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Left 4 Dead Update Will Bring Completed SDK, Content Sharing Tools

Posted by Soulskill on from the no-word-on-left-4-dead-3 dept.

Valve has announced details of an update to Left 4 Dead that is due out next week. To start, the SDK open beta is over, and the final version is being released. They're also adding a framework for easily sharing player-created content, accessible through the menu system in-game. In addition to that, they're revamping the matchmaking system to accommodate custom campaigns (like this Resident Evil 3 mod). Quoting: "Content authors will be able to package up their new maps, along with new posters, models, and textures, into a single .VPK file. To install and activate this content in-game, players need simply download the .VPK and double click on it. ... When creating or searching for a lobby, a new option named 'Add-on campaign' will let you select from among the add-on campaigns that you have installed. You can then find games or lobbies as well as create a lobby for that campaign. You can invite your friends, too. If they do not have the campaign installed, they will automatically be offered and an option to download it."

6 of 30 comments (clear)

  1. Lack of grateful fans? by Rog7 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Valve is still one of the few companies that puts out full SDKs not only for mods for their engine, but pretty much every game they make on it as well-- Yet it's they're getting much appreciation, at least not by the comments above, and I expect some below as well. It makes me wonder why they bother, although I for one am really glad that they do.

    Usually my complaint is that sequels take too long to come out, so I'm a bit at odds with those that are complaining a year is too soon. Seriously? A year = timely.

    1. Re:Lack of grateful fans? by rsmith-mac · · Score: 4, Insightful

      They're not going to get much appreciation, because while custom levels are a nice thing to have, they're not high on the list of problems people have with L4D1. There's a good Yahtezeeism from his review of Little Big Planet that drives this point home:

      If a game that stands up by itself wants to release level design and modding tools, than Brillo Bananas: good modding communities are the sprinkling of cinnamon on a delicious trifle and hence relying on user made content is like eating heaped spoonfuls of cinnamon right from the jar. I don't want to have to wade through waste-high rendering runoff to get to the good levels, especially when I can do that by just playing the story mode: you know, the levels designed by professional fucking level designers. If I buy a house, I want an architect to design it. If I design it myself, it may have a more personal touch, but it's going to fall over very fast and even if it doesn't the giant fiberglass breasts on the front will be very tacky and the neighbors will complain when the gingerbread garage starts to smell.

      L4D1 is not yet "a game that stands up by itself" like HL2 or TF2 are. It was $50 and shipped short of content that was promised by Valve but instead rolled in to L4D2. Most people don't want modding tools at this point, they want enough professionally developed content to finish the game - something that satisfies players' baser needs. Then, if the game were finished, the modding tools would be a great addition to get even more out of the game.

      So no, you're not going to find a ton of appreciation for Valve releasing the SDK. User made content is not a replacement for true professional content, particularly content Valve said they were going to give out long, long ago.

    2. Re:Lack of grateful fans? by Kneo24 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, you just pretty much took the words out of my mouth.

      Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed countless hours on L4D. However I also bought the game based on promises that Valve has shown they can deliver on in the past. And with those games in the past, they didn't release an immediate sequel to them a fucking year later. L4D is stale now, so it doesn't matter how many modding tools they release. They never updated the game fast enough with content. Bug fixes? Sure, they did all of that, but that's already to be expected. If they had released a few new campaigns sooner, well, maybe there won't be this overwhelming bitterness being felt a lot of people.

  2. Re:Why are they even bothering? by Rog7 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    They're bothering because this is exactly the kind of support they promised for Left4Dead.

    Let go of the silly nerdrage, you''re blinded by it.

    A decent co-op game (a genre all too rare) and full tools for the community to mod with, and you're counting days until you consider abandoned? Seems like an odd perspective.

  3. Re:Why are they even bothering? by icsx · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They're bothering because this is exactly the kind of support they promised for Left4Dead.

    Let go of the silly nerdrage, you''re blinded by it.

    Everyone expected more content from _Valve_. More campaigns, more survival maps and only thing L4D seems to get is Tools for community to make their own campaigns and survival maps so that Valve can concentrate for L4D2 instead.

    However, the L4D2 Boycott group on Steamcommunity (that has around 18% of people compared to the official L4D Group) made Valve to change their mind. Now they promise more content for Left 4 Dead, the original one and promised not to ditch it when L4D2 is out.

    I paid 50$ for the game, i assumed that it would get atleast 2 more campaigns before the end of the year + a lot more content than this, for free. Now 7 months passed after it's release and i've seen 1 _new_ map, survival mode lighthouse. Rest are just warmups for the maps that has been played over and over and over again. Then L4D2 was announced and it's not a suprise for me that a lot of people are dissapointed for the current count of DLC.

    TF2 has gotten a lot more content since and so did CS Source too. In the first year of their release, there was amazing count of new maps for these games and new features. L4D is way behind in the schedule.

  4. What promises? by Rog7 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That link contains nothing but Gabe Newell describing exactly what they've done. Community support, SDK, the occasional gamemode and map tweaks.He talks about TF2 as an example, but did you think they were adding classes to L4D?

    I'd be more inclined to agree with you if you had some specific promises that weren't met, or like many (many, many) other games that are bug ridden and missing significant features shown during pre-release. Left4Dead is nearly exactly what they described, so if you were let down, I don't know what game you thought you were buying.

    If we were discussing the merits of the game and you didn't like it, I could accept that just fine. It's the premise about unmet promises that's bogus. List something concrete, otherwise you're just tossing rhetoric about your own failed expectations.

    The game sold well, got good reviews and is currently played by many. If you didn't like it, fine, write a review, but stop with the high and mighty broken promises thing, it's just childish.