A free new addition to existing Natural Selection 2 maps, Descent, is scheduled for late February. This new map, a space station, will take pride of place amongst all the shiny new stuff. Descent Station orbits the planet upon which every other NS2 map is located. Last week, we showed off that view. This week, a little more is revealed:

This is the Shuttle Bay. The TSF Dropship sits ensconced between structural supports, with a control room looking down on the space. This part of the map is very important, because it ties it into existing NS2 maps. In times of peace this bay would have provided harbour for all manner of human spacecraft. At war with the Kharaa, the Dropship delivering TSF marines makes an appearance in various areas around all these maps:

Landing areas of one kind or another a present throughout the facilities in which the Kharaa and Frontiersmen fight. Docking provides the most prominent example, Landing Zone 3877 being unique amongst existing maps in having the Dropship part of the playable area. The amenities and accommodation present throughout Docking hint that it would be the primary landing point for crews and personnel flying to the surface from Descent Station.

If Docking is designed to handle people, Veil's dropship landing zone is surely more welcoming of goods and supplies. The Cargo Tech Point is littered with shipping containers placed by overhead cranes.

The Summit landing zone is often overlooked: The Dropship is visible through the flight control windows. Summit lacks cargo receiving equipment, an enclosed hanger, and crew amenities. Its remote mountain top location implies an outpost without the comforts of some of the larger facilities, and crew members would have to walk through the freezing cold from spacecraft to outer doors.

Descent is coming soon, and when it does the Shuttle Bay will provide a crucial link to the rest of the NS2 world. Marines, get your act together and kick these Kharaa out so that normal shuttle operations can resume!