Left 4 Dead 2

NOTE: This post was written back in January, and never published. Keep that in mind as I talk about iz3D and TriDef. Those comments are out of date and I recommend TriDef over iz3D here in May. Anyways, on with the old.

I've heard some good things about source engine games in 3D, and have criminally underplayed L4D2 as it is, so it seemed appropriate to spend some time playing the game in 3D. One of the main reasons I wanted another 3D display was because I wanted something I could use at my desk. First person games that offer mouse and keyboard controls, I'm going to play with mouse and keyboard controls, and you can forget the thought of me getting a keyboard tray and wireless equipment to use on it. Wired, no nonsense, high performance input devices, that's what I use, and as much as I love 3D if I have to choose between 3D and mouse and keys, I choose mouse and keys.

So I've got a number of first person titles on PC that I've never tried in 3D, so expect to see a few of those popping up here over the next few weeks as I dust them off and fire them up. Of course, since not everyone has an HMZ, I took a look at how L4D2 looks on my 3DTV also to get a sense of how much crosstalk impacts the experience should your display be susceptible to that.


Left 4 Dead 2 does not have native 3D support and is the first game I've looked at for this blog that works in both IZ3D and TriDef Ignition. I settled on using IZ3D, but both showcased some key issues. According to the 'Game Grade 3D' analysis over on mtbs3d.com L4D2 works perfectly with TriDef and has only one minor issue with IZ3D. Well that's bunk, and it sort of highlights why I started this blog. There's been a number of times where those game grade reports have been way off. Also I don't like the notion of trying to make something like 3D image quality a quantitative measure.

Some issues I can see don't bother me, but might bother you. This blog is my personal take, but hopefully if I describe the issues in detail, you'll know whether or not they are going to bother you.

A great place to test things is the start of 'The Parish'. Right where you begin that level, there is a large body of water, buildings off in the distance, and buildings nearby. Those buildings off in the distance are the first major issue we hit. Source engine games use something called a 3D skybox. Hidden somewhere in the map is a scale model that makes up the skybox. Little buildings and hills and the like. In 2D it's often hard to tell when you're looking at an object in the skybox and when you're looking at an object within the level.

In 3D the small scale of that 3D skybox becomes instantly apparent and distant buildings don't look right at all. Even worse, if you've got dynamic focus turned on, as you look around those buildings in the skybox slide all over the place. In other words, it's a headache. This happens in both IZ3D and TriDef. There's no way to disable the 3D skybox either unfortunately.

How big an issue this is, depends on where abouts you are in the game. The skybox is always merely background scenery, but if you're in a relatively open area, and you can see a lot of skybox, it can really throw you for a loop. Supposedly distant buildings look as if they're floating much nearer too you than they should. Any time you get these kinds of problems your eyes and brain can be thrown for a spin, working over time to make sense of something that they literally can't.

In the few hours I spent playing the game, this was only a major issue in a few areas, but in those areas I literally had to turn my view away on more than one occasion to regain focus. If you're playing through an indoor area, it's no issue at all. If you're playing through tight winding streets, again, it's no issue, but when you see more of the city, or when you look out of a window, prepare for your head to spin.

The other major issue is aiming, and this is why I ultimately settled on IZ3D. In TriDef, the laser sight doesn't work at all. The dot shows up way off to one side and doesn't move no matter what you look at. Short of picking up the laser sight in game (which only works on certain weapons, and can't be transferred when you find an upgraded one) you're stuck using the ingame crosshair. Left 4 Dead 2 needs a relatively high amount of accuracy to succeed, so a gun with broken sights is frustrating to say the least.

IZ3D fares better. The laser sight actually works most of the time, but I stress most. In some areas for no discernable reason at all the laser sight tweaks out, as if it's aiming at something inches from your face. My eyes literally crossed when this happened, and it's the sort of game where you have to focus on the crosshairs most of the time. I'd recommend then that you use IZ3D's left or right shift option to line up the ingame crosshair with your dominant eye. In my case I used left shift, to align the crosshair in my right eye.

If you do want to use IZ3Ds laser sight or struggle through with the one you can occasionally aquire in game, you can easily disable the ingame crosshair using the console command 'crosshair 0', which is handy... but unless the left or right shift option doesn't do it for you, I'd avoid the lasersight even if it looks good at first. Either way, IZ3D is your best bet for having a reticle you can actually use, and given that it doesn't feature any issues that TriDef doesn't, it's definately the way to go. Also make sure you turn on 'simple 3D projection' to get your on screen weapon to look right.

Another issue that occurs on all 3D versions of the game is that many HUD elements show up at screen depth. Mainly this is player names, but direction indicators also exhibit the same problem. This doesn't seem like a big issue on paper, but again it can really test your eyes as the player names cross infront of your view as you try and shoot around a fellow player. It's certainly more annoying than the mission markers in Deus Ex were, which appeared to be behind solid things. That would be preferrable. I haven't yet found a console command to disable player names, though there may well be.

Playing Left 4 Dead 2 in 3D is still a lot of fun though, even with these issues. As with any atmospheric game, the HMZ adds more to the experience than the 3DTV, and as with most dark games I've tried out, those OLED screens really make a big difference in how much detail and depth you can make out in the shadows... while making the shadows *darker* at the same time.

Fortunately shadows and lighting works perfectly because having to disable either in a horror title like Left 4 Dead 2 would be unacceptable. The feeling of being surrounded by a horde of zombies is definately enhanced, as is the panic you feel as a hunter pounces at you, or a tank throws a rock your way. Lots of explosions and blood spurts make for memorable moments too. Setting off a pipe bomb or shooting a boomer are standout 3D moments.

All of the enemies in Left 4 Dead 2 either have to reach you to hurt you, or use some kind of projectile which ensures that the game is really amped up in 3D compared to games which favour enemies with predominantly gun based weaponry. It's much more memorable to have a boomer vomit in your face than to have someone shooting a machine gun in your general direction.

Like with Deus Ex, being 'there' makes the game more fun by increasing how effective its strong atmosphere is, and it also helps with your focus, perhaps even making you a little bit better at the game by making you more aware of your surroundings.