Overview
This guide shows off the mod version of Killing Floor for people that’ve only played the retail game, or just want a quick refresher.
Intro
A semi-obscure fact is that Killing Floor originally started off as a mod for Unreal Tournament 2004. The mod originally started off as a gritty zombie survival game, but then switched to the Zeds we all know and love in version 2.0. Perks were added in version 2.5. 2.5 itself is the last official release before it became a retail game. Most weapons and enemy types have behaved the same since v1.0.
This guide is written to help people that like KF see what it was before it became a retail game. This isn’t a detailed guide to the mod. I’m working on more in-depth guides for the mod version of the game, which will appear either on the Killing Floor or Unreal Tournament 2004 Guide pages.
The current played version of the mod is 2.52. 2.52 is a fan patch to the last official version, 2.5, that tweaks the perks a little, fixes some bugs, buffs the 9mm and Fleshpound damage, and adds the Patriarch.
Overview
The mod version of Killing Floor is unusual for people that’ve only played the retail version of KF. The gameplay is similar to the retail game, but it has some unusual quirks that can throw newbies off guard, such as the more complex HUD, annoying Med-Syringe, strange enemy animations, stronger enemies and grittier-looking weapons and levels.
Gameplay is more based on holing up than in the final game. There’s no good way to kite in the mod version, so you often end up camping a spot that has an escape route or two in case you get overwhelmed (believe me, you will). If a horde manages to get too close and your team doesn’t have a few LAWs or Hunting Shotguns, expect a wipe no matter how skilled your teammates are. You’ll need to kill enemies as far as possible to prevent that from happening.
There’s also an emphasis on scavenging for ammo and weapons from pickups on the ground, which has been rendered useless in the final version thanks to all of the new weapons released via patches and discounts from perks. Scavenging is a good idea because ammo and some weapons can be costly. By picking up ammo and weapons you need off the ground, you’re saving yourself a lot of money. The random nature of the spawns can cause problems, but they usually aren’t game enders unless your team is equipped with only 9mm Pistols in wave 5 or something oddball like that.
The art style is more gritty than the final version. Weapons have a lot of scratches and some wear and tear on them, and enemy skins are pretty messy as well. Levels also have more fog and dirtier-looking textures.
Player models are also more diverse than the base KF retail models. Each one has a distinctively unique head even though they use the basic soldier body. For example, Masterson looks a lot tougher than the baby-faced one in the retail game and has tattoos on his arms. There are two lady player models (Kara and a Stalker) out of the box as well.
The Welder and Med-Syringe are in the game as well. The Welder behaves the same, but looks much more basic than it’s retail counterpart. The Med-Syringe has an annoying bug where it won’t heal someone unless the person is standing still or they’re running up to you. This makes it a pain to heal when your target is moving around. Interestingly, the same Syringe behavior was in the retail game when it came out, but it was eventually fixed.
How to install and play the mod version of Killing Floor
Playing the mod version of Killing Floor is easy. Install Unreal Tournament 2004 (the Steam version works just fine), then download Killing Foor 2.52 at [link]. When you’re done, grab the community map pack at [link], then put it in your “C:Program Files (x86)/Steam/common/Unreal Tournament 2004/KFMod20” folder.
Now you’re ready to play! You can use bots, but they can be dumb and pick ♥♥♥♥♥♥ spots to hole up in (much like KF Retail pub players hurrr). Instead, play online.
Where to play the mod version of Killing Floor online
Currently, the only active KF mod server is the Miasma server at 108.61.255.109:7777. It runs version 2.52, which is why I had you install it earlier. You can usually find it with the in-game browser.
The sever is usually active starting from 3:30 EST every day. It’s usually small, but the people are friendly and will happily do things like donate money and heal you if you need it. It’s a lot more coordinated than your average KF retail pub server as well.
There are also per player stats at [link]. It tracks things such as total kills, Bullpup damage, Stalker kills, total HP healed, and weld points.
Gameplay differences
Headshots don’t start a countdown that eventually kills the target. Instead, they make it so that any shot to the body does as much damage as a headshot does. A decap still does a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ of damage and disables the enemy’s special attack though.
You can have more than 6 people in a server.
Waves are usually smaller than they are in the retail version, even with 6+ players.
Zed HP does not increase with the amount of players on the sever. This may seem easier, but the increased damage they do if they get close can and will wreck you. All it takes is a single Crawler to start a chain reaction that’ll wipe the team.
There is only one trader in the map.
From waves 1 to 7, the amount of enemies will increase like in the retail game, but will decrease in later waves. This may sounds like a good thing, but what happens is that trash enemies like Clots and Stalkers will be replaced with more Fleshpounds and Sirens. That means later waves are still difficult, but there’s more strong enemies and less trash.
Perks
Perks are notably different when compared to the retail game. Perks do not level up, but instead you must earn them. For example, you need to land 40 decapitation kills to get the Sharpshooter perk, while healing 1000 HP is needed to get Medic. However, once you have them, you keep them for good.
Here’s a quick overview of each perk.
Medic increases syringe recharge by 100%, increases the amount healed by 50%, increases run speed by 5% and decreases Bloat damage by 50%.
Support allows you to carry 5 more weight blocks, doubles the amount of grenades that can be held and doubles the amount of LAW ammo that can be held. In 2.52 it also increases the Shotgun’s reload speed.
Support increases headshot damage for every weapon by 50%, increases Winchester and Crossbow damage by 25% (which includes the headshot damage bonus), decreases Winchester and Crossbow recoil by 75%. 2.52 also increase the amount of ammo held for the Winchester by 25%.
Commando increases the Bullpup’s damage by 25%, decreases Bullpup recoil by 20%, makes lifebars appear for each enemy, and makes Stalkers visible for anyone if they are somewhat close to the Commando.
Berserker increases melee damage by 25%, decreases damage taken from enemies by 15%, increases run speed by 15% and increases melee refire rate by 10%.
Maps
The latest version of the KF mod comes with KF-BioticsLab, KF-Manor, KF-Offices and KF-WestLondon. The layouts are the same, but have very different visuals. Generally, they’re more gritty and have less spawn points for Zeds (like the Crawler and Stalker spawnpoint over the bridge in WestLondon is missing). The only significant change is that there’s only one trader location instead of several.
Here’s the trader locations.
BioticsLab: The trader location near the power generator on the bottom floor.
Manor: The basement.
Offices; The second floor trader location facing the windows.
WestLondon: underneath the police station.
Zeds/Zombies
Zeds’ are mostly the same as they are in the final version. However, they look much different than the final models. They tend to look simpler and more gritty than their retail counterparts.
Clot: Has more health and does more damage, but is otherwise the same.
Crawler: Their AI is similar, but will constantly attack when they get close to you. They can very easily kill you if they get too close, so take ’em out ASAP, preferably at long range.
Stalker: Behavior is the same, but they’re buck naked in the mod and have a cool-looking bicycle kick animation when they attack. They also talk a lot, so it’s easier to pin point where they are when compared to the retail version.
Gorefast: Behave they same as they do in the final version. They don’t have an animation that easily indicates they’re running faster, so it’s a bit harder to figure out when they’re charging unless they’re close.
Siren: Much more annoying than the final version, if that’s possible. Their scream will drag your screen up, will do a ton of damage and will detonate any rockets that hit their scream range. As the cherry on top, its impossible to see their scream’s range like in the final. You have to figure it out via trial and error.
Scrake: Much easier than they are in the final because they don’t rage. This makes taking them down a breeze.
Fleshpound; They’re almost the same as their final version. The only thing is that they don’t rage. They take 50% resistance to bullet damage, but take double from explosives. One big problem with them is that most of the strategies used for the retail game (like kiting and Sharpshoter headshots) don’t work because the weapons are either too weak (Berserker) or the FP’s bullet resistance makes headshots impractical. The only way to take him down is to use the LAW or Hunting Shotgun. Everything else is just a waste and will probably rage him after a few shots.
One more thing; a lot more Fleshpounds appear than in the final version, especially if there are a lot of players on the server. 4+ Fleshpounds appearing usually happens at least once per game, usually on Wave 9. Groups of two or three are common with more than three or so people on the server in waves 7 to 9. That’s why its important at least two or so people have LAWs and Hunting Shotguns by the time wave 7 starts.
Weapons
Weapons are the other thing that make KF go ’round. Here’s a quick overview of the technical differences between the mod and the final version’s guns.
Melee weapons: No alternate fire and does less damage than the final melee weapons do, which make them only suitable for early wave specimens.
9mm Pistol: Can’t use iron sights.
Handcannon: Can’t use iron sights.
Shotgun: Less powerful than the final one, no iron sight, and there’s no way for pellets to penetrate enemies.
Hunting Shotgun: No way for pellets to penetrate enemies.
Bullpup: More spread and recoil than the final version.
Lever Action Rifle: Is generally more useful than in retail, but has a much more basic iron sight.
Crossbow: Headshots do notably less damage compared to the final (720 in mod, 1200 in final). Scope is red.
LAW: More useful in general because enemy HP does not increase with the players in a match. At least one or two people with a LAW are needed for later waves to deal with Fleshpounds.
Grenade: Does less damage than the retail version grenade and has a much slower throwing time.
Flamethrower: Behaves the same as an unperked retail Flamethrower does.
Weapon progression
Despite the much lower amount of weapons, there’s still a basic weapon progression for each perk. Here are the weapon progressions for each perk I’ve seen myself and others use.
Medic: Whatever you want. A Winchester is always a good purchase tho.
Support: Shotgun and another weapon, then Hunting Shotgun at or near Wave 5, then pick up LAW for Wave 7.
Sharpshooter: Get the Winchester and a decent sidearm (like the Handcannon, Bullpup or Shotgun) and you’re set for the entire match. A Hunting Shotgun is also a good idea for later waves.
Commando: Bullpup, then pick up a stronger weapon, like the Flamethrower or Winchester.
Berserker: Fire Axe ASAP, or Broken Pipe if you see a free one and can’t or don’t want to get a Fire Axe.
The Patriarch
Version 2.5 doesn’t have the Patty, but 2.52 does. He was being worked on for 2.5, but he was too incomplete to be added at that time. It seems the developers of 2.52 managed to get a hold of the original Patty model and coding, then fixed it so it’d work.
On paper, the 2.52 Patty is slightly weaker than he is in the retail game. He will not blow up welded doors, will not spawn enemies while he’s healing and is generally kinda bad at finding spots to heal. However, you don’t have the big damage weapons you do in the final version, so the Patty is actually much tougher than the he in the final game. Instead of doing things like 2700 damage crossbow headshots, your best weapon is the LAW, which does around 700 or so damage. The Patty has 9000 base health. You do the math.
The patty does not have his own special wave, like in the final game. Instead, he appears at the end of the last wave set by the server without giving the team a chance to restock at the trader. This means you gotta conserve your ammo in the final wave so that you’ll have enough to take on the Patty.
Another problem is that the Patty’s attacks do a ton of damage. I’d say that his bullet damage is equal to retail Hard difficulty damage, while his melee attack is equal to his retail Suicidal melee attack and his rocket is instant death if it blows up anywhere near you. Another problem is that he uses the same voice clip for both firing the minigun and rocket launcher, so there’s no way to know what he’ll do before it’s too late. He fires his minigun for much longer than he does in retail, but fires slower and will not try lock onto someone else while he’s firing. With some luck, this can be used to give your team some free time to unload some LAW rockets into him without him retaliating.
Generally, your goal when fighting the Patty is to do as much damage as possible when he’s far away via things like long-range LAW rockets. If you get lucky, he’ll be stunned and run away before he can get close. However, if he does gets close, open fire with the LAW and Hunting Shotgun and hope to God he doesn’t do something like shoot a rocket, open fire with his minigun or target you for his melee attack. After you’ve done enough damage, he’ll kneel, say “♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥” and try and retreat to heal. Now is the time to send a few parting shots or set him on fire to track where he’s going. He can heal three times (like in the retail game), so be ready to do this for a bit unless you get lucky and track down where he tries to heal.
If you get him into a tight place, you can actually screw up his AI by setting him on fire. When he goes into his retreat and heal phase, his AI will screw up and make him wander in a circle because he needs to find a safe spot to heal, but can’t because he’s being hammered by your team and is on fire.
Overall, the Patty is much tougher in the mod than he is in the final game. I’d wager that he’s equivalent to a Hard pr Suicidal retail Patty in terms of difficulty, depending on the team and the map. If your team takes him down, be very, very happy.
He also has a nice ass.
Summary
The mod version of Killing Floor is close to the retail game everyone knows about, but it’s notably tougher and has less room for large errors. If you’re really interested in KF, give the mod a spin. If anything, it’ll make you appreciate all of the weapons in the retail game has that make the game easier and more manageable. It’s also fun to see how KF was in the past for history buffs.
Other versions
Here’s a list of older versions of the mod. It’s pretty neat to check these out and see all of the differences the game’s gone through.
V1.0 demo (made a few months before 1.0 actually came out): [link]
V1.0: [link]
v2.0 (THIS WILL OVERRIDE YOUR 2.5/2.52 INSTALL BY DEFAULT. INSTALL IT UNDER ANOTHER FOLDER NAME): [link]
v2.1 (add this to your 2.0 installation): [link]
v2.5: [link]