I’m very happy with the new game. I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t keep the original 4 characters (I grew attached to them after 300+ hours…) but I like the new ones too. I think the opening cinematic is fantastic, I watch at least once a week to get a little boost.
I agree with Beef that setting the level in Versus should be allowed, though I think I’d make it agreed to by both sides (like the rematch feature) instead of a simple majority like most of the voting in the game. I like the new special infected though I feel really inept as the Charger 95% of the time. It’s kind of comical and sad at the same time to see him get tripped up and bounce off a soda can on the ground or an ash tray.
The second game, in my opinion, definitely makes you switch up weapons more often than you would in the first. I’m constantly running out of ammo and having to switch up weapons. This is exceedingly annoying when you’ve got a laser sight and are, apparently, only competent enough to put it on your weapon, not take it off to transfer it to another one. Melee weapons are fun and useful in situations, but I still gravitate to the pistols more. Since they increased the damage that it takes to kill commons I’ve also had to improve my accuracy if I want to stay alive.
I’ve been having a lot of fun with Survivor mode. I think it’s overlooked by many because, in essence, you can’t win. I’ve found it a great training ground for how to deal with special infected and especially tanks. I think my game has improved significantly by running around like a moron trying to avoid Smokers, and Tanks and Chargers, oh my!
I wish one of the maps was more like the original’s. I like the wide open maps with alternate routes and all, but a tightly cramped city-scape is fun too. I really hope when they do the DLC they give us some maps with no ambient light level (you can only see from light sources like a lamp post or your flashlights) as I think that would make it creepier than heck and an interesting challenge.
Waiting for everyone to get the courage up to do Expert campaigns. I regret not finishing that in the first one. I realize it’ll probably take a 3+ hour sitting (and therefore advanced planning) but I like the challenge.
Now, if I can only figure out how on earth you get “Level a Charge”…
Been bummed I have not got in more Doper games lately. Beef has sent me a few invites but I am invariably away from my PC when they come in unfortunately.
I did get on a server the other night where cheats were clearly in use. I charged and pummeled a guy mercilessly to very near death at which point he popped up at full health and continued on. Was not a fluke, was zapping people left and right who magically regained full health so gave up on that game pretty quick.
My only real complaint is I think the Jockey is too weak. He should do a bit more damage than he does currently. I have gotten a few good, long Jockey rides in but they can seem interminable before the person I am on goes down.
I would also say shotgun range needs to be severely nerfed. It is a close range, high damage weapon. I have been picked off at surprisingly long range by them nonetheless. Things should be wholly ineffective outside of 15 yards or so.
It’s harder than that–it’s kill a charger with a melee weapon while he’s charging. There’s got to be some trick to it that I haven’t discovered yet, either.
In VS mode, it takes two melee weapon hits to kill a charger. So to get the achievement you need to hit the charger with 4-5 sniper shots or equivalent damage, and then connect with a melee weapon as he is in the charge animation.
Also, regarding expert, it is much more difficult than in LFD1. Tanks are not as indestructible, but the crescendos like the roller coaster or the run to the concert hall are far more difficult, since you have to move to finish the map. Some have taking to leaving the game running in between sessions so that thy don’t have to repeat earlier chapters. Also, I have heard that the “join while in safe room” from the dashboard works, but haven’t verified. Not sure if that exploit works on the PC.
Have to say I am enjoying this game alot. I too miss the old characters, but I love the new ones as well. Ellis is my favorite, the redneck with the heart of gold stereotype.
I can confirm that for Level a Charge achievement you don’t have to do all the damage to the charger, just the final blow. I don’t have it yet, but I saw a teamate get it while I was shooting the charger and they finished him with a katana.
AFAIK, only server admins can cheat. But yes, I’ve seen shit like that, too. As soon as it becomes obvious the entire team quits anyway, so what’s the point?
Well, it goes one of two ways. Either they’re really super tough (apartment building ledges) or they’re damned near useless. Thing is, the times where they’re super tough make up less than one percent of the game.
Are you sure you weren’t on a modded server. Some mods in L4D & L4D2 implement a points system into the game where players are awarded points if they do well. Those points can then be used for things like insta-healing or getting the hunter off you if you’re pounced. Can be fun but usually I just switch to another game.
Got Guardin’ Gnome with my son last night, although he was the only one who survived the finale. Lost count of how many zombies he meleed with that gnome, though!
Prior to the finale, he dropped the gnome near where the chopper lands and picked up a gun. After the big fireworks finale, we moved over to the chopper landing zone and coordinated pipebombs to clear the area, but two tanks spawning almost simeoultaneously meant only one of us was going to get aboard.
The jockey is a lot like the smoker. It’s rarely a damage dealer, but it is a fantastic separator. Teaming up with the boomer is great. Jockeys are also great delayers, especially in places where the survivors have to fight through commons or where the area is congested and they can’t get a clear shot.
I figure it’s like early LFD1 – people hated being the boomer; the hunter was the “badass” special. It goes the other way for good players now. Jockeys are the same way – super effective team players and poor by themselves.
The jockey can be extremely useful… occasionally. Most of the time it sucks. I don’t like the way you have to be right up in someone’s shit sniffing their crotch in order to jump them. But occasionally you get a ridiculously awesome jockey ride where you take a survivor halfway back to their starting area or run them off a ledge at a critical time.
The problem with the jockey isn’t that he can’t do anything, the problem is that the Charger and the Smoker just do it better. He’s got the weaknesses of both of the others and not much of the way of his own strengths to offset it. The charger has the health to survive getting close, and when he strikes, he takes people far away, fast. If he sends people over an edge, they don’t just grab the edge, they’re usually instantly dead, with the potential of multi-kills if more than one is hit. The smoker also does weak damage (yet still more damage than the jockey) but he has the safety of striking from long range and odd angles, which makes him harder to clean off. The only thing the jockey has going for him over the others is that he can potentially steer around corners, which is awfully situational considering his drawbacks. He also doesn’t have the silent movement of the hunter, with which to set up an attack.
The jockey just doesn’t seem to have a unique role. You could remove him from the game entirely and it wouldn’t really play any differently.