GameReplays.org Left4Dead News The latest news for Left 4 Dead! http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:23:12 +0000 120 Left 4 Dead News - Left 4 Dead Needs Writers http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=492159 What's in it for you?

As a Writer, you will be brought on to GR Staff as a Junior Staff member and given the Writer's Badge.

IPB Image

You will also be given access to the Staff area of GameReplays and get exclusive, first looks at the hottest news, videos, shoutcasts, strategies and tactics before the rest of the GR community. Most importantly, as a Writer, your special skill-set will allow the Strategy Specialists, Gamecasters, Admins, and Replay Reviewers to focus on the substance while you provide the style.

If you excel in your duties as a Writer, you may be able to climb the ladder and be promoted to the senior position of Editor. Hard work pays off here at GameReplays.

How do you apply?

To apply for the Writer's position you need to have extensive knowledge of the English language. However, English does not have to be your first language, as some of our best Writers and Editors speak English as a second or even third language!

You must be able to commit to an average activity level of 3-5 news posts/ articles/ interviews/ features per week. The average newspost takes 10-30 minutes to complete. If you can not commit yourself to this level of activity, you should not apply for this position.

So, if you are interested in a Left 4 Dead Staff Writer position with a highly organized, active and interesting website, please complete the following requirements:
  • Write two newsposts on any PC Game related topic.
  • The newsposts should be between 150-400 words.
  • It must be factual news from a creditable and reliable source.
  • THESE MUST BE ORIGINAL CONTENT. Please do not copy/paste news from another website. We are looking for honest Writers, not plagiarists.
  • Each newspost must contain at least one link to the source of the news or to a related topic.
  • For examples of newspost formatting, visit any news section within GameReplays.
To submit your application, send a PM containing both newsposts to me, Knightstalker, with the title:

"Username Writer Application"]]> Tue, 19 May 2009 21:47:42 +0000 492159 Left 4 Dead News - Boomer Bile Drink http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=485379 Boomer Bile has now been made into an alcoholic drink. The drink itself was made by a leading cocktail bar, after being persuaded to create it by Official Xbox Magazine . So for any gamer trying to knock down a few drinks while playing a Left 4 Dead marathon, this would definitely be the drink of choice.

The Bile drink is very hard to make, it includes things such as cutting the off the lemon skin in spiral shapes and wrapping it around ice-cubes in the glass. Not something any old bartender can do. It also includes some rather unique ingredients, such as cucumbers and Worcestershire Sauce.

The drink has a lime green tint to it, and is very bright. One of the few backlit drinks. The drink itself is not something special, but the name and the lighting is what you pay for.]]> Fri, 01 May 2009 13:22:36 +0000 485379 Left 4 Dead News - Free Xbox Live Weekend http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=485371 Xbox players can get the Xbox Live experience for free. Many players still don't play Xbox live and get the full online experience, whether they don't wish to pay the money or just like playing by themselves this is a great opportunity for those players to get a more competitive look at their games.

While PlayStation offers online gameplay for free many players still choose Xbox live. The price is only a small fee compared to the downloadable content and experience you get. Microsoft does not usually do things like this so it is something all players should take full advantage of.]]> Fri, 01 May 2009 12:57:51 +0000 485371 Left 4 Dead News - TeamWarfare Left 4 Dead League http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=484905 TeamWarfare League has announced they will have their very own Left 4 Dead League. Most people assumed they would wait for the April 21st update before supporting Left 4 Dead. They had a tournament before the release and it had great results, good enough to start a league.

There will be two sets of brackets. One for Survivors and one for Infected. The Infected bracket is open to any team. Just get a squad together and register. The Survivor Bracket however is exclusively for the top teams in Left 4 Dead.

The sign-ups have already begun and will continue until May 10th. Roster will lock June 7th. This league is a good way for up and coming teams to make a name for themselves, or even beginner teams to gain some experience playing with some of the better teams in L4D.]]> Thu, 30 Apr 2009 02:32:48 +0000 484905 Left 4 Dead News - Interview With An Ambassador http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=484390
Mystery^:
Tell me a little about yourself

Andrew:
Well, my name is Andrew. My gamertag is Drufu. I went to high school with one of your Game Administrators, KingSpillBlood.
Currently reside in PA
Going to Penn State


Mystery^:
I also live in PA, I'm going to West Chester next year, Do you play any GR supported games other then Left 4 Dead?

Andrew:
Lots of Call of Duty 4
I actually used to be a Call of Duty 4 specialist a few months back


Mystery^:
A great game, That is where I started off on staff, also as a Strategy Specialist. So how were you picked as Ambassador?

Andrew:
Well, the application process only opens up once a year. The community manager at Xbox Live opens it up around the times when something big is about to happen for the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live.
She opened it up last September when the NXE was about to be released and all the big title games were about to come out like Gears 2, Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty World at War, Fable 2, Fallout 3 etc etc
It used to be that you would just send your own application giving your information and explaining why you wanted to be in the Ambassador program, but she changed it because she was getting too many bad apples doing it for the wrong reasons
So now she made it so that you have to have a current Ambassador sort of endorse you and mentor you for 2 weeks and then they will send in your application.
I was lucky enough to be chosen by someone who was actually already a friend of mine on Xbox Live and on my friends list. He showed me around for 2 weeks, what its like to be an Ambassador and played with me on Xbox Live to make sure I wasn't a prick or anything to people. Haha


Mystery^:
Lol sounds like a fair process to ensure decent Ambassadors. What else do ambassadors do besides these Xbox Live Events?

Andrew:
Well, it is our job to help anyone that has questions about anything, particularly Xbox Live.
We help people that are just starting off on Xbox Live. Show them how to do things that they don't know how to do yet.
I know when I first got my 360 there was a lot of shit that didn't make sense to me.
There is also an Ambassador list on the Xbox.com website and it is categorized by states, so new people can add Ambassadors that are located in their state


Mystery^:
Approx how many ambassadors are there in total? Per game?

Andrew:
Ambassadors are not per game, they are just Ambassadors for all of Xbox Live.
I am not sure how many Ambassadors there are. There must be hundreds


Mystery^:
How do you like the L4D DLC so far?

Andrew:
I am loving it. Some people may not agree but I am loving the melee fatigue. It simmers down corner camping
And survivor mode is really fun.
I played it with KingSpillBlood and we got our asses kicked
We only made it to 5:00.29


Mystery^:
Well, from what we have seen so far, it isn't nearly as easy as it looks. Can you tell us a little about the event?

Andrew:
Well, it was actually supposed to be an Ambassador Event because of the DLC that was coming out, but the guy that organized it decided to make it an Xbox Live event and asked Trixie to advertise it on the Dashboard and she ended up doing it to everyone's surprised.
There is a list of about 9 Ambassadors and we are each supposed to make our own rooms, invite some people and play with them for a few hours
Great way to get to know some new faces, meet some new people
And for gamers to get to know the Ambassadors


Mystery^:
Sounds like a very cool event, great to get used to the updates and play with some cool new people. Now for a few quick answer questions

Favorite charactarer?

Andrew:
Lmao. KSB is going to laugh when he reads this. He always pokes fun at me because since I am black, I always pick the black characters when I am playing something. So Louis is my favorite character. He always tries to steal Louis from me before I can pick him. When we play Gears of War 2, we both pick Cole so we can be "brothers".


Mystery^:
Favorite weapon?

Andrew:
Shotgun. For some reason, I prefer the Pump Shotgun over the auto-shotgun.
I only like using the auto shotgun when facing a tank.
I am terrible with every other gun


Mystery^:
Favorite map?

Andrew:
Dead Air, especially now that they added it on Versus. It is my favorite map for both the campaign and Versus especially on Expert.


Mystery^:
Okay, well it's time to wrap this up. Hope you have a fun time tommarrow night at the event and hope you enjoy the DLC. Any last comments?

Andrew:
Just that I love playing Left 4 Dead because in this horror movie, the black guy doesn't die first. That is usually KingSpillBlood because he rushes so freaking much. He shouts the lines from 300, "THIS IS WHERE WE FIGHT. THIS IS WHERE WE DIE!" and then rushes forward, and within three seconds he is caught by a smoker.


Mystery^:
Lol, sounds like him from what I have seen of him. Thanks for your time. Have a good one.

Andrew:
You too man


]]> Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:56:22 +0000 484390 Left 4 Dead News - Survival Mode Details http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=483830 Valve has given us a little more insight on how the Survival Mode gameplay will turn out. We know they have been testing it over and over to see how it plays out, the difficulty level how to make it last longer with out getting boring. The DLC will be out soon and we will see for ourselves.

The main things the team has been working on is the interval times between each wave. The intervals have to be different for the Horde, then the Special Infected, yet they both must still work together. After much twittering with the times her eis a visual graph to show the times of the infected waves.



Another variable has been added to the game mode. The lull is a rest period where no new infected of any kind will spawn. This is a great team for players to heal up, stock up on ammo, re-locate or whatever they need to do. The lull period may be shorter or longer each game, depending on how fast your kill the infected that are already on the map. Sometimes if you take to long killing current infected, you won't have a chance to take advantage of the lull period at all.]]> Mon, 27 Apr 2009 02:58:00 +0000 483830 Left 4 Dead News - Survival Mode Leader Board Launched! http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=483121 GameReplay's own Survival Mode Leader Board! Now you will be able to compare your best times against all the other members on GR for each map, with the team who has the longest time on The Last Stand will receive special signatures to show off.

The process is really easy: when your team gets a great time (at least a Gold), take a screenshot of the final score and check if it is better than the current highest team. If it is, post it in the Survival Mode Leader Board Submissions thread and we will update the leader board with your team and time. The screenshot must be of the final screen after everyone has been incapacitated/killed (that has the total time and number of different infected killed) because we want to award the best team as a whole. It won't count if we can only see the time in the "best score."

If your team has the best time on The Last Stand for two weeks straight, everyone on your team will receive the exclusive signature images to use.

Don't try and cheat! If you do, we will catch you and you'll be banned from all of our current and future competitions and tournaments.]]> Sat, 25 Apr 2009 06:58:39 +0000 483121 Left 4 Dead News - Herz Staff Profile http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=482407 Left 4 Dead portal running. Today we are looking at our Director of FPSs, Herz, who was the first Game Admin for the Left 4 Dead portal.

1. How old are you?

I'm eighteen and will soon be nineteen in June!

Here's a picture of me from the beginning of the school year.. I don't look that much different!

IPB Image


2. Where do you work/go to school?

I'm currently unemployed, but if I plan on going to college in the fall I need to get a job. For college I go to George Mason University and am proud of it! It's not the best school in the world, but I enjoy it. I've met a lot of awesome people and recently I've been getting involved as well! College is a truly amazing experience in terms of everything that happens to you, I wouldn't trade it for the world!

3. How long have you been on GR? What other staff positions have you had?

I've been on GameReplays since May 2007! I first joined because of the Company of Heroes section (sadly) and became a Replay Reviewer there. After I didn't enjoy that any more and a conflict with the game, I left that section. Eventually the World In Conflict section came along, which was my first introduction to Strategy Specialist and Senior Strategy Specialist. I held both positions there, then held the same spots again for Call of Duty 4 when it began. Since that point in time, I've held the Game Admin position for CoD4 multiple times.

After a short break I became Game Admin for Left 4 Dead then I became global...

4. Why did you come to GR?

A Company of Heroes friend showed me GameReplays and ever since I've been drawn to GameReplays. The strategies I found were very interesting and that's the main thing I enjoyed. Replays were never a big thing for me, which is quite ironic when you think about it.

5. How long have you been on the L4D staff? Why did you decide to join L4D staff?

I decided to head the L4D section when it first started because it was a great game. The funny thing is I never heard of the game until a friend of mine told me about the demo. After I played the demo, I was hooked. The rest in this case is history.. we now have a L4D section with great people and great content!

6. First video game and system you remember playing/owning?

When I was a kid I remember playing a Super Nintendo and Duck Hunt vaguely, which was an amazing experience. If you don't like Duck Hunt, then you should pretty much jump off a bridge. Duck Hunt was such a revolutionary and dynamic game that it doesn't compete with any of the current Wii games in my opinion.

7. Favorite game of all time? Why?

It's very hard for me to pick this since I've had a lot of favorite games. Instead of picking a single game, I'll define what draws me to call a game one of my favorites.

A dynamic, thrilling, and attention-grabbing storyline is absolutely mandatory for me. Furthermore, I think the game play needs to be unique and should tie in directly to the story. Nothing makes me more angry than games that have poor game play and poor correlation with story. To go even more basic I also enjoy games where you can craft your own story or adventure. I like being able to have authority over the story sometimes! Instead of writing an essay on this, I'll leave it at that.

To give you some examples of games that I really enjoy... Football Manager 2009, Valkyria Chronicles, Saint's Row 2, FIFA 09, Silent Hunter 3, Battlefield 2, Half Life series, and more. I could go on for hours about what games I play...

8. What do you like most about L4D?

The amount of teamwork and communication required distinguishes it apart from any other FPS. Most FPS games lack this and it's rather disappointing honestly! I hope to see more games like Left 4 Dead come from other developers with more features.

9. What is your biggest L4D complaint?

I think the lack of more maps or special infected from the get-go was very depressing. While it's an amazing game, I got tired of it quickly. After I beat all four campaigns on Expert, I've felt absolutely no will to play it again. Versus isn't the most fulfilling game type for me so I simply haven't played it. I hope to see more maps and characters added down the road! If we don't see it then I'm afraid the game won't last as long as Valve promised.

10. What is your favorite L4D moment?

My favorite Left 4 Dead moment is during each finale when you're running towards the escape vehicle! The amount of intensity and pure insanity going on is both breath-taking and fun. I can recall a countless number of times where it went wrong, but we laughed ourselves to death instead.]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:16:18 +0000 482407 Left 4 Dead News - Left 4 Dead DLC Released http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=482263 Downloadable Content is finally here! We can now enjoy it. The new Survivor Mode and the new LightHouse map are just a few things to try out first. The DLC is an automatic update by Valve and will be downloaded and installed when you start up Left 4 Dead next.

Survivor Mode is probably the most anticipated feature about the DLC. In Survivor Mode you and your teammates get the chance to run around the map infected-free for as long as you want, checking out spots and gathering items. Once you activate the Infected though they come in wave after wave until you finally cannot hold them off anymore.

The new LightHouse map is also something many players are looking forward to. The map was previewed in a Survivor Mode trailer and really got the attention of the community as something they wanted to get their hands on.

One of the most exciting parts of the DLC is that it is free, both for PC and consoles alike. Most updates for PC are free, but lately free updates on consoles are hard to come by, especially on Xbox Live, but Valve has swung a deal with Microsoft and all players can enjoy the new content free of charge.]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:16:36 +0000 482263 Left 4 Dead News - L4D Screenshot Competition http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=482099
Everyone will get the chance to post their screenshot, a winner will then be voted for by the community. The topic for you to post your screenshots will be open until May 1st. After that the community voting will begin and the three best screenshots will be selected.

Here are the rules:
Rules:
  • You are allowed to post only one screenshot.
  • The screenshot should be one that you have taken, not one that you have copied from another person/site.
  • Post until May 1st.
  • Voting will take place from the May 2nd-4th.
  • No Photoshops or any kind of photo editing. Any entry which has been photo edited will be immediately disqualified.
Entries can be submitted in the Screenshot Submission topic.

Good luck!]]> Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:26:15 +0000 482099 Left 4 Dead News - CEVO Announces Free Tournament http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=479070 CyberEvolution also known as CEVO has recently announced that they will be hosting their very first Left 4 Dead tournament. Originally, CEVO was going to wait until the DLC to start with L4D but it seems they changed their minds. Here is the announcement from their site.

It is a pleasure to host our first Left 4 Dead event here at CEVO. Many of the staff have been playing the game religiously since its release and have had nothing but good things to say about the game. ” said Charlie Plitt, CEO / President for CEVO LLC. “With the conclusion of this event, we will be looking to launch league based play with multiple divisions.


The tournament will be 4v4 games (as usual with L4D), and double elimination style. The sign-ups will be opening for almost a full month, from Thursday April 16th until Thursday May 14th. The scoring is very simple. Teams will play maps 1 through 5 on either Blood Harvest or No Mercy. The team with the most points at the end is the winner.

The prizes are as follows:
  • 1st - OCZ PC2 8500 2G Pack, OCZ Vendeta CPU Coolers, Razer Goliathus Mouse Pads, and Free Entry into ANY paid CEVO Event ($443.00 value)
  • 2nd - Free Entry into ANY paid CEVO Event ($80.00 value)
  • 3rd - Free Entry into ANY paid CEVO Event ($80.00 value)
  • 4th - Free Entry into ANY paid CEVO Event ($80.00 value)
The matches will be played every Monday and Thursday night. Players must use the CEVO configurations and make sure you fully understand the rules.
]]> Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:03:13 +0000 479070 Left 4 Dead News - Valve releases original L4D Box Art http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=478074 Valve has recently exposed the pre-release cover art for L4D, the art that didn't make the final cut. There were multiple tries before they finally got it right. The box cover art requires a lot more than just a picture or two put on the box.

The first attempt was just the four characters on the front cover, from the waist up. This picture didn't quite work because they had to choose one character to be ahead or in front of the other ones. Zoey went in front and it gave the appearance that she was the most important character.

Shrinking down the characters on the box would give them all an equal space, but also add more empty space to the box, making it less catchy. So the second attempt was having the four characters face their backs to the viewer; them looking at oncoming wave of infected.

The third attempt was also similar. It had the four standing in a circle fighting off a zombie assault. While these were all good attempts, they just didn't grab the eye as much as the current box art. After testing some of the covers in Gamestop stores for an afternoon, the green cover with the zombie hand attracted the most attention and won the prize of being on the release.]]> Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:51:40 +0000 478074 Left 4 Dead News - Left 4 Dead Movie Announced http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=475906
The movie has been taken up by a few hardcore L4D players, who are also independent film makers. It is a non-profit, fan made movie but shouldn't be looked at as low quality. This is the first L4D based movie, and is expected to be very good.

Nothing official for the movie has been released yet, except the movie poster. The casting list has not even been released yet, and it is totally unknown when the release date might be. Keep your eyes out. when more is released we will let you know.]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:20:05 +0000 475906 Left 4 Dead News - Left 4 Dead Photo Shoot http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=472861 Left 4 Dead survivors has been released. The photo shoot is not just your typical in-game screenshots, but rather high quality shots of the survivors in pre-determined poses.

This is just a short collection of pictures to bring the game more to life. There are four still shots and five action shots. The shots were created by Nightzero.com a professional photography site.

The shots were done using HDR photography by taking three pictures, one stop too light, one too dark and one and one with normal exposure. The shots are then blended together, getting the best quality and balance from them into one picture. This procedure gives great detail to what would usually be a dark or light spot in a picture.]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:10:50 +0000 472861 Left 4 Dead News - Left 4 Dead DLC Released http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=472843 Downloadable Content is finally here! Valve was nice enough to give us the DLC a few weeks early, this coming as a huge to surprise to all players. The DLC is an automatic update by Valve and will be downloaded and installed when you start up Left 4 Dead next.

Survivor mode is probably the most anticipated thing about the DLC. In Survivor mode you and your teammates get the chance to run around the map infected-free for as long as you want, checking out spots and gathering things. Once you activate the Infected though they come in wave after wave until you finally cannot hold them off anymore.

Thew new LightHouse map is also something many players are looking forward to. The map was previewed in a survivor mode trailer and really got the attention of the community as something they wanted to get their hands on.

Although this was a very unexpected surprise it is something we all have been looking forward too. Hope you guys enjoy it.]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:26:59 +0000 472843 Left 4 Dead News - Minor Left 4 Dead Update http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=471092
This patch, released on March 25th has a very small list of changes and bug fixes to help balance gameplay and mend server bugs. This is a mandatory update that will be installed when you restart L4D.

There are a few major changes that will affect gameplay. Firstly, players will now gain fatigue from melee attacks and there will be a cooldown meter that appears on your screen. Another change is that Boomer vomit will now pass through common infected, although this is more of a bug fix.]]> Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:38:08 +0000 471092 Left 4 Dead News - Left 4 Dead Sold 2.5 Million at Retail http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=470929
The update came at the Booth's GDC presentation on the game.
]]> Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:05:00 +0000 470929 <![CDATA[Left 4 Dead News - GameReplay.org's L4D DLC Contests]]> http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=469219 Left 4 Dead DLC is out. This will bring back some lost activity in the game. Players are getting really hyped for its release and GameReplays.org is joining in. To celebrate the DLC, GR is hosting a few contests for players including: Best Video & Screenshot Contest, Left 4 Dead Signature Contest and a Fan Art competition.

The week the DLC is released is when the Best Video & Screenshot Contest will begin. All players will have time to submit any screenshot or upload a video for the contest. After all are entered the community will vote on the winner. The winner will receive a Screenshot of the Week medal and a small sum of GR Gold. The rules are as follows:
  • Only 1 screenshot/video can be submitted by each member
  • They must all be original screenshots/video's. Nothing taken from another person or site
  • You do not have to enter the contest to vote for the winner
  • Any screenshot that has been Photoshopped or PhotoEdited will be disqualified.
The first week following the release of the DLC will host the Left 4 Dead Signature Contest. This is also open to all members of GR, especially artists and sig-makers. Be creative, but make sure the signature is related to L4D. The winner of the contest will win a Signature of the Week medal and 200 GR Gold. The rules are as follows:
  • Only 1 sig can be entered per person, so do your best before you submit one
  • No ripping or stealing signatures, they must all be original
  • All members of GR can vote. The poll will be made in the Mess Hall
  • Don't post joke sigs or crap you whipped up in Paint, only legitimate contenders
  • All signatures must follow the GR rules, maximum 500x100 and less then 100kb
The final contest, the Fan Art Competition will take place 2 weeks after the DLC has been released. This is a chance for all members to show their skills and love for L4D. This contest unfortunately is only open to GR members of the following countries: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico. The rules are as follows: ]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:42:50 +0000 469219 Left 4 Dead News - The Hunter Games http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=466317 The Hunter Games are here! You may be wondering what this is. Well, it is a Mod for Left 4 Dead where all 8 players are on the infected team, and Hunters. In the mod there are various different game modes. Games such as Tag, Reverse Tag, Pounce Race, and 25 Pounce sessions.

InTag, you run around the map and whoever is the tagger must claw an enemy. Being tagged is bad because you get points for how long you go without being the tagger. When you are it, you are on fire but it does not cause any damage.

Reverse Tag is just that. Being selected as the tagger is a good thing. You must claw whoever the tagger is to steal it from them. You get points for the length of time you are tagged. Whoever the tagger is will be on fire, but it causes no damage.

In Pounce Race AI survivors are spawned randomly across the map. The Hunters are spawned in the safe room and they race to pounce survivors. The first Hunter to pounce gets 200 points as well as pounce damage: 100 for 2nd, 50 for 3rd and 24 for 4th. If you kill a Survivor before all Hunters get their pounce, you receive an additional 200 points.

25 Pounce Sessions allow Hunters to run around and pounce Survivors. 200 Points are awarded for 25 damage pounces, anything less than 20 and you respawn and get zero points. In between 20 to 24 you receive your damage pounce points and try again.

Here is a quick preview of The Hunter Games
]]> Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:56:56 +0000 466317 Left 4 Dead News - Left 4 Dead Update Release http://www.gamereplays.org/community/index.php?showtopic=464825 Left 4 Dead. While this isn't the new downloadable content we have all been waiting for, it is still a very important patch. A lot of changes and bug fixes have been implemented that will improve gameplay. The patch will apply itself when you restart Steam.

The change list is not that big but the changes will certainly have large effects on gameplay. The majority of the changes are for Versus Mode, though there are a few general changes that will also help balance games. The most important general change is that player Pings will now show up in numeric form on the scoreboard.

Some of the major Versus Mode changes are:
  • The Tank punch being able to hit targets behind walls has been fixed
  • The order that the teams play as Survivors is now determined by which team has the higher overall score. The winning team will play as Survivors first
  • Increased the cone in which a Smoker can grab a target
  • Boomers that explode in mid-air will now hit Survivors directly below them with Bile
  • Tanks now have the possibility of spawning in a slightly different position for the first and second teams
  • The Smoker tongue can now target and grab victims through common infected
The two changes to Tank are very important. Punching through walls was a major bug exploit in the previous version and it spawning in a different position now takes away an advantage the second team of survivors once had. That order will now be determined by an overall score which is a very nice fix.

The Smoker also got two very nice changes. First being the increased cone in which he can grab a survivor, next that he can grab victims through the common infected. Before now The Smoker was considered underpowered by a lot of players. These two small changes should give players a new view on things.

A few post-changelog fixes are that The Hunters extra damage when on fire has not been reduced, but completely removed and the Tank punching multiple targets has been removed, though possibly only while Valve makes a quick fix.

These changes should make players happy and make that wait for the DLC a little bit easier. Time flies when your having fun and April 21st is right around the corner!]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:22:04 +0000 464825