For people and teams developing mods and games with Valve's Source engine.

Report RSS Alien Swarm SDK is free to all

A new UDK! Valve have launched their new SDK without access restrictions, allowing TC Source mods to become totally free – no purchase necessary.

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Perhaps ironically for a game that started out on the Unreal Engine, Alien Swarm has turned out to be Valve's response to the Unreal Development Kit. It isn't quite as tidy a package as UDK - as a Steam account and 2GB download are required before mods can be played - but it's pretty close, and Steamworks fills in the indie licensing side of the equation. Like UDK however, there is a limited supply of content: Source's standard HL2 materials, models and sounds are not available.

In related news, Swarm documentation has gone up on the Valve Developer Community. Included is a guide to mapping (with the new TileGen as well as in Hammer), and a C++ code overview.

TileGen screenshot

Oh yeah: the game is out too.

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Maxen1416
Maxen1416

FINALLY!!
when they increased the time by 3 hours i was like WTFMFFHS!!

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Dan911
Dan911

dito lol

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(Exchange)
(Exchange)

I Was more like OMGWTFBBQ but yeah it was pretty close.

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hogsy
hogsy

I blew my head off in response...

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Cremat0r
Cremat0r

I smashed my head on the table, but, well, it's out!!!

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YeOldePoop
YeOldePoop

Smigash!

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Henley
Henley

Massive news!

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Herr_Alien
Herr_Alien

Well, developers still don't get the right to redistribute the runtime. You can't say the same about Unity or UDK ...

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MrMattWebb
MrMattWebb

Through some discussion, it seems that current Source mods do not port over to this SDK. Shame. This "SDK" seems a bit gimmicky. We wont be seeing any AS total conversion for a long time.

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Larkuo
Larkuo

true I dought any TCs but I give it 2 or 3 months before the UT04 campaign and maybe few of it's mods are recreated

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SteveUK
SteveUK

Not even true. If it's based off HL2 then you maybe in trouble, but otherwise it might not be a problem.

Stripping out lobbies and matchmaking will be the hardest part. I was hoping they would port over the SDK template to make that a little bit easier and gives a barebones thing to work with.

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MrMattWebb
MrMattWebb

Its a completely different code base from the HL2 code base therefore, even TC's dont transfer over.

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SteveUK
SteveUK

Yes they do. All the default Source stuff is there (CBase* classes), just not all the HL2/HL2DM source files. Most multiplayer TCs should be using the template as a base anyway.

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DuckSauce
DuckSauce

Not every TC starts off a TC though.(Jailbreak is the first to come to mind, it started as a simple hl2mp mod, it did have a "restart" when 0.5 went bad... so maybe...)

Anyway downloading the SDK before even bothering with the game :P

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Varsity Author
Varsity

That is no different to UDK.

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Sgt.JokenJoker
Sgt.JokenJoker

(buried)

is there gonna be a beta?

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211476
211476

Get it on Steam dude, no beta

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Armageddon104
Armageddon104

So we just hit create mod in the alien swarm SDK and we can make a TC of it and sell it? To bad it has to be coop and top down I'm guessing...

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211476
211476

I'm pretty sure that the camera postion can be changed, coop too.

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Blandr3ws
Blandr3ws

yeah lol, that's like saying the orig sdk only allowed fps - it's up to you to change it. and the codes in the old codebase if it's not in the new one

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ytres
ytres

**** yea.

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OnyeNacho
OnyeNacho

WOOOHOOO Source SDK FTW!!!!!

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sbnewsom
sbnewsom

Cool, but not amazing. UDK still gives the developers the ability to sell their product for a low royalty price.

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Varsity Author
Varsity

So does Steamworks.

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Gunship_Mark_II
Gunship_Mark_II

(buried)

Lol map editor like in FPSCreator or GameMaker XD

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MrTambourineMan
MrTambourineMan

It has a vanilla hammer as well...

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Cypher05
Cypher05

Perhaps you should do some research?... You get source code (client, server, missionchooser), SDK (model viewer, hammer, face poser, that "FPSCreator" over the top map editor...) This is far from a FPSCreator or GameMaker. That's just insulting.

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DuckSauce
DuckSauce

My first mod experience with it...
Dl.dropbox.com

MADNESS!

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freredarme
freredarme

Nice, downloading now !

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Kamikazi[Uk]
Kamikazi[Uk]

This game is sweet, not checked out sdk yet but i will be playing with it soon :D.

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xXMaNiAcXx
xXMaNiAcXx

Awesome game, too bad my processor sucks and I get 10fps on it hahaha

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skarai
skarai

It's ok. No fun enemies. Weapons same old, same old.

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infl1ct1on
infl1ct1on

I agree. Couldn't play it more than 10-15 minutes without becoming incredibly bored.

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Analdin
Analdin

I'm waiting for all the good HL2 mods to be ported to Alien Swarm! XD

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Soul_linker
Soul_linker

AWESOME GAME!

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paulojlopes
paulojlopes

That map editor looks incredibly close to the map editor from the Time Splitters games.

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SemVision
SemVision

OMFG Valve is awesome!!!!!!1111!!!111one

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gelal1000
gelal1000

i love this game :D
Ensim jjajajaj the game is very good because the gameplay is friendly fire and kill the bugs when they break into chunks:)

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Noesis_Interactive
Noesis_Interactive

So Sweet!

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casualties1000
casualties1000

How do you create the Alien Swarm maps? Hammer is the regular source hammer.

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Kadersalad
Kadersalad

Who Is up For Making Crap....WOO HOO

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Nikholai-Chan
Nikholai-Chan

Epic game, epic SDK and more epic times to come when the public start releasing content :D

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RickTheStickman
RickTheStickman

SH-
I bought Half-Life 2 because of the SDK a day before it released.
No.
Still an amazing game.

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TheGangstaAlan
TheGangstaAlan

AWESOME GAME

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