22825 In-game now on Steam
The Extended Mutation System
February 11, 2013 - L4D Team
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What is EMS? It is vastly improved scripting system that allows script authors to go past modifying existing scripts and write custom script logic, spawn and control entities, and much much more.
Mod authors will now be able to create deep custom experiences that can be played on any map or tailor create something for new or existing maps.
We have included numerous examples including a new survival mode called Holdout, other all new game modes, and numerous other examples to help show mod authors how to use the new tools.
We have also included a wiki walking through some of the simplest examples and this week we will be online in the Beta group chat and forums to help modders learn the new tools.
How long will EMS be in beta? Long enough for us to achieve our goals:
- Find out what new tools people use, and how well they work.
- Find out what are the most important missing features we can add.
- Drive out as many bugs and issues as possible.
For everyone else waiting to play these new creations, we have some changes coming up for the workshop and our servers based on community feedback.
*The screenshots with this post are from the example game modes shipped with the beta.
They’re Changing!
January 23, 2013 - L4D Team
Mod authors continue to add content to the Workshop, so keep coming back and checking to see what’s new. You can download the Workshop items automatically by clicking subscribe. This will also keep that item automatically up to date!
If you don’t see the add-on choice on the main menu – remove any hud or UI addons you are currently running; they may not have changed for the new layout. If you are downloading a campaign, make sure to check to see if it is in a collection which requires you to download all the elements in that collection. A good example is for Warcelona you need to go to this page and download all three parts.
We have currently removed all community created campaigns from our official servers as the authors move them to the Workshop. We will be restoring them with the new versions and featuring new Campaigns starting next week. We have the first few lined up and then will begin taking suggestions from the community.
Remember, you can also rate items in the Workshop and join us in discussing the Workshop and letting us know what you would like to see.
Based on feedback from community, we have increased Mod Author’s cloud storage in the Left 4 Dead 2 Authoring tools to 2gb! A quick tip – if you are creating character packs, make sure to offer the individual characters as well so players can mix the packs together. Formal Coach needs to hang with some Velociraptors.
Lastly and most importantly, today we are updating the Mac client for L4D2 to resolve issues Mac players are seeing with the Workshop. If you are on a Mac, it’s time to join in the fun and start grabbing some great skins, campaigns, and more.
The Screenshot for this post is from the amazing Informal Skyboxes by Descarado
The Workshop is Live!
January 17, 2013 - L4D Team
Content creators have been hard at work creating content for L4D2 but they have just gotten access to the new Workshop, so give them some time to upload their work. But with over 1,000 community campaigns and thousands more items and skins already created for the game, we should see many of these pop up in the Left 4 Dead 2 Workshop in the coming days and weeks (Note: Please don’t upload other people’s work. If a campaign you like isn’t in the Workshop, please nicely ask the creator to post it). You can start browsing the Workshop now.
To help other players find the coolest content, make sure to rate and discuss the submissions. We will also be featuring submissions on l4d.com
To add content to L4D2:
Load up Left 4 Dead 2 (or browse to it here). In game, click on the add-ons section from the main menu. There you can see add-ons once they are downloaded or choose browse the Workshop. Go into the Workshop, find a something you like – let’s say a skin for Francis where he is in a cop outfit. Click the subscribe button and it will automatically download and appear in the list. If you are doing this through the web browser, it will appear next time you start the game.
Please note – the Workshop has increased its file size limit to 200MB. But this still means some of the larger campaigns will be broken up into sub-200mb chunks. Those campaigns will be in collections and you will need to subscribe to the collection to get all the files.
To create and share content in L4D2:
You will need to update your Authoring Tools and run the Workshop Manager in the tools to upload your content to the Workshop.
A great tip from GShock:
If your campaign is over 200MB you will need to split your vpk into parts with content in each part.
This will also allow you to update your content a lot faster and in turn users do not have to download a much larger file when you release an update to a part.
*Example:
Part 1 Sounds and Scripts
Part 2 Map 1
Part 3 Map 2
Part 4 Materials
Part 5 Models
*Include your missions folder in each part along with your addoninfo.txt file
Once this is done add all your items into a collection and mark it as a "items that work together (will show a 'subscribe to all' button)"
For both consumers and developers, there is a new forum – the Workshop discussion forum. Here you can discuss using the Workshop and report any bugs you are encountering. Each item in the Workshop has its own area to discuss that item.
Warcelona
November 9, 2012 - L4D Team
Today we are adding a new community created campaign onto our official servers – Warcelona. How do you play this great campaign? Well.. it’s kind of a pain. You can download it from here and copy that file in your \Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\left4dead2\addons directory. You can also double click it and it should copy it there – but if it doesn’t, you can just move it there and then start your game. Having it on our servers means you can start games on an “Official Server” for a better experience.
Sure wish it was easier…
Good news! It will be. The Left 4 Dead 2 Workshop has been in a test beta and will be expanded into an invite only private beta this week. Using the workshop will allow you to simply click a subscribe button and you have them map! It’s that simple.
While we aren’t there yet, we have had a giant uptick in interest in mapping and modding thanks to the impending addition of the workshop. So we wanted to kick off a new event – meet the creators.
For the inaugural session, we will be having a chat session this Saturday at Noon PST with the team behind Warcelona and some of the Valve devs. It will be a mix of playing and chatting so stop by the Official Left 4 Dead 2 Game Group and join the chat. If you can’t make it then, download the campaign and check it out.
What's Next?
October 28, 2012 - L4D Team
In the short term, keep playing tonight and buy the game during the sale so you can join us in everything to come. Don’t forget to check out the L4D2 Game Hub to see all of the incredible Left 4 Dead movies and other content. Join the community in the Community or Steam forums, join the Official Game Group, and friend players you meet online.
If you have been playing Campaign mode, time to try Versus. It is competitive, but let people know you are new and looking for help. Read the forums for suggestions. If you are good at it, join one of the competitive groups, try some of the variants.
In the longer term, Steam Workshop is being added to Left 4 Dead 2. This will make it easier to add custom content to the game. This includes skins, weapons, campaigns and more. The screenshot above is from the great community campaign Suicide Blitz 2. The Workshop will begin rolling out in a closed beta this week.
We are also working on some new tools to help content creators design new experiences and push past custom Mutations. We will have more information on this and some example new content as we get closer to release.