Left 4 Dead now $30, L4D2 rant

[Caydr]

If anyone was holding off on buying Left 4 Dead, its price is now just $30. I know this is old news.

BTW, is anyone here thinking about getting L4D 2 when it comes out? Personally I'm really disappointed with the support L4D got - it's totally unlike Valve, and to release a sequel to a game only a year after the original is almost unprecedented since DOS went out of style.

What really hurts is the half-assed DLC after Gabe Newell himself promised lots of it (paraphrasing). First they added the survival mode, which added one new map where you can't actually go anywhere or do anything. Even excellent players only last a matter of minutes, and it's so boring.

Now they've announced a new "campaign" - the campaign itself is only two chapters long and about half the overall play time of a regular full campaign. Their rationale for this is that people supposedly complained a lot about the game being so long for versus matches.

Even if that WAS true, which it isn't, why would they turn around and announce that L4D2 will have LONGER campaigns if this was such a problem?

Regardless of how many sales they get for L4D2, it won't make up for the damage to their reputation. Valve has prided itself on excellent, Stardock-like after sale support and free upgrades for years after the game is released. If this was almost any other company, I'd say, "that's kind of lame but understandable," but this is VALVE. Valve has made it very clear that they support their games well after release. It should come as no surprise that a quick sequel like this on such a massively popular game would not be welcome.

When L4D2 is released, I'm sure I won't be the only one wondering if they should wait for L4D3 - which might actually be a significant improvement in some way. So far the only new features announced are:

-5 new, longer campaigns (sorry, you can't play the original 5 anymore though... and the player base will be half the size now for both games...)
-3 new super mutants (the originals will probably be "new and improved!" too)
-1 new game mode, as-yet unannounced ("super survival" maybe? where you can only use melee?)
-Different weapons (since the original ones were... so crappy?)
-Some levels take place during the day (personally, as a geek, I find natural light disturbing so perhaps this is having the desired effect)

If they make L4D2 essentially an add-on in all but name, ie, allow L4D2 owners to play with original L4D players, it would save the situation a little, but this doesn't make any sense financially... with a traditional business model anyway.

[Neddie]

If anyone was holding off on buying Left 4 Dead, its price is now just $30. I know this is old news.

BTW, is anyone here thinking about getting L4D 2 when it comes out? Personally I'm really disappointed with the support L4D got - it's totally unlike Valve, and to release a sequel to a game only a year after the original is almost unprecedented since DOS went out of style.

I'll purchase on release.

What really hurts is the half-assed DLC after Gabe Newell himself promised lots of it (paraphrasing). First they added the survival mode, which added one new map where you can't actually go anywhere or do anything. Even excellent players only last a matter of minutes, and it's so boring.

I agree, it was a disappointment given the wait, though it is fun.

Now they've announced a new "campaign" - the campaign itself is only two chapters long and about half the overall play time of a regular full campaign. Their rationale for this is that people supposedly complained a lot about the game being so long for versus matches.

Even if that WAS true, which it isn't, why would they turn around and announce that L4D2 will have LONGER campaigns if this was such a problem?

Of course it isn't true, they're playing both ends of the field here, cutting back on unprofitable effort and promising greater reward for future payment.

Regardless of how many sales they get for L4D2, it won't make up for the damage to their reputation. Valve has prided itself on excellent, Stardock-like after sale support and free upgrades for years after the game is released. If this was almost any other company, I'd say, "that's kind of lame but understandable," but this is VALVE. Valve has made it very clear that they support their games well after release. It should come as no surprise that a quick sequel like this on such a massively popular game would not be welcome.

Well, they are still supporting L4D, just not with new content. This isn't a great enough departure in behavior for most people to make note of it, hence the lack of responses in this thread.

When L4D2 is released, I'm sure I won't be the only one wondering if they should wait for L4D3 - which might actually be a significant improvement in some way. So far the only new features announced are:

-5 new, longer campaigns (sorry, you can't play the original 5 anymore though... and the player base will be half the size now for both games...)
-3 new super mutants (the originals will probably be "new and improved!" too)
-1 new game mode, as-yet unannounced ("super survival" maybe? where you can only use melee?)
-Different weapons (since the original ones were... so crappy?)
-Some levels take place during the day (personally, as a geek, I find natural light disturbing so perhaps this is having the desired effect)

If they make L4D2 essentially an add-on in all but name, ie, allow L4D2 owners to play with original L4D players, it would save the situation a little, but this doesn't make any sense financially... with a traditional business model anyway.

I was hoping that L4D2 would be able to connect up with L4D, myself. Having eight characters to choose from, and ten campaigns, would be rather fun.

It doesn't make any sense traditionally, but hey, they've tossed tradition to them wind.

[Forboding Angel]

L4D was and is great fun. It is what it was supposed to be. I don't see why people have such a hard time understand that. As someone who played L4D competitively for quite some time, if you have a good team (I.E. a clan), it never ceases to be fun.

[Neddie]

L4D was and is great fun. It is what it was supposed to be. I don't see why people have such a hard time understand that. As someone who played L4D competitively for quite some time, if you have a good team (I.E. a clan), it never ceases to be fun.

Yeah, jerk, you forgot where you came from, with your friends! *cries*

When I get my connection we are L4D and KF for a long time.

[Forboding Angel]

lol, didn't I gift KF to you? Or was that Chapparal? I can't remember, but I gave a free copy to one of you via steam. Tbh I really don't care for Killing Floor at all.

[Neddie]

Not me, I bought mine and bought two more for other people.

I really enjoy KF, it just takes better teams at the difficulties I like.

[Pxtl]

Reminds me of UT2003/UT2004 (the sequel is just an expansion for the game) except that Valve didn't forewarn the user-base that this was coming. Will they at least give L4D owners a discount on L4D2 like Epic did?

[hunterw]

L4D got boring after the campaign and 30 hrs of multi

also did they ever fix the ridiculously shitty NPC alien balance on multi? alien team would get like 200% more NPC zombies every game.

anyway a fun concept but not much depth. bring on NS2.

[Neddie]

Mostly I liked taking teams of new players and carrying them. I think more weapons, zombies and maps would have extended the game greatly, but admittedly, I still have fun playing, particularly with Survival mode. I'm not easy to please, hell, even some of your maps have disappointed me.