WSGF Source Engine Multi-Monitor HUD Editor: How-To Part 1

If you intend to play the game outside of the 4 most common aspects (such as a Bezel Compensated resolution in Eyefinity or Surround) then you will need to create your own custom mod.

Tools

• GCFScape
• WSGF HUD Editor
• L4D2 Authoring Tools downloadable via Steam (under Library > Tools > Left4Dead2 Authoring Tools)

Extracting Config Files

The config files that we need to edit for our custom mod need to be extracted from the pak01_dir.vpk container file located in "Steam\SteamApps\common\left 4 dead 2\left4dead2\pak01_dir.vpk" using GCFScape.

The files that need extracting and then editing are:

Located in "root/scripts/"

1. hudlayout.res

Located in "root/resource/ui/"

1. basechat.res
2. scoreboard.res

Edit Config Files

Now we have our config files we need to edit them using the WSGF HUD Editor online tool to help automate this process. With the online tool enter in your custom monitor configuration including any bezel compensation you have applied. Browse for the extracted .res files and upload them to the tool one at a time. Upon each upload, you will be presented with a drop down menu and a form. From the drop down menu select the profile for the game and file you uploaded.

This will automatically populate the form ready for you to submit for editing. Once submitted you are able to download the edited .res file.

WSGF Source Engine Multi-Monitor HUD Editor: How-To Part 2

Prepare .vpk Mod

Here we need to prepare our custom mod, to do so we must first create a folder in which to put our freshly edited files into. This folder will also be the name of the mod once packed.

The files and folder structure should look like this:

wsgf-l4d2_hud-5760x1080
|-resource
| `ui
| |-basechat.res
| `-scoreboard.res
|-scripts
| `-hudlayout.res
|-addonimage.jpg
|-addonimage.vtf
`-addoninfo.txt

addonimage.jpg and addonimage.vtf are optional icons for the in-game menu. The image is 128px x 128px in size. To create a .vtf image file, you need to import your image into VTFEdit and save as a .vtf file

Contents of addoninfo.txt
The addoninfo.txt file is a metadata file that is required by all Source Engine Add-ons.


"AddonInfo"
{
addonSteamAppID 550
// 550 is the app ID for Left 4 Dead


addontitle "WSGF Multi-Mon HUD"
// Add-on title that shows up in Add-ons list. ~20 chars max


addonversion 1.01
// Version number of add-on version of the form .


addontagline "WSGF - L4D2 3072x768 Eyefinity & Surround HUD"
// Add-on tagline or wrap-up- a short description. ~100 chars max


addonauthor "Delphium + GeneralAdmission"
// Name/alias of the author


addonSteamGroupName "Widescreen Gaming Forum"
// (Optional) Steam group related to the add-on. We use this to construct a URL to the group page.


addonContent_Campaign 0
// This addon provides multiple connected maps with a finale


addonURL0 "http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=17516"
// An html home page for the add-on that includes a download link.


addonDescription "Centered L4D2 HUD for 3072x768 Eyefinity/Surround users - from the Widescreen Gaming Forum (WSGF) community.
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com"
// Description that appears in the Add-on list screen.


}

Create .vpk Mod

With the edited .res files and addoninfo.txt placed in the file/folder structure as described above, we can now pack our files into a .vpk mod.

Locate vpk.exe which is part of the L4D2 Authoring Tools and is situated in "steam\steamapps\common\left 4 dead 2\bin\vpk.exe" then create a shortcut to this file on your desktop.

To pack the mod simply drag and drop the mod folder (in the example above the folder to drag and drop is "wsgf-l4d2_hud-5760x1080") onto the vpk.exe shortcut on the desktop. This will pack the mod for you and save the wsgf-l4d2_hud-5760x1080.vpk file onto the desktop.

Your Mod is now ready to use. To install the mod:

1. Copy the .vpk file to your addons folder located in "Steam\SteamApps\common\left 4 dead 2\left4dead2\addons".
2. Launch L4D2 and enable the mod through the in game menu under Extras > Addons.