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[BETA] Natural Selection 2 - Prototype Dynamic Infestation is in!
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What is Natural Selection?
NS1 (Natural Selection 1) is total modification for 1998 classic first-person shooter, Half-Life. At the height of its popularity, it was the second most played mod for the game only second to Counter-Strike. It considered one of the most ambitious mods ever, pushing the goldSource engine to its limits in implementing its FPS/RTS blend of gameplay. Sufficient to say, it is insanely awesome.
Two teams compete to wipe the other out, the two being the Trans-System Authority (TSA) and the Khaara (commonly known as aliens). The two sides have completely different styles of play. The one similarity between the two sides is the capturing of Resource Nodes, which with the aid of a Resource Tower will funnel resources to the team.
The TSA Marines are lead by a single person who assumed the position of Commander who controls the TSA resources. Playing the game from a bird-eye’s perspective as RTS games are wont to do, he or she govern the marine’s strategy, place down structures to be built, research upgrades and finally, hand out equipment. Yes, unless the commander hands you a shotgun – you can’t have one.
The Aliens have a much more independent playing style, where each individual got a share of the resource stream. In addition, instead of depending on equipment, players got the ability to evolve into various classes with each one having a specific role. The aliens required as much teamwork as the marines to be successful and communication was key. Gorges (builders) were responsible to expand the infrastructure, which meant the individual loses the opportunity to get access to the more expensive classes to benefit the entire team.
There is a [Game On] going on right now, you can go to that thread for more information about NS1 and an opportunity to play with some fine gentlemen.
What is Natural Selection 2?
NS2 is the stand-alone sequel to the popular modification which garnered more than 2 million downloads. However, unlike its predecessor it won’t be free. Unknown worlds a company made up of 5 developers and with a recent addition of a dozen or so interns are the minds behind this project. NS2 is designed to be a lot more accessible and modern, which is a welcome relief because the original had intricacy of a maze filled with rubrics cubes. They also said they are going to put depth before accessibility… but it’s hard to tell anything right now because know very, very little.
What we know can be summarized as not much. We know it is based off NS1 and over the couple of years; there is a gaunt list of information pruned from the developers. There is also a minute long teaser that was release recently. That isn’t much, but the pedigree of NS1 is extraordinary. Unknown Worlds is taking pre-orders for two versions of the game, the Standard Edition for 19.95 (game + beta access) and the Special Edition (game + beta and alpha access + special cosmetic black armor) for 39.95. So once the game comes out, the special edition amounts to paying twice as much for the game for the equivalent of horse armor. And you know what? 98% (as of May 30th, 2009) of all pre-orders were for the Special Edition.
Okay, my interest is piqued. What else do I need to know?
Most people should be able to play NS2. The requirements are not very steep: 1.2 GHz Processor, 256MB RAM, a DirectX 9 level graphics card, Windows Vista/2000/XP, mouse, keyboard and an internet connection. If you don’t have a Windows computer, the developers want to (funds permitting) to release Mac and Linux versions of the game. You can use one CD Key for any versions, but you may be logged on at only one particular computer at a single time.
The preordering the game gives you a stand-alone executable version of the game that will probably (highly unlikely it wouldn’t be) will be steam compatible. You can buy the game from steam at a later time when the game is closer to completion. So what are you waiting for? Buy now!
Additional Resources:
www.naturalselection2.com (Offical Site)
www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/ (Developer Blog, has juicy information)
www.ausns2.com/articles/ns2-what-we-know-mmmmegalist (Everything we know so far)Lurk on
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Master LibratorrNatural Selection was the kind of mod for Half-Life that I downloaded, created a game just to poke around a bit and see how it worked, and never really played online because I was too afraid to join a server.
It looked very impressive, though. -
That was the second album I've ever bought!Dayton, OHI will shit myself if this actually comes out. I shat myself when TF2 came out and I'll do the same for this.
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Natural Selection was the kind of mod for Half-Life that I downloaded, created a game just to poke around a bit and see how it worked, and never really played online because I was too afraid to join a server.
It looked very impressive, though.
You did it incredibly amazingly wrong good sir.
I will be flying around eating your faces as a hypercaffienated Lerk again, mark my words. -
Natural Selection was the kind of mod for Half-Life that I downloaded, created a game just to poke around a bit and see how it worked, and never really played online because I was too afraid to join a server.
It looked very impressive, though.
You die in the game you die for real
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Ooh. Interesting. I will keep tabs on this; I played absolutely tons of NS. Though in the meantime TF2 has increased my standards for team-based FPS games.
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Yaaaaaaaaaay. Killing Floor, you were fun while you lasted, but my baby is back! <3
Oh, and fuck combat mode. -
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It could just be gameplay video and a "coming soon" teaser guys, don't start mainlining Hopium quite yet.
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OMG OMG OMG! I played this mod so hard back in the day. I still play from time to time, there's really nothing else like it in gaming. There are still a number of good populated servers. Natural Selection 2 has been in the works for a long time. For a time all they showed was that video of procedurally generated alien slime (like creep from starcraft). I was really worried this was vaporware.
Props to Flayra for sticking with it. I'm buying this day 1. -
excepting maybe TFC, Natural Selection was by far my favorite half-life mod.
I will happily buy this day 1. -
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Actually a hack
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To note:
This game is coming this fall. The beta is coming in the summer. Pre-ordering the game gives access to the Beta. Pre-ordering the special edition gives access to the alpha and in-game "I'm awesome" armor. -
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ONOS!!!
I hope it has the alien slime propagation that they released a video of like 3 years ago. -
Hm, This looks pretty sweet, as was the original NS. But my heart is still sold on Empires, which IMO is the best RTS/FPS mod out there right now. Great fun, and I highly reccomend anyone who liked NS to try it.
www.empiresmod.com
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I missed this back in the day. Was Natural Selection basically just Aliens vs Colonial Marines but without the Fox lawsuit?
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This is probably one of the few games I played to a degree where I was required to have a microphone to coordinate attacks and defense.
I really having like the main base completely shattered by an onos or something and building a hastily made base in desperation, trying to get everyone to respawn again.
One thing I always sucked at was being the commander though. Not my forte.
Xbox : gunst4r -
Is this gonna be on steam or no?
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Hm, This looks pretty sweet, as was the original NS. But my heart is still sold on Empires, which IMO is the best RTS/FPS mod out there right now. Great fun, and I highly reccomend anyone who liked NS to try it.
www.empiresmod.com
Whoops, reveresed my link... and still no edit function. Try this again:
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*click*click*click*click*click*A random dungeonONOS!!!
I hope it has the alien slime propagation that they released a video of like 3 years ago.
Well they've switched engines since then (from Source to their own home-grown engine), but hopefully that Tech remains. I DO recall from one of their earlier tech demo videos that all the lighting is dynamic (or at least that was their plan).
Like many others, NS was by far my favorite HL1 mod. One of my favorite games ever really. Even to this day, nothing has quite matched those epic 2+ hour tug-or-war fights with both sides desperately trying to gain the upper hand.
And the price.....wow, $20 for the full game? -
I'm concerned with this "Pre-Order Now" stuff.
I want to preorder and support them (and earn their eternal gratitude) but I want this to be a STEAM download, not some one-shot digital distribution thing.
Edit - Wait, they're on their own engine now? Is it a Source offshoot? -
Hm, This looks pretty sweet, as was the original NS. But my heart is still sold on Empires, which IMO is the best RTS/FPS mod out there right now. Great fun, and I highly reccomend anyone who liked NS to try it.
www.empiresmod.com
Whoops, reveresed my link... and still no edit function. Try this again:
[/
beep beep Back up the Faildozer for another shot.
http://www.empiresmod.com/
Looks interesting, but I note a distinct lack of aliens
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Every time I try empires I always walk away thinking that it wasn't that good and played like absolute dogshit. I know it's a battlefield clone but when I played it was completely unplayable with more then like 12 players.PeregrineFalcon wrote: »Hm, This looks pretty sweet, as was the original NS. But my heart is still sold on Empires, which IMO is the best RTS/FPS mod out there right now. Great fun, and I highly reccomend anyone who liked NS to try it.
[URL="http://Here's the main site."]www.empiresmod.com[/URL]
Whoops, reveresed my link... and still no edit function. Try this again:
[/
beep beep Back up the Faildozer for another shot.
http://www.empiresmod.com/
Looks interesting, but I note a distinct lack of aliens
12 player battlefield is not fun on maps the size of Alaska.
I never asked for this! -
*click*click*click*click*click*A random dungeonPeregrineFalcon wrote: »I'm concerned with this "Pre-Order Now" stuff.
I want to preorder and support them (and earn their eternal gratitude) but I want this to be a STEAM download, not some one-shot digital distribution thing.
Edit - Wait, they're on their own engine now? Is it a Source offshoot?
IIRC, its a completely home-grown engine. They abandoned Source I believe because they were trying for a more dynamic environment, and Source is a relatively static engine (canned lighting, cooked maps) -
randombattle wrote: »Every time I try empires I always walk away thinking that it wasn't that good and played like absolute dogshit. I know it's a battlefield clone but when I played it was completely unplayable with more then like 12 players.
12 player battlefield is not fun on maps the size of Alaska.
But at the same time you know there's a good game in there somewhere if they'd quit fucking around and polish it up.
I get the same feeling whenever I played Eternal Silence. -
Exactly. That's why I foolishly go back to it again and again yet every time I walk away with the same feeling.PeregrineFalcon wrote: »randombattle wrote: »Every time I try empires I always walk away thinking that it wasn't that good and played like absolute dogshit. I know it's a battlefield clone but when I played it was completely unplayable with more then like 12 players.
12 player battlefield is not fun on maps the size of Alaska.
But at the same time you know there's a good game in there somewhere if they'd quit fucking around and polish it up.
I get the same feeling whenever I played Eternal Silence.
I never asked for this! -
Zatto konna mon!Snowy Rail YardOh man. Natural Selection and Neverwinter Nights are like the holy grails of PC gaming for me. If this game turns out as well as the original I will lork all over this clorf.
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good for laughs andlashings of the old ultraviolentSo unless this shit is a release date I don't give a crap
I gave up on this game coming out a long time ago -
So unless this shit is a release date I don't give a crap
I gave up on this game coming out a long time ago
Wait, why? They have been posting progress for a long time now. It's not duke nukem forever.
To my knowledge, the PC version of NS2 will be steam connected. The NS2 folks are close with Valve. -
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CarbonFire wrote: »IIRC, its a completely home-grown engine. They abandoned Source I believe because they were trying for a more dynamic environment, and Source is a relatively static engine (canned lighting, cooked maps)
Well fuck me. I still hope it gets on STEAM though.
But at least it not dropping until fall gives me a chance to burn through some other shit before yet another awesome multiplayer game sucks up my time. -
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good for laughs andlashings of the old ultraviolentSo unless this shit is a release date I don't give a crap
I gave up on this game coming out a long time ago
Wait, why? They have been posting progress for a long time now. It's not duke nukem forever.
To my knowledge, the PC version of NS2 will be steam connected. The NS2 folks are close with Valve.
I stopped following it when they switched engines, soooo -
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PeregrineFalcon wrote: »randombattle wrote: »Every time I try empires I always walk away thinking that it wasn't that good and played like absolute dogshit. I know it's a battlefield clone but when I played it was completely unplayable with more then like 12 players.
12 player battlefield is not fun on maps the size of Alaska.
But at the same time you know there's a good game in there somewhere if they'd quit fucking around and polish it up.
I get the same feeling whenever I played Eternal Silence.
This may have something to do with the fact that both Empires and Eternal Silence started as Battlefield 1942 mods.
Just saying.
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