The latest patch for the Natural Selection 2 Beta is now available on Steam. If you have pre-ordered the game it should automatically update on Steam. If you would like to pre-order and get instant access to the beta, you can still do so here.

This is a relatively small patch, as we've been spending a lot of time trying to track down sound and other issues from 164 and generally playing "catch up" from the massive patch that was Build 163. Here's a quick video describing where we are and where we're going for the next week:

Build 165 changelog

Changes

• Fixed bug where logging into the command station would mess up player's weapons when logged out
• Updated infestation building sound to not be looping to reduce/fix out of channels problem
• Disabled distress beacon until it works without spawning people in stuck
• Fixed bug where looping sounds weren't destroyed when entities were destroyed
• All parented sounds and particles for all Actors are now destroyed when they are
• Fixed bug where armory arms opened on the wrong side (due to new random rotation of structures)
• Mask alien players' names from marines while gestating. This way, aliens can take advantage of the "camouflage" in the hive provided by all the other eggs (thanks Skyler!)
• Improvements and tweaks for all alien heal effects
• Added s_stats console command to display sound system statistics
• Added parasite animation and effect
• Added a tooltip for failing to place infestation as a Gorge
• Constrained the Gorge move velocity if building (used to work and then stopped for some reason)
• Added some tooltips to HydraAbility for failing to build Hydra
• Added additional profiling sections for particle related functions
• Increased infestation health from 250 to 500 to make currently slow-growing infestation from being wiped out too easily (especially at the hive)
• Fixed bug where Observatory could scan when it wasn't powered
• New pistol sounds
• Tweaks and iterations to guns and explosions (rifle, grenade launcher, shotgun)
• Parasite on power point goes away when power point destroyed
• Added back in marine/rifle/end
• Increased the amount of time the give damage indicator is visible from 0.25 to 1 second

You can always keep up to date with what we're working on for the next patch with our real-time progress tracker and please don't forget to subscribe to your new YouTube channel to get these updates ASAP!

See you online!