Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2

Station Approach (1/2)
worMatty 9 May, 2021 @ 1:53pm
Feedback on part 1
Hi, there.

Hosting this on a dedicated server. When the map finishes, we see the scores and loading screen but we are then taken back to the survivors frozen in the safe room. It seems the unfinished campaign requires a proper end to close the server session down and return people to the lobby.

The map looks just like a British street. You recreated what looks like a real world place quite well. Unfortunately the dimensions and space create a lot of empty space and areas where there was no reason to go. I was walking around the edges of fields and through front gardens thinking you must have hidden something there but no, there was no reason to go there. If you can't reduce the sizes of these open areas, consider restricting access to them somehow, making it clear they are out of bounds and focusing the path somewhat.

I liked that if I crouched I could see through someone's bedroom window and spot the laser sights in their bathroom.

There was a distinct lack of throwaables and of common infected to fight. Most of the commons were from panic events that didn't seem to make much sense in the world. A burglar alarm I can understand, though that wasn't signposted very well (don't rely on the instructor text for major objectives). But a shutter door that takes forever to open (and I mean forever) and makes no noise? Nahh. Ideally, I should be encountering more common infected outside of panic events, and there should be a reason for me to use my throwables. It adds much-need variety to the combat.

Some indoor spaces were too cramped. There was an outdoor place with a bunch of marquees and tables placed too close together, making it difficult to get through them.

I didn't really understand where we were supposed to be going in the story. That's hard to do if the survivors don't use voice lines like they do in official campaigns. Maybe you can start the players off overlooking the destination somehow, like out of a window in a tall building?

As a Brit it felt cool wandering through realistic residential streets and it reminded me of 28 Days Later, but after a while of doing this, the layout didn't feel like it was designed to create interesting gameplay experiences. In fact it felt like someone's personal project to recreate a place they know in real life. As a player who's not familiar with the area, the main attraction aside from the familiarity is the gameplay.