Panda Phil

Jebus, thats the first and last time I try Versus mode. Whenever I tried playing as an Infected I'd either die instantly, I'd miss, or be in position only to press the mouse button and nothing happens! I wish there was a single player mode so I could at least figure out how the fuck to work the controls without embarassing myself.

And it doesn't help when your teammates are telling you you suck.

wlj

i am 100% with you there. of course when i am on the survivors side i can play well since it is the same a just playing campaign -- however i can't get a handle on playing as the Infected. Since there is no way for me to practice playing as the infected, I am constantly getting bitched at, called names, and kicked off by other players. i have tried to play this mode 5 or 6 times --- this same sh!t has happened every time. So i have just been sticking to the campaigns and a little bit of survival.

xmiyux

Are you guys playing on the 360?

I got in a Versus match with Corvin and Spiderbite and it was their first time playing Versus. Obviously we weren't competitive the first time but i was able to talk them through their characters and how to use them and we all had fun. we got owned that first game but it was a learning thing.

Honestly, just get in a party with some other rookies and have someone to show you the ropes. On the 360 you can even get in a big party of 5-8 and play Versus just among yourselves and practice it that way.

Giantrobo

This is what I need for L4D Versus and online gaming in general.

xmiyux

Well it isn't like i am awesome at the game, or even moderately good, but i am happy to talk through folks on Versus mode and basically explain how it works and practice with folks.

wlj

i would appreciate any help i can get --- add me to your friends list and whenever you are playing Versus and I am online please invite me to your game. thanks!!

Michael Corvin

I appreciated the 'walk-through' from miyu. I had tried it once before but with the same results as Panda Phil & wjl. One and done. It's definitely a mode where you need one knowledgeable person willing to teach the noobs. We only did one round, but I can already tell that the next time I play will be completely different since I know what's going on and what I'm supposed to be doing.

Also like you guys, being the survivor was fine when you don't know what's really going on and being the Infected blows. Once you know what the characters do and the goal, the Infected was far more fun to play.

xmiyux

Yeah, as an Infected you have to mind shift and realize that you are completely expendable and will die a ton. The goal is to pound the Survivors as much as possible as quickly as possible. Downing someone early is awesome but somewhat rare. Forcing them to use their med-kits early does the same thing.

Teaming up a Smoker and a Hunter is also somewhat effective if the Survivors aren't that organized. I have been a Smoker and pulled a straggler way back. Then they only send one guy to save him - which makes that one guy easy prey for a Hunter. End result is the whole party has to turn around and backtrack or lose two of their number. Stuff like that is where the game shines imo.

Also, in Versus, you develop a great appreciation for the Boomers. One well placed bile shot to draw the zombie hoard sows so much confusion it really helps the Smokers and Hunters tear up the outliers.

lordwow

And there are certain times where it's simply not possible to cause that much damage, especially as a lone hunter... but you can do important things like distract and delay, that hunter jumping sound is enough to send the entire team into a flurry of trying to catch you, even if you're not jumping at them. At least giving the rest of your team time to respawn.

The key, IMO, to winning at survival is to get the most respawns (thus, slow them down the most). The quicker they move through the level, the less chances you'll get to stop them.

xmiyux

Yeah, a good number of folks play Infected like they are lone wolves. you have to work together just like the Survivors do. Boomer leads a charge by obscuring their screen and clogging the area with zombies. Smoker picks the weakest and drags them out of the pack. Hunter can nail the one person the Boomer missed or whoever comes to rescue the Smoker target. A decent group could survive that attack but i can all but guarantee they will take more than just a tiny bit of damage. Most likely, someone will be limping or med packs will be burned up.

I will admit though, i play a terrible Tank. I have yet to get the hang of that character and often feel like i can't even find where the Survivors are.

GreenEggs248

If anyone wants to play sometime, PC version, add me to your steam list,

SteamID: GreenEggs248

Panda Phil

Thanks GreenEggs. I'll watch for you tonight. I've been playing on the PC pretty much against random players. I've been letting everyone know at the beginning of a match that I'm still learning Infected. Maybe thats the problem.

I did a little better my second try. Actually managed to kill a Survivor during an ambush. I dunno, I guess the hard part is getting my brain wrapped around the fact that I'm going to die quickly. Finding a good hiding place, just to die the moment I try to attack is just pound-the-keyboard frustration to me.
Unfortunately later when I spawned my Boomer on the wrong side of a locked door, there were more cries of "Dude, you suck!" and the fuckers voted me off.

I wish there was a way to set up Beginner and Advanced Versus servers.

Maxflier

Added you tonight GreenEggs248.
Just so you know though, I don't play versus mode at all. But please do look me up if you play some Co-Op Campaigns.

Panda Phil

May be old news, but if not I thought it might give you guys a chuckle.

K&AJones

Why Left 4 Dead and Its Sequel Won't Launch on PS3


From Teamxbox.......

Speaking to Loot Ninja, Valve's Game designer Tom Leonard explained the reason why Left 4 Dead and its sequel are only available on PC and Xbox 360:

The PC and the 360 are just more straightforward. We can focus on what we want to do, which is make game experiences, instead of sweating bullets over obscure architectural decisions they make with their platform. [...] I didn’t come into this business in the 90s because of some technical fetish. I came in because I wanted to give people experiences that made them have fun.

This is not the first time that Valve criticizes the PlayStation 3. Valve co-founder Gabe Newell has trashed Sony's PlayStation 3 several times, explaining that the complex architecture of the platform makes the development of games for that system a "waste of everybody’s time."

OUCH!!!!

Giantrobo

I'm no PS3 fan and I could give a shit if the PS3 gets L4D, but that article makes that guy sound kinda lame.

zerotl

I also want to try the new versus mode, if there's room for 1 more newbie, add me up pls.

XBL : Ang Colette

Panda Phil

I don't see a problem. If Sony's going to be dicks and make their system difficult to program for, then screw'em. Not like they systems hurting for games.

Besides, I'm glad Valve gives us computer users a break. Seems like most of the game community treats us PC gamers like red-headed step children.

Gizmo

Gees. Went online yesterday for literally 6 hours and never finished a single VS game. Either all my team mates left or the other team did. I got voted out by a "clan" because a witch attacked me - that the "clan" startled.

nemein

These days the regular campaign isn't much better. Only one of the groups I ran w/ last night actually tried to work together to get through the level (although there too most of them dropped out before the end but that could have been related to time). All the other groups seemed to be more into fighting each other than running the level...

Gizmo

My favorite was the guy on my team who refused to heal so he could get the health bonus at the end of the level. I kept telling the guy "if you die, we don't get any bonus for you making it or the extra 1.3 etc". He falls down, and I go to pick him up and a hunter runs out and hits me. Over and over and over. My other teammates just sit in a room and say "were gonna wait here for 10 minutes until some of them quit". Ugh.

spainlinx0

If you guys want to add me I will accept your requests. I often will just start my own lobby and boot anyone without a mic or who seems really annoying from the outset.

Also, I find it helps if you can get everyone to agree on an 8 person party. It's more fun if you can trashtalk the other team while killing them.

Giantrobo

Yeah I was on the other day and one of the players just started throwing Molotovs all around us. Nice....I had to quit at that point because it was too annoying.

Panda Phil

I guess I've been pretty lucky and haven't run into many serious griefers in Campaign mode. The couple of times I have run into guys just screwing around, I've just waited til I died then quietly dropped off.
Still haven't had the nerve to try Versus again. The folks on the official L4D forums seem to suggest just gettign a group of friends together to play with to avoid being hassled by idiots.

wlj

LOL I did a quick match in versus -- as soon as i entered and spawned i was "kicked"