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Natural Selection 2 update brings back Eclipse map

Natural Selection 2 Unknown Worlds Entertainment

Just in time for Christmas, Unknown Worlds have released Natural Selection 2’s build 262. The major concern of the new update is a remake of the original mod’s most popular map: Eclipse.

“Painstakingly recreated, the map is faithful to the original while allowing for the evolution of Natural Selection 2 gameplay,” writes Hugh Jeremy, the game’s producer. “By taking advantage of Spark’s modern rendering techniques and UWE’s art resources, the mapping team has been able to remake every corner of Eclipse in exquisite detail.”

This’ll be a sight for sore eyes for those of you who haven’t played the original Natural Selection since the sequel’s release or longer:

It’s not all about the new map; build 262 comes with loads of fixes, updates,and new features, too:

Fixes

  • Fixed players sometimes being stuck in command station at round start

  • Fixed Infestation blobs blocking commander view

  • Server Browser now highlights player count yellow if the server is semi-full due to reserved slots.

  • Removed texture streaming option from main menu since it wasn’t doing anything

  • Fixed all structures being outlined blue when on overhead mode as spectator

  • Fixed projectiles colliding with invisible movement collision group

  • Fixed ECHO_HARVESTER tooltip missing when echoing an Harvester

  • Fixed accidental use of voice order keys while ESC menu is open

  • Fixed bug where marine buy menu did not close when player was Stomped

  • Fixed Stab not having a custom icon

  • Fixed round start music not playing due to incorrect path

  • Fixed WhipBomb showing killed with BileBomb in console

  • Fixed loading screens using the wrong art sometimes

  • Fixed commander bindings reverting to default if a player joins a server before opening the options menu

Features

  • Added new map: Eclipse

  • Added new main menu background

  • Added egg counter for Alien Commander in the top of the commander interface

  • Added Hive skill and level stats under name in main menu

  • Added support for new structures in ScenarioHandler. Added one other check path that works.

  • Added link to forums by clicking logo

  • Added remixed NS1/NS2 main menu theme

Balance

  • Ammo packs now refill all weapons instead of only the active one

Optimizations

  • Limit hit effect messages to 100 per second

  • Correctly limit max resources network field to 100 per player

  • Reduced network traffic generated by static structures

  • Implemented extra precaching to reduce incidence of hitching at the start of rounds

  • Optimized network traffic produced by Insight spectator system

  • Minor optimizations for skulk movement (optimized wall traces and removed predict wall walking)

  • Improvements

  • Insight spectator system now outlines players in overhead view by default

  • Replaced “request enzyme” with “request drifter” in the Alien ‘commo-rose’

  • Servers with cheats enabled no longer send data to the Hive stat tracking system

SDK

  • Revert auto-generation of overviews by Builder due to Overview.exe crashes

  • Fixed crash in editor related to file type properties

  • Allow mappers to define custom round start music in ns2_gamerules entity

  • Added console command playmusic. Usage: sound/NS2.fev/pathtosound

  • Refinery (Thanks SamusDroid)

  • Fixed pathing in Lava Falls

  • Fixed some textures and gaps

  • Fixed some stuck spots

  • Adjusted some death trigger scales

Cheers, PC Gamer.