Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

[Jul 16, 2009, 8:44 pm ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

Steam News announces the release of a new patch for Left 4 Dead that adds a Lobby Browser to the zombie shooter. Here's part of the update that explains:

Left 4 Dead has been updated to include a lobby browser. The lobby browser (under Play Online) will show you a list of optimal games available for you to join. The browser pares down the thousands of lobbies and games currently being played to show you the best list of games available to you. This list includes official and add-on campaigns, including add-on campaigns you have not yet installed, making it a great way to discover them. You can filter by difficulty, official and/or add-on campaigns and by lobbies and/or games in progress.

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27 Replies. 2 pages. Viewing page 1.
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27.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 18, 2009, 05:23

While I agree with you, it's simply not realistic, and definitely not what happens in Versus matches. Yeah OK, I totally forgot about Versus. Though I stand by it as far as campaign and survival is concerned.

26.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 18:54

The PC Warrior

I think perhaps the retail sales will be up but for sure there will be fewer L4D2 PC dedicated servers on the scene. There is literally no point in running one unless you want to let everyone use it or restrict it 24/7. There needs to be some middle ground, people have been begging for this functionality on the HLDS mailing lists and Valve has been ignoring it for months. There is no excuse, every other Source engine game has this incredibly basic multiplayer functionality.

25.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 14:40

Krovven

you want 4 people all starting and finishing at the same time While I agree with you, it's simply not realistic, and definitely not what happens in Versus matches. Quick Match in Versus fills the gap for a server browser well enough, but a lot of people would like to choose their server, rather than having it chosen for them. And it's hit & miss using the Browser as not all servers enable connections from the Server Browser. I don't have a problem with how it's done currently...I'd just to see the other methods implemented as options too. no you still can't force a lobby to a particular server (say, the one you rented) and yes it is bloody stupid. Yep, been saying this myself since the first week of release...maybe one day.

24.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 14:32

FWIW, this works basically in the opposite direction to before - instead of inputting the settings you want and having it find a suitable lobby for you, now when you hit the campaign button you now just get a list of lobbies and you select one that has the settings you want (or you can create a lobby, which is the same as before). TBFH, I don't know why anyone would want a server browser for this game. IMHO, server browsers are great where you have big games that roll on and on and it doesn't really matter if people join/leave mid game - the server itself generates a reputation and a culture which is more significant than individual players. L4D however is all about the individual team mates, you want 4 people all starting and finishing at the same time, and the server itself doesn't matter as long as it performs. The lobby system works great for this. The previous L4D lobby was a completely pull system, you told it what you wanted and it chose the lobby for you. This makes it very quick & easy when you have a limited number of variables to choose from and a big enough population that you can usually get whatever you want. Throw in custom content and a dwindling population and it's a lot harder to do that, hence the new approach being a push system that turns it around - now it tells you what you can have and makes you do the choosing. At first look this update addresses that pretty well. IMHO it's a very smart move, though it should have been timed with the SDK release. As Verno says though, no you still can't force a lobby to a particular server (say, the one you rented) and yes it is bloody stupid.

23.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 12:37

Verno

All I ever wanted from Left 4 Dead was a simple way to connect the current lobby to a server of my choice and it's absolutely crazy that they have not yet implemented this in a Source engine based game.




Playing: Faster Than Light, Tales of Graces F, Fire Emblem 3DS Watching: Ghost in the Shell, Hannibal, Oblivion

22.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 12:03

Krovven

The thing with the Server Browser is that the server has to add a cvar to the cfg file to allow Browser joining. If they do not do this, you cannot join that server via the browser, hence why it appears "broken" when it is not. Zoid Kirsch posted on the mailing list the other day that the Search Key should be fixed now. And yes it was broken. I like the implementation of this Lobby Browser. It's obviously not what people were expecting, but Valve generally seems to do things differently from what people expect. So I'm guessing the Matchmaking will function similarly to this Lobby Browser, which should work well.

21.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 10:37

Verno

Verno?? Weren't you gabbing about how L4D would die within weeks of release because it sucked?? What are you doing here? Oh, how time's have changed.

No? I didn't even buy L4D until well after it's release. I think you're thinking of someone else there chap. I said I think L4D2 will suck as a game but that it will most likely do well financially due to the console market.

I usually play the game with friends only lobbies, but whenever I've used the browser, it has worked.

Valve broke it 5 updates ago and fixed it last patch, I just checked on the steampowered forums.

This comment was edited on Jul 17, 2009, 10:38.




Playing: Faster Than Light, Tales of Graces F, Fire Emblem 3DS Watching: Ghost in the Shell, Hannibal, Oblivion

20.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 10:18

spindoctor

Can you actually join games via it?

Yep I can join games with it just fine. I usually play the game with friends only lobbies, but whenever I've used the browser, it has worked.




Some of the most miserable and unhappy gamers on the planet are at Bluesnews

19.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 09:29

MrBone

Verno?? Weren't you gabbing about how L4D would die within weeks of release because it sucked?? What are you doing here? Oh, how time's have changed.

18.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 08:31

Verno

You obviously are not a 'huge computer nerd'. This game command has been out since like 2 days after the game came out

It rarely ever worked and when it did, it would find only the servers that actually listed themselves. Joining games from the server browser usually never worked either. Sounds like most of you never actually used it and assumed it works. Maybe they fixed it in the last patch, I have no idea but it was broken for the better part of the past 5+ months.




Playing: Faster Than Light, Tales of Graces F, Fire Emblem 3DS Watching: Ghost in the Shell, Hannibal, Oblivion

17.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 07:38

necrosis

loomy- You obviously are not a 'huge computer nerd'. This game command has been out since like 2 days after the game came out. Same with the command to skip the videos [-novid IIRC] (that also works in ALL valve games).

16.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 06:30

The PC Warrior

Yes, it does. See for yourself - http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9670/browserm.jpg Can you actually join games via it? The server browser here in NA was completely broken in one of the older patches, so it never found any games and the few that it did find you couldn't join because of some server variable they defaulted to on that required a lobby connection.

15.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 05:58

Dev

Ah, I wonder if this was the content patch they were saying was coming for L4D 1? Oh wait they have at least one more content patch, the 4 vs 4 matchmaker fix. (and yes, valve used the word "content" when talking about matchmaking fixes)

14.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 01:26

Prez

About freakin' time. Thanks Valve!




Prez on Soundclick http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=604888

13.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 17, 2009, 00:04

Fion

It's a step in the right direction. Hopefully with L4D2 they'll include a server browser as the primary form of 'match making' as all the fans have been clamoring for since L4D came out. The browser doesn't auto-download maps for you, but a game with a custom map does include a direct link to download it (and it's as easy as double clicking once you download it.) This comment was edited on Jul 17, 2009, 00:08.

12.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 16, 2009, 23:44

loomy

> You can actually add the old server browser to the menu easily. how the fuck is anyone supposed to know that Im a huge nerd and I didnt even know that 0.00000000000000001% of the world knows what you just said, it might as well not exist as far as the human race is concerned

11.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 16, 2009, 22:36

Beelzebud

You can actually add the old server browser to the menu easily. Right click on the L4D link in Steam and choose properties. Go to Set Launch Options and add this: -serverbrowser Now when you start up L4D you will have a Server Browser option in the menu.

10.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 16, 2009, 22:17

spindoctor

not having instant EASY access to it is a pain in the ass.

This I can agree with. Why they didn't expose the server browser in the first place is beyond me. However, equating it to the game not having a functional server browser at all is completely idiotic.

There are a couple of ways to access it -

If you look at the screenshot I posted below, the server browser shows up as a normal menu option. To get this, you need to add "-serverbrowser" parameter to the l4d shortcut in steam (without the quotes). To do this, right click on l4d in the steam client, choose Properties, then Set Launch Options and type in -serverbrowser. The next time you start the game, it will be there in the menu.

If you want to use the console command, launch the game, bring down the developer console (which can be enabled in the options) and type "openserverbrowser", again, without the quotes. You could also type something like "bind p openserverbrowser" and it would open it everytime you pressed p (or the key of your choice).

This comment was edited on Jul 16, 2009, 22:18.




Some of the most miserable and unhappy gamers on the planet are at Bluesnews

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 16, 2009, 22:09

The Half Elf

what is the command anyway? But I have to agree, not having instant EASY access to it is a pain in the ass.

Re: Left 4 Dead Lobby Browser

Jul 16, 2009, 22:08

fujiJuice

Having to type a command in the console to get the Server Browser is hardly a way to provide it properly. Also the new lobby browser, either I don't get it, or it sucks big time and they didn't really do anything. This comment was edited on Jul 16, 2009, 22:09.

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