Valve fixes L4D2, updates TF2

By Robert Purchese Published 11 December, 2009

Not so much a patch as a bandage.

Valve has put out a patch that addresses a long list of bugs in Left 4 Dead 2, the brilliant co-operative zombie-splatting shooter released earlier this year.

There are changes to hit boxes - the mesh area surrounding a monster that registers hits - and tweaks to the controls of Special Infected. You'll be able to spin the camera when attacked by a Charger or a Smoker, and ghost placement rules have been altered in Scavenge mode.

It's a sum-of-its-parts patch, which is why I've been lazy and pasted the list below.

Team Fortress 2, which is like so 2007, is also getting another update, and this time it's war, literally. Soldiers are fighting Demomen and which ever side kills the most over the next week will get a new gun. The TF2 site's worth visiting for the renowned Valve humour. Honestly.

Left 4 Dead 2 changes:

  • Changed rules for ghost placement in Scavenge Mode
  • Player controlled Special Infected are no longer forced to un-crouch and lock strafe when they crouch attack
  • Spitter spit that damages players on a moving elevator will now fizzle quickly
  • Allow the survivor and infected to rotate the camera yaw while being attacked by a Charger or Smoker
  • Smoker that has dragged a survivor to the end now gets the same cinematic flashlight as the Hunter and Charger
  • Fixed a crash in physics
  • Updated the Charger's hit boxes
  • Updated the Jockey's hit boxes
  • Updated the Spitter's hit boxes
  • Fixed player health on being revived after a Charger slam over a high ledge
  • Fixed versus scores not resetting after a vote to change campaigns
  • Fixed being able to use defibrillator on dead players who were far above or below you
  • Fixed pink glow on dead survivors
  • Fixed being able to hold crouch while incapped to get better weapon accuracy
  • Fixed players pushing against some props causing them to accumulate downward velocity and then take falling damage when they let go of the forward key
  • Fixed a case where an incapped survivor inside a rescue vehicle would trigger both the escape sequence and a round restart
  • Fixed the helping hand from getting stuck when extended
Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • giant_frying_pan #1 2 years ago

    The release notes for the latest L4D 2 update also stated that the 360 version will receive the fixes and all other fixes that the PC version has had so far, before the end of the month.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #2 2 years ago

    Too bad that the biggest problems are all the people who think melee weapons are so cool they have to use them as much as possible, even on expert. They usually don't even get through the first half of the first map.

    Other than that great fun even though there are still a few major technical bugs that need to be fixed.

  • Gartt #3 2 years ago

    Woo, more TF2 yummies!

  • DFawkes #4 2 years ago

    Cheers for that giant_frying_pan, it wasn't really clear in the article, the main clue was the fact it was labelled as XBox 360 News right at the top, but it didn't sound right that it was on 360 first when it has to be certified first.

  • kangarootoo #5 2 years ago

    "Too bad that the biggest problems are all the people who think melee weapons are so cool they have to use them as much as possible, even on expert. They usually don't even get through the first half of the first map."

    That is the biggest problem - bad player weapon choice causing players to die early? No major worries then.

  • Waffleaber #6 2 years ago

    Go soldier!

  • crispyduckman #7 2 years ago

    Is the TF2 patch for 360? But I thought this day would never come...

  • Apostle #8 2 years ago

    "Is the TF2 patch for 360?"

    +1

  • Yossarian #9 2 years ago

    Melee weapons are essential for expert, though.

  • StooMonster #10 2 years ago

    Still does not fix my random crash issue. :'(

    Yet to get all the way through one campaign in either single player or online with friends without the gaming locking up.

  • nuanimal #11 2 years ago

    "Fixed pink glow on dead survivors"

    They're not going to be surviviors anymore though then?

  • bigshot316 #12 2 years ago

    Does it mean the glowing pink outline that you see when using the defib??

    Also, I kinda liked the old 'helping hand being held aloft' glitch. I used to pretend i was summoning ghosts.

  • magicpanda #13 2 years ago

    I got a manky eye. I'm a black, Scottish cyclops

  • FogHeart #14 2 years ago

    "They're not going to be surviviors anymore though then?"

    Ah, but the glow shows up if you are holding shock paddles to bring them back to life...so they may survive yet!


    Very, very happy about acid in elevators. I mean, that's an incap for all four players that they couldn't avoid. Surprised it never showed up in playtesting. Maybe Valve need playtesters who are more twisted and ruthless :)

  • KreyAtiv #15 2 years ago

    Now if only they'll fix the A.I. so they'll actually follow you and not run off ahead.

  • JamboD #16 2 years ago

    "Now if only they'll fix the A.I. so they'll actually follow you and not run off ahead."

    In my experience they won't do anything unless I'm doing it first, they also seem particularly hesitant to leave the safe house at the start of a mission while I'm getting my ass handed to me by the horde...
    Edited by 1 at 11/12/09 @ 15:09

  • snick #17 2 years ago

    Biggest annoyance for me are lobby leaders who appear to be asleep.... being able to vote them out / off lobby leader role would be REALLY handy, huge amount of time I've wasted getting into a lobby... waiting for it to fill up and then nothing.

  • djed #18 2 years ago

    "# Fixed the helping hand from getting stuck when extended"

    Give them a finger...

  • Rack #19 2 years ago

    But not the bug that crashes before the main menu eh? Guess Valve has considered us a lost cause.

  • DAN.E.B #20 2 years ago

    fixed the aim thing when on the ground?
    that was in the first game surely someone should have noticed by now!

  • Lukree #21 2 years ago

    I say that the biggest problem is versus games and rage quitting. It's really rare that you play full campaign when most of the people are quitting when they are incapped. There should be some sort of player rating system which gives you negative feedback if you quit immediately after you have been killed or incapped.

  • abydos #22 2 years ago

    Crashed 3 times yesterday. Not fixed yet.

  • Iain815 #23 2 years ago

    How about they update Half-Life by releasing Episode 3 already!

  • KiLlerKnight #24 2 years ago

    This BS TF2 war is killing the fun of TF2 right now, with every moron choosing demo or soldier. Even less medics now and don't even mention the lack of engies. Almost every game is now one big spam fest.

  • HoriZon #25 2 years ago

    Good to see these fixes and 360 soon!