The one major distraction point (the trailer) is one of the clearest learning opportunities for players who don’t understand the importance of constant motion. It affords only optimal, unilinear movement. It’s early in the campaign, so it’s a straight, narrow line in an exterior setting designed primarily to set the mood and help a newly formed team build trust. This is one of the best maps for new players to run in order to learn basic mechanics. This level is basically a “track”-type space in Nitsche’s dichotomy. Play in this level is much more complex in Versus than it is in Campaign mode, because the foliage and surrounding ravines provide tactical opportunities for the Infected team. The final L-shaped sprint to the saferoom opens visibility but also threatens to pull the team apart as injured teammates lag behind. Lingering here often triggers a Horde, exacerbated by Boomers that hide behind the trailer or off in the woods to the right. Midway through the level is a trailer, which sometimes contains medical supplies. Boomers and Smokers hide among these trees, pulling players into the darkness or leading them astray through blindness. Movement through the first half of the map often proceeds slowly, as the group clusters together to eliminate straying common Infected that come running out of the woods and onto the path. The white dots at the beginning of the stage represent dense forest. The best way to minimize casualties-the implied goal of the game’s design-is to move at a constant pace, as a group, along the shortest path possible.įigure 5.1 shows the first level of the “Blood Harvest” campaign, which takes place primarily outdoors. Our only purpose for even recognizing paths as non-optimal is that enemies never stop spawning in Left 4 Dead (except right before finales). Passing next to a Witch usually ends in disaster, but they typically rest in places that can be wholly avoided by choosing a less optimal path. The major secondary causes of diversion are Witches. This selection and location process changes on each attempt at the level, meaning it cannot be memorized therefore, the primary temptation to follow red lines is to look for these items. The Director decides which of these items to provide, then randomizes their location throughout the level. One must understand a few things about the way the AI Director works in order to understand why experienced players would ever stray from the blue, optimal path.įirst, items such as ammunition, explosives, pain pills, and med-packs can be scattered anywhere throughout the level. Yellow dots represent places to remain still during attacks from Hordes. Yellow lines in the fourth map signify the “scatter” pattern needed to survive Tanks during the scene’s finale. White highlights delineate accessible space, and white lines signify obstructions (some of which can be entered or climbed upon). Red lines represent distractions from this optimal path. The blue line represents the most efficient pathway through the level.
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In order to understand various types of modular level design in Left 4 Dead, we will make use of a series of maps below. In exterior spaces, disorientation comes primarily from partial decreases in visibility due to foliage or detritus. These spaces afford strafing-the ability to physically pan sideways around an obstruction or threat-but they typically funnel the player to a single ultimate destination. The exteriors, on the other hand, provide better visibility and a single general axis of motion. It is also difficult to see upcoming dangers when indoors, as special Infected have numerous ways to hide themselves around corners or behind objects until they are ready to strike.
These multilinear spaces encourage exploration, but they also have the potential to feel like mazes that disorient and separate players. While moving through the interiors, players often have multiple distinct avenues to choose from. Left 4 Dead alternates narrow interior spaces with open exteriors. Īnybody familiar with the work of Anna Anthropy might recognize this as an introductory attempt to do for 3D maps what she does for 2D maps.
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If you’d like a copy of the full document, please email me: chungkingDOTespressoATgmailDOTcom (because of copyright issues, please make sure to give me your full name and your website when you send the email). This is a section from my critique of Left 4 Dead in my Master’s thesis, “The Judgment of Procedural Rhetoric.” I’m posting snippets here on my blog to drum up interest in the rest of the work.
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