Have you ever wanted to play the single-player levels with your friends? Or have you ever wanted to play them with even more enemies? Then look no further, this guide will give you all the information you need!
Playing the Levels Cooperatively (Non-Download Method)In this section, I will tell you how to play the original single-player levels without having to download anything. What you'll be doing is moving some of the game files around a little bit. The idea is that you're going to make the single-player maps available for multiplayer usage.
Follow this directory:
C:/ (or whatever drive you use)
-> Program Files (x86)
-> Steam
-> SteamApps
-> common
-> Aliens versus Predator Classic
-> avp_rifs
This is where the map files (.rif) are located. Create a folder within avp_rifs called "custom" (without the quotation marks). The custom folder is where the maps you want to play will go. Pick the map(s) you want to play and copy and paste them into the custom folder. Make sure to "copy," not "cut," them from the folder, otherwise you won't be able to play them in single-player. That's all you need to do for the files.
When you're in-game, select Multiplayer, choose Host New Game, and make sure the gameplay mode is set to Cooperative. When scrolling through the list of maps, you should see the name of the single-player map you moved to the custom folder followed by (Custom). Select the map, start the game, and have fun!
If you want to play with other people, make sure you get them to do exactly the same thing (copy the .rif files into the custom folder) or they won't be able to join you.
Some of the .rif file names are not identical to the level name given in game. Here is a list of the levels and their respective file names:
(Alien)
Temple: Temple.rif
Escape: Escape.rif
Ferarco: Nost03.RIF
Gateway: Stat101.rif
Earthbound: Breakout.rif
Invasion (Bonus): Invasion_A.rif
Derelict (Bonus): Derelict_A.rif
Tyrargo (Bonus): Sulaco_a.rif
Caverns (Bonus): Caverns_A.rif
Fury 161 (Bonus): furyall_a.rif
(Marine)
Derelict: Derelict.rif
Colony: Genshd1.rif
Invasion: Invasion.rif
Orbital: odobenus.rif
Tyrargo: Sulaco.rif
Hangar: Hangar.rif
Temple (Bonus): Temple_M.rif
Vaults (Bonus): Vaults_M.rif
Ferarco (Bonus): Nost03_M.rif
Gateway (Bonus): Stat101_M.rif
Waterfall (Bonus): fall_m.rif
(Predator)
Waterfall: fall.rif
Area 52: Area52.rif
Vaults: Vaults.rif
Fury 161: furyall.rif
Caverns: Caverns.rif
Battle: Battle.rif
Invasion (Bonus): Invasion_P.rif
Escape (Bonus): Escape_P.rif
Temple (Bonus): Temple_P.rif
Earthbound (Bonus): Breakout_P.rif
Tyrargo (Bonus): Sulaco_P.rif
Playing the Levels Cooperatively (Download Method)For some of you, it'll be enough just to play the single-player levels with friends the exact way it was in the game. Others, however, might want more of a challenge. Fortunately, a modder created the B-maps, which are the original maps but filled to the brim with hordes of aliens. This is in my opinion extremely fun and makes for a great and challenging run. To play these, however, you need to download them.
The B-maps are located in the Universal Map Pack, which you can find
here. You do not need the redux mod to play these, however, you'll need winzip, winrar, or some other program that can extract files. Either add everything in the map pack to your Aliens versus Predator Classic folder (this will give you 150 custom maps) or locate the various B-maps in the map pack and only add those.
This is my recommendation for those who want to play the single-player levels with friends because the greater number of aliens makes it much more fun than splitting the regular campaign level among multiple people.
Some LimitationsThe most glaring limitation in making the game's levels cooperative is that in coop mode, the game can only spawn xenos, praetorians, and predaliens. Marines, civilians, androids, predators, facehuggers, turrets, xenoborgs, and the alien queen will not spawn. This unfortunately makes all the alien levels useless to play cooperatively, as well as the first two predator missions. The marine missions Tyrargo, Vaults (bonus), and Waterfall (bonus) have spots where you're supposed to kill a predator to advance the level, but since predators don't spawn, the level effectively ends there. Nothing's stopping you from exploring the levels without enemies, though.
Another major limitation is that there are sections that make it impossible to advance if you're not careful. Any section with locking doors has this problem. The Tyrargo issue (explained above) is fixed in the B-map version of the level, SulacoB, but the double doors will lock if you don't make it past them in time, or if you die beyond them. In Colony, you must have the host of the game take the security pass from the med lab and survive with it all the way to the North Gate, otherwise the gate won't open. Fury 161 has a third story lift that if you miss going up, you'll be stuck on the lower level with no way to proceed unless you execute a complex jump glitch. Additionally, if you die after any of these instances, you won't be able to reach the end. This limitation is born out of the fact that the developers never expected you to play these levels in a mode where you can respawn.
A less serious limitation is that you will not find health packs or armor in the predator missions, nor will you find field charge in the marine missions. If you choose to play as a different species than that mission was designed for, you may find the lack of pickups difficult. This isn't a problem in the B-maps because they include pickups for marines and predators. Similarly, the pick-ups do not respawn in the campaign missions, since they normally don't respawn in single-player. This means that if you run into a health kit, only one of you can take it because it won't respawn. Again, this isn't a problem in the B-maps because the pickups respawn.
The only limitation I've found with the B-maps is that they do not have an end screen, they continue even when you reach the end until you actually leave the server. The original maps, however, do finish with an end screen.
FAQQ: The maps aren't working for me.
A: If you downloaded the B-maps, did you get them from the link I provided? Did you extract the files correctly? Did you create a folder called custom within avp_rifs, and did you place the maps there? If you did and the maps still aren't selectable in multiplayer, you either did something wrong or you may be missing a file. Try verifying the integrity of the game cache (Steam Library, right-click AVP Classic, Properties, Local Files, Verify Integrity of Game Cache) and see if that does the trick.
Q: Help! I messed up and now I'm missing a map file!
A: Either verify the integrity of the game cache or uninstall the game and reinstall it.
Q: Will adding the maps to the custom folder mess my game up?
A: Absolutely not. It will only change things if you "cut" them from the folder instead of "copying" them, so "copy" them only.
Q: Do any of the maps have any glitches or problems?
A: The only one I know is that LabsB (the B-map of the marine version of Vaults) is very finnicky. If the host leaves, the aliens will stop spawning. Also, minigun bullets hang in the air in certain parts. This is probably because LabsB has a unique respawn system; instead of spawning at the beginning of the map each time you die, as with every other B-map, this one lets you respawn where you died. The map is still very playable but it does need to be a little tweaked.
Q: My friend can't join and we can't figure out what the problem is.
A: Make sure you are both consistent with your file names. The folder in avp_rifs should be titled "custom" (without quotation marks) and you should not have altered the file names in any way upon moving them into the folder. This means leaving some of the map names as the .rif name. For instance, Gateway is "Stat101" and Waterfall is "fall."
Q: Help! We get stuck in some part of the level; the door won't open or the lift won't go down!
A: See the above section, "Some Limitations."
Q: Should I get the B-maps or just transfer the original maps to the custom folder?
A: I definitely recommend getting the B-maps if you and your friend(s) can. It's actually a lot more fun than playing the original maps.
Q: Why can't I access certain parts of the map?
A: You may need to use your jetpack or grappling hook to reach certain areas. Check the key configuration and adjust the key it's bound to if necessary. You may not have the grappling hook in certain marine missions and you may not have the jetpack in certain predator missions. If that's the case, choose the species that does have the navigational tool.
Q: Why don't marines, civilians, androids, predators, xenoborgs, or turrets spawn?
A: You're playing the game's multiplayer coop mode, which was only intended for multiplayer. The game's developers probably only programmed xenos, praetorians, and predaliens to spawn because they didn't expect you to be playing the campaign levels in multiplayer.
Q: Why is there no end screen?
A: This is only the case with the B-maps. Indeed, the B-maps have no final score screen (the regular maps do), so they won't technically end until you leave the server. I don't know why. If you don't like it, you can always play the regular maps.
Q: Are these maps compatible with the Redux mod?
A: Yes, 100%.
Q: Can we play these maps on any gameplay modes other than cooperative?
A: Absolutely, you can play any of the single-player maps on any gameplay mode (e.g. deathmatch, species deathmatch, last man standing, alien tag, predator tag, and cooperative). The only mode that will spawn bots, however, is cooperative.
Q: In the regular maps, will the aliens, praetorians, and predaliens spawn in the exact same locations as they spawn in single-player?
A: To the best of my knowledge, yes.
Q: What difficulty setting is it on when playing cooperatively?
A: Realistic.
Q: Do many people play these maps?
A: Not really. It's difficult enough to find a decent sized game without prior planning and hardly anyone plays custom maps. Don't start a coop game in one of these maps and wait around for people to drop in, it ain't gonna happen. The point is for you to organize your own coop games.
Q: What's the best coop map?
A: Tough question. I personally like OrbitalB the best because there are a ton of aliens, you're in tight quarters, and there's actually a final destination you can reach (the escape ship) that kind of closes out the level.
Q: We're playing with like 5 people and it's too easy. How can we make it harder?
A: If you're playing the normal maps, get the B-maps. Otherwise, set a limit to the number of lives and select "use shared lives" on the set-up screen. You can also limit the weapons you can use, set a time limit, turn friendly fire and falling damage on, etc.
Q: Can I use the cheat modes in multiplayer?
A: No.
CreditsThis guide was written solely by me (Olde). You can (and should!) use this guide and share it with others. However, you should not distribute it while giving authorial credit to either yourself, someone else, or to nobody at all. You may quote from it at length but please do not post the entirety as a guide on any other forum or site without my express permission.
Thanks for reading and enjoy playing!