Versus

**Kebab-Kastike** · 11-21-2008, 10:38 AM

Last night was so much fun.

Couple of TGers and two friends of TG member hit versus mode and for me that was the first time I player versus with real comms.

How does versus work?

There's two teams, survivors and zombie bosses.
The teams get points depending how far did their survivors get in the game and if they got to safehouse (100 points) + remaining health + multiply with difficulty of the map + multiply with the amount of survivors remaining.
Infected are suppose to stop them from going there. Every 4 players of the infected get to play some zombie boss that is randomly chosen by the AI director. Infected doesn't get any points, only thing that matters is how much points did your team get and enemy team.
Every time survirors are down the infected will play the same map as survivors and last time survivors are now the infected. After two rounds have been played the map chainges to another one from that campaign.

In versus you really got to be fast and stay together. If one man is left behind he'll get ganged on by smart infected. Speedrunning doesnt work. (Well it does if your team gets sparated by a tank and that tank is running after YOU! and all other members of your team are dead or down.)
So don't worry about killing all the common infected. Just be speedy about it and keep the pack moving.

I hope we'll get some more awesome games this weekend on versus.

P8riot · 11-21-2008, 11:37 AM

I've been getting used to the game in single player.. but pretty much, since there really isn't anything to 'learn' about it - Time to go VERSUS.

Don't know what time it'll be for you though - could be as late as 2 or 3am for you.

MaDNess · 11-21-2008, 11:40 AM

Dude awesome matches kebab we really took it to them ahaha.

**Kebab-Kastike** · 11-21-2008, 12:04 PM

Im fine with 17pm EST for some Versus mayhem.

P8riot · 11-21-2008, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kebab-Kastike

Im fine with 17pm EST for some Versus mayhem.

'Eh.. I won't even be able to log in to anything before 19p EST, since I won't even be home from the office until after 18p.. there is the house-stuff to do.

RedForman · 11-21-2008, 12:19 PM

I haven't yet had a chance to try versus, but it sounds awesome! Hopefully I'll be able to play tonight!

**Kebab-Kastike** · 11-21-2008, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P8riot

'Eh.. I won't even be able to log in to anything before 19p EST, since I won't even be home from the office until after 18p.. there is the house-stuff to do.

I think I'll be playing it till the server dies. I don't see that happening in 3h time so you have good chance to get in if there's room in the server.

**Pokerface** · 11-21-2008, 03:55 PM

I have found the versus mode to be immensely enjoyable.

The survivors have it easier, I think, in versus mode. What you're doing in co-op is effectively the same thing you're doing in versus, except that you have humans playing some of the boss zombies. That fact can make it SIMPLER right now, since you can probably guess better at what people are doing than at what the AI is thinking.

Infected are a new game. Not only do you need to communicate with each other, but you need to try to use the Horde to the best of your ability, and that brings a new dimension into the game. There's a fifth player on your team that no one has direct control over (and since the AI director chooses your boss flavor, you don't even get full control over yourself), and that causes the experience to vary pretty wildly.

Transcendant · 11-21-2008, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kebab-Kastike

Speedrunning doesnt work.

Much to my dismay, I have discovered in some pickup games it does work. Though you will never get everyone to the end, the setup of versus mode is such that you can beat the other team by using counter intuitive tactics; abandoning anyone who gets knocked down.

Since score is based on an average of how far your team gets, and you're competing against the other teams survivor scores, it is possible to beat the other team overall by speedrunning, as long as they don't actually finish the map (a rare feat with random pickup groups and decent infected).

Just a caveat; don't be surprised when random people do the opposite of what the game was designed to require.

**Sirusblk** · 11-21-2008, 06:17 PM

Versus mode is a lot less forgiving if the infected can play it well. Respawns are faster than just normal Co-Op and an organized attack with infected is deadly. I've played in games where a Hunter will jump in pin a guy down that's been lagging behind, then when everyone turns to go and help a smoker catches one person and pulls them over, everyone goes to help one or the other and a boomer barfs all over the place. The game ends in seconds.

In Co-Op there's highs and lows, in Versus it's almost always full intensity. You need to be moving all the time, can't stop even for a second.

Zephyr · 11-21-2008, 06:24 PM

After playing a few rounds, I began to think it was actually better to move slowly in versus mode than fast.

While you could always get the jump on people just learning the infected side in these last few days, its not going to stay that way much longer. People will get more clever, and the run-and-gun counter-intuitive strategy will fall tremendously short.

The horde on versus seems to be no more talented than your average normal level zombies. If you stick together and conserve ammo sensibly enough, you'll likely never be in a situation (with the exception of a tank) that you can't handle.

Infected victory will take seizing on the director's decisions to the best of their ability. It wouldn't surprise me if Valve makes an update that lets you see the horde's spawning points more visibly and when they'll be coming.

The point of Left 4 Dead is that if you're a survivor the only time you ever move fast is when there are too many zombies coming after you to stay still!

-Zephyr

**Sir-Nerd** · 11-21-2008, 07:48 PM

One thing i would like to request is wee bit of time to load between levels. I mean i have a fast connection and computer, but when i load and sqawn in, I'm alone in the safe room and i get ganked at the beginning. Just some common courtesy please.

**big-eye101** · 11-21-2008, 08:15 PM

I like to thank everyone who played with me today! I had so much fun. Incredible great games.

Thanks and cya!

P8riot · 11-21-2008, 09:21 PM

Very cool.. That was a LOT of fun even though I had NO idea what I was doing when I was on the Horde side.

Sorry I didn't stay longer during that first stretch.. I'll give it a longer run later

**Kebab-Kastike** · 11-21-2008, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kebab-Kastike

Im fine with 17pm EST for some Versus mayhem.

Thanks for everyone who participated. Very fun games.