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Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop News

Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop Update - December 1, 2023

[h2]Menus[/h2]
We're testing the new main menu layout that will be officially launching on April 20, 2024.
  • The main menu has been redesigned, with information about the current Heroes of the Interstellar Armed Forces season, recent major updates, and trending Steam Workshop addons.
  • To revert to the previous layout, enter the console command rd_legacy_ui 2017; host_writeconfig. This console command will continue to work after the new UI officially launches.
  • Fixed the 2024 main menu partially showing up when rd_legacy_ui 2017 is set and the resolution is changed without closing the game.
  • Lobby filters have returned, along with new convars: See cvarlist rd_lobby_filter_ for a list.[expand]

    cvar list
    --------------
    rd_lobby_filter_always_friends : 1 : , "a", "cl" : always show lobbies with Steam friends in them
    rd_lobby_filter_challenge : -1 : , "a", "cl" : challenge preference for searched lobbies. -1=don't care, 0=only off, 1=only on
    rd_lobby_filter_dedicated : -1 : , "a", "cl" : dedicated server preference for searched lobbies. -1=don't care, 0=only listen, 1=only dedicated
    rd_lobby_filter_difficulty_max : 5 : , "a", "cl" : maximum difficulty for searched lobbies. 1=easy,2=normal,3=hard,4=insane,5=brutal
    rd_lobby_filter_difficulty_min : 1 : , "a", "cl" : minimum difficulty for searched lobbies. 1=easy,2=normal,3=hard,4=insane,5=brutal
    rd_lobby_filter_distance : 3 : , "a", "cl" : maximum distance for player-hosted lobbies. does not affect lobbies on dedicated servers. 0=only own region, 1=nearby regions,
    rd_lobby_filter_hardcoreff : -1 : , "a", "cl" : hardcore friendly fire preference for searched lobbies. -1=don't care, 0=only off, 1=only on
    rd_lobby_filter_installed : -1 : , "a", "cl" : installed mission preference for searched lobbies. -1=don't care, 0=only non-installed or version mismatch, 1=only installed
    rd_lobby_filter_onslaught : -1 : , "a", "cl" : onslaught preference for searched lobbies. -1=don't care, 0=only off, 1=only on
    --------------
    9 convars/concommands for [rd_lobby_filter_]
    [/expand]
  • The public lobby count on the main menu no longer includes lobbies on dedicated servers.
  • Fixed the server list in the lobby browser being empty on the first refresh.
  • Fixed dedicated servers showing as separate entries in the lobby browser from the lobby made on the dedicated server.
  • Fixed wire hacks being interrupted if another tech started hacking.


[h2]Controller[/h2]
  • Controllers should be recognized by the game even if it was started with no controllers plugged in.
  • Aiming with the mouse no longer changes button prompts to keyboard mode.
  • Pressing buttons on the keyboard or controller now changes button prompts. Mouse buttons do not affect button prompts (pressing a keyboard key will cause mouse button prompts to be displayed).
  • You can also controller aim while doing everything else with keyboard keys and mouse buttons if you want.


[h2]Missions[/h2]
  • Tears for Tarnor: Oasis Colony Spaceport: Fixed a ceiling remaining opaque between the hangar and the baggage claim when it was not intended to.
  • Reduction (all missions): Added music.
  • Reduction: Inevitable Escalation: Improved rendering quality of final cutscene. Fixed cutscene getting stuck when restarting the mission.
  • Reduction: Inevitable Escalation: Final cutscene no longer counts towards speedrun time and can be skipped.
  • Reduction: Inevitable Escalation: Fixed a soft lock if the marine operating the crane managed to die or teleport.
  • Reduction: Nuclear Escort: Fixed a client crash at the end of the mission related to models fading based on distance.


[h2]Weapons[/h2]
  • X-33 Damage Amplifier: Weapons that are not affected by the damage amplification now show a much more subtle beam effect.
  • X-33 Damage Amplifier: Fixed beam effect becoming attached to the marine instead of the weapon when swapping weapons while standing inside the beacon.
  • IAF Medical Gun: Added a subtle gun animation for healing.
  • IAF Medical Gun: Fixed screen staying retracted when equipped.
  • IAF Medical Gun: Fixed healing beam effect attaching to the marine's feet.
  • IAF Medical Gun: Added a visual effect for when the gun is searching for a target.
  • IAF Medical Gun: Fixed heal target glow not updating in first or third person.
  • IAF Medical Amplifier Gun: Applied changes from IAF Medical Gun and X-33 Damage Amplifier.
  • IAF Medical Amplifier Gun: Can no longer spend ammo amplifying weapons that do not benefit from the damage doubling effect.
  • IAF Medical SMG: Applied changes from IAF Medical Gun.
  • IAF Medical SMG: When self-healing in first or third person, aiming at another marine switches to healing them instead, to more closely match the behavior of other medic weapons when aiming at a marine after holding down the trigger.
  • Ricochet Rifle (unreleased): [expand]
    • Fixed dry fire sound playing repeatedly in shotgun fire mode.
    • Increased shotgun mode fire rate.
    • Improved accuracy of laser sight.
    • Increased maximum range.
    • Bullets now also bounce off of non-static objects.
    • Fixed bullets not bouncing off of ceilings and floors.
    [/expand]


[h3]Sentries[/h3]
  • Added assembly, disassembly, and firing animations to all sentries.
  • Sentries now rotate up and down and the camera mounted on the sentry will aim where the sentry intends to turn to.
  • Cannon sentry now consumes grenades from its drum when firing.
  • Modded sentries without support for the new animations will look as they did before.
  • For modders: [expand]
    • For reference, you can find the model source files on GitHub.
    • The default (idle) animation MUST be the first defined sequence on the model.
    • All pose parameters and animations listed below are optional; if it does not exist on the sentry top model, the animation will simply not play.
    • Added pose parameter aim_pitch, which ranges from 45 (up) to -45 (down) (or -90; see below). When the sentry is being assembled, this starts at -30.
    • Added pose parameter aim_yaw, which ranges from 120 (camera aiming far left) to -120 (camera aiming far right).
    • Added pose parameter ammo_remaining, which ranges from 0 to 999999 (although your model should probably limit this range more). Mapper-placed sentries that have infinite ammo receive 999999 for this pose parameter. This pose parameter changes at the end of the firing animation if the firing animation does not loop. For player-placed sentries, the maximum ammo_remaining value is 450 for Advanced, 1200 for Incendiary, 800 for Freeze, and 40 for Cannon.
    • Assembling the sentry uses the ACT_OBJ_ASSEMBLING activity; if this activity does not exist on the model, the sentry top will not render during assembly. The duration of this sequence does not matter; the animation will be played starting at 0% assembly and ending at 100% assembly.
    • When the sentry fires, it uses the ACT_OBJ_RUNNING activity. For the Incendiary and Freeze sentries, this sequence should be looped. For other sentries, this animation runs once per shot. When the sentry is not firing, it returns to its first sequence, which should be the idle state.
    • Disassembling a sentry changes its aim_pitch from 0 to -90 based on the disassembly progress. If the sentry is firing while being disassembled, it aims at the enemy as normal.
    [/expand]
  • Advanced and Incendiary sentries no longer rotate towards the center of their range
  • Incendiary sentry now has a visible pilot light.
  • Incendiary and Freeze sentries now turn 3x faster when rotating towards an enemy as originally intended.
  • Cannon sentry now attempts to lead targets that are running in a straight line.


[h2]Aliens[/h2]
  • Boomer blobs are now affected by melee attacks. Added the related convars rd_vindicator_grenade_pushed_by_explosions, rd_boomer_blob_pushed_by_everything, rd_boomer_blob_punch_force_multiplier, and rd_boomer_blob_push_force_multiplier.
  • Updated the Queen model to more closely match the art style of other aliens.


[h2]Deathmatch[/h2]
  • Added the "Infection" team deathmatch challenge to the official challenge list, including first- and third-person variants.


[h2]Modding[/h2]
  • Added rd_map_texture entity, which can draw an arbitrary material over the minimap. Can be rotated, enabled, and disabled.
  • Fixed env_screenoverlay getting stuck on instant restart or when the entity is killed.
  • Fixed marines being able to roll, melee, or shoot while fully frozen.
  • Added a Thaw script function to inhabitable NPCs.
  • Added a global Deathmatch object for VScript. [expand]
    • int TEAM_UNASSIGNED
    • int TEAM_SPECTATOR
    • int TEAM_ALPHA
    • int TEAM_BETA
    • void Deathmatch.ResetScores()
    • int Deathmatch.GetKills(handle MarineOrResource)
    • void Deathmatch.SetKills(handle MarineOrResource, int Kills)
    • int Deathmatch.GetDeaths(handle MarineOrResource)
    • void Deathmatch.SetDeaths(handle MarineOrResource, int Deaths)
    • int Deathmatch.GetTeamScore(int TeamNumber)
    • void Deathmatch.SetTeamScore(int TeamNumber, int Score)
    • bool Deathmatch.CheckFragLimit(handle MarineOrResource) - returns true if the round is over.
    • void Deathmatch.ResetKillingSpree(handle MarineOrResource)
    • void Deathmatch.IncreaseKillingSpree(handle MarineOrResource)
    • int Deathmatch.GetKillingSpree(handle MarineOrResource)
    [/expand]
  • Added a method named GetMarineProfile to marines, which returns the marine's profile number. Use this if your script needs to do different things for different marines instead of relying on the entity name (GetName()) or the translated marine name (GetMarineName()). Returned values are currently between 0 and 7, or between ASW_MARINE_PROFILE_SARGE and ASW_MARINE_PROFILE_VEGAS if you are using the named constants (recommended).
  • Fixed the weapon_reload game event not being sent for weapons with 1 shot per reload (Precision Rail Rifle).
  • Improved the MarineFinishedMission input on asw_gamerules:
    • Can now handle both marines and marine resources (if you want to mark all marines, dead or alive, as having finished the mission early, you can use asw_marine_resource as the input parameter.)
    • Now properly handles keywords like !activator and !caller.
    • Now affects speedrun times for achievements and experience.
  • Added convar rd_debrief_timelines, which can be used to disable the timelines sent at the end of a mission. This can be used by challenges that support a high player count to reduce lag at the end of a mission.

Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop Update - November 7, 2023

This patch addresses some issues in the November 1st update.
  • Reduction: Silent Station: Increased speedrun time limit from 4:40 to 4:50.
  • Reduction: Silent Station: Removed a dialogue trigger with no associated dialogue.
  • Reduction: Operation Sandstorm: Increased speedrun time limit from 3:00 to 3:15.
  • Reduction: Operation Sandstorm: Fixed a missing objective description.
  • Reduction: Operation Sandstorm: Fixed the guide bot getting stuck when the last node is activated within 3 seconds of the previous node.
  • Reduction: Operation Sandstorm: Moved some spawners to avoid aliens falling through the ground.
  • Reduction: Fallen City: Increased speedrun time limit from 1:38 to 1:40.
  • Reduction: Inevitable Escalation: Increased speedrun time limit from 6:00 to 6:30.
  • Reduction: Inevitable Escalation: This mission is no longer eligible for the Hardcore achievement.
  • Fixed a medal being awarded to all players in the lobby rather than just the player who performed the required action.
  • Fixed screen-space motion blur being enabled.
  • Fixed a crash when viewing materials using certain proxies in -tools mode.


Additionally, since the release on Wednesday, we have released hotfixes for the following issues:
  • Fixed favorited game servers appearing on the lobby list even if they aren't Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop servers.
  • Fixed certain graphics settings not being saved after being changed in the Advanced Settings screen.
  • Fixed Heroes of the Interstellar Armed Forces scores not being updated on the leaderboard.
  • Fixed an advanced setting for marine names using the wrong labels for each option.
  • Fixed gas grenade particle effects disappearing for players far away from the grenade.

Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop Update - November 1, 2023

This month's update contains many features requested by the community.

[h2]New Campaign: Reduction[/h2]
A remastered version of the Reduction campaign is now available in the game.

[h2]Official Missions[/h2]
  • Tears for Tarnor: Oasis Colony Spaceport: Fixed specific walls becoming invisible after aliens spawned from certain locations.
  • Tears for Tarnor: Oasis Colony Spaceport: Improved graphics when playing in first or third person.
  • BioGen Corporation: BioGen Labs: Updated the graphical style of the mission.


[h2]Weapons[/h2]
  • ML30 Laser Trip Mine: Mines are no longer triggered by invulnerable NPCs, such as scanners.
  • Chainsaw: Fixed firing sound persisting after marine death.
  • Grenade Launcher: Shots aimed far below the marine will now arc differently to avoid hitting the edge of the platform the marine is standing on.
  • Aim-assisted weapons no longer target scanners.
  • Marines can now safely roll through all bullets, even those fired by non-marines.
  • Added a cl_loadout_random console command. It randomises primary, secondary and extra weapons for you and your bot marines.


[h2]Menus[/h2]
  • Many graphical advanced settings, including precipitation, dynamic lighting, and alien shadows, are now stored only on your machine and are no longer synchronized to the Steam Cloud, matching the behavior of the main shader quality, texture quality, and antialiasing options.
  • Commanders can now equip up to three medals at once.
  • Updated the main menu public lobby preview to show all servers regardless of Steam group. Added icons for Heroes of the Interstellar Armed Forces servers.
  • Items with multiple styles, such as medals from recent seasons of Heroes of the Interstellar Armed Forces, can now have their appearance changed in the Collections screen.
  • Lobby hosts can now lock various settings via the convars rd_lock_difficulty, rd_lock_onslaught, rd_lock_hardcoreff, and rd_lock_challenge.
  • Improved interaction targeting for computers and panels so it is easier to hack while a dropped weapon is nearby.


[h2]Mapping / Modding[/h2]
  • Added six new convars that allow co-op challenges to control the maximum number of marines in a squad: asw_marines_max (default 8), asw_marines_max_per_profile (default 1), asw_marines_max_officer (default 2), asw_marines_max_special_weapons (default 2), asw_marines_max_medic (default 2), and asw_marines_max_tech (default 2).
  • Fixed the SecondaryBullets Hammer keyvalue affecting primary ammo on asw_weapon entities.
  • Added support for $tintmasktexture to VertexLitGeneric and UnlitGeneric.
  • Added support for $blendtintbybasealpha to UnlitGeneric.
  • Added rd_drone_flinch_resets_attack for use in challenges. It returns drone flinching behavior to how it was in Alien Swarm, where it would cancel attack animation timers.
  • Added asw_filter_incapacitated for use in Hammer.
  • Marines can now display health up to 8191 (previously, the limit was 511).
  • Added an option to asw_jukebox to make it not interrupt player-supplied combat music, for use in multi-part combat music.
  • Marine skill points can now be reassigned via convars (eg. asw_marine_skill_sarge_0).
  • Added rd_chainsaw_idle_sound for challenges that want to disable the chainsaw idle sound.
  • Fixed certain mapper-placed Antlion Guards and Antlion Guardians not unlocking the Swarmopedia entry when killed.
  • Fixed a pathfinding crash caused by incorrect initialization of info_node_link.
  • Added a CollideWithMarines keyvalue to func_asw_fade. Main purpose is to preserve any out-of-bounds exploits used in speedruns.
  • Added 3 new material proxies - LocalTime_Month, LocalTime_Day, LocalTime_Hour. Can be used to change the frame on an animated texture based on the viewer's local system time. Month values are from 0 to 11, days are from 0 to 30, hours are from 0 to 23. For example:
    UnlitGeneric {
    $basetexture "example/animated_monthly_texture"
    $frame 0

    Proxies {
    LocalTime_Month {
    resultvar "$frame"
    }
    }
    }


[h2]Controller[/h2]
  • Fixed a case where controller button prompts would still be shown in -nojoy mode.
  • Fixed the controller options screen being accessible from the pause menu when no controller was connected.


[h2]Dedicated Servers[/h2]
  • Added a message to the srcds server log when marines deal friendly fire to each other.
  • Dedicated servers will now exit at the end of the level if the server list coordinator indicates that an update is available. (rd_server_restart_on_update)
  • Improved reliability of sv_memlimit for dedicated servers.


[h2]Deathmatch[/h2]
  • Changing a marine or marine resource's team using VScript or entity inputs will now also change the team of the other entity.
  • Team deathmatch loadouts no longer update when picking up a weapon from the ground.
  • Equipment items that are visible when equipped now inherit the marine's team deathmatch team color.

Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop Update - September 18, 2023

Here are some fixes for recently-reported bugs and a few map and workshop improvements.

  • IAF HAS42 Devastator: Increased firing sound volume for the player firing the weapon.
  • Fixed end-of-mission stat graph lines being unexpectedly far apart in some cases. (Thanks SJAS)
  • Updated how the Mission Complete screen is rendered to allow supporting more languages.
  • Addons with an autoexec file are now listed on the workshop under the "Config" tag.
  • Going forward, uploading addons with config files in them to the workshop will be limited to autoexec_[addon ID].cfg to avoid collisions between different addons and between addons and user files.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the "help" command to limit descriptions to 80 characters. (Thanks 法克*尤尔*马泽尔 and Zero)
  • Fixed Bastille only playing one of his two death sounds. (Thanks Beka and krtek2k)
  • Fixed a bug where sv_memlimit would sometimes fail to exit. (Thanks Mithrand)
  • Fixed the asw_vehicle_jeep entity being unintentionally disabled. (Thanks jhheight)


[h2]Tears for Tarnor: Insertion Point[/h2]
  • Changed how some invisible walls are defined to allow drones to jump over certain rocks but not through cave walls.
  • Increased the height of some invisible walls intended to keep players from being thrown out of the playable space by shieldbugs. (Thanks kubaaa015)
  • Reduced lighting complexity for areas far from the playable space.


[h2]Accident 32: Lab Ruins[/h2]
  • Changed some materials in the starting area.
  • Fixed being able to hear the boss doors closing when the mission starts.
  • The sewer now deals damage over time instead of killing instantly.
  • Added ladders to allow climbing out of the sewer.
  • Added stairs to the area where the harvester spawns in the beginning.
  • Added an area to the west of the big bridge with additional supplies.
  • An ammo stash on the main path has been reduced from 100% full to 60% full to encourage seeking optional supply areas.

Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop Update - September 1, 2023

  • Fixed the previous user's Workshop addon enabled state being used on the first game launch after switching Steam accounts.
  • Fixed controller icons in hints rendering incorrectly for non-XInput controllers.
  • Reduced volume of some frequently played sound effects:
    • Officer Leadership skill activation sounds
    • Xenomite (Harvester spawn) sounds
    • IAF Tesla Sentry Coil zap sound
    • IAF HAS42 Devastator firing sounds
  • Fixed an issue that caused some dedicated servers to not update their Heroes of the Interstellar Armed Forces configuration data.
  • Fixed a generator model being rotated 90 degrees. (For real this time!)
  • Fixed F9 menu showing incorrect text for how many players have voted yes during a map vote.
  • Precision Rail Rifle: Base damage increased from 75 to 105. Now kills drones in a single shot on brutal difficulty on any marine.
  • Paranoia: Crucial Point: Fixed drones refusing to climb upwards in the last holdout.
  • Accident 32: J5 Connector: Fixed drone pathing in the last holdout.
  • Accident 32: J5 Connector: Added a ladder to the sewer area and removed the kill trigger.
  • Added support for $parallaxmap and $height_scale in the LightmappedGeneric shader. This allows the alpha channel of a $bumpmap to "push" a material into a surface. See nature/snowwall006a.vmt for an example.
  • Disabled texture lighting interaction with the Flesh shader for now as it was causing crashes.