The Canceled Division 9 Was Left 4 Dead Before Valve Did It
- Thread starter John Funk
- Start date
Hmmm well, I can say I like some of the ideas involved in it. While I guess you can't call it a "Good" game one of the things that impressed me about "Fort Zombie" was the fact that there was a serious element of building a base, arming survivors, and preparing them for the apocolypse. Albeit in this case your overall ambition is to foray out into the city to get enough people and stuff together to survive a massive zombie assault on your base.
My problem with Left 4 Dead was that it was pretty much a derivitive shooter when you got down to it. It's big selling point being the "team of 4" concept which probably could have been done just as well with Soldiers or whatever.
I think right now we're in the middle of a bit of a "Zombie fad" in the media (going along with the vampires) but nobody has really come up with a definitive game in the genere. Indeed to be honest I'm not entirely sure if anyone could do it right for a lot of reasons given the censorship kick society seems to be on. For example I've noticed that almost all "Zombie" games involve the scene of some school bus wrecked on the side of a road or whatever, but I don't tend to see any children either among survivors, OR among the zombies. Details like this one (and others) tend to cause a lot of detachment for me at least. Another detail is how in a lot of games, Left 4 Dead especially, you find guns and ammo and stuff laying around all over the place. In many cases not in any place where I'd logically expect to find it. I can for example walk through a military camp apparently set up to deal with a spreading infection and not find ONE gun despite expecting this place to be where they would have stored supplies, yet then I'll find a bunch of assault rifles and stuff sitting on picnic tables in an amusement park.
I think Resident Evil 1 & 2 are the definitive Zombie games, mainly because they manage to get the atmosphere somewhat right. The weapon placement and such struck me as being fairly reasonable in *MOST* cases, and while the protaganists are highly skilled in concept, I found that even in the original "Dead" movies there were people like that, albeit they typically are not the focus of the story. The guys who shot the survivor in "Night Of The Living Dead" or callously shot a zombie on TV while saying "we've got a twitcher" in the "Dawn Of The Dead" (or was it Day?) are examples of this. Actually in a lot of zombie movies in general I tend to feel the protaganists are unusually pathetic in how they behave. I suppose I might not do any better, but half the time it seems to me that the only reason why they can't get all their ducks in a row and keep them there (so to speak) is overwhelming stupidity.
At any rate, "Division 9" seems notable mostly for when it was conceived rather than what it actually does, though I like a few of the ideas a lot.
Truthfully though, I think the definitive zombie game has yet to appear. When it does however I suspect it's going to have to be a single player experience simply because multiplayer demands a sort of "pick up and play" shallowness that makes really getting into the genere hard. I also suspect it's going to wind up having to be paced a lot more similarly to old school "Resident Evil" rather than a quick "run and gun" shooter, to keep things relatively humble seeming rather than churning 2,000 zombies a minute into hamburger. I also suspect it's going to require a lot of resource management not just on a personal level but in an overall strategic sense. Finally to do it "right" I think they are going to need to make it an AO title for a lot of reasons.
My problem with Left 4 Dead was that it was pretty much a derivitive shooter when you got down to it. It's big selling point being the "team of 4" concept which probably could have been done just as well with Soldiers or whatever.
I think right now we're in the middle of a bit of a "Zombie fad" in the media (going along with the vampires) but nobody has really come up with a definitive game in the genere. Indeed to be honest I'm not entirely sure if anyone could do it right for a lot of reasons given the censorship kick society seems to be on. For example I've noticed that almost all "Zombie" games involve the scene of some school bus wrecked on the side of a road or whatever, but I don't tend to see any children either among survivors, OR among the zombies. Details like this one (and others) tend to cause a lot of detachment for me at least. Another detail is how in a lot of games, Left 4 Dead especially, you find guns and ammo and stuff laying around all over the place. In many cases not in any place where I'd logically expect to find it. I can for example walk through a military camp apparently set up to deal with a spreading infection and not find ONE gun despite expecting this place to be where they would have stored supplies, yet then I'll find a bunch of assault rifles and stuff sitting on picnic tables in an amusement park.
I think Resident Evil 1 & 2 are the definitive Zombie games, mainly because they manage to get the atmosphere somewhat right. The weapon placement and such struck me as being fairly reasonable in *MOST* cases, and while the protaganists are highly skilled in concept, I found that even in the original "Dead" movies there were people like that, albeit they typically are not the focus of the story. The guys who shot the survivor in "Night Of The Living Dead" or callously shot a zombie on TV while saying "we've got a twitcher" in the "Dawn Of The Dead" (or was it Day?) are examples of this. Actually in a lot of zombie movies in general I tend to feel the protaganists are unusually pathetic in how they behave. I suppose I might not do any better, but half the time it seems to me that the only reason why they can't get all their ducks in a row and keep them there (so to speak) is overwhelming stupidity.
At any rate, "Division 9" seems notable mostly for when it was conceived rather than what it actually does, though I like a few of the ideas a lot.
Truthfully though, I think the definitive zombie game has yet to appear. When it does however I suspect it's going to have to be a single player experience simply because multiplayer demands a sort of "pick up and play" shallowness that makes really getting into the genere hard. I also suspect it's going to wind up having to be paced a lot more similarly to old school "Resident Evil" rather than a quick "run and gun" shooter, to keep things relatively humble seeming rather than churning 2,000 zombies a minute into hamburger. I also suspect it's going to require a lot of resource management not just on a personal level but in an overall strategic sense. Finally to do it "right" I think they are going to need to make it an AO title for a lot of reasons.
sure it was WIP but it just looks... easy.
But if Bioshock was the price to pay for that not being further developed... than I call that a fair trade. I love Bioshock, and it seems like a lot of people have been against it lately. Or maybe I just never heard their claims. No, it wasn't perfect but I still thought it was great. Some parts a little easier than others, but the experience and atmosphere was phenomenal!
I'm sure it would have been great though.
I've been more than happy with the Left 4 Dead games, though.
But if Bioshock was the price to pay for that not being further developed... than I call that a fair trade. I love Bioshock, and it seems like a lot of people have been against it lately. Or maybe I just never heard their claims. No, it wasn't perfect but I still thought it was great. Some parts a little easier than others, but the experience and atmosphere was phenomenal!
I'm sure it would have been great though.
I've been more than happy with the Left 4 Dead games, though.
this is the kind of zombie game ive always wanted...
more an emphasis on survival rather than escape or story.
my ideal zombie game would not be on eyou can finish you just do a little better each time over a long enough time sclae you will sucumb to any number of calamities water shortage starveation zombie breaching you defences whilst you sleep crazy guy you save flips out and kills you government initiates hammerdown.
but yea im aware that this game was not going to be much like that but it is the closest thing ive seen / herd now i just hope thier dusting it off to gauge interest which will hopefully lead to the projects resurection
more an emphasis on survival rather than escape or story.
my ideal zombie game would not be on eyou can finish you just do a little better each time over a long enough time sclae you will sucumb to any number of calamities water shortage starveation zombie breaching you defences whilst you sleep crazy guy you save flips out and kills you government initiates hammerdown.
but yea im aware that this game was not going to be much like that but it is the closest thing ive seen / herd now i just hope thier dusting it off to gauge interest which will hopefully lead to the projects resurection
This is like a mix between left4dead and my idea ive been contemplating for several years.
My idea was to have an open city chocked full of infected and that you would slowly gather supplys, weapons and other survivors in differnt zombie scenarios preparing for a escape.
My idea ive thought alot on it was going to be like deadrising in the idea of using scavenged and improvised weapons but in a much more grity and dark setting. Like less stupid shit.
I also thought alot about realism in making guns a precious resouce forcing more relience on improvised weapons.
I just was throwing that out there while on the topic of zombie games. if anyone has feedback. about my idea id appreciate it.
Edit: one thing i forgot to mention i also wanted to put very heavy preasure on resource managment. the idea was that failing the scenario didnt even mean necesarly dying from a zombie attack but from dehydration, disease or hunger.
so basicaly its take the risk of the zombies or let your group of survivors gradualy die on there own forcing hard decisions on when to go on a siupply run and when to try and wait it out.
My idea was to have an open city chocked full of infected and that you would slowly gather supplys, weapons and other survivors in differnt zombie scenarios preparing for a escape.
My idea ive thought alot on it was going to be like deadrising in the idea of using scavenged and improvised weapons but in a much more grity and dark setting. Like less stupid shit.
I also thought alot about realism in making guns a precious resouce forcing more relience on improvised weapons.
I just was throwing that out there while on the topic of zombie games. if anyone has feedback. about my idea id appreciate it.
Edit: one thing i forgot to mention i also wanted to put very heavy preasure on resource managment. the idea was that failing the scenario didnt even mean necesarly dying from a zombie attack but from dehydration, disease or hunger.
so basicaly its take the risk of the zombies or let your group of survivors gradualy die on there own forcing hard decisions on when to go on a siupply run and when to try and wait it out.
Not A Fucking Fair Deal. Considering I disliked Bioshock, and this looks like Left 4 Dead serious tone, one thing I had wish the real Left 4 Dead had, I want this game bad. Why show me this? Just to make me feel like I'm missing out on an Awesome game? Seriously, What The Fuck.
It is a "fair" deal. Using the word "fair" lightly.
Bioshock has its pros and cons, this game looks to have a share of pros and cons too.
Only difference is, Bioshock was a good game, but not impacting.
(We've seen games like it before)
Left 4 Dead was impacting because it was one of the first zombie co-op survivals out there.
Division 9 would have achieved this and fill the niche that L4D has taken in our hearts.
Bioshock has its pros and cons, this game looks to have a share of pros and cons too.
Only difference is, Bioshock was a good game, but not impacting.
(We've seen games like it before)
Left 4 Dead was impacting because it was one of the first zombie co-op survivals out there.
Division 9 would have achieved this and fill the niche that L4D has taken in our hearts.
"...would have put a hefty emphasis on scarce resources and base-building, requiring the survivors to make - and stock - their refuge point."
Sounds like my kinda zombie game. Woulda preferred this to Bioshock.
Sounds like my kinda zombie game. Woulda preferred this to Bioshock.
I herd u leik bein in cult where u bury children alive, but then bein busted by teh sw4t t33mCaliostro said: