Thread: The Dead Mile: New Map Idea

A buddy and I are thinking about creating a new campaign. What do the denizens of L4DForums think?

"When hell comes to earth, prisoner and guard must work together to survive..."

So, if you haven’t figured it out by now, this campaign takes place in a jail. Additionally, rather than just a new map, we want to include a story. For now, ill give the outline and some plot elements that have been worked out.

You start in the infirmary. When the infection first made it to the prison, infected inmates (as well as anyone they came in contact with) were sent to the infirmary for observation. When the infection finally manifested itself and the prison lost control, the infirmary was told to lock up and defend their position until help arrives. This is where you start. The two remaining uninfected prison guards (Louis/Zoey) and the remaining uninfected prisoners (Francis/Bill) are locked in the infirmary. All of the other guards/medical staff is either dead in locked cells or infected in locked cells. When the campaign begins, the sergeant in the prison control tower radios to the surviving guards that no help is coming and The prison is going to be bombed by the federal government in 70 minutes. The sergeant is going to stay in the tower for as long as he can in order to guide you to the control tower, then to the helipad where evacuation waits. As the two immune guards are discussing their options, the two immune prisoners (still in cells) plead their case to be released (They are also immune, the need all the help they can get in order to survive, more guns more cover, etc). The guards reluctantly release the two prisoners, give them weapons and Kevlar armor (from the other dead guards - necessary to ensure the two prisoner-survivors are able to be recognized among the prison jumpsuit wearing horde.)

The campaign starts with your end goal in mind (Escape the prison via helicopter before it is bombed off the map). Your friend in the control tower will help you via radio throughout the campaign. We want to base the map off some real prison that exists today so it has a logical layout. Anyways from this point forward ill discuss some panic events:

Infirmary --> Inmate cells - The only exit from the infirmary towards the control tower is though the inmate confinement area. All of the cells were put on lockdown when the infection was let loose. They remained locked with infected prisoners still inside. In order to get though, you have to unlock the door to get in and out, unfortunately this will also open all of the inmate cells and make a lot of noise in the process. The sergeant warns you to get ready before he issue the command from the tower...

Inmate cells --> Prison yard - While in the inmate holding area, the sergeant informs you that the military is planning on dropping a weapons and health cash into the prison yard. He suggests you find a way outside in order to better equip yourself for what’s to come. You make your way into the yard via a hole in the prison wall. Once outside, the sergeant tells you to take position for the drop mid prison yard. The chopper flies over and drops a large crate via parachute. Everything is going fine until the chute snaps free dropping the crate to the ground. The crash alerts the hoard, better find a T2 weapon in the rubble fast to defend yourself...

Prison Yard --> Commons/Dining/Kitchen area - After getting T2's and surviving the onslaught, the survivors move back inside the prison via a hole on the opposite side of the yard (Think of the yard as the outdoor area, sectioned into four separate areas by fencing, control tower free standing in the middle, and surrounded by the prison building) into the Prison Commons (indoor recreational area for inmates). Unfortunately there does not seem to be any way out of this area. Prisoners took it upon themselves to barricade all exits (it didn’t save them from infection). While exploring the kitchen (attached to the commons), the sergeant radios the survivors with an idea. The kitchen stoves are natural gas. Pull the gas feed line out, wait a few seconds and ignite it to blow a hole in the wall. The survivors comply, big explosion ensues, the way forward is cleared and the horde descends on you for making such a big boom.

Commons/Dining/Kitchen area --> Maintenance area/boiler room - Blasting a hole in the kitchen leads to the prison maintenance tunnels. Your friend on the radio has the schematics in front of him and leads you through the tunnels towards your destination. Following instructions you wind up in the prisons boiler room. The sergeant directs you to a maintenance hatch that should take you to a maintenance supply area with access back into the prison yard in the same quadrant as the helipad. Unfortunately (this is a "movie") it has been sautered shut preventing you from moving forward. The sergeant tells you to close the pressure release valves on the boiler and exit the room. The boiler explodes making another hole in the wall (This prison apparently has walls of very poor structural integrity) leading out to the yard. After combating the horde, you can move forward.

Prison Yard part 2 --> Helipad escape - Going through the hole in the boiler room brings you to a maintenance supply depot. Once clearing it out and resupplying, the survivors move back out into the Prison yard quadrant closest to the helipad (located on the top corner of the prison). You sergeant friend informs you that you can climb the staircase in the corner to reach the helipad and he is going to come and join you to escape now that you have cleared a path for him to follow. He then confirms with the helicopter pilot that we are all ready for pickup. The pilot confirms his takeoff and gives an ETA of 10 minutes. Immediately after this, your radio picks up a static-filled hectic mayday. A commercial (or military depending on story details) plane has lost control. The pilot is still alive and uninfected, but the cabin is full on infected passengers trying to get to him. They do eventually and the radio goes silent (in a appropriately violent sounding manner), but not before the survivors can hear distant jet engines getting closer at an alarming rate. The sergeant radios to you if you see any sign of the doomed aircraft. Mid-sentence the plane emerges from the fog/smoke of the destroyed city beyond and its wing clips the control tower killing your friend on the radio. The tower and remainder of the plane crash into the perimeter wall of the prison destroying it completely. A FLOOD of infected pour in from the city streets. The pilot radios in an updated ETA of 5 minutes.

Survive long enough to get the hell out alive.

So what do you all think so far? Any ideas, criticisms... really whatever input is appreciated. I am still looking for new or different panic events, as well as "Accident Panic Events" (ie car alarm and metal detector in current campaigns), other areas of the prison that could be utilized, ways to incorporate the story into the game without slowing down gameplay, etc...

Nice idea, I suggested something quite similar, but it wasn't in a topic of its own, so was overlooked and didn't feel like elaborating.

All of this is intended to be helpful criticism. I can even offer my help in production.

Why do lots of games start in infirmary's? I think it would be way more fitting ( as well as easier) to design a level beginning in "The hole" or something. It would give a little assumption that you are a badass, and its easier to design something IMO from a basement and work up, instead of an infirmary that are usually more near the administration side of a prison. You said jail, but i think you mean prison, where people are sent to for life right?

Why dead mile? why not red mile? to go with the color scheme of kings book :P but thats minor.

I think the hardest thing would be to keep the map interesting, prison for 5 level will just seem like gray on gray on gray. if you could have in like the 3rd level a breaking out of prison crescendo , then a through the woods or sewer/water system , then a small town it would keep things exciting.

I think the prison levels should go more like, (fill in story however you like"

(The hole + through maximum security wing) I like the unlocking of the bars crescendo.

(through the yard + infirmary)

(Boiler room + escape) I've always wanted to see a level with a lot of pipes, zombies would run at you and crawl under the pipes every 15 feet or so, ducking in and out of sight. Easy alarm triggering crescendo here maybe into the water system. Homage to Shawshank.

(Sewer-like tunnels + outdoor forest level)

(Small town + finale) escaping in a HOT AIR BALLOON! lol jk, but somethings gotta be easier than heli.

Just my quick $0.02 have much more to saw, i hope this project gets started.

Ya i know, but red..... blood..... zombies.........copyright infringements.

Thanks for the response Weapah. I like you ideas and similar ones have been brought up in a few other forums I am bouncing ideas around in. I am starting to warm up to the idea of breaking out of prison around the third map as well. Also, I appreciate your offer to assist in production. Once i manage to get the details on paper and begin layout I will get back to you on that. Additionally, if there is anything else that you can think of idea wise, please do not hesitate to throw it up here or contact me.

Thanks!

GG