Anyone playing Natural Selection 2?

[Luca72]

Bringing it back y'all, bringing it BACK! The last NS2 topic that came up in the search closed back in November, so I figure a new one is warranted.

So, anyone still playing? I just picked it up two days ago and I'm having a blast. The learning curve is steep, but I'm getting the gist by checking my ego at the start screen and accepting my fate as an expendable grunt or an expendable lightning-fast harassment hellbeast.

The shooting is decent, but solid. The hunter-prey experience of the Skulk, Fade, and Lerk is fantastic. And when everyone works together as a team, the experience is unparalleled. I'm sure there are balance issues and gripes about the latest patch (aliens are dominating from what I understand), but these are minor blemishes on the surface of a monster of a game.

Let me know if there's already an Escapist group for this game. If not, hit me up on Steam at Luca72. After today my current semester is over, so I'll probably be playing a lot in the weeks to come.

 

[HaraDaya]

It's a boss game with a pretty mature community for the most part. People usually work together and don't point fingers when things go wrong. It's pretty much the most rewarding team-based game out there.

 

[Zenn3k]

I remember playing NS 1 when it was a half-life mod.

Was super fun, haven't gotten NS2 yet, but I might eventually, looks like the core of the game is basically the same, just vastly updated.

I hope they don't go too crazy with balancing, in the original game, the balance of power shifted wildly with each update. Aliens are ALWAYS stronger against an unorganized Marine force, but when the Marines organize THEY dominate. It can appear on the surface as wildly unbalanced (and it kinda is, you can't balance a skulk against a marine with a gun for example), but changes one way or the other are usually massive in terms of how it effects the game. This was true for NS1 anyway.

 

[DazZ.]

Playing it less because of Planetside, but it's still the best team based FPS I've played in a long time.

 

[Luca72]

I remember playing NS 1 when it was a half-life mod.

Was super fun, haven't gotten NS2 yet, but I might eventually, looks like the core of the game is basically the same, just vastly updated.

I hope they don't go too crazy with balancing, in the original game, the balance of power shifted wildly with each update. Aliens are ALWAYS stronger against an unorganized Marine force, but when the Marines organize THEY dominate. It can appear on the surface as wildly unbalanced (and it kinda is, you can't balance a skulk against a marine with a gun for example), but changes one way or the other are usually massive in terms of how it effects the game. This was true for NS1 anyway.

I agree. People on the Unknown Worlds forums are saying that in clan matches the Aliens are winning about 90% of the time, but I've found PUGs to be in a pretty good state. As it stands, I feel like the aliens have the potential to do the most damage, but each one is almost an art form to control.

Killing them is an art form too

As fun as the aliens are, I'm enjoying cutting my teeth as a marine. I love the constant tension of walking into an open room with your squad and just waiting for the inevitable ambush. Or the ill-advised lone rushes to a forward base where every moment feels like it's going to be your last. And the first Onos appearance scares the shit out of me every time!