We're very pleased to make two very cool presentations today. Over the past few weeks we've been posting Stefan Hansson's great concept art of the cast. The first character mesh is the urban male, which he's also done for us. It's heading to Gregory Ecklund for rigging, and 3d work on the other characters is heating up. With the release of our characters, we're ready to start looking for voice actors. You can audition here! We also want your help writing the lines. This isn't something often done, and we're excited to see how it pans out. Check out our site and submit your lines for the game!
Our biggest presentation today is the release of our first official video! It's a proof of concept of a technique we call "repathing." By tweaking the map between rounds, we hope to keep players on their toes and make Deadlock more replayable. If you'd like to discuss this system, post to the comments of the video for the quickest response.
As always, thank you for giving us your love, hate, questions, comments, and criticism.
- Ryan Timoney & Andrew Gordon -
(buried)
For one, how are you even going to accomplish this without a real SDK? You cannot make gameplay changes. I don't see the plausability of this mod. Are you going to reverse engineer the assembly for the L4D DLL?
Also, how are you going to represent a changing environment in a linear map? Or if it's not linear, are you going to represent a changing environment that makes sense in a non-linear map? Most of all, are you sure non-linear maps are going to work in a Left 4 Dead sceanario? I see your gameplay system is different, so I'm sure you'll create maps to meet the needs of your gameplay.
Good luck but again, I don't see how your even going to do this unless you find a way to run metamod scripts or something in Left 4 Dead.
Mm. There is a big misconception of what a "L4D mod" means. L4D is a Source game, like HL2. We're "modding" L4D the way you "mod" HL2, via the Source SDK. Deadlock is a Source game, using the Source SDK, with entirely new gameplay and entirely new assets.
Wow, are you serious? My comment got burried? Wow.
Apperantly you don't understand. You can't mod L4D like a HL2 mod. They do not expose a DLL for you to modify. Unless im wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm not on the exposing of the DLL. So don't insult me so fast before you think next time. Source mods use DLL's that you plug into the game that overload the in game methods and functions. So, again my point is, how is this going to be possible?
And again, this is a Source game, using the Source SDK. Instead of turning this thread into a flame war, why don't you email me and we can talk tech. Use ryan[at]deadlockmod.com.
All you have to say to me is that your team is writing custom C++ overloads through the exposed DLL and I'll understand, because that's the only way to mod a source game. Source games are powered by the DLL's provided to the modder that you modify. That's all im looking for.
The reason I was questioning this possibility is because L4D does not expose this unlike other source games.
I think it's quite possible for them to pull it off... I mean the kind sir explains to us how he only needs entities that are already there in Hammer.
As for the linearity: Out of my understanding, the maps are very linear, so that your main goal is to fight from, as he calls it, "combat area" to "combat area", only via a modular way, so that the overall experience would be another but you'd have fixed areas, where you'll always head to (but on a highly randomized way) - so you'll probably have the best of both worlds:
A) Storytelling and the evocation of emotion of a LINEAR gameplay
and
B) The replayability of NON-LINEAR gameplay
unless it's all falsely understood
@deadlock guys: I like what you're doing, which feels basically what Valve should be doing with releasing improved gameplay, new survivors (that obviously have - to some extent - quite their own character) etc.
Thanks very much for making Left4Dead probably a game I'd probably play beyond November 2009,
best of luck,
stefan
Thank you Stefan. As far as I know, what we're doing in Deadlock with these triggers could be done in any Source game that supports them. We know it works in DoD:S, as that's what Andrew was mapping in before we got a Deadlock build.
I do want to point out that Deadlock is not going to have linear maps - they're going to have a more open-world/large arena feel to them, and the gameplay is entirely different from L4D... except that we both have zombies.
Fascinating, I just watched the proof of concept video. Well done, and well presented. Sounds like a great idea.
We also plan on releasing semi-SDKs as well as tutorials so people can replicate our models, maps, etc and modify our game.
The SDK beta is out and total conversion mods are possible.
You mean the authoring tools? The distinct lack of code in there means it's not a SDK.
There is an SDK, but it's scope is limited to editing models, animations, maps, and such. This does not include the original code. We are modifying the original HL2 Source Code, doing our best to replicate and improve upon the L4D game.
Man, the Left4Dead Authoring-Tools (Beta) have been out for 2 weeks
Pretty ambitious. Seems awesome.
Ingenious and yet simple :) That's good mapping!
I'd not recommend doing the dynamic changes in realtime during a round. It will only be confusing and frustrating, I think. Making it change between rounds is brilliant, however.
Neat idea, I've been using a similar but much less complicated technique to prevent players from back tracking in a single player mod, I'm quite interested to see how you guys get this to work in a multiplayer game.
looks brilliant, but what if you decide to backtrack and then all of a sudden a wall or chainlink fence is where you just passed?
it'll feel a little strange wont it? or is the grid so small and the world so big that people are unlikely to notice? or will you use burning trucks and other "believable ways" to block paths (i.e. i can understand a burning truck randomly appearing where I once was... but I cannot understand a brick wall appearing)
Thanks. :) At the moment we're primarily looking at repathing between each round. Deadlock is set up as a round based death match, basically. Once one team is wiped out, the round resets, everyone respawns, and the map will repath. In this way, what you learn about the environment during a round will be meaningful, so you can still move strategically. However, hopefully, there won't emerge an uberstrat that works every time. FPS's today become tactically stale very quickly. Sniper goes here, smoker pulls from here, boomer there, etc. We basically collectively develop the uberstrat and then mindlessly stick to it. It's more like performing a well rehearsed dance routine than anything else. This is what we're trying to overcome - we want to keep people on their toes.
Yeah, as Ryan said, our goal here is to break up the metagaming that happens with overplayed maps, which should make for a much more replayable game.
IF we do go with mid-round repaths, they will be coupled with animations. Examples could be a helicopter crashing or a high-rise exploding, showering debris which clogs an alley. Again though, at this point, we're happy with solely round-based repathing.
I think the round idea is safer, instead of changing while in-game. Interesting, so this will be a PvP style game.
That's a good idea, as L4D was/is much too linear for my liking. Reminds me a little bit of Hellgate London, which doesn't mean bad, in this case.
Being an environmental designer I cannot help thinking that randomly generated maps are the devil.
I hope it works better than Hellgate London.
One of the more promising L4D mods that isn't just a mappack! Good job, seems like you are putting a lot of effort into this.
I find it a wee bit strange that you were running around with an M1 Garand though. :U
Yeah, that deserves an explanation. Because the L4D AI doesn't work so well with the current repathing system (touched on in the movie), I had to shoot all my teammates every time I tested the map out, so they wouldn't get lost and start triggering weird things or zoom through walls to get back to me.
I eventually gave up on them all together and used DoD:S exclusively, just to remove that headache. The next tests we're working on will demonstrate HL2 AI (like combine soldiers) moving through a repath system. These demonstrations will be the subject of a future video.
That and I love DoD:S!
Great work guys. This is one of the next steps in creating dynamic gameplay so it's good to know that some people are thinking ahead and outside the box.
I see Valve are introducing a similar feature in L4D2, which should be interesting too.
Good luck!
Excellent update with a superb video!
I really love the push for diversity since I agree that many games become tactically stale very quick. Dynamic maps, weapon placements, and enemy respawns will help create a truly unique experience. Great job team!
this looks like a really neat concept.
Good luck!
intresting.
sweet. i will be auditioning tonight as soon as everyone goes to sleep in my house so i have a quiet recording area.
This mod, it definitely finds my interest. I definitely will be watching this.
I'm keeping an eye on this. Very interesting!
Where are the lines written, where am i supposed to send the recordings?
Did I get here to late?
:S
btw great video P:
Thanks! Deadlockmod.com and click on the characters.
1st poster seems like a phenomenal idiot.