L4D Maps Easy for Survivors? Hate Closet Camping? Try ProMaps!

[Ydiss]

UPDATED! 10 July 2009 - V1.55 NOW AVAILABLE!
UPDATED! 09 July 2009 - V1.5 NOW AVAILABLE!
UPDATED! 01 July 2009 - V1.4 NOW AVAILABLE!
UPDATED! 01 July 2009 - V1.3 NOW AVAILABLE!
UPDATED! 30 June 2009 - V1.2 NOW AVAILABLE!

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

Credits:

Thanks to BAILOPAN for Stripper: Source. This truly has improved L4D for us so much!

Thanks to my mates who helped me test these alterations and to everyone that's given feedback and support so far

[Ydiss]

Screenshots of ProMap.

No Mercy 2:
Vent
Respawn Closet
Pipes Corner
School Bus
Safe Room bus

No Mercy 4:
Stairs
Closet and Shiva Corner
Elevator Shaft Vents (Infected can exit no problem)

Blood Harvest 3:
Tree added to spawn behind
Opposite View
Rocks and additional tree (background)
A third rock to hide behind, other side of path
A fourth rock!
And a fifth, right before the safe room - get one more boom and smoke off!

Death Toll Map 4:
Crescendo - Buses added to make camping this area less safe - before this was empty, making it easy to camp and impossible for infected to attack
Crescendo - Truck add, just another LOS blocker for infected
Crescendo - Box added to force survivors down into the street, rather than camping on top of the ledge
Extra army truck for spawn potential

Death Toll 5:
Added some vehicles to street, better ambush potential
Rocks in the water
Increases ambush potential and also
Makes the region a lot less desirable for survivors

Dead Air 2:
Blocked off roof edge - stops car alarm exploit
View from street level

Dead Air3:
Blocked off pipe exploit at crescendo
Blocked up the corner

Dead Air 5:
Blocked off the corner, added extra LOS blockers
Lots of LOS blockers at the back
Blocked off the corner, added extra LOS blockers
Added many extra LOS blockers to help the infected attack survivors camping the runway
Lots of LOS blockers around the area, to keep the survivors under more pressure no matter where they decide to camp

[Marxismisok]

This....seems...really, really cool. As an internet pleb who doesn't run his own servers, I'd really appreciate a heads up on anyone who plans on running this on their server, seems awesome. Is it totally a server side thing?

[greasy]

Nice job

how about NM1? There is a lot of map there that doesn't get used at all.

[Ydiss]

Originally Posted by Marxismisok

This....seems...really, really cool. As an internet pleb who doesn't run his own servers, I'd really appreciate a heads up on anyone who plans on running this on their server, seems awesome. Is it totally a server side thing?

It's totally 100% server side It's also a very small modification. The config files are 4kb in total (ProMap Comp will be larger).

I imagine not everyone would want to run this on their server, but if you have any friends that own a server let them know and point them in the direction of the thread.

If you have any questions about installing or problems with running the mod, just let me know.

Originally Posted by greasy

Nice job

how about NM1? There is a lot of map there that doesn't get used at all.

I've thought of this a lot. I actually like NM1 exactly how it is and I think the back route is worth keeping as an option because it's nicely balanced - it's useful to use to throw the infected side off balance, it can be used to totally avoid the witch and also the approach to the car is a lot easier too. I could perhaps block off a route that forces the survivors out there and then all the way back but it would be ugly and not very elegant at all.

It would also be difficult to do and still keep the infected spawning locations and fluidity of the map streamlined.

If I get enough requests, however, I'll look into a solution

[elysiumbliss]

wow! that's great. thanks a lot dude. i'm gonna tell my friend right now =D

[Ydiss]

Originally Posted by elysiumbliss

wow! that's great. thanks a lot dude. i'm gonna tell my friend right now =D

Welcome

Screen-shots coming soon, will add them to the second post.

[Deadly_Target]

Wow, very nice.

+rep

[Ydiss]

Added screen shots, so you can see all the map alterations. I should have ProMap Comp finished tomorrow night.

Edit: As an afterthought, it's possible for me to use Stripper: Source to remove the invisible walls on maps like DA2 and DT4 - It's easy enough but I want to know how much demand is out there for such a modification.

If you want me to add in "Invisible wall" filters for any maps, please say so and say which map you wish to have fixed. I will consider adding this to the ProMap Comp versions of the maps only.

[Human Shield]

BRILLIANT! BRILLIANT!

Fixing the maps all server-side. Just need a random variable that can set a random path every play through.

[Ydiss]

Originally Posted by Human Shield

BRILLIANT! BRILLIANT!

Fixing the maps all server-side. Just need a random variable that can set a random path every play through.

This could be coded in using SourceMod, no doubt. The trouble is the maps are designed in such a way that there isn't much room for random routes.

Stripper could probably be used to remove certain models Valve mapped in (every item has a HammerID which I could use to strip out the selected item) but most potential routes are hard-rendered into the map file (most walls).

But I'll look into it once I've released version 1 of ProMap Comp. I'd like to see how much you can do with it and L4D, so I'm going to begin experimenting.

[sheepfltf]

what about the spot at the end of blood harvest 4 where you can run under the houses and around to the bridge?

[Ydiss]

Originally Posted by sheepfltf

what about the spot at the end of blood harvest 4 where you can run under the houses and around to the bridge?

You'll have to show me. Can you PM me a pic or vid, please? I'll get right on to it.

[slumpy]

To be honest, I think you've blocked off some things that didn't really need it (especially in NM4), it's cool you're doing this for the community, but I honestly think it's already too easy to beat the survivors on most of the versus maps. When you block off routes it just waters down the experience, so now survivors will just go the same way every time. Not ever map needs to be balanced to make playing infected easier, all you need to do is devise strategies to discourage survivors from taking shorter routes. In a game that's already really linear, you're just making it even moreso, which FOR ME, at least, would make it sort of boring.

That said, iI do like some of the LoS blocks, the bus outside the saferoom in NM is a really good idea. Blocking off the closet camp corners is also a good idea, the pipes in NM2 are a pain in the ♥♥♥ in versus.

[Lim213]

lots of this is really nice and would be very much appreciated in the official levels.

There's also a good deal of it that just seems like overkill, and pretty heavy handed in favor of SI. Heck some of it doesn't seem to benefit anyone, just hinders the game from progressing if abused by Survivors.

There need to be some wide open areas where the survivors get the benefit of a sprint to the next corner to put their backs against.

Cutting off the routes at the end of NM3, the very end, just heavy handed. It's a difference in distance that a Boomer can vomit across and a Smoker can pull from,.. those routes were more than fine the way they were.

The barn in BH was hammered pretty hard too. Even as an advocate for more SI balance, I gotta say that passing up supplies in favor of skipping a strong ambush point seemed fine to me.

Just my 2 cents.

All in all though still a pretty solid idea, and nice implementation all around. You nailed a good high number of problem areas that needed addressing. I only feel you got a little bit carried away in favor of the SI.