With 2.0 Dawning..
MEShootHere
Join Date: 2002-11-05 Member: 6975Members
Join Date: 2002-11-05 Member: 6975Members
<div class="IPBDescription">How about a small personal review</div> With 2.0 dawning upon us mortals I thought I'd give a little sort of personal review as I have experienced NS since its first release.
What NS meant for me,
By ME<--ShootHere!!
What NS meant for me was the first ever mix of RTS and FPS which worked. I have always been a fan of RTS games but my skill in the RTS area has been less than admirable. I liked setting up traps and building nice defenses but generally there was too much going on for me to handle. NS does not have that, every unit *IS* one unit (except the comm but I never comm as I suck <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->). This extraordinar mix proves that although certain techniques work best even a flawless technique still depends on good players to bring it to conclusion. This sort of teamwork (if it does indeed happen) is even more satisfactory than when playing games like TFC or every other class based mod.
As a marine I often find myself sweating (yes, sweating) when heading for a waypoint alone to catch up with the squad or build something..
This is a much different experience than a game played in a single player campaign..where there's always save points/saves/quicksaves/etc to save you from those embarassing moments. Even a "/god" and "/allammo" when nobody's looking. In NS you don't have that. It's just you, a trusty gun and, if you're lucky, a squad to depend upon. The reason why the tension is so high is because human players are creative. They will hide in the oddest of places to catch a meal. You'd never expect a skulk to hang from the ceiling just outside the CC, but it does happen..you walk our merrily thinking you got a few yards of safety before you have to start paying attention. The next thing ya know...yer dogfood.
Also I like the feeling you get when a few guys spend some good times together (this sounds a lot nastier than meant <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->) and actually start taking roles in a squad. I don't mean the HA/Welder relationship, but i mean that special bond you get when a few LMG rines decide to head out and cover territory. It's just magical!
As a Kharaa the experience is very different. As I have stated in many a post I do not like going fade or onos. I leave the powerhousing to those good at it. I'm the sneaky ****. The annoying little mosquito that bit you just right between the shoulder blades and you can't scratch there. I like the lerk as just an annoyance class and the skulk to just constantly pick out marines and pester them. The satisfaction one gets from a successful hunt is amazingly great and so I usually remain skulk until late game when lerks are needed for umbra. The team experience is not marine only mind you, the kharaa also have their share of teamwork. Of course many a time youll have the suiciding onos/fade stuff but you will also have gorge players that really appreciate you escorting them to their destination. Or working as two skulks to make that ambush even more effective. Only one player may get the kills, but both deserve the credit for the bodycount. And finally managing to back up that frontal assault with umbra as a lerk is just great too. You manage to help out an entire squad of the powerhouses who would go down a LOT quicker if you didn't help them.
The graphics themselves are good. Much tighter than many a HL mod out there. Although some of the graphics are odd (certain buggy death animation) and what seems to be some missing features, overall the design works very well. The marines do look gritty and worn, the kharaa look like evolutions of each other, the alien chambers look just amazing and the onos...ooooh the onos....
The sound is rather good altho shallow at some points. The death sounds are rather sparse and uneventful, the voice comms, though clear are rather repetitive (spamming doesnt help). On the other hand some of the alien speech binds work well (although they seem to be incomprehensible) and the sound of an onos using primal scream is just awesome. Some of the gun sounds work well, others could pack a bit more punch..but turn up yer stereo loud enough and that happens anyway <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->.
The ambient sounds are good, very very good. The use of sparse music and lots of steam/buzzing/machine sounds really give that nasty mechanic and sterile feel to the world of NS.
Not much to say about the gameplay. The menu driven interface works perfectly. Haven't played much comm so I cannot judge. Can't say there is much to be said about that other than a missing minimap which seems to have no purpose at all.
This is my personal little review of NS as it is now. Some points have been fixed in 2.0, some haven't. It's not a complaint or anything it is what *I* think of NS. I love NS, I love playing NS, I love the community in NS.
I hope some more people will give their views on why they like NS as well, what gives them satisfaction in the game. Why NS and not Alien vs Predator? Why NS and not TFC? Why NS and not DoD? What makes *YOU* play NS?
This is what I had to say.
Cheerios,
ME!
What NS meant for me,
By ME<--ShootHere!!
What NS meant for me was the first ever mix of RTS and FPS which worked. I have always been a fan of RTS games but my skill in the RTS area has been less than admirable. I liked setting up traps and building nice defenses but generally there was too much going on for me to handle. NS does not have that, every unit *IS* one unit (except the comm but I never comm as I suck <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->). This extraordinar mix proves that although certain techniques work best even a flawless technique still depends on good players to bring it to conclusion. This sort of teamwork (if it does indeed happen) is even more satisfactory than when playing games like TFC or every other class based mod.
As a marine I often find myself sweating (yes, sweating) when heading for a waypoint alone to catch up with the squad or build something..
This is a much different experience than a game played in a single player campaign..where there's always save points/saves/quicksaves/etc to save you from those embarassing moments. Even a "/god" and "/allammo" when nobody's looking. In NS you don't have that. It's just you, a trusty gun and, if you're lucky, a squad to depend upon. The reason why the tension is so high is because human players are creative. They will hide in the oddest of places to catch a meal. You'd never expect a skulk to hang from the ceiling just outside the CC, but it does happen..you walk our merrily thinking you got a few yards of safety before you have to start paying attention. The next thing ya know...yer dogfood.
Also I like the feeling you get when a few guys spend some good times together (this sounds a lot nastier than meant <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->) and actually start taking roles in a squad. I don't mean the HA/Welder relationship, but i mean that special bond you get when a few LMG rines decide to head out and cover territory. It's just magical!
As a Kharaa the experience is very different. As I have stated in many a post I do not like going fade or onos. I leave the powerhousing to those good at it. I'm the sneaky ****. The annoying little mosquito that bit you just right between the shoulder blades and you can't scratch there. I like the lerk as just an annoyance class and the skulk to just constantly pick out marines and pester them. The satisfaction one gets from a successful hunt is amazingly great and so I usually remain skulk until late game when lerks are needed for umbra. The team experience is not marine only mind you, the kharaa also have their share of teamwork. Of course many a time youll have the suiciding onos/fade stuff but you will also have gorge players that really appreciate you escorting them to their destination. Or working as two skulks to make that ambush even more effective. Only one player may get the kills, but both deserve the credit for the bodycount. And finally managing to back up that frontal assault with umbra as a lerk is just great too. You manage to help out an entire squad of the powerhouses who would go down a LOT quicker if you didn't help them.
The graphics themselves are good. Much tighter than many a HL mod out there. Although some of the graphics are odd (certain buggy death animation) and what seems to be some missing features, overall the design works very well. The marines do look gritty and worn, the kharaa look like evolutions of each other, the alien chambers look just amazing and the onos...ooooh the onos....
The sound is rather good altho shallow at some points. The death sounds are rather sparse and uneventful, the voice comms, though clear are rather repetitive (spamming doesnt help). On the other hand some of the alien speech binds work well (although they seem to be incomprehensible) and the sound of an onos using primal scream is just awesome. Some of the gun sounds work well, others could pack a bit more punch..but turn up yer stereo loud enough and that happens anyway <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->.
The ambient sounds are good, very very good. The use of sparse music and lots of steam/buzzing/machine sounds really give that nasty mechanic and sterile feel to the world of NS.
Not much to say about the gameplay. The menu driven interface works perfectly. Haven't played much comm so I cannot judge. Can't say there is much to be said about that other than a missing minimap which seems to have no purpose at all.
This is my personal little review of NS as it is now. Some points have been fixed in 2.0, some haven't. It's not a complaint or anything it is what *I* think of NS. I love NS, I love playing NS, I love the community in NS.
I hope some more people will give their views on why they like NS as well, what gives them satisfaction in the game. Why NS and not Alien vs Predator? Why NS and not TFC? Why NS and not DoD? What makes *YOU* play NS?
This is what I had to say.
Cheerios,
ME!
Comments
ahh... why NS and not some other game
the thing that I love about NS is the teamplay wich is used much more than CS (yes i played that before NS) and it doesnt become a fraghunt where people gets mad at eachother because they "stole" a frag from someone.
The kharaa isn't wath i expected them to be i thougt they would be more like the aliens in gloom ( a quake2 mod) wich is totaly dependant on how many frags they get. although there are some things that made them the weaker side in 1.0x i still loved to play them and try to outsmart the marines, not that it aleays works but anyway.
the marines are fun to play when you dont play with whiners and the feeling of go skulk hunting with a squad of lmg's is unbeatable.
Well done though ^^
Cheats? I never use cheats... unless I've beat the game and there are some fun cheats
(like weapons you can only get using the cheatcode)
That... Was... Beatiful...
(like weapons you can only get using the cheatcode) <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Oh I suck too much to not use cheats. Thats why I play online games..set difficulty (so to speak).
Using cheats gives me the chance to explore things a bit more..I only cheat single player though, NEVER EVER multiplayer..I loathe multiplayer cheaters.
I play NS for the teamwork (f*ck frags), RTS element, tense/spooky gameplay, GREAT graphics and maps, great sounds (ambience used beautifully) and all the possibilities that come with such diverse gameplay and big, sophisticated maps. Wow =D
I bought HL just to play ns. It removed the boringness of death after death in CS to some bouncy AWP hack. To bouncy skulks with an insatiable hunger for man meat. Nothing compares to hunting down rine after rine or messing with the mind of a fellow player.
In the name of good ol' fashioned fun 3 cheers to ns!!!
- RD
(i expect 3 cheers from 3 different people, more if u feel like it)
Your disgusting!
Ur disgusting u didnt even give a cheer u oughta be castrated skulk style for ur ignorance.
- RD
One of the things I simply adore about NS is the Fade. Simply because it just looks pure EVIL <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
There's just no way to simulate that feeling of seeing a fade for the first time. The stalking walk it has, those long feindish claws, the black rippling skin topped off with a face full of teeth and glowing red eyes. The Fade can never be seen as anything but a perfectly designed predator: a hunter. Running around a courner and running straight into a fade is just spine chilling. Your weapons just seem so inadequate, and even encased in HA gripping a fully stocked HMG the sight of a Fade still makes me hesitate. I think that whilst all the alien classes have the right look for their role, none fullfills it better than the Fade. Heck it even looks damn nasty when it's JUMPING! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
I love the Fade. Even when there's one in my face turning my bones into resources, I can't help but love and fear them <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
In NS, there is the ocassional, Comm, He took ym HMG! tell him to give it back. But only on pubs, clan matches are something else. Teamwork teamwork. If you call usually someone will coem to help. If you die after calling, yopur teamates are able to know where you were and judge how long till skulks come and blasst em to tiny peices thus avenging your death.
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3 NS <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
And who can forget climbing on walls and ceiling, AVP2 is the first game i ever played with that feature and its more fun to do it on that game, but on NS its a MUST to survive.
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You have the feeling of accomplishment and conclusion when you win. The satisfaction when you kill that last Infantry Portal and the remaining marines or kill the last hive and all the aliens. AND it's been a team effort - even in pub games no matter how loosely, you are still working together.
Those epic games where your neck and neck for 2 hours and finally break through. Or where your stranded and close to losing, but you pull off a risky attack that puts you back in the game or even wins it for you.
That's what I love <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->