When it comes to multiplayer zombie apocalypse games, the Left 4 Dead series is among the very best without question. With vast opportunities for blowing heads and limbs off with a shotgun, to creating your very own zombie BBQ with a Molotov, the series offers players numerous and highly amusing ways of riding the world of those hyperactive bringers of death. The solo game-play is good, but the series gets even better when you get your friends or random strangers together and you take on the game as a part of a team.
Unfortunately those who really don’t seem to have an ounce of common sense can ruin that experience. Here are just some of the things that people do, which ruin the fun for everyone else.
1) When killing a Witch, you don’t need to stand a foot away from her
There comes the inevitable time when your group comes across a sobbing lady blocking your path. So the only thing to do is kill it, and do it quickly. Sometimes however, she incapacitates the one who fired the first shot and she begins to bring the pain. At this point, most people’s first reaction is to run as close as possible and unload on her until she’s dead. But this makes no sense for two reasons 1) you have a gun. A weapon that is capable of hitting your target from a distance 2) if you go and huddle around her, your team mates behind you can’t hit her and in turn end up wasting their ammo and draining your health. If everyone just gave the bitch some space, she would die a lot quicker.
2) During a verses game, don’t linger in the safe room at the start.
When you’re in a verses match, the idea is to get as far as possible as quickly as possible before the infected kills you. And the start of a round is when the fate of a round is usually decided. The infected are still trying to get into position to pick your team off one-by-one, so it’s the perfect time just to replenish ammo, grab a health kit and haul arse, all before your opponents are ready. Does this always happen? No. Too many folks are too concerned about the common infected right outside the door and spend two minutes shooting those they can see through the bars. These are an infected players dream. They’re common infected, just shoot them on the move, besides you have far bigger things to worry about. Just hurry up.
3) Make sure you don’t leave open doors behind you.
It seems stupid, but the zombies aren’t clever enough to be able to get through a door without breaking it down. There are many occasions when I have been playing when, a hunter that came through the door a teammate just failed to close has jumped me from behind. I know it seems stupid, but when your getting chased by a hoard, a closed door can buy your valuable time to make your way to safety. The real stupidity is that, it only takes one push of the “x” button to do it, it’s not hard, but people still forget.
4) Never go anywhere alone
Now, I know that sounds like a line from a bad horror movie but take that advice. It’s irritating when players think they are Rambo and decide to take the whole army of zombies on by themselves and run ahead of the rest of the group. Then guess what happens, they get attacked by a Smoker, Hunter or a Charger, all the while the “victim” is screaming down their mic “Somebody save me and getting pounded” and end up dying before the rest of their teammates can make it on the scene. To which the dead player responds, “Why didn’t you save me? All you guys suck at this game”. (This actually was said to me once after a incident like this took place). So in future to all you wannabe one-man (or woman) highlight reels just remember, there is safety in numbers.
5) Never use a grenade launcher in a tight space
Duh! This is obvious, if you try and blow up a zombie 5 feet away from you, you’re going to hurt yourself and probably your teammates. Grenade launchers are great fun when blowing up a group of zombies, but from a distance. The clue is in the title people. Grenade, Launcher! So please try and make sure your target is at a safe distance before firing, it would be doing everyone a huge favour.
6) Don’t rush to alert the hoard
What I mean by this is, that there are certain times within Campaigns when you have to start something, which alerts the hoard. For example: L4D2, the concert at the end of “Dark Carnival”. You would have all noticed that there are fireworks, gas canisters and fuel in certain areas. The point of this is so that you can create defences for where you decide to hold-up while you wait for rescue, or for the hoard to be beaten. If the hoard overwhelms you, just shoot the can, and it will ignite the area around, and burn all approaching zombies. Just remember the 6 “P’s” Prior Planning, Prevents Piss-Poor Performance. So take your time, it may just save your life.
7) Don’t revive the A.I player, they have no soul.
If you are lucky enough to grab a defibrillator great, you now have the ability to play God, and decide who lives and who becomes lunch for the zombies. For the love of all that’s holy don’t revive the A.I player when there is a real player laying dead just a few feet away. It makes no sense; you can’t communicate with the A.I or tell them about closing doors behind them. So why waste the opportunity bring back someone who has an imagination. So shock wisely.
8) Don’t waste your resources
We’ve all been there when you have laid a fuel can down to shoot when the zombies come along and BOOM! Some idiot on your team thinks he’s Bret Farve and decides to throw a Molotov right next to it. Igniting everything around it, including the trap you just placed. What the hell was the guy thinking? Fire + Fire = Mega Fire! No retard, it doesn’t, it wastes two perfectly good objects of zombie killing goodness. Sadly, this happens far too often and can just be avoided if you look at where you’re throwing your objects.
9) Don’t practice medicine unnecessarily
Health kits are there to give you extra life when you are on the brink of death. Which is why I don’t get why people decide to use a health kit they have found when they have 67% health. What makes doing this worse is the fact that players do it when their teammate is one down away from instant death. Here’s an idea, if you like playing Dr House so much, heal your teammate you douche! Caring is sharing.
10) Your not a cat, don’t kid yourself
Sometimes you are working your way though a level and you’re on the top of a high structure. There are two ways to the floor take the stairs or jump. Which one shouldn’t you do? Jump of course. But people still do it. It’s a sure-fired way to incapacitate yourself from maximum health and waste the health kit you were holding. There is just no sense in it. Use the stairs, don’t jump, you won’t land on your feet, your not a cat.
If you have read this and do all of the things I have just said not to. Then please educate yourself and change your ways.
If there is anything I have left out, let me know.
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