The Park

"These ain't zombies. Someone's been shootin' people."

- Coach "People shooting people, that shit ain't right man."

- Ellis


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

The Park is the second chapter of The Parish campaign. It involves the Survivors fighting their way through a park and a military evacuation station. A keynote feature involves Survivors facing a Gauntlet Crescendo Event that requires them to race through a fenced maze at an overrun evacuation center, 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 room near a freeway leading to the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Campaign
The Survivors start off in the safe room from the last chapter, The Waterfront. Grab any throwables (there will always be Molotovs and pipe bombs), as well as pain pills or Adrenaline Shots, if they spawn. The safe room also contains a Pump Shotgun and Submachine Gun, along with two frying pans. Kill any Infected outside the safe room, then proceed carefully as there is a large number of Infected and potentially a Tank at this early stage. There is a military vehicle just outside the park, which usually contains one of these items: throwables, temporary healing items a defibrillator or a Health kit. Also nearby there is a portapotty where you can find one of the items mentioned above.

Once you enter Bienville Park, there are two paths to split off at. Both lead to the same entrance, but the left side tends to have fewer Infected to deal with than the right side. Regardless of your choice, remember to go under the passageway in front of the staircases, to see if any valuable items are in there. Otherwise, clear the Infected masses and head towards the center of the park. Throw a Pipe Bomb or Molotov if you have any, to clear the large mass of Infected. Behind the horse statue is a crate that contains either a Tier 1 or Tier 2 weapon. There's also an ammo pile next to it. If the weapon is a Tier 1, the Tier 2 weapon is on one or both of the two sides of the Park.



The left side of the park leads to a gazebo. Inside the gazebo is a Tier 1 or Tier 2 weapon (depending on which weapon tier spawned in the middle of the park), throwables, temporary healing items and melee weapons. Once this left side is cleared, go to the right side of the park to clear it up. The picnic tables outside contain various items, sometimes including Boomer Bile, so this side should not be missed either. Also, inside of the bathrooms there is usually a melee weapon and/or temporary healing items. Watch out for Smokers, as they tend to spawn on the roof of the bathroom building and snare Survivors.

After all areas are cleared, leave the park to find a small street. By the entrance to this small street there is usually a grenade by the wall. You should see a portable open air tent. The tent will always contains two first-aid kits, regardless of difficulty, to prepare for the Crescendo ahead. Hordes spawn from the Bienville Park, so proceed carefully. Continue towards the small alleyway, to a highway underpass. There is large mass of Infected, and a Tank or Witch may spawn (pray that they don't do so in the same place, because this is a possibility), so Survivors should be careful. Hordes will also come from the alleyway you just passed.

Passing the alleyway, you will end up below a highway. Weapons can be found near one of the buildings at the stairs while melee weapons and Tier 1 or Tier 2 weapons are found near a lighted barrel. Check the area for a sleeping bag in the far end; there is usually a grenade there, including Boomer Bile, which will be useful for the Crescendo. Once you are finished, go to the portable trailer.




 * A Witch spawn is possible just before or after the trailer and can cause heavy problems if left alone. To deal with her, deliberately set her off and make sure everyone is inside the trailer, especially if playing with bots. Bots may accidentally open the door if they are outside and allow the Witch to enter and incapacitate or kill you. Like other Special Infected, avoid staying too close to the door or she will be able to reach you with her claws.


 * Note that the trailer is not Tank-proof. Survivors 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 onto its roof and get in via the roof panel.
 * If Special Infected spawn, the only one to worry about should be the Smoker, who can break the window on the door and snare an unsuspecting Survivor. Never get too close to the door as Special Infected may also claw at you, dealing high damages on higher difficulties.

Once in the trailer, 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 and pain pills that are almost invariably provided here.

Speed is essential 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, AK-47, or a melee weapon take the lead. Once you step outside the trailer onto the ground, the alarm triggers. Throw your Bile Bomb when you see the first Infected in front of you (not Special Infected), then use the Adrenaline shot, if you have it, for a speed boost. A Tank can and will spawn at the crescendo, so a Molotov will be useful if he has not shown up yet.

Once the event is triggered, you must traverse a 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. While running, there is an open tent around the first bend in the gauntlet that contains tier 2 weapons and, occasionally, adrenaline shots.

It's important to 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. Climb the ladder to the top of the tower and run to the far end to 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 until they have dispersed. Be sure to keep an eye on the bus station roof (the big building in front) since Smokers sometimes appear here.



Once all is quiet, descend from the tower and prepare to enter the abandoned bus station (during which time you may wish to inspect the storage room off to the left, next to the lines of body bags). A small Horde will most likely be waiting outside, so get ready to take them out. Note that Witches may spawn here. On entering the bus station you will be 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 safe room, but don't get too excited yet. If not seen earlier, a Tank will be found standing at the entrance. Toss a Molotov at him, which can sometimes be found in the building.

Check the bus station for supplies, as there are usually First-aid kits and Grenades, and you can direct all the Commons at a fair rate without being flanked on the sides, which helps in the coming Crescendo.

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 check out all three pathways through Bienville Park, to discover which area has the best selection of weapons, so that they can make the best choices when they switch roles and play as Survivors.

The Boomer: You are easy prey here, as the fences make it easy to shoot before you can barf on the Survivors. Try staying out of sight until you get close to them. 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, 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 cause them to stumble (and blind them even further), hopefully even knocking them off of the platform and delaying the end of the crescendo event for a little longer.

The Charger: During the first part 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 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.

The Hunter: This chapter is similar to the Waterfront, without all of 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 is 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.

The Jockey: 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.

The Smoker: Attempt to separate the Survivors anyway that you can. Work with other Infected and use the chapter's static objects as cover. During the Gauntlet Crescendo Event, grab the Survivors from covered areas or as they are on the planked walkway. If you can pull a lone Survivor off of 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.

The Spitter: 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 Common Infected, 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.

The 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 best area is the first corridor down the side of the map adjacent to the ammo and starting First-aid kits. A good strategy is for everyone to equip shotguns and camp in the corridor--two players covering the back and the other two covering the front. Also using the weapon/item swap ability you can set up a nice set of items nearby. This strategy has been demonstrated by the player RustyWoud, where he and his team have managed to hold out in this area to earn a gold medal.

Pros Cons Scaffolding Method
 * Common Infected can be funneled down the corridor and dispatched easily
 * Near ammo and healing items if needed
 * Tanks can be targeted easily
 * Allows for mobility
 * Items can be "swap-moved" to the area
 * Infected can drop over the fences from above
 * Bad against the Charger as he can charge down the corridor

Pros
 * Infected can be taken down easily without being surrounded by above.
 * Relatively close to ammo and health items.

Cons
 * Chargers can easily charge down the scaffolding.
 * Smokers can pull people off the scaffolding.

Behind the Scenes

 * "The Park" was at first called "The Quarantine Camp".
 * In early testing, the alarm sound was high-pitched, and a 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 CEDA Worker Uncommon Infected of the Dead Center campaign.
 * The cereal boxes in the safe room 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, No Mercy and Crash Course 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