Valve releases Left 4 Dead 2 PC SDK just in time for the holidays

by Ben Gilbert on Dec 24th 2009 12:45PM

Left 4 Dead 2 on PC has just received a massive update, with both authoring tools for custom campaigns and a support package for those who just want to play custom games coming down the internet's chimney. That second part might not be so exciting if it weren't for the glorious detail that it "allows running ANY map [their emphasis], including custom maps made for the original Left 4 Dead."

All your old favorites like the Mushroom Kingdom (with zombies) and Lego (with zombies) -- totally playable in Left 4 Dead 2. The only thing that the Left 4 Dead 2 Team asked for in return was "to get to play your custom maps" in their game, so let's all do them a favor and get right on that. We're personally hoping to see a Back to the Future 2 (with zombies) mod by the weekend.

Left 4 Dead 2

[Thanks, Cj]

Source

Tags: back-to-the-future-2, left-4-dead, left-4-dead-2, lego, mod, mushroom-kingdom, pc, sdk, software-development-kit, valve, valve-software

Reader Comments (37)

So, now people will convert the L4D1 maps over and there will be no reason for L4D1 to even exist?

Why doesn't Valve just give L4D2 to L4D1 owners for free, do a small update to allow custom player character in campaigns, and then make the L4D1/L4D2 content separate DLC?

you make it sound like valve is an asshole.

that makes you an asshole.

Because they want more money, and what you said sounds like more work.

Why can't you just buy L4D2 and be happy?

You have a point. But you still aren't getting the main story and campaign from the first game that many people loved. So I would say there's still at least one reason to still have L4D1.

I can't really understand how people complain of L4D2 coming so soon after L4D1 when so many gamers lap up yearly and even earlier releases of sports and music games. I really hope those aren't the same gamers because that is hypocrisy overload!

Left 4 Dead 2 is now on sale for around $30. If you think the game is an expansion, that is an expansion type price.

Yea, Valve should just give you the years worth of man hours and 5 campaigns, improvements to the engine, new characters that they had to hire voice actors for, and new special infected just because you want it for free. If all of that isn't worth 30 bucks to you, then don't buy it. Just stop complaining already. It's not any different from any other sequel.

Also, does any other game developer get this much praise from their fans?
http://www.skurk32.com/VALVe.htm
(found this on their forums)

This is what happens when you support your products, and their fans. Not by charged $10 for 3 maps.

*charging

I'm glad it came out early, I'm bored outta my mind

Geez, you guys love putting words in my mouth.

I didn't say Valve should give me Left 4 Dead 2 for free. I didn't say anything about it not needing to exist.

I said Left 4 Dead 1 should get an engine upgrade to basically BE Left 4 Dead 2 since the maps are compatible anyway, and the Left 4 Dead 2 content should be separate and still need to be purchased, but still part of the same "platform". That way, no one could complain that Left 4 Dead 1 doesn't get any more support, because it would now be Left 4 Dead 2, and thus would receive any support that game gets.

Why do any of you have a problem with that?

So "Why doesn't Valve just give L4D2 to L4D1 owners for free,"
Isn't what you said? Because it looks like that's what you said.

But even about bringing the engine improvements to L4D1, why? You think Activision is going to bring all the engine improvements from MW2 to MW1 just for shits and giggles? Or Naughty dog is going to give Uncharted 1 and update so it has everything Uncharted 2 did?

It's a damn sequel. You get the improvements and new stuff from buying the sequel. To expect anything different just because you're used to free goodies from valve is just silly.

"Why doesn't Valve just give L4D2 to L4D1 owners for free," was followed by "and then make the L4D1/L4D2 content separate DLC?". It was poorly worded, but I meant that you still had to purchase the L4D2 content.

The reason I suggest this is because apparently content made for L4D1 is compatible with L4D2, as stated by the article. Why not import in the L4D1 maps, leave out the L4D2 maps as DLC, and give that to L4D1 players?

TF2 has gotten tons of free updates. Day of Defeat: Source got a free engine upgrade to the Orange Box. This is Valve, not Activision, and it seems like most of the work is already done for them, compared to what they've been known to do for free.

So if L4D1 content works with L4D2, the only work on Valve's part is taking the L4D2 content out of L4D2 unless you pay for L4D2, and preferably allowing custom survivors per campaign. All L4D2 updates from that point would be L4D1 updates as well since they would be the same thing.

This way people will continue to buy BOTH games, the community will be unified, and all upgrades will happen to the platform as a whole, all for less work than Valve has done before for free.

Maybe they're already priced themselves out of doing this, but I can't help but feel this is the way the games should have been handled in the first place.

IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE.

I think this is more along the lines of a Festivus miracle.

I think it's fitting that we celebrate the birth of the most famous zombie of all time with this update.

Well Steam is having an EXCELLENT discount sale on games. I just got this game for 33 bucks

[banned]

They see me trollin.

I wish more developers will follow Valve's example and release SDKs. Unless they are greedy asshole who don't want mods and custom content so they can force paid DLC down our throats.

Say hello to Activision, my friend.

And its not only Activision. Even on the PC, mods and custom content may go extinct in favor of paid DLC, gotta love the milking of the gaming industry, especially since this console generation!

A lot of DLC would be free, it's just Microsoft charge it on the console 90% of the time.

Well honestly this mod culture is unheard-of in any other major media form so it's no suprise that you see fewer and fewer companies involved.

In the film industry would you ever expect a director of a major film to give you the raw footage and FCP files to make your own rendition of the film?

In the music industry would you ever expect a major label to supply the fans with the ProTools session files of an artist's music to customize thier experience?

It's absurd to expect that level of interaction/personalization in any other medium yet PC gamers (and even consoles, to a degree) have essentially been spoiled with such features. So I guess it's not totally unexpected to see that such unprecedented freedom/interaction had a finite life in the game industry.

Not saying I agree with any of it, just saying that it was almost in inevitability.

@Embassy
"It's absurd to expect that level of interaction/personalization in any other medium"

The core difference between gaming and any other entertainment medium is that gaming is an interactive experience that each gamer personalizes every time they play a game. Modifications of games are just an extension of that. The way you interact with a game is a large part of what makes it good, and taking away a level of interaction like modding takes away from the enjoyment of the medium for a lot of people.

I simply can't understand anyone who would not want mods and custom content, except for those that worry they will impact the sales of their own paid DLC.

Caramelzappa,

I totally agree, however the gaming *industry* is structuring itself in a similar manner as the other entertainment mediums (not the smartest business plan to follow). Which is why, to me at least, this level of access to assets was finite.

Nerdy,

I don't think anyone would disagree with you. I mean, everyone loves free stuff, but you can't honestly expect it to last forever - for better or worse.

I don't think the death of mods should be inevitable, we shouldn't just sit back and take this, console gamers may accept this, but PC gamers should not. It is a definite step backwards in the industry.

Valve releases sequel just in time for me to reveal it' too soon for a Valve sequel, get back to work on Episode (ha episodic content) 3

I have the 360 version :(

At least your platform never has talks of "dying" like the PC and you have many more multiplatform games that are supported on the 360 but not on the PC.

You know where my 360 is right now, broken on the floor waiting for microsoft to mail me a ups waybill so I can send their broken console back to them for repairs.

It's been two and a half weeks since I first called their support, and they keep promising me another 3-5 business days, all this because my year old printer won't work with windows 7.

Bleh, reply failure...

Go to http://neenainai.com/bracket to vote for who you think should become babe of the year for 2009.

Nice

I would love to buy the game for a reasonable price of 25 to 30 dollars... but here it is 50 and has not budged once... that is unreasonable for an expansion.

The sims 3 just tried this with their expansion and it has turned into the worst selling sims expansion ever. They wanted 50 dollars for it...

Too bad there are so many fan boys that did not just join the boycott.... why not boycott... force them to lower the price and then everyone could have enjoyed it for a reasonable cost and valve still would have made massive profit as they always do.

Really think about this tho... how many mods and free games came out for hl1 and 2. What was changed in the base engine to allow for the mod? Not much right? They add some textures, sprites, models, skins ect but the engine is basically the same.... now is that not L4D2 to a T....

This was attempted with counter strike source as well. They wanted to charge almost full price for a 6 year old game that was a simple mod off an existing engine. It was free if you owned hl2 but if you just wanted counter-strike source... it originally came out at 40 dollars here. Now you can get it for less than an expansion price as it always should have been.

Modern warfare 2 came out at an increased price as well... foolishly, I believed their co op promise and of course they backed out at the last minute but let everyone preload through steam anyways... now there are a lot of angry people wondering why they bought the game at all... I bought it so I could play the campaign with a friend and they dropped the coop....well they changed it rather... they made specific multiplayer maps for co op which is nice that they tried since they probably could not implement the single player with two chars properly. so I bought a 60 dollar coaster for my drinks in the end. I played it once and realized its the exact same game as the first... exactly... they didnt even add ANYTHING AT ALL few weaps and maps and look and respond as the ones in the first..... yet they want a full games price for it and then some.... SO as a promise to them... I will never ever pay for a game through them ever again. I have got 4 friends not to buy it either because I told them its the exact same game and they backed out on co op last minute... as soon as I tell them that, they say hellz no too.

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Valve releases Left 4 Dead 2 PC SDK just in time for the holidays

Left 4 Dead 2

Reader Comments (37)

Posted: Dec 24th 2009 12:54PM fyian said

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