Links: Main Website, NeoGAF Steam Group, Dev Stalker
Platforms: PC (Steam)
Players: 1-32 (12-18 recommended)
Release Date: October 30th 7:00 PM EST
Developer: Unknown World's Entertainment
Natural Selection 2 is an RTS-FPS Hybrid combining the fast paced gun combat, brutally fast first-person melee, and traditional resource based RTS commanding.
It is the sequel to the wildly popular Gold-Src mod which came out in 2002. Ten years later and after six years of development, NS is back built on a new proprietary
engine with different gameplay ideas and refinements.
This game is not just some thrown together mish-mash of these genres and fighting styles, rather, each part of the game is unique and finely crafted like some
über powerful anime plot-hole weapon: unwieldy and hectic in the hands of the weak, deadly and precise in the hands of the master.
Engagements between sides last for a matter of seconds, but these seemingly small tactical victories lend to greater strategic captures for the winning combatants.
Each team is lead by a commander who, from an RTS isometric perspective, views the battlefield whilst placing structures, issuing orders, researching technology, and
capturing resources. The other players play either as a variety of evolutionarily formed Kharaa (read aliens) or as an enlisted TFA Frontiersman (read marines or 'rines)
using mankind's best weapons.
The environment the game takes place in is dynamic with power being able to be knocked out from room to room, allowing for terror-inducing pitch black combat (save for a
marine's flashlight). Furthermore, all alien expansion is marked by infestation: pock-marked with orange glowing cysts, a living green ooze takes over entire rooms
and finds its way into the tiniest crevices. As a marine, you may want to have a flamethrower handy.
The game encourages fraternization and team work through the command system and more especially through the Wait Room (f4 for all you noobs). In the Wait Room
teams can talk, taunt, and have dance parties before and after the game. From this room you join a team, spectate, or just lolly-gaggle in one of the many secret rooms.
The game is built upon Unknown Worlds Entertainment's very own proprietary Spark Engine. It is a AAA-like deferred renderer with 100% real-time lighting, shadow
casting lights, atmospherics, reflections, Ambient Occlusion and much more in the future. All of the game code is written in LUA and is extremely modifiable. The game
launches with Mod tools including a compiler, debugger, level editor, model viewer, and cinematic editor (think Source Film Maker). Many mods are already in development
and some will be available at launch (NS2classic, Combat Revived, and numerous aesthetic mods...).
The purpose of the game is to eliminate the opposing team entirely. Specifically, this means killing their means for building and re-spawning. If you are a marine your
goal is to kill the enemy hive(s). As an alien your goal is to destroy the enemy Command Station.
To accomplish these goals the respective teams spread out along the map capturing resources by building collector structures on res points. The resources collected
from these points are collected into two pools: divided into Personal Res (PRes) and collated into Team Resources (TRes). The commander uses TRes and the individual players
use PRes. To increase their technology and abilities each side must build ancillary structures and capture tech points. Tech points are locations at which hives and
Command Stations can be grown/built and allow for new bases entirely. All marine structures require power from power nodes and will cease to function without power (and
the lights will go off!). All alien structures except for clogs, hydras, and hives require infestation. When a structure lacks infestation it will slowly die.
Playing as a marine is quite standard FPS fair, that is to say, FPS's from around the year 2003. There is much more halo in this than there is Call of Duty. You have an armor
and a health value that do not regenerate (excluding armouries and commander health packs) and guns which have basically no recoil. There is no AODTS but there is a sprint
button. Your skill comes from avoiding Alien melee attacks, firing accurately, and knowing when and when not to reload. Your PRes is spent on weapon purchases, accessories,
jet packs, and Exo Suits. Being a marine is a tough life though and can be quite scary for a new player not used to jumps and scares.
Playing an alien is almost completely different from playing a marine. Instead of spending accumulated PRes on weapons you turn into an embryo (egg) and evolve
into an entirely different life form with a different purpose and abilities. Replacing ammunition is an energy bar which limits your ability to attack for etended periods of time
and limits your ability to use special abilities. Furthermore, almost all of your attacks as these lifeforms are melee, so you have to become
skilled at closing the distance between you and your foe. Being skilled as an alien primarily requires Quake style movement precision and the ability to know when
and when not to engage. Either that means to ambush your enemy from the the shadows, or position yourself to leave a fight rather quickly.
As mentioned in the overview playing as marine is similar to other FPS's. Even though this is true the way the guns play and are purchased is very specific. To buy
weapons using PRes you have to have a commander built amoury. From this armoury pressing the use key you can select weapons to purchase and also stock up
on health, amour, and ammo. More advanced weapons are researched by the commander and are purchased from the advanced armoury (an upgraded armory)
or from the Prototype Lab (a structure whose armaments may only be purchased by the capturing of a second tech point).
BASIC WEAPONS
LIGHT MACHINE GUN (LMG)
The light machine gun is an all purpose weapon that is used throughout the entire game. Due to commander weapon upgrades, this gun scales as larger alien lifeforms come out.
It has little to no recoil and is accurate from all ranges. Its secondary attack is a rifle butt which is OK in desperate times. Your rifle is extremely good against low end lifeforms with
it only taking about 12 bullets to kill one skulk (out of 50 per magazine). What is important is accuracy and target tracking.
PISTOL
The pistol is an extremely quick firing semi automatic sniping weapon. It has great accuracy over range but has a limited magazine. Use it to snipe enemies from a far or
quickly switch to it to kill retreating enemies after expending your LMG.
SWITCH AXE
A weapon of desperation that is only melee range. It excels at killing structures and is best used to kill structures while ninja'ing and to save ammo.
SHOTGUN (SG)
The shotgun is a pump-action death dealer that can stop most xenoforms in their tracks with just 1 or 2 shots. It does good structure damage and is a great weapon to hunt
singular lifeforms down with. People tend to think it is OP (it aint)
MINES
A defensive weapon used to secure lonely structures or important areas. You are given 3 after buying them. Place them wisely.
WELDER
Similar damage to the Switch axe with a bit more range. It is mainly used to repair fellow marine amour and structures. Keep one of these handy if you are going to repair a
power node or if you are fighting alongside and Exo.
ADVANCED WEAPONS
GRENADE LAUNCHER (GL)
The Grenade Launcher is a 4 round semi automatic parabolic firing beast used to siege hive rooms or clear out vents, be careful though, a misplaced grenade can end your
own life. Great in combination with a Jet Pack to kill a hive.
FLAMETHROWER
The Flame Thrower is a curious weapon: it deals damage over time and is extremely efficient at killing Khaara cysts (the bulbs which spread infestation). It also has the side
effect of causing all lifeforms that are on fire to have greatly reduced energy regeneration, thereby making quicker lifeforms easier to kill.
JET PACK
The Jet Pack is not a weapon but rather a tool for mobility. Upgraded with a Jet Pack a marine can fly for short periods and accelerate his movement speed. This makes
him a harder to hit target and grants him new vantages to fight the enemy from.
EXO-SUIT (VANILLA AND DUAL MINIGUN)
The Exo-suit and dual Minigun Exo are new technology entirely exclusive to NS2. In trade for his standard marine load out for the cost of 50 or 75 PRes, the marine dawns
the Exo-Suit armor and becomes a lumbering behemoth. Within the suit you are equipped with a power fist (think Warhammer 40K), a mini-gun, lots of defensive armor,
flood-lights, motion tracking HUD, and even small jump jets for manueverability. You may feel like a god, but be careful to not be overly ambitious: have your marine allies
constantly weld you and don't weary too far from your squad. Don't forget that you cannot be beaconed!
As mentioned in the Overview, playing as an Alien is a different experience. You spend your PRes to evolve yourself to a new life form and gain new abilities
by the commander upgrading them upon the acquisition of new hives (Hive 2 being the most vital). Furthermore you have access to secondary mutations (also
researched and chosen by the commander) which grant you passive abilities which change and aid your style of play. These will be covered in a later section.
LIFEFORMS
SKULK
The skulk is the lifeform which a player will most likely spend more than a majority of his/her playtime during a game. As a skulk your main attack is a bite and your
secondary is parasite. Bite damages marines in melee range and parasite is a ranged attack that inflicts small damage, but allows you to see your parasited target through
walls after scoring a hit. In the early game your damage is quite fine with the ability to kill a marine in 3 bites or 2 bites and 1 parasite. Even then you will have to engage
from ambush or overwhelm your opponent. Surprise and speed are your advantage. Your ability to ambush comes from your ability to walk on ceilings, walls, and through
ventilation. You can increase your speed by "Wall Jumping:" a movement in which you jump onto a wall and quickly jumping off of it by which increasing your momentum.
Your later game upgrades are Leap and Xenocide. Leap is makes your right-click quickly accelerate your skulk in the pointed direction giving it a great movement advantage.
Xenocide is a kamikaze attack in which your skulk charges up for a short duration whilst the screen overloads in a green color: the finale of which is your own death in an
explosion of infestation. This does great damage to marines but only light damage to structures. During the game you should try and move around with other skulks in packs
and then harass enemy resource towers by yourself when the opportunity arises.
GORGE
The Gorge is the support, bombardier, and incredibly cute lifeform of NS2. His main attack is a ranged spit and his secondary attack is a close proximity heal spray.
Spit does OK damage to marines and slightly obscures their screen. Heal spray does minor damage to marines but allows the gorge to heal teammates and structures.
Beyond these abilities the gorge can also vomit out tiny structures to aid in the offense and defense of the team: Hydras and Clogs. Hydras are small ranged structures
which shoot light damaging spines at the enemy. They are not potent enough to ensure a great defense, but are excellent road blocks. Clogs are essentially minecraft spheres
which the gorge can place anywhere on the map to block off areas, line of sight, or hide vulnerable structures. Many interesting and strategic things can be done with clogs.
The late game ability of the gorge is Bile Bomb. A shorter ranged attack which logs a piece of vomit at the enemy in a parabola. The bile form the bombs explosion causes
a short burst of damage and then a long duration of damage over time. This effect stacks. Also, spam the taunt command.
LERK
The Lerk is the is the flying and harassment Alien class. His main attacks are spikes and poison bite. Spikes are a hit scan ranged weapon that does moderate damage.
Bite is a melee attack which does burst damage and leaves a linger DOT on the affected marine. Your primary role is harass enemy marines out from a position and act as
a distraction while your allies close the gap. Along with your ability to fly by tapping space bar, you can roost in a position like a bat and harass the enemy from a hidden vantage
point. Your late game upgrades are spores and umbra. Spores is an active ability which leaves a trail of noxious gas from the underside of your lerk. This slowly disperses and
falls to the floor whilst dealing damage over time to organic targets (just basic marines). Umbra is a activated ranged buff for allies and yourself which shoots out from your lerk.
Any friendly unit which walks through this cloud of orange haze will cause every other bullet from an enemy weapon to miss: essentially having the damage received.
FADE
The fade is the ultimate predatory class for the Aliens. His main attack is swipe with his secondary being shadow step. His upgraded ability is Blink, but it is basically integral to
the way the class plays. If you evolve, fade, make sure your Khammander has researched Blink. Swipe is a normal melee attack that does more damage than a skulk
bite. Blink and shadow step is where the power of the fade really lies. Phasing himself out of reality that fade becomes a hard to see and fast moving ethereal form. Although
still vulnerable to fire while blinking, a fade is a hard to see and track target. Shadow step is similar to blink but is a very short duration and the fade only half-phases: he is
more visible but is able to side and back step allowing for deft dodging. While other classes are fighting the war of attrition, your goal as a fade is to terrorize the enemy in
lightning quick in-and-out attacks. Try and single out a marine and make him pay. You will be the bane of most new players, they will barely understand how to even fight you
if you are good. Fade players are usually some of the most skilled in the game and have notoriously high kill ratios. Your end game upgraded ability is Vortex. VOrtex is a melee
range cast spell of sorts that creates a vortex that effects all nearby enemy units and structures. These units and structures become temporarily phased and are unable to deal
or take damage. This is good to isolate people within a group or shutdown enemy technology. Be careful though, you may have OK armour and health values but a misuse
of energy or the wrong engagement may leave you dead very quickly.
ONOS
The Onos is the alien line breaker and tank unit. Covered in clad in thick armour and bristling with muscles the Onos is a lifeform to fear. The onos has as much health and
amour as about 15 skulks combined. Before you see him you are most likely to hear him as his run causes the floor to shake and rattle with noise. His main attack is Gore which
is pretty self explanatory. His secondary attack is charge which quickly accelerates the onos to a ramming speed dealing damage and allowing him to leave and enter a fight
quite well. As an onos you are tasked with taking the fight to the enemy and being the rally point for an Alien team. All could feel lost but an onos can quickly turn the tide of
battle. Usually accompanied by one or two gorges for healing purposes, an Onos will run into a room and cause as much havoc as possible; either killing marines or damaging
structures and power. His Gore attack switches to a slamming attack when used on structures and does a massive 200 damage. His late game ability is Stomp. An AOE
disable in front of the onos which knocks over marines and temporarily de-powers structures. It also looks and sounds really bad ass.
UPGRADES
Coming Soon...