LDD - Left 4 Dead 2 - Mechanics List

Survivor Mechanics

• Shooting (Killing, reloading, aiming etc.) 
• Melee - If using a weapon, will kill certain infected, if normal punch, doesn't deal damage serious damage but knocks back both common and special infected (excluding charger/witch & tank)
• Change Weapons (melee/ guns) - Have a primary weapon & either a pistol or melee weapon to         swap to.
• Health Bar - Set to a 100. Three Stages (GREEN/ORANGE.RED/ FLASHING RED) Each stage in health when reduced brings down the speed of the survivor. 
• Item Types - Can use 4 sets of items -Weapon/ Grenade/ Temporary Effectual Based/ Health & Ammo 
• Crouching (apart from moving only, only other movement based mechanic) (aiming is easier)
• Incapacitation - This is when all health of survivor is gone, they wait for another survivor to pick them up. If not done, death of character. 
• Death - If you die, in campaign, you will re spawn in a room, in multiplayer, player dies.  When all survivors die, chapter is over and must start again (campaign).

Item Mechanics

•   Med Kits - Heals over 50% of health
•  De-Fibs - Revives player from death
•  Pain Pills -Gives 40-50% temporary health to survivor
•  Adrenaline - Gives 25% temporary health and speeds up the survivor
•   Pipe Bomb/ Molotov/ Bile Bomb - 3 Grenade Types (Explosion/ Burning/ Horde-Bringing)
•  Explosive Ammo/ Incendiary Ammo/ Laser-Sights BOXES (take over med kits panel) (Changes how survivors shoot and accuracy)
• Ammo Piles - Reloads weapon completely if found 
•       Explosive Items - Found on map, if shot or caught by a grenade(excluding bile bomb), will cause an explosive effect

 

          Random Spawning Mechanic (making the game’s campaigns change every time it’s played)

     The Random Spawning mechanic is something used throughout every chapter. Using certain aspects of the game to change the experience for the player each time. These aspects are:

•      Weapons (primary/secondary & melee)
•      Grenades
•      Ammo/Sight Boxes
•      Med Kits/ De-fibs
•      Pain Pills & Adrenaline
•      Ammo Piles
•      Explosive Items
•      Infected/ Hordes
•      Special Infected

      By doing this, the game will always be different the player experiences it. There are certain factors that change what spawns and how often it spawns. Areas called Health & Speed Zones are created. So depending on the health of a player, will change the expectancy of a healing item to spawn. If players are at certain points in the level too fast or too slow, hordes are more likely to arrive, items to assist and ammo effecting. So while what spawns is random, the mechanic can actually help a player. The map also changes this and might not take these into account. The final factor would be difficulty. Comparing Beginner difficulty to Expert difficulty, items to assist a player are less likely to spawn when playing harder difficulties. Also hordes and certain special infected can spawn more regularly, slowing you down.

      

      Changing Path & No Return Path Mechanic

      Changing Path - Certain levels in the game will have multiple routes for player to take to get to the next part of the mission. Depending on the difficulty and how well players are doing, some paths will be blocked so a player can't go this way. Sometimes this makes it harder for a player and sometimes doesn't mean any difference. In multiplayer, enemy infected can use this as strategic points. Alternate routes may also have items which players can use compared to a different route.

      No Return Path - At vital parts in chapters, when players progress through a certain obstacle or part of a mission, there is no way back to the part just passed. At these points, its vital to work as a team as if certain special infected get you on your own, survivors can be lost as there is no way of saving them as you cant get back up to the previous place. Example could be jumping from a building's balcony with no stairs. 

Special Infected & Mechanic unique to them

 (All have a recharge rate, different to an infected)(All have a health bar, infected dependent  In multiplayer, when playing as an infected, players can see green,orange or red (health dependent) around the outlines of enemy survivors)

• ·  Boomer – Can bile on a survivor and causes a horde to attack them
• ·  Smoker – At a certain distance, uses tongue to drag survivors back and attack them until death of survivor or self
• · Hunter – Pounces on survivors and deals incredible damage on the floor, dealing it until death of survivor or self
• · Spitter – Spits an acidic substance which if survivors walk into, causes damage.
• ·Charger – In a straight line – charges a survivor to a distance then deals damage until either survivors death or self
• · Jockey – Can ride survivors and steer them in any direction wanted. Rides until survivor has been incapacitated or death of self.
• · Tank – Incredible health and damage. Can throw rocks at the survivors. When punching a survivor, the survivor will get propelled a long distance.
• · Witch – Sits or Walks crying. When awakened the witch will go into a frenzy and with one hit, she will incapacitate the survivor. She will still frenzy with her attack while survivor is down until death of either her of the survivor. (Not playable in multiplayer)

A note to mention about the infected, there are 2 types that they fit in into the special infected.

Indirect Attackers:

Boomer 

Spitter

Incapacitation Bringers:

• ·         Smoker
• ·         Hunter
• ·         Charger
• ·         Jockey (can only incapacitate)

Super S-Infected:

• ·         Tank
• ·         Witch

At one time, there will only be 3 of the incapacitation and super special infected types. This makes it fair on the Survivors as there are not at one time 4 zombies which can render the survivors useless. So there would not be a charger, hunter, smoker and a jockey at one point. A Spitter or Boomer will be present (for multiplayer).

Uncommon Infected (clown zombies etc.) will also be present in my level. They need to have a specific use which makes them unique. Creating a developed mechanic which hinders the survivors, but not as damage effecting as the Special Infected. These were created in Left 4 Dead 2 for all individual campaigns.