Division 9 - cancelled zombie shooter by Irrational

Bad^Hat

Bad^Hat

The Freeman
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Wow. So apparently, Irrational Games (Ken Levine's studio, responsible for Bioshock) were pitching a zombie-themed FPS to publishers in 2005, but were met with unanimous disinterest since nobody thought it'd work at the time. Well, of course now we know better, but sadly it had to been canned and will probably never see the light of day (heh). Sounds pretty great, a more tactical shooter than L4D which involves taking risks to salvage supplies and rescue survivors. Looking at it it seems like it's actually based on the SWAT 4 engine, which kind of makes sense once you see it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgXZq8LPt7g

Keep in mind it's a 5-year old game based on a dated engine, and it's probably early development at that. Even so I think it showed promise, and I for one have been craving a game like this that's more thoughtful and less... frantic.

Here's the article about it, which I'm just about to read. http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/01/12/trailer-for-irrational-s-scrapped-zombie-game.aspx
 
This is also something I've been thinking about as the perfect zombie game idea. If this were coop and had a proper story-mode then it would be AMAZING.
 
I bet the publishers who thought this game wouldn't work had a massive wrist-slitting party when L4D came out.
 
that actually looks quite interesting, for the time it was made as well. what a shame.
 
Oh c'mon, surely someone watched the whole video and caught the end quote. I'm tempted to make it my new sig.
 
wow, thats so much like l4d its scary. i dont like the speed though, it doesnt feel nearly as frantic as l4d does.
 
too slow, not enough blood, weapons seem lame.

i think this was for the best.
 
This looks like it would have trumped l4d in every way, especially if it was tackled again.
 
"Hey this is Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games" - I laughed so ****ing hard, this guy is a ****ing retarded. He also worked on Bioshock, he claims how original/creative Bioshock is in developer diaries. The game looks pretty shitty, to be honest. It reminds me another shitty zombie game called Day of the Zombie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMfRqxcsjZI
 
Barnz said:
"Hey this is Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games" - I laughed so ****ing hard, this guy is a ****ing retarded. He also worked on Bioshock, he claims how original/creative Bioshock is in developer diaries. The game looks pretty shitty, to be honest. It reminds me another shitty zombie game called Day of the Zombie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMfRqxcsjZI
Click to expand...

this shit is too funny.
 
Emporius said:
This looks like it would have trumped l4d in every way, especially if it was tackled again.
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not a chance, l4d set the bar for zombie survival games

this might have been fun back in the day but the mechanics are pure trash compared to l4d.
 
The game didn't look too bad, I really do want a more tactical version of L4D. L4D is a lot of fun, but I sometimes wish it weren't so frantic all the time.

That being said those guys in the video move at the speed of frozen molasses
 
Wow, that looked intense.
Even though it was essentially SWAT 4 with zombies.(also I'm pretty sure the map they were playing on is a SWAT 4 level)
 
It certainly looked interesting and if they'd implimented the intended features it would have been a different take on the zombie FPS to what we're used to, particularly with the base building/scavenging idea.

I think a comparison with L4D isn't really warranted as they're two very different kinds of game. Like comparing Call of Duty with Operation Flashpoint - yes they share many themes, but the way the game worked is vastly different.

Even though it was essentially SWAT 4 with zombies.(also I'm pretty sure the map they were playing on is a SWAT 4 level)
Click to expand...

It was, Victory Imports. It would seem that this was an early proof of concept demo to get support and that the development didn't go very far.
 
this a proof that executives directors dont know crap about games
 
Rico said:
The game didn't look too bad, I really do want a more tactical version of L4D. L4D is a lot of fun, but I sometimes wish it weren't so frantic all the time.
Click to expand...

L4D2 has a more methodical and careful feel in Realism mode.
 
AmishSlayer said:
L4D2 has a more methodical and careful feel in Realism mode.
Click to expand...

I've tried Realism and while a little more methodical, it's not quite there yet.

I've been hugely disappointed with the fact that Valve hasn't released a proper SDK for L4D 1 or 2, as I crave nothing more than getting my hands on that and making some new gametypes for the game.
 
Bob_Marley said:
It was, Victory Imports. It would seem that this was an early proof of concept demo to get support and that the development didn't go very far.
Click to expand...

Noticed that too, wouldn't have known if I never watched Spoony's swat 4 videos.
 
Tyguy said:
too slow, not enough blood, weapons seem lame.

i think this was for the best.
Click to expand...

You realise that this was a pitch, right? I mean this isn't even an Alpha demo. This is at best a concept. Things like that would have changed during actual development.

I'd definitely have bought this, and enjoyed the hell out of it. Swat 4 with zombies? Yes please.
 
Tyguy said:
too slow, not enough blood, weapons seem lame.
Click to expand...
As mentioned in the OP, it's based on the SWAT 4 engine and is an early demo. SWAT 4 had no blood. Besides which, um... I'm pretty sure the only weapons you see him use are also in L4D. Unless you're talking about the graphics, in which case, once more, early demo.

Tyguy said:
not a chance, l4d set the bar for zombie survival games
Click to expand...
Okay, are you trying to troll? I'm not even going to say why this statement is ****ing dumb.

I seriously wonder sometimes, are you people dense or do you just enjoy being willfully stupid for yucks? The only reason this should ever be compared to L4D is because it was being pitched around the same time L4D was beginning development, and they share a common theme. The gameplay is quite obviously worlds apart, besides which there's the small distinction that L4D is NOT A ****ING ZOMBIE GAME. IT'S NOT. The undead are infected, not zombies. There's a difference, go watch Dawn of the Dead (not the new one) and 28 Days Later and learn it. Yes, I'm totally nitpicking, but that doesn't mean there isn't a huge and immediately noticeable difference.

Also worth noting, to those who say it's "too slow" - first of all, there's no way this game wouldn't have a run command, ala Rainbow Six where walking was the default (maybe SWAT too, haven't played it in ages). Second, this is a Ken Levine demo. The guy loves tension like it's his infant child. He probably walked through the entire level on purpose just to make it seem scarier.

SEEM scarier. See that funny word there? That means I'm simply implying his intent, not saying he's a master of ****ing horror, so save your snarky comebacks.

Except for maybe System Shock. Cause damn.
 
Bad^Hat said:
L4D is NOT A ****ING ZOMBIE GAME. IT'S NOT. The undead are infected, not zombies. There's a difference, go watch Dawn of the Dead (not the new one) and 28 Days Later and learn it.
Click to expand...

Oh, come on, the distinction between zombies and infected is totally academic. You can have fast-moving zombies or slow infected, it's a matter of how they are depicted.
 
Bad^Hat said:
Wow. So apparently, Irrational Games (Ken Levine's studio, responsible for Bioshock) were pitching a zombie-themed FPS to publishers in 2005, but were met with unanimous disinterest since nobody thought it'd work at the time. Well, of course now we know better, but sadly it had to been canned and will probably never see the light of day (heh). Sounds pretty great, a more tactical shooter than L4D which involves taking risks to salvage supplies and rescue survivors. Looking at it it seems like it's actually based on the SWAT 4 engine, which kind of makes sense once you see it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgXZq8LPt7g

Keep in mind it's a 5-year old game based on a dated engine, and it's probably early development at that. Even so I think it showed promise, and I for one have been craving a game like this that's more thoughtful and less... frantic.

Here's the article about it, which I'm just about to read. http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/01/12/trailer-for-irrational-s-scrapped-zombie-game.aspx
Click to expand...

That's because the footage you linked was in fact when SWAT4 development was -UNDERWAY-, on the Irrational forums they stated that because the team wasn't really into making a squad-based tactical shooter like SWAT; everything they did for SWAT 4 they originally did with a horror style, concept art, some 3D models, etc, you name it.

For example the map we see in the video is basically a put-together version of several SWAT 4 vanilla maps.

So afaik, this vid is not from Division 9 prior to it becoming SWAT 4, but rather is from SWAT 4 in early development when the team were still bitter they got the assignment and was doing horror stuff in the engine for 'fun'.

I could be wrong but that's what I've gathered from the official forums and the podcasts.

Edit: At one point in the video you can hear one of your squad mates say "He's armed" just like in SWAT 4, and at one instance one can clearly see the Breach icon from SWAT 4.
 
I would bitch slap the ****er who invented fast zombies. Who was it anyway?
 
Gargantou said:
That's because the footage you linked was in fact when SWAT4 development was -UNDERWAY-, on the Irrational forums they stated that because the team wasn't really into making a squad-based tactical shooter like SWAT; everything they did for SWAT 4 they originally did with a horror style, concept art, some 3D models, etc, you name it.
Click to expand...
Uhhh, did you read the article I linked?

The Kenmeister said:
Division 9 started as SWAT 5. Levine explains: “We were finishing SWAT 4, and Vivendi actually wanted us to do SWAT 5. This is one of those points where the money would have been really nice, and they were really good to work with, but I looked around and thought ‘What else have we got to say about this game?’ We didn’t really have anything else to add to what we did [with SWAT 4]. But I wanted the money really badly.”
Click to expand...
 
Bad^Hat said:
Uhhh, did you read the article I linked?
Click to expand...

Uhh.. Shut up :(*Runs away hiding face in shame*

I distinctly recall them saying that they didn't wannaw do SWAT -4- when they were originally approached about it and as thus the original designs for the game was all based around survival horror. Stuff like 3D models, concept art etc.
 
what a dipshit, can you believe this guy actually worked on games like thief, and system shock 2

giantkenlevineface.jpg
 
dekstar said:
This is also something I've been thinking about as the perfect zombie game idea. If this were coop and had a proper story-mode then it would be AMAZING.
Click to expand...
I think we've all had the thought that a combination of a L4D-style game with a proper story would be awesome. There are reasons why that would be hugely problematic though:

1. Games geared towards co-op need to be made with replay value in mind. Stories just don't rate highly on the list of reasons to replay a game; we replay for the gameplay, not the story (except in some sophisticated RPGs, but even then a replay merely reveals the limitations of your ability to affect the story).

2. A story for co-op gaming wouldn't have a big enough market to design specifically for. We don't play co-op games with the same people every time, and often we're playing with "pubs" who we don't even know and can actually turn out to be pretty big d***s. In fact, outside of MMOs, this is why there are hardly any good multiplayer designed stories out there.

We don't all have a bunch of mates who we're going to buy the game with and play it through to conclusion with. It would be awesome, but I can see why the market wouldn't be there.
 
I think by "story mode" he meant a proper beginning-to-end campaign. Those are done with coop all the time... ever played Halo? The only difference is you usually skip the cutscenes. :p
 
Yeah ... co-op can be a feature, but it doesn't have to be the whole damn point.

I personally don't like L4D. The speed at which the "zombies" run and serious lack of damage done pretty much makes it feel like you're fighting an army of toddlers. It's too frantic and ridiculous. Totally goes against the entire idea of the zombie mythos, as does the gameplay itself. There's really no need for ammo conservation, careful aiming, important decision making ... or really anything at all that is usually associated with zombie entertainment except the vague "survival" concept. In addition to being a terrible zombie game, it isn't all that fun as its own thing either.

As has been said before, this was just a proof of concept. It seems like the road they were on would've produced a much better game than L4D.
 
L4D was a good zombie game sure, but it wasn't a game for people who REALLY wanted a zombie game. It was too fast paced, too comical, and too Hollywood.

Most real zombie fans want an open world environment that allows shelter-building, scavenging and survivor rescuing. Say you have to survive a week, an more zombies appear every day as the infection spreads. You could have them banging on the door of the basement you have secured with a physics barricade.

Ahh, maybe one day.
 
Dead Island looked like it was gonna be like that Lone Wolf. Hasnt been heard from in a long time though.
 
Lone Wolf said:
L4D was a good zombie game sure, but it wasn't a game for people who REALLY wanted a zombie game. It was too fast paced, too comical, and too Hollywood.

Most real zombie fans want an open world environment that allows shelter-building, scavenging and survivor rescuing. Say you have to survive a week, an more zombies appear every day as the infection spreads. You could have them banging on the door of the basement you have secured with a physics barricade.

Ahh, maybe one day.
Click to expand...
There was a roguelike focused on the exact things you describe a while back but I think development sadly grinded to a halt.

You don't need any fancy 3D for a proper zombie game, just the whole concept of realistically scrounging for supplies, building shelters, barricading oneself, searching for other survivors, handling conflicts within ones own group(i.e. people who want to leave, try to convince other people to leave with'em etc)

Also yes, Dead Island looked great, the devs said they had even added real-time decomposition of the zombies!:LOL:
 
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