The Parish - 2/5: Park

"Man, I wish we had a horse right now. I loooove horses."

- Ellis

"We can cut through this park."

- Nick


 * For the actual in-game park, see Bienville Park.

The Park is the second chapter of The Parish campaign. It involves players fighting their way through a park and a military evacuation station. A keynote feature involves players facing a Gauntlet Crescendo Event that requires them to race through a fenced maze at an overrun evac center to reach and climb a scaffolding tower in order to shut off a zombie-provoking alarm.

The chapter is of average length and is very linear in nature. It begins in Bienville Park, moves to a decontamination trailer with an alarmed door, traverses the gauntlet maze, a Bus Station and ends at a safe house near a freeway leading to the Veterans Bridge.

Campaign
The chapter starts in a small voodoo store in which will often be found Pipe bombs, Molotovs, Adrenaline, Pills, Tier 1 Weapons and Frying pans. On leaving the safe room, the street outside contains an Army Humvee which occasionally has first aid kits, pills, adrenaline, or various throwable weapons. Opposite is a plaza and curved steps leading to Bienville Park.

Upon ascending the steps there are two entrances to the park, left and right. In the middle on the other side of the entrance is a small tunnel which may contain grenades within and on rare occasions there may be a health kit, defibrillator or ammuntion pack sitting next to the left set of stairs into the tunnel.

Players can go through the park by going left, right or through the center. Going left or right skirts the central area (which is screened by a maze of hedges) and gives players longer sight distances and more room to maneuver. Players electing to go to the park center will be rewarded by randomly spawned Tier 1 or Tier 2 Weapons (look near the portable generator) and sometimes a grenade or ammo pack near the equestrian statue. By taking the path to the left of the generator, players will enter an open area with a gazebo filled with white plastic chairs in amongst which will typically be found melee weapons (most often a Machete and Guitar), Tier 1 weapons and a select Tier 2 weapon. The Director appears to favour spawning a Tank within the park at some point, normally towards the end.

At the right rear of the park is another restroom building. There is a chance of finding a melee weapon and possibly Tier 2 weapons or temporary healing items on the picnic tables in front of it and in the restrooms themselves.

Players leave the park by its rear gate and turn left. Behind a generator is a small canopy surrounded by portable riot barricades which always contains two first aid kits or one kit and a defibrillator. Throwable weapons, pills and/or adrenaline can often be found next to the door at the far end of this area behind the corner of a wall.

Players next enter the alley to the right of the generator. On the other side is a former evacuation/screening area denoted by lines of portable riot barricades that direct players towards a trailer that was once presumably used for decontaminating evacuees. Note that the Director may decide to spawn a Tank at this point, unless you've already fought one at the park. Make use of the wide space use the barriers to slow the Tank down, as he has to climb over them slowly. Players should be careful though, as the players leave the alley, there is either a Tank as said above, or either a lot of Commons that can be dealt with a Bile/Pipe Bomb. Should an attack come at this point, they will start to come from the alleyway that you just entered. Smokers tend to attack from the highway above.

Moving through the gate and past the piles of uninfected corpses, players then need to enter the trailer and close the rear door before moving on.

If a Witch spawns in the area before or just after the trailer and players evade her and enter the trailer, it is possible to shoot and kill her without risk through the door's window. Care must be taken though to avoid standing too close to the door as she can still reach in and inflict damage. Also, make sure if you're playing with bots, they should all come in. If not, the bots will open the door, allowing the Witch to get in and kill you.

If Special Infected spawn, nothing will happen, as they will attempt to attack you, but can be dealt easily with either any type of Assault Rifle or Sniper Rifle.

Once in the trailer the team now needs to get ready to face the chapter's Gauntlet Crescendo Event. First aid kits are often spawned in the trailer by The Director if a team is low on health, but most important are the adrenaline shots that are almost invariably provided here (read below).

Special note: The trailer is not Tank-proof! Players who race to the trailer and close the door while being chased by a Tank will find that although he cannot break the door, he will climb on its roof and get in via its roof panel. However, if a Tank is lured into the trailer and trapped in there he can be safely dealt with as he will make no attempt at exiting through the roof panel.

Since speed is life in a Gauntlet Crescendo Event a good plan is to have all team members take an adrenaline shot before opening the trailer door and let either a team member with an Assault Rifle or AK-47 or a slashing melee weapon (katana or machete) take point position. A few seconds after the door is opened is also a good time to throw a distracting Bile Bomb. Save a molotov, if one is at hand, should an unfortunate tank arrive in the middle of the Crescendo event if he hasn't shown up previously.

Once the event is triggered players must traverse double ended gauntlet formed by portable industrial fences to reach a tower made of scaffolding and plywood boards whilst battling large numbers of Common and Special Infected.

It is essential that players keep an eye out for a ladder propped up against one end of the tower's structure. This is sometimes hard to pick out (especially when covered in Boomer vomit) and the consequences of mistakenly running past it almost certainly involve incapacitation or death. Climbing the ladder to the top of the tower and running to the far end will access the switch to shut off the alarm. Next to the alarm switch are usually miscellaneous Tier 2 (most often a Hunting Rifle) and melee weapons. Switching off the alarm does not immediately halt the Horde and the team must continue fighting and generally mopping up during which time it is a good idea to keep an eye on the bus station roof (the big building in front) since Smokers sometimes appear here.

Once all is quiet, players descend the tower and prepare to enter the abandoned bus station (during which time they may wish to inspect the storage room off to the left next to lines of body bags). A small horde will most likely be waiting outside, get ready to take them out. Note that witches may spawn here. On entering the bus station players find themselves in a waiting and ticketing hall with an exit to the left-rear of the building. The bus station exit reveals lines of parked buses (and also makes a fine defensive choke point to face any mini-Horde). You are now close to the saferoom, but don't get too excited yet. If not seen earlier, a tank can be found standing at the entrance. Tose him a molotov, which can sometimes be found in the building.

There is no need to enter the bus parking areas and all that players need to do is to go straight ahead along the roofed arcade until they reach an alley leading to the right at its end. By turning down this alley, a smaller bus park is revealed with the safe house door clearly visible in a wall on the far side.

The Infected
This stage contains a lot of open areas and multiple paths. Teamwork must be enforced in order to cause any significant damage to Survivors. Keep in mind that the Gauntlet Crescendo forces Survivors to be on the move or risk more and more Common Infected. If you don't feel confident enough to kill, slowing down the Survivors during this event and preventing them from pressing that button should be enough to have your AI Infected partners damage them enough.

When playing Versus as Infected, players may wish to reconnoiter all three pathways through Bienville Park to discover which is area has the best selection of weaponry so that they can make the best choices when they switch roles and play as Survivors.

Boomers: You are easy prey here, as the fences make them easy to shoot before you can barf on the Survivors. Try staying out of the Survivors' sights until you get close to them, and if you need to recharge your bile, hide behind a solid wall instead of running away, but don't practically hug the wall, as parts of your bloated body will stick though the walls, giving the Survivors an easy kill, and not allowing the bile from the explosion to cover them. In the case of the Gauntlet Crescendo Event, vomiting on Survivors might not attract additional Infected, but it will help focus their attacks on covered Survivors, damaging them enough to slow down the team. Also, the bile will blind them temporarily, which will cause a lot of problems attempting to go through the narrow walkways; just be sure not to vomit on them too early, as the Common Infected do have to climb the fences first, which will take time. If the Survivor on the raised platform trying to turn off the alarm is blinded by your bile, climbing up onto the platform to attack them from melee range may be a workable tactic: if the Survivors kill you while you are close to the Survivor, your bursting on death may stagger the Survivor (and blind them even further), hopefully even knocking them off of the platform and delaying the end of the panic event for a little longer.

Chargers: During the first areas of the chapter, the open areas may not help you. Survivors can easily dodge a running charger, and even if you do capture a Survivor, the open areas will still make you an easy target. The hedge maze can give you decent cover if you aim properly, but at least attempt to capture lone wolf Survivors rather than charging the group. After the Survivors get through the hedge maze, there will be an alleyway where you can charge two Survivors or even the whole team! You are a lot more powerful in the Gauntlet Crescendo event, as the fences make the area very cramped (in a good way for you). Charges will be very hard to dodge, and a well aimed one could allow you to bowl into all four Survivors and separate one of them from the rest. Also, the nearby Common Infected help, as they can act as both a way to slow down the remaining Survivors from getting to their pinned comrade, and also work as a sort of meat shield for you, lowering the damage you will take from the Survivors before they get closer. Both help you to incapacitate or even kill your victim. This also applies to the top of the tower, where the button to stop the alarm is. If one waits at the top, and then charges a would-be hero off the top, it not only forces them to take precious time to backtrack, but deals fall damage and gives the opportunity to knock off more than one Survivor. If you're lucky, you may even bowl through the whole team. If you are attempting to hit the Survivors before they hit the alarm, try spawning behind or on top of the portable toilets on the ground next to the tower and climbing up as the survivors climb up their own ladders.

Hunters: This chapter is similar to the Waterfront, minus all the high buildings. You will have to be a little more tactical when it comes to damage pounces. Try to work together with other Infected or pick off loners. Bile covered Survivors make great targets. The hedge maze in the actual park works well for this, as it's easy for Survivors to get split up. In the Gauntlet Crescendo event, as the Survivors try to turn off the alarm, try pinning one to slow their team down. While protecting the alarm is a great idea, attacking the last Survivor allows for the common Infected to get closer; and someone attempting to save that Survivor would get caught in the damage as well, especially should another special Infected attack the would-be savior.

Jockeys: Because of your ability to control Survivors, you can do well in the hedge-maze. Taking a Survivor away from their team and forcing them into a trap can turn tides for each team. Remember to talk and plan with your Infected team, as the Jockey (though underestimated) can excel here. You can really be helpful during the race to the alarm. Grabbing the Survivor who is trying to shut off the alarm and walking them back onto the ground can be a great help to the Infected team, provided that you have an opportunity to get to the survivor without being spotted and killed first. While the Survivors are busy trying to mow down a horde of Infected, try riding one backwards in the map. This will slow down the Survivors, damage their companion, and give your teammates time to respawn. For maximum damage, ride the Survivor into an oncoming horde of common Infected, which will more than likely incapacitate the victim, slowing the Survivors down even more.

Smokers: Attempt to separate the Survivors anyway you can. Work with other Infected and use the chapter's static objects as cover and to damage Survivors. During the Gauntlet Crescendo Event, grab the Survivors into covered areas or as they are on the planked walkway. If you can pull a lone Survivor off the top of the tower and keep the hordes coming, then give yourself a pat on the back for doing so. Keeping the alarm going, even for a little bit longer, is immensely useful.

Spitters: There are a couple of areas where your spit can delay Survivors, but your main goal this map should be to add on any extra damage you can. Spit on Hunters, Smokers, or Chargers when they are stationary with their victim, and attempt to spit as close to a Jockey you can. Your acid will slow the Survivors down during the Gauntlet Crescendo event, as they will not be able to cross it without taking damage, which, when mixed with damage from the waves of commons, will make crossing acid a very unwanted choice. Your objective as a Spitter will obviously be to spit directly in their path, preferably close to them, as it will slow them down even more. If you're about to die, try to die right in front of them, as this will cause the same general effect. This will also give your teammates time to respawn. While the Survivors are clustered together inside the CEDA trailer, they can make an excellent target for the Spitter; however, in order for the Spitter to actually be able to spit into the trailer, the window on the door needs to be destroyed (either by gunfire or by the Smoker's tongue), or the Tank needs to punch out the trailer's glass ceiling.

Tank: This chapter is a bit of a mixed bag for you. If the Director places you right at the start or beneath the freeway, this is beneficial to you as there's a car at the start, and a dumpster near the freeway. If he places you in the park, things get a little trickier as the environment is wide-open and there's nothing to punch at the Survivors. Even in this case, if one is a good rock-thrower they can do some serious damage. If placed near the freeway, try to force the Survivors into the trailer (as it's likely they will not exit until you're dead) so that you can take out the glass ceiling, forcing them to either face you in a cramped space, or face you and the horde by leaving. In some cases, it is possible to incapacitate all four Survivors at once with these if they're bunched together, making for a very easy round. A possible, and arguably the best place for you to spawn, is actually during the Gauntlet Crescendo. In this case, it is imperative that your team keeps the alarm on, as an endless horde and a Tank at once often means death for even the most competent Survivor teams. Even if they do shut off the alarm, all is certainly not lost. The doors still take about twenty seconds to open, and the hordes will still continue until they open. You can either climb up to the bus station roof and pick off the Survivors with rocks, or charge right in and take them out one by one.

Survival
''The Survivors have attempted to call for help, only to find that the doors will not open. As hordes of Infected come, can they hold them off?'' Players have may places to hold them off. Use these spots to carefully hold them off.

The Pedestal

Rating: ?/10

Pros Cons
 * Common Infected can be easily taken out from there.
 * Easy funnel defences
 * Players cannot use the weapon swapping technique.
 * Smokers can easily pull people off.
 * Bad aganist the Tank.

Behind the Scenes

 * "The Park" was at first called "The Quarantine Camp".
 * In early testing, the alarm sound file was high pitched, longer-lasting noise.

Easter Eggs

 * During the Gauntlet Crescendo Event there are two dead CEDA operatives in white Hazmat suits behind the table under the tent: a reference to the Hazmat Common Infected of the Dead Center campaign.


 * The cereal boxes in the safe house at the beginning of the chapter apparently contain a free Team Fortress 2 figure. According to the boxes' inscription there are ten collectible figurines. The same cereal packaging also appears in the Dead Air and No Mercy campaigns.

Videos

 * *IGN Video: Left 4 Dead 2 PC Games Gameplay - E3 2009: Safe Room
 * IGN Video: Left 4 Dead 2 PC Games Gameplay - E3 2009: Garden Maze
 * IGN Video: Left 4 Dead 2 PC Games Gameplay - E3 2009: Stop the Alarm