The indie dev crew at Unknown Worlds continue to feed out tidbits of information about the hotly anticipated FPS sequel Natural Selection 2, the latest reveal being a tool no self-respecting space marine should be without, the flamethrower.

Currently there is no secondary fire implemented for the Flamethrower, though we have several ideas kicking around that we’d like to experiment with. One very useful gameplay aspect of the flamethrower, however, is that it can be used to clear rooms of Dynamic Infestation. It’s likely that the flamethrower will be the only item in the Marines’ arsenal capable of this, making it extremely necessary for pushing back the alien advance.

When faced with a raging inferno of fiery destruction the aliens will be cheered to see their fat firemen friends racing to the rescue - Gorges will be able to put out fires using their heal spray.

Check out the embedded video below or hit up the official site for more specifics.

Natural Selection 2 is currently in the alpha testing stage and a release date is still yet to be announced.

Following up on yesterday's promised reveal and confirming the speculative guesses of most, Unknown Worlds have announced July 26th 2010 as the launch date for their first Alpha test of the hotly anticipated Natural Selection 2.

Unlike many game's alpha and beta tests that restrict their players to a privileged few, the NS2 alpha will be open to anyone that has pre-ordered the special edition of the game. For those who haven't yet, you've got two weeks to sort it out if you want in on the Alpha test.

By giving out stuff earlier, we encourage people to buy earlier, which means we can fund the company without having a publisher involved. Remaining independent is not without its drawbacks, but was the right choice for us and has allowed us to build a proper sequel worthy of the original.

Here's what to expect:

NS2 Alpha 1 content

• One of our shipping maps (ns2_tram), plus some smaller "test" maps
  
• Marine, with Rifle, Pistol, SwitchAx, Grenade Launcher
  
• Skulks, Gorges, Lerks and their basic movement abilities and weapons
  
• Marine armory "buy" screen for purchasing new equipment
  
• Alien evolution menu for choosing your lifeform and upgrades
  
• Basic marine and alien commander interfaces including MACs, Drifters
  
• Much of our final sounds, artwork, animations, etc.

Check out the official site for more details.

If you're a pre-order customer for Natural Selection 2, you might be interested to note that the team have released an "engine test", offering a first glimpse at this anticipated shooter:

Today is a big milestone for Unknown Worlds: we've just released the NS2 "Engine Test" to everyone that has pre-ordered the game!

This is the first version of the game and game engine where you can run around on a couple small maps and fire the rifle at animated dummy targets. It isn't supposed to represent gameplay for NS2 (or really, any gameplay at all!) but serves to help us test our technology to make sure we get it running smoothly on a wide variety of computers.

If you're a pre-order customer you can download the engine test locally from AusGamers now to check it out.

Independent developers Wolfire Games and Uknown Worlds Entertainment are bundling Overgrowth and Natural Selection 2 for pre-order for over 40% off at a price of $39.95 (for one week only)!

Already pre-ordered one of these games? Then you should be in for a nice surprise as you now get the other one free! If you pre-ordered NS2, you can get a free copy of Overgrowth here. If you pre-ordered Overgrowth, you can get a free copy of NS2 Special Edition here.

What makes this bundle so awesome is that unlike other "indie" bundles which are hosted by corporate middle men, we are actually putting this promotion on by ourselves, so all sales will directly support our game development. We both practice "open development" which means that preordering gets you access to early builds of our games and tech. Since we're building our own engines from scratch and bundling them with editor suites, people are already able to start building their own custom levels (and have already been doing so!).

We don't have marketing budgets so we're relying heavily on word of mouth. Please be sure to tell your friends!

This trailer sums it all up nicely...


Check the official site for more info.

The Organic Indie Preorder Pack FAQ will answer any questions you have about things like steam.

Promoted/Edited forum item

The Unknown Worlds website is carrying word of Natural Selection 2, an upcoming commercial game (yes, that means you'll have to pay for it):

Natural Selection 2 is the next wave in the war for survival between humankind and the Kharaa. Natural Selection 2 is the next evolution in multiplayer action/strategy gameplay and will be targeted for both competitive and public play. New features include dynamically changing environments, a new resource model, flexible game scripting and modes, and new weapons, abilities and upgrades. Natural Selection 2 will be a stand-alone commercial game for release on VALVe software's digital distribution service called Steam