It's not necessarily showfloor news, but the consensus among hardcore L4D fans is that they're not happy a new game has been revealed here at E3 just some seven months after the release of the first game.

From the Steam Forums:

The few people here who defend the decision to make L4D2 seem to not understand what everyone is upset about. I've tried to summarise the most common issues I've heard people having in hopes that it clears things up:

• Significant content for L4D1 was promised, and never delivered
• Valve put little faith in L4D1 since they almost certainly started working on L4D2 right after release
• The fact that L4D2 is nearly identical to L4D1 will decimate the community for both games
• The announced date is not nearly enough time to polish content or make significant gameplay changes
• The new character designs seem bland and unappealing so far
• L4D2 is too colourful to fit in with L4D1's visual aesthetic
• The fiddle-based horde music is extremely disliked, though the differently orchestrated music is otherwise welcome
• L4D2's release will result in a drop in quality and frequency for L4D1 content, even compared to before
• The community has lost faith in Valve's former reputation for commitment to their games post-release

It's an interesting, if silly, list of issues given a new game really only strengthens the franchise and reiterates Valve's clear commitment to the new IP based on its success. What do you think? We're chatting to Valve and getting up close and personal with the new game tomorrow (Friday for you), and as soon as time permits we'll let you know, first-hand, what we think.

Not really excited about it at all. Seems more like an expansion pack. Maybe it is valves own fault for setting such a high standard of post-release content with tf2 and the orange box? I'd expect this thing from EA and Activision with the COD series and all those other terrible generic yearly releases.

L4D wasn't a very flesh out game compared to TF2.

Everyone bought it expecting content to be added, they didn't even have all the levels playable in VS. mode, it was an incomplete game.

I'll buy L4D2, but not for $50 again.

Yeah I'm on the same boat as most others, wait until its on some weekend $20 special and then I'll buy it!

Meh, L4D got boring. Why by boring and incomplete a second time...

How does releasing L4D2 strengthen the franchise when the existing version, although a brilliant concept and very well implemented, was clearly unfinished and lacks content even after the recent DLC?

Imo - if anything it reiterates valve's commitment to money-grubbing because they're already looking to cash in on another purchase because they realise they can't justify asking for money to provide content that they should've already with the first game.

I haven't even looked at any information or media about the new version at all so I have no idea what they have in store, so most of the gripe list you've quoted there means little to me - all I know is the recent DLC left me feeling like all they did was basically bring it up to speed with what it should've been at release. Survivor mode was a gimmick to me, playing against AI is yawnworthy - so all it provided imo was enabling the other two campaigns for vs mode (woopdy f***in doo) and in quite a piss-poor manner at that (not much work gone into special infected-accessible areas, basically just some markers for climb points and a s***load of annoying invisible brushes blocking hunters left right and centre). And don't get me started on how s*** the finale is for death toll

I was putting 40-80 hours a fortnight into this game and even after barely playing it for the past week my steam stats are showing me at 30 hours for the fortnight - I reckon I've given it a fair go

neeeeeeeeeeds mooooooooooore valve maps for the love of god

Heh as soon as I heard about L4D2 my first thought was "this is retribution for releasing their first 'dlc' for free"

Although l4d might not appeal to most i think it's still a great game. Only one thing that i'd like it for there to be a platinum medal or something ahead of the gold medal status ... played with a few friends a few weeks back and managed to get 24 mins in survival... it's the only thing that keeps me going at the moment.

I'm still looking forward to L4D2 though ... bring on the chainsaws!!!!

im interested to see what they do, if they give us alot of new content for a decent price i'll be happy.

Either way ill end up buying it.

Yeh I reckon people should hold off their whining until after the game comes out.

it'd be cool if it was awesome, but how does that help the state of the current game that we already paid for?

Dear gabe

It doesn't Jim.

L4D is essentially dead, move with the times.

Valve have fisted you.

QWTF 4 LYFE

I've wasted money on worse things than 6 months of entertainment for $70. More life than what most games get that come out these days. L4D2 will be great fun.

I don't know why people are complaining... cause bottom line is that people will end up buying it regardless.

I agree with DM.

People get this expectation that they should get hundreds of hours out of some games, yet others are only 10-20 hours long and they pay the same price. Quit bitching.

I just read this announcement and it makes me sad :(

Disappointing.

I was definitely expecting (as per TF2) Valve to release new campaigns (not that Lighthouse map, that’s rubbish) to play in post release, and yet we now get nothing.

Each time a new TF2 update was released, I was wondering what the hell the L4D team were doing with their time (not even a few patches to fix outstanding balance/bug issues) - now it’s obvious, they've just been spending their time working on L4D2.

You may remember Gabe mentioned in an interview about the game last year:
"...So if you look at Team Fortress 2, one of things that's really helped grow the community is the continuous updates, where we release new maps, new character classes, new unlockables, new weapons... that ongoing delivery of content really seems to grow the community...

So we'll do the same thing with Left 4 Dead where we'll have the initial release and then we'll release more movies, more characters, more weapons, unlockables, achievements, because that's the way you continue to grow a community over time."
( Source: http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/left_4_dead/news/valve_details_post_left_4_dead_launch_plans.html )

So where the hell is that content in L4D?

The only "major" update, and I do need to use quotes because it was not major at all, was the "DLC".

First the update was going to contain a new game mode, “new” versus maps, SDK, and Matchmaking 2.0. Then it dropped down to just the new game mode and versus fixes; just terrible.

Revisiting Gabe's quote from above: "...then we'll release more movies, more characters, more weapons, unlockables, achievements..."

So Left 4 Dead 2 has new movies (campaigns), new characters, new weapons (frypan, axe), unlockables (fire ammo?), and no doubt achievements.

Sounds like that's DLC or free content to me. TF2 has had new free maps, game modes, weapons, achievements and unlockables - for free. As per some stats Valve released at one point, they received massive increases in sales each time a free weekend or ‘percentage off’ sale was given to each product – so they ARE making cash still from these updates!

As for future support for L4D, I predict its going to be as lame as it is now.

Chet (Valve) mentioned on an interview I just finished listening to (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/06/01/left-4-dead-2-exclusive-podcast-with-chet-faliszek/ - towards the end), that support for the game is continuing with things like "community made maps, SDK, Matchmaking 2.0" - things that were already announced months ago.

I also don’t really care about community maps: 99% are horrible, the SDK I don’t care about (I hate those modded servers), MM 2.0 will be a good change though – lets hope it actually works, unlike the current version which has outstanding problems.

There is zero incentive to add new content to the first game now that the second game is around the corner.

Yeah Left 4 Dead still had plenty of headroom for improvement... what a shame.

Boo hiss, weak as piss Valve!

I heard a rumour that Boba talked them into this!?!?

They could have implemented the changes into L4D1 as downloadable (purchased) content, much like CoH did with Opposing Fronts.

The way Relic improved CoH with its patches and expansions has been awesome.

Part of the strength of a good multiplayer games is deep lobbies to match up for games quickly but by making a new game you are splitting the lobby of players in half and thus diminishing the multiplayer aspect.

last edited by infi at 13:05:33 04/Jun/09

show me gameplay footage and then I will comment.. but it won't be released till the end of this year, so for how long does everyone expect to play L4D1 for, geez!

yeh that's what I was alluding to in the other thread infi, I thought that would be the way to go with this rather than a whole new game

i guess krauts are like zombies. you never can kill too many.

Well I was going to buy L4D but now I just won't bother since there's a new one coming out already.

I heard a rumour that Boba talked them into this!?!?

dammit E.T I gotta clean the cereal out of my keyboard now :P


I'd be quite surprised if the content from L4D2 doesn't just end up on a L4D1 server somewhere.. much like TF2 Surf maps




last edited by koopz at 16:35:30 04/Jun/09

infi has a good point. maybe that's what they're doing but just calling it l4d2?

show me gameplay footage and then I will comment

Go check out gametrailers.com, theres plenty of gameplay footage.

surf maps are the gayest thing ever.

L4D was fun, but way overpriced. ~80.00AUD? Come on.

Might have been worth it if they regularly released as much cool DLC as they did for TF2.

I paid $89 for FEAR2, although I love the game, the replayability is not as good as L4D focusing on single player.. I probably finshed the game in 3 good gaming sessions and after that you don't really feel like playing it anymore.. L4D however has provided me with endless hours of gaming so far, so for me it is great bang for buck.

L4D however has provided me with endless hours of gaming so far, so for me it is great bang for buck.

motherf***er you are the sort of dips*** valve loves. die. yay lets all pay by the hour. more dollars than sense u basic c***.

wtf Scoggex

motherf***er you are the sort of dips*** valve loves. die. yay lets all pay by the hour. more dollars than sense u basic c***.

Geez rage much? I find it kinda funny how many people are so angry over this. If you bought L4D thinking "wow this game will be good when they add more special infected, more maps and more weapons" then you bought it for the wrong reasons. Yes L4D2 should ideally be an expansion pack. If an extra $20 - $30 is what is making everyone so mad then harden the f*** up.

$50, an extra $50. SCOGGEX's post made me laugh.

Will L4D 2 stop me from some how firing on Jim and Blahnana when they're trying to batter a swarm of zombies away from me?

L4D was fun, but way overpriced. ~80.00AUD? Come on.

Isn't that the standard price of a game these days anyways?

Will L4D 2 stop me from some how firing on Jim and Blahnana when they're trying to batter a swarm of zombies away from me?

Yes. However you will have a strong urge to have at them with your chainsaw.

L4D2, yeah bring it on, I draw everyones attention 2 DM's post, carnage with friends its all good!

Haha SCOGGEX delivers the rage. Every QGL thread needs at least one foaming at the mouth post.

thats right, all caps. I like to stick to the general theme of the thread

also

I would like to dish out more spittle and bombast but trogs gay 'OMG2CAWKSINMYMOUTHSLUURP' postlimiter only lets me post once every 86400 seconds or something. impossible to troll with those parameters maenjeez

motherf***er you are the sort of dips*** valve loves. die. yay lets all pay by the hour. more dollars than sense u basic c***.

+1 :p

I'm pretty angry too. Though L4D was half the price compared to the average game, I still felt as though there wasn't enough content. I only played for 2 weeks before getting sick of the repetitiveness, and I've been waiting for upgrades ever since. The last upgrade was pathetic. It's basically the same as the last mission of each campaign, hold off from the horde until the survivors come to take you to safety.

Let's see some free guns, free maps, and new baddies!

wait on, how did this newb get a space in his name but I can't?

Probably through the old profile manager. Spaces on.

last edited by Twisted AU at 10:20:48 18/Jun/09

Spaces gone :)

motherf***er you are the sort of dips*** valve loves. die. yay lets all pay by the hour. more dollars than sense u basic c***.

wow you're a sad c***.. getting worked up over a thread post lol.. who said anything about paying by the hour?

All I'm saying is that I've played L4D for a lot longer than any other game, so the value is there for me. I bet you gonna buy L4D2 aswell

last edited by Martz at 10:29:50 18/Jun/09