Left 4 Dead 2: Pre-release Thread

[FadedOasis]

L4D2 is now available for pre-purchase. However, before you buy it, I highly suggest you look at this event thread, which includes a full copy of Left 4 Dead 2 as first prize.

If you don't want to play in the event, you can still pre-purchase Left 4 Dead 2 through the normal means.

store.steampowered.com/app/550/

[FadedOasis]

The other thread is filled with really old speculation. In the interest of keeping things up-to-date, I have locked it. Please use this thread.

Compilation of all known Left 4 Dead 2 information: forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=884519. Feel free to quote and respond. :-)

[pneuma08]

Apparently you get an in-game baseball bat for pre-ordering. I'm not exactly sure how that works.

[FadedOasis]

Pneuma, I'm fairly sure it just enables you to find the baseball bat like any other melee weapon. I also heard somewhere that the "pre-purchase only" bat would become available to everyone in-game after a couple months.

[pneuma08]

I haven't heard that. But they did say that if you don't have the bat and you're playing with someone who does, everyone gets the bat. So yeah, it probably just lets the bat spawn like a normal melee weapon. (Also it would be pretty cool to unlock the bat for everyone after a few months, too. That sounds like a very Valve move; it could get people talking/buying the game after the initial few months' of hype has worn off.)

Also you get $5 off if you pre-order it. It's like it's on sale, even though it's not actually for sale.

[probie]

I HAVE IT!!!!! And I did a little happy dance when I got it. I can't wait!

[Whatsit]

Okay so I got out my slide rule and did some mathamalculating;

L4D2 Regular Price: $49.99
L4D2 Pre-purchase price: $44.99 -- save $5.00
L4D2 Four Pack Pre-purchase: $134.99 = 4 x $33.75 -- save $16.24

Anyone interested in grabbing that 4 pack and saving a few bucks?

Note: mathamalculating is not a real word, but would be an excellent Bookworm Adventures word.

[scrambles]

yes... how long is that deal going to be up?

[nippz]

Forever. The same deal for L4D1 is still going on.

[FadedOasis]

Well, the 4-pack deal will always be up. The 10% off sale won't.

4-pack w/o 10% sale: $149.97 = 4 x $37.50

[FadedOasis]

New game mode revealed: Scavenge.

www.destructoid.com/-scavenge-multiplayer-mode-in-left-4-dead-2-revealed-151332.phtml

4v4. Survivors have 2 minutes to find the 16 gas cans to refill the generator. Each can adds 20 seconds. Infected try to stop them, by knocking the cans out of the Survivors' hands or lighting them up with the Spitter. Switch teams between rounds, for a total of six rounds. Six maps to start with.

I'm on the fence about this mode. I'll have to play it to decide.

[Whatsit]

that sounds pretty cool -- should be a nice change from the linear L4D modes.

[FadedOasis]

Footage of Scavenge, plus a female Boomer: www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/l4d2-scavange-mod/331776#

This interests me more. You have to spread out to find cans, but then you die because you're too spread out. Very interesting.

Edit: three more vids:
xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/14352241/left-4-dead-2/videos/l4d2_gmp_onemore.html
xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/14352241/left-4-dead-2/videos/l4d2_gmp_fuelup.html
xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/14352241/left-4-dead-2/videos/l4d2_gmp_charger.html

[pneuma08]

Not exactly the most riveting gameplay snippets there (one of the videos is basically just the player getting mauled to death by a charger), but interesting nonetheless.

[FadedOasis]

HO SHIT new difficulty:

But, as we wrap up our playtime, David Ellis notices a mysterious option in the menu as we wait for a new match to start: "Realism mode." I ask Faliszek, and he coyly comments, "that's a special modifier that we forgot to hide for this demo." We then ask Valve VP of Marketing Doug Lombardi, and he quips that it's something for the super hardcore player, and slightly elaborates, "Take Portal for example: We had our best internal players who could blow through that game in about 30 minutes, but within weeks of launching it we had people on YouTube beating [the testers'] times by 10 minutes or more. Realism is for those players." We'll keep an eye out for more details about Realism, and any other surprises as Left 4 Dead 2 gets closer to release.

Note that this material is a rumor, and may not be real.

[Whatsit]

Well if I wasn't already going to buy it, that difficulty ting would put me firmly into the 'must have' category. Expert is just too easy.
It's worth noting, however, that they mentioned having a realism mode in the first game, too, and it obviously never came about.

[FadedOasis]

Achievements are out. www.xbox360achievements.org/game/left-4-dead-2/achievements/

Some intriguing ones:

• Tank Burger: Kill a Tank with melee weapons. (LEEEROOOOOYYY!)
• Shock Jock: Revive 10 dead Survivors with the defibrillator. (What? Defib? Have they ditched the spawn closets?)
• Cl0wnd: Honk the noses of 10 Clowns. (Awesome to the max.)
• Stache Whacker: Prove you are faster than Moustachio.
• Gong Show: Prove you are stronger than Moustachio.
• Guardin' Gnome: Rescue Gnome Chompski from the Carnival. (Ooh, minigames?)

Then there's a bunch of stuff about finales I don't want to read.

Additional info: it seems there's a throwable "vial of bile" (heh, rhymes) that turns the infected against each other or something. "Use a bile bomb on a tank."

[rhench]

"Survive a campaign on Expert skill with Realism mode enabled."

Maybe it isn't a difficulty at all, then?

And the rescue the gnome thing, maybe it's a sub-objective? Something that gets you better weapons but is hard to do, or something like that?

[pneuma08]

Or it could just be some crazy thing. There's a Achievement in Episode 2 where you have to carry a little gnome guy throughout the entire episode in order to launch him into outer space.

As for the Defib, it works in Versus: (HEARTWARMER: In a Versus round, leave the saferoom to defibrillate a dead teammate.) It might just be a Versus only thing - currently there's no way to revive a dead teammate in VS, save for completing the round.

Also noteworthy:

-Ammo packs (taking the slot of a health kit) are apparently contain ammo upgrades, and the whole team can use them (ARMORY OF ONE: Deploy an ammo upgrade and have your team use it.) - although I still can't imagine them being better than health kits, after you use your kit, picking up a pack is better than not carrying anything, and even moreso if it's incendiary or other special ammo.
-The sugar mill sounds to me like it's a danger event (you know, like the impound lot filled with alarm cars) - only having to deal with a lot of witches. I could be wrong, though.

Edit: hopefully formatted for easy reading.

[rhench]

There's also adrenaline, which appears to speed you up. So now there's more than one kind of pills here.

[pneuma08]

Adrenaline supposedly gives you 25 temporary health and makes you immune to common-slowdown.

[FadedOasis]

NEW AMAZING VIDEO

[pneuma08]

One of these days, Valve is going to get a movie deal. It's gotta happen.

[churchofvirus]

If that doesn't get a person pumped as all hell for L4D2, nothing will.

Friggen awesome trailer.. makes me wonder that perhaps they are including more fmv's in the sequel which is cool, but these guys don't hold a candle to Louis, Zoey, Bill and Francis. So neglected.

[rhench]

"This used to be a NICE NEIGHBORHOOD!"

"Maybe the helicopter's... made of... chocolate."

I dunno, Church. I'm liking Coach and the gambler guy. The other two, not so much.

[scrambles]

Nick (gambler guy) is the best EVER. He is all I'm ever going to play as.

[Whatsit]

Oct 4, 2009 12:49:30 GMT -5 Whatsit said:

Anyone interested in grabbing that 4 pack and saving a few bucks?

In case anyone was still considering this, I have a copy now.

[rhench]

I would have taken you up on it, but I already had gotten a 4 pack by then.

[nippz]

I'm only gonna play as Ellis.

[FadedOasis]

Demo being released soon:

steamcommunity.com/games/L4D2/events/55327883716288366

Whatever time it says there is your local time for when it will be released.