how to upload my vpk to steam workshop

Contents

• 1 Install the Authoring Tools
• ii Create an Add-on folder
• 3 Create primary game assets
• 4 Create secondary game assets
  • iv.i Campaign Affiche
  • 4.2 Map Thumbnail Previews
  • 4.3 Creating a sound.enshroud file
• 5 Create metadata files
  • five.ane addoninfo.txt
  • 5.2 addonimage.jpg
  • five.three Mission File
• 6 Examination it out
• seven Packaging and shipping
  • 7.1 Compression
• eight Last testing
• ix See also

There are 6 basic steps to creating your own custom campaign Add-ons for Left iv Dead two:

1. Make an Improver binder and content sub-folders.
2. Create game assets and place them in the proper sub-binder.
3. Create metadata files and place them in the proper sub-binder.
4. Pack the contents of the Add-on binder into a .VPK file.
5. Test the VPK thoroughly and make changes accordingly
6. Create a homepage for the add together-on where it tin can exist downloaded by players.

In order to writer content for Left 4 Dead 2, you will need to install the Left 4 Dead 2 Authoring Tools. This provides you with the applications and utilities y'all will need to create game content. Mainly, you will exist using the Hammer awarding to create levels, and the other utilities to create custom textures and models.

A description of how to create these assets is across the scope of this tutorial, but y'all can detect useful information in the L4D Level Design Basics Tutorial. Because the focus of this article is how to assemble the assets into a campaign Add-on, we will presume that yous take already learned how to successfully create these assets from this point forward.

The Authoring Tools provides an instance Add-on entrada called Dead Line that has source examples.

Create an Addition folder

To brainstorm, navigate to the 'addons' folder of your Left 4 Dead 2 game install location. For most users, this will exist like to:

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead two\left4dead2\addons        

 Note: If yous take a folder with a hyphen, i.east. "add together-ons", make sure it's empty and go ahead and delete information technology. The right binder has no hyphen: "addons".

Note: The 'addons' binder may not exist in your L4D2 Authoring tools install.

Brand a new binder within the 'addons' directory, and give it an appropriate name. This new folder will be the name of the .VPK file you'll ultimately create and distribute, and then information technology's proficient practise to avert spaces and use all lowercase letters. You may also include the game in the title, to differentiate it from add together-ons for other titles, and optionally a version number. Nosotros'll use "deadline" instead of "l4d_deadline" for our instance for the sake of readability.

...\left4dead2\addons\deadline2        

Conceptually, this add-on folder will serve every bit the base "game" folder for your assets, and volition mirror the layout in the shipped .VPK files as we shall see beneath.

Create principal game assets

The assets you create will essentially append those shipped with the game. For a entrada, the primary assets are the .BSP and .NAV files for your map levels.

Make a binder chosen 'maps' inside your improver project binder:

...\left4dead2\addons\deadline2\maps        

Into this maps binder, re-create the .BSP and .NAV files y'all're using for your maps. For this Dead Line tutorial example, there are iii map file bsp.nav pairs:

File	Description
l4d_deadline01	Minimal starting map for co-op, versus
l4d_deadline02	Final map for co-op, versus, survival, scavenge

The advantage of having a single map function for multiple game modes is size reduction, which tin can be worth the boosted authoring complication.

You may also optionally create custom .VTF texture images, custom .VMT material clarification files, and custom .MDL models which your maps can utilize. In social club to keep the size of your add together-on pocket-sized, it's advisable to utilize every bit many textures and models from the game as possible.

Boosted .VMT and .VTF materials (see Creating a Cloth) should go under this folder:

...\left4dead2\addons\deadline2\materials        

.MDL and related model files (run into exporting and compiling a model) should go nether here:

...\left4dead2\addons\deadline2\models        

 Note: Since "The Sacrifice" update, model .vtx files are no longer renamed when packed. For case, packing a .dx90.vtx file no longer renames to simply .vtx. All official files that were .vtx files have reverted back to .dx90.vtx. Campaigns with custom models that were released prior to the update will be invisible in-game. Before the October 2010 update, a campaign would crash if .sw.vtx and .dx80.vtx were included for packing.

And materials for your models should become nether here:

...\left4dead2\addons\deadline2\materials\models        

It should exist noted that L4D2 treats the /deadline2 folder much the aforementioned way equally the /left4dead folder, so any folders you utilize inside the /materials and /models that you employ must also exist present in your entrada'due south folder.

Create secondary game avails

Secondary assets such as poster and thumbnail images are not strictly required, but they tin can give your campaigns an extra level of smoothen. (Besides, the poster/concept art was likely the first matter you lot created, wasn't it?) If you haven't already, go ahead and make a materials folder and a vgui binder inside of it:

...\left4dead2\addons\deadline2\materials\vgui        

Campaign Poster

Within the vgui folder you'll want to place at least two .VTF files, along with .VMTs that reference them:

LoadingScreen_DeadLine2.vtf

This is a poster image that is displayed while your campaign loads. Standard size is 1024 10 1024 pixels with an alpha channel for transparency.

OutroTitle_DeadLine2.vtf

This is a title paradigm that appears behind the end credits/stats. Standard size is 1024 x 256 pixels. Your design should expect good against a blackness background and also allow white text in the foreground to exist readable.

Map Thumbnail Previews

In addition to these two, you'll also want to make thumbnail images for each map in your entrada. These serve to provide a visual reinforcement indication for users while they're selecting map "chapters" in the UI.

To exercise so, create a new folder named 'maps' under the vgui binder:

...\left4dead2\addons\deadline2\materials\vgui\maps        

In this folder, y'all'll want to create a .VTF/.VMT pair for each map you wish to create. They should each be 256 by 128 pixels. If appropriate, yous may use a unmarried thumbnail image to represent multiple .BSP maps, such equally when you have a versus or survival variant of the same level.

.VMT files which are used for interface elements such as posters, thumbnails, etc., (I.e. Those typically found in the materials/vgui folder,) frequently demand to specify an UnlitGeneric fabric. See Deadline vgui .VMT File for an example.

Creating a sound.cache file

If you lot wish to accept custom sounds in your add-on, you need to build an sound enshroud file that the engine uses to load your sounds. Place your sounds in a "sound" folder in your improver directory, then while Left 4 Dead two is running enter the command "snd_buildsoundcachefordirectory <path>" with the path of your sound folder. For case, in the Deadline instance, we would identify sounds in:

..\left4dead2\addons\deadline2\sound        

Then rebuild it with:

snd_buildsoundcachefordirectory "..\left4dead2\addons\deadline2"        

This will generate a sound.cache file in the sound binder that yous should include when edifice your VPK file.

Create metadata files

There are a few more files that you will brand in order to permit your add-on content to role in game.

 Annotation: The addoninfo and addonimage you create will non exist used past the game when you upload your addons to the steam workshop. The addon picture, description and tags volition be taken from the steam workshop release upon subscribing to a modern

 Note: The addoninfo and addonimage are not required for the game to recognize the files. The addoninfo is just required to run across the addon listed in the addon menu and for the addon installer tool to recognize which game it belongs to.

addoninfo.txt

The first is the addoninfo.txt file. This allows your content to be recognized by the game. Information technology should become inside your addition root binder, which was the showtime one we created way back at the summit:

...\left4dead2\addons\deadline2\addoninfo.txt        

This file is used by the game in the Extras->Add-ons screen. It describes your add-on in general and what it provides. The instance Deadline AddonInfo File includes full comments and instructions for using it as a template for your ain improver.

addonimage.jpg

Some other file you tin can create in the root folder is an image named addonimage.jpg. This serves as an icon to help differentiate your addition and is displayed when an addition is selected in the UI along with improver details listed in the addoninfo.txt. Some JPG files may non work, depending on which application they are saved from. If y'all're having trouble getting you JPG to work, try exporting it from VTFEdit.

Mission File

The second required file is the mission file. This describes the structure and content of your campaign and is used by the entrada selection UI, matchmaking, and the game server. This should exist a .TXT file with a unique name in the 'missions' binder, which you will also need to make:

...\left4dead2\addons\deadline2\missions\deadline2.txt        

The instance Deadline Mission File includes full comments and instructions for using it as a template for your ain mission.

 Note: Adding a mission.txt file (or any text file) to the missions binder will flag the VPK as a campaign instead of a content pack. It is unknown whether there are other factors that touch how the VPK is treated. Specific sets of files in the VPK will not eclipse other campaigns. Such content includes, but are not limited to, unique and replacement materials/textures, models, sounds, sound cache, particles, and particles manifest. At the moment, script files (institute in the scripts folder) and resource files are still eclipsed by add-ons regardless of the "type" of VPK it is packed. This causes conflicts with official and other addition campaigns if file names are the aforementioned.

Exam it out

At this signal, your add-on should be fully functional. You should be able to launch the game, go to Extras->Add-ons, and enable your add-on. If you type path into the panel, you should see the root directory of your addition near the bottom. This ways that the game volition search your add-on folder for files that information technology cannot discover in the standard game .VPK files. Play a full game on other computers to bank check for an errors such as crashes and missing assets. You can go on tweaking your content in folder course until you're ready for that magical moment: Release into the wild.

Packaging and shipping

The final remaining step is to package your add-on into a .VPK for distribution.

The .VPK serves every bit a convenient, one file method for others to install your improver folder. They need simply put the .VPK in their own add-on binder. Or, assuming they, like nigh non-authoring players, haven't associated the .VPK extension with something else, they can double click on it and it volition install itself in the right place.

Every .VPK file contains a unique ID that allows the game to ensure everyone is running the aforementioned content. If you've put in meta-data properly, the game will too prompt users to download a newer version if it is required to play.

Navigate to this folder:

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\bin\        

Locate the vpk.exe packaging utility and brand a shortcut to it on your desktop. Elevate your add-on root folder and drop information technology onto the shortcut. The utility should make a new .VPK next to your original folder. By default information technology will not include source files such every bit .VMF, .TGA, .SMD, .QC etc., and it will always strip out executable binaries. Remove the folder version of the add-on (or motility it to a safe location) and then that the .VPK is alone and test it out. The .VPK should function exactly as the improver folder does. If it works, yous're fix to upload it to a location you lot specified in the metadata files and from which it is bachelor.

Ideally, yous'll want an add-on "homepage" that includes ratings, screenshots, and player comments. A simple example tin can be found here.

Compression

Since total Left 4 Expressionless 2 campaigns tin can be very large it is advisable to compress them before uploading to file sharing sites for distribution. The open source Windows utility 7-nil supports compressing files in the 7z format/LZMA algorithm, which provide a very high pinch ratio. The majority of a campaigns size comes from the .bsp map files, which are highly compressible, so a vpk can be reduced to 25% or less of its original size. For case an unofficial version of Death Aboard was packaged up by a fan; the vpk was 267MB uncompressed, 92MB zipped, and 55MB with 7z.

Final testing

At this betoken, you should examination out the download prompt. Start a vestibule with a local server, and invite a friend to join. When they accept, they should be prompted to download the necessary improver, after which a browser window will opened to your addition homepage. They should be able to download and install the add-on without having to restart the game, and and so join your lobby.

See also

• VPK
• VPK File Format
• L4D2 - Entrada Packager Tool

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Source: https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/L4D2_Campaign_Add-on_Tutorial

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