Zombicidal

Here comes the best Christmas present of all! According to the Left 4 Dead official blog, the authoring tools (SDK) for Left 4 Dead 2 have been released! In addition, the developers have also released an addon support package for players who just want to use custom content.

Players who are only looking to play custom content (including custom maps for L4D1) only need to download the support package. In Steam, open your Tools tab and look for the entry called “Left 4 Dead 2 – Add-on Support”. Click it and install it. After installing it, you don’t need to run anything. Your game client will automatically be able to play custom content thereafter.

Custom content designers should download the aforementioned file and the “Left 4 Dead 2 – Authoring Tools”. This download adds applications, utilities, and example files.
The new authoring tools are similar to Left 4 Dead’s authoring tools, but there are a number of new additions:

Gamemode Logic: Designers can now make a single map that can behave differently depending on the gamemode in which it is being played. This can dramatically reduce the file size of Campaign add-ons, as the same map can be used for Co-op, Versus, Scavenge, and Survival.

Director Logic: Maps can now alter their layout and behavior depending on how “angry” the A.I. director is. The better the Survivors are doing, the angrier the AI Director seems to get. This allows you to base variable paths and other events on the player’s skill and current conditions.

Scavenge Mode Support! All the elements map authors need to support Scavenge in their maps. This includes game props as well as a full example in the form of Deadline 2, an updated tutorial campaign.

Left 4 Dead 1 map designers are encouraged to compile L4D2-specific versions of their maps in the new tool.

Elunah Developer, Left 4 Dead 2, Patch community, maps, SDK

Here’s a look at the names of the campaign maps in Left 4 Dead 2. While we do not know the official names of many of the maps yet, this may give us a hint to what they may be called. Looking below, you may notice that both Dead Center and Swamp Fever are 4-chapter campaigns. You may also notice that Hard Rain seems to have duplicate maps. This is because the campaign requires you to reach a gas station and then backtrack through a different version of the same terrain in order to reach the Mississippi, where a boat awaits.

Thanks to KeRupTion from the official forums for this!

Elunah Left 4 Dead 2 campaign, chapter, maps

The recent GameTrailers TV episode featuring Left 4 Dead 2 includes a healthy helping of information on the upcoming DLC for Left 4 Dead, named Crash Course. The eponymous campaign included in the DLC will be geared towards giving players a 30-minute Versus experience, though the campaign will be playable in the other game modes, as well.

The first of the two chapters included will begin at the site of the helicopter crash. As many observant players have noticed, the chopper pilot had been exposed to the infection immediately prior to the daring rescue atop Mercy Hospital, as evidenced by his sickly skin tone, comment about an “incident”, and his unnaturally bad taste in shirts.

In the GTTV feature, Zoey can be heard saying “He turned into a zombie, Francis. He wasn’t gonna land the thing.”

Little else is known about the layout of the campaign, except that it will take place in an urban setting, probably near large roads/highways. At one point in the feature, players appear to use a howitzer to blow up a roadblock. This is probably the beginning of a crescendo, though we would certainly like to see what a howitzer would do to the hungry hordes of doom.

Chet mentioned that there will be a few tweaks to Versus game mechanics. For instance, players will be able to see the status of Infected teammates, namely their progress in recharging skills. All items will spawn in the same places for both teams, potentially increasing balance. In addition, since the campaign is shorter, Level 2 weapons will be available much earlier.

Crash Course is expected to be released on PC and Xbox 360 in September. It will be free on the PC, but there will be a small fee for Xbox players.

Elunah Patch campaign, DLC, gameplay, maps, preview, videos, Xbox 360

Yesterday, the Left 4 Dead team released a beta version of the long-awaited SDK!

Today we are opening the beta of the Left 4 Dead Authoring Tools to the public. It is available as a free download for all owners of the PC version of Left 4 Dead, and can be found under the “Tools” tab in Steam.

The L4D Authoring Tools include modified versions of the same tools we used to produce Left 4 Dead.

Using the L4D Authoring Tools, you may create your own campaign maps, character skins, 3D models, sound effects, and music and load them into the game.

Here’s what’s included:

• Updated version of Hammer, the source level editor
• Updated suite of command line compiling utilities
• Updated Particle editor
• Updated Faceposer
• Example maps, common infected, props, and explosives

This release also introduces a pair of plug-ins for SketchUp, a 3D modeling program you may download for free. You may use these plug-ins to create building blocks and props that can be imported into Hammer for use in game levels.

This should greatly increase the number of custom skins, maps, and mods in the coming months. Get yours here: http://l4d.com/blog/post.php?id=2510

Elunah Developer authoring, community, maps, SDK, tools