Hello zombie busters ! Wether you love or hate this short maps, tell me everything, I can't wait for your feedback !)

(~ 6min read)

Q : ARE THESE SHORT MAPS THE WHOLE ORIGINAL CAMPAIGN MAPS STITCHED TOGETHER INTO ONE BIG MAP?
A : Yes but some parts have been emptied/moved/removed to save on engine resources and to fit into Hammer's mapping grid space.


Q : DO YOU RECOMMEND ANY MODS TO PLAY WITH THESE SHORT MAPS?
A : YES I DO VERY MUCH, while the game presents old but fine enough textures, I still advise the use of mods that enhance the textures, ESPECIALLY water reflective textures like the ones listed in this collection, that adds trees/props reflections BACK to Short Fever waters !!
(The "black doors" bug will not occur as I removed all the "area_portals" from these short maps)
Also, while the navigation meshes were transfered from the original maps, the bots can still behave erratically at times, so to play single player mode on advanced/expert/realism, I highly advise to use a mod that make the bots behave with more hability/precision.


Q : WHY SO MANY SHORTCUTS AND WHY MANY PANIC EVENTS AREAS ARE GONE?
A : It is the point of these maps, for a quick gaming session in the same scenery/ambience we like, but due to engine limitation it had to be done or the map simply wouldn't work.


Q : SO IF THE ENGINE PERMITTED YOU TO COPY EVERYTHING, WOULD YOU HAVE KEPT ALL THE MAPS INTACT?
A : No not really, I still wanted to create short gaming sessions in the sceneries we love, but in some cases I wouldn't mind if there was a bit more areas to explore or events to survive...I wish it could played in versus also, but hey, can't have everything with this old engine...


Q : SO ALL PANIC EVENTS ARE GONE?
A : No, some panic events are unavoidable as they are part of the pacing of the map, but otherwise all circumventable panic events were removed to shorten the maps but also to save massively on engine resource which allowed to compile the maps in the first place.
Conversely, some car alarms/birds were added close to where some panic events took place before removal as an inexpensive way to keep the gameplay as close as possible from the original campaign.


Q : ARE THESE SHORT MAPS COMPATIBLE WITH OTHER MODS?
A : Yes any mod should work with these short maps as they don't include any custom scripts, textures or props.
HOWEVER due to engine limits, versus/survival/scavenge modes can't be played as most infected ladders/scenery/entities/brushes was removed.


Q : HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PLAY THESE MAPS?
A : About 10 to 20 minutes rushing on easy mode and around a thousand zombies to kill, which is equivalent to playing "The sacrifice", "Crash Course", "The Passing" or even "The Last Stand".


Q : HOW HARD IS IT TO BEAT THESE SHORT MAPS?
A : It depends on which short map is played but the overall difficulty has been increased (less meds/ammo) to spice things up a bit! (I might update it if deemed too hard).


Q : HAVE YOU CHANGED THE LOOKS/FEELS WE LIKE FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMPAIGNS?
A : The original map visual fidelity has been kept as intact as possible however some of the biggest changes are :

• 1-> Some spray/trash/smoke/blood/bodies added in a few places especially in the new areas created to build/decorate the shortcuts.
  
• 2-> The maps overall lighting changed a bit except the "map section" which the light settings are borrowed from (e.g. c1m3 for Short Center).
  
• 3-> Due to engine limits numerous props have been more or less "seemlessly" removed or made "non-solid" as well as all the "breaking walls" from many areas of all campaigns.
  
• 4-> Realigned/removed some map sections (specially around Whispering Oaks entrance and the Tunnel of Love) to fit into Hammer's limited grid.
  
• 5-> Adjusted some fog colors and draw distances to better fit the overall visuals of the "new" sceneries (might impact the FPS a little on older hardware).
  
• 6-> The 3d skybox is a bit wonky/missing sometimes (might eventually be patched if deemed really necessary).
  
• 7-> The population of common zombies was modified especially on the L4D1 maps because of reasons ;)
  
• 8-> I took some liberties into fixing some visual bugs present in original maps like gaps in walls, bad shadows or hovering/penetrating props.
  
• 9-> Finally I replaced/moved some directionnal lights and metal curtains to better fit the new pacing of the maps.

Q : ARE THESE MAPS IN THEIR FINAL FORM?
A : Almost but they still can be subject to change and ajusted if a game breaking bug was encountered for example.
The fact that you might be able to jump over some walls, fences or props like buses isn't a bug, it is due to some "clips" (invisible walls) being removed to gain in engine resources,
so if you try hard enough (like exploiting Z-hop or G.L. boost) you might fall under the map in some rare places..


Q : WILL THERE BE MORE OF THOSE SHORT MAPS?
A : Maybe Short Mercy but some maps can't be aligned together and requires much more work and shrewdness, so it will take a loooong time to make if ever...
Also Short Parish but it is too big and would require to become a two maps campaign, except if I cut like almost a full map..we'll see..
Also maybe a short version of Dead Series Season 6 might come some day, but don't hold your breath for it....
Finally, maybe some community maps if their author agrees, I'll have to ask, but I'd like to shorten maps like Death Aboard e.g...


Q : CAN I DECOMPILE THESE SHORT MAPS AND TRY TO MAKE THEM PLAYABLE IN VERSUS, SURVIVAL, SCAVENGE OR ANYTHING ELSE?
A : Sure if you can manage to make it playable somehow be my guest, just don't forget to credit me (Zombuster's Short Series)


Q : WHICH OF THESE SHORT MAPS DO YOU PREFER? DO YOU LIKE ONE IN PARTICULAR?
A : While I "made" those maps, I don't like them all equally, some work better than others pacing and gameplay wise, so Short Fever is one of my favorite in that regard.


Q : WHAT MADE YOU THINK OF CREATING THESE SHORT MAPS?
A : "Shikiyama" made a picture of the Dark Darnival campaign overview found on Reddit, it got me curious if it could fit in Hammer's grid and BOOM...couldn't stop mapping the rest ;)


Q : HOW HARD WAS IT TO MAKE THESE MAPS? DID IT TAKE LONG?
A : While I "simply" did some copy/pasta at first, the hardest part was to optimised the maps to the limits of what the Source engine can handle all while ensuring visual parity with the original campaigns.
It took a lot of testing that isn't too complex but time-consuming for a one man job, additioned to my rusty mapping skills and many, many, MANY Hammer crashes, I'd say about a couple of month for each maps...


Q : IS THERE ANY EASTER EGGS?
A : I hate easter eggs !haha! NOPE, but the three L4D2 finales all contain a tiny surprise ;)


Q : WHY MAKE THESE MAPS INSTEAD OF DEAD SERIES, AND WHY V6 TAKES SO LONG?
A : I am working on both projects and these short maps are a way to take a break from DSV6, like some kind of breather...
Additionally I slowed down mapping for years until the C19 pandemic hit and also "The Last Stand" update made me want to "map" consistently again, so I'm a bit rusty...but motivated !)
Furthermore, HAMMER++ could be not too far coming, and could potentially make Dead Series V6 A LOT better..


Finally I'd like to thank "Funreal","Nescius" + other members of the "Dead4mods" Discord for providing some help.
I hope some questions you might have had was answered here, don't hesitate to ask if you have more, thanks to those who read everything to the end <3 Enjoy !