Thanks for the effort over the years. For a while there you were the only one fixing stuff that needed fixed. Again thanks for making the game more enjoyable.
SamusDroidColoradoJoin Date: 2013-05-13Member: 185219Members, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Gold, Subnautica Playtester, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
edited January 2016
Today is my last day, so I guess it's time to reveal what I have been working on. I debated revealing it, but why not.
For the last 2 years I have desperately wanted Last Stand in the game, but due to many many reasons it never was. But the time has finally come, there is very good progress being made, and if all goes well it will be available in the base game soon. Unfortunately I have to leave before the specifics are finalized and the final stuff is done with it, but hopefully you'll be able to play it soon. I've been thinking about having a public playtest tomorrow but I'm not sure if that will happen or not, will say if it does. If it's clear that it won't be added I'll release it on the workshop as it deserves to be in the game. I die a little inside every time someone says "this game needs more gamemodes or a practice for fun mode" as I've been trying for the last 2 years. It needs to happens, NS2 has and always will need gamemodes like Last Stand. It helps teach new players, is a break from regular games, is great for seeding servers, is fun, people loved it.
I realy realy hope UWE takes this oppertunity!
This would also be one of the more (rookie friendly) since the only thing you would need to do is survive.
Or kill the survivors! @Obraxis@rantology@GhoulofGSG9@WasabiOne@Hugh@Flayra
I realy realy hope UWE takes this oppertunity!
This would also be one of the more (rookie friendly) since the only thing you would need to do is survive.
Or kill the survivors! @Obraxis@rantology@GhoulofGSG9@WasabiOne@Hugh@Flayra
You have to be aware that both Samus and I have worked on and off at Last Stand for the last years.
Originally Last Stand was intended to be released around Oct 2015. But then the build system went down and other stuff happened.
Currently I'm a bit busy with other items but if I can make time I will focus on finally finishing Last Stand. Personally i always enjoyed working on it together with Samus.
Edit: Yeah I forgot to mention @Loki, @Kouji_San and @Flaterectomy have been working on this as well map wise beside all the people from UWE who started the mod in the first place.
Kouji_SanSr. Hινε UÏкεεÏεг - EUPT DeputyThe NetherlandsJoin Date: 2003-05-13Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
edited January 2016
Well it definitely received some more shiny things and finalized stuffs, vagueness FTW. More importantly, it's a fun and dynamic kinda horde mode
Last Stand has a lot of maps already as a matter of fact. What I like about it that it could also be a good starting point for new mappers. Because the projects themselves aren't so huge and daunting, compared to Default NS2 or even Combat. Heck original test Hellevator (and pad/hangar) was finalized during the modjam week for the artist formerly known as "Leonardo" mod And this new polished version took a few evenings of spitshine
Also it could work for more experienced mappers to try new detail work ideas or something. Some random areas from NS2 maps thrown together with some changes could even work. And maybe it's even an idea to do a "Spark Detailing Exercise: Last Stand", ey @Flaterectomy? I mean the maps are basically two rooms connected by hallways...
FlaterectomyNetherlandistanJoin Date: 2005-02-03Member: 39643Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow, Subnautica Playtester, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
edited January 2016
@Kouji_San A complete Last Stand map is a little beyond the scope of a Spark Detailing Exercise, but I'd be very open to organizing an exercise or competition of sorts for Last Stand as its own separate entity.
You don't need 1 million particle for 1 million drop of water... there's always a trick.
Left4Dead 2 has a map with extreme weather, I'm guessing a fiendish combination of particle cannons and fog effects... I mean even GoldSrc could do some rain effects, not what @Loki wants with the downpour he has planned though...
I just hope this wont end with us only playing last stand.
But lets vote awesome, hell why not.
I was not lucky enough to have played ns1, but I really don't understand how that could happen now. Even if most public games played a new game mode more than the main game mode, there would be communities that specialize in the main gamemode. TAW could run a server with only the main gamemode. I am sure that many players like yourself would value such a server.
I just hope this wont end with us only playing last stand.
But lets vote awesome, hell why not.
I was not lucky enough to have played ns1, but I really don't understand how that could happen now. Even if most public games played a new game mode more than the main game mode, there would be communities that specialize in the main gamemode. TAW could run a server with only the main gamemode. I am sure that many players like yourself would value such a server.
Lets put it this way, the difference between combat and NS were the maps. Unless server operators left the maps out, there was no exclusively combat or NS server and it is hard to seed a server without combat. Then, when you get enough players in the server, you can't pass the vote to the ns_ maps and are stuck on co_ like some servers are stuck on tram/summit/veil in NS2.
Basically, NS became the niche game mode like how SWS is now. I'm exaggerating of course, but I think you can relate to it better if I put it that way.
Also, SWS is playable at lower player counts than NS2, so seeding NS2 will be even harder than seeding SWS if it falls out of favour. Not that I think it will happen, but its not difficult to imagine.
I really don't get the 'combat killed ns1' argument. People would play what they liked best. If you said newer players would get interested in combat and never try 'classic' that was certainly somewhat true, but thats more the fault of the game not making it obvious that classic is the 'full game', or making it easier to adjust to the learning curve.
Some people just liked combat more, it certainly didnt HURT ns1.
A 'combat' mod could really be easily coded at this point, even from the ground-up. Sure it would be rough around the edges without some proper UI work/design, but the core basics would not take very long. However some may consider that bad taste considering the standalone game and all... idk.
As for LS, casual modes which offer gameplay based on similar design with removed restrictions would help ns2 with rookies... But given currently playercounts I really dont see how any gameplay modes can really hope to succeed.
To the last point, atleast anything created as a 'mod'. Something official certainly wouldn't hurt, if done well.. However IMO it needs to stay true to what NS2 is in the vanilla game, changing as little as possible. Thats what made combat so effective as an entry level mode.
Combat did not kill ns1, if anything it made the entry level to the game much better and has very positive effect on the player numbers.
The reason for the sudden drop in player count at the time is the same as with most other mods/games at the time. World of Warcraft came out and became quite popular .
Comments
thanks for that, take care bud.
The 2800 hours you spend on NS2 took part in the hundred of thousand hours of fun on the most original FPRTS ever.
For the last 2 years I have desperately wanted Last Stand in the game, but due to many many reasons it never was. But the time has finally come, there is very good progress being made, and if all goes well it will be available in the base game soon. Unfortunately I have to leave before the specifics are finalized and the final stuff is done with it, but hopefully you'll be able to play it soon. I've been thinking about having a public playtest tomorrow but I'm not sure if that will happen or not, will say if it does. If it's clear that it won't be added I'll release it on the workshop as it deserves to be in the game. I die a little inside every time someone says "this game needs more gamemodes or a practice for fun mode" as I've been trying for the last 2 years. It needs to happens, NS2 has and always will need gamemodes like Last Stand. It helps teach new players, is a break from regular games, is great for seeding servers, is fun, people loved it.
https://trello.com/b/llUxd1xP/ns2-last-stand-playtesting
As far as my other stuff https://trello.com/b/91ApENY6/ns2-cdt-development-tracker there is not much I can do at this point other than wait.
I realy realy hope UWE takes this oppertunity!
This would also be one of the more (rookie friendly) since the only thing you would need to do is survive.
Or kill the survivors!
@Obraxis @rantology @GhoulofGSG9 @WasabiOne @Hugh @Flayra
You have to be aware that both Samus and I have worked on and off at Last Stand for the last years.
Originally Last Stand was intended to be released around Oct 2015. But then the build system went down and other stuff happened.
Currently I'm a bit busy with other items but if I can make time I will focus on finally finishing Last Stand. Personally i always enjoyed working on it together with Samus.
Edit: Yeah I forgot to mention @Loki, @Kouji_San and @Flaterectomy have been working on this as well map wise beside all the people from UWE who started the mod in the first place.
and ofcourse kouji and his elevator of hell
Last Stand has a lot of maps already as a matter of fact. What I like about it that it could also be a good starting point for new mappers. Because the projects themselves aren't so huge and daunting, compared to Default NS2 or even Combat. Heck original test Hellevator (and pad/hangar) was finalized during the modjam week for the artist formerly known as "Leonardo" mod
Also it could work for more experienced mappers to try new detail work ideas or something. Some random areas from NS2 maps thrown together with some changes could even work. And maybe it's even an idea to do a "Spark Detailing Exercise: Last Stand", ey @Flaterectomy? I mean the maps are basically two rooms connected by hallways...
It's up on Workshop (mostly as backup version) if ya want to see how these maps fit together: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=140399515
That's the best map by far, it is the epitome of the 'last stand' feel
Yeah, I really love the rain idea. But it definitely needs magic shaders or other magic programming work
It gives such a cool and spooky atmosphere!
Heaven help us, but it would be soooooo pretty.
Do you know how to figure that out? Could you use your skills to help make it happen?
Left4Dead 2 has a map with extreme weather, I'm guessing a fiendish combination of particle cannons and fog effects... I mean even GoldSrc could do some rain effects, not what @Loki wants with the downpour he has planned though...
Add nanite crashing visor effect
But lets vote awesome, hell why not.
Well if that happens... There might be something wrong with NS2
I was not lucky enough to have played ns1, but I really don't understand how that could happen now. Even if most public games played a new game mode more than the main game mode, there would be communities that specialize in the main gamemode. TAW could run a server with only the main gamemode. I am sure that many players like yourself would value such a server.
Lets put it this way, the difference between combat and NS were the maps. Unless server operators left the maps out, there was no exclusively combat or NS server and it is hard to seed a server without combat. Then, when you get enough players in the server, you can't pass the vote to the ns_ maps and are stuck on co_ like some servers are stuck on tram/summit/veil in NS2.
Basically, NS became the niche game mode like how SWS is now. I'm exaggerating of course, but I think you can relate to it better if I put it that way.
Also, SWS is playable at lower player counts than NS2, so seeding NS2 will be even harder than seeding SWS if it falls out of favour. Not that I think it will happen, but its not difficult to imagine.
Some people just liked combat more, it certainly didnt HURT ns1.
A 'combat' mod could really be easily coded at this point, even from the ground-up. Sure it would be rough around the edges without some proper UI work/design, but the core basics would not take very long. However some may consider that bad taste considering the standalone game and all... idk.
As for LS, casual modes which offer gameplay based on similar design with removed restrictions would help ns2 with rookies... But given currently playercounts I really dont see how any gameplay modes can really hope to succeed.
To the last point, atleast anything created as a 'mod'. Something official certainly wouldn't hurt, if done well.. However IMO it needs to stay true to what NS2 is in the vanilla game, changing as little as possible. Thats what made combat so effective as an entry level mode.
The reason for the sudden drop in player count at the time is the same as with most other mods/games at the time. World of Warcraft came out and became quite popular