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Left 4 Dead 2 Interview: Part 2
The final part of our interview with the humble Chet Faliszek. Today we talk about product placement and mods
Written by Andy Griffiths, 29 October 2009
GamerZines: Do you see Left 4 Dead 2 as an entry level game? Solely due to the fact that the concept of zombies is so universal.
Chet Faliszek: That's the cool thing, you know you don't have to explain or say it's an evil corporation or anything like that. People already know what to do and they make really good fodder. It's definitely something that excels from an ease of entry point of view.
GZ: Since the release of Left 4 Dead 1 it seems as though you're going for a more competitive aspect.
CF: There is some of that in Left 4 Dead 2 but we're statistic freaks. I think a lot of people thought players would go for co-op and then versus but in reality people play more co-op than versus, because it's a social thing. You hook up with your friends you went to college with or we've heard stories of a guy using the game to propose to his wife. We've had long distance husbands and wives playing the game because it's like a chatroom where there are more things to do than just chat. So we've done more with co-op but we still have new stuff for competitive players like Scavenge mode, which is shorter and more intense. Versus games can be very long and if I tell my wife I'm going to play versus she knows I'm coming to be until late and it's true. Even with Crash Course it still ends up being an hour, So we wanted something much quicker and that's what Scavenge is all about. You can jump into fifteen minutes of competitive play and it's over, or you can do another round if you like.
GZ: Is there any user generated content out there that immediately stands out in your mind. Stuff which people have to check out?
CF: There's tons of stuff out there that's really cool like Dan It and Death Aboard all linked to the right and those guys are going to have new content really soon, so your readers should check that out. One of the really cool things is getting early builds from those guys and seeing that they really understand the fun of the world.
GZ: Are there any differences to the story approach this time around, or do you wish to maintain your subtlety?
CF: I think if you go back and watch the Twilight Zone, they're very slow and obvious with stories which are very deliberate. One of the great things is that gamers are very sophisticated at understanding stories. You can do this over a months worth of play and people will get a picture of the overall story despite not getting it all at once. Players who have put in the time getting all the nuance and all the little things you'll only get once in one hundred play throughs. We want the depth for people who play like that because that's how we play. You don't want a huge story up front which you'll forget about and your like " I'm just going to shoot the dudes in front of me." So it was deliberate in the first one, to throw you into the world and let you learn about the fiction as you go. In 2 we give you a little more setup, but it's all about the gameplay and finding out things as you progress, or not if you just want to shoot zombies.
GZ: So it's all about layers and repeated play throughs...
PCGZine Issue 37
For our latest Left 4 Dead coverage, click here to download PCGZine Issue 37 for free.CF: We're definitely giving you a little bit of that with new hints that allude to something bigger going on, which people can start figuring out.
GZ: The involvement with Depeche Mode was a big deal at the time. How did that come about?
CF: For the character of Michelle we were looking for what she liked and who she should be. One of our design guys was listening to Santigold and she fit the character - like an eighties throwback and he was like that's really cool. We should totally do that and we did. I think the first sketch was with Morrissey head actually and then we thought there's a whole bunch of iconic bands she could be into so we contacted them. Literally everyone we called were asking for NDA's and then we called Depeche Mode and they were like, "Yeah you can have whatever you want. You want our music too? Go ahead take it." Then we were like "Really?" and they assured us we could use whatever we want. They got it, they totally got it and they are super smart guys who thought it would be cool to be in the game. On the Xbox 360 you can win a reward for one of the achievements which is a Depeche Mode t-shirt.
GZ: Did you guys ever think about chucking in a Depeche Mode song in there?
CF: In some ways yes, but in others no. We had an idea that if you use a jukebox in the game you'll get some different music. If we put the music in it would be like we were taking it too far and we'd need thirty other bands or else we are playing favourites. There we a good three or four weeks in the office where we were listening to Depeche Mode to decide what music we'd put in the Jukebox.
GZ: How do you think Left 4 Dead will develop as a franchise?
CF: We've just finished this one so it's all in here. World-wise and what's going on there is something we have an understanding of. How we are going to talk about it and bring that out but we haven't nailed down yet. One of the cool things is that the original survivors aren't dead, they're still alive. We prefer to add to the fiction rather than subtracting from it. So people will be seeing more things coming out over the course of the next year.
GZ: You know London is a great setting...
CF: One of the things that is great is that the infection is a worldwide thing, so we'll give you that scoop. London would be really great with all the twisty streets, but Moscow is another place I've been which I thought would be really cool.
GZ: Is it very tempting to add cameos from the original cast?
CF: You know it's the easiest thing to say no to, because it's a world which is bigger than those 8 people. That was one of the rules early on - nobody is Lewis' brother or anything like that. Maybe they all meet up together in the end or maybe not.
Left 4 Dead coverage available in PCGZine Issue 37 - click here to download it for free!
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