Natural Selection 2.0 Trailer [Hi-Res, DivX]

About Natural Selection:

Natural Selection is an action-strategy game for the PC. It is a "Half-life modification", which means it is written on top of the Half-life game engine.

"Mods" are a new sort of underground game development that enables small teams to create games using the technology of existing games. This means less expensive and lower risk game development, which allows experimentation and innovation. This arrangement also implies that "mods" are made as art, not for making money.

Game summary:

Multiplayer-only Half-life mod where one team plays marines and the other plays aliens. The humans must keep their cool and work together to assault an alien-infested spacecraft or colony. Marines vs. marines and aliens vs. aliens scenarios will also be supported in the near future.

"First-person strategy" with a real resource model and consequences for actions. Both sides are genuinely different and together they accommodate different play styles:

Marines :: Fighting skill is less important, strategy and communication take its place. Playing as a marine will be a tense experience with methodical planning and strategy, interrupted with action.

Aliens :: Playing as an alien will be an intense action experience, rewarding reflexes and alien heroics. Communication and coordination don't require typing.

Accessible, fast, mouse-driven interface: no keys beyond those used in Half-life needed.

Simple to learn and play, it is hard-core action/strategy for a mainstream audience.

Innovative social dynamics lead to memorable games.

Atmospheric indoor sci-fi environments full of steam, smoke and ambient soundscapes

Natural Selection v1.0 is now available for download from our "downloads" section. New features, maps and artwork will be added as feedback from players is received and the gameplay refined.

Features:

- Simplified resource model and fundamental game re-balancing for faster, more varied and more intense gameplay.

- New alien upgrades allow aliens to detect human pheromones, be silenced while attacking, and build structures that cloak all nearby players and structures. New abilities allow the Onos to stun enemies with Stomp and Devour them whole.

- New visuals mean Skulks rotate to align to walls when running along them, sentries puff smoke when firing, and alien structures explode in a burst of slime when destroyed. Many new sounds lend a slicker sci-fi feel.

- Four new maps and tweaked and balanced existing maps for all new gameplay. Take a ride on a lost colony ship and get a view into space, or take the battle to the rock tunnels of a deserted and "re-colonized" mine shaft.

- New commander mode makes commanding easier than ever. Hotgroups, squad support, a "select all" button, the ability to locate marines in need of orders, ammo or health packs, and re-bindable hotkey support.

- Full support for competitive play through tournament mode, handicapping, VALVe's Anti-Cheat support (VAC) and large-scale match broadcasting through Half-life TV (HLTV). Big server improvements mean fuller servers with less CPU usage. First-person view is now supported while playing or spectating.

- The release date for NS v2.0 is July 31st, 2003. Watch this page for many releases before then, including interviews, previews, new manual, and a new gameplay trailer.