Addon Left 4 Dead 2

[Malene Mederios]

Inorder to author content for Left 4 Dead 2, you will need to install the Left 4 Dead 2 Authoring Tools. This provides you with the applications and utilities you will need to create game content. Mainly, you will be using the Hammer application to create levels, and the other utilities to create custom textures and models.

A description of how to create these assets is beyond the scope of this tutorial, but you can find useful information in the L4D Level Design Basics Tutorial. Because the focus of this article is how to assemble the assets into a campaign Add-on, we will assume that you have already learned how to successfully create these assets from this point forward.

Make a new folder inside the 'addons' directory, and give it an appropriate name. This new folder will be the name of the .VPK file you'll ultimately create and distribute, so it's good practice to avoid spaces and use all lowercase letters. You may also include the game in the title, to differentiate it from add-ons for other titles, and optionally a version number. We'll use "deadline" instead of "l4d_deadline" for our example for the sake of readability.

You may also optionally create custom .VTF texture images, custom .VMT material description files, and custom .MDL models which your maps can utilize. In order to keep the size of your add-on small, it's advisable to use as many textures and models from the game as possible.

It should be noted that L4D2 treats the /deadline2 folder much the same way as the /left4dead folder, so any folders you use inside the /materials and /models that you employ must also be present in your campaign's folder.

Secondary assets such as poster and thumbnail images are not strictly required, but they can give your campaigns an extra level of polish. (Besides, the poster/concept art was likely the first thing you created, wasn't it?) If you haven't already, go ahead and make a materials folder and a vgui folder inside of it:

In addition to these two, you'll also want to make thumbnail images for each map in your campaign. These serve to provide a visual reinforcement indication for users while they're selecting map "chapters" in the UI.

In this folder, you'll want to create a .VTF/.VMT pair for each map you wish to create. They should each be 256 by 128 pixels. If appropriate, you may use a single thumbnail image to represent multiple .BSP maps, such as when you have a versus or survival variant of the same level.

.VMT files which are used for interface elements such as posters, thumbnails, etc., (I.e. Those typically found in the materials/vgui folder,) often need to specify an UnlitGeneric material. See Deadline vgui .VMT File for an example.

If you wish to have custom sounds in your add-on, you need to build an audio cache file that the engine uses to load your sounds. Place your sounds in a "sound" folder in your add-on directory, then while Left 4 Dead 2 is running enter the command "snd_buildsoundcachefordirectory " with the path of your sound folder. For example, in the Deadline example, we would place sounds in:

This file is used by the game in the Extras->Add-ons screen. It describes your add-on in general and what it provides. The example Deadline AddonInfo File includes full comments and instructions for using it as a template for your own add-on.

Another file you can create in the root folder is an image named addonimage.jpg. This serves as an icon/thumbnail to help differentiate your add-on and is displayed when an add-on is selected in the UI along with add-on details listed in the addoninfo.txt. Some JPG files may not work, depending on which application they are saved from (such as Adobe Photoshop). If you're having trouble getting your JPG to work, try importing and exporting it from VTFEdit. It is recommended (but not required) that the image is in widescreen resolution.

The second required file is the mission file. This describes the structure and content of your campaign and is used by the campaign selection UI, matchmaking, and the game server. This should be a .TXT file with a unique name in the 'missions' folder, which you will also need to make:

At this point, your add-on should be fully functional. You should be able to launch the game, go to Extras->Add-ons, and enable your add-on. If you type path into the console, you should see the root directory of your add-on near the bottom. This means that the game will search your add-on folder for files that it cannot find in the standard game .VPK files. Play a full game on other computers to check for an errors such as crashes and missing assets. You can continue tweaking your content in folder form until you're ready for that magical moment: Release into the wild.

The .VPK serves as a convenient, one file method for others to install your add-on folder. They need simply put the .VPK in their own add-on folder. Or, assuming they, like most non-authoring players, haven't associated the .VPK extension with something else, they can double click on it and it will install itself in the correct place.

Every .VPK file contains a unique ID that allows the game to ensure everyone is running the same content. If you've put in meta-data properly, the game will also prompt users to download a newer version if it is required to play.

Locate the vpk.exe packaging utility and make a shortcut to it on your desktop. Drag your add-on root folder and drop it onto the shortcut. The utility should make a new .VPK next to your original folder. By default it will not include source files such as .VMF, .TGA, .SMD, .QC etc., and it will always strip out executable binaries. Remove the folder version of the add-on (or move it to a safe location) so that the .VPK is alone and test it out. The .VPK should function exactly as the add-on folder does. If it works, you're ready to upload it to a location you specified in the metadata files and from which it is available.

Since full Left 4 Dead 2 campaigns can be very large, it is advisable to compress them before uploading to file sharing sites for distribution. The open source Windows utility 7-zip supports compressing files in the 7z format/LZMA algorithm, which provide a very high compression ratio. The bulk of a campaigns size comes from the .bsp map files, which are highly compressible, so a VPK can be reduced to 25% or less of its original size. For example an unofficial version of Death Aboard was packaged up by a fan; the vpk was 267MB uncompressed, 92MB zipped, and 55MB with 7z.

At this point, you should test out the download prompt. Start a lobby with a local server, and invite a friend to join. When they accept, they should be prompted to download the necessary add-on, after which a browser window will opened to your add-on homepage. They should be able to download and install the add-on without having to restart the game, and then join your lobby.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a zombie survival game that was developed by Valve. The game features seven different campaigns, including the campaigns from the original Left 4 Dead. Despite having fun campaigns and memorable characters, Left 4 Dead 2 is also known for the mods and custom campaigns fans have made. Some campaign creators go above and beyond, creating custom skins for the infected and escape vehicles.

Some of the campaigns are simple, while others require the player to solve puzzles. New voice lines were recorded, adding to the setting of the campaign. By playing these custom campaigns, players are able to travel to other areas that have been affected by the Green Flu.

Updated October 28, 2023 by Erik Petrovich: One of the things that keeps Left 4 Dead 2 alive is its modding community, which tends to be particularly good at designing custom maps and campaigns for the game. Some of the L4D2 best custom campaigns are story-driven, atmospheric, crafted horror experiences that could only be accomplished through mods, like The Bloody Moors. Others, like Tank's Playground, go the complete other way, cutting out any semblance of story for pure, unadulterated thrills as one faces down waves of Tanks. Check the end of these two entries, as well as others in this list of the best L4D2 custom campaigns, to find out where to download these custom Left 4 Dead 2 campsigns.

These two Left 4 Dead 2 Workshop campaigns feature simple L4D2 custom maps and a premise that's as hard as it sounds. Both Tank's Challenge and Tank's Playground challenge players to survive increasingly difficult and increasingly numerous waves of Tanks and nothing but Tanks.

The Bloody Moors is a lengthy, multi-part campaign that tasks the survivors with making it through the moors of Yorkshire in England. It's quite an atmospheric custom campaign, with gothic and eldritch themes that add to one of the best L4D2 maps on the Steam Workshop.

The Bloody Moors comes in five parts, but it's recommended for players to start at the first one to get the full context and story. It's one of the best L4D2 custom maps to explore with friends, which more than 750,000 subscribers can attest to.

It's no secret that some of Valve's greatest hits all used the same engine - the Source engine - and many of the engine's assets merge seamlessly between games. The game Garry's Mod exemplified this by loading assets from installed Source games directly into the user spawn interface, but it goes a lot deeper than GMod.

Fans of Half-Life 2 and its two DLC episodes thusly ported over the level layouts for three separate areas into the Left 4 Dead 2 creator. These fully-fledged maps feature sights, sounds, and even NPCs from the classic FPS merged with the gameplay that the Left 4 Dead series is known for.

The Point Insertion level from Half-Life 2 is one of the most recognizable opening areas from early 2000's FPS games. It originally served as the place where Gordon Freeman enters City 17 through the train station and escapes the Combine to an apartment complex while constantly under the gaze of Dr. Breen on overhead monitors. The Left 4 Dead 2 version of this level was taken directly from Half-Life 2 and serves as a nostalgic (and terrifying) trek through one of the game's most iconic locations.

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