Notable Mods you need to know
Pelargir
Join Date: 2013-07-02 Member: 185857Members, Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, WC 2013 - Silver, Forum staff
Join Date: 2013-07-02 Member: 185857Members, Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, WC 2013 - Silver, Forum staff
I was looking for a such dedicated thread & didn't see anything relative to this kind of stuff. So I decided that it could be interesting for everyone to have a short & quick overview of the most popular mods or those that should be more famous.
The active players on NS2 are already aware I guess of all this but I think it's very important to get a proper thread, with all you have to know about the current & lovely mods. I hope I didn't miss anything but anyway, it can be edited.
Remember that the purpose is only to get in one thread all the links of said mods & it's nothing about "I like this one" or "I prefer this one personally".
MODS
Shine Administration: definitely THE mod people & players can easily find on a server, when installed, new votes & options appear thanks to this mod. Admins can also use many & many more commands using "sh_blabla". It allows some other plugins that you can install aswell, there's so many combinations to discover & to use. Most of the best servers like to add this very important mod. Don't hesitate to collect informations here to setup correctly your own server.
[Shine] NS2Stats: even if the previous mod I mention is required to get this one working, NS2Stats allows to acquire many useful informations about the players: damages on structures, on other players, accuracy of your shots, etc. All these informations can be seen there. You can find this mod on competitive servers or servers that aim to get a good skill level. It's pretty rare to see it on rookies friendly servers. @Ghoul is that guy who is dealing with that stuff. And he has a great server with all these mods.
Badges+: a tiny bit less important & less used by admins of servers, you can also find thanks to Shine Administration this other mod by the same creator. Do you want to know who's a rookie? Where do my teammates & opponents come from? You always wanted to display your Steam Badges ingame? So what are you waiting for? This mod allows to display your country flag as a badge, a dedicated flag for the rookies & give you also the power to show your Steam NS2 level badge. Interesting? Some servers like to use it, but some others are their own badges system.
[Shine] Pregame++: here is the last relative mod to the Shine Administration I'm going to mention. As the previous ones, you need that Shine mod to get this working. The purpose? It's pretty easy, do you think it's boring to wait until both teams get their commander in the chair & the game starts? Now, thanks to this mod, you can play even if the game did not start yet. Lovely? Perfect for people who want to train a bit.
NS2+: do you know @Mendasp? That guy who created this amazing mod? & takes hours & hours to improve it every week. Originally made for the competition with so many changes relative to your HUD & all this stuff. Modify the colors of the Aliens & Marines on the minimap, get sounds when you reach your target, show your accuracy (divided into the different weapons you used), remove the Assists/Kills popups, etc, etc, etc. So many options you have to find out, open your menu & be aware of whatever you can change. That mod was so good, public, private & competitive servers like to install NS2+ on their server, the idea is now: "wtf, no NS2+ on this server?!". You can even be happy to see some of the changes on this mod added on the Vanilla game thanks to the CDT. You can get informations about all that stuff here.
CompMod/Bandaid Mod: do you ever play on a server with huge modifications? I mean, gameplay changes? So you have to test as soon as possible. Both mods are very different but both have the same goal: "the vanilla gameplay isn't perfect, we have our own ideas to make it more balanced, funnier, etc, so let's make a mod". CompMod was created & it's still used by the competitive community. All the matches/scrims are played on the third version of the mod. HBZ Server uses that mod for public too so if you want to take a look, join it. Bandaid mod has been created by various mappers & other community players, mostly from the SCC. All the changes can be found in their description on the Workshop.
NSL Mod/AusNS2: @Dragon made this mod, for the international competitive community first off & added another way to switch between the database of ensl.org & ausns2.org. Both take their informations from these websites, all the informations about the players on the server, if they're in a team registered on the websites, etc. This mod is installed on all NSL servers & private servers for scrims & matches, it also allows some NSL commands only usable by Referees & NSL Admins, for instance, you can pause a round, whether a player dropped or something. Actually, you cannot find any close spawns and the mod enables the friendly fire. More informations on the Steam Workshop.
NS2c: same creator as the NSL Mod, he also created a mod to make NS2 closer than NS1. Personally, I'm not an old NS1player & only tested that mod once so I cannot give more informations. Anyway, it seems that a short guide has been written here.
The Faded/Hidden: here's an excellent mod made by some community modders from France. Had been forsaken for a while but some months ago, other players decided to take it again, adding some new features & options. For those who have no idea what that mod is, the goal is very simple. Two sides, Marines vs. Fades. Using some widgets like BileBomb to destroy mines, feeding from the deads to get their life again, go inside their body to confuse your ennemies. One/two or three guys can be placed as Fades every starting of game. All the rooms are in the darkness, and the goal is only to kill the ennemies, Marines must kill the Fade(s) and vice versa. It's getting closer than the game Slender at some moment, especially for the background noises.
Combat Mode: is it still someone who doesn't know this mod? Created by community players, it's definitely THE mod that made the biggest changes since the release of NS2. As the vanilla game, two sides fight. But some people could say it's more a training for new or experienced players. Learn the mechanics of the various lifeforms or just improve your accuracy. All the maps are smaller than the original ones and you can easily find some servers running this mod. By the way, a standalone is planned for the future, more informations about the Standalone here.
Marines vs. Marines: what an excellent mod! I'm pretty sure everybody already thought once at least that mod must be invented & someone did it. Nothing else really important to say, both sides are Marines & you have to use in general the same options & mechanics (as the vanilla game) to beat your ennemy. However, in that mod, you must be often sneaky because it's mainly the guy who fires first that wins the battle even if your skill is very important. Recently, I know one big server was running that mod, and for now? No idea.
Factions: still unfinished, that mod created by @Sewlek, one of the UWE developpers is, in my opinion, an amazing mod, and everyone has to test it right away! I guess you noticed the link I gave does not bring you to the Workshop, it's only because you have to download the client first off & then, you'll see another game in the game. New weapons, new mechanics, new options & new maps with the biggest Ready Room of the world! (you can even fight with aircrafts there + another funny minigame). I know the description is very short but it's definitely a mod you cannot define but test. So let's go!
Crosshairs: I cannot end up my thread without any mention to the crosshairs. Who's still playing with the original crosshairs? Many & many players sent their own crosshairs to the Workshop, you have the choice to test whatever crosshairs you want & need.
Last Stand: did I forget this mod? What a shame here... I played that mod so often but it was a very very long time ago. As always, the goal is pretty simple. Two sides, Aliens & Marines with, as its title mentions, Marines who must defend their positions with a large choice of weapons (shotguns, exos, flamethrowers, etc) & Aliens all the lifeforms, you can get/unlock upgrades if you're strong enough to kill Marines. As Aliens, you're able to respawn but it's not the case as Marines, so, don't die! The maps are new ones especially created for this, smaller than those the vanilla games. More informations on the description below the picture on the Workshop, does any server currently running this mod @SamusDroid?
Skulks With Shotguns: do you know the funniest mod ever made on NS2? Try this one then, because, thanks to this mod, you're now able to play a simple Skulk but with a Shotgun. Special maps had been created specially for this. Here, capture the flag is pointless, you have to prefer: capture the Gorge. Play with your team, get the victory, are you the best with a Shotgun? Did you think with all your playtime, you have nothing more to find out on this game? Then, let's play this! Some servers are currently running SWS, don't miss it! Creators of this mod are already famous for all the work on their own map: @Howser, @Flaterectomy, @Loki & @Daan.
HughMod: what's this? Wanna really try to install this? You could be very surprised. I guess the picture can help you to get an idea. Even if it's now outdated, I hope it's still working.
The active players on NS2 are already aware I guess of all this but I think it's very important to get a proper thread, with all you have to know about the current & lovely mods. I hope I didn't miss anything but anyway, it can be edited.
Remember that the purpose is only to get in one thread all the links of said mods & it's nothing about "I like this one" or "I prefer this one personally".
MODS
Shine Administration: definitely THE mod people & players can easily find on a server, when installed, new votes & options appear thanks to this mod. Admins can also use many & many more commands using "sh_blabla". It allows some other plugins that you can install aswell, there's so many combinations to discover & to use. Most of the best servers like to add this very important mod. Don't hesitate to collect informations here to setup correctly your own server.
[Shine] NS2Stats: even if the previous mod I mention is required to get this one working, NS2Stats allows to acquire many useful informations about the players: damages on structures, on other players, accuracy of your shots, etc. All these informations can be seen there. You can find this mod on competitive servers or servers that aim to get a good skill level. It's pretty rare to see it on rookies friendly servers. @Ghoul is that guy who is dealing with that stuff. And he has a great server with all these mods.
Badges+: a tiny bit less important & less used by admins of servers, you can also find thanks to Shine Administration this other mod by the same creator. Do you want to know who's a rookie? Where do my teammates & opponents come from? You always wanted to display your Steam Badges ingame? So what are you waiting for? This mod allows to display your country flag as a badge, a dedicated flag for the rookies & give you also the power to show your Steam NS2 level badge. Interesting? Some servers like to use it, but some others are their own badges system.
[Shine] Pregame++: here is the last relative mod to the Shine Administration I'm going to mention. As the previous ones, you need that Shine mod to get this working. The purpose? It's pretty easy, do you think it's boring to wait until both teams get their commander in the chair & the game starts? Now, thanks to this mod, you can play even if the game did not start yet. Lovely? Perfect for people who want to train a bit.
NS2+: do you know @Mendasp? That guy who created this amazing mod? & takes hours & hours to improve it every week. Originally made for the competition with so many changes relative to your HUD & all this stuff. Modify the colors of the Aliens & Marines on the minimap, get sounds when you reach your target, show your accuracy (divided into the different weapons you used), remove the Assists/Kills popups, etc, etc, etc. So many options you have to find out, open your menu & be aware of whatever you can change. That mod was so good, public, private & competitive servers like to install NS2+ on their server, the idea is now: "wtf, no NS2+ on this server?!". You can even be happy to see some of the changes on this mod added on the Vanilla game thanks to the CDT. You can get informations about all that stuff here.
CompMod/Bandaid Mod: do you ever play on a server with huge modifications? I mean, gameplay changes? So you have to test as soon as possible. Both mods are very different but both have the same goal: "the vanilla gameplay isn't perfect, we have our own ideas to make it more balanced, funnier, etc, so let's make a mod". CompMod was created & it's still used by the competitive community. All the matches/scrims are played on the third version of the mod. HBZ Server uses that mod for public too so if you want to take a look, join it. Bandaid mod has been created by various mappers & other community players, mostly from the SCC. All the changes can be found in their description on the Workshop.
NSL Mod/AusNS2: @Dragon made this mod, for the international competitive community first off & added another way to switch between the database of ensl.org & ausns2.org. Both take their informations from these websites, all the informations about the players on the server, if they're in a team registered on the websites, etc. This mod is installed on all NSL servers & private servers for scrims & matches, it also allows some NSL commands only usable by Referees & NSL Admins, for instance, you can pause a round, whether a player dropped or something. Actually, you cannot find any close spawns and the mod enables the friendly fire. More informations on the Steam Workshop.
NS2c: same creator as the NSL Mod, he also created a mod to make NS2 closer than NS1. Personally, I'm not an old NS1player & only tested that mod once so I cannot give more informations. Anyway, it seems that a short guide has been written here.
The Faded/Hidden: here's an excellent mod made by some community modders from France. Had been forsaken for a while but some months ago, other players decided to take it again, adding some new features & options. For those who have no idea what that mod is, the goal is very simple. Two sides, Marines vs. Fades. Using some widgets like BileBomb to destroy mines, feeding from the deads to get their life again, go inside their body to confuse your ennemies. One/two or three guys can be placed as Fades every starting of game. All the rooms are in the darkness, and the goal is only to kill the ennemies, Marines must kill the Fade(s) and vice versa. It's getting closer than the game Slender at some moment, especially for the background noises.
Combat Mode: is it still someone who doesn't know this mod? Created by community players, it's definitely THE mod that made the biggest changes since the release of NS2. As the vanilla game, two sides fight. But some people could say it's more a training for new or experienced players. Learn the mechanics of the various lifeforms or just improve your accuracy. All the maps are smaller than the original ones and you can easily find some servers running this mod. By the way, a standalone is planned for the future, more informations about the Standalone here.
Marines vs. Marines: what an excellent mod! I'm pretty sure everybody already thought once at least that mod must be invented & someone did it. Nothing else really important to say, both sides are Marines & you have to use in general the same options & mechanics (as the vanilla game) to beat your ennemy. However, in that mod, you must be often sneaky because it's mainly the guy who fires first that wins the battle even if your skill is very important. Recently, I know one big server was running that mod, and for now? No idea.
Factions: still unfinished, that mod created by @Sewlek, one of the UWE developpers is, in my opinion, an amazing mod, and everyone has to test it right away! I guess you noticed the link I gave does not bring you to the Workshop, it's only because you have to download the client first off & then, you'll see another game in the game. New weapons, new mechanics, new options & new maps with the biggest Ready Room of the world! (you can even fight with aircrafts there + another funny minigame). I know the description is very short but it's definitely a mod you cannot define but test. So let's go!
Crosshairs: I cannot end up my thread without any mention to the crosshairs. Who's still playing with the original crosshairs? Many & many players sent their own crosshairs to the Workshop, you have the choice to test whatever crosshairs you want & need.
Last Stand: did I forget this mod? What a shame here... I played that mod so often but it was a very very long time ago. As always, the goal is pretty simple. Two sides, Aliens & Marines with, as its title mentions, Marines who must defend their positions with a large choice of weapons (shotguns, exos, flamethrowers, etc) & Aliens all the lifeforms, you can get/unlock upgrades if you're strong enough to kill Marines. As Aliens, you're able to respawn but it's not the case as Marines, so, don't die! The maps are new ones especially created for this, smaller than those the vanilla games. More informations on the description below the picture on the Workshop, does any server currently running this mod @SamusDroid?
Skulks With Shotguns: do you know the funniest mod ever made on NS2? Try this one then, because, thanks to this mod, you're now able to play a simple Skulk but with a Shotgun. Special maps had been created specially for this. Here, capture the flag is pointless, you have to prefer: capture the Gorge. Play with your team, get the victory, are you the best with a Shotgun? Did you think with all your playtime, you have nothing more to find out on this game? Then, let's play this! Some servers are currently running SWS, don't miss it! Creators of this mod are already famous for all the work on their own map: @Howser, @Flaterectomy, @Loki & @Daan.
HughMod: what's this? Wanna really try to install this? You could be very surprised. I guess the picture can help you to get an idea. Even if it's now outdated, I hope it's still working.
Comments
And of course I forgot it, my bad, I'll edit it.
That's only because I'm a noob on this mod... (it's fixed now)
THIS. The awareness of skulks with shotguns is alarmingly low! There IS a European server running it, though.
Personally, I think every player should know the hugh mod, even though it is - and probably stays - unplayed and broken.
But you should know that it exists, really.
I know of one man who thinks otherwise :P
I added this for your pleasure.
Might be able to get elodea to update that, I'll ask him one of these days, if he ever stops playing Planetary Annihilation :P
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=219694646
That's maybe why I'm so bad...
I thought to add this & then, I forgot. I will as soon as possible.
Since Mendasp added this as a feature of NS2+, I don't really think it's necessary to have a such mod but yeah, I guess I can edit my post later.
Same as Vindaloo, this is a feature of NS2+ so, is it really interesting to add it on the list?
Cross spawns Makes teams spawn on opposite sides of the map.
Not every server runs NS2+.
True but they should.