Cold Case: Size Does Matter -- Epic L4D Content...

[Guitarrasdeamor]

Cold Case has to be the largest campaign I have ever seen. It's almost like it's a completely new game as well. I have recently had the privilege to play this campaign with the creator and as I tried to focus my attention on what he was saying, I slowly lost myself staring at the locations and the sheer size of each of these maps. Each of them fully detailed and loaded with side-missions and a very unique story-line. Everyone who plays Left 4 Dead must have wondered: "How did the infection start?" Cold Case takes the player on an epic journey and let's you unravel the clues to find the source of the infection.

While running through the campaign for the first time, it was clear to me that it's gonna take more than just fancy locations and gorgeous terrains to pull this off. Before my words were even luke-warm, I ran into my first mission. These little missions are scattered all over the campaign's enormous chapters and changes the way we think Left 4 Dead should be played completely. Each chapter is almost a sandbox, but at the same time, it has linear characteristics. I got lost plenty of times playing the alpha version of this campaign and at times it was frustrating. The campaign is very nearly done but some issues still remain, like me getting lost all the time. That has now been fixed and mrfranswa is preparing a party on Halloween to celebrate a year of hard work.

Before we get to the celebrations, let's get some more info about the campaign and of course, those juicy screenshots!

Cold Case pits the survivors in yet another scenario. Their ride to safety has mysteriously crash landed on a remote island somewhere in the north western United States. After hours of waiting, they decide they are the only four survivors from the terrible crash, and they need to find help. However, quickly they realize there is something terribly wrong with this place. The survivors must traverse a large and expansive island. Their goal? To meet up with fellow survivors and get to the only known safe zone; a small military base located on the opposite shore of the island. Only there can they finally find the salvation they desperately are searching for…. or will they? During their journey, the survivors solve many strange mysteries that surround them. Why did their transport suddenly crash? Why are the infected on this island so quickly mutating? Who is The Mayor, and what role does he play on this island? Who is Agent Orange? It is up to them to find the clues and escape from the infested island.

Cold Case Features
Dynamically Evolving Zombies
The infection is unstable and reactive. The zombies progressively become faster, tougher, and more aware of their surroundings through the campaign. Boss zombies also become more frequent.

Upgrades.
Expect to spend your time hunting for the upgrade tables. By doing so you can upgrade different things about yourself: accuracy, speed, and revival amounts you will need them to survive.

Storyline
Expect a rich and detailed storyline featuring numerous recordings by voice actors.

MASSIVE CONTENT!

36 maps in total!
6 full map campaign featuring hours of gameplay.
10 survival maps with dynamically changing atmospheres. Hold some points while wave's of infected tear it down, while others force you to run for your life to get to better positions.
2 separate 5 map versus campaigns. Cold Case: Covert Operations, and Cold Case: The Forsaken Each feature their own cooperative and versus maps!

Cold Case Maps
The Prison
This is the first map of the series, and will have the players traverse it very much like traditional L4D maps. This means basic Point A-to-B gameplay with only a few areas of item hunting and backtracking.

The Overgrown Facility
The Overgrown Facility is an abandoned factory somewhere in the forest separating Liberty City, and The Prison. The survivors must traverse through a dense forest to reach the only known safe zone on the island.

The Butcher's Game
Known only as "The Mayors Residence" in recordings, a lot of strange activities have gone on inside the house. The survivors soon realize that one of their most deadly adversaries is not the horde.

The Brutal Outcome
Things start going down hill for the survivors, and the futility of surviving the horde's onslaught becomes more apparent. Here the players will explore the shipping district of Liberty City. This section of the city is on the outskirts of the town, and is the last known quarantine zone left within the city.

The Source
The survivors final destination is a small military outpost. Upon venturing deeper inside, the survivors begin to realize that truth is a relative term…

There are more chapters to the campaign and have only shown you what we have played thuse far. Now, for some celebrations!

To coincide with mrfranswa's previous releases, he has decided to set a solid release date of Halloween 2009. This means instead of completing only a map or two of a campaign, you will be able to play the full campaign on this date. Mrfranswa had some choice words for this decision:

“The reason why I decided to set an arbitrary release date is for three main reasons. The first of which is because I really love Halloween. When you get to a certain age, it becomes more about boring parties and drinking over being scared. I want to recapture some of that excitement that I've had as a child. The second reason for this, is because I really want to be viewed as a game developer. I've been spending countless hours over the past ten months attempting to finish this campaign. When I apply to video game companies, I want to be seen as a professional. The final reason is that I had to release my campaign prior to Left 4 Dead 2 coming out, yet close enough to its release so I could also promote it. That way my campaign would not get overshadowed by the new game, and I could still use the hype built on the sequel to release my campaign.”

Like before, mrfranswa has decided to hold a release party for his campaign. However, unlike in previous releases where everyone privy to the release would meet in a mirc chat room, he has decided to take a more unique approach;

“I decided I really wanted to give back to the community. When I was contemplating my release, I asked myself, “Why don't I just go all out?”

Within the next few weeks, mrfranswa will post information about how to join his extensive release party. Located in his hometown of Towson Maryland, players will be able to participate in an extensive release party filled with prizes, costumes, and LAN tournaments. While some of the details are still being worked out, we asked him about some of the specific details of the event;

“As of right now, we are planning on holding the event at Towson Universities Center for the Arts. For 25$, fans can join our extensive LAN party. While the campaign will always be available to download free of charge at 7:00PM EST, by coming out and joining the party you can get a T-Shirt, CD copy of the game, and poster. Not only that, but you are automatically entered to win some great prizes depending on how many people show up. At the very least, expect to get some computer towers made by myself, and some copies of Left 4 Dead 2. We are also planning on having a costume party, along with pick up VS tournaments throughout the night.”

Too far away from Towson Maryland to attend? Not to worry, mrfranswa is also offering tickets for his online release party. For the same 25$ you can get the same package as the LAN party, along with some exclusive online prizes mailed directly to your home! We asked mrfranswa if he was planning on doing any other promotion prior to his release;

“Well, as of right now I have a table at GAMEX, (www.gamexpo.us), in the artists section. Here I will be showcasing off my campaign to anybody interested along with selling tickets for the event. I will also be showcasing the trophies I plan on giving away to the VS tournament winner, along with the custom tower cases I am planning to give away as prizes. I am also in talks with becoming a panelist at a local anime expo to promote my campaign”.

So there you have it! Keep checking for updated news, and keep your Halloweens open for some zombie blasting action!

Source

Just...amazing.

 

[spicey]

Looks excellent, thanks for the heads up. I'm always after high quality add on campaigns, this looks like being one of the very best. I'll be checking it out on Halloween...

 

[kelbear]

Wow.

 

[Vermillion]

Looks like it'll be time to dust off my shotgun in L4D after I'm done with Batman: Arkham Asylum...

 

[obliv]

Wow looks very impressive. The dynamic zombies and upgrades should add a very nice twist to the game.

 

[Guitarrasdeamor]

I can't wait. Some say it looks like shit and copies other games, I say forget them.

 

[Climber]

this looks great.

 

[mstersmith1]

Man that looks great.

 

[stevedave]

Man that looks so...... censored because I'm at work.

 

[CryingGod]

I'll definitely have to try this, looks damn awesome.

 

[jbzx86]

Looks great so far, but we need MOAR!

 

[spicey]

This campaign gets a pretty low rating, has anyone tried it yet?

http://www.l4dmaps.com/details.php?file=2284

 

[TheResidentEvil]

from most of those comments, seems like just a bunch of whiners. I mean, who really cares if you dont get a vpk file.