L4D SDK RELEASED!!!

Well, sooner than what I heard, here it is! To get it, expand your steam games window and select the 'tools' tab to see uninstalled available tools to download.

Here is the official thread about it on the Valve forums: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=861395

-And here is the full info page on the VDC: http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Authoring_Tools/SDK_(Left_4_Dead) Yea it's all there. Although I hear it's a Beta release.

-You have to check out the zoo maps, they're pretty nifty. -And the apartments map is absolutely filled with hint/skip brushes EVERYWHERE. -Now that's optimizing!

Read here for getting started: http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/L4D_Level_Design_Basics_Tutorial

& here: http://developer-new.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Your_First_Left_4_Dead_Map

-I haven't tried compiling a map yet, but I hear there are some NAV mesh issues. Check here for info: http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/L4D_Level_Design/Nav_Meshes

It also comes with Google Sketchup plug-ins for porting over smd AND vmf files!!! -basically you can make maps and models in Google Sketch-up, a free (easy-to-use for the masses modeling package!

Totally awesome! The SDK beta also comes with a L4D tools mode as well. -You can create videos now. It also has an updated particle editor and Face Poser and lots of example maps.

What are you waiting for!?!!? -Get on that stuff! -I know I am! -Oh wait, I have to finish the SnarkPit compilation map

-Well the rest of you are free to try it, so let me know!

---

Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

It's already there for a long time like a day. But yeah, when I get L4D, I'll definitely make some maps.

I know it because of this: http://www.l4d.com/blog/

edit: Oh and Riven, good luck with mapping and stuff! When you made one, will you tell me? By that time I probably have L4D already.

edit2: Shouldn't this be in the source editing thread? It's 100% about editing.

---

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Nibgames

"Niborius" said:
edit2: Shouldn't this be in the source editing thread? It's 100% about editing.

Although this is about Source editing, the Source Editing board is more for asking questions related to Source editing and for people to post solutions to problems and I guess maybe like experimenting with the Source engine also.

Anyway, I don't actually own or have played L4D so I guess this news isn't aimed at me but why was there a delay between the game being released and the SDK being released?

---

Aaron's Stuff

Because valve likes delays.

I look forward to giving it a shot but, it will be imposable for one person to make a full map for L4D. Im sure all you who have played the game have noticed how massive the maps are. Its to much for one person to finish in a worth while amount of time.

---

Reality has become a commodity.

RedWood said:
I look forward to giving it a shot but, it will be imposable for one person to make a full map for L4D. Im sure all you who have played the game have noticed how massive the maps are. Its to much for one person to finish in a worth while amount of time.

Offcourse It's not impossible, it just takes more work.

---

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Nibgames

I don't think It's impossible to build a small campaign on your own either. Sure yea, some of those sections for the campaigns were pretty long (and detailed!!), but I don't think that should discourage anyone.

The levels are supposed to suspend your disbelief in the event of a zombie apocalypse. -I think they did a magnificent job. The task for mappers is not so much to replicate their work (although doing so wouldn't make theirs look or play bad) but to take what Valve has made and expand upon it. There are enough art assets plugged into that game that could give anyone a rush of ideas to create multiple scenarios.

I'm sure we'll see a lot of copy/paste now that those zoo maps are available. (paraphrasing from Finger's observations) but, let's see where that takes us. I don't think it could be a bad thing (to begin with). The community is hungry for custom levels (as am I!) And the really good ones will take some time. But the amount of work involved should not discourage you, it should invigorate you to plan more so before delving into such a project.

@aaron, they had delays after the orange box was released before anyone could officially map for it as well. -What's your point?

---

Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

Agreed. But what are zoo maps exactly?
And Riven, have you found any bugs already in the SDK?

---

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Nibgames

Small(ish) arena type areas are always popular with mappers in a hurry, so survival mode almost looks designed to get as much out of the community as valve can coax. Good for them, I say.

I agree to an extent. But I would rather see a whole lot more campaign-style maps for versus and co-op over anything, even though, I know those will be few and far between (the good ones anyway). Survival is fun, but it just leaves me asking for more everything. More story, more scenery, more interaction and therefore more strategy. -Yes a good survival map could include all of these things, but I would rather play an awesome custom mini-campaign instead any day.

---

Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

fishy said:
Small(ish) arena type areas are always popular with mappers in a hurry, so survival mode almost looks designed to get as much out of the community as valve can coax. Good for them, I say.

I'll be falling into that category for my first attempt. I'll be porting my latest C:SS endeavor to L4D when its done. (they didn't port the cargo containers!! Ah)

I have a idea for a short 2 chapter campaign but i don't know if I'll ever get around to it.

EDIT:
L4D doesn't seem set for for custom content ether. i wish it was as easy as it is in counter strike. u compile and then u pick your map and start it. I wish it did it automatically for L4D.

---

Reality has become a commodity.

Well, I haven't tried it yet, but isn't it as easy as the console commands available for HL2? -I know what you mean though I like seeing a list of all my downloaded maps too.

---

Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

I don't think that I've used the list to browse for any map in at least 8 years. I've used a desktop shortcut, which can have it's target value changed to suit whatever way I want the map to load, whether it's in dev mode, tools mode, making the pointfile line longer in-game (worldcraft era) etc.
The target in my shortcut for L4D at the moment looks like this;
"G:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\Steam.exe" -applaunch 500 -dev +map your_mapname_here

I'm looking forward to creating something for L4D. I've been working on a campaign, but the reality is setting in and I realize that I probably won't have the time to create a full 4 or 5 map camp. So, what I've decided to do is experiment with a smaller campaign, and a slightly different progression structure. I'll try to stretch the maps out a little more (more panic events, more sticky situations - some environment reuse). In the end, I think I can get away with a camp that is 2.5 maps, with a turn-around that reuses a map but changes the environment and gameplay slightly. After playing a ton of l4d, I honestly think there is a need for smaller campaigns (3 maps seems good), and opportunities to create more varied gameplay than valve offered. I also think Survival mode is fairly boring - maybe I'll want more of it later, but right now I find verses and expert coop to be the most fun modes. I'm looking forward to seeing if the community offers us some good stuff - I have a feeling we'll see a few quality camps.

Cheers