L4D's little cousin

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KiruTheMant

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Upon the release of the demo I got cracking,Made skins,removed barriers,made levels "Level with 3/5 parts actually" and Basically did a lot of work. Then I went back and played the original L4D,and remembered the game was so fun I never tampered with it. So I backtracked both games and saw Wether purchasing L4D2 was worth the money.

The AI and you

L4D - In the Original Left 4 Dead the AI was an important part in any campaign over Easy,As removing hunters and smokers were a one way ticket to hell. The AI was also a key factor in killing infected like the tank,and the witch. Mobs were easier with a pipebomb and molotov in hand.So you had to watch your fire,and if you gunned the Zombieshield Louis in the back,you would have to help him up,or let em die.

L4D2 - After picking the tiny tiblets away I noticed that the new infected were a bigger annoyance than dangerous,Spitter is easy to dodge,and won't bring a swarm like the boomer if shot,the Gerbils and easy to kill,and if they jump they do mediocre damage. The AI's not worth much in a fight,seeing as after a hunter pinned me,or a Smoker grabbed me,my health would widdle away as they shot 1 or 2 zombies farther away than the Special.Most of all Coach would often wander off.

L4D - 8/10
L4D2 - 7/10

The Weaponary and you

L4D - Limited to the militarys scrounge and local farm equipment,You would need to survive on the bits of what you could in the Apocolypse. Seeing as you Progressed time would send out what it could,the Military was a help,and you had to depend on yourself.Pipebombs and Molotovs were the citizens work,and lying around was a casual Helper,Like oxy tanks or gascans. Always a struggle.

L4D2 - New weapons come to the show,Easily noticed are the hand weapons,Break Skulls with a guitar,a bat,or even a Frying pan if you wanna scramble a few brains, but mostly were the new Powerups,Pills had a buddy called Adrenaline,Proving that the Military Put its foot in and helped a little,as they also had contained the Bile and made it a weapon against zombies.Overall its a new system,saying as its (Most likely) later in the Apocolypse.

L4D 9/10
L4D2 10/10

Ah yes,By digging around the game files I found a new weapon thats not fully implemented.
If you don't wanna know move on,but here
YAY GRENADE LAUNCHER

Finally I rant on Maps.
Maps and You.

The maps have become severly harder to program,But not much is new,other than the new maps,so I stay unbiased,that Both game maps,were Equally Detailed(Other than night and day effects,bravo L4D2)and Equally fun to play.Seeing as I could'nt find the last 3 parts of the demo map,I can't say this for certain,but by the demo,I say the rating of both games

L4D & L4D2 - 8/10

Welp,Thats all folks,and I hope you enjoyed my selfrant on boring ol' Steam games (Its a joke :D) and I hope you enjoy,and Theres another secret,but I can't bring myself to tell you that in L4D2 *Censor*
That the 4 main survivors may appear in L4D2,as I found their models in the Survivor model folder,so have fun :D
*censor*

Thats all ^^
 

Internet Kraken

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What did you just say that the AI in L4D was better than the AI in L4D2?

That's just ridiculous. Seriously, the AI in L4D never even worked together. You would have Hunters and Smokers attacking alone, and Boomers just stumbling out into the open.

In L4D2, they actually work as a team. Chargers will pin a member of your group and then a Spitter will will hit them with acid. Hunters will distract you while Boomers move towards your position. Jockeys will lead you into to other SI. To say that they are dumber in L4D2 makes no sense.
 

Avatar Roku

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Internet Kraken said:
What did you just say that the AI in L4D was better than the AI in L4D2?

That's just ridiculous. Seriously, the AI in L4D never even worked together. You would have Hunters and Smokers attacking alone, and Boomers just stumbling out into the open.

In L4D2, they actually work as a team. Chargers will pin a member of your group and then a Spitter will will hit them with acid. Hunters will distract you while Boomers move towards your position. Jockeys will lead you into to other SI. To say that they are dumber in L4D2 makes no sense.
Agreed. I can't tell you how many times in the demo a Spitter spit on the ground, then a Jockey captured me and made me run straight into the acid.
 

Carbonic Penguin

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Internet Kraken said:
What did you just say that the AI in L4D was better than the AI in L4D2?

That's just ridiculous. Seriously, the AI in L4D never even worked together. You would have Hunters and Smokers attacking alone, and Boomers just stumbling out into the open.

In L4D2, they actually work as a team. Chargers will pin a member of your group and then a Spitter will will hit them with acid. Hunters will distract you while Boomers move towards your position. Jockeys will lead you into to other SI. To say that they are dumber in L4D2 makes no sense.
I think he was reffering to the survivor AI, and that the new SI were annoying rather than dangerous. Though in the right situation, they will be dangerous.
 

Spaghetti

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orannis62 said:
Internet Kraken said:
What did you just say that the AI in L4D was better than the AI in L4D2?

That's just ridiculous. Seriously, the AI in L4D never even worked together. You would have Hunters and Smokers attacking alone, and Boomers just stumbling out into the open.

In L4D2, they actually work as a team. Chargers will pin a member of your group and then a Spitter will will hit them with acid. Hunters will distract you while Boomers move towards your position. Jockeys will lead you into to other SI. To say that they are dumber in L4D2 makes no sense.
Agreed. I can't tell you how many times in the demo a Spitter spit on the ground, then a Jockey captured me and made me run straight into the acid.
I had a similar thing where a spitter gobbed on the ground before I was caught by a smoker, who conveniently dragged me through the bubbly spit. Coincedence? Maybe, but it didn't do much for my wellbeing, thats for sure.

Oh and of course there's:
Walking witches. First time I rounded a corner and found one infront of me, I shat bricks. Don't know if this needed to be spoilered, but I don't want to ruin the surprise.
 

Internet Kraken

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Carbonic Penguin said:
Internet Kraken said:
What did you just say that the AI in L4D was better than the AI in L4D2?

That's just ridiculous. Seriously, the AI in L4D never even worked together. You would have Hunters and Smokers attacking alone, and Boomers just stumbling out into the open.

In L4D2, they actually work as a team. Chargers will pin a member of your group and then a Spitter will will hit them with acid. Hunters will distract you while Boomers move towards your position. Jockeys will lead you into to other SI. To say that they are dumber in L4D2 makes no sense.
I think he was referring to the survivor AI, and that the new SI were annoying rather than dangerous. Though in the right situation, they will be dangerous.
Survivor AI is also better. And of course the new SI will only appear to be annoying sometimes. The same applies to the old SI when they did not do their jobs properly. But when the new SI do fill their intended role, they are incredibly deadly. Considering how hard it is to code complex AI, I'd say Valve did a great job on this.
 

adledog

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Play through on expert and then tell me the new SI AI isn't dangerous. I get the feeling that by the time I've played through all of the new campaigns I'll be very very sick of Jockeys.
 

Internet Kraken

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Carbonic Penguin said:
Internet Kraken said:
Carbonic Penguin said:
Internet Kraken said:
I agree, though the survivors were always useless at saving you when you're pounced etc.
Yeah I have to agree with that. While they are quick to react, they usually tend to prefer meleeing the infected off you rather than just shooting it. Sometimes it's just quicker to shoot the Jockey rather than try to melee it while it moves me in the opposite direction.
 

KiruTheMant

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Internet Kraken said:
Carbonic Penguin said:
Internet Kraken said:
Carbonic Penguin said:
Internet Kraken said:
I agree, though the survivors were always useless at saving you when you're pounced etc.
Yeah I have to agree with that. While they are quick to react, they usually tend to prefer meleeing the infected off you rather than just shooting it. Sometimes it's just quicker to shoot the Jockey rather than try to melee it while it moves me in the opposite direction.
I will say the SI was rather good with it though,as the old SI would have sprayed bullets and more than likely shot me once or twice in expert,screwing me over greatly.

and as for the Old IAI It was well done,but often a hunter would pounce as a smoker dragged me around a corner,letting my teammates to blow him away,and giving me a minute to blast the smoker with a spray.Both the AI has come far,but had new issues to.

That aside,Steam may improve it in a patch,making them more responsive,because it seemed like they copied the original L4D Survivor data,before improvements.
 

Nosaj19

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Aug 5, 2009
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There was a simple addition to map layout that greatly improved over the first installment

Maybe considered a Spoiler...

{Moving crescendo moments as illustrated by "the gauntlet" as some call it}

I appreciate the new AI... though I have yet to get them to use grenades! (I sure hope this will be arranged later on via patch, though I have a feeling the problem may be more complicated than i assume). Otherwise i am loving the demo!
 

grimsprice

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Nosaj19 said:
There was a simple addition to map layout that greatly improved over the first installment

Maybe considered a Spoiler...

{Moving crescendo moments as illustrated by "the gauntlet" as some call it}

I appreciate the new AI... though I have yet to get them to use grenades! (I sure hope this will be arranged later on via patch, though I have a feeling the problem may be more complicated than i assume). Otherwise i am loving the demo!
That would be nearly impossible to code. Getting AI to use items tactically. So many variables have to be taken into account. The human brain is great at cost/benefit calculations, if you programmed computers to use grenades it would be nothing but a shitty result. Trust me, i've done AI work before.
 

KiruTheMant

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grimsprice said:
Nosaj19 said:
There was a simple addition to map layout that greatly improved over the first installment

Maybe considered a Spoiler...

{Moving crescendo moments as illustrated by "the gauntlet" as some call it}

I appreciate the new AI... though I have yet to get them to use grenades! (I sure hope this will be arranged later on via patch, though I have a feeling the problem may be more complicated than i assume). Otherwise i am loving the demo!
That would be nearly impossible to code. Getting AI to use items tactically. So many variables have to be taken into account. The human brain is great at cost/benefit calculations, if you programmed computers to use grenades it would be nothing but a shitty result. Trust me, i've done AI work before.
As i've done map work.Theres always one key element in games,the AI's are fucktards.

Ever been healed when the rescue boat arrives in l4ds campaigns?Bill always picks that time to heal me,and get me tank mobbed.

and the Other element I bow before the makers.
Anyone who can make a moving map without distorting key features is a genius
 

grimsprice

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KiruCookie said:
grimsprice said:
Nosaj19 said:
There was a simple addition to map layout that greatly improved over the first installment

Maybe considered a Spoiler...

{Moving crescendo moments as illustrated by "the gauntlet" as some call it}

I appreciate the new AI... though I have yet to get them to use grenades! (I sure hope this will be arranged later on via patch, though I have a feeling the problem may be more complicated than i assume). Otherwise i am loving the demo!
That would be nearly impossible to code. Getting AI to use items tactically. So many variables have to be taken into account. The human brain is great at cost/benefit calculations, if you programmed computers to use grenades it would be nothing but a shitty result. Trust me, i've done AI work before.
As i've done map work.Theres always one key element in games,the AI's are fucktards.

Ever been healed when the rescue boat arrives in l4ds campaigns?Bill always picks that time to heal me,and get me tank mobbed.

and the Other element I bow before the makers.
Anyone who can make a moving map without distorting key features is a genius
Since you've done map work perhaps you could answer a question i've always had... (as i've only done a few in game function codes, but mostly AI).

Why are most all maps so amazingly linear? L4D is a perfect example, surely some of those new orleans streets would be a lot more fun if their were pathway options? Why so linear?
 

KiruTheMant

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Nov 2, 2009
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grimsprice said:
KiruCookie said:
grimsprice said:
Nosaj19 said:
There was a simple addition to map layout that greatly improved over the first installment

Maybe considered a Spoiler...

{Moving crescendo moments as illustrated by "the gauntlet" as some call it}

I appreciate the new AI... though I have yet to get them to use grenades! (I sure hope this will be arranged later on via patch, though I have a feeling the problem may be more complicated than i assume). Otherwise i am loving the demo!
That would be nearly impossible to code. Getting AI to use items tactically. So many variables have to be taken into account. The human brain is great at cost/benefit calculations, if you programmed computers to use grenades it would be nothing but a shitty result. Trust me, i've done AI work before.
As i've done map work.Theres always one key element in games,the AI's are fucktards.

Ever been healed when the rescue boat arrives in l4ds campaigns?Bill always picks that time to heal me,and get me tank mobbed.

and the Other element I bow before the makers.
Anyone who can make a moving map without distorting key features is a genius
Since you've done map work perhaps you could answer a question i've always had... (as i've only done a few in game function codes, but mostly AI).

Why are most all maps so amazingly linear? L4D is a perfect example, surely some of those new orleans streets would be a lot more fun if their were pathway options? Why so linear?
If linear means in a straight path,then I think I have an anwser,but i'm not the original mapper so I have no idea what they thought. Personally I thought it meant that the Government had blocked off zombie rezones,and made paths and markers from safehouse to safehouse,and the few blocked areas were up to the intelligence of the player,because no matter what your always in a straight path.

There is one game map you should check out,not mine,but takes place in russia,thats not very Linear,in fact its 15 minutes lon for part one of 5 if your not a maze-mouse.