Natural Selection 2: The First IN GAME shots

[Ravioli]

Ive always wondered how the hell one starts to write an engine from scratch. I mean, where do you start? Do you just open up Visual C++ and start writing some code...or do you have a bunch of APIs and special packages and other programs you mash together? Do you start with a framework? I just cant grasp how one can just simply write a new engine out of nowhere. SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS DARK MAGIC TO ME

 

[TheOneFreeMan]

Ive always wondered how the hell one starts to write an engine from scratch. I mean, where do you start? Do you just open up Visual C++ and start writing some code...or do you have a bunch of APIs and special packages and other programs you mash together? Do you start with a framework? I just cant grasp how one can just simply write a new engine out of nowhere. SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS DARK MAGIC TO ME

Same as how you create a computer chip from scratch.

MAGIK!!!

 

[KagePrototype]

Ive always wondered how the hell one starts to write an engine from scratch. I mean, where do you start? Do you just open up Visual C++ and start writing some code...or do you have a bunch of APIs and special packages and other programs you mash together? Do you start with a framework? I just cant grasp how one can just simply write a new engine out of nowhere. SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS DARK MAGIC TO ME

grab (or make) a few apis, grab an OS and throw logic at them

 

[CyberPitz]

grab (or make) a few apis, grab an OS and throw logic at them

Hmmm

"Two wrongs don't make a right!
What goes up must come down!"

I'm starting to understand!

 

[KagePrototype]

Hmmm

"Two wrongs don't make a right!
What goes up must come down!"

I'm starting to understand!

if (wrong.getCount() == 2) {
  right.setTruthiness(0);
}

while (object.yMove()) {
  object.yMoveSpeed--;
}

game programmers have it easy.

 

[mortiz-Redux]

Ive always wondered how the hell one starts to write an engine from scratch. I mean, where do you start? Do you just open up Visual C++ and start writing some code...or do you have a bunch of APIs and special packages and other programs you mash together? Do you start with a framework? I just cant grasp how one can just simply write a new engine out of nowhere. SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS DARK MAGIC TO ME

Well basically an engine is just an organized set of calls to an underlying API (like Direct3D, OpenGL, DirectSound etc), pretty much your entire engine is just a fancy wrapper for these calls, making sure that they're nice, extensible and understandable. Most of the recent advancements have been in shaders, and it's the shaders being being used (vertex, pixel and now geometry) which are what make games look nice.

By the "engine" what most people talk about is rendering, but technically your engine can be everything that is non-game specific while also being as platform independent as possible, a game engine is essentially a virtual machine for your game ontop of which the game sits and becomes an API for your game.

 

[Insano]

Man, I love this game. Played NS1 to death for years.

Already pre-ordered the special edition.

 

[Gargantou]

Once again, does anyone know if there's any plans to include a single-player mode and/or bot-support in NS2?

 

[Lucid]

There will no doubt be bot support.

 

[Gargantou]

There will no doubt be bot support.

Glad to hear that, hope the bots are decent(Think Killzone 2) and not crappy(Think another independent-game called Red Orchestra)

 

[CyberPitz]

I've heard no word on Bot support yet, but I'm sure they will try.

And I've pre-ordered the special edition the day I was allowed. I know I'll love this game. Then again, I am also a Constellation member. I FEEL LIKE I'M HELPING!

 

[Javert]

I'm assuming the people who are criticizing screenshots of NS2 never or only minimally played NS1.

I'm wondering whether or not there will be Combat play mode? I know it gets a bad rap, but I always preferred it and the fast pace as opposed to drawn-out NS mode.

 

[Ennui]

I hope there is, I always enjoyed Combat more than the majority of NS players I think.

Doesn't matter too much though, I'm going to be in heaven playing an NS that looks this good anyway.

 

[bam23]

Devs have said there wont be an official combat mode, which is a shame. They want to leave that to the modders.

Infinity Ward.

 

[StardogChampion]

Devs have said there wont be an official combat mode, which is a shame. They want to leave that to the modders.

Rightly so. That mode practically killed the game and reduced player numbers overnight.

 

[Lucid]

Doesn't bother me.
I hated combat mode with a passion.

 

[Lobster]

They are building the entire game around LUA scripts, which should make modding really easy, I just hope they can find a good pure server solution, so that its easy to find default games among the custom frenzy!

 

[Sliver]

Combat is pretty bad, and always will be. It's just amazing to be in a 2 hour game, capturing and re-capturing RT and Hives. Can't wait for this.

 

[MJ12]

I never played NS.

Been thinking about preordering this though..

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

I really hope this comes to Steam, as that is a major factor in whether or not I buy a game. I enjoyed Natural Selection a lot.

 

[MJ12]

Can someone explain why this "Combat Mode" was so awful?

 

[Min Rizor]

Can someone explain why this "Combat Mode" was so awful?

It wasn't so much the mode itself (except that it wasn't nearly as fun as regular NS and far more like a simplistic shootfest, so it could easily be ignored) but the crowd that it attracted: it drew in the more twitchy, obsessive players who then began to dominate the game in both combat and regular modes. Their hardcore attitude and general behavior (think along the lines of a CounterStrike junkie) really made me not want to play, despite all the fun I had playing before. A majority of the servers began to put combat maps on their rotation exclusively too, so it became so much harder to find a decent server that was running a regular NS map.

I used to play regular mode a lot with Tee Kyoo Em, and I know he was put off from the game for similar reasons. We both tended to play on the Kharaa side as often as we could, so it would seem that we preferred the more autonomous, slower style of gameplay, and combat mode stripped that away.

 

[StardogChampion]

Can someone explain why this "Combat Mode" was so awful?

The original NS mode was strategic and slow paced, combat mode was deathmatch.

The updated version of the original NS didn't help either (allowing Onos before 3 hives were built). That also made the game more fast-paced and people stopped using voice-comms/typing because there wasn't as much strategy or time to decide anything.

 

[MJ12]

So, if I were to play the original NS now, I would most likely not experience what originally made it good?

 

[Ennui]

No, you will. NS is still good. Last I played (probably a year or so ago) there was still a decent amount of players and servers. I was going to recommend you download it and check it out, it's insanely good for a mod. I'd say out of the multiplayer HL mods that weren't snapped up by Valve, NS is tied with The Specialists as my favorite. Do check out the normal game mode though, it's still better than combat.

You will be confused and get raped at first, so maybe read a guide or FAQ about the game first since it's a little complex to jump right into.

I guess why I don't hate Combat mode is because I am one of those twitch-happy FPS junkies that ruined NS

 

[Lucid]

I always wondered how NS and TS never got the attention of VALVe like DOD and CS.

 

[Sulkdodds]

For someone who's not familiar with NS and doesn't have the opportunity to round up some friends and play on a LAN server where they explain everything, Combat might be quite useful. It'll teach you the general feel of shooting and/or eating things in the game, and it will show you the strengths and weaknesses of different equipment and alien body mods (albeit without disclosing how, in the strategy game, you actually unlock them all).

 

[CyberPitz]

Combat is only good for a training simulation, should never be used as the majority of game modes available in game.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

I've been a loyal constellation member since early beta, and I'm hugely excited for a playable build. support.

You can bet that the minute Steam pre-orders pop up or impressions of an early alpha pop up I'll be the first in line to get a slice, but until then I always have trouble paying for theoretical products with no tangible, workable product in exchange.

That being said, I do suggest those that aren't poor college students to pre-order or simply donate to Charlie to support indie game development. Unknown Worlds is definitely one of, if not, the most promising up and comers in the indie development world. These guys have it all: the artistic talent, shipped products, a solid coding team and a more than sizable cult following--and on top of that recognition from several full fledged studious such as Valve (it's only a matter of time before NS2 makes it's way to Steam).

I simply can't wait. NS is arguably my favorite multiplayer game of all time. It had more flavor, gameplay depth and community than any full retail product in the Half-Life era--and it was a damn mod.

 

[CyberPitz]

If I'm not mistaken, before they started developing their own engine, they said they WERE going to hit Steam. They didn't take that back after the engine change, so I'll have to assume *plus it's obvious...* that it will hit Steam. I just can't wait to see this game come into fruition.

 

[Hazar]

I tried NS a long time ago but never really had much fun with it because I never got past the learning curve. This one does look awesome and I'll give it a try if there's something free they let you play.

TS = best HL mod ever.

 

[CyberPitz]

The learning curve of NS these days is very steep, because you won't be able to kill/do anything because of the skill level of the others. For someone who has been playing on and off for years, I still suck massively in comparison to everybody else.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

My Half-Life mod (excluding CS/DOD) awesomeness top 3:

1. Natural-Selection
2. Science & Industry
3. Firearms

But there any many, many others. I remember a great Vietnam mod that I played for a few weeks. Not to mention Sven Co-op, The The Specialists, Action Half-Life, The Trenches, Battlegrounds, Pirates Vikings & Knights, etc...

 

[Eejit]

The learning curve of NS these days is very steep, because you won't be able to kill/do anything because of the skill level of the others. For someone who has been playing on and off for years, I still suck massively in comparison to everybody else.

We should totally get HL2.net game going some time. Pick an empty server, get a whole bunch of us playing, ease the curious uninitiated folk into it (relatively) gently.

 

[CyberPitz]

We should totally get HL2.net game going some time. Pick an empty server, get a whole bunch of us playing, ease the curious uninitiated folk into it (relatively) gently.

I can't say I don't like that idea.

 

[Dekstar]

You're in America Pitzy! The lag would be INSAAAANE.

 

[CyberPitz]

Then I'll lag around while biting your ass as the Skulk.

 

[Ravioli]

The map editor has just been released for those who preordered the game. Oh god i want it so bad. If anyone who has a key and is not interested in mapping, could you please PM me so i can get my hands on this one

http://www.naturalselection2.com/download

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Buy it for $20 then you cheapo

TBH, it's nothing special right now since there's no gameplay you can add in, nor can you test it in any way shape or form. It's literally just making level geometry, putting in props and lighting and staring at the goodness you just created.

Can't wait until they release the alpha for special edition people hopefully "soon"!

 

[CyberPitz]

I'm with Iced. Can't wait. I'm no mapper, but I'm definitely going to play with it.