The forums have recovered, and are now back online. Also, the [file=changelogs/v30b4-changelog.html]beta 4 changelog[/file] has been posted.
Now it's back to work on beta 5!
NS v3.0 beta 4 is now available for download! We've turned off the forums temporarily in order to serve the news and downloads pages well, but they'll be back later this weekend. If you go to the forums, the one thing you will be able to see is the beta 4 changelog.
Head on over to the downloads page and we'll see you online!
Are you a programmer? Want to work on NS? We are looking for a programmer to help us finish up v3.0, then continue working on new features and bugfixes for the next version. Read on to see if you have what it takes:
Game Programmer
Requirements: - Fanatical love of NS. You've probably played since 1.0, and want to see it grow without losing its 'soul'. - Great C++ skills. You've worked on big projects before, and have used STL and design patterns before. - You believe it's more important to be creative with your code then with your coding style and don't mind using existing coding guidelines. - Coding experience in Half-life mods. NS has a lot of tricky code (140,000 lines) in order to work on the Half-life engine, and it's not particularly simple or elegant. This position is not for anyone who is new to the Half-life engine. - Ability to work closely with the community and QA to understand and fix problems.
The ideal candidate also: - Has programming experience on shipped games or mods. - Can devote 20+ hours per week for at least a year. - Can work with artists and mappers to resolve problems and create content for new features.
Job notes: - You need your own copy of Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0. - You will get full access to the NS source code, and will be responsible for keeping it to yourself. You will be required to sign an NDA before starting work. - You will be working closely with the NS dev team for awhile, and then will move into a more independent role. Initially your work will be reviewed for integrity with the game and game world. - There is a lot of bug-fixing to do, but you can work on new features from time to time as well (we will give you all the direction you need, but you will also be able to influence the game substantially on your own). - This job is unpaid, though there is a possibility it could turn into a paid position later. This is an ideal position for a highly-skilled person who wants to build a name for themselves. Many of the people that have worked on NS have moved onto careers in the industry.
If this sounds like the job for you, please send your resume/CV along with any samples to jobs@unknownworlds.com. Unfortunately we won't be able to reply to every application, so don't despair if you don't hear back immediately.
Hope to hear from you soon, and good luck!
There is a new interview with Charlie "Flayra" Cleveland up on http://www.readyroom.org. It has some Q&A about the NS beta, the future of NS, and Unknown Worlds. Don't miss this! While you're there, check out the user-made Marine vs. Marine combat action, and their custom map bonanza.
We are hard at work on beta 4, and will be releasing it Friday, April 23rd. It will include map updates, HLTV fixes, balance changes and...the ns_bast remake! You can't even tell this isn't the real bast, except when you see your pings. It's going to be so great to have bast back! Thanks guys!
We will also be using this beta to start testing our unannounced new system (see previous news updates), so expect to hear more about that soon.
Finally, even though it should've been done a long time ago, we'd like to officially welcome Karl "XP-Cagey" Patrick to the NS team. He's been working too hard and far too competetently for too long for us to ignore any more. You'll see the fruits of his labors soon enough...
It's been a long time coming, but now it's official: the official NS competition site has opened! This site will be the one-stop you need to play NS competitively. Besides having links to international competition news, demos and strategies, it will be the home for official NS tournament signup and will host some exciting new features that are in the works. We're not ready to announce everything yet, but we think we're going to change how NS is played everywhere.
The site is just getting going now, but be sure to keep http://compete.natural-selection.org bookmarked. There will be a wide variety of people contributing to the site, and it should prove to be a timely and useful resource. If you are interested in helping run the site, write to the General Information e-mail address you find there.
While it probably looks quiet from where you're sitting, I can assure you that there is more NS activity happening then ever. I (Flayra) just got back from the Game Developer's Conference in San Jose, where I could be seen in the Fairmont lobby with my new custom NS laptop (most amazing gift ever, thanks Grandpa), stopping passerby and working contacts. I saw lots of new engines and technology, and the future is looking up for the next game. We aren't ready to make any announcements about it yet, but if you like NS, I'm positive you'll like what we come up with next. Check Unknown Worlds Entertainment for more information.
Sorry there's no April Fool's update today. To read the previous two years, click "archived news" at the bottom of this page, then search for "4/01". You'll be glad you did (?). Many e-mails were sent about those posts, from people who thought they they were for real...
There is some great news in the competitive scene. Firstly, round two of the CAL playoffs are happening this Saturday, with the finals happening on the Saturday after that (April 10th). The first season finals were a blast to watch, and although HLTV isn't working very well in beta 3, it will definitely be worth watching. Also, NS is going to be at the B.Y.O.C. at the CPL this summer! Paul "SolarCurve" Drew has been working hard to get this set up, and it will be a lot of fun and give NS a lot of exposure to all the people that haven't seen it before. I'm planning on attending as well, and it should be a blast.
The official competitive NS site is still being set up, but we're making progress. Also, we haven't forgotten about the big ATI tournament, it's just that everything's taking longer then we wanted. We'll be making an announcement about this as soon as it's up and running, and you'll be able to sign up your clan for the tournament at that time. If you haven't heard, the prize for the winning clan is 6 brand-new Radeon 9800 Pro cards, donated by ATI!
While NS development is taking a backseat to our next game, work on beta 4 continues. In there will be HLTV fixes, balance tweaks (especially Combat), plenty of map updates, and lots of bug-fixes. We are currently planning on releasing it Friday, April 16th, so get ready.
Finally, there is also one big new system that XP-Cagey, Joev, and myself are working on that will open up lots of possibilities. We will be making a big announcement about this system as we get closer to releasing it, but it will suffice to say that we think it will transform how NS is played. We're really excited about it, and I think you guys will love it. Stay tuned.