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. When complete, Natural Selection will be released for free to all owners of Half-life, which is required to play Natural Selection.

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 are also supported.

"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 is out, go get it already! :P

Recent Changlogs:
Version 3.2
Version 3.1
Version 3.0

The team is now working on a version for Half-life II and will post news here when ready.

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Blog RSS Feed Report abuse Latest News: NS2 Alpha Date Set!

27 comments by TychoCelchuuu on Jul 13th, 2010

As you all know, we strongly value our ties to you, the community. When we released NS v1.0 after 18 months (games were easier back then!), in some ways that really marked the beginning of the game's development, not the end of it. Over the course of five or so years and around 20 versions, the game changed remarkably. Some may argue it actually changed too much, but I believe the "spirit" of the game was always preserved. Maps, abilities and balance changed, but teamwork, depth and atmosphere remained. It's also much more gratifying to work on a game that people are playing, and many bugs and issues that would be hard to track down ourselves are revealed instantly under the communal magnifying glass of many thousands of players.

So releasing new versions and taking feedback is in our blood. Even though NS2 is a commercial game, we pursued this approach with our developer blog updates, early tools releases and engine test. This is especially helpful for us making a PC game, because the few computers we have around the office are not nearly enough for compatibility testing. We've also used this "open" approach to help run our business and stay independent - by giving out stuff earlier, we encourage people to buy earlier, which means we can fund the company without having a publisher involved. Remaining independent is not without its drawbacks, but was the right choice for us and has allowed us to build a proper sequel worthy of the original.


Human dominance

Honestly without you, the NS community, we wouldn't be here today. Both because we wouldn't have the money to continue and because all the work wouldn't be worth it. When we needed your support and we started our pre-orders, you were there to buoy us up again. Over 90% of you opted to spend extra money on the Special Edition and for that, we can't thank you enough. We promised to give you special supporters something in return, and we're finally at that point.

So it's with great pleasure that today we take the next step in our open development and partnership with you. On Monday, July 26th, we will be releasing the NS2 Playable Alpha to all the Special Edition pre-orderers, on Steam. Like with NS1, this is not the complete game, this is the first of many versions. Here's what you can expect on that day:

NS2 Alpha 1 content

  • One of our shipping maps (ns2_tram), plus some smaller "test" maps
  • Marine, with Rifle, Pistol, SwitchAx, Grenade Launcher
  • Skulks, Gorges, Lerks and their basic movement abilities and weapons
  • Marine armory "buy" screen for purchasing new equipment
  • Alien evolution menu for choosing your lifeform and upgrades
  • Basic marine and alien commander interfaces including MACs, Drifters
  • Much of our final sounds, artwork, animations, etc.

Lerks, hydras and skulks, oh my!

We will be adding new weapons, upgrades, commander abilities, maps, etc. throughout our development to v1.0. We expect to patch somewhere between 1-4 times per month. Sometimes we'll need to tweak balance, other times we'll need to take a step back and make a bigger change, but it will be a work in progress. The fact that we're shipping on Steam makes the updating progress much easier for us.

Please keep in mind that this version of NS2 will not be the ultimate super-fun game we're striving to create, it's "alpha" for a reason! While much of the game and systems are finished, we've had to work extremely hard to get to this stage...and I don't want to describe how much work we will still do over the next two weeks! This is an alpha and parts of it are rough. However, we know that the game will get better, and better faster, with your help.


In-development shot marine commander mode

Something else you should know is that when we release alpha 1 at the end of this month, we are also discontinuing the NS2 Special Edition and all-black marine armor. It will no longer be available after this date, ever. Also, players that order NS2 after July 26th won't be able to play in the release date alpha. Here's an in-game shot of the limited edition black marine armor:


If you've been on the fence about ordering the Special Edition, you now have two weeks to decide. If you have the Special Edition, you will be able to choose your armor when you play - possibly at the Armory, like the rest of your weapons and equipment!

This has been a long road for us and we're excited to finally give you something you can play! Now if you excuse us, we have some work to do...

See you on the other side.

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Natural Selection v1.0 plus patch v1.04 (outdated)

Natural Selection v1.0 plus patch v1.04 (outdated)

Mar 26, 2013 Full Version 0 comments

It's an old version of NS, dated by 29th October of 2002. Uploaded for historical and collectors' purposes, because it's hard to find on internet now...

Natural Selection v2.0 Dedicated Server (outdated)

Natural Selection v2.0 Dedicated Server (outdated)

Mar 26, 2013 Server 0 comments

It's an old version of NS, dated by 30th July of 2003. Uploaded for historical and collectors' purposes, because it's hard to find on internet now. Requires...

Natural Selection v2.0 Client (outdated)

Natural Selection v2.0 Client (outdated)

Mar 26, 2013 Full Version 0 comments

It's an old version of NS, dated by 30th July of 2003. Uploaded for historical and collectors' purposes, because it's hard to find on internet now. Requires...

NS 3.2 Hungarian Translation with voices

NS 3.2 Hungarian Translation with voices

May 18, 2009 Patch 10 comments

The Half-Life mod , called Natural Selection is basicly ENGLISH, but this one is enables the Hungarian Translation. Ha nem értesz angolul, akkor ezt töccsed...

Natural Selection v3.2 Installer

Natural Selection v3.2 Installer

Mar 2, 2007 Full Version 62 comments

The full client installer for Natural Selection v3.2. Check out the full changelog here.

Natural Selection v3.2 Server

Natural Selection v3.2 Server

Mar 2, 2007 Full Version 7 comments

The dedicated server zip for Natural Selection v3.2. Check out the full changelog here

Post comment Comments  (50 - 60 of 428)
dwsadsa
dwsadsa Dec 14 2010, 8:59pm says:

Found The 3.2 - 3.3 patch

Should i Upload IT?

+2 votes     reply to comment
dwsadsa
dwsadsa Dec 14 2010, 7:58pm says:

Sorry guys but the mod is dead. i emailed the makers about
three months ago about the problem and they never emailed back

+2 votes     reply to comment
|SonicTheHedgehog|
|SonicTheHedgehog| Jan 11 2011, 11:02pm replied:

its not dead Qwasrepo they don't work on this on anymore, there working on Natural Selection 2. get with the program.

+2 votes     reply to comment
lolmasta9001
lolmasta9001 Dec 9 2010, 9:25pm says:

qwasrepo makes a good point.. honestly they should create a final and fix the crashing bug

+3 votes     reply to comment
ChadaFACE
ChadaFACE Nov 7 2010, 12:32pm says: Online

HOW DO I SHOT WEB???

+1 vote     reply to comment
dwsadsa
dwsadsa Nov 3 2010, 8:54pm says:

i'll se if i can fix the problem about the crashing because the mod makers dont seem to check this site

+2 votes     reply to comment
tschumann
tschumann Dec 13 2010, 8:58pm replied:

Have you posted on the Natural Selection forums?

+2 votes     reply to comment
dwsadsa
dwsadsa Nov 18 2010, 7:36pm replied:

i deem imossible to fix by me ;p

+3 votes     reply to comment
dwsadsa
dwsadsa Oct 28 2010, 10:34pm says:

The Makers of natural selection should create a single player version

explaining the story line, sort of like halo

+1 vote     reply to comment
dwsadsa
dwsadsa Dec 9 2010, 9:27pm replied:

i wish i knew.. i think it may be a problem with the whole teleporting into teams.

they should just make the team joining like how it is in CS or ESF

+2 votes     reply to comment
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Platform
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Game
Half-Life
Developer
Unknown Worlds
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Release Date
Released Jun 3, 2007
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