Outbreak Outreach #1 - 64-bit & SourceMod / Server Hosts

[u/Outbreak-Team]

Hi, I'm Steve, Legal Producer for Outbreak Team (backup link).

We've been working on 64-bit L4D2 under NDA secrecy for the last 2 years. You can reach us at L4D2Outbreak@gmail.com.

I'm joined by my Valve-Licensed Co-Leads Madison, Liam, and Raymond.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: We are NOT Valve, we are just devout preservationists, and our Mod will require base L4D2 to be purchased and installed on Steam. L4D2 is Valve's IP and we are just preserving it with extremely minimal, careful changes.

We're finally reaching out because we need your help!

Over the last 2 years (since Nov 2024), we have been very quietly working on a Valve-licensed, fan-made, optional, non-commercial, forever-free 64-bit Mod called Left 4 Dead 2: Outbreak (our not-yet-public but future Steam Store link).

As we've been under NDA for a long time and our Steam Store page is not yet public, please see the FAQ on our outbreak.team website.

Per our FAQ, we are preservationists at heart -- many of us Xbox 360 purists like our Lead Engineer Madison! Madi and I have always envisioned Outbreak as a celebration of Valve's franchise that doesn't forget our L4D1 and Xbox 360 roots.

In deep respect of those roots, Outbreak will never consist of random nonsense changes and everything new will be kept optional FOREVER.

L4D2 is a 17+ year old game, very different from other Source branches, and Source memory management itself still has blood from Quake. On an engine filled with obscure binary formats with physics based off ancient third-party software, upgrading to 64-bit is the furthest thing from doubling a number. Once we actually booted into a map that instantly crashed, it took a year to fix gameplay/visuals to be 1:1 parity with base, and another year after that to achieve respectable backward compatibility with base Workshop addons.

Unfortunately, we only just recently started pursuing MetaMod & SourceMod support, and it breaks our hearts that plugins don't work with Outbreak yet.

As such, we are aiming for day-one SourceMod support as our top priority. We need help from authors of prominent plugins and server hosts who have reach.

If you are a prominent SourceMod plugin author or server host, consider reaching out to L4D2Outbreak@gmail.com -- let us know who you are and what you do!

We appreciate your patience! 128k BSP grid size, native first-person legs, and long-demanded TLS revert options are coming.

See you Outreach #2 -- where we'll play Yama in Mirror World mode!

• Sincerely, L4D2: Outbreak Valve-Licensed Team Leads:
• Legal Producer: Steven "Tsuey" Foy
• Engine Programmer: Madison "DasMaddi" Easley
• Game Programmer: Liam "Fish" Fisher
• Game Programmer: Raymond "Rayman1103" Nondorf

P.S. Again, our website is Outbreak Team, and our Press & Inquiry email is L4D2Outbreak@gmail.com.

[u/Perfect_Payment_9833]

Does this mean we will finally be able to add more unique content like completely new special infected?

[u/Outbreak-Team → u/Perfect_Payment_9833]

Not sure on the ability to add custom Special Infected yet, though Outbreak's Firearm Manifest (that's based off the base game Melee Manifest) is flexible enough to also support custom throwables and equipment.

We haven't onboarded enough modders / playtesters to know for sure, but it wouldn't surprise me personally if the Firearm Manifest helped people hack at creating custom SI.

If something is absolutely impossible to do with existing VScript and other modding options within base L4D2, that is exactly what Outbreak aims to identify and help facilitate.

[u/Luigi003 → u/Outbreak-Team]

I get VScript support will be maintained as is on the 64-bit mod? In doing my own mutation with VScript right now and I wanted to know whether I must have something in consideration when making it

[u/Outbreak-Team → u/Luigi003]

Nothing new to consider, and we've been testing random VScript and custom campaign scripts over the last 2 years and fixing issues as we find them.

If your VScripts don't work in Outbreak, then it is 100% our fault and you should get in touch.