Re: Left 4 Dead
Yeah, you are right. You can play with bots.
Yeah, you are right. You can play with bots.
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Go Noles!!! >>-----> -
Re: Left 4 Dead
Valve Interview
Shack: What's the current state of development on Left 4 Dead?
Doug Lombardi: So the game is pretty much playable all the way through right now. And as we've done with most of our games, we get to a point where, it's playable all the way through, there are some [minor] issues that we need to work on, and we try to add more time to the schedule to have as many people as possible play the game, to make sure that it's approachable to players of all skills. We want to make sure that all the game that we've built gets played, not just be like, "Okay, it's complete, let's ship it."
For example, Half-Life 2 was pretty much done in April of 2004, and we spent the rest of that year just looking at pacing, and looking at approachability, and making sure the easy setting was easy enough, etc. So we're in a pretty similar state right now, with it being, what, early May, and we're looking at the same time frame--November--for shipping.
So we're going to be spending a lot of time just bringing it to events like this, taking it to Quakecon and Leipzig, and just getting as many people's hands on it as possible to make sure that it's playing right and that it's fun, and that the group dynamics are showing up and are visible to people.Shack: It's going to ship simultaneously on the Xbox 360, right?
Doug Lombardi: 360 and PC worldwide in November.Go Noles!!! >>----->Comment
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Re: Left 4 Dead
Shacknews
Since Faylor and I played the game in January, Left 4 Dead has been more or less completed and is now moving into the test and polish phase of production. The most current build shows marked improvements in lighting and environmental audio, as well as the sort of tweaks that make for a more visceral experience.
But most notable among the changes are the inclusion of so-called "crescendo" events, scenes in most stages that require you to bunker down and defend against large-scale waves of zombies while waiting for some time-sensitive mechanic to complete before you can move on.Another crescendo event, described but not yet implemented, was an instance in which players must fend off the infected inside of a slowly ascending and fully destructible freight elevator, accompanied by a slow-ticking floor indicator to amp up the tension.
"The feedback from players was always that they liked the testy moments. The ability to set up and look at the situation. So much of the game is on the run, your strategies have to really flow," Faliszek noted.It's a careful balance between scripted events and on-the-fly procedural moments generated by the game's Director AI system, but it functions smoothly and prevents the action from slipping too far in either direction. Faliszek went on to explain that while the Director system is still subject to a great deal of refinement, it's proven immensely successful in Valve's testing phases.
"We're always tweaking [the director], but it always had the good effect of seeing people playing through twice -- they're so trained to think that what happened last time will happen to them this time, and that always comes back and bites them. It's always around the third or fourth time that they realize that you can't really count on the action happening that way. We've actually gone so far, in the newer version, where the director determines what the placement of items are, so they're spread out a little more randomly. It's meant for replayability, so that you can never rely on these sorts of events."But the witch is perhaps the most destructive agent of unpredictability in Left 4 Dead--run too quickly, don't check your corners, and you're bound to stumble upon her in a most unfortunate location.I asked him what exactly "sets off" the witch--knowing full well what she could do, I was in desperate need of information. It would've been a total drag to get us all killed by blinking or speaking aloud or breathing too hard, after all.
"Aggravating her. Getting too close, shooting near her, looking at her with the flash light—you want to make sure your flashlight's off," Faliszek explained. "You pretty much want to leave her the hell alone."Valve and Turtle Rock have made a good deal of progress shaping Left 4 Dead into a title worthy of its pedigree, and the prognosis is looking great. It's still some of the most fun time I've spent behind a mouse and keyboard, and even on a second playthrough of a level, the tension and anxious atmosphere were as potent as ever.
Those put off by the recently revealed November release date for the game can rest assured that the time will be well spent. As Faylor and I saw last January, the game's already in a great place. I stick by my first assessment: with some tweaking, testing and a bit of polish, Left 4 Dead could stand as one of the best multiplayer PC efforts seen in years.Go Noles!!! >>----->Comment
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Re: Left 4 Dead
First confirmation of split-screen support
According to the official Xbox website, the Xbox 360 version of Left 4 Dead will feature split-screen play! From the product info:
Players: 1-2
Players Co-op: 1-2
System Link: 2-4
Xbox Live Players: 2-8
Xbox Live Players Co-op: 1-4
This is the first confirmation of split-screen, in the past they had only expressed the desire but were unsure if they could overcome the technical hurdles.
Go Noles!!! >>----->Comment
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Re: Left 4 Dead
Joystiq Hands-On
Having fortunately escaped a swift booting from last night's EA Spring Break event by PR folk for making an innocent (we swear) "If you make a sequel, will it be titled Right 4 Dead?" query, we sat down and got our kill-on in Turtle Rock Studios' PC and Xbox 360 shooter. Our first thought: Maybe this shouldn't be published under the EA Games label; EA Sims might suit it better. Because, frankly, we can't conjure a game that could better be described as a "zombie apocalypse simulator." Take that, GT5, with your "driving" simulation.
Highlighting the four-player Survivor co-op mode, the event's Left 4 Dead station featured four HP Blackbird PCs, so we were definitely experiencing the game as an owner of a high-spec gaming rig would. To that end, the game is looking even better than it did at previous showings, wowing us with a bevy of neat visual tricks (flashlights produce rainbow halos when you stare at them straight on, for instance) and fluid character animation that had us making mental comparisons to Call of Duty 4's lifelike character motion. Left 4 Dead's visual style -- which is largely realistic with just enough style and saturation to lend it a slight arcade hue -- worked its magic and we were soon firmly in the game world's clutches. Not that we were complaining.
Left 4 Dead's main hook is four-player cooperative combat in a urban environ bursting at the seams with "The Infected" -- fast, seemingly coordinated, 28 Days Later-style zombies. Hopping into a match, we first had to gear up. Rather than opting for a static inventory screen, the developer decided to keep players immersed by scattering equipment tables throughout each level (Left 4 Dead is a linear game, but has no preset spawn points for the zombies, providing some freshness for subsequent playthroughs). We grabbed a sub machine gun, although we could have opted for a shotgun. After making sure we'd also snatched some additional ammo and a med pack, it was time to rock.
Along with three other human players (if you opt to play solo you'll be joined by AI bots) we made our way through the building we'd started in, noticing that we could see our squad mates' outlines through walls, Metal Gear Online style, and color-coded from green to red to indicate how they were doing health-wise. Likewise, we could see if they were being pounced on by The Infected. This proved very useful in ensuring we weren't quickly a man (or woman) down. In such situations, we learned that accuracy is key -- you can do more harm than good if you inadvertently cap a friend instead of an Infected when they're in distress.
There were plenty of heart-stopping moments triggered by dozens of zombies flooding in through doorways, or even just a few springing out of a dark corner. It soon became clear that sticking together as a group was vital to taking the hordes down as quickly as possible, but, as the game's devs have previously mentioned, The Infected are definitely directed to flock more furiously to lone Survivors.
After clearing our way through a few buildings and zombie-filled alleyways, we came to a checkpoint – a room with reinforced doors and more guns, health and ammo. Just because we were inside, however, it didn't mean we were safe. Someone (certainly not us) had forgotten to close the door behind us. In an example of the game's use of contextual audio cues, the Survivors began yelling for someone to close the door (we did, being heroes and all) and we were safe ... at least until heading into the next area.
There we got a taste of some of the other environments as we trudged through the subway (complete with derelict trains), and eventually met our demise after straying too far from the friendly fold on a rooftop -- but not before clearing debris to save an NPC trapped in a closet. (It wasn't, much to our disappointment, R. Kelly.)
Left 4 Dead, well, left us with the feeling that it could be the "Next Big Thing" on Xbox Live and PC when it hits this fall. (Or, as its devs say, "When it's done.") It's fast, fearsome, and full of surprises. One of which is the Infected vs. Survivors mode, which sees four human players squaring off against The Infected and four human controlled "boss" zombies -- a mode that was, sadly, not on show at EA's event. We'll hopefully get our hands on it soon enough, though, and will be back with all the (very) gory details.Go Noles!!! >>----->Comment
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Re: Left 4 Dead
this and fallout have most of my attentionLiquor in the front, poker in the rear.Comment
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Re: Left 4 Dead
Easily one of my most anticipated games. Valve always delivers. I really want to see and hear about the 360 version though. I know Valve is handling the port, but Certain Affinity is handling the controls and online, which actually has me excited. Certain Affinity has a number of ex-Bungie employees, including their president Max Hoberman who was the multiplayer, user interface, and online lead for Halo 2 and Halo 3. He was responsible for maps, gameplay, and the entire online system, including features like the party system and matchmaking.Go Noles!!! >>----->Comment
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Re: Left 4 Dead
Watching it being played on G4 right now. The graphics look good, but the animations and what not look bad to me. Comes out November 4th, so they have some work to do, but the rest of the game is just incredible.Comment
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Re: Left 4 Dead
First footage showing the new character designs and HUD. Even the developer is still surprised by the AI.
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Re: Left 4 Dead
SweetComment
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Re: Left 4 Dead
Super amped for this.Comment
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Re: Left 4 Dead
Definitely can't wait for this one. I love seeing a better perspective of the witch at the end of the first video. It really gives you a better idea of her power and what a huge threat she is when she's around. Hell, even the designer got killed running away from her.Comment
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Re: Left 4 Dead
Destructoid - E3 08: Left 4 Dead Is Frightenly Amazing
If you've been waiting patiently for Valve's cooperative zombie survival experience Left 4 Dead, know that what's been taking so long is that they've been making it awesome. Really, really awesome. Mind-blowingly awesome. Disgustingly rad.
Dtoid.s Anthony Burch and I got some time with a four-player cooperative session of Left 4 Dead, with the game running on PCs in Valve's dark meeting room at E3 a few days ago. After about five minutes of playtime (most of which involved me screaming for my life as I was attacked by zombies, and closing doors in the faces of my team members as I ran from the mobs), I turned to Anthony and said in a very serious voice, "This is the best game I've ever played."
And it may not be hyperbole. As a first-person shooter, Left 4 Dead hits all of the check-marks that make the core game feel right. But as a cooperative game (and more importantly for me, a zombie game), there's really nothing like it on the market. You're not simply picking off hordes of undead and there just happens to be some other people shooting in the same direction as you. Survival alone is not an option; if a teammate is knocked down and pinned by a group of undead, the only way they can be set free is if you melee their attackers off, for instance. There's no question about it, you have to work together.
At one point, I wandered down a dark alley, thinking my team was following behind. I spotted a group of undead shuffling in my direction, so I fired a few shots, hoping my team would back me up. They didn't, because the were nowhere to be found, and had went off in a different direction. Dozens of shrieking undead ran towards me, "voiced" by Mike Patton in what sounded like a reprisal of his solo album Adult Themes for Voice. I panicked, I yelled, I called out for my team mates who came rushing to my aid. I may have peed myself a bit.
I will never wander into a dark alley again, but without question will be picking up Left 4 Dead day one when it ships on November 4Comment
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