Custom Maps: Pro Modded Maps

Pro Modded Maps

Ydiss over at the steam forums has brought to light his custom edited maps for Left 4 Dead.  They are remakes of the original 4 campaigns with the intention of helping improve gameplay, specifically for the infected player.  Many "Closet Camp" spots have been blocked off as well as there being many objects added to help infected spawning los.  I definitely plan on play testing these maps sometime this week when I have free time and posting my opinion, but at first glance the changes that he put in all look wonderful!

Link: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=907695

Full Text:

To find servers that host the mod and players that want to try the mod out, go to the ProMap Mod Steam Group!

Introduction:

So here's the scenario. You're having a great game, it's nice and even and both teams are fighting for their lives every map. Then "Blood Harvest 4: Barn" loads up and woosh! The survivors ignore most of the map and complete it without using their first aid kits. If you don't get a tank then this map is laughable.

In fact, according to the stats I record for my server, it's officially the easiest map for survivors with the highest survival rating of all the maps (followed shortly by NM4, of course).

In general, most maps are very well designed by Valve and offer a challenge for both sides. But a few are just... lacking. Whilst both teams get to play as survivors so things are even, I don't think I'm alone in thinking that a fast, uneventful map where the survivors never really appear to be bothered is any fun for either team. When I'm playing infected and survivors I prefer the longer, tougher maps like NM3.

To improve the balance of these maps I've knocked up ProMap. ProMap is for Versus ONLY. It is a server side mod, so no need for the clients to download a thing, only the server admins.

ProMap:

So, using the excellent Stripper Source mod, by BAILOPAN I have written config files for some maps, adding in scenery and models in specific locations and altering a few weapon spawn locations. I did this for my own server but thought some admins and competitive clans would like to use it on their own servers, so I called it ProMap and I've uploaded all the config files you need (details below).

Here is a list of what ProMap does to improve the maps:

• Blocks Closet Camping (and Exploits): I've done this to block of, as visually and as elegantly as I can, all of the worst closet camping locations. There are no invisible walls and no nasty surprises. They can see, clearly, the location is blocked off and this gives them clear warning to make another choice to camp elsewhere.
• Line of Sight (LOS) Blocks: As an extra bonus, I've also added a few extra items of scenery in the most sparse locations, to allow the infected additional places to spawn and set up ambushes, where before you'd pretty-much be forced to let the survivors pass unscathed. In all cases the items are elegantly chosen and, to be honest, you'll probably not even notice most of them until you're set up behind one and about to attack the survivors in a location you'd never before thought possible.
• Safe Room Weapons alteration: On maps 4 and 5 of each campaign I've changed it so the survivors cannot pick up the autoshotgun or the assault rifle - instead they can choose from the pump shotgun, the uzi or the hunting rifle - In order to upgrade to the autoshotgun or the assault rifle, the survivors must find the spawns in the map
• Removes the invisible walls that prevent hunters from pouncing onto buildings on certain maps

How to Install ProMap on Your Server:

1) First of all, install the Stripper Source modification to your server. You will need to install Metamod as well, but the instructions and links are all there.

Once you have Stripper loaded, it'll do nothing unless you load in config files that tell it what to do. There is a global file that performs actions across all maps but you don't need this if you want to run ProMap.

2) Download this file: ProMap Config Files

3) Extract all of the files inside the .rar archive to the following location on your server:

\left4dead\addons\stripper\maps\

4) Now restart your server and ProMap will run!

If you wish to alter the config files to your own liking you are, of course, free to do so. Please just don't take credit for either Stripper Source or my config files, as both took a lot of work to make!

ProMap Details:

This is a comprehensive list of what ProMap actually does to your maps.

No Mercy Map 2: Subway

Closet Blocks:

• Blocked vent near start
• Blocked re-spawn closet in pillar-room
• Blocked pipe corner in generator room
• Blocked wooden cabinet in generator room

LOS Blocks:

• School Bus added to final road
• Bus added outside of safe room

No Mercy Map 4: Interior

Closet Blocks:

• Under Stairs Ground Floor
• Crescendo Closet & Shiva Stack Bed Corner
• Elevator Vents (allows exit for infected)

No Mercy Map 5: Rooftop

Closet Blocks:

• Under Stairs Outside of safe room

Blood Harvest Map 1: Hilltop

Invisible walls removed!

Blood Harvest Map 3: Bridge

Invisible walls removed!

LOS Blocks

• Added some trees and rocks at final run, outside of safe-room - This part of the map is pointless, in my opinion. Nowhere for infected to spawn at all - once the easy crescendo is done, this region now offers at least 2 points for one last ambush

Blood Harvest 4: Barn

LOS Blocks

• Added several train carts to the bridge at the safe room - it is now possible for infected to make extra ambushes on the bridge

Exploit Blocks

• Blocked the train-cart jump exploit at the end of the map
• Blocked the drop exploit around the back of the final building

Blood Harvest 5: Cornfield

Invisible walls removed!

Death Toll Map 3: Ranch House

Invisible walls removed!

Closet Blocks

• Blocked the shiva stack corner between boxes and the door at the church crescendo

Death Toll Map 4: Small Town

Invisible walls removed!

LOS Blocks

• Several throughout the map in the open street locations - ambush locations are increased dramatically for infected
• A few vehicles added to the crescendo street on both sides, this makes the crescendo a lot more risky for survivors than it currently is (which is relatively tame).

Death Toll Map 5: House Boat

LOS Blocks:

• Added several rocks to the water region at the finale - survivors can still camp there but now the infected have lots of places to spawn from and hunters can use the rocks to initiate pounces from
• Added some vehicles to the road, as the survivors exit the safe room.
• Added two rocks near the witch spawn, for extra ambush potential

Dead Air 1: Greenhouses

Invisible walls removed!

Dead Air 2: Offices

Invisible walls removed!

Exploit Blocks:

• Blocked off the edge of the roof overlooking the alarmed car - it should now be impossible to set the car alarm off unless you're on the ground level

Dead Air 3: Garage

Closet Blocks:

• Blocked off the pipes camp spot
• Blocked off the concrete bags corner spot

Dead Air 5: Runway

Closet Blocks:

• I've only blocked off the small regions underneath the terminal building - survivors can still access the region but they cannot go right underneath the back - they must stay out where they don't have a roof over their heads

LOS Blocks

• Lots everywhere - No longer must the boomer spawn in the wide-open to be shot instantly!

That's it for now. Only the worst offending maps have been changed. I'm open to suggestions if people want more areas blocked or other things improved - if you know of any exploits, please PM me and I'll try to block them off.

Warning: There is a downside to this mod - It increases map load times for the server and client - this depends on the map. Larger maps can add on about 10 seconds or so but with smaller maps it is barely noticeable.

Uninstall Instructions

To remove this mod from your server, simply delete the stripper folder and all its contents from your addons folder. For a complete and clean uninstall, also remove the stripper file in the metamod folder. Now restart your server and the mod is gone.

Version History

1.0 28 June 2009 - Initial release
1.1 29 June 2009 - Added tags to each element so admins can selectively delete the types of Blocker they don't wish to use - Added two exploit blockers to BH4
1.2 30 June 2009 -

• Removed route blockers in NM4, BH2 and BH4 - This also means a lot of "out-of-place" items have now been removed.
• Maps 4 and 5 of all campaigns now start off with only the pump-action shotgun, the uzi and the hunting rifle. Survivors must seek out the weapon spawns in the map to upgrade to the auto-shotgun or the assault rifle. This increases the difficulty of these maps initially, giving the infected an edge at the beginning of the maps
• NM2 vent blocker is a vent grill now, no longer an out-of-place crate.
• BH4 final run, on the bridge, now has three trains blocking LOS (it was previously crates, which looked out of place)
• DT5 added many rocks to block LOS in the water - added more LOS around the map
• Blocked off some of the cheaper locations in DA3 construction site crescendo
• Blocked off LOS to the car exploit on Dead Air 2
• Removed invisible walls on DT4, BH1, BH5, DA1 and DA2 (will do this for more maps if requested)

V1.3 01 July 2009

• Fixed DA5 exploit that allowed survivors to get up on the plane

V1.4 01 July 2009

• Blocked an exploit in NM2 Generator room that allows players to get up and over the crate blocker - Now players simply cannot get up on top of the location at all

V1.5 09 July 2009

• BH3: Fixed first aid cabinet - I'd deleted it accidentally
• DT3: Removed invisible walls
• DT3: Blocked off shiva stack corner between boxes and door in Church crescendo
• DA5: Added more LOS blockers around terminal
• DA5: Fixed the exploit allowing access to the plane (it should work now, honest! )
• DA5: Removed the fire from the pit to prevent the AI tank getting set on fire before players take control
• NM5: Blocked under stairs outside of safe room
• NM2: Fixed error with clipping above crescendo
• NM2: Added blocks at the wooden shelving at the crescendo

V1.55 10 July 2009 [Hotfix]

• DT5: Fixed the blocked off areas under the terminal - any infected auto spawning here can now jump over the barriers using the boxes provided
• BH3: Fixed the config file - all the LOS blockers weren't working due to a typo/missing command

Pictures