Brief on the L4D Project so far - Plus Mini Update

Hi Everyone, 

I'm sure you've all heard about this project of ours that's underway, the Left 4 Dead one that is. Now, we've been working on this for a bit longer than expected, mostly due to some delays.

Besides those setbacks, the project will be going ahead regardless.


But firstly, this is a custom Left 4 Dead map, which will be still packaged as a .vpk, and with a custom poster, however containing only one level (or two if there's too much to fit in with the restraints of maximum detail in each level), which is to be set in a suburban outcropping with a nearby school housing the final parts of the map. 

An early view of the school part of the map.

  There will be points at which the players will be forced to make a decision (ie. "Branch event"), with a set of two possible outcomes that are possible with each situation. As a result, for which ever choice that the players make, an appropriate challenge and reward will be offered to the players in order to progress.

This gameplay structure alone can offer various means of freedom for each playthrough for the players, with a complementary navigation mesh that covers all possible outcomes. By adding to the depth of exploration, this structure lets the players in on what it might mean to actually be a 'survivor' and the decisions made or ignored in a post-apocalyptic scenario.

While it might seem like quite ambitious for Left 4 Dead's linear film-style progression, our team believes that we can make our 'decision-based' structure work within Left 4 Dead whilst maintaining the atmospheric feel and themes of the game. The actual technical background of our efforts to get this structure working won't be revealed until our project is nigh-complete, of course.

Although, if we may interest you in hearing that unlike most 'survival' type maps for Left 4 Dead, our map and the adjustable narrative amidst the dystopian location have been simultaneously developed with immersion and appropriate themes, motifs and other literary elements in mind to engage the players. What will result of this narrative might not be totally evident to the players as they delve further into their dynamic experience, though it will be notable nonetheless.

Recent Progress

In a brief picture timeline in a rough chronological order, we'll take a look at the evolution of the map so far, ending this post with our most recent work:

 Blocking Process and Testing out the concept.

 

The built environment begins to take shape with some details.

Expansion of the school portion of the map.

Designing the windows, walls, doors, and general exterior of 'Hall Rooms'.

Finishing off the main exterior of the 'Hall Rooms'.

The first of many custom graffiti (subject to alteration of course).

Finally, our most recent progress with stairs and exterior construction of the 'Hall Rooms' is complete. There's more to come with the interiors and lighting tweaks, so this might not look the same with the first playable version of the map.

So that's all we've got time for at the moment,

Hope to see you later on next week for another update,

Jon aka "Atamarashi" (Team Member of Blitz Design)