Since release, we’ve received a ton of feedback and feature requests from the Alien Swarm community. The most requested additions are more variety and greater difficulty.
With that in mind, we’ve added “Onslaught” mode, which introduces an AI Director that dynamically generates swarms of aliens based on several factors, such as the squad’s stress level. Onslaught works with any difficulty setting and ensures no mission plays the same way twice.
Speaking of difficulty, we’ve also added a “Brutal” difficulty level for those of you who told us “Insane” wasn’t insane enough. How brutal is Brutal? Nobody on the Alien Swarm team has managed to complete a mission on it.
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. Coordinating movement and firing lines becomes an even more integral part of the game. HCFF truly tests your team’s ability to work together as an elite squad.
Finally, to reward the most dedicated players, we’ve added 3 new IAF Promotion Ranks: Platinum Star, Osmium Star, and the coveted Iridium Medallion.
Continue reading Alien Swarm Adds AI Director, New Difficulty →
Run for Cover has inked Ipswich, UK’s Basement. The label will release the band’s debut full-length in 2011, but have already made a new digital single, Two Songs, available for free or donation-based download at their bandcamp page. UK label City of Gold is planning a limited cassette version of Two Songs for release in the “very near future.” 
