Play Classic Alien Swarm

[Stein]

List of Console Commands To Return Alien Swarm to Classic

WARNING: This makes the game considerably more difficult on all difficulty levels.

● If you are an Alien Swarm veteran or simply believe the game is too easy, then this is for you.

Please add these options to your Autoexec.cfg so that these options are persistently enabled on your client and any servers you host.

asw_horde_override 1
asw_wanderer_override 1
asw_ignore_need_two_player_requirement 1
asw_custom_skill_points 1
asw_marine_collision 1
asw_marine_shoulderlight 1
asw_parasite_inside 1
asw_realistic_death_chatter 1
asw_marine_ff_absorption 0
asw_hear_from_marine 1
asw_scanner_classic 1
asw_scanner_idle_sound 3
asw_scanner_idle_volume 0.7
asw_scanner_warning_sound 1
asw_scanner_warning_volume 0.9
asw_scanner_pitch_change 0.7
mp_friendlyfire 1

Additionally, these commands allow you to play Single Player, while taking advantage of some new AI options.

asw_show_all_singleplayer_maps 1
asw_marine_scan_beams 1

→ Please take a visit to the Alien Swarm Console Commands thread if you'd like to discuss commands more.

[Stein]

asw_instant_restart 1 would be authentic to the original Classic style (as well as being helpful for saving time during the many wipes sure to come), but unfortunately this variable currently causes crashes at the end of a match so I have removed it from the list.

[JohnnyTheWolf]

I thought reactivating the skill points system was not recommended.

[Stein]

It makes the game harder due to starting a campaign with no skills and ending it with even less skills than standard. If by not recommended they mean too hard, then sure.

[JohnnyTheWolf]

No no, I meant the system was said to be buggy and potentially game-breaking.

[Stein]

It's not.

Clarification: I have been playing with them on for quite a few playthroughs on both Hard and Insane mode. I have maxed out my piercing and minigun damage on Wolfe and the difference was hardly noticeable concerning pierce. Everyone else has 3+ ranks in most skills, many with 5 ranks in several skills. If it's not imbalancing game play when you begin with 5 ranks in half of your skills, it certainly is not going to imbalance anything when you can only afford to max two.

Through the Jacobs campaign you will only earn a total of 12 skill points. If you know how much each point in each skill provides benefit wise, you will understand the most powerful skills are already maxed or nearly maxed on the marines whom possess them in default skill settings.

I am of the opinion the naysayers haven't played enough with it on to know their front from their back and so far I have not seen any instability as a result of the skills whatsoever.

[JohnnyTheWolf]

Then why isn't available by default?

[Stein]

For the same reason friendly fire absorption is on by default.

[Arcalane]

Then why isn't available by default?

Because it's unsupported and the game isn't balanced for it or made with it in mind?

Although I'll note if you look under the difficulty settings you can faintly see a "Skill Points" setting if you have the Custom Skill Points mode enabled.

I'm not sure asw_hear_from_marine actually does anything, and the exact effect of asw_marine_shoulderlight.

[JohnnyTheWolf]

For the same reason friendly fire absorption is on by default.

To minimize frustration?

Anywho, I don't doubt your word, it's just that Dalai himself said that the system was unsupported. When a dev says such a thing, you can't help but wonder...

EDIT: Yeah, Arcalane beat me to it.

[Stein]

Shoulder light puts the classic shoulder lights back, of course!
But it's client side only, so is the classic radar
I still need to tweak the volume settings a bit on the hostile warning beep, it's far too quiet by default.

[Arcalane]

Shoulder light puts the classic shoulder lights back, of course!

I know that* but it defaults to '2', so there are three potential settings. I'm guessing 0 is off, but what's the difference between 1 and 2, if anything?

*And it looks pretty neat, even if it's utterly useless.

[Stein]

I know that* but it defaults to '2', so there are three potential settings. I'm guessing 0 is off, but what's the difference between 1 and 2, if anything?

*And it looks pretty neat, even if it's utterly useless.

Both 2 and 0 are off states at first glance. Perhaps initially 2 was a new form of the shoulder lamps that was meant to add illumination, but it is likely that if that was ever the case it simply was never finished.

Edit: Quick thought, it's not entirely useless. It does help you see which direction a marine is facing with your peripheral vision. Possibly even in pitch dark.

[Arcalane]

Edit: Quick thought, it's not entirely useless. It does help you see which direction a marine is facing with your peripheral vision. Possibly even in pitch dark.

The laser pointer does that as well, though. And the fancy angle-changing reticle-thingie.

[Stein]

Yes, but just like having the extra reloading bar enabled under your marine, giving a total of 3 reloading bars, more indicators isn't necessarily a bad thing. Having the shoulder lamp to give an additional indication of which direction a marine is facing can't hurt

● Added in some changes to the list to make the scanner sound even closer to the original.