Left 4 Dead 2's Versus mode getting bots, auto-spawn tweaks

FINALLY! thank you gabe and the valve team

if a robot zombie bit me would i be a robot or a zombie?

I trust in Valve that they'll bring on some quality AI. Just promise me the bots won't pull a Glados on me, if you know what I mean. ;)

Oh Joystiq, you silly man.

The auto-spawning is a problem for the INFECTED team, during the finales the players would be automatically spawned as the Director's chosen role for them (Smoker, Hunter, Boomer, etc.)

This was an issue because it completely killed the teamwork aspect of Infected, as not only were people incapable of spawning and working together, they'd be all spread out across the map. Nobody had a fair chance to work with the Tank, either, and often times the tank would decide to arrive around the time everyone was dead - leaving him alone to deal with the Survivors.

Then on top of that was the fact the places it would choose to spawn you would be awful, sometimes you'd spawn in the middle of fire, or just right next to the humans, or right out in the open of their view - usually as a Boomer who now has to trek across the whole level and hope nobody sneezes in his general direction.

And normal-speed zombies? Charger ain't no normal speed. The bots are there for the fact if any human players dropped off the Infected side, they'd be down a number. Usually 2 vs 4 after players start quitting, which is a high chance given Versus games go on for hours and can be crushing due to how terrible the balance of that mode is.

Maybe, just maybe, this update will make Versus not be the worst mode in the game that is only slightly playable when you can corral 7 other people you know all together.

The tweaks should LOWER human survival rates, since auto spawning has been lamented as sometimes putting infected in places where they can be killed easily.

Allowing players to spawn where they want to would make things harder for the survivors.

This is a good thing. More L4D2=win.

Is this coming for the 360?

i don't have too much a problem escaping as the humans on versus...it's about skillz

Taking out auto spawning helps the infected, not the survivors.

Which is fine, it should be difficult to survive a finale. And really every other post on the L4D2 forums has been people begging Valve to take out the auto-spawn on finales, so this is most definitely good news.

Now all they need is to put some kind of XP or ranking system into the game, so that they have something to punish rage quitters with.

Seriously the quitters in this game are about 400% more abundant than any other game, at least.

I hate bots.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Ro-BOT-o!

we are really misunderstood, all we desire are to devour your 1's and 0's

Wooo

Wait, Left 4 Dead 2 didn't have Infected bots in Versus Mode at launch? After all the problems that caused to the balance of L4D1 Versus and after all the complaining everyone did? How'd that slip through the cracks? And if that 35% survival rate isn't proof they made the horde and spawning too harsh, I don't know what is.

Anyway, good news for L4D2 players. Glad to see Valve taking the initiative and listening to fan feedback and using game statistics properly. Props to them.

Thank you so much for fixing the Auto-Spawn issue!

I have probably tackled Swamp Fever on Normal (NORMAL... not even the 2 hardest settings), with random people on line and my friends and we could NEVER beat that end! The 2 Tanks are hard enough, but to add a Jockey's and Hunters and countless zombies to the mix while running to the end is just absurd!

My friends and I have litterally given up on that game with hopes that a fix was in the works... hopefully this fix brings back some fun to L4D2 and takes a bit of the frusteration out!