Apparently Left 4 Dead 2 has been redubbed Left 4 Dead 2 Soon. Over on the Steam website there is a Boycott of over 20,000 (and growing) subscribed users who refuse to purchase Left 4 Dead 2 so soon after the original, believing that the content is to sparse to deserve two full retail releases.

I agree.

"Some in the community are concerned that the announcement of L4D2 implied a change in our plans for L4D1. We aren't changing our plans for L4D1. In addition to the recently released Survival Pack, we are releasing authoring tools for Mod makers, community matchmaking, 4x4 matchmaking, and more new content during the coming months for L4D1," Newell says. "We also agree with our customers that there needs to be an interoperability plan for players of L4D1 and L4D2, as multiplayer games are driven by the cohesiveness of their community."

Apparently Left 4 Dead 2 has been redubbed Left 4 Dead 2 Soon. Over on the Steam website there is a Boycott of over 20,000 (and growing) subscribed users who refuse to purchase Left 4 Dead 2 so soon after the original, believing that the content is to sparse to deserve two full retail releases.

I agree.

"Some in the community are concerned that the announcement of L4D2 implied a change in our plans for L4D1. We aren't changing our plans for L4D1. In addition to the recently released Survival Pack, we are releasing authoring tools for Mod makers, community matchmaking, 4x4 matchmaking, and more new content during the coming months for L4D1," Newell says. "We also agree with our customers that there needs to be an interoperability plan for players of L4D1 and L4D2, as multiplayer games are driven by the cohesiveness of their community."

L4D2 boycott boycott = me and counting /thread

I will buy it, but only if I find it cheap.  I would like to see Valve respond to this.  Perhaps make it 50% off if you own the original Left 4 Dead?

The boycott is fucking retarded. They will continue to support Left 4 Dead 1, look at Counter Strike 1, with Counter Strike Source. They realeased tons of updates. These asswholes need to stop getting so high up in their chairs. 

What did i do now? I think i made a fair point...

My question is: how many hours of online play have you gotten out of Left 4 Dead? l4d is a multiplayer experience, so I don't think it's right to judge the amount of content that was on the disc based on scenarios, etc. Left 4 Dead 2 is going to have a revamped AI Director and brings some new aspects to the weapons. If Valve released scenarios piecemeal for the next two years and sucked another 60 bucks out of you (like Fallout 3 has) before releasing this sequel, would you like it then?

I don't really like Valve's move here, but i am not going to boycott it. Knowing me, I am going to end up buying it anyway, even if I am not happy in doing so. The funny thing is, any other developer could pull a move like this and get away with it, but we all have such a high standard with Valve in quality and post-release content that we are feeling shortchanged and, as a result, boycotting the game. Valve, why are you so GOOD....most of the time?

To be honest I thought the quality of the maps in L4D weren't that good. It came more apparent in Versus mode when alot of roofs were either very bland with overlapping textures or zoned off with invisible walls forcing you to sit on a sliver of an unfinished building to get a good spot as a hunter. When jumping around as a hunter you see many missing textures to surfaces and it felt abit like you're in noclip mode going to parts of the map you weren't meant to see, even though they were easily accesible as an infected. It's very apprent in the Death Toll campaign, you can barely get on any roofs at all as an infected during that campaign.

I still believe Valve are pulling our legs on the matter though since they did say we were getting alot of downloadable content for L4D1 and I don't think they'd do this except for punking us with an awesome announcement. So I predict this will be free DLC or in the Oranger Box.

I'd laugh so hard right now if Valve banned every member of that boycotting group.

On a serious note it seems dumb to boycott the game. Fair enough people aren't happy and I can understand, sympathise even, with them. But free DLC can only go so far especially in tougher economic times. The fact we get so much from Valve and they ask so little makes me think people have had it too good for too long.

Personally I'm not too interested in the game, it just isn't something I find myself willing to go and buy when I'm still sort of happy with L4D and even then I find my happiness level with L4D varies. Like Sweep mentioned unlocking the 2 other maps for versus and adding a crappy survival mode isn't much, especially when those 2 maps should have been unlocked to begin with. That being said what annoys me more with L4D2 is if they can produce all that new content within a year (assuming they do release it this year) why does it take so long to release Episodes for Hal Life 2?

I guess what I'm saying here is, I'd have rather they announced Episode 3 than a L4D sequel.

It's kinda crazy that it's already at 20k.

Valve are still going to update the game. People think they're entitled to content but actually you're not. What you buy is what you get and anything extra is an added bonus. I really can't believe people think Valve, the company which has supported its community more then almost any other, are suddenly evil or are trying to exploit them because they are releasing a sequel (which would be too big for an update and has more content then the original) a year later. I thought people might be excited. Sure I would have preferred Episode 3 or Portal 2 but they were probably going to be released next year anyway and I'm glad that we got more of a game that I really enjoyed.

Anyway I can't convince people to agree with me but I just think they're overreacting. Valve aren't Activision or old EA, they're Valve. If they genuinely thought they could add this as an update they probably would have. That's why I'm supporting them on this one because to these people they've done one thing 'wrong' and everybody gets into a big furore like they've robbed us.

Companies wanting to make money to stay alive during a recession? Sounds crazy to me why the fuck would they do that!

I hate to be a total flame starter, but can't you guys give Valve the benefit of the doubt? I mean. It's Valve. If they're ready they're ready. Plus if they're not then they're probably gonna push this game back to the point that they'd have to have HL:E3 to the forefront.

These threads/blogs are getting old. Don't buy the game if you don't want to.  Problem solved.  And like Hamz said, I'd be willing to bet a lot of people are joining the 'boycott' but will buy the game, because it's trendy right now to hate Valve apparently.  Internet is full of followers.

Valve said they would support Left 4 Dead suggesting new maps and weapons. It's not that Left 4 Dead 2 could have been done via dlc, it's that Valve clearly went to work on this game soon after L4Ds release doing the exact opposite of what they said they would and what everyone expected (what with it being Valve). Right up until the announcement I was still expecting a map or two. I've sunk a good few hours into the game, but you can't justify the cost at release with such little content. I've played hours and hours of Call of Duty 4, but I would never pay $60 for the multiplayer alone.

[edit] and the most annoying thing for me is that people don't understand that this is more about L4D rather than L4D2.

Valve knows better, that's all I am going to say on this matter.

"in fact Left 4 Dead one, we still aren’t done with it" he said. "We still have updates coming."

If the sequel is going to be so much better, why even play the first anymore? If they push for L4D2 too much then they risk losing the fanbase of the original. In retrospect, If they don't push for it's success with all the bells and whistles come media time, how many will be drawn to it? A tough situation Valve has made for itself, should be interesting come November.

i really want l4d2 this sucks

Threads about the L4D2 pretend boycott: 20,000 and counting.

I'm very interested in how heavy this response would be if there was no Half Life 2: Episode 3.

Quite honestly, new A.I., new characters, new campaigns, new enemies/behaviors/animations/interactions, new weapons and new weapons class, and new environmental conditions (rain, fog, etc.) sounds like a sequel that I'd happily purchase, not an expansion.

And it's real simple:

Option 1)  Buy it.
Option 2)  Don't buy it.

It will sell millions of units regardless.

Well I joined the boycott, don't care what anyone else thinks, this is way to early for a full priced sequal, atleast wait a year.

That's stupid if you don't want a game, don't buy it. No need to have a protest because a company is making a sequel.

In addition, if you really don't want to spend money so soon, according to Co-Op, Valve is working on a way to put the new characters and melee weapons into Left 4 Dead 1. I understand that for those amongst us without so much disposable income, it may suck that you can't join in on the sequel so that is something.

i completely agree with the boycotters problems with the game but unfortunately they won't be able to change how the game is released.
 or not released

No one actually knows how much content will be in L4D2 so you don't know if it's going to have enough content to warrant sixty bucks.  So why boycott it?

Gamers have such a righteous sense of self-entitlement.  It really pisses me off.

o noez i didnt git mah free stuffz gonna bitch about it

You people are crazy. You're setting yourselves up to be let down, and will hate a game based on wanting to have "a bad time", I believe its called self-fullfilling prophecy in psychology.

I look foward to it, it could only be better to me if it were part of a new Orange box with Episode 3, Portal 2, and CS:S.

I think the boycott got way more attention than it deserved. It's very simple, if people indeed feel the game is coming out too soon, they won't buy. If lots of people don't buy, the message will be sent to Valve. But this should happen due to each individual interest in the game, not because some group is plotting to do so.

Having said that, I myself won't be buying it. I still play L4D ocasionally and what I get from that is enough for me. At least for now.

Admittedly, at first I was rather annoyed at the prospect of another Left 4 Dead so soon - I've very much changed my opinion now so rather than re-iterate why, I'll just link to a couple of things that have enlightened me:

I had read that Sterling article. What Jakob said, it was just dumb. Dumb dumb dumb.

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