Steam Opens Left 4 Dead 2 to User-Made Content

[Karloff]

Steam Opens Left 4 Dead 2 to User-Made Content

The Left 4 Dead 2 teams' fancy new weapons and items could be your own custom design.

Creating user-made content is about to get a whole lot easier for Left 4 Dead 2 fans, as Steam announces its intention to open up its Workshop to the community starting October 2012. Mac, PC and Linux users will all get the chance to kit out Ellis, Coach, Rochelle and Nick with weapons and items of their choice, all at one click of the mouse. Hats! Hats for all! Also maps. Please?

"We are also creating an expanded scripting tool to allow deeper and more varied experiences inside of Left 4 Dead 2," say Valve, and that means Mutations. Previous Mutations included scenarios like Last Gnome On Earth, Headshot! and Chainsaw Massacre, which impose victory conditions on the scenario. Perhaps the only way to kill common infected is with a headshot (ouch!) or maybe the players get to choose between chainsaw and pistol as primary weapon. "Similar to the current Mutations," says Valve, "these experiences can be laid on top of existing maps or included with brand new maps."

The Workshop is Steam's way of getting user-made content to your game, and has already been used successfully with Team Fortress 2, Civilization V and Skyrim, among other Steam games. The exact kind of content may vary; the content submission terms and conditions are different for each game and you'll need to sign up to Valve's Legal Agreement [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/workshoplegalagreement] covering things like rights and fees, if you want to contribute. In Left 4 Dead 2's case the terms and conditions haven't been made public yet. "We will have more details as we get closer to launch," Valve promises.

Of course, this would launch in October. Halloween-themed content, anyone?

Source: Left 4 Dead Blog [http://www.l4d.com/blog/post.php?id=8913]


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[Soviet Heavy]

put Suicide Blitz and Dead Before Dawn on Workshop

 

[Kargathia]

Heh, once again a dev is about to make its customers love it more by letting them do the work. It's a wondrous world we're living in.

All snark aside: yay, mods!

 

[Bindal]

And once again, I want to rage at Valve for lying at the L4D1-community once again - by once again NOT giving the promised support.
I mean, if you go out and say flatout "we keep support up for this game" then I expect THIS KIND OF STUFF for the related game as well. But nope - instead, L4D1 has to wait 18 months for a patch to fix the broken map editor (an issue, I might want to add, was fixed for L4D2 within 2 weeks. THE EXACT SAME ISSUE!), does not get any of the still needed balacing patches and only gets lied to over and over again.

So, screw Valve. They don't deserve support from the community.

 

[GenGenners]

So, screw Valve. They don't deserve support from the community.

The day I hear this is the day the gaming community is officially dead.
Also, why not just switch to L4D2? It's been out for quite a long time now. Are you sticking to L4D1 out of sheer stubbornness?

 

[Sight Unseen]

And once again, I want to rage at Valve for lying at the L4D1-community once again - by once again NOT giving the promised support.
I mean, if you go out and say flatout "we keep support up for this game" then I expect THIS KIND OF STUFF for the related game as well. But nope - instead, L4D1 has to wait 18 months for a patch to fix the broken map editor (an issue, I might want to add, was fixed for L4D2 within 2 weeks. THE EXACT SAME ISSUE!), does not get any of the still needed balacing patches and only gets lied to over and over again.

So, screw Valve. They don't deserve support from the community.

Left 4 Dead 2 has all the left 4 dead 1 maps and characters in it... why are you still playing L4D1?

 

[Vivi22]

And once again, I want to rage at Valve for lying at the L4D1-community once again - by once again NOT giving the promised support.
I mean, if you go out and say flatout "we keep support up for this game" then I expect THIS KIND OF STUFF for the related game as well. But nope - instead, L4D1 has to wait 18 months for a patch to fix the broken map editor (an issue, I might want to add, was fixed for L4D2 within 2 weeks. THE EXACT SAME ISSUE!), does not get any of the still needed balacing patches and only gets lied to over and over again.

So, screw Valve. They don't deserve support from the community.

I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of the free DLC packs L4D got after L4D2 came out.

 

[Covarr]

And once again, I want to rage at Valve for lying at the L4D1-community once again - by once again NOT giving the promised support.
I mean, if you go out and say flatout "we keep support up for this game" then I expect THIS KIND OF STUFF for the related game as well. But nope - instead, L4D1 has to wait 18 months for a patch to fix the broken map editor (an issue, I might want to add, was fixed for L4D2 within 2 weeks. THE EXACT SAME ISSUE!), does not get any of the still needed balacing patches and only gets lied to over and over again.

So, screw Valve. They don't deserve support from the community.

I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of the free DLC packs L4D got after L4D2 came out.

For real. It never fails to astound me how VALV[sup]E[/sup] gets treated like the bad guys for not giving ENOUGH FREE STUFF. Nobody got mad at Nintendo when Super Mario Galaxy 2 came out a year later and Super Mario Galaxy didn't get any DLC at all, free or otherwise. What I see is VALV[sup]E[/sup] being held to a much higher standard than other companies, and then being bitched out when they don't meet that standard, in spite of still doing far better than the competition. You can bet that if Black Ops 2 gets any balancing "patches", it'll be called Black Ops 3 and cost sixty bucks.

On a completely different note, I can't help but wonder about the timing of this. Rumor has it that they're getting ready to launch the Steam for Linux beta sometime in October, and their first Linux-ready game will be Left 4 Dead 2. If they also wanna get Workshop working on Linux, what better way to test the waters than in the first game they'll have on the platform anyway? Also look at the source link, where they say "All of this will also be available not just on the PC and Mac, but also for Linux users as well starting in the middle of next month and rolling out from there." I'm calling it now, Steam for Linux beta will release the same day as the L4D2 Workshop update. I just hope the beta is open, since I wanna start using it ASAP.

P.S. Thanks

 

[Bindal]

The day I hear this is the day the gaming community is officially dead.
Also, why not just switch to L4D2? It's been out for quite a long time now. Are you sticking to L4D1 out of sheer stubbornness?

Because the gameplay of L4D2 sucks, it's too easy and the game is ridded with bugs. And there are BILLIONS of other things L4D2 just does plain wrong, making it boring and frustating to play.

Left 4 Dead 2 has all the left 4 dead 1 maps and characters in it... why are you still playing L4D1?

See above: Different gameplay, sequel too easy, tons of bugs.

I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of the free DLC packs L4D got after L4D2 came out.

What DLCs did came out for L4D1 after L4D2? Uh... Sacrifice? No, that was obviously made for L4D2, wasn't fun to play, wasn't even completely dubbed,...
And otherwise? Uhm... oh, right! ABSOLUTELY BLOODY NOTHING!
Means L4D1 also didn't get any DLC worth talking about, either ever since L4D2 came out.
So thank you for comfirming my point that Valve can go to hell.

For real. It never fails to astound me how VALV[sup]E[/sup] gets treated like the bad guys for not giving ENOUGH FREE STUFF. Nobody got mad at Nintendo when Super Mario Galaxy 2 came out a year later and Super Mario Galaxy didn't get any DLC at all, free or otherwise.

Good idea to use a game to compare here that had a TOTALLY different aspect.
The L4D1-Community is not pissed at Valve because they don't get "free stuff", they are pissed because Valve doesn't fix the problems the game has and which could easily be fixed.
Instead, they break the game and take OVER A YEAR to fix it, claiming that "nobody said something" (No, the L4D1-Forum was just full of threads talking about the fact that the map editor was broken...)

 

[DazZ.]

See above: Different gameplay, sequel too easy, tons of bugs.

Before L4D2 I was happily completing Expert difficulty with randomers constantly, the Expert mode of L4D2 is dramatically harder and I've only completed it on a few maps.

As someone who loved L4D1, I much prefer 2. Scavenge vs was needed, I didn't want to have to play a whole campaign almost twice just to play as the infected.

But more importantly than this L4D2 using workshop update is the Linux news, been waiting a while for this and I'm loving the fact it's got a "release month".

 

[Vivi22]

What DLCs did came out for L4D1 after L4D2? Uh... Sacrifice? No, that was obviously made for L4D2, wasn't fun to play, wasn't even completely dubbed,...

After release, L4D was updated with Versus mode for Death Toll and Dead Air, Survival mode, and Crash Course. Then L4D2 was released and L4D still got The Sacrifice.

So it was supported quite a bit post release, for free. And one of the campaigns it got was the newest campaign for L4D2 as well. That you didn't like it is irrelevant. The fact is that your argument that L4D wasn't properly supported after release is bullshit. Pure and simple.

So thank you for comfirming my point that Valve can go to hell.

I wasn't aware that proving a game was supported after launch demonstrates that it wasn't supported. Forgive me, apparently I forgot that this isn't the real world where what actually happened matters at all.

Sorry if you didn't like the support it got after it was released, but the fact is that Valve updated it with tons of content for free. If it wasn't good enough for you, well, too fucking bad because no one else really gives a shit and your argument that it didn't receive the promised support isn't true.

And for the record, your argument that L4D2 is easier doesn't hold water either. It's significantly more difficult than playing a game of camp in a corner and melee until the wave ends.

 

[Bindal]

Before L4D2 I was happily completing Expert difficulty with randomers constantly, the Expert mode of L4D2 is dramatically harder and I've only completed it on a few maps.

And I breeze through L4D2 Realism Expert with no issues because "Melee-Weapon/Magnum + SHotgun" makes you basically invincible as these sidearms instant-kill no matter where you hit and what you hit unless it's a Charger, Tank or Witch (in which case, you got the Shotgun).
I finished half the campaigns on Expert in about 30 to 40 minutes that way in Singleplayer. No Mercy even took only 20 minutes for me in L4D2 - just go give me TWO GRENADE LAUNCHERS during the finale.
And let's NOT talk about how the maps are flooded with First-Aid-Kits, primary-weapons and stuff like the Defi...

L4D1 on the other hand I still need way above an hour even if I don't restart any map, which I at times. (Not that often, however, usually requires an unlucky Tank or a good hit by the SI). Assuming it is a 4 or 5 map campaign as for Crash Course, I obviously need a lot less.

What DLCs did came out for L4D1 after L4D2? Uh... Sacrifice? No, that was obviously made for L4D2, wasn't fun to play, wasn't even completely dubbed,...

After release, L4D was updated with Versus mode for Death Toll and Dead Air, Survival mode, and Crash Course. Then L4D2 was released and L4D still got The Sacrifice.

So it was supported quite a bit post release, for free. And one of the campaigns it got was the newest campaign for L4D2 as well. That you didn't like it is irrelevant. The fact is that your argument that L4D wasn't properly supported after release is bullshit. Pure and simple.

Versus for Death Toll and Dead Air? THAT is not DLC, that is something that should've been in the game FROM RELEASE. Same for the rather cheap Survival-Mode, which isn't really much more than a handfull of console-commands.
Crash Course - not really a good campaign. At least, it was complete and is okay for Versus, but that's about it. It's VERY forgetable.
And as said, Sacrifice (the ONLY DLC ever released after L4D2 - which was the thing in question here) was not only obviously made with L4D2 in mind instead of L4D1, it also was the reason the map-editor was broken for 18 months.

And once again:
SUPPORT DOES NOT MEAN ADDIONAL CONTENT! It means, keeping the game working and iron out problems. The former was done half-hearted (and in case of the map-editor, not at all for one and half a year), the latter was never really done.

 

[GenGenners]

-SNIP-

To sum up your argument, you think Valve, one of the most respected and pro-consumer/pro-good games developers in the industry, can go to hell because they are phasing out support for a half-decade old game in favour of supporting it's much more popular and much more successful sequel, which you personally just don't happen to like as much as the original.

Your argument is about as stable as Ununoctium.

 

[tzimize]

Heh, once again a dev is about to make its customers love it more by letting them do the work. It's a wondrous world we're living in.

All snark aside: yay, mods!

Haha...yeah its really strange. And even so, its a scenario where everybody wins. This is one of the reasons origin will never be a real competitor to Steam. I really cannot imagine a world where EA says: Sure! We'll open up our games so you can have fun with them!

 

[Bindal]

-SNIP-

To sum up your argument, you think Valve, one of the most respected and pro-consumer/pro-good games developers in the industry, can go to hell because they are phasing out support for a half-decade old game in favour of supporting it's much more popular and much more successful sequel, which you personally just don't happen to like as much as the original.

Your argument is about as stable as Ununoctium.

The sequel is just one year younger. Not even, if you want to be day-accurate. And Valve claimed they WILL keep support up for L4D1 and WILL keep both games as parallel games. Nothing like that happened.
So, as far as I am concered, Valve isn't "pro-consumer" in this case, but "pro-'fuck you and thanks for you money'".

Most important, to PHASE OUT support, they would have GIVEN SUPPORT IN THE FIRST PLACE.
And then of course, games like CSS and TF2 also still get updates at times today to iron out coding-issues, improving the engine, ect. So just because another game is out it doesn't mean you are allowed to 'cut' something off a game needs. Espically when you never gave it to the game in the first place.

 

[Vivi22]

Versus for Death Toll and Dead Air? THAT is not DLC, that is something that should've been in the game FROM RELEASE.

And if Valve were any other company you wouldn't get to play versus on those right now.

Same for the rather cheap Survival-Mode, which isn't really much more than a handfull of console-commands.

I wasn't aware you could rebalance maps and add an entirely new one (the lighthouse) with some console commands.

Crash Course - not really a good campaign. At least, it was complete and is okay for Versus, but that's about it. It's VERY forgetable.

Whether you like the content a game gets is irrelevant to the question of whether it got sufficient post-launch support.

And as said, Sacrifice (the ONLY DLC ever released after L4D2 - which was the thing in question here)

No, your argument was that L4D didn't get the promised level of support. Only looking at support after L4D2 came out and ignoring several major updates prior to it is disingenuous. It is all relevant unless you're intent is to lie to make your argument seem more relevant.

And once again:
SUPPORT DOES NOT MEAN ADDIONAL CONTENT! It means, keeping the game working and iron out problems. The former was done half-hearted (and in case of the map-editor, not at all for one and half a year), the latter was never really done.

Did the editor actually not work at all during that time frame or were there simply some bugs which needed to be worked around? You'll forgive me if I don't take your statement at face value given your tendency towards hyperbole. Regardless, your argument was that L4D didn't receive sufficient support post-launch. It's basically a fact that it did receive more support than pretty much any other company bothers to give their titles post launch without charging you money for them.

I stand by my earlier assessment that your argument was bullshit. It's unfortunate that the editor had issues for so long, but it doesn't change the fact that your argument, as originally worded is patently false.

To sum up your argument, you think Valve, one of the most respected and pro-consumer/pro-good games developers in the industry, can go to hell because they are phasing out support for a half-decade old game in favour of supporting it's much more popular and much more successful sequel, which you personally just don't happen to like as much as the original.

Your argument is about as stable as Ununoctium.

Not only is it that L4D2 is newer, but Valve said almost from the beginning that it was being made to more easily allow them to add content if I'm not mistaken. Apparently L4D wasn't so good for that. I can hardly blame them for giving more support to the game with the larger community and which better supports updating.

 

[GamingAwesome1]

I finished half the campaigns on Expert in about 30 to 40 minutes that way in Singleplayer. No Mercy even took only 20 minutes for me in L4D2 - just go give me TWO GRENADE LAUNCHERS during the finale.

Don't care about the rest of argument, I'm just calling bullshit on this part of it.

This is almost certainly not true, vids or it did not happen.

 

[sky14kemea]

Is this why all the L4D2 official servers are either down or laggy? :/

Seriously, we keep trying to do VS matches but have to use someone's homemade server. =P

I would like to experiment with new weapons though, it sounds fun.

 

[DugMachine]

Wait so this means we'll be getting user created maps soon? I never really bothered to look into it in L4D2 and stopped after I beat all the campaigns with friends but this might just get me back into it.