Alien Swarm Gets AI Director And Harder Difficulty Level

Alien Swarm users like their matches rough and varied, and the next time they boot up the game they'll be able to get it just how they like it. In a recent Valve press release (via Destructoid), it was revealed that Alien Swarm has been updated with AI director-controlled enemy routines and greater difficulty levels, sure to please those who wanted just a tad bit more from the free top-down shooter.

To be more specific, Valve has added a lone mode that introduces the AI director made so famous in Left 4 Dead. It's called Onslaught, and just like in Left 4 Dead, maps will spawn enemies based on a variety of factors including, for example, a squad's given stress level.

Onslaught will work across all difficulty levels, including the game's new Brutal difficulty. In the press release, Valve makes it rather clear this mode is indeed hard by stating that no one, as of August 23, has cleared a mission on the new difficulty.  

A new hardcore friendly fire option has been added as well. When toggled on, this will turn all team-caused damage--including turret fire--into full-on normal damage.

I initially read this press release as something of a challenge. The question "Are you man enough?" kept popping into my head. But Valve isn't exactly throwing down the gauntlet here. Apparently, these two upgrades were the most requested from the player base, and as usual, Valve is delivering on fans' wants and desires.