Will the Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott Survive?

With Valve’s announcement of Left 4 Dead 2 came the announcement from a group of fans that they would be boycotting the zombie survival game sequel. But are their demands reasonable, or are they the mindless groans of an army of soulless meat puppets?

Sorry, that came off a bit rude. I was just trying to segue.

Left 4 Dead was one of last year’s most popular multiplayer games, pitting four survivors against the zombie horde in a post-apocalyptic world. With its wide popularity one would think that the announcement of a new and improved sequel would have fans excited, and without a doubt many are. But many fans are also downright rabid at the proposal of a new L4D. Rabid like the lifeless zombie hordes that yearn for brain matter.

I’m sorry, I did it again. Very unbecoming of me. I didn’t mean for things to get out of hand like that.

So what’s the deal? Why are the fans upset by the release of more of one of their favourite games?

Well, the fans are only angry because they love. They love L4D, and they want more of it. For free. The situation is not simple, but the problem seems to have its roots in a promise Valve made around the release of the first L4D. Valve claimed that they would consistently release free downloadable content for L4D, expanding the world with new levels and so on, in much the same way they’ve been doing for Team Fortress 2. Valve have made one free content update so far, adding a survival mode and some versus campaigns, but other than that the only new content fans have received news of is the not-so-free sequel. Cue boycott. Also cue shrill tenor note as decomposed hands burst through wall.

So what are the terms of this gaming resistance-movement? Lucky for us, the ravenous horde of almost 30,000 boycotters currently have something of a manifesto on the Steam forums, which explains their position.

So what do the disgruntled fans have to say? First, they make two acknowledgments: they recognize that Valve must make money, and that Judgment cannot be passed on the quality of Left 4 Dead 2 until its release, which is to say that the fans don’t really know if L4D2 will be worth what it costs until they actually get a chance to play it. Fair enough, you army of hungry zombie-gamers.

Now on to the good stuff: the accusations! The L4D2 boycott also plans to hold Valve to its promise of free downloadable content. The question of whether or not Valve has a duty to release free DLC depends on what the game was explicitly advertised to include and what the reasonable buyer would expect to get from it, and it’s hard to say whether Valve’s announcement of free DLC, which came after the release of the game, is part of those considerations. But it is safe to say that, whether or not Valve is required to release free DLC, it would be admirable of them to follow up on their plans and would leave a good impression on the mobs of bloodthirsty, groaning fans, whose arms are outstretched, reaching for more gaaaaaaames.

Is this whole fans as zombies metaphor getting old? I don’t care.

So far so good. But the L4D boycott makes another claim: that the release of L4D2 will split the online communities of L4D, making the online experience less enjoyable, and as such, Valve should not release L4D2 as a new game.

This is where things start to get messy, like the aftermath of a zombie ah forget it. You get the point.

First of all, if this is in fact a genuine concern, then the release of any sequel will result in community splitting. Stating that Valve should not release a sequel to a game, because doing so will reduce the quality of the online experience of its predecessor, is unreasonable, because it implies that game developers should not ever release sequels to online games. If reducing the quality of online play is something developers should not do, and releasing a sequel does as much, then developers shouldn’t be allowed to release sequels. This contradicts the boycott’s first acknowledgment that Valve is a company with financial needs and cannot be expected to survive without the release of new games. It’s also just clearly a bizarre claim.

This also doesn’t take into account the fact that the release of games from other companies can very well reduce the quality of online play by splitting communities. World of Warcraft split the communities of countless MMORPGs that came before it, lowering the quality of play for people who paid for an online experience with other games, but no developers were expected to somehow uphold the integrity of a gaming community, outside of making a place where a community can develop.

The fact is that the existence of an online community is not the responsibility of the developer of a game. Valve had a responsibility to make a playable multiplayer game with an interface that enabled players to connect –that is, they had a responsibility to facilitate a place for a community to develop– but no responsibility to somehow hold together a group of people. This is simply out of the control of a game developer, since things like the release of competing games, player interest, and many other outside factors will affect a community. A community is made up of people with the ability to make their own choices of what they will play, so it would be unreasonable to claim that Valve has a responsibility to hold such a thing together.

The boycott also claims that The announced content of Left 4 Dead 2 does not warrant a stand-alone, full-priced sequel and should instead become updates (free or otherwise) for Left 4 Dead. This is in direct contradiction with their acknowledgment that judgment cannot be passed on L4D2 until it is released. The simple fact of the matter is that no one knows yet whether L4D2 is a warranted sequel. We have seen a few screenshots and a trailer, but until people play it and reviews are released, the boycott cannot reasonably claim that L4D2 does not warrant a stand-alone release, especially when they themselves say that the value of L4D2 is as of yet unknown. The demand that L4D2 should be released as DLC is undermined by the fact that they simply don’t know what L4D2 will be like.

Finally, the boycott claims that L4D2 will make its predecessor obsolete. Again, this claim contradicts the earlier claims that judgment should not be passed on L4D2 and that L4D2 does not warrant a stand-alone sequel.

Again, the supporters of the boycott simply don’t know the quality of L4D2, and so can’t make claims about whether it will make the precursor obsolete. Further, if L4D2 is not warranted as a sequel to the first game –that is to say, if it is so similar to the first game that it should be included in the first game– it cannot make it obsolete; the sequel would have to be better than the first game to make it obsolete. Essentially, the boycott claims that L4D2 will be of such close quality to the first game that it shouldn’t even be a sequel, but also that it will be such a good quality sequel that it will make the first game obsolete. The boycott can’t have it both ways, but that is what they demand.

Just like a brainless zombie horde would.

Dammit, I did it again. Really, this is embarrassing.

Anyway, the supporters of the boycott are angry, but they’re also being unreasonable. They demand free DLC from Valve, which is fair enough, but go too far in demanding that Valve essentially never release a sequel to L4D. The only promise Valve made was to release free DLC for the first game, and as long as they do that they are free to make sequels as well. There is room for both, and the claim that Valve has a duty to not release a sequel to their game because they claimed free DLC would be available for it is quite a leap. It simply doesn’t follow that because Valve promised free DLC that a sequel is unfair or unwarranted.

In the end, the boycotters are free to boycott, and Valve is free to make a sequel and release free DLC for L4D. The result will be either that L4D2 is great and is worth buying, or it will not be worth buying and all the L4D1 players who boycotted it will be able to continue playing their favourite game with free updates. Everybody wins!

Except for those who have been consumed by the throngs of ruthless zombies.

Left 4 Dead DLC Revealed

It has been a few months since Left 4 Dead first launched, but so far information on downloadable content has been nill. That changed earlier this month, when new Left 4 Dead DLC, aptly named Survival was announced in a Valve press release.  According to the press release, the survival pack is set for release sometime this spring, and will contain two new versus maps, or rather the re-releasing of the two non-versus campaigns (Death Toll and Dead Air) for use in versus mode. A new game mode named Survival will also be included in the pack, although no details have been released (Is it a survival, Nazi Zombies like infinite enemies defend the base type mode? Only time will tell). The press release also mentioned the Left 4 Dead Source Development Kit, which will allow third party modders to create content with less difficulty then before.

On top of all that, in the press release was mention of a Critic’s Choice edition of the game that includes the DLC, and likely some extra goodies. So, if you’ve saved out on buying Left 4 Dead, but are considering it, you might want to hold out a bit longer, since the Critic’s Choice Edition is set for release this spring.

(The Press Release can be read here)

Top Five Moments – Left 4 Dead

Five best moments in Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead has come and we’ve been killing zombies for over a month now. After sitting down for some long nights and entertaining LAN parties, I’ve opted to state the five best, funniest, or frankly most awesome things to happen with me and my group. Without further ado, number five:

5) Boomer Teabag: If you thought being puked on was bad

It was an epic defeat, the team (in versus) had barely just left the safe house, with three of their members pinned, and the boomer quickly took care of the other. Although it may not have much of a use, the Boomer can squat So, if your team happens to be doing particularly well, and the boomer is feeling cocky, a boomer teabag may be in order. Now, don’t think that I condone this activity: it’s unsportsmanlike, rude, braggish, and all around disgusting in all games. However, to see this giant fat zombie squat up and down on the face of a human survivor as his team around him is killed as he struggles to try and save someone, it’s hard to not be entertained. Although, sadly, his gut does not bounce like a bowl full of jelly.

4) Hunter Overshot: If a zombie could fail

Imagine the scene, at the top of No Mercy hospital: I’m dangling off an edge, knocked back and covered in vomit. When it all clears out my teammate comes to rescue me. Up on top of a nearby building I see a hunter and yell, Watch out! Which soon is blocked out by the ever familiar cry of the hunter as it pounces for the kill

Only for the awesomeness of the scene to be interrupted as the hunter overshot and flew off the edge of the building. The irony was ever present, the hunter’s greatest weapon turning into it’s demise. Speaking of great weapons

3) Epic Duel 1 on 1 with the Tank: When you promise your team you’ll kill it.

So there I was, my teammate was on the ground, all of the others were dead. Cries of, you can make it, you can make it! rang out from the mouths of the deceased. Just as I started to pick up my friend (the only one still breathing), a tank came rushing down the corridor, barely avoiding a hunter, and hitting a boomer from afar. I strafed around and dueled to the death with the tank. Man had become the winner after an epic battle and a spent Molotov. But alas, I knew I could not make it. It was still a long run to the house of reprieve. So, I decided I’d not let myself get turned into a zombie, because I’ve killed too many. Surely I wouldn’t be invited to any of their zombie games (read: Hordes). Picking up my teammate’s Pipe Bomb (he bled out), I headed to the crescendo event.

Soon enough, after gathering all of the gas tanks at a crescendo event, I activated it, and as I was engulfed by zombies I threw down a pipe bomb, killing myself and all of the zombies in the process. I feel as if it was  an epic Left 4 Dead story that always makes me think that I did the right thing.  (Note: I didn’t earn an achievement as my incapacitated buddy helped, but I think it’s for the best. Achievement Unlocked would’ve totally killed the epicness.)

2) Run. Like. Hell.
We finally made it to the safe house with three of my team members. Another one was slowly weaving his way around a witch. Suddenly, a hunter pounced at him (albeit missing), startled, he startled her. Rings of, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit were screamed over a headset as he jumped down and made a mad dash for his life down the narrow alley towards safety. Don’t close the door! he screamed, as the witch was wailing and flailing, right on his tail. My entire team of survivors were unloading their clips into the beast, shots impacting my friend, and just at the last second, screams of, Don’t close the door! changed to, Shut it! and it just kept her out, with sighs of relief and praises of life. . . Then we saw the rewards screen and were reminded we were only playing a video game.

1) No Mercy Finale: No Man gets Left Behind (Zoey included).

The ever wanted and loved sound of, the helicopter’s here! rings out and the team decide to run for it. Prepared to leave, people can often get cocky and not stick with the group. Me and three teammates made a break for it as another one administered first aid (to himself.) Little did he know of what was about to happen. As we ran he tried to catch up, but as we were all in the copter, a Molotov had been thrown. The survivor took it, and kept on running through. Suddenly, the tongue of a smoker stretched out through the fire. Damnit ran through all of the team members’ minds, except for one. No man gets left behind. He yelled, as he ran through the blazing inferno, saving the friend, but getting knocked down from his burns.

The other survivor bent down to return the favor, but just then the squeal of a soaring hunter was ever apparent through the growls of running undead, and it was on target, and the currently incapacitated survivor struggled to shoot the flaming hunter off of him. Now both were low on health, the one man taking pain pills, we then saw them run through the fire, with one of them limping. The other holding back the horde as the tanks began to rush up to the landing, my entire team was now spurring lead, and they jumped into the helicopter and got once last glance at the once imposing zombies. That’s when we made it; that’s when we all made it.

Thus concludes the list of the top five awesome-est moments in Left 4 Dead. Although many of them are personal moments, I’m sure that at least somebody will get some enjoyment from reading the adventures of the survivors, and I know that I enjoyed experiencing them.

But! That’s not the end of it, if any of you Zmogo readers play Left 4 Dead and have some epic, scary, awesome or funny stories, feel free to share them in the comment box below. Look forward to some more ” Top Five Moments” In the future.

(All images are copyright Valve)
~Riley
P.S.: None of the images are screencaps as I played it on Xbox Live.