Console commands

The console is a feature of many games that can be used to change certain elements of a game. In Left 4 Dead, it can be activated in the Options menu and then displayed by pressing the tilde (~) key in game. Valve features a quick-type feature in their consoles that allow rapid entry of commands.

Note that the key used to access the console may be different on non-US keyboard layouts.

'sv_cheats'
The 'sv_cheats' is a prerequisite command to many of the game-altering commands found in Left 4 Dead. By setting sv_cheats to 1, most all commands are then recognized by the game. It is with 'sv_cheats 1' that most of the exploits found by users in the demo during its pre-order era.

Complete List of Commands
For reference, a complete list (21 pages) of console commands can be found here: l4d_cvar_list.pdf.

Annotated list of commands
Knowing all the commands isn't quite as good as knowing what they do. The following will describe what each command does and its default value.

Important things to know about your cheat console:
 * Some commands require you to be the game host (such as setting sv_cheats to 1)
 * It is assumed that you have sv_cheats 1 set for the commands described in this section
 * If you turn on cheats then turn them off, many settings get discarded!
 * The console can auto-complete commands, never type more than you need to, just type a few letters then hit the up/down arrows
 * Commands can be chained. Example: sv_cheats 1; z_spawn boomer; z_spawn hunter; z_spawn smoker; z_spawn mob; sv_cheats 0; will toggle cheats on/off and drops a can of whoop ass where you are pointing.
 * You can store your commands in a "myCommands.cfg" file you create in an advanced tool like "Notepad" (personally I recommend Notepad++ but the XKCD comic reveals the ultimate tool) and if you put them in the right spot in the game directory it will get executed when your server runs. I don't know where that is off the top of my head, but I have successfully put a "die.cfg" in the "cfg" directory of Left 4 Dead demo and then executed it using "exec die.cfg" in the console. The "cfg" directory can be found by digging through your "steam" install directory until you find the Left 4 Dead installation directory. Denkkar 00:54, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Spawn infected
These commands can be used to drop in additional enemies. z_spawn tank z_spawn witch z_spawn boomer z_spawn smoker z_spawn hunter z_spawn common z_spawn mob

Give weapons
Need a rifle? No problem. The most interesting command here is "give health" since it not only gives you your health back, it will also give you an instant recovery from being knocked down. give smg give shotgun give rifle give auto_shotgun give hunting_rifle give first_aid_kit give pain_pills give health give oxygen_tank give propane_tank give gas_can

How many zombies would you like, sir?
By default, the game limits how many zombies are drawn at any given time. You can bypass this limit to get truly outrageous numbers of zombies.

z_common_limit 30

Now how can we get the director to give us more mobs of zombies at random times? z_mob_spawn_min_interval_expert 90 z_mob_spawn_max_interval_expert 180 z_mob_spawn_min_size 10 z_mob_spawn_max_size 30

Still not hard enough... perhaps you need a MEGA MOB! z_mega_mob_spawn_min_interval 420 z_mega_mob_spawn_max_interval 900 z_mega_mob_size 50

All good and fine, but what about those spaced out zombies that are just standing still waiting for you to shoot them? Would it not be more awesome if they were always moving and instantly targeted you? z_must_wander 0 z_acquire_far_range 2500 z_acquire_far_time 5 z_acquire_near_range 200 z_acquire_near_time 0 // 0? This can't be right! *Shudder* The master cvar list lies about default values!

Okay, if you got this far, you're going to need more boss zombies. This controls time in seconds between boss spawns and the max number of bosses that can be spawned at any given time: z_special_spawn_interval 45 z_exploding_limit 1 z_gas_limit 1 z_hunter_limit 1 z_minion_limit 3 // No clue what this one does, but it must be awesome... maybe...

That's still not enough zombies? Well then, time to panic (AKA: mega mob on demand)! director_force_panic_event

Oh no, you're still alive? Okay try this: director_panic_forever 1

No more rescues
Don't like the fact that dead isn't dead? Fix it! The variable "rescue_distance" controls how far your teammates must get beyond your dead corpse before you can be rescued. Set to 1 light-year to preclude that ever happening. The second variable, "rescue_min_dead_time", controls how many seconds must elapse after death before you come up for reincarnation. Set to a few centuries (that would be 6294240000 seconds) to preclude that possibility.

rescue_distance 4500 rescue_min_dead_time 60

Bite me
What if infected could kill you with one bite? hunter_pz_claw_dmg 10 z_pounce_damage 5 // There's a delay of 1 second where a teammate can knock it off and you don't take this damage tongue_choke_damage_amount 10 z_hit_from_behind_factor 0 // If a zombie hits you in the back, multiplies the damage done z_witch_damage 100

Environmental and unknown damage modifiers: inferno_damage 40 // Damage per second when getting flamed survivor_extra_damage_ammo_factor 1 // TODO: test this, think it's a multiplier on friendly fire z_gun_damage 10 // TODO: test this, think it controls damage done to zombies per bullet

Walk or sprint?
Don't like the fact that you have a walk key instead of a sprint key? Set this variable to something ludicrous like 5000...

survivor_walk_speed 85

Still not fast enough? Use the following to get in and out of the action at faster than light speeds. REQUIRED: you must be game host

warp_all_survivors_here  // Warp all survivors to the player's cursor warp_all_survivors_to_battlefield // Warp all Survivors to the battlefield warp_all_survivors_to_checkpoint // Warp all Survivors to the exit checkpoint warp_all_survivors_to_finale // Warp all Survivors to the finale radio warp_far_survivor_here // Teleport the farthest away Survivor to your cursor position warp_to_start_area // Warp yourself to a survivor spawn area