Natural Selection (Series)

Natural Selection: Standalone Real-Time Strategy Game

Natural Selection is a mod for the first-person shooter Half-Life that eventually turned into a full stand-alone game. It features complex real-time strategy gameplay with two opposing alien races fighting for control of territory and resources.

What is Natural Selection (Series)?

Natural Selection is a mod for the first-person shooter Half-Life that eventually turned into a full stand-alone game. It combines the genres of real-time strategy and first-person shooter into one multi-player experience. Two teams, alien Kharaa lifeforms and human Frontiersmen, battle to control territory and critical resources.

On the marine side, the game is played as a traditional first-person shooter from one soldier's perspective. Marines can choose different equipment like weapons or mechanized suits. They must work together, coordinated by a Commander, to achieve objectives like destroying alien hives or defending locations.

The alien team takes an overhead, real-time strategy perspective to spread infestation and evolve new lifeforms. Different aliens have abilities like climbing walls, quick movement, healing, and more. The alien Commander issues orders to capture resources and launch assaults. Lone aliens can skirt throughout ventilation shafts to ambush marines.

With asymmetrical factions, complex upgrade trees, and multi-tiered victory conditions, Natural Selection provides deep strategic challenges. Matches rely on coordination of squad roles, proper resource management, and quick tactical decisions as battles unfold. With several official expansions and conversion packs, the open source game still maintains an active modding community to this day.

Natural Selection (Series) Features

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