I've obsessively been playing Natural Selection 2 for the past couple of months now. After previously writing about not liking the online part of MMO's I've decided to write about one where it's essential and largely why I'm hooked. So what is NS2?
Natural Selection 2 is a first person shooter (FPS) with real time strategy (RTS) elements. There are two teams, marines and aliens and the goal is to eliminate the enemies base (or bases). In each map you begin with a standard base and someone on each team elects to be a "commander". This commander plays the role of the RTS player and everyone else are the units who fight. Each map there are resource points you need to capture and gain more map control.
Team work in this game is key, without it you lose. It's a simple rule.You have work as a whole team and as individual groups. Covering each other, helping build buildings and protecting them, listening to commands and constantly moving forward trying to secure more ground. If you venture out yourself you're most likely going to die unless you have superb aim, even then a well executed attack by a couple of enemies and even your aim won't save you. Because of this, a losing team could come back from the brink.
I've played games where the whole map is lost to us and we have only our little base to camp in and through some amazing team work, quick thinking and some luck have turned the tables completely and I've had the same happen to me while on the winning team. That thrill of coming back or the shock horror of all of a sudden be losing is exhilarating. A game is almost never set in stone makes you play smart, always be on your guard and expect anything. To me this is rare in most games. This game relies on a lot of components to gain a win (a good commander, good players, map control, constant awareness, resources, etc.) that it's hard to have the upper hand on all of those which means by the virtue of so many facets, that it's usually a more balanced competition. On the other hand, with so much to juggle it's easy to be overwhelmed.
This is the one thing I appreciate most of all from this game, the friendly community. It can take some time to understand how the game works and even longer to get good at it. I've seen many a player in a server with everything thinking "what the hell is that guy doing?" and for them to say "sorry guys, I'm new". In my experience in other games I've seen the person either be told off or ignored, in NS2 the majority of people have actually instead helped. They tell them what they're doing wrong, how to do it right and things to be aware of in between. This even happens with people new to commanding (with out a decent commander you are almost bound to lose) and people teaching them and being supportive throughout it all. It honestly makes me truly happy inside to see this considering where the community stands today.
The gaming community can be a horrendous pit filled with anger and childish behavior that seems to be endless. This is where most of me grew up, gaming is something I love and I know most in this community out there feel the same way and it hurts to see the vocal minority who have nothing but vitriol to spit being the larger voice to represent us all. There is some of this in NS2 but there is much more kindness to balance it out.
NS 2 is a small community compared to other games and maybe that's what guides it down a gentler path. There are not many of us so the more we push away the less of a chance the game we enjoy will stick around. So we try not be an ass and instead help to guide these and hopefully they'll do the same in time. That's something I can be proud to be part of.
With a high challenge, the to and fro of games and an awesome community filled with decent human beings I can't help but to constantly jump back in to a game when ever I have free time.
Duck and roll. Plan A for any situation.
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