better singleplayer

Overview

bots now can pickup Molotovs and PipeBombs, give them to player, start Crescendo and Finale events without player, and if player has died he can take over a living bot or just be a spectator until bots save him from a closet

about

that guide explains how to make bots smarter and more useful in the game. that guide & required files make the following changes:

• bots will pickup Molotovs and PipeBombs, store them and give to player if he has no bomb in inventory
• bots will change their bomb to player’s one (like if you have a Molotov and Louis have a PipeBomb, you both can barter and you will get a PipeBomb)
• player, when dead, will be able to take over one of the living bot or wait until bots get him out of closet
• bots will be able to start and Crescendo and Finale events without player and continue the mission when he died)
• bots will close the Safe Room/House door
• bots will prioritize healing player instead of healing themselves
• bots will heal themselves only in critical state or when there is a spare healing item nearby
• bots have better tactics against horde (as far as possible in this limited game)

how it all works

for that stuff be real, we are using a Sourcemod[www.sourcemod.net] and Metamod[www.sourcemm.net] server frameworks. they allow you to create your own server for any source-based game and enhance it with various plugins. have you ever seen those crazy servers with RPG elements, custom infected, new weapons, various messages in chat, etc? that is what Sourcemod + Metamod is for

in that guide you will download and install a Sourcemod + Metamod framework into your game, and use a specific set of plugins that will enhance the bots and make them more viable for singleplayer

what I have done is have saved you from a headache to actually installing and configuring everything. you will download a single archive that already has all necessary files and unpack it into your game, change few files, and will be ready to play with bots in a better singleplayer. no need to have any prior admin/tech knowledge, everything is done for you

download

download that archive – [link]

the content of that archive has no malicious files, trojans or viruses;
a VirusTotal report[www.virustotal.com]

after downloading, unpack its content into the folder

if you cannot unpack the archive, then download and install the latest 7-Zip[www.7-zip.org] by Igor Pavlov

the content of that pack is:

• framework:
  • sourcemod 1.10.0-git6474[sm.alliedmods.net]
  • metamod 1.11.0-git1128[www.sourcemm.net]
• plugins:
  • l4d1_bot_mod_test_0-5-0a, by Omixsat
    improves bots’ AI
  • l4d_survivorai_triggerfix[forums.alliedmods.net], by AtomicStryker[forums.alliedmods.net]
    allows bot to travel through all maps and activate all map-based events (Crescendos, Finale, closing Safe Rooms doors, etc)
  • l4d_gear_transfer[forums.alliedmods.net], by Silvers[forums.alliedmods.net]
    allows bot to grab bombs and give them to player, as well bartering them
  • takeover[forums.alliedmods.net], by muukis[forums.alliedmods.net]
    allows player to take control of a bot if he has died in a singleplayer

all those plugins, translations files, configs, datafile, etc were optimized and packed together to ensure everything is working right for your needs

if you are really uncomfortable to download a pack from some random person in Internet and would like to do everything yourself, then check that great video by https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6CeioSDt_73QlB8GgOH0Q that explains in good details how can you install all this

after download

step 1
open your Steam library, find Left 4 Dead game, add the next launch option

if you have no idea what a “launch option” is, then check that instruction by Steam support

that is needed to ensure that game will allow you to safely use any custom of server frameworks

step 2
open SteamRep[steamrep.com] and find your profile. check for steamID32 code and copy it. it should look something like this STEAM_0:0:503401337 (that is my steamID32 code)

step 3

in the very end of the file add your steamID32 and add “99:z” after it. mind the quotes! see image below to see how it should look

it will give you an admin privileges on the server and allow to use any custom commands

step 4
that’s all! just play a new, better, singleplayer and enjoy

use “melee button” to trade bombs with bots (or other players)

few screenshots to illustrate that it works:

hints and misc

yes, achievements work, all of them, no limitation

no, you will not get a VAC ban, singleplayer is not bannable at all

• sorry, but bots cannot complete 4d_vs_airport03_garage map (they do not shot a gas can to start Crescendo), and l4d_garage02_lots (do not start a generator and then restart it when it turn off)
• yes, you can connect to local and dedicated servers with no issues
• yes, if you create a listen server and your friend has connected to you, then he will play with those changes too
• no, you cannot connect to official VAC-protected servers with those files, delete them first

how to uninstall

delete the following folders:

remove the launch option

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if you want to thank me…

…then check my guide about fixing various game issues: launching, crashing, optimization, stuttering, gamepads, etc. the guide is huge, but the topic is broad to begin with
[link]