Valve issued a press release yesterday regarding Alien Swarm’s new game mode and difficulty settings. The new game mode “Onslaught” will use an AI director (like Left 4 Dead) to dynamically generate swarms based on several factors, one being the stress level of the squad. And if the Insane difficulty wasn’t insane enough, they have stepped it up a notch by adding a Brutal difficulty. According to Valve, no one on the Alien Swarm team has managed to complete a mission on it. And if that isn’t enough for you, check this out:
If for some crazy reason Brutal is still too easy for you, there’s now a “Hardcore Friendly Fire” toggle. When enabled, friendly fire deals full damage immediately, flamethrowers set teammates on fire much faster, and turrets will hurt you if get caught in their crossfire. HCFF truly tests your team’s ability to work as a elite squad. Coordinating movement and firing lines become an even more integral part of the game.
They also added three new promotion ranks; Platinum Star, Osmium Star, and the Iridium Medallion. I for one am very interested in beating a campaign on Brutal. This may actually draw me away from my StarCraft II addiction for a little bit.
