For anyone interested in trying out some custom L4D content, a good place to check is
Left 4 Dead Maps. The site contains several maps and campaigns at various stages of completion. There are many completed and playable beta Survival maps, and several co-op and versus campaigns partially completed, allowing you to play the first few levels. The maps appear to get regular updates and fixes, and include screenshots.
The only catch is, these maps will not automatically upload themselves into the menus, so they must be loaded through the console. This means that until Valve adds stronger third-party support (or you personally go into the multiple configuration files to add lines and lines of text), the lobbies and character/team options are inaccessible for custom maps.
That said, it is possible to play the maps with friends. Josh and I used this method to try out some custom survival maps today, and it worked fine. As it stands, all players are required to have the maps downloaded to play them. It also helps to have everyone on your Steam friends list.
Starting a custom game without using the Main Menu1) Unzip the bsp and nav files to the Maps folder. Any third-party textures, etc go into their repective folders.
2) Figure out which player will act as the host.
3) The host opens up the console and enters "mp_gamemode [coop, versus, survival]". Not doing so will still load the map, but potentially without certain gameplay aspects functioning properly (ie no point for survival to start up the hoard).
4) The host enters "map [mapname]" into the console to load up the map.
5) Once the host has loaded the map, all users open Steam's Friends list through the In-Game Community and open the pull-down menu for the host player. Select "Join Game" to connect and start playing.
To choose a character or pick a team in versus, use the following console commandsChoose Random Survivor: team_desired survivor
Choose Bill: team_desired survivor b
Choose Francis: team_desired survivor f
Choose Louis: team_desired survivor l
Choose Zoey: team_desired survivor z
Choose Infected: team_desired infected
To switch Survival maps while playing, the host can open the console and enter "changelevel [mapname]". Campaign maps should load sequentially as finished.
Here's a couple of quick thoughts about the maps that Josh and I tried out:
Quick Map ReviewsGod DamCompleted Survival Map
L4D Maps User Rating - 4.20/5
A simple, yet atmospheric map inspired by Death Toll. The Survivors are on top of a long dam with ammo caches located on each end. Propane and gas tanks are also stored near each end with a few scattered along the top. Zombies climb over fences at each end. Players attract the zombies by hitting a switch of the far end of the dam. The length of the map and small number of zombie spawns makes it easy to contain the zombies (Josh and I got Silver our first try, gold the second), but the weapon/health placement mixed with the long trek from one end of the dam to the other still makes the map challenging as the horde increases.
Dead ZoneCompleted Survival Map
L4D Maps User Rating - 4.32/5
This map is a Survival version of the sole map from the creator's unfinished co-op campaign. The area consists of a warehouse/office surrounded by trees with a small parking lot out front. Bring in the zombies by blowing up the gas cans around the far side of the building. Molotovs are located on the roof, health packs are located on the top floor of the building. Not much else to say: just a short, sweet, well-made map.
Shipping CoCompleted Survival Map
L4D Maps User Rating - 4.52/5
An initially confusing survival map, yet still fun. You fight the zombies from a shipping dock surrounded by water. The starting event is difficult to find: the description says to "Refuel the boat" and that there are arrows pointing to it. Molotovs and Pipe bombs appear to be located solely in the starting location.
Maps I'd Like to TryNow I'd also be very happy to get into some campaign games with anyone from the Foxhole (maybe even versus if it's functional and there's enough people), so here's a few Campaigns that are mostly if not completely finished that seem to stick out from the rest.
Death AboardPlayable Beta, 4/5 Maps completed
User Rating - 4.10/5
"In Death Aboard you start out in a prison and work your way out to the nearest docks area. From here, you board a stranded ship and finally to a peninsula or island where there will be a lighthouse as a finale."
Naniwa CityComplete Beta Campaign
User Rating - 3.28/5
"Taking place in Japan during the holidays; You will travel through a shopping mall, arcade, highway and subway until you end up at the Naniwa Tower."
Escape from Toronto"Complete" Beta Campaign, Alternative Finale Map in production
User Rating - 3.97/5
"Attempt to go south from Toronto to Niagara Falls then into the U.S.A Rumor has it the U.S. Special Forces are held up and in need of reinforcements, however they don't seem very friendly..."[/quote]
PowerstationComplete Campaign
User Rating - 3.55/5
"This campaign is for those looking for a challenge. Filled with tons of traps and thinking! This makes it a challenge and a little frustrating as the average play time is 2 hours!"
So who's up for this?
