Maps

Status_Quo

<div class="IPBDescription">Do they actually have a background story</div> I'm not just talking about the short lines you can find (if you search for it) saying that, "oh, this is a small research station in the middle of nowhere. Then it was attacked and here you are." I mean, is there any history of the location, how the attack started, etc.

Rokiyo

Some maps do, some maps don't. Take a look in your nsp/maps directory and read the .txt files in there.

X_Stickman

All the maps follow the same story. It's a statio or a ship in deep space, the bacteria got aboard (No one knows how.... that's why they're so pesky to beat). The bacteria can not function well against the Nanotech on/in the station/ship, so it proceeds to a level 1 threat response, which is creating one hive in a dark corner and producing skulks.

To an unprepared and unsuspecting crew, one skulk is deadly. The skulk(s) then decimate the crew, and without the crew maintaining the nanotech net, it slowly starts to degrade, letting the bacteria take over more of the ship. When the TSA arives, the bacteria (which is really in control of the aliens) tests their strength by sending skulks at them. If the marines prove too powerful for skulks, the bacteria creates a level 2 response, which is a second hive, and with it, fades. If the marines cannot be beaten, the bacteria creates a third and final hive, and with it, the Onos. No marine crew has yet held off a determined Kharra force that have access to Oni, so we don't know if there is a level 4 response.

Anyway, that's the basic storyline right there. Of course, NS has changed it's gamepley slightly since the story was invented (I.E, Oni are very quick to appear) but the basic fact holds true.

Other maps (such as co_daimos) have their own storyline. It's up to the Mapper i guess.

Status_Quo

Oh, okay. Thanks.

On second thought, can you read them online somewhere? I'm reinstalling windows and everything on the computer I usually use (it became a bit messy after I installed a new harddrive and replaced the old one with another. Crosslogs all over the place).

<i>Edit:</i>
Stickman, I know about that. I've read the manual and all. Don't let my postcount or joindate fool you, I've been around since 1.0 was released. I just haven't bothered with the forum.

Status_Quo

Oh, and about the manual, it really needs an update and it doesn't really make sense in all aspects.

Paladin

There's a new manual in the making. It will provide various information about all kinds of game aspects. You can read the current (still beta) version of it <a href='http://www.natural-selection.org/manual_version_2/Natural_Selection_Manual_Framed.html' target='_blank'>here</a>.

On the aspect of background stories, as already been mentioned check the .txt files in your ns/maps/ folder or once <a href='http://www.readyroom.org' target='_blank'>readyroom.org</a> is back up, you can read some more stuff in the map section.

Status_Quo

Yeah, I read the beta manual. It's not really the same as the old manual though. It's more technical, rather than background. Will the new manual be more like the old one or the one you mentioned?

Paladin

I don't know to be honest. But i take a wild guess that they will include both types of manuals in the final 3.0 installer. The current <a href='http://www.natural-selection.org/manual/index.html' target='_blank'>Frontiersman Manual</a> is very interesting to read, but doesn't really provide any information on how to start playing as a complete newbie. On the other side we have that new manual, which is propably as informative as a manual can be.
I hope that they'll update the old one, only to contain the correct statistics and kind of implement the new one in the old design.
Well, I guess the only ones who know for sure are propably Flay and XP-Cagey.

*edit* but , uhh , lets not take this too far off-topic.*edit*

Status_Quo

You know, when I first read the manual, it really looked like a poor attempt to mix in realism with technical information (which, considering this is a game and all, is doomed to fail). Don't get me wrong, it isn't bad work, it's just not very informative and the roleplay elements are sort of ruined by the information they tried to mix in there. That it's been outdated for months doesn't really help either.

If they are going to write a background-manual, is there anywhere you can submit suggestions and/or contributions?

Rokiyo

I found the manual extremely immersive. Considering that I read it back when it WAS up to date and when NS was still more about the immersive and memorable playstyle rather than fun/balance it really did fit in well.

It was the right style of manual for the right style of game. However as NS grew and changed, the manual never got updated, and just like any of the 1.x maps would look now if they didn't receive their style updates the manual looks a tad out of place.

Just because it looks out of place now, it doesn't mean that it always was that way...