ANNOUNCEMENT: No-meds servers now online!

**WhiskeySix** · 03-11-2009, 11:37 AM

Based on usage, we've reconfigured our servers. We now have four servers running, with three dedicated to versus and one to coop. The Server Guide has been updated to reflect the changes.

The biggest change is that we've added two "No Meds" servers. These servers are running versus mode, on normal difficulty with just one tweak: they have been configured such that the director will spawn pills instead of extra medpacks throughout the level. You start with 4 medpacks in the SR and an additional 4 at the ammo-station on the finale levels, just as before; but you won't find any medpacks along the way.

Based on how the scoring system works, this should make for closer games. Teams that make the saferoom will have a significantly lower health bonus unless they play extremely well (since you can't pickup health along the way, your health bonus will only go down throughout the level). The idea here is that scores will more accurately reflect how well a team actually did, rather than how the director treated them.

This also brings into play some interesting tactical decisions regarding health management. For example, to get the most bang for the buck, one should use a medpack is when they have extremely low health, right? Well the lowest health you can get is after you've been incapped twice and have Black and White vision. This presents a classic risk/reward decision: when you're B&W, you're on very thin ice and one pounce can kill you... so do you heal early and play it safe, or risk waiting until "we get past the warehouse", e.g.

To connect, have the lobby-leader type "sv_search_key tgnomeds" into their console. More details (with pictures) explaining how to connect can be found here.

Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcomed in this thread!

**Specterr** · 03-11-2009, 11:41 AM

sounds great to me, can't wait to try it out

**Lyramion** · 03-11-2009, 02:00 PM

Sounds sexy ! Maybe NORMAL will have some new thrill here

Morganan · 03-11-2009, 05:18 PM

Just for reference, make sure everyone is aware there are no medpacks from the beginning. I've seen people use a medpack when they probably shouldn't have with the expectation there would be 11 more littered throughout the level.

**Boot** · 03-11-2009, 06:05 PM

Played it last night and had a lot of fun. The normal infected are a little weak so it promotes the importance of the specials and a well coordinated specials attack had a lasting effect. Boomer isn't quite so deadly since the horde doesn't kick such ***, so his role becomes more of a blocker to keep the survivors from making progress. Also, the second team did not have the normal advantage of knowing where all the meds were since they tend to scout as infected, so balance was better from that angle.

Overall a big

from me.

Morganan · 03-11-2009, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boot

Played it last night and had a lot of fun. The normal infected are a little weak so it promotes the importance of the specials and a well coordinated specials attack had a lasting effect. Boomer isn't quite so deadly since the horde doesn't kick such ***, so his role become more of a blocker to keep the survivors from making progress. Also, the second team did not have the normal advantage of knowing where all the meds were since they tend to scout as infected, so balance was better from that angle.

Overall a big

from me.

About the boomer, fyi, normal infected do 2x their normal damage to survivors pinned by hunters or survivors being pulled by smokers, also normal infected do 2x their normal damage while inside the radius of the smokers "death cloud". That point isnt really relevant to your quoted post, but it's good additional information.

**Razcsak** · 03-11-2009, 11:18 PM

Interesting and fantastic. Any chance we could get a VS-advanced server with the same script eventually?

**WhiskeySix** · 03-12-2009, 01:18 AM

VS-adv with no meds? You're sadistic! LOL! Yeah, we certainly can do that if there's demand for it!

**Razcsak** · 03-12-2009, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiskeySix

VS-adv with no meds? You're sadistic! LOL! Yeah, we certainly can do that if there's demand for it!

I have no idea how well it'd play and can safely say that I'd die within by the second stage. On the other hand, I'm positive that people are going to get absurdly good at this game and we'll need to ramp up the difficulty eventually.

**Skylark** · 03-12-2009, 01:54 PM

I'm ready to try it. I didn't know that normal did x2 damage in smoker's smoke. Gives the smoker a reason to run up and die on purpose during a rush.

Morganan · 03-12-2009, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylark

I'm ready to try it. I didn't know that normal did x2 damage in smoker's smoke. Gives the smoker a reason to run up and die on purpose during a rush.

It does 2x damage on any difficulty setting.

As for using this on advanced, that's defintely an option, but the main purpose of advanced mode vs. play was to cut down on the number of medpacks on the level, and this handles that. The only other purpose to adv mode would be to make up for poor play as infected which honestly no alteration of the config will ever be able to properly address.

16Note · 03-13-2009, 08:35 AM

Advanced No-Meds? Dear God, I better prepare!

saik0 · 04-05-2009, 04:58 PM

Is there any chance a vanilla server will be coming back online? I frequently create public lobbies for some PUGs and I'd love to be able to TG-vangelize some more and grow the l4d community.

FL1Pmode · 04-05-2009, 07:07 PM

It is already hard enough for survivors to survive with the melee fatigue...no meds on advanced would be nearly impossible.