tip!

[Echo35]

Wow, that's something else.  I hadn't read about all that, but now that really makes me more interested in the sequel.  The first one is super fun even as it is, and I imagine that with the better variety across the board, that will really make things better in general.  Thanks for the tip!

The Demo hits tomorrow (EST) for those of us that pre-ordered, so I'll be able to go into much more detail then. It includes one Campaign level and supposedly, all of the new Infected types, but we'll see.

[x4000]

Wow, that's something else.  I hadn't read about all that, but now that really makes me more interested in the sequel.  The first one is super fun even as it is, and I imagine that with the better variety across the board, that will really make things better in general.  Thanks for the tip!

The Demo hits tomorrow (EST) for those of us that pre-ordered, so I'll be able to go into much more detail then. It includes one Campaign level and supposedly, all of the new Infected types, but we'll see.

That is bizzare.  If it has all of the new infected types, then that's not exactly holding much back (or making them per-campaign, even).  Are you meaning "all of the infected types" as something separate than "all of the special infected types?"

[x4000]

As an added note, we totally hijacked that other thread, so I've split it and moved it to OT.

And now, I'm headed for some sleep, but I'll respond to anything else tomorrow.

[Echo35]

That is bizzare.  If it has all of the new infected types, then that's not exactly holding much back (or making them per-campaign, even).  Are you meaning "all of the infected types" as something separate than "all of the special infected types?"

I couldn't tell you, I'm just going by what I've heard from Valve. Though if anyone here has a 360 and has played the Demo there, let me know (Apparently they got it a day early). Oh, and for a massive forum thread detailing all the new stuff, check here: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?s=aa6f782804ca285a1316cd7266c294ef&t=884519

[x4000]

Handy thread -- thanks!  Now I have a much better idea of what is planned.  The added gore doesn't appeal to me at all, but the gameplay effects of "gibbing" sounds very interesting.  A lot of the "uncommon common infected" were ones I had thought were going to be special infected, so that's pretty cool.  Looks like a ton more variety on all fronts.

[Echo35]

You guys were playing L4D and I wasn't invited?!?!

Well I guess this means we'll just have to get a group together and play more. Oh darn...

EDIT: Ok, played through the demo a few times (Both with and without people) and I must say, massive improvement over the first one! The new Special Infected really change your strategies dynamically (The Spitter, who lobs balls of acid that splash and do area of effect damage are particularly nasty during rushes and crescendos, as it makes it almost impossible to camp. The Charger makes it even harder to split up from your group, as he likes to wait until someone is going a different direction and carry them away. The Jockey is really nasty in combination with the other Special Infected. I once had him jump me and run me into an alarmed car, and then into Spitter goop. Did not end well. There is also the Wandering Witch, that replaces the Witch during the day. She is much harder to startle, but she walks around, potentially surprising the Survivors rather suddenly and unpleasantly). There are also Uncommon Infected, special kinds that show up less frequently than the Common Infected, but much more than the Special ones. These are unique to each level. The one for the level in the demo is a Zombified Riot Police Officer, so he is wearing a bullet proof vest, forcing you to knock him around until you can get a shot off from behind, where he is unarmored. The level design (At least the two chapters in the demo) are much more open world and diverse. Not the strictly linear paths from before, which opens up some options for exploration to find all the sweet new equipment. Along with the classic guns and items from the first game, there are also several new guns (Including an AK47, SCAR, a Desert Eagle that replaces your Akimbo Pistols, etc) as well as an array of melee weapons (I LOVE picking up the frying pan and smacking the crap out of everything. It makes a nice satisfying TONG when it hits a Zombie). There are also two more healing items (An Adrenaline Needle that makes you Melee faster and immune to fatigue for a short while and a Defibrillator that can actually bring a Survivor back to life if you die) as well as a new grenade (Vile of Boomer Goop that attracts the Infected in the same way a Boomer spitting on you does. Great fun to throw at the Tank). All in all, even without the two new game modes (Realistic mode, where you get a lot less ammo and take a lot more damage, and Scavenger Mode where you have 10 minutes to collect as many gas cans as possible), the game is much improved, adding a lot more team work dynamics, and changing up the formula to make it fresh and interesting.

EDIT EDIT: Oh, and I forgot to mention, the AI Director has far more control this time around, even having the ability to change the weather and paths through certain parts of the level.

[Volatar]

I also recently played through the demo with my best friend. Wow was it an awesome improvement.  

All the new special infected sure helped the variety. We only fought one smoker, and only ever heard the cry of one hunter through the entirety of our run through. I sure was impressed.

Also, I <3 the machette. 

[Echo35]

Also, I <3 the machette. 

Several times, I've hit up with Adrenaline and ran out with the machete, only realizing I had to stop attacking because my screen was so covered in blood I couldn't see anything.

[x4000]

Wow that so doesn't sound like my sort of thing... and yet I know I'm going to love it.