Natural Selection - A Hl Mod
deimos_telarin
Members Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 6248Posts: 312
Members Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 6248Posts: 312
Introduction ?
Natural Selection - Half-Life MOD Its been 4 years since Half-Life was released back in 1998, and still got new mods being developed and released.
Natural Selection happens to be the newest Half-Life mod to hit the gaming community, and impressively, it is quite a hit too.
It is how the gameplay of NS is that attracts, think of it as a 1st Person Shooter with strong Real Time Strategy elements in it, a "First Person Strategy".
Think of it as playing Starcraft, first person mode. Terrans vs Zerg, both fighting for control of resource nodes in the map. Both won't stop until either side is completely exterminated.
All right enough crap talk, lets get on with the game features.
Teams
Its the human marines known as Frontiersman vs the alien xenomorphs known as Kharaa.
Resource
Scattered around the maps are resource nodes, in which both teams will be fighting over for control.
The Frontiersman has a pooled resource, in which the Commander uses the resource to build structures such as Infantry Portal, Armory, Advanced Armory, Observatory, Phase Gate, Turret Factory, Arms Lab, Prototype Lab.
The Kharaa have individual resources, in which each Kharaa individual uses the resources to evolve into other types of Kharaa evolution. From the Skulk(basic), they can evolve into Gorge(builder, support), Lerk(flier, sniper, support), Fade(Melee, Ranged, Bomber support), Onos(Siege, think SC Ultralisk).
The Gorge is able to build various Kharaa structures, otherwise refered to as "Chambers", such as Resource Chamber(harvest resources from resource nodes), Offensive Chamber(turrets that shoots acid blobs), Defensive Chamber(heals hp and armor of nearby units and structures), Movement Chamber(able to teleport to a hive), Sensory Chamber, Hive.
Upgrades
The Frontiersman's Commander can use the resources to research upgrades for their team, better weapons and armor, weapons doing more damage and armor able to absorb more damage.
Each Kharaa individuals are able to have 'upgrades' evolution, Movement(Aderlaine, Celerity, Silent), Defensive(Carapace, Regeneration, Redemption), Sensory(Adv. Hivesight, Scent of fear).
All upgrades(aliens and marines) have 3 levels of upgrades.
Basically the game is like a Real Time Strategy game, except that everyone controls a single unit.
Its pratically like a zone control game in first person action.
Examples :
Aliens need to stop the marines from expanding, must not let them get expansion resource nodes, while on the hand securing all the other nodes and the 2 extra hives.
A solo marine walking down a passageway can be easily taken care of by a skulk if he does not look up at the ceilings while walking.
Deimos Tel`Arin the Cyber Demon Lord hath spoken
aka Private DTA when playing NS and DOD on aussie servers
aka Private DTA when playing NS and DOD on aussie servers
Comments
NS is not a typical FPS, its a RTS with heavy zone control elements, except that every unit is controlled by a different individual through 1st person view.
Having leet FPS skills may slightly help a bit, but common sense, strategic mind and great sense of team work is more valued than leet FPS skills.
Its all about zone control :
Capture the zones, secure the zones, deny one's opponent of the zones and one might just find one's path to victory.
Fear not when one's zone appears to be captured and secured by one's opponent, if one puts in enough effort one is able to reclaim the zones.
Its all about team work :
Listen to your team mates, know what is going on.
Its all about everyone playing their roles right :
- Skulks keeps Marines busy while Gorges secure the zones (1st 5-10 minutes of a game)
- Marines moving out as a team to secure the zones while the Commander looks after them
- etc
aka Private DTA when playing NS and DOD on aussie servers
Frontiersmen
Marine
Early game
Light Armor + Light Machine Guns/Shot Guns/Welder
- always stick together, at least in groups of 2 marines
- when in a large group, don't stick too close together(Fade's Acid Rocket does splash damage and kills marines without Heavy Armor in 2,3 shots), always have someone watching the back when moving forward
- when you have a welder, and see buildings are damaged, repair that building
- if you just spawned in and is in main base and dunno what to do, try following a fellow marine when he leaves the base, or you could go into a phase gate(if there is one), and patrol the outposts to see if the phase gates/turret factories are damaged, if they are damaged, request a welder from commander and go repair the buildings
- if come into visual contact with at least 2 Offensive Chambers backed up with at least 2 Defensive Chambers, and the team is only armed with LMGs, try to focus fire on the same target, even with focus fire, it is still very difficult to take down such 'Kharaa Roadblocks' during early game, especially when there is a Gorge hiding behind it and spamming healing spray over it, best fall back and go to other areas.
Mid-Game
might have Heavy Armor and Heavy Machine Guns/Grenade Launchers researched now
if marine team is doing fine, will probably have phase gates in all marine outposts
- same, stick together, best in groups of 3
- when in battle, have one marine constantly welding the 2 other marines who are fighting, keeping their armor at 100% always, allowing them to take more hits, the welder marine occasionaly turning back to check his six for Kharaa amushes
- marines armed with Grenade Launchers need marines with Heavy Machine Guns to support them
- if a marine is free or lost or dunno what to do, do phase gate patrols and check the phase gates/turret factories/resource towers to see if they are damaged, if so repair them and all buildings which are damaged, if don't have welder, request one from commander, tell him you want to repair the buildings in xxx outpost and he'll be very happy to outfit you with one
I will write up basic tips for Commander and Kharaa later.
Cheers to everyone who read what I wrote here.
Cheers.
aka Private DTA when playing NS and DOD on aussie servers
But, it often happens that when you request a welder for outpost xxx the commander just thinks: "what the ... ?" or, doesn't know what to do. If this happens, don't let those satinic thoughts like: "I'll eject the son of a (***)" get the overhand, just take a deep breathe and ask again. If he doesn't know what the... you are talking about, just explain.
We're not all professionals in NS yet... and we all need to learn. Think about that, before you push that eject trigger.
That'll be all
"Four of the six voices in my head tell me I'm sane."
Game Director, Unknown Worlds Entertainment
also learning how to use the seagie, and turrants (one thing i still don't know
amckern
eeh...cheers
You can call me motorhead alright
if u got the rts blood, and fps blod in u then both skills melt to one, and u become ubber "elite" quick
amckern