Valve Plans Left 4 Dead Update This Week

[Andy Chalk]

Valve Plans Left 4 Dead Update This Week

Left 4 Dead update later this week, with fixes and enhancements for the Authoring Tools that focus on custom campaigns.

"Since the Left 4 Dead Authoring Tools Beta was released several weeks ago, mod authors have been cooking with gas, so to speak. The ranks of dedicated community members working hard to create new content have been swelling, and a very hungry horde awaits," Valve's Yasser Malaika wrote on the Steam [http://www.l4d.com/blog/post.php?id=2599] next week, is focused on custom campaigns."

Included in the new features introduced in the update is support for Add-Ons, which will let authors pack maps, posters, models and textures into a single file which players can download and then install by either double-clicking it or dropping it into the new "addons" folder. Matchmaking has also been updated to support searches for games based on installed add-on campaigns. The improved system will simplify lobby creation and allow gamers to invite friends to custom campaigns; if the invited player doesn't have the required add-on installed, an option to automatically download it will be offered.

The update will also mark the end of the open beta and the official release of the Left 4 Dead authoring tools/SDK. The final release will come with "a few fixes and several new additions," including an expansion of the tutorial and the source files for all the official campaign maps. Detailed information about the new updates will be available at Valve's Developer Community Wiki [http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Main_Page].

via: CVG [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=217964]


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[APPCRASH]

I have yet to find a player made map that wasn't completely rubbish. Hopefully this will encourage decent mappers to come up with something.

 

[sirdanrhodes]

What are the odds that any of these maps will be good? I still want them.

 

[oliveira8]

What are the odds that any of these maps will be good? I still want them.

Very good. If we going to judge by the standards of the modding community around VALVe games, you can expect great stuff.

I saw a map that was based on Moria from Lord of the Rings. It looked quite cool. It was missing the zombies and stuff, but it was made before the SDK got released.

 

[Octorok]

What are the odds that any of these maps will be good? I still want them.

I'll be making my campaign for decades, but when it's done, it will be marvelous! And it can stand alongside my GECK towns, Vault, quests and characters!

I can report that the SDK is slow to use, but easy enough, and I hope this update will make it easier.

 

[TheTygerfire]

The L4D2 Boycott Group just lost some members I'm thinking.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

The L4D2 Boycott Group just lost some members I'm thinking.

Maybe. A lot of the people in that group are Xbox360 users who won't be enjoying any of these benefits and will continue to remain pissed about L4D. They still charge you 60 bucks for that game in some stores if you're buying it for console.

 

[TheTygerfire]

The L4D2 Boycott Group just lost some members I'm thinking.

Maybe. A lot of the people in that group are Xbox360 users who won't be enjoying any of these benefits and will continue to remain pissed about L4D. They still charge you 60 bucks for that game in some stores if you're buying it for console.

When people stop buying it, I'm sure the price will drop.

Plus, it's a Steam group, so why wouldn't they have the PC version instead of the 360? :\

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

The L4D2 Boycott Group just lost some members I'm thinking.

Maybe. A lot of the people in that group are Xbox360 users who won't be enjoying any of these benefits and will continue to remain pissed about L4D. They still charge you 60 bucks for that game in some stores if you're buying it for console.

When people stop buying it, I'm sure the price will drop.

Plus, it's a Steam group, so why wouldn't they have the PC version instead of the 360? :\

I don't speak for everyone, but it's cheaper for me to do my gaming on a console because they run better, but I still use Steam for old games and indie stuff. You can just sign up for the group after that.

Wasn't really trying to ignite this whole debate (but I guess it's inevitable in the thread). At this point, people should just know better than to get a Valve game on a console.

 

[Lord George]

Arghaa my maps still taking ages to complete, (mainly because I got distracted by people and exams) but now I shall try and press ahead to finish it, maybe.

 

[Pimppeter2]

But I thought the L4D Boycott group said Valve werent supporting L4D ?

When L4D2 comes out

 

[Dottie]

Most people that do mods with source are somewhat experienced you can expect good stuff...and Valve obviously hasn't forgotten about left for dead even though people have been total jerks...I mean I understand the boycott but there demands are ridiculous they obviously don't understand how much it costs to make a game at least Valve is giving them some of the promised content for the original L4D now.

 

[Krajin]

This is awesome, ive been waiting for this to come out, i am alil worried about all the fallout mods that will prolly come with this, but i look forward with gettin together with a team an making some decent maps atleast.....now if they could get it fully compatible with gmod that would be fantastic! xD

 

[samsonguy920]

The L4D2 Boycott Group just lost some members I'm thinking.

Maybe. A lot of the people in that group are Xbox360 users who won't be enjoying any of these benefits and will continue to remain pissed about L4D. They still charge you 60 bucks for that game in some stores if you're buying it for console.

PC FTW!

Ahh the Bethesda approach. Too lazy to do the work themselves. Bastards.
"Nah we don't want to give you the mod tools. (few weeks later) Nope, still don't. (more weeks) Nooooope, keep waiting suckers. (Announce L4D2) Okay heres your modding tools, here are Valve we believe in the community being an active part in our games."
I don't get how you people can see this as them supporting L4D. This is them abandoning it. They withheld the tools for soo damn long and only now that they have something new on the horizen are they giving fans the tools and pretty much saying "Eh you really want updates? Do the fucking work yourselves."

Okay thats just stuck-in-a-rut syndrome. I am reminded of Yahtzee's quote on fans (I think you know which one, especially You, Adrian!) A part of me agrees, though, I want at least one more campaign made by the magicians at Valve.

 

[samsonguy920]

But I thought the L4D Boycott group said Valve werent supporting L4D ?

Im confused ... or 30k people are buttholes. Id say given the state of humanity its the second rather than the first.

Its not just a Valve game, Consoles arent designed for additional content beyond the initial install. Sure devs can cram a little extra on but not on a PC scale.

Not the 30k, just the one person or group who started the L4D2 Boycott group. The rest just want to ride the attention train. (Who doesn't like to ride a train? Politicians love to.) I doubt even 30% really read through the main group's entire argument.

 

[Jumplion]

Eh, I find this only delaying the problem, the main concern with the L4D2 boycott thing is that VALVe themselves aren't supporting the original with content. This is just them saying "Do the work yourselves!", and aside from this one update what else is VALVe planning that will "Satisfy" the boycotts?

But then again I think I'm being a bit too nitpicky. But at the same time I think it's only delaying the problem and not really solving anything.