Left 4 dead installation fails. Technical problems. Files, drivers and libraries

A small FAQ for those who have problems
with a licensed version of the game

Basic problem solving.
The game may not start for several reasons:
- the computer does not fit system requirements
- you need to update the driver for the video card
- you need to update the driver for the sound card
- update DirectX and install additional software that ships with the game (vscredit, Microsoft NET Framework, oalinst)
- there is a conflict with video-audio codecs in the system, remove the codec pack
- ... or vice versa install the codec pack
- the game may not understand Cyrillic - install the game in a directory that does not contain Russian characters in the names
- you may need to install the game in the default directory
- there is a conflict with something., so sometimes changing the launch of the game helps: enter the properties of the executable that launches the game, then go to the "compatibility" tab and set the launch in compatibility mode with ... (experiment)
- ... in the same place, try checking the boxes in the Parameters field (use 256 colors, use resolution 640x480, etc.)
- check the system for viruses, this should be done only in safe mode (when you turn on the computer, press F8 and select safe mode)
- clean the system of garbage - temporary files and unnecessary registry keys, this should be done only after turning on the computer, if the computer has already worked, then reboot before cleaning. To do this, use optimizer programs, such as CCleaner.
- check hard drives for errors (local disk properties - service - check for errors - automatically fix errors)
- defragment the hard disk (local disk properties - service - defragment) or better use third-party software.
- it will not be superfluous to change the directory for environment variables:
system properties - advanced - Environment variables - environment variables for the user - edit:
variable name TEMP - variable value - %SystemRoot%\TEMP
variable name TMP - value is also %SystemRoot%\TEMP

If all else fails, try one way:
1. disconnect the computer from the network
2. Open the cover and disconnect all components (memory, video card, TV tuner, sound card, etc.)
3. Carefully but gently vacuum the inside of the computer
4. put everything back

Here are some solutions to problems with Left 4 Dead 2:
1) Check the integrity of the cache.
Games-L4D2, RMB-Properties-Local files - Check the integrity of the cache
2) problems with friezes in multi-core rendering.
Option 1: enable borderless windowed mode in the video settings. The game will look the same as in fullscreen, but there are no friezes.
Option 2: Geforce owners on the steam forums are offered to try different driver versions: 181.68, 182.06, 185.66, 195.39 beta.
3) delete the autoexec.360 file in the Left4Dead 2/left4dead2/cfg/ directory and set the computer date to November 29
4) Try to drive in the launch options -lv (right-click on L4D 2 in the steam properties there, set the launch options there "-lv" without quotes). It will cut off the dismemberment, but you will most likely be able to play.
5) Sound problem:
Enter snd_rebuildaudiocache into the console - it will load (may take several minutes) When the bar reaches the end, open the console again and type quit to exit.
The next time you start it, everything should be fine.
6) When resetting the voice acting, do not download the update, but start from the disk
7) Install all Windows Updates
8) Check the system for viruses, most problems are due to them.

Q: Installed the game, but it does not start, the error signature refers to the shaderapidx9.dll file.
A: You need to disable the service "Windows Management Instrumentation"
For this:
Go to: Start > Run (win+R)
Enter: services.msc , then press ENTER.
In the Services window, find the Windows Management Instrumentation service, select properties, set: startup type to "Disabled". Click OK, agree with everything and reboot.

Q: I entered the key, and he writes "This product code cannot be activated in your region."
Q: A few days ago I successfully installed the game. Played for a while, but one day when I try to start, the following message pops up:
"This game has been activated with a product code that is only valid for a specific geographic region. Because you are located in a different region, you will not be able to play Left 4 Dead 2."
A: Your ISP uses a range of IP addresses that are not listed in the Russian range. Here, either deal with your provider, or contact Steam technical support.

Q: The game is installed, but after the first videos are shown, the menu does not reach and is "reloaded" and cyclically to infinity.
A: Steam and the game must be installed in a directory that does not contain Russian letters. For example:
Wrong: D:/Games/Steam
Correct: D:/Game/Steam

Q: The game crashes after the second cutscene when loading.
A: The client.dll file needs to be updated. Here is the way:
1. Close Steam, unload its process from the system
2. Go to the Steam\SteamApps folder
3. Delete the client.ncf file in the Left 4 Dead 2 folder
4. Remove client.dll from Steam\SteamApps\Common\Left 4 Dead 2\left4dead2\Bin folder
5. Launch Steam
6. Right click on L4D2 and check the game
7. Once the verification is complete, right-click on the game and select Install
8. Let Steam re-download the files and install them correctly.

Q: The game keeps crashing.
A: Update your graphics card driver and DirectX to the latest version.
It is necessary to set in the graphics settings of the game: the quality of shaders to medium or lower; disable multi-core rendering.
It is necessary to set the access of the non-resident memory pool to low,
Go to settings>video>advanced settings.

Q: When I play in the company or when I try to connect over the network to different
time crashes error:
Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library
Runtime Error!
A: If updating or reinstalling Microsoft Visual C++ 2005
Redistributable Package does not help, then most likely you have viruses, replace
antivirus for more reliable.

Q: Russian letters are not written in the chat.
A: This issue has not yet been resolved. We are waiting for the patch.

Unfortunately, there are flaws in games: brakes, low FPS, crashes, freezes, bugs and other minor and not very errors. Often problems begin before the game even starts, when it won't install, won't load, or won't even download. Yes, and the computer itself is sometimes weird, and then in Left 4 Dead 2, instead of a picture, a black screen, control does not work, no sound is heard or anything else.

What to do first

Download and run the world famous CCleaner(download from a direct link) is a program that will clean your computer of unnecessary garbage, as a result of which the system will work faster after the first reboot;
Update all drivers in the system using the program Driver Updater(download via direct link) - it will scan your computer and update all drivers to the latest version in 5 minutes;
Install the program WinOptimizer(download from a direct link) and turn on the game mode in it, which will end useless background processes during game launch and increase performance in the game.

The second thing to do if you encounter any problems with Left 4 Dead 2 is to check the system requirements. In a good way, you need to do this even before the purchase, so as not to regret the money spent.

Every gamer should at least have a little understanding of the components, to know why a video card, processor and other things are needed in the system unit.

Files, drivers and libraries

Almost every device in a computer requires a set of special software. These are drivers, libraries and other files that provide correct work computer.

It's worth starting with the drivers for the video card. Modern graphics cards are produced by only two large companies - Nvidia and AMD. Having found out which product spins the coolers in the system unit, we go to the official website and download the package of fresh drivers:

A prerequisite for the successful functioning of Left 4 Dead 2 is the availability of the latest drivers for all devices in the system. Download the utility Driver Updater to download quickly and easily latest versions drivers and install them with one click:

If Left 4 Dead 2 does not start, we recommend that you try disabling your antivirus or put the game in the antivirus exceptions, and also check the system requirements again and if something from your build does not match, then, if possible, improve your PC by purchasing more powerful accessories.

Left 4 Dead 2 has black screen, white screen, color screen. Solution

Screen problems different colors can be roughly divided into 2 categories.

Firstly, they are often associated with the use of two video cards at once. For example, if your motherboard has an integrated video card, but you are playing on a discrete one, then Left 4 Dead 2 may run on the built-in one for the first time, while you will not see the game itself, because the monitor is connected to a discrete video card.

Secondly, color screens happen when there are problems with displaying the image on the screen. This can happen for various reasons. For example, Left 4 Dead 2 cannot work through an outdated driver or does not support a video card. Also, a black / white screen may be displayed when working at resolutions that are not supported by the game.

Left 4 Dead 2 crashes. At a certain or random moment. Solution

You play for yourself, play and here - bam! - everything goes out, and now you have a desktop without any hint of the game. Why is this happening? To solve the problem, it is worth trying to figure out what the nature of the problem is.

If the crash occurs at a random point in time without any pattern, then with a probability of 99% we can say that this is a mistake of the game itself. In this case, fixing something is very difficult, and the best thing is to just put Left 4 Dead 2 aside and wait for the patch.

However, if you know exactly at what moments the crash occurs, then you can continue the game, avoiding situations that provoke a crash.

However, if you know exactly at what moments the crash occurs, then you can continue the game, avoiding situations that provoke a crash. In addition, you can download the Left 4 Dead 2 save and bypass the departure point.

Left 4 Dead 2 freezes. The picture freezes. Solution

The situation is about the same as with crashes: many freezes are directly related to the game itself, or rather, to the developer's mistake when creating it. However, a frozen picture can often become a starting point for investigating the deplorable state of a video card or processor.

So if the picture in Left 4 Dead 2 freezes, then use the programs to display statistics on the loading of components. Perhaps your video card has long exhausted its working life or the processor is heating up to dangerous temperatures?

The easiest way to check the loading and temperatures for the video card and processors is in the MSI Afterburner program. If desired, you can even display these and many other parameters on top of the Left 4 Dead 2 image.

What temperatures are dangerous? Processors and video cards have different operating temperatures. For video cards, they are usually 60-80 degrees Celsius. The processors are slightly lower - 40-70 degrees. If the processor temperature is higher, then you should check the condition of the thermal paste. It may have dried out and needs to be replaced.

If the video card is heating up, then you should use the driver or the official utility from the manufacturer. You need to increase the number of revolutions of the coolers and see if the operating temperature drops.

Left 4 Dead 2 slows down. Low FPS. Frame rate drops. Solution

With stutters and low frame rates in Left 4 Dead 2, the first step is to lower the graphics settings. Of course, there are a lot of them, so before reducing everything in a row, you should find out exactly how certain settings affect performance.

Screen resolution. In short, this is the number of points that make up the picture of the game. The higher the resolution, the higher the load on the video card. However, the increase in load is negligible, so reducing the screen resolution should only be the last resort, when everything else does not help.

Texture quality. Typically, this setting determines the resolution of texture files. Decrease the quality of textures if the video card has a small amount of video memory (less than 4 GB) or if a very old one is used HDD, the spindle speed of which is less than 7200.

Model quality(sometimes just details). This setting determines which set of 3D models will be used in the game. The higher the quality, the more polygons. Accordingly, high-poly models require more processing power of the video card (not to be confused with the amount of video memory!), which means that this parameter should be reduced on video cards with a low core or memory frequency.

Shadows. They are implemented in different ways. In some games, shadows are created dynamically, that is, they are calculated in real time every second of the game. Such dynamic shadows load both the processor and the video card. In order to optimize, developers often abandon the full rendering and add a pre-render of shadows to the game. They are static, because in fact they are just textures that are superimposed on top of the main textures, which means they load memory, and not the core of the video card.

Often, developers add additional settings related to shadows:

Shadow Resolution - determines how detailed the shadow cast by the object will be. If the game has dynamic shadows, then it loads the core of the video card, and if a pre-created render is used, then it “eats” the video memory.
Soft shadows - smoothing out bumps on the shadows themselves, usually this option is given along with dynamic shadows. Regardless of the type of shadows, it loads the video card in real time.

Smoothing. It allows you to get rid of ugly corners at the edges of objects by using a special algorithm, the essence of which is usually to generate several images at once and compare them, calculating the most “smooth” image. There are many different anti-aliasing algorithms that differ in their level of impact on the performance of Left 4 Dead 2.

For example, MSAA works head-on, creating 2, 4, or 8 renders at once, so the frame rate is reduced by 2, 4, or 8 times, respectively. Algorithms such as FXAA and TAA operate a little differently, achieving a smooth image by calculating only the edges and using some other tricks. Because of this, they do not reduce performance as much.

Lighting. As in the case of anti-aliasing, there are different algorithms for lighting effects: SSAO, HBAO, HDAO. All of them use the resources of the video card, but they do it differently depending on the video card itself. The fact is that the HBAO algorithm was promoted mainly on video cards from Nvidia (GeForce line), so it works best on the “green” ones. HDAO, on the other hand, is optimized for AMD graphics cards. SSAO is the simplest type of lighting, it consumes the least resources, so in case of brakes in Left 4 Dead 2, it is worth switching to it.

What should be lowered first? Shadows, anti-aliasing, and lighting effects are usually the most stressful, so it's best to start with them.

Often gamers themselves have to optimize Left 4 Dead 2. For almost all major releases, there are various relevant and forums where users share their ways to improve performance.

One of them is a special program called WinOptimizer. It is made specifically for those who do not want to manually clean up the computer from various temporary files, delete unnecessary registry entries and edit the startup list. WinOptimizer will do this for you, as well as analyze your computer to find ways to improve application and game performance.

Left 4 Dead 2 lags. Big game delay. Solution

Many people confuse "lag" with "lag", but these problems have completely different causes. Left 4 Dead 2 slows down when the frame rate at which the image is displayed on the monitor decreases, and lags when the delay when accessing the server or any other host is too high.

That is why "lags" can only be in network games. The reasons are different: bad network code, physical distance from servers, network congestion, incorrectly configured router, low Internet connection speed.

However, the latter is the least common. In online games, communication between the client and the server occurs by exchanging relatively short messages, so even 10 MB per second should be enough for the eyes.

There is no sound in Left 4 Dead 2. Can not hear anything. Solution

Left 4 Dead 2 works, but for some reason does not sound - this is another problem that gamers face. Of course, you can play like that, but it's still better to figure out what's the matter.

First you need to determine the scope of the problem. Where exactly is there no sound - only in the game or in general on the computer? If only in the game, then perhaps this is due to the fact that the sound card is very old and does not support DirectX.

If there is no sound at all, then the matter is definitely in the computer settings. Perhaps the sound card drivers are not installed correctly, or maybe there is no sound due to some specific error of our favorite Windows OS.

Controls don't work in Left 4 Dead 2. Left 4 Dead 2 does not recognize the mouse, keyboard or gamepad. Solution

How to play if it is impossible to control the process? The problems of supporting specific devices are out of place here, because we are talking about familiar devices - keyboard, mouse and controller.

Thus, errors in the game itself are practically excluded, almost always the problem is on the user's side. You can solve it in different ways, but, one way or another, you will have to turn to the driver. Usually, when you connect a new device, the operating system immediately tries to use one of the standard drivers, but some models of keyboards, mice, and gamepads are not compatible with them.

Thus, you need to find out the exact model of the device and try to find exactly its driver. Often, devices from well-known gaming brands come with their own software kits, since the standard windows driver corny cannot ensure the correct operation of all the functions of a particular device.

If you don’t want to look for drivers for all devices separately, you can use the program Driver Updater. It is designed to automatically search for drivers, so you only need to wait for the scan results and download the necessary drivers in the program interface.

Quite often, the brakes in Left 4 Dead 2 can be caused by viruses. In this case, there is no difference how powerful the video card is in the system unit. You can check your computer and clean it of viruses and other unwanted software using special programs. For example NOD32 . The antivirus has proven itself from the best side and has received the approval of millions of users around the world.

Suitable for both personal use and small businesses, ZoneAlarm is able to protect your computer with operating system Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP from any attacks: phishing, viruses, malware, spyware and other cyber threats. New users are given a 30-day free trial.

Nod32 is an antivirus from ESET, which has received many awards for its contribution to the development of security. Versions of anti-virus programs for both PC and mobile devices are available on the developer's website, a 30-day trial version is provided. Eat special conditions for business.

Left 4 Dead 2 torrent download not working. Solution

If the distribution kit of the game was downloaded via torrent, then in principle there can be no guarantees of work. Torrents and repacks are almost never updated through official applications and do not work over the network, because in the course of hacking, hackers cut out all network functions from games, which are often used to check the license.

Using such versions of games is not only inconvenient, but even dangerous, because very often many files have been changed in them. For example, to bypass protection, pirates modify an EXE file. However, no one knows what else they do with it. Maybe they embed self-executing software. For example, which, when the game is first launched, will be integrated into the system and will use its resources to ensure the well-being of hackers. Or, giving access to the computer to third parties. There are no guarantees and there cannot be.

In addition, the use of pirated versions is, according to our publication, theft. The developers have spent a lot of time creating the game, investing their own money in the hope that their offspring will pay off. And every work must be paid.

Therefore, if you encounter any problems with games downloaded from torrents or hacked using certain means, you should immediately remove the “pirate”, clean your computer with an antivirus and a licensed copy of the game. This will not only save you from dubious software, but also allow you to download updates for the game and receive official support from its creators.

Left 4 Dead 2 gives an error about the missing DLL file. Solution

As a rule, problems associated with the absence of DLLs occur when you start Left 4 Dead 2, however, sometimes the game can access certain DLLs in the process and, without finding them, crash in the most impudent manner.

To fix this error, you need to find the required DLL and install it on the system. The easiest way to do this is with a program. DLL fixer, which scans the system and helps you quickly find missing libraries.

If your problem turned out to be more specific, or if the method described in this article did not help, then you can ask other users in our "" section. They will promptly help you!

Thank you for your attention!

This article focuses on popular questions that many players face in Left 4 Dead. The solution to all problems is here. The answers are very banal, but often it can even become a big problem for inexperienced players.

Question 1

Question: When starting the game, it knocks out a window with an error "Steam" or " No premissiom to run left 4 dead»

Answer: You need to download and install the program RevEmu Crack L4D— Download (3 Mb)

Question 2

Question: Where to move configuration files (configs)?

Answer: All configurations (configs) must be stored in the folder \left4dead\cfg\ and run in the console using the command exec config name

Question 3

Question: How can I find out the current version of the game Left 4 Dead?

Answer: There are several ways to check the game version:

Start the game, open the console in the main menu (Yo button) and enter the command there VERSION .
Without starting the game, open the folder with the game - open the folder LEFT4DEAD- open file steam.inf and there you see your version

Question 4

Question: After watching the intro, the game crashes without errors

Answer: open the folder LEFT4DEAD\Addons and delete all files from there

Question 5

Q: Why after installation Cracka Is the whole game in English?

Answer: There are several ways to Russify the game:

Open the file in the game folder rev.ini and in line LANGUAGE put the value from English to Russian
If you completed step 1 and Russian was already registered there, then create a shortcut for the left4dead.exe file - Properties- field Path- write the code there -language english

Question 6

Question: What should I do if the sound in the game is lost after installing the patch?

Answer: Open the console in the game (letter E) and enter the code there snd_rebuildaudiocache. Wait for the download process to finish.

Question 7

Question: Why does it throw me into the main menu at the very end of the download when I enter any server?

Answer: First you need to understand what the problem is, so as soon as you are thrown out in the main menu, immediately open the console (letter E) and look for the last lines. They will describe the problem in English. You will figure it out - well, if not - throw off the errors here.

Question 8

Question: Why does it throw an error "steam validation rejected" when entering the server?

Answer: This error is usually thrown if you are trying to connect to a licensed server while you have a pirate. In case you created a server on a pirated server, update RevEmu Crack L4D: Download (3 Mb) .

Question 9

Question: Why, when connecting to the server, it throws out and writes in the console Invalid protocol, expecting 1022, got 1014

Answer: This means that your version of the game does not match the version of the server you are connecting to. To enter the server, install a new patch or go to the old one.

Question 10

Question: What to do if an error occurs when logging into the server Connection failed after 10 retries

Answer: Either the server is down, or you entered the wrong IP address.

Question 11

Question: What should I do if I get an error when entering the server Please remove plug-ins before attempting to connect to a Vac secured server?

Answer: open folder LEFT4DEAD\Addons and delete all files from there. If that doesn't work, then update RevEmu Crack L4D: Download (3 Mb) and run the game using the parameter -steam. How to do it:

You can also download THIS file and put it in the game folder (so as not to follow the previous step)

Question 12

Question: What to do if, when creating or connecting to the server, it throws an error " #L4D_PLUGIN_BLOCKED_TITLE
#L4D_PLUGIN_BLOCKED_TEXT «?

Answer: Enter the code in the access parameters +sv_allow_lobby_connect_only 0 +sv_lan 1 -language russian -steam

Question 13

Question: Only lists are displayed in the game NoSteam servers. How to make it visible only GARENA(local) servers?

Answer: Open the file in the game rev.ini and change the line SteamClient=True to SteamClient=False

Question 14

Question: Why is there nothing on the screen when starting the game, or is there some kind of incomprehensible inscription?

Answer: This error most likely appears due to the installation of too much high resolution screen that the monitor does not support. To correct the error, go to the corresponding file \left4dead\cfg\video.txt and change the lines to what we need:

"videoconfig"
{
"setting.cpu_level" "1"
"setting.gpu_level" "1"
"setting.mat_antialias" "1"
"setting.mat_aaquality" "0"
"setting.mat_forceaniso" "2"
"setting.mat_vsync" "1"
"setting.mat_triplebuffered" "0"
"setting.mat_grain_scale_override" "1"
"setting .mat_monitorgamma" "2.200000"
"setting.gpu_mem_level" "2"
"setting.mem_level" "2"
"setting.mat_queue_mode" "-1"
"setting.defaultres" "1280" - Width, Better set to 800
"setting.defaultresheight" "720" - Height, Set to 600
"setting.aspectratiomode" "1"
"setting.fullscreen" "1" - Full screen mode - Set 0
"setting.nowindowborder" "0"
}

Question 15

Question: What to do with the error COM_CheckGameDirectory: game directories don't match (left4dead_dlc3 / left4dead) ?

Answer: To correct the error, go to the folder left4dead\gameinfo.txt , find the line with the text left4dead_dlc3 there and delete it

Question 16

Question: What should I do if I get an error at startup Couldn't allocate any hltv ip port tried 2 addresses ?

Answer: Write in the launch parameters the code + tv_port 27016

Question 17

Question: How can I change my nickname in the game?

Answer: Nick is edited in the file rev.ini

Question 18

Question: I changed the nickname in the file rev.ini, but in the game it's still not my changed nickname. What to do?

Answer: Open the file rev.ini and change your nickname again by enclosing it in double quotes (e.g. playername="website")

Question 19

Question: Why do I have a powerful computer, but it starts to lag in the game when shooting?

Answer: This is a bug, reset the controls in the game to standard.

Now, let's lift the veil on the other side of the coin and look at techniques that will really help you and your team become better.

It should be noted separately that the greatest benefit from all these trainings will be the experience that you get. There are no players who would fall asleep as a noob and wake up as a world champion. Everyone, even the most famous imers, had to go through years of training and overcoming to be among the best. Therefore, do not allow yourself to doubt your own success - it's just that not everything comes at once. In the meantime, we will teach you how to spend this time properly and speed up your entry into the top a little.

Training methods that will lead you to success:

LAN championships (8 out of 10 on the performance scale): Competitions at LAN tournaments are one of the most effective methods workout. After all, this is what you train for, so a trip to the tournament will always be very useful for everyone who tries to simulate the conditions of a LAN championship. Why? Yes, because nothing needs to be “modeled” on it, it is an ideal model of itself. If you dream of playing well in tournaments, visit tournaments as often as possible, here's how. When you play in championships, money and honor are at stake, everyone has the same computers, the same monitors and ping. Therefore, if you lose, it is only your fault. All the best teams in the world try to train at LAN tournaments as often as possible, because this is the best practice possible.

True, there are pitfalls. So, if you and your team aren't playing pretty well, then there's a good chance you'll be knocked out of the championship before you know it. And it turns out that you drove a couple of hundred kilometers for the sake of only two or three matches. However, LAN tournaments are always such a stressful experience for the participating teams that the physiological and mental stress will be of great help to your squad building internal confidence.

And the more often you go to tournaments, the more effective your training will be and the more often you will win. In addition to the training process, LAN tournaments are an important opportunity to spend time side by side with your teammates, get to know each other better, and establish proper communication both in the game and outside it.

The second problem with these tournaments is that 90% of the time you have to stand behind other people's backs and stare at other people's monitors. Therefore, do not waste this time in vain, go out to eat, discuss topics of interest to everyone, or take the time to make your own judgments about your dream team - how it should look like and how you can achieve it.

Server workouts - (8 out of 10 on the performance scale): With the right approach, server training can be very effective. The only subtlety is that you should be fully aware of what exactly you want to learn even before entering the server. After all, 95% of teams enter the server without a clear plan and just wander back and forth, leftist molotovs, unjustified rush, constant teamkills and so on. Do not be such a team, it will not give you anything. If you want to learn something, then approach the issue with all seriousness. Don’t even think about the fact that “well, anyway, you can restart, this time I’ll save a little time and effort, I won’t give all my best at 100%.

These questions are central and very important. Voice them and answer them before you enter the server.

Nowadays, almost every mid-level team thinks that even without a set of clear and pre-worked out strategies in Left 4 dead, you can play without problems. Unfortunately, this is a big mistake. Each map you should have a general plan of how you are going to win that round. However, many teams believe that pre-practiced tactics are needed only when playing for the infected, and for the Survivors it’s good enough to put the butt and shoot the hunters. Not enough. Be sure to work out the strategic and tactical elements of the game for the survivors. Try to distribute roles in the team when playing as survivors. It's not worth everyone trying to kill the first hunter that flies to your team, maybe there are two more who will fly from a different position? Learn to distribute roles in your team, let two always scan the rear, the remaining two are the vanguard.

Learn not to use the excuse - "I was smoked, bribes are smooth from me." When playing as a tank, don't put all the responsibility on the support, it may not be there, always calculate various options attack development. In addition, a separate part of our training is a discussion of situations 3 + boomer, 3 + smoker and behavior under the circumstances (for example, hunters took three 20 meters from you, a smoker is playing against you, what are your actions? be proud of yourself). Plus, we try to learn as much as possible from our teammates, what kind of information will be most useful for them in a given situation.

After we have discussed strategies and tactics, we start playing against each other. Rashim, we pass slowly, we breed on the enemy's action, we make bold exits. In terms of variety, this is much more efficient than playing mixes, because during the entire time of the mix there will be only a couple of interesting moments, and using the described technique, you can play about 50 interesting situations in an hour.

The main problem of training on the server is that 40 minutes after they start, one of your teammates will definitely shout: “Go rush, the enemy is still a sucker.” Usually it is always the same person who does this - the psychologically and socially least mature member of the team. That is why it is very important to try to select players in the team on the basis of the same serious attitude to the game, the same high goals and a clear desire to play for the team, and not use it to improve your own frag statistics. It is especially pitiful for those players who, after a defeat, as if justifying themselves, say the number of their frags, not realizing that playing for the frags, they will forever remain meat, which will lose to a more or less cohesive team. If you wanted frags? - drive public, your strategies and achievements of team play are absolutely not important here.

The ideal situation is when in reality you will always have players who are ready to train more and those who are frankly infuriated by long training sessions. It is important not to go to extremes here - if you remove players from the team one by one, just for not wanting to sit with you for 3 hours on an empty server and jerk off the butt, you will very soon realize that the team that must be unique turns into a pipeline. On the other hand, follow the lead of weak-willed run-shooters, and very soon your unique, but not trained team will be torn to pieces by more tactful opponents.

Therefore, communicate more with teammates - have conversations, discuss past training sessions, what they gave you, how you used the proven baggage of knowledge and skills. Thus, even the most restless players will soon realize that competent training really significantly increases your overall and individual chances of taking rounds, and therefore games.

If one of the players cannot train on a particular day, it is better not to train at all than to do it together. For a three-player game, three-player practice is mostly a waste of precious time. And you're not only left 4 dead "th live, right?

Last, but very important, finally stop these damn solo jumps, useless jumps, shooting from all trunks and other nonsense that many demonstrate during training. Your training sessions, even if they take place on an empty server, should mimic your behavior in a real game. Do not do anything extra, otherwise there is a chance that during a real and important game you will simply not be ready to fulfill your duties, as you played the fool in training. You may have had fun rushing the whole map into one and making shots at teammates from all sorts of unusual positions, but when these little things result in games given away at the championship, believe me, you will understand that the fun was not worth it.

LAN workouts - (10 out of 10 on the effectiveness scale): Most The best way train and prepare for important games. The reason for this efficiency lies in the fact that this method combines the advantages of all possible ways training in general. You can watch demos together, you can discuss them, you can go to the server and work on something, you can drive a mix or even take part in online championships from your club.

For years, top progamers have been saying that it's easier to get to the top than to stay there. Many attribute this feature of competitive Left 4 dead to the loss of motivation after winning streaks, but it also plays a big role in the fact that it is very difficult to notice and correct your own mistakes until someone points them out to you. Just because you don't lose doesn't mean you don't make mistakes - just until (until) your enemies find your mistakes and use them to their advantage. Even if you win the match, watch the demo anyway. You will not find your mistakes, so find a series of enemy mistakes. Write them down, discuss with teammates - why did the enemy allow them? What did he think? What was he trying to do? What thoughts led him to make mistakes? Let your teammates see and know which mindset is the least effective during L4D matches. This way they can avoid these mistakes.

After that, think about what your opponent, whom you defeated, will do next time joining the server with you? After all, he will obviously try to make some changes in his game. Think about which ones so that you know about them even before him.

One of the most important points during training, to be able to find among the mountains of calm, prudent and routine moments the grains of fun for which you started playing L4D or L4D2. Different teams deal with this issue in different ways. Someone takes a real joker into the squad, someone takes breaks and plays 1v1 with another teammate, or flies in at full strength to the pub, crumble the newbies. The main thing is to feel the line beyond which there is no benefit, but only fatigue and irritation, and try not to cross it.

Article author: Doug "jacobson" Jacobson, American progamer
Translation into Russian: Sergey "asfalot" Mandrik.
Porting the article for L4D - Konstantin "SPectre" Parubets. Fresh news - How to train in Left 4 dead.