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Killing Floor (2009 video game)
Encyclopedia
Killing Floor is a cooperative
first-person shooter
video game developed and published by Tripwire Interactive
. It was first released on May 14, 2009, for Microsoft Windows
, and for Mac OS X
on May 5, 2010.
Further emphasizing the need for teamwork, the game lets players select one of seven perks at the start of a match and between rounds. The perk, similar to the idea of a class, provides bonuses towards certain weapon types, armor, movement, and other factors. Players can raise the effectiveness of these perks across numerous games by meeting the leveling requirements for that specific perk. For example, the "Sharpshooter" perk, which provides accuracy benefits when using scoped rifles, can be raised in level by completing a number of headshots with specific weapons. The player need not play with that perk to raise its level; for example, the Field Medic perk requires the player to heal a number of points to level, but this can be done playing using any of the other perks. Players are encouraged to diversify these perks for their team to assure success. Players that die during a wave will re-enter the game at the start of the next wave, as long as at least one squad member survives. If the entire squad is wiped out, they will have to restart the game.
Each game can be configured to alter the length and difficulty of the various waves. The number of creatures in the enemy waves are based on the number of players in the game, increasing in numbers if more players join the game in progress. All but the weakest enemies have some special attack that can inflict significant damage on a player. However, by achieving a headshot, the creature may continue to approach, but loses the ability to engage that attack. A feature called "zed time" allows the player to see particularly gory kills, such as headshots, in slow-motion, even in multiplayer mode. The players can use their brief period to adjust their aim, check their surrounds, or begin to move to a new location.
Alex Quick, the level designer and texture artist, stated that "there are a whole bunch of ideas on the drawing board that we can add in after launch, including the 'Story' mode from the mod, for instance." A software development kit
(SDK) and level editor are included to aid in the creation of modifications and levels.
, England
. Horzine Biotech, a biotechnology
company, is contracted to conduct experiments of a military nature involving mass cloning
and genetic manipulation. Something goes horribly wrong during the process of the experimentations, and human subjects begin to exhibit grotesque mutations and disfigurement. They become increasingly hostile, and eventually overrun the internal security forces of the corporation.
Hours later, the first waves of the specimens break out onto the surface, disrupting a peace protest outside the well-known military contractor. Despite the best efforts of local police, the civilians are quickly overwhelmed and consumed by the seemingly endless supply of clones now streaming from the gaping maw of Horzine Biotech's headquarter. Having escaped their sterile prison, the creatures began to fan out to neighboring areas, devouring the helpless citizens of London while the Metropolitan Police
bravely but fruitlessly attempt to stem the tide of mutated flesh now spreading across their city.
Desperate to contain the outbreak, the British government quickly begins to organize ragtag teams of surviving British Army
soldiers and Special Branch
police officers to fight back against the hordes of mutated "specimens" now running amok throughout the capital and its outskirts. The player takes the role of an anonymous member of one of these teams as they partake in a variety of missions in and around the city of London.
, first released in 2005. The lead developer Alex Quick was first approached by Tripwire Interactive
about porting Killing Floor to their game Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45
, but Quick did not follow through. A few years later, when their user base started to dwindle, Quick contacted Tripwire again to negotiate the port to Red Orchestra, and its distribution via Steam—similar to what Tripwire had already done with another Red Orchestra mod Mare Nostrum—and then later, the retail game. The mod version had its fifth and final official update in July 2008.
The full retail version was announced in March 2009. With the assistance of the original mod team, Tripwire would be the new developer.
Killing Floor was released on 14 May 2009 after about three months of work by a crew of around ten developers.
Killing Floor has won a number of awards including Overall Best PC Game of 2009 in Voodoo Extreme's Reader Choice Awards. It also won 2 other categories in Voodoo Extreme's Reader's Choice Awards: Best PC Shooter of 2009 and Best PC Game Expansion or DLC of 2009.
EuroGamer
commented that "though not perfect", it was "clever and relatively cheap". GameSpot
commented that the game graphics compared poorly with contemporary shooters, and that the voice acting was bad, but considered that the sound effects were very good, and that despite its flaws, "you can't help but enjoy it." Some reviewers also considered that the lack of any real plot or aim for the players other than killing specimens, the small number of existing maps, and the repetitiveness of the gameplay reduced its replay value. Killing Floor has a Metacritic score of 72% from critics and 8.9/10 from users.
Cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game developed and published by Tripwire Interactive
Tripwire Interactive
Tripwire Interactive is an American game development studio and publisher based in Roswell, Georgia, formed by members of the international team that created the acclaimed Unreal Tournament 2004 mod, Red Orchestra: Combined Arms. Red Orchestra won top prize in the nVidia-sponsored Make Something...
. It was first released on May 14, 2009, for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, and for Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
on May 5, 2010.
Gameplay
Killing Floor is a first person shooter, allowing each player to move through a 3D environment. Gameplay consists of a single game type, single- or multi-player, in which the player fights waves of zombie-like specimens, with each wave becoming successively more difficult, moving through each area of the level, until it concludes with a battle with a "boss" specimen, called the Patriarch. Players earn in-game money for each kill, as well as for surviving to the end of a wave. In the time between each waves, players can visit the Trader to buy and sell ammo, armor, and additional weapons; the Trader's location on the level varies at the end of each wave, discouraging players from camping in one location. The items may also be found randomly across the level. Players are encouraged to work together; players can trade items and drop money, healing is more effective on other players than themselves, and the team can strategically weld doors shut to provide a temporary barrier from the oncoming hoard while funneling the other creatures to specific areas.Further emphasizing the need for teamwork, the game lets players select one of seven perks at the start of a match and between rounds. The perk, similar to the idea of a class, provides bonuses towards certain weapon types, armor, movement, and other factors. Players can raise the effectiveness of these perks across numerous games by meeting the leveling requirements for that specific perk. For example, the "Sharpshooter" perk, which provides accuracy benefits when using scoped rifles, can be raised in level by completing a number of headshots with specific weapons. The player need not play with that perk to raise its level; for example, the Field Medic perk requires the player to heal a number of points to level, but this can be done playing using any of the other perks. Players are encouraged to diversify these perks for their team to assure success. Players that die during a wave will re-enter the game at the start of the next wave, as long as at least one squad member survives. If the entire squad is wiped out, they will have to restart the game.
Each game can be configured to alter the length and difficulty of the various waves. The number of creatures in the enemy waves are based on the number of players in the game, increasing in numbers if more players join the game in progress. All but the weakest enemies have some special attack that can inflict significant damage on a player. However, by achieving a headshot, the creature may continue to approach, but loses the ability to engage that attack. A feature called "zed time" allows the player to see particularly gory kills, such as headshots, in slow-motion, even in multiplayer mode. The players can use their brief period to adjust their aim, check their surrounds, or begin to move to a new location.
Alex Quick, the level designer and texture artist, stated that "there are a whole bunch of ideas on the drawing board that we can add in after launch, including the 'Story' mode from the mod, for instance." A software development kit
Software development kit
A software development kit is typically a set of software development tools that allows for the creation of applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.It may be something as simple...
(SDK) and level editor are included to aid in the creation of modifications and levels.
Story
The game takes place in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Horzine Biotech, a biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
company, is contracted to conduct experiments of a military nature involving mass cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
and genetic manipulation. Something goes horribly wrong during the process of the experimentations, and human subjects begin to exhibit grotesque mutations and disfigurement. They become increasingly hostile, and eventually overrun the internal security forces of the corporation.
Hours later, the first waves of the specimens break out onto the surface, disrupting a peace protest outside the well-known military contractor. Despite the best efforts of local police, the civilians are quickly overwhelmed and consumed by the seemingly endless supply of clones now streaming from the gaping maw of Horzine Biotech's headquarter. Having escaped their sterile prison, the creatures began to fan out to neighboring areas, devouring the helpless citizens of London while the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
bravely but fruitlessly attempt to stem the tide of mutated flesh now spreading across their city.
Desperate to contain the outbreak, the British government quickly begins to organize ragtag teams of surviving British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
soldiers and Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
police officers to fight back against the hordes of mutated "specimens" now running amok throughout the capital and its outskirts. The player takes the role of an anonymous member of one of these teams as they partake in a variety of missions in and around the city of London.
Development
Killing Floor was originally a total conversion mod for the game Unreal Tournament 2004Unreal Tournament 2004
Unreal Tournament 2004, also known as UT2K4 and UT2004, is a futuristic first-person shooter computer game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes...
, first released in 2005. The lead developer Alex Quick was first approached by Tripwire Interactive
Tripwire Interactive
Tripwire Interactive is an American game development studio and publisher based in Roswell, Georgia, formed by members of the international team that created the acclaimed Unreal Tournament 2004 mod, Red Orchestra: Combined Arms. Red Orchestra won top prize in the nVidia-sponsored Make Something...
about porting Killing Floor to their game Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45
Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45
Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 is a tactical first-person shooter computer game based on its predecessor Red Orchestra Mod. After winning the Make Something Unreal contest, the team behind the original Red Orchestra started the game studio Tripwire Interactive...
, but Quick did not follow through. A few years later, when their user base started to dwindle, Quick contacted Tripwire again to negotiate the port to Red Orchestra, and its distribution via Steam—similar to what Tripwire had already done with another Red Orchestra mod Mare Nostrum—and then later, the retail game. The mod version had its fifth and final official update in July 2008.
The full retail version was announced in March 2009. With the assistance of the original mod team, Tripwire would be the new developer.
Killing Floor was released on 14 May 2009 after about three months of work by a crew of around ten developers.
Reception
Killing Floor was the top-selling game on Steam shortly after it was released (as of May 19, 2009).Killing Floor has won a number of awards including Overall Best PC Game of 2009 in Voodoo Extreme's Reader Choice Awards. It also won 2 other categories in Voodoo Extreme's Reader's Choice Awards: Best PC Shooter of 2009 and Best PC Game Expansion or DLC of 2009.
EuroGamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
commented that "though not perfect", it was "clever and relatively cheap". GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
commented that the game graphics compared poorly with contemporary shooters, and that the voice acting was bad, but considered that the sound effects were very good, and that despite its flaws, "you can't help but enjoy it." Some reviewers also considered that the lack of any real plot or aim for the players other than killing specimens, the small number of existing maps, and the repetitiveness of the gameplay reduced its replay value. Killing Floor has a Metacritic score of 72% from critics and 8.9/10 from users.