The melodrama over Left 4 Dead 2 continues apace. When we last left the story, a protest group had started on Steam, which now has over 17,000 people in it, promising not to buy the game. In response, Valve has come out of the woodwork to defend the game's release, claiming it was too big to be DLC, and that the first game won't simply be abandoned.
"It was just like, OK, this is big enough that this isn’t DLC, we’re not going to be able to leak it out. It’s a cohesive, single thing. It’s Left 4 Dead 2," claims Valve's Chet Faliszek. "... Left 4 Dead one, we still aren’t done with it. We still have updates coming. Our focus is always on what we’re putting in the box, put as much as we can in the box. Let’s not worry about: let’s save that and not put that in the game. No, let’s put that in. And with the five campaigns, all of them out of the box, playable Versus, co-op, Survival and the new mode, there’s just a ton of content in there."
What I heard on the E3 showfloor has been verified, with Chet saying that the original L4D will still be supported. This of course undermines one of the biggest complaints about the sequel, that L4D wouldn't get all its promised content. Now it will. So, those people crying over the sequel will be able to keep playing Left 4 Dead and not clog up the L4D2 servers with their incessant whining.
Everybody wins!
Contest:
6:40 PM on 06.08.2009
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what a bunch of bullshit. if they decide to release L4D (let alone L4D2) or actually update TF2 for the PS3 -- i wouldn't complain that it's been neglected for so long... i would just be grateful. jesus. gamers these days.
How dare you offer us new content! And so on.
Also, less black people please.
Anyway, I would GLADLY pay $50 for this. And I totally plan to. But I just hate that they're splitting the community in half. I say link the two games and everyone wins. Charge what you want for it. And when Doug Lombardi said 20 new weapons isn't DLC that's utter bullshit. TF2 is getting about 3 new weapons per class with 9 classes. You do the math.
Sure it's not all in one go, but we wouldn't care if they took as long with these updates.
Bottom line is L4D WILL be obsolete just like UT2k3 was. And seeing as they themselves said they started working on this immediately after 1 came out shows that they never did have faith on the first one (which people were already thrown back about having to pay $50 for).
I don't give a shit about anything else. I just want both games to be linked. And on the PC that's a piece of cake. I don't give a fuck about what the 360 folks want to do because they don't even care about this issue anyway.
I'm sure Bomza Abu Aziz, The Anti-Valve rebel fighter ,has something to say:
Where is the confirmation for "all the original promised content" coming from?
And I'm just glad not to be involved. -smug smile-
Left 2 Die would have been a better name for the sequel, either that or Right 2 Live which I think would be better as a spin-off or something.
Oh, and this protesting thing is just silly.
Valve is wayyyyy too good to do that.
Anyway I'll believe it when I see it.
""There were strong hints at a flamethrower coming not long after launch," 1UP reported after talking to Faliszek."
Nope: they actually promised that content you said they didn't, and specifically noted the TF2 model. Later, they recanted that, and said "L4D is much more complex than TF2, and thus, is harder to release content for", thus, L4D2 was born. "New weapons, and campaigns" turned into "one level, and survival mode, which will ship with L4D2 anyways".
Here are a few nuggets:
Doug Lombari states "new weapons, new characters, new campaigns WILL be part of L4D, and not a sequel"
"Faliszek stated that Newell was skeptical of the idea when the team brought the sequel forward, feeling that releasing a sequel so soon was against the character of Valve, but still allowed the project to go through."
Once again, it's not that big of a deal to me personally, and I loved what I played of L4D2 at E3, but a lot of you guys are missing the point here.
The SDK was released only a month or so ago AND it's still in BETA.
Plus, do some recon before you call the modding guys lazy!
Check FPSBanana and check the ass fucklyrie you would have to do to have custom skins or play on new maps.
This still doesn't address my main concern anyway that it's splitting the player base between those that buy L4D2 and those that didn't. The game is far too young and the community still in developmental stages for that kind of split not to just kill the whole thing.
Then all the naysayers would shut up and take it like good little boys and girls.
Also, I kind of agree with the expansion idea mentioned by masamunecyrus. It's a proven business model with Valve. The only thing I can think of is that the they're looking at L4D as a console game more than a PC venture. In that case L4D 2 might be a result of experimentation more than anything else.
What is with people that get banned that pop up again? I guess I'm not one to talk in that regard.
And do any of you really expect Valve to come right out and say, "No its just L4D2 now".
I don't believe corporate bullshit so I'll wait and see but I won't hold my breath, if you guys are really pissed just don't buy the damn thing.
So here they fail yet again, and just leave us with more bloody questions. What updates are planned for L4D 1? When are you going to do them, what with getting 2 ready for release? Will 1 get updates that make it on par with 2? If yes, why bother with 2 so soon? If no, why bother updating 1?
They've still got a ways to go if they really want to placate all these angry people.
CRY SOME MORE
I hope you learned your lesson, Valve. Clearly, you need to never give any details on what potentially will be available for your games. This creates expectations, which can only lead to disappointment. Everyone else knows your business better than you Valve, so stop running it your way and let us do things our way...the FREE WAY (or the "we'll take all of that stuff in priced DLC and it's okay, even if they released it as $50 DLC instead of a standalone game" way if you like kidding yourselves).
How many of these umpteen thousand people are simply douchebags who heard that there was a boycott, thought they might be able to get discounted or free stuff out of it, and simply jumped on the bandwagon to hopefully get said free stuff?
I'm joining the boycott. I refuse to purchase L4D2 until they offer free DLC that gives 80's shades to the guy who looks like he's from Miami Vice. I've paid enough for your games Valve, and I demand recompensation through snazzy sunglasses. Moreover, I demand that the daytime setting be changed BACK to nighttime (you know you had it this way originally Valve, don't lie) and that every level has Corey Hart's "Sunglasses At Night" playing in the background while I fuck up zombies in my own righteous way. So I can, so I can.
A group of people band together because they think valve hasn't delivered on what they promised with the first game and feel that the most effective way to get action on this is to boycott the upcoming release. Very few people care about anything past the promised DLC issue (the daylight, music and characters complaints seem like they were needlessly padding a list). All the childish insults thrown towards those that just want Valve to do what they publicly announced they would seem rather unnecessary.