The crew of Natural Selection 2 recently discussed a few things NS2 with the crew at NoFrag.
What are the new features for each team?While developer podcasts may have been released, this interview seems to shed the most light on gameplay and new game mechanics.
A: The biggest ones are the addition of a Commander role for the alien side and dynamic environments (including infestation). There are lots of other smaller new features (new resource system, new abilities for both sides, automatic squads, etc.) but these are the biggest. We're still learning how the Alien Commander should work but we think our dynamic environments will make every game play differently.
Could you tell us more about how the Infestation works?
A:It grows automatically outward from all alien structures. Also, the Alien Commander can make it grow wherever he wants through the placement of infestation "nodes". As the infestation grows, it turns off lights, breaks through doors, etc. Aliens can also morph to new lifeforms and automatically heal when they are infestation. Finally, the Alien Commander has special abilities that can only be used on infestation. We think the marine team will be able to burn infestation away with their flamethrower.