The Source engine is incredible.
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Release Date: November 18, 2008 in the United States and November 21, 2008 in Europe to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the release of Half-Life. 10 years baby!
Platforms: P.C and Xbox 360. I shall be playing on Steam.
Wiki Entry:
Left 4 Dead is played in first-person perspective, where up to four players take control of the four main characters of the game; the "Survivors". If four human players are not available to play, the Survivors can also be AI-controlled bots. They play through the levels fighting off the Infected, which are humans who have been infected with a mysterious disease.
The game is focused on cooperation and team play; colored outlines are visible through walls to help players stick together and coordinate their movement, and Survivors can be knocked down by the Infected and only helped up by another player. If a teammate is downed after being helped up twice, without tending to his wounds in between, the player is out and must wait 60 seconds before respawning.
Certain "Boss Infected" also command special attacks, such as a Hunter's pin, which requires assistance from a teammate to get out of. Survivors can also share first-aid kits and help each other heal. Left 4 Dead has full friendly fire that cannot be switched off, increasing the need for caution around other Survivors.
The Survivors communicate by automated voice commands that are accessed by quick menus, and some will also sound off automatically when doing such things as reloading or spotting Infected. Over 1000 unique lines have been recorded for each Survivor. Additional communication of player actions is conveyed through character lights. Also, weapon-mounted flashlights and muzzle flashes help the players in determining whether their companions are shooting, performing melee attacks, reloading or moving.
The game is experienced through four scenarios that take place in various urban and rural locales, such as a hospital, an airport and a murky countryside. Each scenario is divided into several shorter sections marked by safehouse checkpoints, where players can heal, re-arm, calm their nerves, save their progress and retrieve players who were killed. The levels are neither linear nor completely open-ended or free-roaming. There are a number of alternate routes to follow with more supplies and alternate objectives. At the end of each scenario, the players must defend a position from an onslaught of Infected until rescue arrives. Each scenario lasts between 45 and 75 minutes.
AI:
The artificial intelligence of Left 4 Dead features a dynamic system for game dramatics, pacing, and difficulty called the "Director". Instead of set spawn points for enemies, the Director places enemies in varying positions and numbers based upon each player's current situation, status, skill and location, creating a new experience each playthrough. The Director also creates mood and tension with emotional cues such as visual effects, dynamic music and character communication.
It's notable how much faith Valve seem to have in this product. They have set up an ad campaign worth 10 million dollars for the U.S alone. This rivals a lot of big budget games from companies like E.A, Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony and Activision. It's probably a testament to how popular Steam has become reaching something like 15 million users at this stage.
My daemon, Ayden.
