Dead Inc: Map in the Making






Dead Inc. is a map that I personally am making on L4D2 Authoring Tools. The map itself is actually based off of most valve maps in the Counter Strike game (mostly the map Assault). The theme is industrial and as of now, the first map is being fledged out. 

However L4D2 Authoring Tools is very glitchy and cryptic. Already the map is experiencing some problems that need solving and this page will help me reference my problems to people who might have a solution. So here is the list of problems along with some screenshots to help better describe it. 

1. Witch Navigation
Although my first level is not planned on having witches or tanks, my custom mods spawn witches for gameplay values. But I know I'll have this issue when using witches later on. Everyone knows if you block your path from a witch in-game like in the saferoom, she'll scream and run away. This kind of thing happens just from walking or running across the map. It has something to do with the navigation yes, but I don't see why she flees every time I step in a different place. Its obvious that infected can reach me and the navigations are set okay so why is she doing this? I dunno. 

Theory: My guess is the witch instantly flees when the player crosses an area or crack where there is no navigation covering it despite the fact that the squares (though apart) are connected and reachable.

2. Blackness
One of the most annoying and teeth pulling issues I'm having. This is caused by either bright lighting placement or simply the environment. I have props that just come out as silhouettes of black. You can only see it with the flashlight. You'll have this very bright area and right there is just a black prop or brush. Its annoying and its not normal.
Black boxes in the middle of the road.
Props near a flashing bright light.

4. 3-D Background Skybox Missing
So I added a smaller skybox to help me portray city building in the background. But just recently it just stopped working. No reason at all. One minute it worked and after adding some new blocks to it, it just doesn't work. I don't know why. Easy to say.

5. Some Props Work, Some Don't
Pretty damn simple. I use a prop in my original map and it vanishes. Turns out its physics are not supported in static. I change it dynamic and it does work. Problem is, I can't touch it. There are no physics but the prop still is visible. I change the prop to physics but like static, it vanishes. Then I start a new survival map. I use that same prop on prop_static and it works just fine. Why!? No clue. Maybe because I have one prop that was just placed without angling it and the other was turned slightly to match realistic map environment. 

6. Env_Steam
It doesn't appear. 

Favor: How do you use env_steam?

7. Solution to Overlays
I get so sick and tired and disgusted by overlays. I plant one down, I tamper with the surface and it doesn't work whatsoever. So I started to use blocks with the intended overlay and even then, they disappear. It shows well in authoring tools, but not when tested. 

Theory: Could be VIS. Who knows.
 9. Navigation Marks
When making my first map, I also saw how mark (insert marking here) changed the colors of your navigation squares and labeled them. When I try to do this, it doesn't do anything. No clue why either.

Theory: I'm not entering a code that activates this or I'm haven't executed all of the required settings on the map.

8. Transparent Foot Lockers
As found in the waterfront in The Passing campaign, you come across the infamous item chests. I attempted to make one with this tutorial.  It worked but a problem arose. Wen you open the locker, the physics vanished. You can literally just walk through them. I skimmed over some steps again because you couldn't (and I mean couldn't) apply them to the locker. They were just imaginable properties the tutorial made up (or so I would think). 

Theory: I just didn't apply something to the locker that the tutorial spat out.

9. Displacements are a Bitch
One thing I don't like working with are displacements. I have mostly solid blocks in my map. I have however one displacement that sinks into the road below and the shadows are bulging out on its sides. One solution could be to make every other solid a displacement. I tried that. The textures ended up colliding with each other. It was a mess. I didn't want to touch up or adjust such a horrible issue.

10. Weapons
What the fffffuuuu-! During game testing, I placed items down on the map that glitched out. The baseball bat I made on the map disappeared during my first mapping. Then later on, it spawned. Hooray for me. Oh and there were four baseball bats in the one item prop. I wanted one. The count is set to one so why four!? I also placed pistols (two specifically). They didn't appear either at first and now they do. But one of them has a mind of its own. Originally set to item_spawn_pistol but this one was a god damn magnum! Its not set to item_spawn_pistol_magnum. Oh, and they too are set to count one, but spawn infinitely (or when you take one and take the other the originally picked up pistol disappears traditionally).



And now for some questions on how to execute certain ideas. Feel free to answer.
1) How do you make an item highlight (example: saferoom doors, buttons, etc)?
2) How do you execute a panic even that requires one button to activate another button that activates the event?
3) How do you make a panic event that moves an object blocking the path (example: The generator room event)?
4) Is there a way to extract models or entities (like in Counter Strike or Half Life 2) and place them in Left 4 Dead 2 Authoring Tools?
Thats about it.
Help. 
:c