[L4D] One 4 Nine

[antie]

Looks really good. Almost shat myself though, because I just started mapping a L4D2 campaign set in underground area51 a few days ago ^^

Going to see how it goes but if it does ever see daylight, it will be totally different from this campaign, tbh I think it would be similar to parts of HL1.

Will definitely download the L4D2 version, looks like the most promising campaign I've seen in a while, good work. Especially on the website.

[no00dylan]

Yep I've almost done the L4D2 version. I'm actually going to be doing the final compiles today as it happens, then some last playtests over the next few days. So, all being well, I'm hoping to release the L4D2 version very soon.

Awesome man, thanks a ton.

[keved]

The L4D2 version of One 4 Nine has now been released. This features the L4D1 survivors in L4D2, with all of the L4D2 weapons and pickups.

http://www.one4nine.co.uk/download.html
http://www.l4dmaps.com/details.php?file=7387

[Mr-Jigsaw]

When we played through the l4d2 version, only a few of the weapons spawned, being only the MAC10, AKM, MSg90, and SPAS12. None of the other weapons ever spawned, besides one M60. Also, there were no deagles, but a lot of grenades. I still don't like the start doesn't have medkits or weapons, which gets annoying having to use the terrible standard pistols to hold off a horde with no means of healing.

Lastly, I think this is a great campaign, but I hate the finale. Please redesign the end. It's not even fun, and detracts from an otherwise great campaign. Maybe the alient vault could contain a spaceship, suspended over an abyss, or something. I mean, it's a great campaign, it just shouldn't be so anticlimactic.

[keved]

The M60 is in there (armoury in map 3 where you restore power), perhaps the director didn't spawn it for you because you were doing too well. I'll be tweaking the weapon placement though in the next version, to add one gren launcher, some deagles and fewer throwables in maps 2, 3 and 4.

At the start of map 1 prior to entering the house, there are 2 extra pistols, 1 healthkit, 2 painpills, a melee wep and a few molotovs. I think that's ok personally. As with the rest of the campaign, there is plenty of stuff off the beaten track.

As for the finale, I simply don't think an escape vehicle is suitable, since technically the survivors don't make a conventional L4D escape.

They don't run off to an escape vehicle then ride out into the Sunset. Rather, their bodies become zombies and their souls are released (see the explanation on my website for the full story). Having a spaceship would be totally at odds with what I'm trying to achieve.

So, I had to come up with a way of 1) suggesting the transformation occuring and 2) suggesting the loss of consciousness at which point the body and soul separate. Given the fact full modding isn't possible in L4D I couldn't alter any code (such as movement becoming sluggish, or whatever), so came up with the color correction and eventual fade out to black. If anyone has ideas how else that could be achieved within the confines of L4D scripting, I'm all ears, but like I say I just don't in principle agree with adding a rescue vehicle to the end.

[Mr-Jigsaw]

I'm sorry but that's really stupid. It isn't deep, it isn't good storytelling, it's just bad level design. All the great campaigns have exciting finales that reward the players for coming this far, like Death Aboard's lighthouse, No Mercy's rooftop, or The Parish's bridge. It kinda defeats the point of reaching the finale if you could have died at any point along the way and reached the same end. I should note that the survivors are carriers, they are immune to the virus, which defeats the point of the whole soul separating from the zombie body, because they can't become zombies, it's even in the gameplay itself, you just die, you don't become on of them. So what's the point of taking all the time to reach some damn vault if you could have died anywhere along the way at no ultimate loss? Also, I'm not taking the time to go to your website and read some story you made up for it. This is a left 4 dead campaign, not a novel. If you want to tell a story with a game level you better put it in the actual level itself. I shouldn't have to read a manual just to understand what's going on. You either put it in the final work or it doesn't exist at all. You shouldn't watch a movie and have to consult the internet or buy the special edition DVD just to understand something the filmmakers failed to put in the final cut. What you've done here is violated one of the cardinal rules of game design: Never allow gameplay to suffer for the sake of story.

You're working within a tradition here, so what if you think that your two medkits and pistols are good enough, they aren't. Look at every official campaign ever, including Dead Center, at the start there are always four medkits and weapons, whether they be tier 1, extra pistols, or melee weapons. I don't care if it's more realistic or whatever you defend the decision with: It isn't fun. It isn't fun fending off hordes with the worst weapon in the whole game, with no medkits to heal yourself if needed. Players expect these things, their behavior is built upon the guarantee that at the start of every game, they have full health, a medkit, and a decent weapon.

[THORFINN]

I just finished a campaign of this in L4D2 and it was freaking awesome. I loved everything about it, and the ending was really funny man!

I didn't see any magnums (deagles) either.

(screw photobucket-- http://thorfinn.imgur.com/one4nine )
Some screenshots I took Heh I'm a photographer

[keved]

@Mr-Jigsaw: Left 4 Dead 1 implies the virus is mutating to newer strains. It's been quite a while since I played through all of it so can't remember where, but even the Left 4 Dead 1 wiki entry states this. It sounds like you're of the opinion that community levels shouldn't ever try to do something different from the Valve levels?

I don't see any problem with people not fully 100% understanding everything about a game, or movie, on first play. Recently I watched No Country For Old Men and didn't get it all, so watched it again and understood a bit more. Then took the trouble to find a website to explain what I'd missed, then watched it again to fully take it all in. Being able to find out something else on repeated views is something I like personally.

On a different note, version 2 is currently in playtesting and features a changed finale; the color correction is limited to the initial dozen or so seconds, from then on there is heavier (than normal) black vignetting, and the end of the finale is no longer triggered automatically.

@THORFINN: Thanks. Also, there are some deagles in the version undergoing playtesting atm.

[joe_rogers_11155]

@keved: i know i said i would download this but you keep presenting a new version every week or so...so I'm gonna surely download the one you're playtesting right now. Also I recommend you disregard Mr Jigsaw's advice for now. As long as the gameplay is interesting most of us will be happy.

[Mr-Jigsaw]

I never said you shouldn't do anything different, only that it should be fun. Different isn't necessarily better.

I said the information should be available within the work, and you said you rewatched the film. I never said that the viewer should know what it means on first viewing(And you should note that I've played your campaign a few times). But if it isn't in the finished work, it doesn't exist. Hence, if your story isn't in the level itself, it doesn't exist.

And, like I said before, the campaign is great on the whole, it's just the finale that bugs me(And the lack of supplies at the beginning).

[keved]

Hey all, the new version of One 4 Nine for L4D2 is now released. This features quite a lot of changes, most notably; finale has changed, added scripts for customised horde and SI spawning in some areas, removed some throwables, added more L4D2 weapons, added instructor hints throughout the campaign. See the changelog for the full list. As always, feedback is welcome.

http://www.one4nine.co.uk/download.html
http://www.l4dmaps.com/details.php?file=7387

List of fixes from version 1 to 3:
- Survivors must now go near to monolith to trigger the end of the finale.
- Color correction in finale now only occurs for the first 15 seconds not the entire duration.
- Added heavy black vignetting in finale to suggest survivors losing consciousness.
- Fixed finale ending prior to 2nd tank being killed.
- Fixed nav problem in map 1 at the bottom of the lift to the right.
- Removed some throwables from maps 2, 3 and 4.
- Player SI can now access vent shaft near lift in map 3.
- Added crowbar near start of map 1.
- Added fireaxe in front of house in map 1.
- Added samurai sword in medical bay in map 4.
- Changed lift sounds in maps 1 and 3.
- Added defibrillators in maps 1, 3 and 4.
- Prevented tanks and witches spawning in map 1.
- More zombies and chargers spawn in the waterlogged tunnels in maps 1 and 2.
- Added mini-onslaught at end of maps 2 and 3.
- More frequent zombie hordes in most of map 4 and all of map 5.
- Fixed zombies able to spawn below lift in map 3 before the survivors activate it.
- Fixed some sounds being too quiet.
- Fixed healthpacks in saferooms not spawning in versus.
- Added grenade launcher to map 4.
- Added desert eagles to maps 3, 4 and 5.
- Added laser sights to map 4.
- Added desert rifle to maps 3 and 4.
- Fixed smokers grabbing survivors from behind caved-in sand piles in map 5.
- Added new graffiti in map 1 house explaining the survivors' motivation for going to the tomb.
- Added SuicideBlitz poster in map 1 house.
- Added custom instructor hint messages throughout campaign.
- Prevented players climbing part of the rock wall in the finale area.
- Added zombie types to certain areas of the campaign.

[cz_squishy]

You told the story of the map very well through with the graffiti

[keved]

Version 5 is now released...

http://www.one4nine.co.uk/download.html
http://www.l4dmaps.com/details.php?file=7387

List of fixes from version 3 to 5:
- Fixed SI player ghosts not being killed if falling into canyons.
- Minor fixes for some sound effects.
- Reduced SI spawning at start of map 1.
- Reduced maximum simultaneous chargers in waterlogged tunnels from 3 to 2.
- Added instructor hint for the big fire in map 4.
- Increased hordes at end of map 4.
- Fixed versus scoring for map 5.
- Fixed instructor hints not being removed in some situations.
- Two tanks spawn at end of finale.
- Updated poster.
- Added more health in versus at start of maps 1 and 2.
- Added more pistols in versus at start of map 1.
- Fixed a few clipping issues.
- Added desert eagles to map 2.
- Added more melee weapons throughout campaign.
- Added ammo stacks midway through maps 2 and 4.
- Removed black vigetting from finale due to problem in versus mode.
- Added mild saturated color correction throughout most of finale.
- Added health cabinet to medical area in map 4.

[keved]

One 4 Nine is now Valve's featured campaign on http://www.l4d.com