Happy Summer Marines! We are ushering in the sunshine with update 303. This is a lighter patch focused on some bug fixes and a couple tweaks and additions to the game. With this update we are introducing a new post-round feedback system, this will help provide us with more details about your games and comparing round data to support future changes.

The last six months has seen a lot of changes and experimentation to the game and we aren’t done yet. We are working on developing plans over the next week to continue to build on the new foundation that we’ve created over these last few months. Be on the lookout for some exciting new opportunities and changes to come.…

After the successful construction of a new mining station on asteroid codename: Kodiak, the crew of the Industrial Construction Vessel “Caged” sent out a distress signal. ALTERRA Corp quickly dispatched a private military unit to investigate the source of the distress, what they found was an empty vessel and no signs of human life…

Welcome to Caged, the newest official map in the NS2 universe. A throwback to the original NS1 Map by Nelson ‘manah’ Ferryman, Flaterectomy and other community contributors and testers have worked to honor the original but also offer a new take for the current state of play. Caged offers players a fun four techpoint map with plenty of res and unique rooms and corridors for …

Aliens didn’t get all the love, though. Marines have also received some new toys and changes to their existing tech. A preliminary version of the Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) has been added. This is a gun that was loved in NS1 and one which many of us have always wanted to see make a return in NS2. The HMG was pioneered successfully in Comp Mod, and now it has made its way into the main game.

We’ve also heard your cries and beacons, and recognize that Contamination tended to be very frustrating for Marines. We’ve made some changes to how it works to give Marine players more time to react to it. It will now do its damage over time …

There are a few video games out there. Every genre has acres of titles to choose from, built up over the 51 years since Spacewar. Taking any of those genres and trying to name the best invariably involves sifting through thousands of games.

So imagine the surprise, elation, and excitement in the UWE office at the front page of PC Gamer. A double take confirmed that there is in fact an Onos and TSF marine tucked underneath the letters ‘PC.’

Inside, NS2 scores an entire page for the most recognisable piece of Khaara v Frontiersmen art.

These lists are of course a bit arbitrary. People will argue until the cows come home about who should and should not …

Following on from the March and April entries, it is time to update Planet Earth on what is going on with Natural Selection 2. This is a retrospective look at development in May. To keep the length under control, (April’s entry was a bit overboard!) this post will stick to three topics: Environments, Technical, and Game. Let’s start with Biodome!

Environments

Michael, (‘Olmy’) has been cranking on Biodome. The map is striking, thanks to its new art set and ‘flora’ focus. The accompanying images show some of the stages environments go through, from idea (1, above), to rough 3d layouts (2, below), to texturing, lighting, detailing and prop placement (3, two below).

Biodome will be an absolute blast, but …

It is update time! Build 247 lives, and is live on Steam. Go download it and sink your teeth in!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hhOK-UrdiI

The two main new features in 247 are the in-game vote system and some very basic training bots. The former should improve the ability of players to manage their play experience, and the latter will bring on our doom at the hands of Skynet.

Here is the full changelog (minus some map changes, which will be added to the log later):

Features:

Added Server Details window to the server browser
Added “server name” field to server browser filters
Added filter tabs in server browser
Added history tap to server browser
Added in game voting system (change map, kick player, …

Aww yeah, it’s patch day! Natural Selection 2 Build 244 is out in the wild and ready for you to play. It was a doozy to get out the door, scheduled for Thursday PDT but sneaking out Friday afternoon PDT instead. This is post-launch update number 17 for NS2! Here is a changelog highlights video:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrFkNxMy3Q

Lots of stuff changed in Build 244. Mineshaft and Refinery received lots of love, Andi made balance tweaks, Dushan changed the way the Spark Editor works, and Brian fixed a bug. The changes to Mineshaft and Refinery have made several tech points much more viable, and eliminated long standing indisyncricies of fights in certain rooms. For example, check out the changes to Operations:…

At Unknown Worlds, Natural Selection 2 is king. Five months since launch, we have not moved on to any new projects and everyone is cranking on NS2 full time. Here’s a video talking about some of the stuff happening in the office at the moment:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jom2-U3986w

In the long term, Biodome is going to be drop dead-gorgeous. It’s not yet near completion, but Cory’s gorgeous artwork should give you a taste of what is to come. Here it is in medium-resolution glory (Silly WordPress not letting us upload files >1mb!).

If there is one theme that characterises NS2 development right now, it is ‘thinking.’ Thinking about gameplay, about engine technology, and about the best way to spend our limited …

On February 28th, Natural Selection 2 Build 240: ‘Gorgeous’ was released. This free DLC added a boatload of new stuff to the game. Unknown Worlds is going to continue working on updates like Gorgeous, to consistently improve your Natural Selection 2 experience. Today, the second DLC update was released – Build 244: ‘Electric.’

Electric follows in the footsteps of Gorgeous, adding new content and improving on what is in the game already. For example, the new Stun Gun allows you to disable your fellow marines when they piss you off. The new Gardening system will allow those seeking a more relaxed gaming experience to enjoy Natural Selection 2.

Balance is a particular focus for Electric: We have carefully listened to …