Talk:The Boomer

Hey, can somebody get some screenshots of the Boomer? We definitely need one of the Boomer vomiting. Maybe you could also get one of what's left of the Boomer after it explodes, or what it looks like while exploding? If you're not sure about one you're considering adding, feel free to show me. - §tigma-231 ¤ ৳ here's a  hole  in my neighbourhood [ talk  ][ cont ] 17:31, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

Would this one work as it is, or should it be cut down to only the Boomer?  Captain Baird  Comm-LinkService Record 00:14, 4 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Oh, that works! Nice job. - §tigma-231  ¤ ৳ here's a  hole  in my neighbourhood [ talk  ][ cont ] 00:28, 4 February 2009 (UTC)

I have never noticed an audio cue for a Special Infected spawning aside from its noises. Can someone record it and post it for the benefit of relative newbies like me?


 * I don't know if there IS an audio cue. If there is, than it's not that long. The most I've ever heard of an audio cue for the Special Infected is a 3-second little note. But I'll try to find a track. BlackliteWrath 10:49, 25 February 2009 (UTC)
 * There are sound files with the "bacteria" name on it, and plays whenever a SP ghostspawns (at least in versus) DAWeeE1 18:39, 3 April 2009 (UTC)

overweight pre infection?
this page says at one point that it is likely that the boomer was obese pre infecton, but i find that unlikely since his shirt is average size. his legs are most likely huge do to organs shifting down to make room for bile. Shancad 12 07:55, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

There may be a reason why the Boomer is so bloated: extreme amplification. This term comes from "The Hot Zone" written by C. J. Peters detailing Ebola's emergence into society. In layman's terms, extreme amplification is where a virus infects all cells but bone and possibly skin cells for replication. This also attacks connective tissue, meaning that parts of the body start to peel off or get filled with fluid, usually blood. In the Boomer's case, bile production probably went into overdrive and started filling empty spaces, leading to his corpulent appearance and pulsing pockets on the skin. Throwing up would theoretically speed transmission of the Infection, as diseases such as Ebola rely on body fluids to pass on pathogens, and the explosion upon being shot would serve the same purpose. I know that this is gross, but it's my hypothesis on how the Boomer came to be. Let me know what you think about it. Biot 01:01, October 13, 2009 (UTC)

Fight or run?
The page currently suggests puking and running with the Boomer, but I think this is a bad idea. If you get chased and caught by the survivors (quite likely as myself and most people I play with make a serious concerted effort to catch a Boomer after it has puked) then you have to wait for the respawn countdown before you even have a CHANCE at getting another Boomer. Since the respawn timer is roughly the same as the Boomer's bile cooldown, it's usually better to just die upfront (potentially sliming more survivors with your death explosion) and respawn, quite possibly in a fresh new Boomer rather than hanging around for 30 seconds doing not much while your gauge refills. Also, the part about getting a full health bar if you get far away from the survivors and despawn was changed a long time ago.

Well, i have discovered that if you puke, run away, and respawn, your puke meter will be full again.--Supermutantslayer450 01:22, September 8, 2009 (UTC)

Pictures
The picture at the bottom, from the cinematic, needs touching up to be brighter. All cinematic pictures should need it, I think. Also, I have some more Boomer pictures. I'll try to upload them ASAP. BlackliteWrath 13:17, 3 March 2009 (UTC)

Boomer speaks
When the Boomer sees the Survivors, he shouts "Boom!" The Smoker, Hunter, and Tank scream, but don't actually say any words. --MadDawg2552 17:10, 16 March 2009 (UTC)

you may be thinking of the Gears of War Boomer :/ --(IzTheWiz Contributions) 10:05, 27 March 2009 (UTC)


 * Yea... I don't think I have ever heard the Boomer say anything, so I am going to have to go with IzTheWiz on this one. Stoan04 13:29, 27 March 2009 (UTC)


 * Listen more closely when there's a Boomer around. He actually does say "Boom!" Edit: It's not a short "boom" it's more like a long "booooooom".  --MadDawg2552 14:42, 27 March 2009 (UTC)


 * I have a feeling the voice clip you're talking about is named Boomer_Lurk_01, however it is an 'idle' sound and does not actually consist of any audible consonants. SteveZombie 16:37, October 13, 2009 (UTC)


 * Um, I've only heard that when the Boomer starts falling a long distance. TheCreaturenator16 01:28, 29 March 2009 (UTC)


 * Actually, he just... groans? "Uuuuugh". Poeringu 23:57, 3 May 2009 (UTC)

Boomer before seeing the survivor: uuuuuuuuuuuugh blob bla ugha

Boomer seeing survivor:Ugh? UGH! UUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

Boomer puking: BLA BLOOO BLAG BLAAAAAOOOO GA gA BLOOOOOOOO LA!

Boomer after puke: Silence

Well thats the boomers life hope ya enjoyed it OH YA the thing i was goin to say INFECTED CANT TALK WOOOOOO! --Kirby888 22:50, 13 June 2009 (UTC)
 * ...Wait, how is this related to anything? - §tigma-231 ♠ o  ƒ  my caliber { τalk }{¢ont } 22:58, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

Witches no longer startle from Boomer Death?
Apparently this has been changed in a recent PC-side patch, according to others/personal experience. Cars, however, can still be set off. Gonna make a cross-out change, but if it turns out I'm wrong, let me know or edit it to clarify if its a current PC-only/non-console thing. --MorthBabid 21:55, 4 May 2009 (UTC)
 * I've exploded a Boomer near a Witch, and she didn't notice. O: --AshesToAshes 05:04, September 8, 2009 (UTC)

Headshot
On the page it claims that extremely rarely, a headshot will cause a boomer to die without exploding. Is there any truth to this? -- Five Dog ( Talk ){ Updates } 23:20, 21 May 2009 (UTC)


 * It is true that the Boomer can die without exploding (having his full body as a ragdoll), but I think it still registers as if the survivors were biled, and the horde will still come, so I assume it's a glitch. Also I don't think a headshot is the only way to cause it. DAWeeE1 18:55, 22 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Shoot it on the pus sack that covers it's eye with a pistol/assault rifle. It's happened to me many times on versus, plus I experimented on a human controlled Boomer and AI Boomer. It works either way. If you're gonna do it with the pistol just use one pistol :/ --WaffleMania 12:37, October 19, 2009 (UTC)

TRUE but i think of it more as a glitch do to the fact that when i played today i blew up but yet still not all messed up. --Kirby888 22:52, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

Responding to this very old post, I saw it happen a lot on my crappy laptop, which wasn't really built to play L4D, and yes, it counted as a boom on the Survivors, and was a ragdoll. I think it is a graphics glitch on hardware that is not suitable to play the game. TheCreaturenator16 19:10, October 11, 2009 (UTC)

Outbreak achievement
I don't get how players will get the outbreak achievement. It said that you can only get this if you were vomited on by a player who has this achievement. If the game was new, no players should have unlocked the achievement. Do you think the Gamemasters played a few games to allow players to get this achievement?Signatures/Powers38 10:14, 7 June 2009 (UTC)
 * More than likely. - §tigma-231 ♠ o  ƒ  my caliber { τalk }{¢ont } 16:06, 7 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I was actually thinking of a theory (Since I don't know L4D as much as you guys), do you think that we get the achievement if a player controlled boomer vomited on you. Then, when you are a boomer, you vomited on someone else and they got the achievement? So for example, Player A vomits on Player B. Player B is now a boomer and vomits on Player C. Player B gets the achievement for "catching then spreading". Signatures/Powers38 12:23, 8 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Yeah, that is how it spread. -- Five Dog ( Talk ){ Updates } 14:39, 8 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes, but I'm trying to say that maybe the above is how you get the outbreak achievement. Not by someone who has outbreak and vomits on you and you vomit on someone. That seems odd...Signatures/Powers38 03:18, 9 June 2009 (UTC)
 * You have to be vomited on by someone with the achievement, and then when you vomit on someone else, they get the achievement. So on and so forth. - §tigma-231  ♠ o  ƒ  my caliber { τalk }{¢ont } 03:33, 9 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Gah! No, that's not what I mean. =/ I mean like assuming the game is new and no one gets the outbreak achievement (obviously), maybe instead of Valve employees who have the outbreak achievement playing, maybe it is possible that as stated above, Player A vomits on Player B. Player B is now a boomer and vomits on Player C. Player B gets the achievement. Signatures/Powers38 03:40, 9 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Actually, never mind. I think I'll find more sources to see how you get the achievement. I'm just confused on how the first person got the outbreak achievement.Powers38Talk 03:48, 9 June 2009 (UTC)
 * When the game was made I'm guessing the people who helped make it got the game, which was probably encrypted so that they got the achievment when they played Versus. When they played Versus and was a Boomer they vomited on someone, who got the achievment. This continued until most people have it. To get the Outbreak achievment you Have to get vomited on by someone who has the achievment already. That's all! --WaffleMania 12:40, October 19, 2009 (UTC)

Trivia section bad grammar
The trivia section, and many other parts of the site for that matter really need a visit from the grammar, spelling, and occasionally logic police. Here's a few examples of what's wrong with this page-

"If the Boomer seems to vomit all the time, and the horde is attracted to its bile, wouldn't the horde be drawn to it?"- Hello, welcome to the department of redundancy department, and hello.

"Your best teammates are the Special Infected."- Well no friggin' duh. They're your ONLY TEAMMATES!

See what I mean?

What? --Kirby888 18:32, 14 June 2009 (UTC)

There's irrational speculation abound but the three pieces that have my attention are that shooting a Boomer's foot causes it to explode 'possibly due to a quick reaction in the Boomer's nervous system', 'it is possible that the Survivor's natural pheromones combined with the bile produces a scent that is strong enough to attract a horde of large size' and that since the explosion destroys breakable objects but does not harm survivors, 'this may be due to the liquid bile muffling the explosive impact into a mere concussive force'. If the second one were true then the new Bile Bomb weapon would be remarkably useless, and as for the third one, concussion or not it's an explosion. This is of course ignoring that these three aspects are in place for overly obvious gameplay reasons, and speculation of this magnitude isn't even worth mentioning in the article. SteveZombie 23:24, October 16, 2009 (UTC)

Boomer or Screamer?
When Left 4 Dead first came out the Special infected were Tank, Hunter, Smoker, Witch, and Screamer. But when Valve relized how hard for players to spot the scream through the common infected it was cut from the game. And having the Boomer taking its place. Since the Boomer is "overweight" and easy to spot.

Anyways, the point for both of these infected was to call in the Horde of infected to attack survivors. When the game came out I seen comments on why theres no screamer and that the screamer should have been in instead of the Boomer. So I decide to make a vote to see which Special Infected should have been in the game.

Below are the number of voters that voted for the Boomer and Screamer. All you do is say which you like more.

Vote:

Boomer:1489314329859385784758457093475483571409357134095871403753480975438571348571043675089678043674386

Screamer:-1

My vote would have to be the Boomer. He is much easier to spot in a Horde of infected and is funny when it walks around and jumps. --Kirby888 21:54, 20 July 2009 (UTC)


 * That's pretty much wrong, The Boomer was one of the first Special Infected, in fact, could be first judging by the ‎Developer Commentary as they wanted more tactics. He couldn't vomit and only damage players when exploded, and after they added the Screamer they saw it's too hard (after a number of playtesting) to deal with him for the "common gamer" and they decided to move it's attracting power to the Boomer. They both were in-game at sometime a being, and then combined. So... you pretty much have them both in-game now. Zikkun 22:04, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

Um that doesnt count as a vote.--Kirby888 01:53, 21 July 2009 (UTC)

Video Removed
The Boomer tips video has been removed from YouTube.

I would change it, but I am not familiar with putting up videos within a wiki. I found a substitute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4jpkv1preM

Darthscyrone 16:01, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

The Screamer was cut because it was said to be too difficult to spot him in an area filled with idle infected. IF he saw a survivor he would run and hide then scream, calling a horde. Originally the boomer only has was the damage causing explosion when he dies. But now, the ability of the Screamer is cut and transferred into the Boomer Vomit attack. If the screamer hadn't been cut then lulz will progress... xD it will be extremely annoying for human players(survivors)to be constantly attacked by hordes. BooM13 13:34, October 19, 2009 (UTC)BooM13. :D

Removal
I vote we should remove the part on this page saying the tank also undergoes a physical difference upon death, because the tank only changes after dying on fire. Thats not a big thing, so really doesnt belong on the page.--Supermutantslayer450 22:21, September 20, 2009 (UTC)
 * I don't think mentioning common mods for the Infected should really be put there either. It's rather random for 'trivia'...--AshesToAshes 01:11, October 1, 2009 (UTC)

New Boomer Design
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/8061/newboomer.png

What do you guys think? Strong I

His hair cutter accidentally cutted him and then he exploded xD Aratinga A.'' Ѭ  ( Hehehe ), 20:09, September 28, 2009 (UTC)

S'okay...except for the hair. I miss his sweaty, messy nap. :( --AshesToAshes 02:02, September 29, 2009 (UTC)
 * I think this is the revolting thing I have seen in ages. I mean some things you can find on the internet beginning with p, and rhymes with dorn is disgusting... But.. this?! Look at his stomach.. It's turning black! he is muatting even more! Maybe... maybe he and the female boomer will mate and spawn uber ninja baby boomers?! And wtf am I talking about.. Random gibberish.. He still looks disgusting. I hope he still goes "BLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURKKKKKKKKKKK"!!! :D --WaffleMania 12:45, October 19, 2009 (UTC)

Female Boomer arguements
I have limited resources here at school, but do we have any proof that there is in fact a female Boomer? All I've seen is a poor quality screenshot of a face. It is bald and has a tank top. Big deal, a lot of Infected in Left 4 Dead 2 wear tank tops. Boobs? Well look at the Boomer. It has moobs. Fat people usually do. If there is no definative proof, then I say we keep this as a rumor than fact. Jo the Marten ♠  ( Shriek )  ಠ_ಠ  15:27, October 8, 2009 (UTC)

I'd say that you have to watch the video. THIS looks alot more female-ish there. And, actually, THIS is not bald, just hair having the same colour IT'S skin does. It has, um, kinda REAL boobs. I refuse to call THIS SHE, even though THIS is FEMALE. But, still, it may be a gay boomer. + some of my family members look almost the same, but nobody mistakes them for males. WardenerNL 19:34, October 8, 2009

Hmm, okay. I'll have to watch when I get home. School has almost every video site blocked. Like I said, my resources are limited here, so I guess I have a shallow arguement. Jo the Marten ♠  ( Shriek )  ಠ_ಠ  15:38, October 8, 2009 (UTC) http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss332/Aelok/femaleboomer.jpg this one's gonna help you, notice IT'S face, which is build like a female face. Plus, the clothes, THIS've obviously been to the pool or something else before the infection, and i can't say that males wear something like this. WardenerNL 19:40, October 8, 2009
 * female boomer creeps me out. Since there is a female boomer, do you guys think there'll be other genders for Spitter, Hunter, Charger, Jockey, Tank (...), Smoker, and Witch? I don't think it's fair for just Boomer to have a female version (Boomette lol), the others should have some too. 72.87.235.134

GOD IN HEA- seriuosly, why the hell they created a female boomer? Bill: I didn't sign up for this shit! Aratinga A.'' Ѭ , 20:21, October 08, 2009 (UTC)

I pass for a female Hunter. I don't see why not. Tank and Witch don't need em, but I don't see why not female Hunters and Smokers. Jo the Marten ♠  ( Shriek )  ಠ_ಠ  23:22, October 8, 2009 (UTC)

well a male witch would crap the hell out of me >.> Aratinga A.'' Ѭ , 20:25, October 08, 2009 (UTC)

I think she's beautiful. ;_; I'm all for female Infected of all kinds (female Hunter/Smoker? I'M IN). Male Witch and female Tank would be, uh, interesting....lol, male Witch = Warlock --AshesToAshes 23:32, October 8, 2009 (UTC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktsPQ3nRmCA In this video at 5:37 I see what looks to be the outline of a female boomer in ghost mode, limited to special infected, so it is either a boomer, or a new special infected we have not heard about.--Donuthead7310 23:01, October 18, 2009 (UTC)

uh, dude? thats a regular boomer.--Supermutantslayer 450  RO A  R! 23:22, October 18, 2009 (UTC)

Here, I have a plan. Let's all WAIT 'till L4D2 comes out. No mention of a female boomer on the talk page and if there are female boomers in L4D2, we put it in the article and those who thought there were female boomers get bragging rights. If not, well, duh. You know what to do. Imperialscouts 05:03, October 19, 2009 (UTC)


 * I disagree. It should stay on the page, because all you have to do is watch the video. It's clearly a boomer, and not a normal one, so we should just assume that it is a female boomer. TheCreaturenator  16  05:06, October 19, 2009 (UTC)


 * 'It's not a female Boomer' would be a rather pointless argument even if we somehow could ignore the incredibly obvious female voice we hear when it vomits. SteveZombie 22:32, October 19, 2009 (UTC)


 * You guys can't wait a month? If you're so sure you're right, then you have nothing to lose. I agree, it does look like a girl, but just to appease those doubtful, leave it off until it comes out. Or can we handle that? Imperialscouts 22:44, October 19, 2009 (UTC)


 * Wait, Creaturenator, let me get this straight: just because its different, that automatically makes it a female? How does that work?--Supermutantslayer 450  RO A  R! 23:55, October 19, 2009 (UTC)


 * No, that's not what I'm saying. Just consider the evidence: It's definitely a boomer; Boomers so far have been male; The facial features resemble female features; I would come to the conclusion that it is a female boomer. TheCreaturenator  16  02:54, October 20, 2009 (UTC)


 * I would have to agree with some of you on some points. It doesn't look like the female boomer does anything extra, so I believe that we should wait for L4D2, or at least the demo release.--Donuthead7310 21:08, October 22, 2009 (UTC)


 * Exactly!Imperialscouts 22:17, October 22, 2009 (UTC)


 * Ok... agreed. TheCreaturenator  16  22:59, October 22, 2009 (UTC)


 * " Guess we should take it out then. Imperialscouts 23:29, October 22, 2009 (UTC)

Hey Guys, got more, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPT3RabTx1c&feature=channel shows what probably is a female boomer at 0:59--Donuthead7310 23:57, October 19, 2009 (UTC)

Boomer tips and tricks video
At 7:17, you can see that the boomer didnt actually "blow up". :o

Well i think u shuold say that to criken. Aratinga A.'' Ѭ , 13:40, October 13, 2009 (UTC)

Female boomer confirmed without a doubt
http://i34.tinypic.com/swr878.png From the L4D2 demo files. NovaSilisko 03:55, October 24, 2009 (UTC):proof enough for mePlatypuslover171 04:06, October 24, 2009 (UTC)Platypuslover171

Theory Support
We know theres that theory of new infected being underdeveloped versions of the old ones, so could she be an underdeveloped boomer? she doesnt have intestines hanging out from her naval. i mean appart from the sex change, it seems a good theory :D


 * The Boomer vomits bile. The Spitter spits acid. Both digestive fluids, albeit very different ones. Besides the fact that there are fully developed Boomers (not restricted to male ones, either) present in the second game, The Church Guy was shown to instantly mutate into a fully developed Special Infected in the first. I know he could have been an isolated case of instant mutation due to the gameplay factors involved there but it's still unlikely the Spitter is derived from the Boomer by any stretch of the imagination. SteveZombie 22:38, November 2, 2009 (UTC)

i think it's that the virus doesn't need the instant transformation anymore,it's allready taken a good grip on the usa,so, it drops some of it's more vulernable asspects,and the speed of the change goes with it, but, i agree,the spitter is in no way shape or form, a boomer--JoeHanSon 06:32, November 4, 2009 (UTC)