Left 4 Dead PC Wiimote hack for the gamer who has it all, hates zombies
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Jan 21st 2009 10:37AM
posted Jan 21st 2009 10:37AM
Sometimes inspiration hits when you're shooting zombies -- and often times, that inspiration is in the form of new, better ways to shoot zombies. Since this sort of thing (shooting zombies) is one of our passions here, we were pretty psyched when we ran across this video. Summoning all of his worldly resources -- including GlovePIE, PPJoy, and about a gazillion lines of code -- this guy is able to rock Left 4 Dead PC in split-screen mode with two Wiimotes. He's even added shake controls for reloading and spinning 180 degrees. The only catch? As it stands, the only way to power the sensor bar is by turning on the Wii -- a condition that should be remedied shortly. Hit the read link for instructions and code, and be sure to check out the video after the break.
[Via Nowhere Else]
Wow that's awesome!
My arm hurts so much after few minutes of this game.
OCZ NIA for moving + Wiimote for shooting = More realistic FPS.
How do you play the game in split screen mode on a PC??
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=745113
There was a video in the related section on how-to.
Does Engadget have a Steam group? We should get some people together and play a few rounds XD
Infact, thats such a good idea I just made one. :)
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/ENGT
If any of the Engadget editors have steam accounts then contact me and i'll make you an admin on the group.
Nice. Now if only I could run it.
I don't have l4d. But hit me up for some TF2!
Well im head of a TF2 clan and have a 24 slot TF2 server :)
Sweet. Found a group that isn't mostly /b/tards! :D
"The only catch? As it stands, the only way to power the sensor bar is by turning on the Wii -- a condition that should be remedied shortly"
How else do you turn on the sensor bar?
Getting a wireless sensor bar.
you can go buy a wireless one for 10 or 15 bucks.
you can light 2 candles and place them to either side of the television.
you can build your own - cut the end off of a USB cord. separate the red and black wires. place 4 IR LED's (look at Radio Shack) in series (2 groups of 2 with enough wire in between to separate the 2 groups) between the red and black wires in the USB cord (make sure the LED's are oriented correctly, or they won't light. Bam: USB-powered Wii sensor bar. I made one for about 10 bucks plus junk I had lying around. Used it with GlovePIE to control a media center PC with a bunch of emulators. Later, when the Homebrew Channel came into it's own, I just installed all the emulators on my Wii, and no longer have a need to connect Wiimotes to my PC.
you can go buy a wireless one for 10 or 15 bucks.
you can light 2 candles and place them to either side of the television.
you can build your own - cut the end off of a USB cord. separate the red and black wires. place 4 IR LED's (look at Radio Shack) in series (2 groups of 2 with enough wire in between to separate the 2 groups) between the red and black wires in the USB cord (make sure the LED's are oriented correctly, or they won't light. Bam: USB-powered Wii sensor bar. I made one for about 10 bucks plus junk I had lying around. Used it with GlovePIE to control a media center PC with a bunch of emulators. Later, when the Homebrew Channel came into it's own, I just installed all the emulators on my Wii, and no longer have a need to connect Wiimotes to my PC.
me too!
you can go buy a wireless one for 10 or 15 bucks.
you can light 2 candles and place them to either side of the television.
you can build your own - cut the end off of a USB cord. separate the red and black wires. place 4 IR LED's (look at Radio Shack) in series (2 groups of 2 with enough wire in between to separate the 2 groups) between the red and black wires in the USB cord (make sure the LED's are oriented correctly, or they won't light. Bam: USB-powered Wii sensor bar. I made one for about 10 bucks plus junk I had lying around. Used it with GlovePIE to control a media center PC with a bunch of emulators. Later, when the Homebrew Channel came into it's own, I just installed all the emulators on my Wii, and no longer have a need to connect Wiimotes to my PC.
you can buy a wirel... no.
I wonder if this guy knows he can just use to LEDs or even two candles instead of the sensor bar.
Yeah, I think he knows that. He mentions in his blog, that you could use candles and that he is working on it.
Yup, I've been planning on making a sensor bar myself, but I've been too busy playing. Plus it's pretty neat having just one sensor bar above the TV. Adding a second one, especially if the casing isn't as well-crafted as the original, would clutter the setup. I might just buy the wireless Nyko one after all.
You know, i keep hearing the two candles thing... Am I the only person smart enough to think it's a BAD IDEA placing FIRE, right next to an expensive, mostly plastic, and expensive LCD or Plasma TV/Monitor?
Could always wire a 9v battery to the sensor bar, or buy a cheap $20 wireless sensor bar.
Sorry- Cheap and $20 don't fly well in my world...
There are plenty of third-party battery operated sensor bars. After all, it's really just a pair of infared LEDs.
infrared*
L4D has been eating away at my life for the past few weeks...need to get a bluetooth module for my PC so it can eat away more time but with added Wiimote action.
Make sure you get one that comes with BlueSoleil. GlovePIE seems to interoperate with that software package the best, in my experience.
Yup, I think BlueSoleil works best. But what I used was a seven year old MSI Bluetoes dongle. Initially it didn't work, but when I enabled Bluetooth Troubleshooting in GlovePie, it worked. So if you have an old dongle lying around somewhere, try that one first before buying a new one, and be sure to enable Bluetooth Troubleshooting in Glovepie. Hope this helps.
Amazing what some people will do. I wish Valve would bring their stuff to Mac.
Battery Powered Sensor Bar
http://doctabu.livejournal.com/64758.html?page=2
You can use Candels instead... i do this allot playing Need 4 speed!
Well Im head of a TF2 clan and have a 24 slot public server :)
Ya...keep advertising...
It was a mistake post. And how could I be advertising if i didn't post the IP?
I wonder how well this controls. It's pretty neat - I just wonder. The guys that are making that Wii FPS - The Conduit? - apparently are putting a lot of focus in the controls, which makes sense. CoD3 was pretty bad on the Wii, and I imagine a hack wouldn't have the best control.
It controls pretty well, actually. Though if you're playing for keeps nothing beats a mouse. I saw some videos of the Conduit and noticed that the aiming is different. In Left 4 Dead, and most other FPSs, the crosshair is always centered, while in the Conduit they put a bounding box where the crosshair can move without the player turning. I'm not sure which is better, but I'll definitely find out when Conduit comes out, and adjust my script based on the results.
@ Red - Well, since you can't pick your wiimote off the table and move it to a new location, it's kinda necessary to be able to turn your screen properly. Having the small bounding box is the same way that Metroid Prime 3 controls work, which implements various sized bounding boxes with the most advanced one having an extremely tiny bounding box which just about constantly keeps your reticule centered.
I've done both Wiimote and Nunchuck on Metroid Prime 3, as well as Mouse and Keyboard on Half Life and Orange Box, and I'll admit that going back to Metroid Prime 3 took some work to get used to again. It depends on what feel you're going for on your game. It's easier to use the mouse to aim, but the Wiimote is far more realistic.
You they mind doing this with my Wii and PC too ?
So Cool !
I don't mind helping you out, but it'd be easier to follow the guide i posted here: http://ryantani.com/2009/01/10/two-die-four-playing-left-4-dead-pc-splitscreen-co-op-with-two-wiimotes/ . Hope this helps :)
Hey! Did you guys know you could use two candles?
'Cause you could use two candles instead.