Here's a LINK. (Always a good idea to provide one of these so people can see what you're talking about.)
http://www.naturalselection2.com/ (http://www.naturalselection2.com/)
NS2 is a team based hybrid RTS/FPS about a fight between human marines and scary aliens reminiscent of Tyranids. Each team plays completely differently as you would expect, but both include a team leader(commander) who is the only team member with an overhead view of the action. The commander can place/grow structures, as well as research/evolve new weapons and abilities.
Since he can see the big picture, the commander is the best candidate to give orders and guide the action, though I'm pretty sure he has no way to compel obedience. I guess that serious players will put a good player in charge and take the chain of command, uh ... seriously.
I spent over an hour watching youTube videos of game play the other night. As you'd expect, the marines do a lot of shooting, while the aliens do a lot of melee. The aliens are FAST though, to help, and the basic grunt alien can kill a basic marine in about 2 bites, as well as having the ability to run up walls and over the ceiling. They can be tough to spot and can carry out some scary ambushes from above.
Each team accrues team resources, based on taking and holding territory, which the commander uses to do stuff. Team members also accrue personal resources, which they can use to upgrade to new weapons or armor. Alien players can become new types of aliens, including a deadly stealther and a ginormous killing beast. There are 5 types of aliens total, I think.
I haven't bought the game yet, but I'm extremely tempted. If there are a few players here it will probably become a sure thing. The game just released Oct 31
I just listened to Three Moves Ahead and they had good things to say about this. If it goes on sale during the holidays I may pick it up!
I went ahead and bought it, but I'm not sure how to get started with serious FPS action. I need to figure out how Teamspeak works, etc.
Can you play without teamspeak?
I've played it, although my current laptop stutters a bit when a lot of action is on the screen at once.
NS2 is a good co-operative team game, FPS mashed up with RTS. If you have a good commander at the helm who knows what he is doing, and you have good players willing to respect the orders and help he gives, you will likely win. The frustration comes when a) the commander is rubbish, b) when the players are unresponsive to the commanders needs.
I used to play Savage a lot, competitively even, and with a dedicated crew of people, training every week, you can have some stunning times with the game. NS2 is similar to Savage in a lot of ways, basically you take part in a Real Time Strategy game. But you need a good commander for it to play out interestingly.
Quote from: jomni on December 03, 2012, 01:06:06 AM
Can you play without teamspeak?
Yes, but you're limited to generic requests made via the keyboard, such as "Need some help here!" I'm not sure if you can make specific requests for healing or ammo. Teamspeak or something equivalent is definitely the only real option for any more than casual players.
I really need to figure out how TS works. I wish there was a single go-to site that answers all questions in terms that a novice like me could understand.