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Left 4 Dead SDK Beta Released

Posted by Soulskill on from the building-for-braaaains dept.

Valve has released a beta version of their authoring tools for Left 4 Dead. The tools will allow you to "create your own campaign maps, character skins, 3D models, sound effects, and music and load them into the game." The kit includes a level editor and command-line compiling utilities, as well as example maps, props, infected, and explosives. It also brings plugins for a 3D modeling program called SketchUp. Valve has updated their development wiki to go along with the release.

10 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. How depressing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I knew I fucked up buying this game for the 360.

    1. Re:How depressing by caramelcarrot · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Given that amount of post-release content that Valve releases, and that since Microsoft charges significant amounts to the developer for anything beyond a free initial patch they don't patch as often on PC - it's not that wise to get any Valve game that you could get for PC.

  2. Vavle's credit? by Brian+Gordon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't know why I don't see Valve being supported more on Slashdot. They really have a great model: you can have complete access to everything from hammer editor to the map compiling toolchain to the command line tools, you can have access to and edit any texture or model anywhere in the game... if you just buy the cheap game. You could pirate it all but good luck finding someone who's packaged it because it's just better from Steam.

    And not only do they have a good model, they aren't evil. xbox.. the games are expensive and on top of that xboxlive got away with charging monthly fees for matchmaking (one p2 box in the closet) but valve sells their games cheap, and that's it for paying, it does free services for life.. matchmaking, downloading 100GB of games onto your new drive over the weekend, AUTO UPDATES

    1. Re:Vavle's credit? by bazald · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Wishlist:

      1. Installers that don't need Steam.
      2. Games that don't need Steam for single player.
      3. Pro-rated bundles that don't make me feel like I'm wasting my money because a better bundle is coming if I wait a few months.

      Honestly, because of points 1 and 2, I've convinced myself that I'm paying for the privilege of playing on their servers, rather than actually buying games. Point 3 just means I only buy the games I really want to play, which ultimately makes them less money (from me).

      --
      Insert self-referential sig here.
    2. Re:Vavle's credit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      some of us like to retain control/access to the products we buy.

  3. Maybe it's just me... by DreamsAreOkToo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Maybe its just me, but I didn't find L4D's game mechanics compelling enough. A SDK won't fix that for me.

    I mean, it's a zombie game, and it doesn't even have a chainsaw or flamethrower. You just run around and kill zombies. Sometimes you die. A zombie scenario appeals to me in several ways.

    1) Finding safe places. (L4D is getting from point A to B)
    2) Compelling resource management (I can either go to the grocery store or the hospital.)
    3) Creative weaponry
    4) Scare factor
    5) The human factor (finding survivors, people turning unexpectedly)

    L4D did an OK job, but... well I guess it's a beef I have with many recent games. "It looks pretty, but is it FUN? How about after 10 hours?"

    1. Re:Maybe it's just me... by Martin+Blank · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Part of what draws me in is L4D's simplicity. Some of the fun wore off about a month and a half after release, and I stopped playing it for a while, but since Survivor mode was included, it's opened up a whole new realm of strategies. What works to get a group to four minutes won't necessarily work to get them to seven or ten minutes. Even in those cases where we have gotten gold (I have three maps where I've exceeded 13 minutes, and some of my friends have exceeded 20 minutes on a couple of maps), it was fun throughout, because the pacing worked well.

      It's not a game for everyone. It's very much a pick-up game, and that needs simplicity. Depth in games is good -- it's what has me playing through the entire Half-Life series about twice a year -- but it's not always necessary. Within the couple of bones that make up the minimal skeleton of a storyline in L4D, the reason that there's little scare is that the survivors are expected to be fairly used to the situation, and even a little jaded, as shown in the opening cinematic. This just isn't enough for some people, and there's nothing wrong with that.

      To address your other issues, the current SDK doesn't seem to allow for new weapons yet, though I never was even casually into altering games myself so even though I've tried some of the programs, I may have missed something. I do appreciate the tutorial that they wrote for it, and it's kind of fun and interesting getting into the basics of design and understanding how some of the mechanics work. I think I know where there are some clipping issues, for example, because of explanations of what one should *not* do in level design, but which can creep in anyway.

      --
      You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
    2. Re:Maybe it's just me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Did you actually play it?

      The game is more fun than it might sound on paper. You seem to be mistaking complexity for fun.

  4. Re:Google SketchUp? by Brian+Gordon · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The simple tools are deceptive. You can make a mansion out of little triangles, but it's a lot of work. That's where the dragging and dropping comes in.

  5. You want L4D the RPG by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That is not what they made. Might as well complain that in Quake there was no interaction with the aliens, no factions, no character building.

    This is not the game genre you are looking for.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.