Ryan O'Koren is a student at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland. He is also a longtime modder of Half-Life games, making maps under the name "mrfanswa". And he's got something pretty cool in store for you. Cold Case is an incredibly ambitious mod for Left 4 Dead that O'Koren intends to complete in time for a Halloween release, celebrated with a big party in Baltimore.

In this mod, over the course of 36 (!) maps, the zombies will dynamically evolve. The players will be able to upgrade their abilities using a lite RPG system. It's got a storyline, complete with new voiceover recordings. There are also survival maps that balance digging in to take a defensive position and running for your life.

But this isn't just a mod. It's part of O'Koren's studies. From the mod's FAQ:

After the release of Left 4 Dead I began gaining interest for an idea which I could not do in previous maps. An entire explorable island featuring such places as a jail, a military base, labs, a dense forest, and an abandoned facility deep within the woods. I decided to devote my sculpture degree to exploring more of the digital arts and I began creating what is now Cold Case. I quickly began development of a small campaign using SDK content, and parts of my old [Half-Life] map [Resident Evil Outbreak 2]. I submitted it to the largest scholarship my art department offered and won! The only stipulation was that at the end of the year I would need to hold an exhibition featuring this campaign, and numerous other sculptures I have been developing over the years.