Back 4 Blood Catch All

I used to grab lots of free stuff from there. But it's been years. Wonder if I can remember my login.

Now Intel is in on free-key action too:
https://game.intel.com/giveaways/bac...

@Keithustus Thanks for the heads up! Snagged!

This makes me feel a lot better about Swarm / PVP. Looks like 12-second respawns, which is noticeably faster game pace than vanilla L4D, but not stupid-TDM pace. It also confirms that in each of the best-of-three rounds, both sides play survivors once the swap sides, rather than how some folks thought it would just be three total play sessions (Team A humans, Team B humans, tiebreaker Team A human again). This means that when competent players are together—not like in this video—it shouldn’t be too uncommon for a survivor team to survive 5+ minutes, which means a close game could go 30-60 minutes. To improve upon the ragequit problem of L4Ds’ versus modes, though, in unbalanced games, it should be over in 10-20 minutes.

If anyone who’s a coop guru wants to comment on what’s shown for that here, I’m all ears.

Other news: Twitch Drops will allow you to get yourself a code and three friend codes. Those codes are not platform dependent.

Many beta codes including Steam’s still have not been sent out. And it looks unlikely at this point that any platform will allow preloading of beta files, so we all start downloading at noon Pacific Thursday or later.

Yeah, I keep hopping into Steam to preload the files, but it says no go.

Just over 15 hours now until we all can play the early-access beta! It starts at noon Pacific, 3 pm Eastern.

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Contents:

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Accessing the beta:

Things have changed in the last 24 hours as far as how we get access..

If you played in the alpha, it’s already been renamed from alpha to beta in your Steam library. You just need to download the files once they’re added. No preloads apparently since some people weren’t responsible with the alpha files.

If you preordered digitally (XB, Steam, Epic, or PlayStation), the game will simply be added to your library when the beta goes live. Then we can download it. Only PlayStation users so far have been able to preload. Their download is 24.81 gb. You don’t need a code to redeem.

If you preordered a physical copy (Best Buy, Amazon, GameStop, etc.), you should have received a code from them on your receipt or email. If not, contact them.

If you have not preordered, there’s plenty of ways to get an access code:

- Twitch Drops. Watch an hour of B4B on any Twitch Drop-enabled-and-tagged channel, which will provide a code for you and three codes for friends. There’s no luck or draw involved, just assignment of key permissions once you’ve hit that time. (Load a channel, go make and eat a meal). There seems to be no limit to how many can be given out by Twitch through this system. These keys are not platform dependent.

- B4B website registration. They haven’t yet sent this round of codes for users who registered for alpha / beta access on their site. Being selected is random and not unlimited, and will provide a code for you and three codes for friends. These keys are not platform dependent.

- Alienware, Steel Series (no keys remaining), and Intel (giveaway ended) giveaways. These giveaways instantly provide single codes for Steam upon registering for their marketing emails and opting into their B4B code giveaway.

- Back 4 Blood official discord giveaway. Seriously, great great place to hang out if you want the most accurate information about the game. Well moderated. Respectful discussion. There is now a channel running just to give away keys; it’s some kind of random drawing. https://discord.gg/turtlerockstudios

Keithustus wrote:

- B4B website registration. They haven’t yet sent this round of codes for users who registered for alpha / beta access on their site. Being selected is random and not unlimited, and will provide a code for you and three codes for friends. These keys are not platform dependent.

This was evidently me. Unfortunately, I'm not too certain what friends I can rely on to partake in the Beta so I don't even know what platform to select keys for.

Got my beta codes, and looks like I can't redeem them until the beta starts. Me want shoot zombies.

ccesarano wrote:

I'm not too certain what friends I can rely on to partake in the Beta so I don't even know what platform to select keys for.

Everything is cross-platform! Pick whichever platform is best for you: PC through Steam or Epic, PS4, PS5, XBox One, XBox Series S (is that what it's called?).

Steam Preloads are LIVE.

Restart your Steam. If you preordered and didn't have a distinct "Back 4 Blood Beta" item in your library before (separate from "Back 4 Blood" which is the placeholder for the full game), you should see it now. If you had "Back 4 Blood Alpha", it got changed to "Beta" weeks ago but files weren't available. Press Update on it. 18 gb.

Had to restart Steam to get the Beta to pop, but installing now!

Oooo, I am gonna install this evening and hopefully get on for at least a short while tonight and even more over the weekend.

Dropping some Steam codes for anyone who needs it. The first one is just a straight up Steam code and the other ones are the friend invites they gave me.

HX050-456JA-EXEY0 Claimed

Use this link to redeem your Back 4 Blood code https://www.back4blood.com/?WBGHCode... Claimed

Use this link to redeem your Back 4 Blood code https://www.back4blood.com/?WBGHCode...

Use this link to redeem your Back 4 Blood code https://www.back4blood.com/?WBGHCode...

Thanks Gumbie, I used the first code.

Installing now. Catch y'all this weekend then

Gumbie wrote:

Dropping some Steam codes for anyone

I recommend against posting redemption codes of any kind directly on a public website. They’re easily bot-crawlable or grabbable by randos rather than GWJers. The ‘PM me, no grinders’ system and then editing the comment to strikethrough their availability seems to work well.

Here’s some new videos from the devs:

Keithustus wrote:
Gumbie wrote:

Dropping some Steam codes for anyone

I recommend against posting redemption codes of any kind directly on a public website. They’re easily bot-crawlable or grabbable by randos rather than GWJers. The ‘PM me, no grinders’ system and then editing the comment to strikethrough their availability seems to work well.

I mean yeah I considered that but it's a 4 day free beta so...lol

Thanks Gumbie! I grabbed the first linked code.

I also have a few Steam codes, PM me or hit me up in chat.

Also, based on a survey I took, some version of the beta appears to be open until August 16th.

Gumbie wrote:

Dropping some Steam codes for anyone who needs it. The first one is just a straight up Steam code and the other ones are the friend invites they gave me.

HX050-456JA-EXEY0 Claimed

Use this link to redeem your Back 4 Blood code https://www.back4blood.com/?WBGHCode... Claimed

Use this link to redeem your Back 4 Blood code https://www.back4blood.com/?WBGHCode...

Use this link to redeem your Back 4 Blood code https://www.back4blood.com/?WBGHCode...

Claimed

Thanks Gumbie! I grabbed the last code

Bots still feel as useless as they did a decade ago.

There's... a lot to this. Cards, currency, store, some base stuff too. I don't know if that makes me more likely to play or less.

The bots in L4D were very, very good at seeing and killing special infected. The bots in B4B are not good at anything.

The difficulty spike at the last level is nuts; I and a few friends basically walked through the prior levels, but trying to cross that bridge failed multiple times. Once there were two bots, once there was one, and, yeah, that didn't help.

That being said, enjoyed it. I know some people are very upset at the lack of campaign versus, but, well, that was never a mode I prioritized, and the PvE stuff is what I played most. So far, outside of bots and difficulty spikes, it feels pretty good. Of course, I've only played a few games . . .

So my initial impressions after playing a few rounds in Campaign and Versus are...it's ok? This is coming from someone who owns Killing Floor 2, World War Z , Zombie Army 4 and CoD Black Ops Zombie mode. Throw in Vermintide 2 as well! I felt it was fun but nothing that makes me want to break away from these other games to say hey I do this better, or way different etc. I will give it more playing time though.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

The difficulty spike at the last level is nuts; I and a few friends basically walked through the prior levels, but trying to cross that bridge failed multiple times. Once there were two bots, once there was one, and, yeah, that didn't help.

Yeah me and 3 bots made it over the bridge the very first time. One bot went down at the top of the ramp off the boat.

But then you have to take 2 separate bombs and plant them back on the boat. Of course the bots can't carry anything and don't protect you. There's also a mounted gun you can place. But then a bot jumps on that and doesn't help you at all. We died just trying to get back on the boat.

The 2nd time we didn't make it across the bridge, dying right at the boat entrance.

The 3rd and final continue... I actually got one bomb planted. But lost 2 bots on the way, and never made it back up for the 2nd bomb.

I’ve yet to really sink my teeth into the game but the feedback from you all and what I’ve read elsewhere especially their discord and on the subreddit has been quite interesting. I’m glad people are more giving them feedback now and not just Female Doggoing.

What was pretty impressive was that the co-founder of Turtle Rock (who was close friends with L4D1’s creators but wasn’t working at TRS at that time)* entered their discord for a few hours last night and took many questions. He was positive but a bit evasive, though with as many people mixed in there being decidedly negative, that’s not unexpected.

* Turtle Rock Studios was founded twice: first around 2000, and then again in 2010 after the first was folder into Valve.

The amount of blood they cover the players in is silly. I like the idea of persistence and growth with the deck, but I don't think I have grasped it. I wish there were more character customization and better weapon management? Like I came across guns I wanted to try, but I couldn't transfer attachments from my current gun.

My overall sense is it's good, but not great. I don't feel like there were any wow moments in the game play or design.

Yeah I loved the amount of weapons. But then the attachments got very confusing. And sometimes I picked up cards in the field and there's just a lot of stuff happening besides killing zombies. I can't decide if that's good or bad.

There were a few times I swapped weapons for the same TYPE of weapon and wondered why I couldn't swap attachments. But then my programmer brain kicked in and asked, "how would they do that? Make you manually choose/remove attachments individually from each gun in the middle of a zombie attack? Strip the old weapon of attachments to use later in the safe house? But what if another player wants your old weapon?". Way too complicated.

FlamingPeasant wrote:

The amount of blood they cover the players in is silly.

Very Dragon Age I, if you ask me. I find it distracting and was sometimes shooting at a teammate because it looked undead....

Anyone up to try either campaign stuff tonight, or maybe try some versus mode if there are enough people? Playing with bots or with randoms does not appeal to me at all.

Devs confirmed on discord they have no plans to do a campaign versus mode meanwhile Gumbie confirms he has no plans to purchase this game anymore.