The game has just been updated with the new (and free) downloadable content that I mentioned above in my first post. I was pleasantly surprised at all the changes, though I do think the new zombie additions have made it a little more difficult when set on the easiest settings for beginners. This may put some off playing. I was wiped out for a few levels before I got the hang of the changes. One of the extra zombies is called the husk, who can hit you with fire bolts from quite a distance. I was losing health very rapidly in the more open maps because of him. I found the flame thrower to be an effective weapon against him.
The Husk
The menu system for selecting weapons from the shop has changed significantly; (and for the better). The addition of several new weapons has given you a lot more choice with respect to the weapons you may choose. I like the Katana, which is surprisingly effective apart from against the bloats, who can spew acid onto you before you’ve had the chance to hack their heads off.
Zomie about to be beheaded by a Katana
I also love the new AA12 auto shotgun; though it has taken the sting out of the end of level boss, which I found used to be quite hard to kill, and you'd get him going invisible at least once or twice before managing to kill him (that's if you did, lol). now with the auto shotgun you can kill him before he manages to go invisible (he does this while rejuvenating from the wounds you've inflicted, but thankfully he can only go invisible a few times).
Main Menu
Map Selection screen
Shopping for weapons
Profile & Achievements
Mutators
Display Settings
My overall feeling about the new upgrade is that it's made this game that much more playable and a lot more value for money. I don’t think the additional maps made much of an impact due to all the custom ps that have been added recently. They are very good maps though. My favorite is the woodland map (forgot it’s name), which is very atmospheric (as are most of the maps actually):
Plus there's a great incentive to purchase now as there's 25% off while the weekend promotion runs, plus very soon the winners of the second wave ( a map competition) should be announced and another larg influx of maps will be made available. I don't know how may entries have been put up in the second wave, but it's certainly going to take the number of maps avaialble for this game well over 100, which is a lot of game play.
Character Packs:
There are now two character packs; the first one called the Outbreak Character pack costs £1.49 and today a second character pack was released for £0.99 called the Nightfall character pack. Both packs add four additional player skins to the game. You can then change your playable character to the following (assuming you own the character packs):
Outbreak pack:
Agent Wilkes
Publicly, Horzine Industries was hard at work fulfilling an MOD contract to develop the world's most advanced combat armor. Privately, they were cloning a subterranean army of violent and unfortunate looking servants. As Wilkes will testify, having found and liberated their Mark 7 suit, they were great at multitasking.
Foundry Worker Aldridge
When you're being paid more than three times the expected salary for unskilled labor, you learn not to ask questions. When inhuman screams can be heard from further down the assembly line, you close the door and take lunch break. When the door flies off its hinges and a mangled combination of man and machine comes charging in - lunch break is over.
DJ Scully
DJ Scully was AWOL from the military and spending his nights in the London underground spinning dark drum and bass, working under the table for the many clubs in London. During one of his sets he witnessed all his fans get shredded to pieces by a giant creature with flesh blenders for hands. These unfortunate events have thrust him back into the combat he was running away from.
Dr. Gary Glover
As one of the only survivors from the Horzine Biotics Labs staff, Dr. Glover had a major hand in creating the horror that is now tearing London apart. As hard as he tries, he can't put this genie back in the bottle - not even with a double barreled shotgun.
Nightfall pack:
Mr. Foster
"The SuperFantastic life of a day trader and evening attraction at London's premiere karaoke bar". It's a shame no publishers are still alive to pick up Foster's half finished autobiography. The final chapter - An Orgy of Skull Cracking and Mutant Warfare in the Big City would have probably rocketed the book to the top of the best seller lists
Security Officer Thorne aka "Carnivore"
Horzine pays the bills. The wife is happy because we can eat again. I get to drink again. I'm happy. Salary bonus? Sure! I says. Experimental whats-its? Don't mind if I do. Should a seen it coming. On the bright side, I can bend things real good now. Metal, bones. anything. And the rats they throw me is tasty. I bet that science guy would be tasty, too. When I get out of here I'm gonna to tear off a little piece of him. Stupid science guy.
Lance-Corporal Lee Baron
What are the chances of a major downtown bomb-threat and a flesh eating mutant invasion occurring on the same day? Pretty good, apparently. The corporal's suit keeps him safe from flying debris, but the claws and teeth on those monsters rip right through it. Experience has taught him to put a little distance between himself and these flesh craving goons. As well as a pipe-bomb or three.
Mike Noble
When all that is left of your girl-friend are her partly-chewed legs, you have to wonder what sort of rave it had been. The wide variety of monster-things chasing you around in your skeletor costume make that pretty clear. While most people would wind up as a canapé for said monsters, luckily some latent psychopathic streak seems to have kicked in when our boy Mike found that nice, shiny Katana.
You have to go to the Profile & Achievements section (via the main menu) to change your character. There is no mention of enhancements when using these skins, so I presume there is no additional bonuses for using them; though you’d think using an asbestos suit would confer some degree of immunity from fire.
Development:
Here's an interesting aside about the development of Killing Floor. I'm actually amazed that I didn't know this as I am a big fan of Unreal Tournament modifications:
Killing Floor was originally a total conversion mod for the game Unreal Tournament 2004. Since the first release in 2005, the mod version had its fifth and final official update in 2008. While there was still development work done for a next update on the mod version, on March 2009 an announcement for a retail version of the mod went live.[6] With the help from the original mod-team, the developer company for this Steam-distributable game would be Tripwire Interactive, best known for their WWII simulation first-person shooter Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, which also originates as a modification for Unreal Tournament 2004.
In 2008, mod leader Alex Quick contacted Tripwire in order to negotiate about porting his mod to Red Orchestra and distribute it via Steam, similarly how Tripwire had already done with another Red Orchestra mod, Mare Nostrum. Apparently staff of Tripwire found Killing Floor's mod version so entertaining and close to a professional game that they offered to make it a stand-alone retail game.
Reference HERE
