Natural Selection 2

[RandoM51]

Any NS players around here in the beta?

What do you think?

How does it compare to the original?

Is it going to be popular?

Is there enough to NS to turn it into a full game in its own right?

I never played it but have always been curious.

[Mashidar]

You know I loved the first one, back in the day I would play the heck out of it then for some odd reason I stopped playing. I think it was because the community had that whole Dota 2/League of Legends vibe where it was hostile to you if you were new to the game and were not sure how to play. Trying to be the commander for the first time was great fun, but had a huge learning curve because of the other players who demanded perfection.

So I'm going to see how NS 2 turns out then decide if I want to play it.

[digitalErich]

I've always wanted to try NS and was looking forward to NS2, but I have the same impression about the community.

[RandoM51]

I bought it today. Hope I'm not the only one here playing it when it comes out.

[Chaos Machine]

This game is basically an evolution of NS1, all the depth and complexity is retained while they have done some things to improve the user experience, like an improved interface and a beautiful graphics engine. If you have been longing for something deeper than CODPIECEBLOPS 11 or whatever military manshoot that is the flavor of the month, this could be up your alley.


To answer some of your other questions:

1. When it debuted on steam it was in the top 10 for indi games sold for a few weeks. I imagine as we get closer to the 31st sales will pick up. I think that enough people our out there to sustain the game in the long run. You also have the moddability aspect. They have created a really fantastic set of mod tools for the game and I expect all kinds of custom maps, weapons, and other art assets to enhance the game. I remember someone doing a complete overhaul of NS1 and replacing all of the Kharaa with the aliens from AVP.


I think it will be modestly successful, if it gets more press coverage it could even be a sleeper hit for the year.

[Libuke]

I have owned this game for a number of years all ready (I bought it a long time ago) so yes I plan to be playing it. I have only played a little bit of the beta, so am not very good at it. My computer doesn't run it the greatest but it is not to bad.

[RandoM51]

Tonight at 5pm pacific.

[RandoM51]

Launch Trailer

[Satertek]

Performance is still a long way from perfect, but I'm amazed that despite creating their own graphics engine from scratch, and how small their team is, that they've gotten this far.

And it's an absolute blast to play.

Been playing NS for 10 years today, don't plan on stopping now

[Exodus]

I'm addicted. The community is great. I totally want to be a kick ass commander.

[JayK47]

Is there a single player campaign for this game? Is it anything like XCOM or Valkyria?

[Libuke]

Originally Posted by JayK47

Is there a single player campaign for this game? Is it anything like XCOM or Valkyria?

No to all that.

It is a multiplayer FPS. Where one person on each side takes a commander role to choose what to research and to put buildings down.

[Exodus]

Originally Posted by Libuke

No to all that.

It is a multiplayer FPS. Where one person on each side takes a commander role to choose what to research and to put buildings down.

Well,

it's like the movie aliens and one player from either side takes a commander role. They build, research and expend resources as they see fit.

It's a team game with its own team fortress dynamic with the end tier units and healer units/equipment.

[Lint of Death]

I want this game.

[Jackel]

I'm loving this game, really need to get a round going with some Coggers. Still haven't tried the commander role yet.

[Exodus]

Originally Posted by Jackel

I'm loving this game, really need to get a round going with some Coggers. Still haven't tried the commander role yet.

I would call the commander role..

Starcraft.

I suggest doing explorer mode first because there is nothing worse than getting your ass handed to you while your commander is still trying to figure out where the light switch is.

EDIT:

just finished up 2 rounds. I almost strictly play commander leaning towards the alien side.

-Fast Expand
-Keep your team informed about threats and opportunities
-I'm a fan of celerity and always get it first
-Lurkers need upgrades because lurkers are awesome
-What I never see enough by alien commanders is building up outposts with crags and energy regen boosters, not having to trek all the way back to the hive can go a long way in my opinion

Signs you are going to lose:
-If your team doesn't go gorgers at all and is not dominating marines as skulkers