Suicide Blitz 2 Interview

Steam Addicts talks with campaign’s creator

So many people playing the Left 4 Dead series, but where are all the great custom maps?   R.T. Frisk has finally released Version 1 of Suicide Blitz 2, and in doing so has totally raised the bar.  Today we present a lengthy interview with this talented designer to find out about the creative process that brought these two outstanding offerings to life.  Here’s a snip:

How long have you been designing levels?  Was the original Suicide Blitz your first fully-released map?

I have been designing levels for about 7 years now – 3 if you want to count serious mapping. I started out with Source back in the Half-Life 2 days and literally just fiddled around in Hammer.  I learned everything from the basics of level and game design, to events and I/O.

My very first mapping attempt was actually in Doom 3; but trust me, it was not worth looking at! I did a couple of maps in Battlefield 2, wrote some tutorials for F.E.A.R when it was released, and began work on an overly ambitious Crysis mod that never came to fruition (I still keep promising myself to go back and finish it).  I made some CS:S maps that were never finalized.  Mostly because at the time, I was just doing it for pure fun. I had nothing invested in them other than the time I spent just learning things.

Left 4 Dead was the first time I really decided to buckle down and finish something from start to finish – and do it for more than just kicks.

If the standard Left 4 Dead maps are starting to get a little bit stale for you — or you aspire to make great maps on your own — then this interview is a must read!