A Dam Mission

Title: A Dam Mission
Links: Version 1: http://www.gamemaps.com/details/5891 
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=121078656
Version 2: : http://www.gamemaps.com/details/17709
Author(s): Eugenio 'Motanum' Roman
Survivors: L4D2
Notes: I created a patch to remove this campaign's distracting elements: http://www.gamemaps.com/details/19856

This is a five map campaign that takes place in some woods, industrial areas, a subway system, some caves, and a dam during the day time and is a rare example of a good daytime campaign. This campaign is very good, with its level design taking the helm here. A lot of the environments look plausible enough to appear based on real life locations. In the unpatched version, there are floating objective markers and lots of loud voice prompts, which detract from the overall gameplay by being too obvious or ham-fisted.

With my patch applied, this campaign really leads the player logically through its level design through many different rooms and locations. It's never too difficult to figure out where to go and there is a lot of great variety in areas that allow for interesting and different gameplay every time through. What it lacks though is that final layer of detail and polish that would really elevate it to the upper tier of campaigns. As such, some areas come across as too blocky, rectangular, or primitive looking. For instance, the rushing water in map 3 is just an animated texture that stops when it hits another texture.

This campaign also has a good diversity of events, but again its lack of polish shines through with some of its prompts (such as a Game Instructor message saying "Start a panic event") or in its holdout areas, for instance, one in map 4 where it's possible to get stuck on some of the level geometry. There are also a few areas with no nav so enemies may be unable to find you. All this points to a good set of ideas that should've been proofed some more.

There are also a couple areas that suffer from population issues. The gauntlet through the air field in map 2 leaves a lot to be desired, since it's decently made but hardly any infected to fight aside from some scripted tanks. Infected will do the most damage when you're in close quarters, and the gauntlet in map 3, while welcome, feels cheaply difficult because of the constant infected that spawn. A holdout in map 4 also feels a bit cheap because of a lack of ammo pile in the area. These are simple fixes that could alleviate a lot of basic issues.

The level design is usually very creative and directionality is typically simple enough to figure out. The finale poses some issues, particularly the final run to the rescue vehicle. While I like the principle in theory, it spawns additional tanks too quickly to be feasible on higher difficulties. The rest of the finale is quite doable and well-balanced. Again, this speaks to a final layer of testing and editing that didn't appear to make it.

If I had to complain about anything else, it would probably be that the locations don't seem to make much sense in how they lead to one another. One moment you're outside, the next you're in a bunker, then you're in a tunnel, then you're in an air field, then you run across a dam. It seems very almost haphazardly constructed and nonsensical when looking at it from a distance. The fact that most areas are developed adequately but lack that higher level of detail expected of really good campaigns holds it back from being one of the greats. However, its gameplay is enough to carry it and for it to stand up on its own.

Difficulty: The third map gauntlet and the final part of the last map are the most difficult, and needlessly so I might add. If trying this on a difficulty above your normal comfort zone, expect a restart on those sections, or expect someone to die before getting rescued. Everything else is appropriately challenging and could have posed some interesting tactics for Versus.

Final Verdict: Gameplay-wise, this holds up well, but certain design choices hamper its quality and effectiveness. The no-text-no-voice patch was a must, for me, otherwise it's pretty intolerable. The areas have a noticeable lack of final polish but are creative and memorable. Recommended.

Rating: 3.91/5.