A handful of the whiniest members of the infamous 41,848-strong Left 4 Dead 2 boycott group have been flown out to Seattle by Valve to play the game. In case you've missed the fun, the soap opera started back in June, when L4D "fans" complained that the swift sequel would "split the communities and decrease the quality of multiplayer gaming" in Valve's shooter.
Now that the developer's paid for two of the group's moderators - dubbed 'Walking_Target' and 'Agent of Chaos' (guess which one's which!) - to fly to its Bellevue HQ and stay in a plush Hotel (well, the Hyatt anyway). The super fans have expectedly changed their tune:
"Valve took the course of Facta Non Verba [that's Latin for "deeds, not words" apparently - oo-err] in dealing with myself and Agent of Chaos. Rather than trying to explain everything via email, they invited us out to their offices in Bellevue, Washington. That alone speaks of a developer that really does care about its fanbase."
Left 4 Dead Survival mode #3
Gameplay footage
0:50Ah, now we get to some action...
Left 4 Dead Survival mode #3
Gameplay footage
0:50Ah, now we get to some action...
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On L4D2 itself, the newly-converted haters report: "Things seemed balanced and 'tight' and did not feel like a rushed job. While we were visiting their offices we personally witnessed what can only be called a small army of artists, coders, mappers hard at work, which explains the rapid transformations in artwork that we've all seen.
"What we can say with confidence is that the quality of gameplay in Left 4 Dead 2 is not in question; and it will only get better".
Expectedly, the 41,846 other members of the L4D2 boycott group aren't very happy about the selling out of their peers ("way to sell out"). Agent of Chaos and co. have been forced to defend themselves.
"No, we didn't pay for flights or hotels, and we are fully aware of how that looks. however, anybody who has had to spend more than 2 hours in an airplane can tell you it's no treat. Nor is getting the sh*ts from different water and food in another part of the country, that's always fun."
Different food and water? They're hardly world travellers. Poor lads...
Not even worth criticising these guys really. Even thought they have made themselves look like t**s. It just goes to show that 90% of what people write on the internet is absolute s**te. People posing under alter ego's expressing opinions and kneejerk reactions to everything in a manner which they wouldn't dream of in everyday life. When I heard about the boycott I could sympathise to a degree because people were shocked at the fast turnaround and their opinions at the time were valid. To boycott the game is dumb however.
I honestly don't know why I found that so amusing....perhaps it's the fact that he referred to the other guy as 'Agent of Chaos', when you know his name is probably Dave. Could you imagine the conversation on the flight over there? 'Yes, I'll have a coke and Agent of Chaos would like a Fanta'.
Still, fair play to Valve - they didn't have to do that....a pretty decent olive branch, if you ask me.
good plan valve. In theory. problem is that p**sed of fan boys are like the skeletons from Jason and the argonauts cut one in half and two more i'll take its place.
Or maybe they're more like zombies, you might of cut this lumbering beasts head off, but its body will still stumble around tring to kick you in the nuts.
It'd be best if you released some kind of open Beta like you did with the first. If they had the chance to play it llike these guys did i'm sure alot more of them would change thier tune.
I also love how they defend themselves by suggesting that going on a plane is no picnic.
Was thinking that myself. Year ago I did 9 hours London to Cincinnati, then another couple of hours to Tennessee's TriCities. That was my first transatlantic trip ever.
A couple of hours, free of charge, to be one of the first people in the world to play a game you know will sell by the boatload, probably to end up in the credits for the trouble, is hardly a major upset to your life.
I can't stand all those crappy gamer tags with KAOS, CYKO, K1LLA and all that rubbish.
Rappers with those kinds of name are useless and you're not even rappers. And Simon Cowells company is called Syko - look what company you're in!
Typical internet really, shouting your mouth off annd the like when you're stuck behind an anoymous user name, but then when you actually have to actually be yourself, they are strangely quiet. I thought the whole L4D2 boycott was way, way OTT.
And travelling on a plane for two hours and getting the trots because you're not drinking the same water as back home? God, some Americans need to see more of America by the sounds of it, let alone the rest of the world!
Boy did that put a smile on my face. could you imagine how sheepish they must have felt in the lions den haha, great story. i kinda get the whole boycott thing but more before the sdk was released. i do understand why people feel shortchanged as valve always promised more content and pc gamer even mentioned it in their review stating that l4d would be a very different game in a years time. they where right, its called left 4 dead 2
I have little interest in it and was damn near knocked off my feet when it was announced but valve can release a sequel if they want
this is the funniest thing iv'e heard all week after all the crap making this boycott group these two idiots are probally going to be the first in line to buy the game lol
While I'm on the side of the boycott, these two clearly were in their comfort zone complaining on the internet and never had the guts to address their complaints directly in person. Well done to Valve for taking the boycott leaders in to calm all this down, and boo to those two cowards for not asking Valve the tough questions.
I'm not worried about it being polished, it's new levels for a game they released last year with a few gameplay tweaks.
I just would've preferred a bit more DLC for the original (like something new that's not a couple of levels you can breeze through in 15 minutes), a few of the more-critical bugs to be fixed (like if you are kicked from the game for whatever reason L4D still thinks you're inside, so you can't rejoin), and the SDK to have been released much, much earlier.
This is bulls**t. I've been a fan of Valve for freaking years. The reason I wasn't bitching with the boycotters is that Valve have gained alot of brownie points with me over time. So because I'm not a whiny bitch I don't get a flight to the Valve offices?
Bad form, Valve. You've let down your loyal customers. What's more you've invited the internet to bitch at you more and more in hopes of getting a free holiday. And you f**king deserve it.
Look at them, standing there with Gabe like a couple of disgusting, ignorant pigs. I agree with Hangman, if I was working for Valve, I would have waited for them to exit and then rushed them in the forecourt and bash the f**k out of them.
Who's the dude with the sweat under his gut? Im willing to bet that's one of the moderators... way to break the cliche, pal. If i'm right, who's the other one?
Who's the dude with the sweat under his gut? Im willing to bet that's one of the moderators... way to break the cliche, pal. If i'm right, who's the other one?
anybody who has had to spend more than 2 hours in an airplane can tell you it's no treat.
I regularly fly by Delta Airlines to see my bro in America (Georgia) and have a very pleasant flight actually. It's 8 1/2 hours but they treat you very well and you get nice in-flight movies, drinks and food. I think he needs to change his carrier.
Looks like they have just been shown what actually goes on behind the scenes of a games company. It's easy to complain when you don't have a clue how the industry works and what that kind of job entails.
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