The boycott was so stupid and I vividly remember having the dumbest argument with a close friend just because I was so excited to get more Left 4 Dead so quickly. Given how agonizing Valve Time is, I was over the moon when L4D2 was announced. L4D2 had all new maps with a new story, new characters, new enemies/special infected, new weapons and melee, new game modes, and free maps throughout its life. It literally had every single thing you could want from a sequel, and we got it in a year from Valve of all companies. Other game series like Call of Duty and every sport title under the sun were well into their annual churns at this point. Valve does it one time and 100% knocks it out of the park, and they get a boycott lol Hated that so much, but loved that game with all my heart. Another thing I won't forget is you guys had a day or two when The Passing dlc came out and several of the devs made anonymous L4D steam accounts to play with the community and talk to them about the new map. The game I managed to get into and the person I got paired with was you! You had the spitter profile picture. Getting to talk to you about the design of the map and the attention to creating great versus mode moments(walk that plank!) was such a joy. Thinking back on it now, that was such a great period of my life in general lol Thanks for the memories and the awesome games
I remember the boycott very well, and I even participated in it. Stupid 14 years old me even emailed you about my disappointment and you replied to me in a very educated manner on why I was wrong. I remember this very well because I realized how wrong I was immediately after, and that people like me put you through a difficult moment. Many years later, I just wanted to say I'm sorry and I'm glad to have found you in UA-cam, I love your content and wish you the best.
@@chetfaliszek Seeing the playercounts in both L4D1 and 2 must feel like both a last laugh and a kick in the balls it had to happen in the first place. Massive sympathies (and obvious thanks for designing the game i been playing with pals for a decade now lel, good god you guys knocked it out of the park with the CI Gore, i still cant believe that was 1 year's work, no one's topped you fellas SINCE) to the L4D2 team
"Mike: Can you tell us any ideas that were left behind for Special Infected? / Chet: So I can then be tormented by the tons of emails that come in?" wow, you were extremely percipient 14 years ago. you were only wrong about the medium that will torment you
Was there ever any plans to continue the left 4 dead 2 survivors story through dlc or a comic like left 4 dead 1 had? Or was the plan always to fill in the blanks like with the passing campaign. I still find myself thinking about what happened to them and what the military would do this time.
I'm the same way a lot. I don't have time to remember everything. I do remember some things that no one else does because it was something that either I directly handled. But even major things that were routine... nah. In my head and out to work on the next thing.
Happens all the time. I've done like... 6 variants of the main enemy in my next game? Don't even remember all of them, they were almost all done during some free time on a friday afternoon before heading home for the weekend.
Man, I often think about how you guys had to create the charger, spitter and jockey to get players not to camp and like... doing that would just be the dream job for me. Not saying that it sounds easy, far from it, I just find the problem-solving aspect of it fascinating.
This is why beta research is so tricky, cause to the fans it's this mysterious new thing, but to the devs it was just another tuesday lol.
The boycott was so stupid and I vividly remember having the dumbest argument with a close friend just because I was so excited to get more Left 4 Dead so quickly. Given how agonizing Valve Time is, I was over the moon when L4D2 was announced. L4D2 had all new maps with a new story, new characters, new enemies/special infected, new weapons and melee, new game modes, and free maps throughout its life. It literally had every single thing you could want from a sequel, and we got it in a year from Valve of all companies. Other game series like Call of Duty and every sport title under the sun were well into their annual churns at this point. Valve does it one time and 100% knocks it out of the park, and they get a boycott lol Hated that so much, but loved that game with all my heart.
Another thing I won't forget is you guys had a day or two when The Passing dlc came out and several of the devs made anonymous L4D steam accounts to play with the community and talk to them about the new map. The game I managed to get into and the person I got paired with was you! You had the spitter profile picture. Getting to talk to you about the design of the map and the attention to creating great versus mode moments(walk that plank!) was such a joy. Thinking back on it now, that was such a great period of my life in general lol Thanks for the memories and the awesome games
Awesome - thanks for sharing!
I remember the boycott very well, and I even participated in it.
Stupid 14 years old me even emailed you about my disappointment and you replied to me in a very educated manner on why I was wrong. I remember this very well because I realized how wrong I was immediately after, and that people like me put you through a difficult moment. Many years later, I just wanted to say I'm sorry and I'm glad to have found you in UA-cam, I love your content and wish you the best.
Ah thanks! All good!
It speaks volume how quaint and mostly unremembered the "L4D2 Boycott" movement was lol
It really, really sucked going through it.
The only thing I remember about it is the screenshot of the L4D2 Boycott group where most of the people in it were playing L4D2 on launch day.
@@chetfaliszek if it's any consolation, sensible people laughed the movement off as classic gamer misdirected anger, especially in retrospect.
wait what? i totally missed that. we were so psyched for the second one.
@@chetfaliszek Seeing the playercounts in both L4D1 and 2 must feel like both a last laugh and a kick in the balls it had to happen in the first place. Massive sympathies (and obvious thanks for designing the game i been playing with pals for a decade now lel, good god you guys knocked it out of the park with the CI Gore, i still cant believe that was 1 year's work, no one's topped you fellas SINCE) to the L4D2 team
"Mike: Can you tell us any ideas that were left behind for Special Infected? / Chet: So I can then be tormented by the tons of emails that come in?"
wow, you were extremely percipient 14 years ago. you were only wrong about the medium that will torment you
When I read that - I had to laugh... I knew... I knew..
No worries. Things move so fast in game dev. It's hard to remember it all.
Was there ever any plans to continue the left 4 dead 2 survivors story through dlc or a comic like left 4 dead 1 had? Or was the plan always to fill in the blanks like with the passing campaign. I still find myself thinking about what happened to them and what the military would do this time.
Man, I could really need a L4D3 today
You won't believe what Chet has been working on for at least the past few years...
@@r.g.thesecond The Anacrusis? It's not L4D3....
I'm the same way a lot. I don't have time to remember everything. I do remember some things that no one else does because it was something that either I directly handled. But even major things that were routine... nah. In my head and out to work on the next thing.
Happens all the time. I've done like... 6 variants of the main enemy in my next game? Don't even remember all of them, they were almost all done during some free time on a friday afternoon before heading home for the weekend.
Man, I often think about how you guys had to create the charger, spitter and jockey to get players not to camp and like... doing that would just be the dream job for me.
Not saying that it sounds easy, far from it, I just find the problem-solving aspect of it fascinating.
Did the concept of “The Meatwall” ever go past the idea of a concept?