Left 4 Dead Servers
Left 4 Dead, like other multiplayer PC games such as Counter-Strike, the Battlefield series, the Unreal Tournament games and others, will require dedicated game servers for the best possible experience. Listen servers will hopefully be a viable option for playing L4D, but no matter how good they are, dedicated game servers will provide the highest performance, lowest ping and smoothest gameplay for infected slaying.
What we do know is that Left 4 Dead should have 12 slot servers, 4 for Survivors, 4 for boss infected, and 4 for spectator slots (people watching or waiting to play). If you've read anything about the AI Director, and the mass swarms that will be present, it is a good bet to think that an L4D server will require more server CPU and memory per slot than other games such as Counter-Strike. We do not currently know how great the CPU/memory use is.
In the future, this page will point you towards the best deals and best places to rent your very own dedicated L4D server! Check back when you are searching, shopping, or comparing for a Left 4 Dead game server.