Much like it will when the actual zombie apocalypse comes, the internet was abound with zombie discussion as Left 4 Dead had a dashboard update for users who logged in to the game today. Many were expecting to see the new “Crash Course” campaign but instead were treated to a revised Heads Up Display for the Infected during versus mode. Though some speculate that the update might also offer some of the code foundation for when “Crash Course” does go live.
The main noticeable change is the Infected HUD. Now, during matches, infected players can see the recharge meter for their teammate’s special attacks. While this seems like a minor change, it will end up adding a huge degree of strategy and planning to the often chaotic Infected teams. Without knowing their teammate’s standing, many players will often go full steam ahead repeatedly instead of specifically planning out attacks. This change can lead to a much more coordinated effort, increasing the challenge of completing levels for the Survivors.
More interesting to note though is the groundwork seemingly laid out for the addition of 10 new achievements added to the XBox 360 version. As reported by Kotaku, the game’s in-game achievements list now says a player has whatever number of achievements they have gained out of 60 instead of the original 50, though these ten new achievements are not listed anywhere in the menu.
Strangely though, XBox.com and the XBox 360 Dashboard still list a player’s current achievements out of 50. As a result, Valve message boards have been flooded with speculation as to what this means, or if it was just a mistake in the coding.
Stay tuned to the Flickcast for more Left 4 Dead, “Crash Course” and Left 4 Dead 2 news as it becomes available.
