Welcome back to the world of survival horror...

by Frankie "Cryptic" G.

As featured on Kotaku & The Escapist!

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Video Walkthrough
How to play / Introduction to Survival Infection
Custom Survival Infection Gametypes
Screenshots

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Want to play Survival Infection customs with other players?
http://www.forgehub.com/forum/groups/bloodthirst-infection-only-customs.html

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DISCLAIMER: This isn't a game-breaking issue by any means, but must certainly be addressed. Moderate/severe "disco-ing" and framerate issues in the Main Hall (when looking towards the dining room.) Waterfall problem. Not lighting. Sounds scary, but testing has proven this is only a minor annoyance in the big picture. The affected area is a small portion of what is a large and explorable map, so if you can look past that (experience it for yourself) then there's nothing to worry about.

I'm more than confident that if I was able to somehow move the entire structure in one pick up and drop (I'm never building this piece by piece again until maybe Halo 4) to another area away from the waterfall, that would get rid of the problem almost completely. If only I had that power to pick up and drop everything that, maybe say, 343... Might have. Just sayin'.

Claustrophobic. Dark. Terrifying.

There's a lot of reasons why so many remember where the nightmare all began. The original Resident Evil (more specifically Rebirth) was a haven for those of us that dreaded what was around every corner. We felt vulnerable and uneasy. Very hard to feel as a Spartan, I'm sure.

But what if we could experience these same or at the very least similar feelings in our favorite game, Halo? And in multiplayer of all places.

My idea to recapture the essence of the Spencer Mansion in Halo has existed since Halo 2, which became an actual goal during Halo 3. For all I knew before Reach came out, this recreation had to compliment the original/rebirth in every way in order for me to be satisfied. I've been constructing this map as a 1:1 remake, followed by its series of Infection gametypes I like to label as "Survival Infection," for over a year now; Pretty much since the release of Reach.

Aesthetics proved to be a goal I could reach. But what about gameplay? Would the survival horror gameplay of the Biohazard/Resident Evil series translate to Halo: Reach?

This brings us to the question...

What is Survival Infection?

Ever wonder why we play zombie video games? I can speak for most of us when I say we do it for the trigger happy genocide we lay on the hordes. But there's really more to it than that for some. Strategy. Management. Survival.

Now, I'm not trying to knock the whole Infection community when saying this, but Infection has changed since the way I used to play it back on Halo 2. Gone are the 10 minute "zombie" matches, replaced with 2 to 3 minute mindless rounds. Gone is the importance of survival. Now it's solely about kills and points.

The general community's view on camping is also jaded. Most that think they know a thing or two about Infection outright eliminate camping instead of designing gameplay to counter it; while they could be making camping a choice, but less effective. There were horribly unbalanced things I didn't like about Halo 2 Infection back in the day, but more tools have allowed us to remedy that. You don't want to eliminate choice for a gametype that focuses on survival.

I knew there had to be an audience for Infection that feels that it could be better, so while building this map I simultaneously tailored a gametype that would be fun and survival-focused, but most crucially: balanced.

Spencer Mansion (Halo Reach) - YouTube

The Mainstays & Balancing of Survival Infection: (Game Settings)

The gametypes tied to this map within the Survival Infection series (Ex. Survival Horror, Umbrella Trashsweepers, etc.) have a similar template for gameplay that most of you will probably be surprised and quizzical about upon playing the map for the first time.

Let me first explain the Survivors.

Begin each match with a Magnum. No sidearm.
Can only assassinate. (No melee damage)
Limited ammo and mobility.
Cannot see enemies or allies via radar/HUD.
Can pick up health packs and weapons.
No regeneration (aka, limited health.)

NOTE: Against my wishes (but still technically allowed), Survivors are able to pick up E. Swords off of fallen Infected. To counter this, no Survivor health regeneration makes using the Sword a risky decision. Every clash with an Infected's attack damages the user, making the novelty of one-shotting zombies short-lived and, ultimately, should be your last option for survival.

Your objective as a Survivor is to live 15 minutes before you are overrun and killed. Now, 15 minutes seemed to be the sweet spot during beta testing. When survivors are working alone, the game can end almost as quickly as most Infection matches do. Working with other survivors GREATLY increases game length and truly tests your weapon management as well as your aim once the match gets up to its last few minutes. Sounds obvious, but 'teamwork' doesn't mean you're gonna camp in a corner with some buddies and get away with it. Not for long on this map, anyway. There are multiple areas within the Mansion that I can recommend holding down for survival, but not one lacks its disadvantages.

"Limited" health. It's just what it sounds like. 4 hits by any zombie and you're one of them.
Can't wrap your head around it? It's kind of like this.

For anyone unfamiliar, this is a similar way the classic RE series handled your health status. This adds a whole other element to Infection: Health management. Any injured Survivors must look for one of the few med kits around the Mansion (and they don't come back just like weapons don't.)

"But that sounds SO frustrating! I'll hit the guy more than once and he just kills me! It must suck to be Infected."

Think of it this way. You damaged that guy. He killed you, but that's health he won't be getting back. And they MUST survive 15 minutes with that. Be PROUD of that injuring slice and know you'll eventually finish the job.

Because of the lack of mobility by the Survivors coupled with tight corridors, it's also much easier to get overwhelmed as a human than it sounds on paper. Speaking of mobility...

Mobility (or lack thereof...) is the key to counteracting the fact Survivors hold weapons. If there's one thing survival horror gameplay taught me, it's the less you're able to do, the harder and tenser things get. For this reason, Survivors can't 'jump'. Another thing that sounds weird on paper, but it works. While this makes you an easier target, you can focus more on your aim. That's a plus.

The headshot within the Infection community I noticed is a touchy subject. One that I early on thought I wanted to avoid as I can understand that these Infected we're shooting aren't enemy AI but annoyed, rage-quitting human... I.

Zombies ARE killed by headshots (along with other means.)

Let me better explain to those who don't understand with a counter-argument to the inevitable question...

"WHY HEADSHOTS!?"

First off, download the Mansion if you haven't already and take a good walk around the place. It's a lot tighter than what you're used to in Infection and Halo in general, I'm sure. The common scenario you'll be getting yourself into during one of the Survival Infection gametypes is close combat; more specifically, the "Survival Horror" gametype which I consider to be the 'main' map option. Every corner you move around contains an opportunity for an Infected to pop out at you.

Now let's say I (or the host) decided to turn headshots off from 'enabled' to 'disabled.'
We'd be doing all these horrible things to the gameplay:

Discouraging exploration while promoting camping
Careful aiming & ammo conservation becomes pointless
Removing skill gap between all Survivors (not including Infected)
Zombies would have every advantage on the map
Restricting rich Infection game development (sounds fancy, huh?) to only quick, unsatisfying Infection gameplay for players on both sides

That's the vicious cycle. Various corners and tight spaces combined with the advantage Infected have in speed and melee makes it easy for you as a Survivor to get attacked for the majority of the time. There's no way to quickly take out your foe before getting injured.

This leads to players camping; not wanting to leave their "safe" haven (Zombies are quick enough for no room to be entirely safe, even the rooms with a single entrance).

THAT leads to players without hope of successfully going out to scavenge for ammo.

Which THEN leads to extra ammo barely making a difference in survival rate.

THIS then affects the skill gap by giving Survivors no incentive to carefully aim or save their ammo because Infected take the same amount of hits to kill for every encounter. Survivors are then forced to explore the tight corridors without an effective way of protecting themselves.

This brings us back to the beginning... See the pattern?

All of these settings were made to reward both Survivors and Infected for their skill
and punish them for their mistakes. Doesn't get more fair than that.

Survival Infection is the hardcore player's Infection. It's by no means something I've pulled out my back side without plenty of testing and observation. Both sides give off their own sense of strength against the opposition. Gather a full party of willing players, teach them what I showed you here, and give it a shot. Playing with the right people can only help, too. (Feel free to add me!) Just know that Survivors ARE supposed to have the advantage... at first. Being a survivor wouldn't be a privilege if there wasn't some kind of perk, and successful Infected should get the prevailing feeling of overcoming a better equipped prey.

Crimson Heads (The Alpha Zombies)

Survival Horror
Invisible Enemy Mode

"There is now evidence that when the host loses consciousness, the body goes into a dormant state. During this time the virus becomes active and rapidly transforms and reconstructs the basic composition of the body. The host eventually mutated into a humanoid creature. (We call them V-ACTs). Its speed and amazing muscular development are particularly noteworthy. After transformation, it becomes more agile and aggressive. Already four of our researchers have died from trying to feed it, turning the place into an instant blood bath. (Ever since this tragic and barbaric accident, we have decided to call its kind "Crimson Heads")

MORE DETAILS SOON!! Gametypes custom built for the Mansion:

Survival Horror - Survive the time limit using teamwork, limited health and ammo!
Umbrella Trashsweepers - Band against Umbrella's disposable soldiers and survive!
Invisible Enemy Mode - Fear can't kill you. But...
S.T.A.R.S.!! - Hide from the Nemesis T-Type. It's your only option!

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