A few days ago we released the Natural Selection 2 alpha to the almost 16,000 players who pre-ordered the Special Edition. This is quite a rare event in the games industry. In fact we couldn't think of a single game that had a non-"friends and family" alpha, let alone one with such a large group.

Making the jump from 40 internal testers to 16,000 external ones generates an overwhelming amount of feedback and bug reports, not to mention customer support and other logistics. We've been busy triaging reports and fixing them as fast as we can and today we're releasing a patch with the first group of these. This patch is available on Steam and should automatically download. Here's the complete list of changes in the patch:

Technical

Fixed bug where a client would continue to try and connect after the server reported that it was full or the client was using the wrong protocol
Fixed bug where clients could only connect to servers on the default port
Fixed bug where the port was removed when connecting via console command
Fixed bug on multi-monitor systems that resulted in a graphics reset loop
Fixed window border when switching from fullscreen to windowed
Fixed bug where key events outside of the game's focus window would sometimes be processed by the game
Fixed bug where the dedicated server could not be run without Steam running
Fixed duplicate attack/fire key bindings that caused mismatches
Fixed voice chat to use in-game sound volume on playback
Fixed bug where where clients could timeout while alt-tabbed from the game in fullscreen mode
Fixed bug where binding a game server to an IP would cause it to not be displayed in the server browser
Added client-side timeouts when attempting to connect to a server
Added support for closing a dedicated server by pressing ctrl+break
Added alt-enter to toggle between fullscreen and windowed mode
Added dedicated server files to the Steam release
Added Toggle Console binding to UI settings
Game

Fixed bug where MACs were free (now they cost 2 plasma)
Fixed bug with armory playing extra sounds when players were nearby
Added rally points for Hives and Command Stations
Fixed many vent physics objects so they can be entered
Fixed hitching animation problems while sprinting as marine
Logging into a Command Station no longer freezes you but it will open again if the logging in player leaves
When the Command Station closes, anyone inside besides the Commander is killed
Aliens become Commander instantly when +using the hive
Fixed bug where Extractors or Harvesters couldn't be built on a nozzle that had one previously
Added welding effect to MAC
Added new marine commander icon artwork
Improve marine running and jumping animations
Updated shell ejection effect for the rifle, pistol, and grenade launcher
New docking_walltech environment props
Our priority in this patch was addressing the issues that are preventing people from connecting to servers. The next order of business is addressing any issues running or maintaining dedicated servers along with issues that make the game feel "laggy" or otherwise unplayable.

In addition to the critical engine fixes in this patch, there are also some gameplay changes. Sometimes people who are experiencing technical problems feel frustrated by these changes; they believe those changes are taking priority over other issues that feel more important to them. We'd like to assure you this is not the the case. Our programming team is made up of people with different specialties, and just like you wouldn't take a car to a doctor to repair, it doesn't make sense to give a gameplay programmer an engine-related task.

The best way to help us fix bugs is to provide good reports of what you're experiencing. We've been using Get Satisfaction to help with this process. This is a new system to us, so we're still figuring out the best way to take advantage of it. Get Satisfaction has a search feature which allows you to easily find out if other people have reported the same issue, but using this, you'll help us find and address the most common problems first.