As part of Valve’s continuing efforts to port their back catalogue over to the open source operating system Linux, escaping the clutches of Microsoft, the developer today released the beta version of Left 4 Dead 2 Linux.
Valve have also started hosting four new community-made campaigns.
If you’re running Linux, installing Left 4 Dead 2 is a painless process – all you need is a paid for copy of Left 4 Dead 2: simply restart Steam and you should see the install option in your library.
According to Valve, “the Beta build not only allows Linux owners to play the game natively, it is also the testing ground for our new Extended Mutation System.” They don’t detail exactly how the system has been /will be extended so expect to see more coming from that little nugget in the future.
As well as the game, Valve have also released ”the Left 4 Dead 2 Beta Authoring tools and Left 4 Dead 2 Beta Dedicated Server”.
There are also a few bug fixes from the last beta build (if you were already in on that private party):
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Server operators can now specify whether or not custom content is allowed when playing on their servers. This can be set on a per game mode basis – see cfg/addonconfig.cfg for details.
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Fixed main menu not refreshing after workshop add-ons have been loaded. Custom UI skins should display correctly now.
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Reworked add-on management to improve stability and properly support custom mutations
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Prevent an intermittent crash when browsing the add-ons screen
The four community campaigns that Valve are adding to the official servers are Diescraper Redux, Urban Flight, Back to School, City 17. Click those links to go to their pages in the Steam Workshop.