Today marks the 1-year anniversary of the first public release of NS! On October 31st, 2002, we released NS v1.0 publically to players around the globe. There were overflows, high server CPU usage, and rampant team-stacking. We've come a long way baby, and we're just getting started.
We were hoping to release NS v2.1 to the public tonight, to mark this special occasion, but it's not ready yet. Instead, we present to you a small tidbit of things to come. Here is a sneak preview at the Steam desktop artwork, hand-painted by .strader@verizon.net?subject=NS'>Cory "Squeal Like a Pig" Strader.
If you had your heart set on playing 2.1 tonight, don't forget that all new Constellation members will be given access to the 2.1 beta. I will work extra hard to process applications so that if you submit your donation by 10pm EST tonight, I'll make sure to respond to you shortly thereafter. I'll be working on all applications throughout the weekend as well, so if you want to sign up, you can see Combat for yourself (as long as you don't mind some bugs!). If you choose to sign up, don't forget to include your WONid and SteamID with your application for fastest processing.
Many thanks to our forum moderators, IRC operators, server operators, league organizers and everyone else that helped make NS' first year a wonderful experience for everyone! As we like to say around here, you ain't seen nothin' yet...
We also have a small gift from Supernorn2000! Happy Halloween!
Matt "PaqueMann" Ferguson sends word of an upcoming NS LAN in New York City! This is the first NS-only LAN that I know of, and should be a ton of fun. It's being held at Web2Zone on November 29th, and it sounds like you won't even have to bring your own computer, as you can use one there. There will be food provided and many prizes. There will be many NS community members there, especially from the clan scene, and there's even rumor that some NS developers might show up. We can't promise at this point, but the NS team is largely based in New England, and this is an event we don't want to miss! For more information, head over to the official site. You can also visit #nslan-nyc on GamesNET. But hurry, you must register by November 10th!
In partnership with Jarhedz.com, the NS team opened up 2.1 beta testing to all our Constellation members!
As a way of showing our appreciation and thanks to our donators, we e-mailed all our Constellation members and invited them to help playtest NS v2.1! At around 1AM EST this morning, we e-mailed all our Constellation members the current NS v2.1 beta install. Jarhedz is running multiple servers in the UK and the US, running the new "NS:Combat" mode, as well as new NS maps and all the other goodness in NS 2.1. And, it's all happening in Steam! From the early feedback so far, Combat seems to be a hit. The testers are allowed full disclosure on everything they see and play, so we hope you start seeing more screenshots and battle reports on the forums and fansites soon.
Any new people that donate to Constellation will be eligible to help playtest as well, although it may take a day or two to process. You must have Steam to be eligible, and you must not mind playing on beta code. Click the "Constellation" link on the left for more information. We have opened a private forum and IRC channel for all our testers, and are using them to get feedback.
After the public release of 2.1, the team will be taking a much-needed break for a month or so. Many of us have been working non-stop on NS for a couple years now, and need some time to regain our sanity. We are very close to releasing 2.1 publically, and appreciate your patience while we finish up and then recuperate.
Thanks again to our Constellation members, without whom, none of us would be playing 2.0 or 2.1 beta right now. If you see an icon that looks like a blue cluster of stars next to someone's name while you're playing, thank them!
After many months of work, Cory "Squeal Like a Pig" Strader presents to the mapping community a massive new texture set for use for NS maps! He has created nearly 300 new hand-painted textures, which will form the basis of a fresh new look for NS. The upcoming NS v2.1 patch will include these textures (many of the new Combat maps and NS maps use these). This download is only for people actively creating NS maps, and the file can be found in the NS mapping forums (check the FAQ).
Here are a few screenshots showing some of these luscious textures in action.
Work continues on NS v2.1, and we are now actively testing in Steam. VALVe has pledged to make NS officially available on Steam, so it will automatically update itself, and give you all the advantages that Steam provides! It will also include the hot new Combat game mode (see previous news post below), many new maps, 3rd-person reload animations, and more. It is under heavy testing now, and will be released shortly.
We also have a little surprise in store for our Constellation members, coming shortly. Stay tuned guys, you should be receiving e-mail soon.