Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 12:20 am Post subject: Natural Selection 2 Teaser, Pre-orders Open
After years of waiting, it looks like Natural Selection 2 is nearing release and available for pre-order! Natural Selection 2 is a multiplayer game mixing first-person shooter and real-time strategy gameplay that pits aliens against humans in a strategic struggle for survival. It is a standalone commercial sequel to the popular Half-life mod and is scheduled for release in Fall 2009. The hallway and alien footage shown in this movie was filmed entirely in-engine and showcases one of the playable classes - the "Onos".
To celebrate the seventh anniversary of the release of the original Natural Selection, Unknown Worlds has released some new screenshots along with an update of the current status of the game. I have been playing a ton of the original Natural Selection since the pre-orders for NS2 opened, and I have been completely addicted for the last few months. There really is no other game out there like it, and I am extremely excited for NS2. I already have the game pre-ordered, and if you are planning on getting NS2 at some point you should pre-order as well to get access to the upcoming beta.
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There is nothing touched-up in these shots. Like editing with our tools, what you see is what you get! We hope you enjoy the style and direction we're going in and these give you little flutters in your belly (excitement, that is). Now onto the more detailed description of the game's status.
What used to be our biggest problem, environment artwork, is no longer a problem. We had a lot of difficulties transitioning from the texture-based levels of NS1 to the much more detailed prop-based levels in current generation games. Matt has done a great job leading the environment art and we now think we'll have enough level textures and models for the first release of maps (based around our "refinery" art set). Our player models (including all the aliens and marines) are done. We're cranking on weapon models and structures and we're right on track with them. Animation remains a large task (we have two animators) but we're bringing on a third animator now so we hope that will reduce the workload there. Our sound effects are going much faster than expected and sound fantastic. We're just starting the score but we expect to have a full soundtrack when we ship.
Engine programming has been going really well, although there's only so much a lone programmer (albeit, a programming genius) can do. So far Max has written about 80% of an entirely new engine and tool set from scratch. That includes the renderer, level editor, cinematic editor (used to make the teaser), Lua Debugger, networking, physics integration, animation system, auto-updater, builder and a whole bunch of smaller programs that tie everything together (not to mention performance and compatibility). Almost all of this is from scratch and it's all designed to run on low end hardware and be cross-platform. It's been really incredible to watch.
The great thing about the pre-orders is that they have allowed us to hire another programmer (although it took some time to find the right person) and he will help tremendously. I imagine there will be some significant relief and stress-reduction for Max to know that not quite everything is resting on his shoulders any more. Pre-orders have also allowed us to put the Heavy/Exoskeleton into the game, which was previously cut. We were also thinking seriously of cutting Dynamic Infestation but luckily we averted that.
Most of the game design is done and all the basic game systems are implemented. We still have more work to do on our particle system, weapon effects, Commander Mode interface and lots of little things like synching animations and sounds and that elusive "feel". It's surprising how even with so many great assets and so much tech, we still have so much to do to make this a great game.
Something that may not be apparent is that while it's been 7 years since the release of NS1, it's been a much shorter time that we've been actively working on NS2. After the 20+ patches (including some doozies), there was a lot of time trying to get this company funded. Max joined at the end of 2006 and that's when things started moving. We got an office and were up to four people in April of 2007 and Cory joined us that summer. It's pretty hard to develop a game without an Art Director, so artistically we've only really been working since then (previous artwork was scrapped). Even then, we didn't have any animators, modelers or level designers. Only in the past few months have we actually had more or less a full team working on the game.
So it's been a long road and a heck of a lot of work, but we know we're on the right track. Halloween is always a special time for us, as it makes us remember back when we launched a gutsy, laggy game called Natural Selection. I know many of you who are reading this played on that night and have supported us through all our ups and downs. If you like what we're doing and still believe in what we're doing, please consider pre-ordering if you haven't yet. We want to make sure we're not saying the same thing next Halloween...
Oh wow, this is the first I have seen of a NS2 game! I used to play the first a lot with a friend.. I have been watching some of these videos and they look pretty sick..when does it come out exactly?
Oh wow, this is the first I have seen of a NS2 game! I used to play the first a lot with a friend.. I have been watching some of these videos and they look pretty sick..when does it come out exactly?
No exact release date, but I believe its supposed to be first quarter this year. If you pre-order (the game is only $20), you get access to the beta.
They have already released the level editor. If you browse the NS2 forums you can see that people are making some awesome maps already.
The first look at the new "Lerk" alien class in Natural Selection 2.
Gameplay
As the primary ranged and support fighter on the alien team, he's able to shoot spikes or clouds of spores. He is the most nimble alien with the ability to fly, glide and roost.
The biggest change for the Lerk in NS2 is the switch back to spikes instead of bite (as in NS v1.0). We wanted to keep him as differentiated as possible and this seemed the easiest way to do it. It also doesn't seem very Lerk-like to have him fly up to a structure and then sit on the ground and bite it. He should be hiding in the rafters and in vents and attacking from range.
Spikes So his main attack is a rapid-fire spike attack. These don't have the super-long range as they did in NS v1.0 which means the Lerk must be in medium range to do damage to its target. The spikes fall with gravity and have some spread to them. They are good against marines and structures alike, although Skulks are more effective at bringing structures down quickly.
The alt-fire for spikes is new, although many community members will recognize it as an ongoing feature request. Alt-fire zooms his view and changes his spike attack into more of a sniper attack. This will let him hide in dark places and pick off marines. We also plan on adding a cool bit of flavor with this - if the sniper spike kills a marine standing near a wall, the spike will impale him up against it.
Spores The spore attack works like NS1 - it shoots a spore projectile that becomes a lingering spore cloud where it hits. Any marines in this spore cloud take damage over time. This is a great area control weapon and should allow Lerks to try to force marines out of an area, or prevent them from entering an area. We will probably still have heavy armor marines (info coming) be immune to this spore damage. We currently don't have an alt-fire attack for spores but are open to suggestions!
Roost We plan on allowing the Lerk to hold his crouch key when near a ceiling to flip upside down and roost there. When roosting, his view is upside-down and he's able to spike and spore from above. This is something I really wanted in NS1 and I can't wait to see it in NS2!
There are a couple upgrades planned for the Lerk as well, including Adrenaline, which increases his energy recuperation and Piercing which adds extra damage (and a satisfying "crack" sound) to the spike alt-fire.
Damage Types in NS2. I love games that do stuff like this.
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Hey everyone,
I wanted to discuss damage types in NS2 briefly, and it's a bit much to discuss properly for tweet.
Damage types are standard and crucial in strategy games. Ie, this unit does 10 damage to armored targets, but only 7 damage to everything else. This creates much more interesting unit combinations and tactics. For example:
1. If I have an A that does +30% damage to your B, so I move it in for the kill.
2. But you know that your B is vulnerable to my A so you try to use your C to keep my A away from your B.
3. I see this happening, so I reinforce with my D which I hope will kill or delay your C long enough for my original A to attack your B.
At this point, the combinations start to explode. What appeared to be a simple battle is now becoming something much more - we have ambushes, planning, scouting (counter-planning), etc. Where does the rabbit hole end? This emergent depth is one of the big reasons we play strategy games.
By contrast, without variable damage types (payoffs), everything just does damage and there is little maneuvering, tactics or interest. I just build more and better units and so do you. They fight, and whomever built more wins.
But there's a down-side of course - adding these damage types makes the game more difficult to learn and understand. Which targets are armored? How can I see the damage bonus at work? When my army meets your army and mine gets decimated because I didn't realize my units only do half damage to yours, I may get frustrated and leave. For this reason, and because most FPS players aren't thinking in terms of damage types (and don't want to have to read online to see why their one-shot sniper shot didn't kill their target), damage types are largely omitted in FPS games.
For a game that blends RTS and FPS like NS though, damage types are a must. The thing to remember is that damage types will bring all the depth and less of the difficulty if you strive to make them intuitive. This means checking the 'look' of creatures and weapons and trying to be faithful to how players THINK they should fare against each other.
The lerk looks "unarmored"
Here are some of the goals for damage types in NS2:
* Technology shouldn't obsolete other technology. Ie, skulks will be seen throughout the game and not just because they're cheap!
* There shouldn't be overlap between weapons or abilities. We are a small team so we can't afford to do this anyways.
* A basic marine with a rifle, and a vanilla skulk should always feel effective. This is to make sure new players joining a game in progress have fun.
* Single-minded strategies should be counterable. Ie, a room full of hydras should be assailable.
* An Onos shouldn't be ripped apart (or even really bothered) by sentries, nor should he be demeaned by spending a lot of time taking out structures. It does not befit his position in the food chain.
* The more armor that appears in the art, the more armor the unit has (marine structures have some, the Onos has tons, marines have a little, etc.).
There are more, but these are the basics. With these in mind, here are the basic damage types that are currently in NS2 (in development, not final):
* Normal - Regular damage (Rifle, Bite)
* Puncture - Extra damage vs. armor (Fade swipe, Pistol, Shotgun)
* Piercing - Increased vs. players (Minigun, Lerk spikes)
* Light - Half vs. armor (Sentries, Hydras)
* Structural - Double against structures (Onos gore, SwitchAxe, Rifle grenades)
* Gas - Breathing targets only (Spores, Rifle nerve gas grenades)
* Biological - Living/organic targets only (Parasite, Flamethrower)
* StructuresOnly - Doesn't damage players or AI units (MASC, Whip Bombard)
Here are some beneficial effects of these simple types:
1. Basic marines and skulks are versatile.
2. Shotguns won't absolutely waste skulks but are especially good at more advanced lifeforms and armored structures (Crags).
3. Lerks aren't especially effective at taking out structures from a distance (something that was a problem in old versions of NS1).
4. Marines can take down alien structures relatively quickly when they aren't defended (ie, when they have taken down defenders and pull out their axes).
5. When heavy marines are gassed by lerks, they aren't affected.
Thinking about damage types in this way is also a good tool for evaluating a new weapon or ability. If it seems to fit the same role as another, its role needs to be re-thought.
In fact, now I see some changes that are necessary...
We thought we'd take a moment to show you the updated version of one of the favorite weapons from NS1 (unless you were a Skulk...) - the Shotgun.
The Vortex Tactical Shotgun
For this update we wanted to give you a further look into the Marine's arsenal, with the all important shotgun.
In keeping with the look and design of the rest of the NS2 marine weapons and equipment, the shotgun deploys out of its compact inactive state when drawn. We wanted the shotgun to have a reasonable amount of bulk and to feel solid and powerful in the first person view. Here is a render of the finished in-game model:
Beyond the visual overhaul, the essence of the shotgun remains intact from NS1. It is a beefy upgrade for marines which will allow them to take the offensive early and push through an expanding or unprepared enemy. Currently it is also good vs. armor so it should also prove effective at larger aliens. It's biggest disadvantage is its range - it won't be accurate or effective at medium or long-range targets.
And here is some brief in-game footage put together quickly to give you a taste for the what the shotgun looks and sounds like in game as it blasts the heck out of walls, dust particles, and thin air.
You can also see that we're doing our best to keep the HUD clear of numbers by putting the ammo count on the weapon itself. We're hoping to have the 6 lights on the side indicate how many shots you have left in the clip but this isn't implemented yet.
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