A post on the Left 4 Dead blog by developer Randy Lundeen has revealed the the considerations they took into account when deciding on an art direction for the game:
You can read a lot more about the L4D graphics styling here on the Left 4 Dead blog.
Here's a sample screenshot from an early version of the game.
<center><a href="http://images.totalgamingnetwork.com/images/01.1231269394.jpg"><img src="http://images.totalgamingnetwork.com/images/thumb_01.1231269394.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></center>From an aesthetic standpoint, this is the wrong atmosphere for a horror game. It's too bright. From a narrative standpoint, it detracts from the fiction we're trying to create: if the player's in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, how come everything looks so unaffected by it? Why do all the buildings still look occupied?
Most importantly, though, this screenshot fails from a gameplay standpoint. There are too many light sources to give the player any useful navigational clues. In other words: it's not telling you where you should be heading. Let's look at the same screenshot with simplified lighting:
<center><a href="http://images.totalgamingnetwork.com/images/02.1231269394.jpg"><img src="http://images.totalgamingnetwork.com/images/thumb_02.1231269394.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></center>From watching many playtests, we found players instinctively moved towards well-lit areas. Simplifying the lighting helped the gameplay (the player is drawn to the warm glow down the street, and not distracted by unnecessary light sources); the fiction (this entire city block's been abandoned—something's not right here); and the aesthetics (by simplifying the visual information, we've given a focal point for the eye to follow).
<center><a href="http://images.totalgamingnetwork.com/images/01.1231269394.jpg"><img src="http://images.totalgamingnetwork.com/images/thumb_01.1231269394.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></center>From an aesthetic standpoint, this is the wrong atmosphere for a horror game. It's too bright. From a narrative standpoint, it detracts from the fiction we're trying to create: if the player's in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, how come everything looks so unaffected by it? Why do all the buildings still look occupied?
Most importantly, though, this screenshot fails from a gameplay standpoint. There are too many light sources to give the player any useful navigational clues. In other words: it's not telling you where you should be heading. Let's look at the same screenshot with simplified lighting:
<center><a href="http://images.totalgamingnetwork.com/images/02.1231269394.jpg"><img src="http://images.totalgamingnetwork.com/images/thumb_02.1231269394.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></center>From watching many playtests, we found players instinctively moved towards well-lit areas. Simplifying the lighting helped the gameplay (the player is drawn to the warm glow down the street, and not distracted by unnecessary light sources); the fiction (this entire city block's been abandoned—something's not right here); and the aesthetics (by simplifying the visual information, we've given a focal point for the eye to follow).
You can read a lot more about the L4D graphics styling here on the Left 4 Dead blog.
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