Ns2.0 - Our Thoughts

SuB · August 2003

<div class="IPBDescription">Your first impressions of NS2 :)</div> Post your thoughts on NS2.0...

The thing I noticed first are the new sounds, the new crosshairs etc.

These seem to add a certain refinement to the game.

Delving deaper, the gameplay seems to have been altered for the better, including all the little tweaks to speed... I like how vanilla skulks are nice and quick and aren't totally useless anymore.

New blink rocks... Onos is less the game ender than it was.

Sensory rocks!

MmMMMMmmmMMM.... NS2.0 is just plain awesome <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

Stakhanov · August 2003

saweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet...

Sniper_Chance · August 2003

sv_cheats is fun, because you can give yourself devour as a gorge and eat marines.

<a href='http://www.greatlakessupras.com/sniper/ns/gorgedevour.dem' target='_blank'>http://www.greatlakessupras.com/sniper/ns/...gorgedevour.dem</a>

Commando · August 2003

Far more visual indication as a marine about whats going on, which is excellent. You get much more of a team feeling even though we are still only working out what works and what doesn't.

Love all the changes so far.

Beast · August 2003

I only have two tiny problems with it:

Skulk model looks...weird.. It looks like it dislocates it's head all the time >_<
Long sound effects/music appears to skip an awful lot :/ never had this problem in 1.04 except sometimes when comming, any ideas?

Aside from that..
I LOVE THE NEW SKULK IT IS WIN!! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>
And happymealing marines = WIN^3 <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

Jammer · August 2003

Amazing. Simply amazing.

Everything is just so much more professional. It makes NS 1.0 look like Tour of Duty.
(ToD is fun, its just still very rough.)

Hellbilly · August 2003

I love it.

One problem, my FPS has dropped from 99 to 50 <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wow.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wow.gif'>

Salaman · August 2003

The shotgun is overpowered (10 res, tier 1 tech, doubled RoF than 1.04, fade cant counter it easily due to acid rocket being tier 3)

Devour is cool the first time you get eaten, then gets annoying the 13th time you have to sit around getting digested for a minute, though the Onos pooping marine corpses is a nice touch <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'> . Also onos dies too easily, like 3 shotgun marines will instagib an onos unless he has carapace(in which the onos dies about 3 seconds later).

I don't really like the smaller alien chambers. I don't feel safe hiding behind a wall of lame like I used to.

Grenade launcher is fierce

New firing sounds are great (love the pistol)

Most of my games are taking much longer than the usual 1.04 game.

New sensory abilities actually make it worth having

The minimap is neat, but the full level map that you get by pressing C is really awesome.

I miss my babblers <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/skulk.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='skulk.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pudgy.gif'>

MrMojo · August 2003

I love the new sounds on everything.

The onos is perfect.

Evil Onos : Get redemption, run into their base, stomp, eat a marine, and you'll get redempted back. Works....every...time.

Marik_Steele · August 2003

The bad: Most people have voicecomm bound to the "V" key. Guess what button is used for commandermode to recycle buildings?

The good: Everything. I love showing new players around, I love the new lerk, I love the new maps, I love the new chamber abilities...bah, you've already heard me say all this. /me gets back to playing. Let's bring this above DoD on the popularity charts!

Lt_Warhound · August 2003

2.0 kicks much ****.

I like the new minimap, actually means I can try to link up with other marines. Try.

Devour is too much fun. It actually turned a game around, they had 6 HA HMG trying to get siege up at EC, just outside it, and the gorge had gone crazy with chambers, almost too many to walk through in the hive. Two of us went onos, and kept popping out, devouring a HA, and running back into the hive. Very damaged, but all the chambers and the hive healed us up fast. They ran out of HA before we ran out of chambers, even with more HA showing up to assist.

Having the chance to do more than just skulk/gorge/lerk is great. Even if we have to waaaaiiiiitttt for the resources to finally get to 50, or 100.

And sensory chambers are a blast, now. Carefully sticking them in out of the way places, laying down a network that gives the team a chance to run uncloaked from the hive to the action, heh. Aliens in their face, with no warning. Surprising how many people don't know the need for MT now.

And, while I've heard a few marines whining that 2.0 is nothing but changes for the aliens (they are blind) I've also been smushed by the marines several times. Good teamwork is key, the side that has it, wins.

Wheeee · August 2003

I love the game. Fantastic, Yummilicious. One thing I noticed though, it felt like I was penalized for staying a gorge.
*edit* back to playing

Ollj · August 2003

improved by factor 5..

Necro · August 2003

shotgun overpowered? no.

oh and don't even complain about balance before ATLEAST 2 weeks have passed.

phr34k · August 2003

I have had just a few problems with 2.0:

1. It seems like onos with redeption will never go down and stay down, they redem quickly and at a large precentage of HP still left. (Ex: me in HA with HMG i gun down an onos with a team mate yet he still redems, makeing it very hard to kill onos with out 3+ people)

2. No one on aliens seems to want to be gorge <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'> Often times i am left to do the building of the RTs and hives just because other aliens players have the "OMG ONOS 1 HIFE!?!?!11/1 D00D REZ 4 KILLZ! I PWN MARINEZ TO GET TEH ONOS" syndrom.

but other then that i love it, and its true that getting devoured for the 20th time does start to get a little lame after a while :/

Note: damn my spelling sucks, but i am not gonna bother fixing it <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

Majin · August 2003

I found 1 bug so far!
The echo effect when your in the Onos Stomach after being devoured doesn't go away when you die, everything goes back to normal once you respawn. Small little Bug!

Sadly I had a few really aweful teams of CS players and newbies lastnight! Even people who have played NS 1.4 had some bad things to say about 2.0, I did everything I could to tell them that this isn't 1.4 its a new game, get use to it, then **** about it!

Flayra, I don't know how you can put up with some of the negitive people, I was feeling really bad listening to some of these Jerks lastnight! Flayra, never forget the people who love NS are the ones to listen to, not the jerks!

The new chambers aren't intimidating anymore, they look kinda like one of kylies Cute gorge pics. I think they need to be a bit taller to give the needed use back, they are just to short as of right now.

Ok that said!

R()><()R this game pwns everything! Sadly alot of people are turned off by it! Mostly because its not 1.04 and they expect it be be! its going to take a few weeks foreveryone to get use to the new game play.

Who did the sounds for 2.0!
I am gonna send them a freaking sixty of Canadian Club Reserve!!!!oneone
SOUNDS ARE THE NUMBER 1 BEST THING IN THE GAME NOW!
The New HA sound is just SICK, the new Hand gun sound rules!
I love the new sounds!
The maps rule
The Cloak rules
Everything is just awesome about this game!
The new Commander interface, while confusing at first is so easy to learn and use! I have to say, that right now the game seems unbalanced becasue the Marines really need to learn to work together to play, things will change with time!
Don't try to balance the game any just yet! Give it a month and if balance issues are found then, ok fix them. I feel this game is PERFECTLY BALANCED!

GREAT JOB DEV TEAM! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

Beast · August 2003

I love the new sensory/movement abilities, and the flexibility there now is for the kharaa.
I like the new grenade launcher, allthough I'm usually trying to run away from it >_<

New weapon sound effects = win <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'> Shame about the skipping music on my pc <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'>

Snidely · August 2003

My first impression? It's hard. Very, <i>very</i> hard. The game balance seems much tighter now, so one mistake ("I'll just check on the res node outside of base...") and suddenly, the worm has turned and the enemy has siz res nodes to your two. Like I said, hard and unforgiving. I like it a lot.

Lower Kharaa life forms have been beefed up, higher ones brought down. People have been surprised that fades and onos are no longer godlike. It's good stuff, imo. Marines no longer feel impotent after the aliens get their second hive, skulking is no longer a tedious experience.

I'm pleased to see that people are embracing new chamber orders. Sensory seems very popular, and for good reason.

However, I'm seeing a reluctance to go gorge. It might be just me, but most Kharaa are relying on a couple of dedicated gorges. I fear that one-gorge has been driven in a bit too hard for a bit too long. It just isn't as efficient as having most of the team going temp gorges for a spell, from what I can tell. Also, not many people seem to realise what bilebomb is for. Those that do don't seem to use it. I'm guessing that BB is something that will be used when its manic potential sinks in. It's pretty much the counter for the leaner, meaner mini-turrets.

I'm not dissapointed with 2.0. It has delivered in full. My hat's off to Flayra.

Jane · August 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Beast @ Aug 1 2003, 12:23 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>And happymealing marines = WIN^3 <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
I agree Beast, devour is cool but I hate how picky it is, that can be scary! I think this is a very neat upgrade but there are many things that could probably be changed for the better. My main problem with 2.0 is that everyone is anti d chambers it makes me want to cry!

Scene: You're a skulk somehow even though they get shoties and can kill you in one shot because your team wanted sens first, you still manage to kill lots of people, and get a lot of res. You then want to go onos, but you only have one hive, and why bother because you don't have movement or defensive chamber upgrades? So you gorge, build a hive and stuff, hoping to build dc's but no, everyone wants movement chambers. So now the person who was killing a lot of stuff then can't go onos because the hive needs to be built and the gorge(s) has(ve) no res. . . . while the marines go around and tf everything (especially bad for laggers such as myself) because the skulks don't have cara and can't kill them. The marines then capture that last hive spot, so you now have to finish the game and/ or at least try to get them out of your hive location without defensive upgrades. By then they probabally have HA so you can't spore them out of there. I find that to be very frustrating.

If people wouldn't mind build dc's first or at the very least second then this upgrade would kick butt. IMHO, sorry I am just very frustrated about loosing so many alien games when aliens shouldn't be loosing.

--Jane

zamback · August 2003

overall 2.0 is great <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>
i fell on love with onos + redem + cele + charge <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

some negative things:
- long end game when hight-tech marines hold their base but aliens can only destroy it very slowly

- wierd skulk anymations

- bug in controls menu doesnt allow you to bind key for 'next weapon'

CommunistWithAGun · August 2003

I read somewhere nukes would never make it into NS. What about the turrets? Its difficult to even co-ordinate gorge bile bomb rushes like that. By the time you organize one on a pub, theres plenty of HA HMG ready to tear them to shreds. I definately dont like having to wait forever for Onos (Sooner than 3 hives granted) The wait wouldnt be so bad if the turrets didnt eat an onos in 3.2 seconds. I hope that the reason the turrets seem so good is be being new to 2.0. So far, Turret farming has ruined 90% of the games I've played. Also, the shortest round I've played was 1 hour. When I finally snuck in and ate a CC.

There was my negatives, here comes the goodies.

I definately love the new sounds. The pistol seems a bit laser-sounding but it still gives a ballistic feel to it making it great. The LMG is awesome. I love how they kept the muzzle sprite but made it smaller. Eating someone caused me seizure like laughter with devour. The FOV is a definate pro. It felt disorientating but after my first few games it was welcommed. The way all the maps were re-vamped were for the best. Sensory seems to be very early game viable. I've laid many traps of ochambers that were cloaked, and have them eat 3 HA's. The digestion image is disturbing. I love it. If there was ever an onos stomach the inside would look like that. The crosshairs help with aim. The ambient music (When it works) adds that extra topping to complete the entire ensemble.

My rating **** of *****.
Reasons for liking
o Many many improvements in balance
oAlien res model is fair and allows individuality
oDevour is the most amusing tactic to use on HA

Reasons for dissapointment
oTurrets seem to do all the work now
oMarines res flows like its comming out of their ears almost.
oJetpack almost too nerfed.
o Came off too geared for clan play.

For the most part I think I have some learning to do, like all of us non PT's do.

Thanks Flayra. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

gopher · August 2003

I'm not sure as of what to think about the changes.

Sure, Aliens rock, no doubt about that. And the changes made to the existings maps are awesome.
Unfortunatly the marine has no chance whatsoever in "close combat", thanks to the f*cked movement
and the sensory chamber which cloaks the aliens also:

1. I dont see, and maybe even hear the aliens anymore. That wouldn't be too bad,
if I'd have a chance to react the moment I see that skulk hanging above me. But thanks to
2. I can't even try to fight the alien properly: No chance in jumping back, and no chance in jumping
forward, since the dev team altered the movement :/

So all you can do is fire some shots, and get killed. Wow :/

Why don't you make the jumping like in RtCW:Et ? You can't really bunnyhop in that game,
but you still can jump several times after each another. And really, walking around through those
long corridors without doing anything, is plain simply boring ..

Oh, and about those new maps: They are soooo boring. Every map looks the same, no matter
where you are: ns_veil looks everywhere like ns_eclipse, ns_lost has its "metalic" look everywhere;
some changes in the style wouldn't hurt ;(

darwins_little_helper · August 2003

i like the new changes, but it's definitely marine-noob unfriendly. i played about 10 games last night and the marines didn't win a single match....by a WIDE margin....i tried to play both sides equally as possible and i'm pretty decent at FPS and have played NS almost since it began, however, if the marines aren't completely on the ball and have a GOOD comm, then it always degraded to an onos/stomp/digestion party.....i spent at least a third of one game staring at alien sphincter from the inside......from what I saw, an onos with lvl3 redemption is essentially unstoppable.....get 2 or 3 people as onoses and they can decimate a heavily teched rine team by digestion.....new marine players where vocal about why this game is supposedly so fun when they spent most of the night inside a stomach....digestion should be a 3rd hive ability...is NS "evolving" into a competition-level only game? <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'>

Frikk · August 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Marik_Steele @ Aug 1 2003, 04:29 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> The bad: Most people have voicecomm bound to the "V" key. Guess what button is used for commandermode to recycle buildings?

The good: Everything. I love showing new players around, I love the new lerk, I love the new maps, I love the new chamber abilities...bah, you've already heard me say all this. /me gets back to playing. Let's bring this above DoD on the popularity charts!  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
pffft, come on Marik, you know all the cool people use capslock for voice. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

Guys, try and cool it with the balance stuff. Let a little while go by before you make balance judgments. It's been one night.

MasterEvilAce · August 2003

I have to admit I am not as impressed as I thought I'd be.. I thought it was sort of a big let down <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'>

HA is plenty strong, especially since immune to spores

at level 2 hive:
which means lerk basically only has SPIKES
fades have to rely on MELEE, and wind up dead EASILY before getting HA down half way
onos just seems expensive, i havn't seem them in action too much...
gorge i hear is totally awesome
skulk seems weak at the HA level, too.. and VS turrets. damn i couldn't evade them

sensory- > movement was what we had... without defense for quick healing / carapace, we died quickly once the marines teched up (GAMES last long now.. 20 minutes.. my ****! game lasted like an hour) it's not the ACTION-PACKED long games like 1.04.. it's boring. i rarely even ran into marines..

damn, though.. res nodes + electricity.. really hard to take out by yourself (aliens need more teamwork than marines)... without Defense chamber for regen.... lerk's spikes take awhile to kill buildings, too

i actually spent more time evolving than I did fighting the enemy..

havn't played marines yet.. so I don't know.

coil · August 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (gopher @ Aug 1 2003, 12:48 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> ns_veil looks everywhere like ns_eclipse...  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
You DO know that that's intentional, right? Veil and Eclipse are both by KungFuSquirrel, and are two different sections of the same station.

Comic · August 2003

I have to say after Playing for over 5 hours last night NS has really com into it's own..

I love nthe redesign on the maps, it means that everyone starts out once again on the bottom rung of the ladder.. Meaning everyone has to relearn the maps from scratch..

The new edition of Devour is a blast. i must have eaten 10 marines last night.. ( not on the same map of course ) and it adds a neat new edition.. The only thing i really question is giving the Gorge Bile Bomb.. only because it has such a limited range on such a short fellow.. and i do miss my Babblers..... ( there was nothing like a Babbler rush )

But really very well thought out new designs, and very detailed. it seems that some people will complain about it until they get used to all the new features.. and really it's what everyone has been asking for complete balance, and a way to keep games going for a long time..

So i have to give you all a bifg thumbs up.. i know i will be engrossed in NS 2.0 all night tonight.. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

Quaz · August 2003

Must improved over 1.04, this was definitly worth the wait!!! Everything from the graphics, maps, models... The game seems alot more smoother and the balance seems to be much better. No longer are fades and JPers the things to fear. Aliens are down to a respectable personal resource model instead of waiting around as a gorge, or being **** off when someone goes gorge without asking. Marines have recieved the upgrades they needed. I'll need more time playing until I have a final opinion.

THANKS TO THE NS 2.0 DEVELOPMENT TEAM!!!

Majin · August 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (gopher @ Aug 1 2003, 11:48 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> And really, walking around through those
long corridors without doing anything, is plain simply boring ..

Oh, and about those new maps: They are soooo boring. Every map looks the same, no matter
where you are: ns_veil looks everywhere like ns_eclipse, ns_lost has its "metalic" look everywhere;
some changes in the style wouldn't hurt ;(  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Gopher you sound like you have played before, so I wont call you a newb, but I will say that your suffering from CS syndrome. you have to remember that this isn't 1.04 anymore, you have to learn how to play all over again, as do we all.
The Maps are suspose to be bland, your on an outpost or a ship, its not going to be filled with pastels and birght colours, Not often you see the U.S. Marines wearing Red White And Blue Flag PJs to bed or have a barreks with Jackson Polock picture on the wall. These are ruff tough fighten machines living on the outrim of space, these outposts are built for business not pleasure. But I do agree a bit, time for a new texture pack!

You should never be walking around alone, if you are, this is the problem your having, 2.0 if nothing else is HARDCORE teamplay based!

Give it a few more trys, you will learn to enjoy the difference!

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

Duhflyinlerk · August 2003

IMO the aliens are WAY overpowered. The new upgrades low level aliens have is crazy. More armor and hp. The sensory things, marine walk right into invis OC and die. They all share the same res, so the whole team can go gorge, pop a res tower and reskulk, and have nearly all the RT's befer the marines can even get one. Dont get me wrong, when im an alien I love it, because in 1.4 EVERYONE always stacked the marine team and would never touch alien side. Now its fun to watch all those marine's get eaten by the Ono's. Id just like to see the teams a little more balanced, although that probably wont happen. And, the skulk camera view thingy, when they go all upside down and crap, oy...I always miss them because i never know where they are going and they flip and turn and bleh..i didint like that either hehe. Other then that 2.0 is great. Good sound, nice upgrades. Just my 2 cents.

Denial · August 2003

I love it. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'> The new Hera especially is just awesome, if difficult to get used to. It is obviously WAY better than I had even hoped. There is only one problem I encountered.

I think the HUD is too crowded. I now see a much more dominant crosshair that I feel blocks my view, indicators for where structures are being built, a minimap a lot of things move on and whatnot. We had many little icons (and unnecessary deco) on the screen before, but what is there now feels too much, especially because much of it (team resources, name of commander, the individual resources bar, the energy bar, upgrades in possession and perhaps more) really don't need to be in view all the time. I want to be able to toggle in-game whether I see all this stuff. Even without it, I have to manage the normal view, the MT/hive sight, my health and ammo and the minimap, just to be able to fight reasonably. Colorful icons for alien upgrades just distract and annoy me. It may be this problem has something to do with my low screen resolution.

Therefore, please add a function for swapping at the tap of a key between the normal HUD and a "combat HUD" with just health, armor, ammo, energy (a SMALL bar!), jetpack energy, a mini-map without glaring blue stuff around it, chat messages, my gun/teeth and the world.

On a side note, can I turn off the crosshair? If so, how?

Ns2.0 - Our Thoughts

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