I’ve been obsessing more than usual about Valve recently. Both due to excitement over their surprise L4D2 announcement (naw’leans FTW!), and dreams of one day working there.
Here’s a random rant/thought about the strange slams they’ve been receiving over L4D2, with some ideas (for fan fiction, if nothing else).
:
since xbox 360 players are the main complainers, openly slamming your upcoming game every chance they get, you have to get them on board now. These are the same children who applaud cutscenes as if they were in-game renders. To get them to salivate, I’d recommend capturing their imaginations with character stories, rather than holding back treats about the game.
(they say the first game was broken on xbox, you try to point out what’s fixed and what’ll be new. but it would be better to just change the discussion to your terms).
Tell a series of quick stories : Left for dead, too.
(each focuses on the last person a core character had to leave for dead. Each could also tease a possible explanation for the overall outbreak, Louisiana style. And they should each be so different that you can’t decide which you want to play more).
Redneck
(i’d do him first, as he is most likely to be percieved as racist idiot. champion him to slap people’s perceptions around).
He is working in the shop, spinning a wrench with the ease that a spy spins a butterfly knife. talking to his uncle karl about getting out of this small town (maybe heading to tashii station). Maybe join the military like Biggsby. But he doesn’t really want to kill anyone. Hold lord is that Biggsby? back on leave? Biggs!
While properly adorned in uniform, biggsby is groaning and blood drips from his mouth. He has just eaten Unkle karl’s throat.
Redneck drops the garage doors, and leaps back as they buckle out. throws his wrench. Looks around wildlly.
(perhaps he is seen finishing off a doobie at the start, to appeal to the stoner xboxers)
Coach
goes outside his high school zone to try and reach the kids. Finds them in some creepy alley, seemingly surrounded by voodoo. Playing dice? it’s not clear. but they are harassing lttle tarron. Not just harrassing, they are trying to eat him. While Coach tries to talk them down, and ask about the voodoo, they take a couple bites out of Tarron. Coach grabs Tarron and runs off towards the school. Coach barrels through a school door and looks back. Tarron? Son? Tarron barrels in through a window and chases coach (ala a hallway chase in The Faculty). Coach tricks the fast Tarron into sliding into a clost, and locks him in. “I’ll, uh, I’ll come back for you, Kid.”
(alternately Tarron never changes, so it is more poignant to abandon him? they are just chased by the zombullies? … this idea is mostly hammering the correlations to the character from The Wire)
Reporter
Starts in the thick of a riot. Her camera man is the star of this short. Heroically kicking ass left and write. Gettig it all on film. Seeing the zombie infection spread like lightening through the already deadly crowd.Ordering her around. slightly sexist. In the end he gets himself killed and he she, having played it smart and gotten up on a ledge, doesn’t lend a hand. She just mutters “asshole” and walks off while he screams about the footage.
Gambler
A sexy blonde lowers her cards to reveal she isn’t wearing much. Gambler lowers his cards and says “looks like you win again, Mon Chere.” He takes off his last garment. She giggles. And all hell breaks loose outside (the casino/brothel?). He runs to the window. eyes go wide. We don’t see what he saw, but blood sprays the window, blocking out the sun. He starts packing. she starts packing. (he notably grabs a Hoyle’s book of games book, as a nod to DeadLand’s luck-magic?)
…(not sure how to make him seem like Sawyer. a loveable bastard).
they run down hallway. Fire is spreading. And zombies are killing whores. He swings open a door just in time to stop a thrown fire axe from hitting one of them. In the end it’s a choice between two exits. He looks at her, frowning and gesturing with his hand to offer ‘two choices, which?’. Maybe she is implied to be like his mentor. maybe she caresses his face and goes in for the kiss. Maybe he opens his eyes just in time to see she’s being bitten on the far side, and her lips spread to reveal the disease spreading fast. he pulls back just in time to avoid have his lips chewed off. Her eyes open, dead. He punches her in the face. “Looks like you lose after all, girl.” He is out the exit, having chosen wisely.
(maybe put in nods to XBLA here, as if the casino/brothel is a live action XBLA?)
…
Also, would be sweet to sell some L4D2 costumes for your Avatars (and LBP?). First a one person zombie set. then a Character specific set. then special infected set?