Custom campaign support added to Left 4 Dead
| Date Posted | Author |
|---|---|
| 30th June 2009 | Matt Bailey |
Left 4 Dead last week gained another major update with develop Valve adding the ability to use custom campaigns in the game. The addition follows the previous beta testing of the software development kit (SDK) for the game that has already seen some interesting work been shown off by mod developers. This update brings a proper release of the SDK, with a few changes, and the sample content also now includes source files for official maps, as Valve have already done for some Team Fortress 2 maps.
The game itself includes four official campaigns, but you should see plenty more on servers soon thanks to this update. Now the tools are in action Valve have made it a lot easier to use that custom content. To play a third party campaign you'll simply need to download a single .VPK file which is automatically installed to the game when double-clicked. You'll then be able to manage or select add-on maps and campaigns via the game's menu. More impressively, you'll also be able to get campaigns by connecting to a server running one and downloading it from there, and there's even support for custom campaigns in the game's Leader boards.
Of course, this all only applies to the PC version of Left 4 Dead with updates now available for free on Valve's own digital distribution system, Steam.
