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New Left 4 Dead Campaign this September


The Damned
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http://www.destructoid.com/left-4-dead-crash-course-announced-as-new-campaign-142454.phtml

On noes, Valve is no longer supporting the first Left 4 Dead. They will never make anything new for it. :<

Could be interesting... I hope they offer up some other in-between campaigns for the other maps as well.

(Also, the old L4D thread is like... months old, and on page ten. I didn't see the point in necro-posting)

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This is bullcrap. I spent good money on the first game and got so little in return, and now I have to pay with my time and bandwidth just to get something that should have been in the game the whole time? Wtf Valve?

Gripe. Gripe complain. Whine. Long rant on how money grubbing Valve is. Whine some more.

I'm going to sign that petition that no one cares about. That'll show 'em.

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The new campaign is welcomed (the premise is actually based on a subtly hidden and perhaps completely dropped hint when the campaigns were directly connected to one another compared to how vaguely they are now) but it still doesn't change the fact that the Left 4 Dead 2 additions (gameplay improving additions, I might add such as the new boss Infected stopping current lame Survivor tactics) still could be ported quite easily into Left 4 Dead 1.

I could understand the Left 4 Dead 2 campaigns on their own (just the levels) being a 'booster' pack or something you have pay like $10 for or something (like the Battlefield 2 model with the expansions) but the additional weapons and gameplay improving elements featured in Left 4 dead 2 should be put in the first game.

In addition to improving the now somewhat moulding gameplay a bit, it'd actually force people to change their tactics and adjust their gameplay style.

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The issue with that is it would be excessively difficult to program all that into the old game. You're not merely transferring over models or creating something that only players use. Infected require entire AI routines to function properly and the director's use of AI in L4D2 might not be compatible at all with the previous game.

Moreover, the old maps in L4D aren't balanced with the new Infected types in mind, so therefore they could potentially break the old game in favor of the Infected. This is more of a concern in Versus mode, but it is a viable one. New weapons will also throw off the game balance if added in on their own; Infected have to deal with brand new (and probably more effective) ways of being killed while they would have nothing new on their own to throw at the Survivors.

Integrating all these gameplay improvements would probably take almost as much time as making a new game to begin with. And though Valve said they would support Left 4 Dead with new content, you have to buy it expecting that they won't. A company's promise for content means absolutely nothing until that content is sitting on your hard drive ready to be played. And besides, I think most people who are complaining got their fifty bucks worth out of the first game and are just sore because they thought they were entitled to more. And now Valve adds another campaign, and then there's the Source SDK out for it. So if people want L4D content so badly, they can make it themselves.

That tirade aside, I *am* looking forward to the new official campaign in Left 4 Dead. I think it'll be a lot of fun. :D

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Actually, the basic AI in the Source engine is pretty much 'swap in, swap out' as far as I know; it's all pretty compatible.

Basic behaviour AI can be easily recycled (in Half Life 2 for example, the Fast Zombie AI's was originally belonged to another unit) and even if the advanced features on Director 2.0 such as the day/night cycle aren't backwards compatible, basic unit behaviour such as 'Charge In' seen on that of the AI Tank can easily be used for the Charger, for example, while the Smokers long range AI could be reused for the new ranged infected. Maps can have minor changes done to them in the architecture to make it more balanced if it's required (and besides, current issues such as closet camping for the Survivors are more important than current, possible map issues.)

If new Infected are brought in (both special boss and common) the new additions to the Survivors arsenal would bring some Ying back into the Yang. It'd force players to think more tactically and co-operate like how Left 4 Dead is/was meant to be than the current style of play most players use.

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as far as I know;

Exactly. As far as you know.

Anyone here a programmer at Valve? Or programmed any AI for any modern FPSs? If so, please fill us in on the details of how easy or difficult it is to just slap things together or stuff new code into old games.

Until then, maybe speculating on something you don't truly understand isn't the best way to support your opinion. I'm not trying to deride you or anything, but saying that you think something is easy when you can't even begin to be sure isn't the best way to go.

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Exactly. As far as you know.

Anyone here a programmer at Valve? Or programmed any AI for any modern FPSs? If so, please fill us in on the details of how easy or difficult it is to just slap things together or stuff new code into old games.

Until then, maybe speculating on something you don't truly understand isn't the best way to support your opinion. I'm not trying to deride you or anything, but saying that you think something is easy when you can't even begin to be sure isn't the best way to go.

Me saying 'As far as I know' was not meant to imply smugness or overconfidence or any special knowledge my part, just vague assumptions based on examples that I've seen in various games. (Such as the previous Fast Zombie/Combine Assassin example I've used.)

I've seen things like that done before in various games and formats, so I know it is possible. If it's considered 'easy' compared to writing something from scratch, I do not know.

I could ask a few programmers I know in the mod' community though, if you're really interested in knowing...

I do know one thing though; if VALVe tossed the current coding and assets out for the new Infected/Survivor in Left 4 Dead 2 into the Left 4 Dead community in a dramatic release, I'd give it a month or two before at least one programmer plugs at least one of those assets into the game in one form or another...

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