Announcing NS2:Rebirth!

NintendowsNintendows Join Date: 2016-11-07 Member: 223716Members, Squad Five Blue
edited April 2018 in NS2 General Discussion
Today I am proud to announce the largest set of changes to NS2 ever!

The Alterra Corporation has been encountering an issue with marine squads going rogue. After many years of the TSF fighting the Kharaa, resulting in equally large wins and losses of crucial space stations and infrastructure, small splinter cells have broken away from the supercorp and made these structures their new homes. In response to these rogue groups, new marine corps have been dispatched to take them down.

In areas that have been lost to the Kharaa, the biomass has grown and evolved. New strains have emerged, biological selection has occurred, and hive minds have changed. In-fighting between hives have been reported on these abandoned outposts. Only time will tell what this could mean for Alterra's reclamation endeavours.


With Rebirth, commanders on either team are now free to select their team's type. Feel like commanding aliens? Do you think this map is better suited for marines? Choose either, and the enemy commander will be doing the same.

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There are loads of other changes included with Rebirth, including:
  • A new alien class called a Prowler to take over some of the drifter abilities, and provide a defensive ranged attack.
  • A new marine technology called a Shield Generator. Purchased and researched at an armory, it provides extra armor and automatically regenerates after a delay.
  • Reworked fade called a Wraith Fade. Blink is now a short-range teleport, metabolize is now a time-shifting ability Backtrack, and stab has been replaced with an acid rocket. Advanced Metabolize has been replaced with a passive called Shadow Dance, which regenerates health and energy when out of sight of the enemy.
  • A new marine structure called a Hades Device. Placed by the commander but armed by a marine, this small cylinder will detonate after 25 seconds, destroying almost everything in a large radius.
  • The atmospheric and power system has been overhauled with the Creepier Atmosphere mod. Unpowered rooms are dark, but flashlights are improved. Power nodes begin destroyed instead of unbuilt. Many cinematics have been overhauled for better performance and visibility.
  • Improved commander and player bots. While not perfect, they should allow for more realistic games. Bots have been updated to attack and react to bother enemy aliens and marines.

Many, many other modifications have been made to improve usability and balance. Most features of Rebirth are set up as seperate mods so server operators are free to mix and match if they wish. For a more complete summary, check out the overview.

Want to give it a try? Check out the server Nin's NS2:Rebirth in the arcade tab, or try the mod out for yourself.

Comments

  • IeptBarakatIeptBarakat The most difficult name to speak ingame. Join Date: 2009-07-10 Member: 68107Members, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Diamond, Reinforced - Shadow
    Announcing? Hasn't this been out for a year already?
  • pSyk0mAnpSyk0mAn Nerdish by Nature Germany Join Date: 2003-08-07 Member: 19166Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Community Developer
    Would be even better with laspad.
  • NintendowsNintendows Join Date: 2016-11-07 Member: 223716Members, Squad Five Blue
    Announcing? Hasn't this been out for a year already?

    Not in a state I was happy about. And I have never posted it on the forums before :)
  • SquishpokePOOPFACESquishpokePOOPFACE -21,248 posts (ignore below) Join Date: 2012-10-31 Member: 165262Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited April 2018
    narrows eyes in suspicion

    Am I being tricked?
  • cooliticcoolitic Right behind you Join Date: 2013-04-02 Member: 184609Members
    narrows eyes in suspicion

    Am I being tricked?

    Nope, I tried it a while ago. Wasn't a fan of the prowler tho. Maybe I'll warm up to it, who knows.
  • skav2skav2 Join Date: 2007-05-28 Member: 61037Members, Reinforced - Gold
    This looks like fun. I hope some servers install it so we can try it out.
  • NordicNordic Long term camping in Kodiak Join Date: 2012-05-13 Member: 151995Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Shadow
    skav2 wrote: »
    This looks like fun. I hope some servers install it so we can try it out.
    Some servers already have. Take a look at the arcade tab.

    I personally wish the prowler had 4x hp so I could support the team by tanking bullets, but that may be very overpowered

  • NintendowsNintendows Join Date: 2016-11-07 Member: 223716Members, Squad Five Blue
    Nordic wrote: »
    skav2 wrote: »
    This looks like fun. I hope some servers install it so we can try it out.
    Some servers already have. Take a look at the arcade tab.

    I personally wish the prowler had 4x hp so I could support the team by tanking bullets, but that may be very overpowered

    Not a bad idea. It's already been heading in that direction with health buffs and damage nerfs.
  • NordicNordic Long term camping in Kodiak Join Date: 2012-05-13 Member: 151995Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Shadow
    I didn't realize it could do damage. I was running around like a madman spamming enzyme and mucous trying to support teammates and be a good distraction for the marines.

    I also didn't play very long, nor ask questions, and was lost in that map.

    I was trying to play how some commanders use drifters to distract marines, get marines to waste bullets, or tank bullets so that the skulk can get close.
  • deathshrouddeathshroud Join Date: 2010-04-10 Member: 71291Members
    edited April 2018
    i kinda wish prowler had a larger version of the skulk model, drifter looks a little silly :)
  • NordicNordic Long term camping in Kodiak Join Date: 2012-05-13 Member: 151995Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Shadow
    i kinda wish prowler had a larger version of the skulk model, drifter looks a little silly :)
    In fact that is why I liked it
  • .trixX..trixX. Budapest Join Date: 2007-10-11 Member: 62605Members
    edited April 2018
    And here I thought it's an april fools post :D
  • deathshrouddeathshroud Join Date: 2010-04-10 Member: 71291Members
    Played the mod on woozas and overall i enjoyed it quite abit.


    What i liked

    . selected alien upgrades being remembered upon death so as skulk u dont have to keep evolving them everytime you die.
    . shield upgrade for marines is good but not overpowered.
    . new medpacks is imo better overall as it encourages people to move together.
    . prowler overall is good, not prefect but its a fun addition to ns2.
    . alien vs alien is just crazy nonsense, it can be fun but as a distraction rather than something i would want to play regularly.
    . atmosphere mod is great provided you also use the improved torch.

    What i didnt manage to test

    . new sentries weren't tested
    . Acid Rocket for fade not tested

    What i didnt like

    . Wraith fade is just not as good as the original fade. Having both would be a good compromise.
    . MVM is pretty awful currently.
    . prowler could do with some balancing.
    . new alien vision is awful since ns2+ didnt seem to work alongside ns2-rebirth


    What i would change

    . Add the old fade as an option in ns2-rebirth
    . double the overall damage of the prowler attack
    . increase the prowler cost from 3 to 5
    . increase the cooldown between hive specific prowler abilities (can spam it quite badly)
    . In mvm increase run speed of marines
    . in mvm increase the jump height of marines


    What i would like to see added

    . Prowler spawning babblers upon death
    . Gorge belly slide doing knockdown to marines
    . catpack working in similar fashion to shield upgrade.
    . incendiary grenades


  • twilitebluetwiliteblue bug stalker Join Date: 2003-02-04 Member: 13116Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    I think Prowler abilities could use some redesign. For example, separate the buffs into individual abilities (eg enzyme), and change some of the buffs into projectiles would bring challenge and skill element to playing the uber drifter.
  • NintendowsNintendows Join Date: 2016-11-07 Member: 223716Members, Squad Five Blue
    I think Prowler abilities could use some redesign. For example, separate the buffs into individual abilities (eg enzyme)

    I thought about doing that, but I liked the idea of a support life form scaling with hive techs. I really like that all abilities are available without switching weapons, as well.

    Projectile would be interesting, but I almost certainly wouldn't implement it like the lerk. The weird lag you get when launching spores/umbra is very annoying.
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