On March 23 2013 01:03 gTank wrote: I have a question: Are these long loadingtimes normal? I have a new PC and set everything to high but loading a map takes up to 50sec/1min. Maybe I am just too spoiled by other games...
Is it all maps, each time?
I have a normal disk hard drive, and loading does take 1-2 minutes the first time, but it's fast after that (loads like 10 seconds or less).
So it might be just preloading a lot of stuff the first time you load a map (after that, at least for me, it loads really fast, even if I switch servers or switch maps).
Also I just tried playing 32 player server and it was fun (performance was also really good actually).
I know people frown upon it but I really liked playing on servers like G4B2S or (in the later life of NS1), BAD servers, which was 28-30 player servers. There were lots of team work and fun stuff.
(Too bad both communities disbanded before NS2 .)
Also I kind of miss R4K (though in NS2, it probably wouldn't work as good and it could cause a lot of snowballing). I wonder how NS classic mod is going (I wouldn't mind playing good old NS1 gameplay).
The best thing about NS2 is probably the Lerk having both Bite and Spikes now (which only existed in NS1, 1.0x versions, 2.0 lerk had only spikes, 3.0 it had only bite unless it was a modded server but few used it). I always fought for Lerks having both Bite and Spikes in the same version (in NS1 that is)... and it's nice to see it has happened, in NS2!!!!
Also I like being able to stick to walls as Lerk by holding shift.
So far, the free weekend is really fun. I'm glad to see Unknown Worlds and NS2 going well (NS2 alpha on 2010 was really bad, at least in terms of performance and amount of bugs, and I was worried that they might not be able to make the deadline for 2012 but I'm glad they managed to and it worked out).
The free weekend is great for people to try the game out but it's dreadful for me and my friends. I can't find a server without 75%+ of it being rookies. Makes for boring games.
I like all the rofl stomping I can do solo thanks to the free weekend. I can go like 30/2 with no effort. And if I get banned from servers (already banned from plenty cuz lol dumb admins) I can just make a new account and keep playing.
On March 23 2013 00:27 Sicion wrote: After looking around for it bit more its seems the free weekends is what they were talking about. I hoped there would be a event for the pax icons like last time.
On March 22 2013 11:31 anatase wrote: Hmm I need to try again with the new patch to see if my old rig can hold NS2. It's really too bad. I played so much NS1, I like NS2 a whole lot but can't play it :|
In beta it was a nightmare 20 fps for a power rig! Hardware dying left and right under the pressure! Lots of bluescreens! It was horrendous. When they released the game on steam this was the smoothest playable build since beta and still fps was terrrible! :D Nowday i can finaly play with everthing on max without droping into slidesshow mode. UWE is working on optimisation all the time and in my opinion they have done a good job until now but still more performance is always good for everyone.
Yeah I know, i had beta access too and it was barely playable.
Now with the new up it's really nice, even on my old rig. I would not mind a new comp nonetheless but they made a huge work on optimizing this game, it's incredible.
Btw, anyone has his game crashing when changing map ? just happened to me, first time. Did not check the UWE forums yet
Trying this out. I knew the classic NS and it never kicked off like CS activity-wise. As a newbie, just play on green servers (rookie) with large players bases. Classic FPS skills still matter. Make familiar with the keyboard layout and inform yourself about the concepts for half an hour. Also do some support. I had no problems, though I certainly can't carry a team.
So far, I didn't recognize a severe drawback in NS2.
On March 23 2013 01:03 gTank wrote: I have a question: Are these long loadingtimes normal? I have a new PC and set everything to high but loading a map takes up to 50sec/1min. Maybe I am just too spoiled by other games...
Pre-loading takes ages, even on machines with >100 FPS.
+ Creep tumours are also in NS2. + Aliens are so sneaky. Sometimes you hear them but can't spot them (doesn't apply to these bullish freaks stomping everything). + Though it is stressful at times (the Alien effect), the gameplay is relatively calm, in a sense that you don't shoot permanently. Instead it's more varied. + Graphics are solid, while the performance is good. + Menus and controls are in good order. - Too many videos, too few manuals Really, please emphasize content and not eye-candy. I know an object, if you name it. - Server overview could be better. Somehow it scrolls too fast. Page Up and Down keys not usable. - Weird places on some maps, where you can climb rocks. Didn't make much sense. - Hacking possible. Anti-hacking measures still stuck in the 90s.
NS2 is good but playing it has made me really miss some aspects of NS1 that were really done well IMO.
NS2 is (in many cases) drastically different than NS1. It's similar to the difference between SC1BW and SC2.
It does have potential and to be fair, I'm comparing it with NS1 3.2 (and that version took like 3-4 years after the original NS1 came out), so it got really polished. (NS2 has just been out only a few months ago, and UWE still plans to continue to update it and add as many content patches as possible like the recent "Gorgeous" update.)
At least from a pub, 16-32 player perspective (and not the 6v6 competitive games) but I feel that NS2's strategy element is drastically reduced in pub 16-32 player servers environment.
NS1 was mostly the same regardless of player size (yes, despite people who hated on 32 player servers on the UWE forums, it's mostly the same regardless of player size). I've been playing NS1 since it came out, 1.0x version until one of the last remaining US server for NS3.2, the BAD servers, died out, and from my totally veteran experience (yep, been playing since NS1.0X), NS1 was really an excellent team based game regardless of player size (even 32, I have countless memories of crazy strategies and crazy 2-3+ hour games where comebacks were possible). I've probably played thousands of hours of NS1, and they were all fun.
The main problem with NS2 is the fact that it's a bit more "straight forward" due to the infestation and tech point mechanic.
Infestation basically makes it impossible for marines to do "ninja phase gates" (like in NS1) and do crazy sneak attacks (this is akin to doing drops in Starcraft).
Not only that, on the alien side, there is a lack of teleportation between hives that was present in NS1 (there are Gorge Tunneling which comes way late in the game and isn't as fast).
There were many fun strategies and fun team coordinated attacks where the marines had a hive fully locked down with siege cannons, marines, etc (in fact, it was probably their main base and they were turtling in it), for someone (usually a few gorges and an onos) to try to run in, drop a hive... then everyone teleports to the hive (since in NS1, you can teleport between hives).
(This is similar to Nydus Worms in SC2, except they don't suck and are actually fun to pull off.) (And this is my experiences from playing on 30 player servers. Yes, despite what people say, team work is very possible on 30 player servers. You just need to find a good server with regulars.)
Finally, the alien commander mechanic is limiting for the aliens (most noticeably the gorge).
In NS1, any player can contribute to research or upgrades or expansion by going gorge and dropping tech structures like chambers, or dropping resource towers.
In NS2, it's all done by the commander (the role of the gorge is reduced to just being a support class instead of a hybrid commander class/support class).
So NS1 to NS2's downside all comes down to those two points (besides that, I say the game is a great sequel, especially since it's a standalone game now instead of just a mod): 1. The lack of ninja PGs... that and ninja hive rushes from the aliens to watch out for (which were fun). (Actually JPs kind of are bad in NS2 compared to NS1. That's another downside I'll list. In NS1, there were fun crazy "air battles" between fades and JPs for example which can be done in NS2 too but since JPs run out of fuel really fast and the movement isn't as good, it's not as good as it was in NS1 .)
2. On aliens, it's the fact that the gorge is reduced to a support class and the fact that you can't (unless your the commander) contribute to technology or upgrades. It reduces the customization and variety of the alien side IMO. I made, I would be fine with the commander role but I wouldn't mind if the gorge could use his own resources to build some of the structures the commander can build (like shift, crag, shade, and the upgrade stuff like the shell, veil, spur).
Besides those two points, NS2 has the foundations to succeed and definitely be better in every way than NS1 was.
Actually one more thing I miss from NS1 - how the alien flash light worked. In NS1, it simply just made aliens and marines transparent a bit and lit up (it didn't change the look of anything else). However in NS2, it changes the entire look of everything (sort of like a heat vision/highlight everything view) and it's not as pleasant to look. The thing about the alien vision, it seems like there is almost no reason "not to use it" (because it's more useful being kept on than off most of the time). So when playing as aliens, the game isn't as pleasant to look at as it was in NS1. Personally I wouldn't mind if they just made it a simple, marines and aliens glow, and nothing else changes (though the "highlight everything view" does help you see the map itself better I admit, which can be helpful over just only marines and aliens glow).
Okay one more final thing about NS1 - I miss the NS1 combat mode "with" /xmenu and combatbuildings. + Show Spoiler +
It added a ton of depth and variety to the game mode (NS2 does have a combat mode but it lacks the /xmenu and combatbuildings parts, which were popular mods for NS1 combat).
Some people like to be negative about combat mode (like it's a mindless death match mode and splits the community) but that's not true. Combat (especially with the combat buildings and /xmenu) required team work and lots of strategy too. There were phase gates, sneak rushes, etc.
As a player, you wanted (especially on aliens, since in combat mode with combat buildings, gorges can build a number of support structures anywhere for the team) to pick a role that your team needed the most. That, the amount of variety of upgrades the game had meant that it rarely got boring. For example, it's possible to go "battle gorge" (a true battle gorge that can probably 1v1 any marine, even ones fully upgraded with shotguns or HMGs with JPs and resupply) late game by maxing out a heal spray upgrade, acidic death, and hunger upgrades (plus the usual like carapace, regen, etc). It was really fun.
Anyway, just some NS1 nostalgia (NS1 lasted a while actually, it was alive with at least one decent US community, the BAD servers which had both classic and combat modes, until less than a year ago where the server admins sadly disbanded).
Besides a few things (which some are debatable like whether people like the alien commander vs aliens worked in NS1; personally I wouldn't mind if they let gorges spend their resources on tech structures in NS2), NS2 is a great sequel to NS1.
Edit - I looked at the wiki and they removed some upgrades from the game (The Whip used to allow 2 upgrades too, along with the other 3 structure types apparently?). I know they're also working on the alien tech tree (I wouldn't mind if they really expanded it some more). Of course again, alien gorges being able to help would be a bonus .
I also played NS1, though probably not as much as you did, so I appreciate your perspective. I'll address some of your points just to provide a different view on contrasting NS1 and NS2.
1. Gorges reduced to support class from a commander/support class
I actually see the radical changes to gorges as making them more of a combat/support class as opposed to a support class. That is to say, they tactically support the team on the front lines rather than strategically by making over-arching decisions for the team. Gorges are best suited for the front lines where they can spit (30 dmg/hit with a partial blind effect at long range and rapid fire is so good), heal up allies, bile bomb, and use babblers to add armor or attack. Since they are so useful and should be busy in combat, it makes sense to give strategic choices to someone who has an overview of the entire map. It makes it easier for new players to play a class besides commander without making tech choices that ruin the game for your entire team.
2. JPs are bad in comparison to NS1
Maybe worse. They're still stupidly good and don't need a buff though. They don't run out of fuel very quickly with an AR/Shotgun and you're still agile. I've never seen a shotgun/jetpack marine lose to a fade in competitive play.
3. Ninja PGs
You can still ninja PG. It takes quite a bit of resources to cover entire tech points with cysts and that's if a commander remembers to do it. The investment isn't really worth it in lower player number games (10v10 or less) but I can see it being harder in big player number games against good commanders, where you're more at a stalemate and headbutting. A bigger concern for ninja PGers should be drifters because they can see you coming and building.
4. Combat mode
There are already mods for it. I haven't played it yet, and I've heard from some people that they changed it from NS1 for no reason, but that can be changed easily.
5. Team balance changing with number of players in game
I'll take your word on it about NS1 but I agree that it matters in NS2. The game certainly plays differently if you have 6v6 as opposed to 12v12. I think marines are stronger in higher player number games. The thing is, it's just pubbing so it really just depends moreso on playerskill.
Regarding combat /xmenu I havent found a recent statement from the developer of the mod. Only this quote on the forum.
ZEROibis: I have requested the same thing a few months back when in one of the beta tests. From what they told me then right now they are focusing on the core mod for now and when that is fully polished they can start to explorer restoring options like that.
sewleks balance mod For those who are intrested some of the changes of this mod seem quite promosing for ns2 gameplay. Its a balance test mod from one of the ns2 developers. Especially the biomass and upgrade system for aliens. + Show Spoiler +
- added bio mass, upgrade at hive. each hive can provide 3 bio mass (1 default, 25 + 50 res for upgrading 2 times) - each bio mass level increases the base health of all life forms and is requirement for ability researches - scaleable upgrades (for example build a maximum of 3 shells to get maximum efficiency for carapace, regeneration), 20 res per structure
On March 25 2013 06:06 Sicion wrote: Regarding combat /xmenu I havent found a recent statement from the developer of the mod. Only this quote on the forum.
ZEROibis: I have requested the same thing a few months back when in one of the beta tests. From what they told me then right now they are focusing on the core mod for now and when that is fully polished they can start to explorer restoring options like that.
sewleks balance mod For those who are intrested some of the changes of this mod seem quite promosing for ns2 gameplay. Its a balance test mod from one of the ns2 developers. Especially the biomass and upgrade system for aliens. + Show Spoiler +
- added bio mass, upgrade at hive. each hive can provide 3 bio mass (1 default, 25 + 50 res for upgrading 2 times) - each bio mass level increases the base health of all life forms and is requirement for ability researches - scaleable upgrades (for example build a maximum of 3 shells to get maximum efficiency for carapace, regeneration), 20 res per structure
On March 25 2013 19:19 gTank wrote: Why is sprinting for marines such a problem? (just curious)
Since beta it doesnt feel right with me. Its a broken gamemechanic in my opinion! Marines already have enough movement with phasegates,jetpacks and beacons. For me marines are about tactic and firepower and aliens about movement with hit and run attacks.
It breaks asymmetric gameplay!
Without sprint we probably wont have the problem that people always run back to armories to rep (this wont stop coms dropping them everywhere) because they are forced to stick together (welding?). No alone marines running off to the other side of the map (too vulnerable to skulks,other lifeforms / jetpacks are for these tasks) More thought out movement around the map (placement for shooting / how to move around corners,etc)
I know that it will never be removed because why should they? It was in the whole beta until now! Maybe i just prefer the old movement mechanics but bunnyhopping was broken and shouldnt be in. I just want the gameplay to be a bit slower, more thoughtful and not so fast moving on both sides (not the actual combat). In general longer games and slower techprogress on both sides (whats earlygame?). The most fun ive had are rounds with back and forth action for at least an hour or two but those are spare. Concede ftw?! + Show Spoiler +
Some information about marine speeds.
For reference, the skulk's base movement speed = 7.00
Default Rifle movement speed 5.06 sprint 6.07 pistol hold - 5.13 Axe - 5.31
If you want to test it for yourself, just start your own server, type cheats 1 in the console, and then type debugspeed in the console to get the speed bars.
On March 26 2013 02:53 Sicion wrote: I just want the gameplay to be a bit slower, more thoughtful and not so fast moving on both sides (not the actual combat). ... + Show Spoiler +
Some information about marine speeds.
For reference, the skulk's base movement speed = 7.00
Default Rifle movement speed 5.06 sprint 6.07 pistol hold - 5.13 Axe - 5.31
If you want to test it for yourself, just start your own server, type cheats 1 in the console, and then type debugspeed in the console to get the speed bars.
Unfortunately I don't have the spare time to write a review of my first 4 hours of testing last weekend, but this is definitely something which caught my attention in this altogether well-made mod successor. It's really too fast-moving, or is that a rookie-syndrome? I expected it to be more like the original Ridley Scott films. Bloated marines moving with a lot of equipment through dark corridors, listening to every sound and trying to grasp every movement. Instead there's often not enough time to listen.
I also found it hard to comprehend the movements. The animations are quite wooden and many anatomies don't fit the capabilities. These skulks with their boni can almost run like cheetas, but it looks surreal. Neither is there any inertia.
On a first glance, distress beacons seem to be way over-the-top and give too much power, but I'm not experienced enough to judge it.
On March 26 2013 02:53 Sicion wrote: I just want the gameplay to be a bit slower, more thoughtful and not so fast moving on both sides (not the actual combat). ... + Show Spoiler +
Some information about marine speeds.
For reference, the skulk's base movement speed = 7.00
Default Rifle movement speed 5.06 sprint 6.07 pistol hold - 5.13 Axe - 5.31
If you want to test it for yourself, just start your own server, type cheats 1 in the console, and then type debugspeed in the console to get the speed bars.
Unfortunately I don't have the spare time to write a review of my first 4 hours of testing last weekend, but this is definitely something which caught my attention in this altogether well-made mod successor. It's really too fast-moving, or is that a rookie-syndrome? I expected it to be more like the original Ridley Scott films. Bloated marines moving with a lot of equipment through dark corridors, listening to every sound and trying to grasp every movement. Instead there's often not enough time to listen.
I also found it hard to comprehend the movements. The animations are quite wooden and many anatomies don't fit the capabilities. These skulks with their boni can almost run like cheetas, but it looks surreal. Neither is there any inertia.
On a first glance, distress beacons seem to be way over-the-top and give too much power, but I'm not experienced enough to judge it.
Distress beacons are extremely resource intensive even in the late game. Good aliens will simply make you recall and run out after it goes through making it a waste. I don't see an issue with marine move speed even with the sprint. If you lose a phase gate and don't have sprint you basically lose that entire section of the map. Aliens already move faster and then there's vents and other things that give them a massive amount of shortcuts.
On March 26 2013 17:14 Perscienter wrote: On a first glance, distress beacons seem to be way over-the-top and give too much power, but I'm not experienced enough to judge it.
distress beacons are ok not to cheap not to expansive. I only wish there would be an option to cancel a incoming distress beacon to juke aliens or to stop it when you pressed it on accident.
On March 26 2013 17:22 Infernal_dream wrote: I don't see an issue with marine move speed even with the sprint. If you lose a phase gate and don't have sprint you basically lose that entire section of the map. Aliens already move faster and then there's vents and other things that give them a massive amount of shortcuts.
I just dont like it! If you drop all weapons you can outrun a basic skulk! In case marines lose the ability to run additional balancing has to be done that is for sure. More health for phasegates for example but regardless UWE doesnt have the manpower to balance such a major change. It was wishful thinking from my side. So dont get me wrong i still like this game alot. I have fun playing it and interacting with everyone. The community is so awesome! I just think some things could have been handled better thats all and im still sad that they removed powerpacks. Setting up ninja phasegates in vents was so much fun! I hope they come back sometime maybe in some of the next content patches that are coming.
On March 28 2013 02:02 Sicion wrote: I just dont like it! If you drop all weapons you can outrun a basic skulk
That's not true. You can catch them fairly easily with the boost from wall-jumping.
Basic movementspeed of a skulk is 7 and a marine without his main and sideweapon has a movementspeed of 7.5. But youre true with walljump you can catch up to the marine but it takes a while!
On March 28 2013 02:02 Sicion wrote: I just dont like it! If you drop all weapons you can outrun a basic skulk
That's not true. You can catch them fairly easily with the boost from wall-jumping.
Basic movementspeed of a skulk is 7 and a marine without his main and sideweapon has a movementspeed of 7.5. But youre true with walljump you can catch up to the marine but it takes a while!
Considering you can take shortcuts around terrain and wall-jump constantly with some skill, you can catch up to them easily. They aren't holding any weapons so there isn't even any threat.
On March 28 2013 08:25 Durak wrote: Considering you can take shortcuts around terrain and wall-jump constantly with some skill, you can catch up to them easily. They aren't holding any weapons so there isn't even any threat.
Dont underestimate the switchaxe! Beside its my opinion its ok if you dont agree with it. Edit: Btw i have found some of the old NS1 music casts Link
EPT
.)
.
