I never knew about Terror Strike, my mind is just completely fucking blown now.
[video=youtube;HZ4PkaSD2o8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ4PkaSD2o8[/video]
I guess it's a good thing they backed off after the CS:S prototype and released it during the zombie craze. I honestly thought L4D was always kind of mediocre, but they definitely released it at the right time.
[QUOTE=Downsider;49027753]I guess it's a good thing they backed off after the CS:S prototype and released it during the zombie craze. I honestly thought L4D was always kind of mediocre, but they definitely released it at the right time.[/QUOTE]
How is it mediocre?
Good video though, I like how he gave us the directories of what was left over from the beta and I had no clue Valve released the beta survivors, that's pretty neat.
[IMG]http://puu.sh/l5La7/c595a528c5.png[/IMG]
Oh god this version of Francis looks like Adam Sandler.
[QUOTE=LSK;49027821]How is it mediocre?
Good video though, I like how he gave us the directories of what was left over from the beta and I had no clue Valve released the beta survivors, that's pretty neat.[/QUOTE]
They didn't release the "beta" survivors, they released some abominations that was once the original survivors
[editline]1st November 2015[/editline]
plus this video is full un-researched information.
L4D is great. It's just quite possibly one of the biggest cases of "untapped potential."
Firstly, they shouldn't have made all those changes that they did to the original L4D. The weapon animations and the art direction were all perfect. They could've at least left the extra animations in during higher difficulty play. Also, it was engaging to be among a cast of survivors that all look like shit. As opposed to the final game where they're all spotless and neatly dressed despite taking place 4 or so weeks after the apocalypse.
Instead of lying to us the way they did, they should've put all of L4D2's features into the original game via free updates. That way when it was time for L4D2 to come around, there would've been a bit higher of a standard for new and interesting content.
[QUOTE=Keychain;49027908]Also, it was engaging to be among a cast of survivors that all look like shit. As opposed to the final game where they're all spotless and neatly dressed despite taking place 4 or so weeks after the apocalypse. [/QUOTE]
that's why Valve changed Left 4 Dead however, they didn't like how dirty everything was.
Every once in a while I boot up l4d1 just to enjoy the solid gun feel. I like l4d2 but I feel like the first one felt a lot more crisp in your movement and gun play.
[QUOTE=Theuaredead;49027924]that's why Valve changed Left 4 Dead however, they didn't like how dirty everything was.[/QUOTE]
That's a really dumb reason though.
Why bother making such atmospheric, run-down levels if you're not gonna go all the way?
What's up with Valve and dramatic changes halfway through development
Good video, but I was hoping he would go over the changes made to the campaigns before release.
I can't find it, but there was a video on Youtube of somebody playing through the full beta version of No Mercy. It had a ton of extra detail and looked much better than the final version, imo.
[img]http://www.unseen64.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/left-4-dead-beta-01.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=Cpn Crunch21;49027952]Every once in a while I boot up l4d1 just to enjoy the solid gun feel. I like l4d2 but I feel like the first one felt a lot more crisp in your movement and gun play.[/QUOTE]Plus the FOV was much better. I don't know why they made it so shitty in L4D2.
[QUOTE=Keychain;49027962]That's a really dumb reason though.
Why bother making such atmospheric, run-down levels if you're not gonna go all the way?[/QUOTE]
Turtle Rock did the original stuff, then Valve decided to change everything at the very last minute (3/4 months dedicated to just doing that, instead of finished what needed finished in the TRS build, which was very little)
[QUOTE=Keychain;49027962]That's a really dumb reason though.
Why bother making such atmospheric, run-down levels if you're not gonna go all the way?[/QUOTE]
Nah, the reason they changed the survivors is because their beta models weren't as easily distinguishable from common infected.
[QUOTE=cdr248;49027975]What's up with Valve and dramatic changes halfway through development[/QUOTE]
not even half way through development, the changes begun in like August-ish
[editline]1st November 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=Morbo!!!;49028040]Nah, the reason they changed the survivors is because their beta models weren't as easily distinguishable from common infected.[/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://puu.sh/l5NrL/26431e2ac0.png[/IMG]
[QUOTE=Lawligagger;49027879][IMG]http://puu.sh/l5La7/c595a528c5.png[/IMG]
Oh god this version of Francis looks like Adam Sandler.[/QUOTE]
I can't see it no matter how hard I try
[QUOTE=simzboy;49028014]Good video, but I was hoping he would go over the changes made to the campaigns before release.
I can't find it, but there was a video on Youtube of somebody playing through the full beta version of No Mercy. It had a ton of extra detail and looked much better than the final version, imo.
[img]http://www.unseen64.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/left-4-dead-beta-01.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
[video=youtube;hVLKVhAzQqM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVLKVhAzQqM[/video]
[video=youtube;xJAr-yo-z94]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJAr-yo-z94[/video]
[video=youtube;ub2_hR5edrE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub2_hR5edrE[/video]
[video=youtube;fGbYUnoWNrA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGbYUnoWNrA[/video]
[video=youtube;y9eH4T4CZ00]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9eH4T4CZ00[/video]
I like the current survivors better.
[QUOTE=Banhfunbags;49028247]I like the current survivors better.[/QUOTE]
I like them as "early into the apocalypse" designs. But the beta designs would've been much more fitting to the environment and conditions.
[QUOTE=Theuaredead;49028238]videos[/QUOTE]Thanks for finding them. Maybe the amount of detail isn't as different as I thought.
I really love the lighting, though.
Informative video, I liked it.
Been working with the L4D2 version of Source since 2010. It's easily the shittiest and most unstable version of Source available. The game is great, but developing content for it makes you want to pull your hair out thanks to how unstable the damn thing is.
[QUOTE=Banhfunbags;49028247]I like the current survivors better.[/QUOTE]
They'd make sense if shit had just broken out that day.
After multiple weeks of shit, I think the old ones would look far better. Louis barely even has a five o'clock shadow, tie, and half his shirt is still tucked in ffs.
I remember reading somewhere that the feature to give players your medikit was cut simply because it was redundant.
also, I like how the "original" survivor releases say that they had to dig for the files to even restore them, when in reality, the SMDs just remain with the compile files of the Survivor files since Valve didn't delete the SMD folder on them since their animations were in the same folder. The only real digging would of been the diffuses to the Survivors, which only 1 texture remain for most of them (besides Francis)
Which doesn't even matter since they edited the shit out of all of them.
[editline]1st November 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=Annoyed Grunt;49028439]I remember reading somewhere that the feature to give players your medikit was cut simply because it was redundant.[/QUOTE]
it was a feature where you could give other survivors your weapons, ammo, and items. They even had animations, but were never really used, to my knowledge.
[t]http://puu.sh/l5Tml/f8414af1c8.png[/t]
[t]http://puu.sh/l5Tlz/af2cead8f2.png[/t]
I loved both L4D games, I can't wait for a sequel.
[QUOTE=Theuaredead;49028450]it was a feature where you could give other survivors your weapons, ammo, and items. They even had animations, but were never really used, to my knowledge.
[t]http://puu.sh/l5Tlz/af2cead8f2.png[/t][/QUOTE]
God. It's so incredibly lame that got removed.
I really hope L4D3 has a map workshop, a workshop for content to get into the game, and a mod workshop.
I would also like to point out that the zombie dog (something that never existed, mind you) sounds belong to the Hunter, and so far the only video to get it right is the VNN video, where he basically reads word from word what I wrote on the Left 4 Dead wikia.
[QUOTE=simzboy;49028014]Good video, but I was hoping he would go over the changes made to the campaigns before release.
I can't find it, but there was a video on Youtube of somebody playing through the full beta version of No Mercy. It had a ton of extra detail and looked much better than the final version, imo.
[picture][/QUOTE]
That picture is a definitive example of exactly why the game's art direction took a different turn. Valve's Randy Lundeen [URL="http://www.l4d.com/blog/post.php?id=1962"]made a[/URL] [URL="http://www.l4d.com/blog/post.php?id=2129"]couple posts[/URL] on Left 4 Dead's blog explaining how the artstyle displayed in that picture was not good for the game, nor for the players:
[QUOTE=Randy Lundeen, January 2, 2009]Aesthetics, fiction and gameplay: these are three criteria that we always consider when employing a new art direction for a game. With a game as dark as Left 4 Dead, this meant having to figure out a lot of new ways to use the absence of light to our advantage.
Here's a sample screenshot from an early version of the game.
[IMG]http://www.l4d.com/blog/images/posts/009/01.jpg[/IMG]
[B]From an aesthetic standpoint, this is the wrong atmosphere for a horror game. It's too bright.[/B] From a narrative standpoint, it detracts from the fiction we're trying to create: if the player's in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, how come everything looks so unaffected by it? Why do all the buildings still look occupied?
[B]Most importantly, though, this screenshot fails from a gameplay standpoint. There are too many light sources to give the player any useful navigational clues.[/B] In other words: it's not telling you where you should be heading. Let's look at the same screenshot with simplified lighting:
[IMG]http://www.l4d.com/blog/images/posts/009/02.jpg[/IMG]
[B]From watching many playtests, we found players instinctively moved towards well-lit areas.[/B] Simplifying the lighting helped the gameplay (the player is drawn to the warm glow down the street, and not distracted by unnecessary light sources); the fiction (this entire city block's been abandoned—something's not right here); and the aesthetics (by simplifying the visual information, we've given a focal point for the eye to follow).[/QUOTE]
There's more to this post, but I'll leave it out just so I don't quote the entire thing. It does, however, mention how colored fog also helps with the game's art direction, including identifying zombies and other objects in dimly-lit areas.
Now, it may seem funny to some that Valve talks about how playtesters got lost, considering that one Episode Two tester who got stuck in a circle for half an hour, but these make a very good point. Sure, when you've replayed the game several times over, it's not hard to navigate through, but for the newcomer who does not yet know the way, it helps him immensely to have navigational aides to avoid him getting lost and - consequently - frustrated that he can't successfully finish the level. The many bright lights from many directions that No Mercy initially had is not only - in my opinion - aesthetically displeasing, but by all means unnecessary. Compare all the illuminated buildings in the first picture to FakeFactory's busy environments of his vision for Half-Life 2 and this might seem more apparent.
On that note, the in-game developer commentary mentions several times how the characters' redesigns also helped from the players' standpoint, as opposed to the designs seen in beta iterations of the game. Compared to the saturated, grayish colors of the Infected, the four Survivors have brighter, more colorful clothing and four distinct silhouettes which help players distinguish them from the Infected.
[QUOTE=Andrea Wicklund]The process behind designing Zoey's character wasn't as straightforward as the other three. Developing a young female in a zombie apocalypse isn't easy with a backstory like hers. She had to be attractive and worn down at the same time. She needed to be tough and able to hold her own even though she is occasionally terrified. [B]Her readability was also something we had to take into consideration. A bright red jacket solved the problem. It pops out amongst the gritty, desaturated zombies and the dark, subdued environment.[/B] As far as the rest of her appearance, there was a little bit of back and forth as her character came into focus through iteration. Finally, we were certain that the character model met our goals, and Zoey unfolded into an everyday young woman who everyone can relate to.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Jeremy Bennett][...]The four characters were designed as a unit so that while they stand out together from the rest of the world, their strong silhouettes and color contrast provide clear reads for each individually yet still signal ‘team’.[...][/QUOTE]
While I do appreciate several aspects of the Survivors' appearance early in development, their saturated color palettes were not distinct enough from the rest of the environment. Each Survivor needed a bold, distinct color that would make them easily identifiable among the Infected, and Louis' brown jacket or Zoey's pale red hoodie wouldn't fulfill that. Even with the assistance of outlines and names over their heads, having them easily stand out would in turn make friendly fire incidents less common, especially in split-second moments.
Another note about art direction is how it was made further distinct by the use of so-called "filmic effects". In the first blog post he made about this, Randy Lundeen talked about the four effects they adopted for the game: color correction, film grain, vignette, and local contrast. A (somewhat low-quality) video was posted on there, but can also be seen [URL="http://www.l4d.com/blog/vid_lrg.swf?fileID=trailers/filmic-effects/"]here[/URL]. Note, also, that the sky is bright while the background buildings are dark. Another developer talked about this in the commentary:
[QUOTE=Sean Keegan]Buildings, by nature, tend to be pretty square. If there's a well-lit building with a dark sky behind it, you clearly see the squareness of the building no matter how many AC units, chimneys or interesting shapes are stuck on top of it. [B]So what we did here was flip the typical lighting scheme, to put a bright sky behind dark buildings. Suddenly the pipes and chimneys blend into the building's silhouette. Now instead of seeing individual details like the AC units, you're seeing a much more complex, organic looking skyline in the background.[/B] And because the mind expects a similar level of detail throughout an object, your imagination fills in the detail in the dark areas of the building, based on the silhouette.[/QUOTE]
This particular point might not help the player navigate the level, but to me it sure makes the game look nicer than it did during development.
In conclusion, the changes to Left 4 Dead's art direction were mainly a matter of being able to distinguish the Survivors from the Infected, the Infected from the environment, and the environment from the actual playing field. All in all, it's nice how Left 4 Dead avoided looking akin to Resident Evil 4 with an (arguably) ugly gray and brown color palette and much dirtier feel, standing out from that of many first-person shooters from the mid-to-late 2000s, like Gears of War.
[QUOTE=Theuaredead;49028543]I would also like to point out that the zombie dog (something that never existed, mind you) sounds belong to the Hunter, and so far the only video to get it right is the VNN video, where he basically reads word from word what I wrote on the Left 4 Dead wikia.[/QUOTE]
But why are the sound files literally called zombiedog? While all of the other special infected sound files are called by their respective names?
It's completely possible that they made sounds for the dog early on but scrapped the idea and reused the sounds for the Hunter.
[QUOTE=Keychain;49028639]But why are the sound files literally called zombiedog? While all of the other special infected sound files are called by their respective names?
It's completely possible that they made sounds for the dog early on but scrapped the idea and reused the sounds for the Hunter.[/QUOTE]
a lot of sounds were from stock areas iirc, they probably never got renamed.
[QUOTE=Banhfunbags;49028247]I like the current survivors better.[/QUOTE]
I found a blend of the two versions would be best. In beta they seem too well-equipped while in the final game all of them, especially Louis, are dressed pretty light.
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