Natural Disaster Survival

Natural Disaster Survival
File:Natural Disaster Survival.png
Developer(s)	Stickmasterluke
Publisher(s)	Stickmasterluke
Platform(s)	Roblox
Release	March 28, 2008 (2008-03-28)
Genre(s)	Adventure Survival
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

"Natural Disaster Survival" is a round-based survival experience in Roblox created by the user @Stickmasterluke. It was an empty place slot from March 2008 to around November 2011 when the experience's name was updated to "Disaster Testing". The full experience was released on December 4, 2011. The game has been positively compared to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

There was a newer version of Natural Disaster Survival called "The Disaster Games" released on November 22, 2013. However, it was not as popular due to the health cap and was not updated by Stickmasterluke for a long time. In "The Disaster Games" the player could hit other players, damage and knock them down.

In 2014, Roblox Corporation released an app that took them directly to the game, but has now removed it.

The game is still popular and still in its growth stage since late 2011. On February 25, 2020, the game surpassed one billion visits, and on June 19, 2022, it surpassed two billion visits.

Gameplay

When players enter the game, they will be greeted by a GUI and will spawn on a tower. On the spawn tower, they can observe the disaster striking the island safely from a distance while waiting for the next round.

In the game, players must survive through 12 different disasters on 21 preset maps generated on a raised green island.

To increase the challenge of survival, there is a fall damage script that damages the player if they fall in any direction at a fast rate. If the player stops accelerating, the script does not damage the player. When a round begins, a random map is chosen and players are teleported to that chosen map. Upon arrival, they have approximately 20 seconds to prepare for the incoming disaster which is not revealed to the player until it starts, although before that the disaster started and the warning was not revealed to the player until 2015, since 2016 the game started to be very easy, since now the HUD shows the warning of the disaster that is coming, which makes it easier for the players to survive.

If the player dies during the round, they will be sent back to the spawn tower until the next round.

Disasters

These are the 12 available disasters in Natural Disaster Survival:

Disaster	Weather	Image	Details and solutions
Earthquake	Sunny	File:NDS - DIsaster Earthquake.png	The ground shakes, collapsing and breaking almost all structures on the map. An earthquake conveys any player in a random direction, sometimes into the water if one does not react fast enough. Roblox physics may make bricks fly as well, which can hit players and fling them off the island. Therefore, staying away from structures can increase your chances of surviving. If the player is in mid-air, the disaster does not make them move around; they should stay at a place where it is empty enough and keep jumping.
Tsunami	Sunny	File:NDS - DIsaster Tsunami.png	Far away from the island, a large wave appears admist the ocean and steadily moves towards the island. Upon impact, it destroys any bricks it slams into and kills any players who do not seek high grounds. During a tsunami disaster, avoid being on tall, thin structures such as the truss tower in Fort Indestructible as these types of structures collapse easily, but instead go on any sturdy building just tall enough so that the player cannot be hit by the wave. After the tsunamis passes them, they can (hopefully) safely jump off the building before it collapses, but if the building is too high and the player does not own a balloon, it is best to try staying on the building.
Meteor Shower	Sunny	File:NDS - DIsaster Meteor Shower.png	Brown spheres begin to fall from the sky at high speed, detaching and throwing everything they hit. The player is not harmed by the meteor, but if it is close enough, their body parts can be amputated and they disappear from the island. If it hits you directly, players will (as always) die. Meteors do not cause an additional fire, even if you are close, you will not die. The meteor is not a sniper as it doesn't hit you easily even if you are outdoors, but you should not be inside a building as if a meteor hits there they block the view of the rain and if another falls on the same , some debris can surround you and get you trapped under the parts. The best place to be during a meteor shower disaster is a flat, clear area away from any structures.
Fire	Sunny	File:NDS - DIsaster Fire.png	A few seconds after the warning is issued, a part of the map begins to burn with fire, which slowly spreads towards the nearby bricks. Start at different locations on each map, burning and destroying everything on the map. First, it makes it glow like fire, and then it turns into black ash. If a player stands on the burning bricks, their health slowly begins to deplete until they burn to death. If a player stands on a black brick (fully burned) they will not take any damage. It is considered the easiest disaster in NDS, as if you stay in the corner of the island, pretty much anyone can survive this disaster.
Volcanic Eruption	Sunny	File:NDS - DIsaster Volcanic Eruption.png	On any location around the map, a large climbable caldera forms and begins to erupt only in a matter of seconds. This discharge sends flying lava bricks onto the island, in a similar fashion to the meteor shower, swallowing any brick and player it hits. Frequently, the lava bricks go through both objects and the island. The lava bricks can also collide with the objects and island, therefore, hiding in a building is not a good idea. Sometimes, the magma cubes might glitch, freezing in the air. The best way to survive is to stay as far away from the volcano as possible. Alternatively, the player can take their chances and climb onto the volcano by jumping on the water next to volcano - the player should not worry about falling into the void as the volcano is collidable and large enough to reach the main island. During a multi disaster, climbing up on the volcano to avoid other disasters can increase the player's chance survival.
Deadly Virus	Sunny	File:NDS - DIsaster Deadly Virus.png	At the start, a random player will be selected to be the patient zero and become infected with the deadly virus. The infected players will cough, sneeze and create purple sphere viruses. Their health will drain overtime and become dead eventually when their health drops to 0. Any uninfected player that contact with the virus will be infected and have all the symptoms and signs mentioned above. To survive the disaster, players should also avoid contracting the virus since the disease cannot be cured once they are infected. Isolating from other players can ensure a lower chance of contracting the viruses as the medium of the virus transmission is from other players. A balloon can help a player to avoid other players easily when they are high in the sky. An Apple can also help by recovering health when the player is infected and their health is draining.
Acid Rain	Cloudy	File:NDS - DIsaster Acid Rain.png	One of the unrealistic messes in the game (it doesn't actually dissolve objects easily). In the clouds, it begins to precipitate a few drops of deadly acid on each brick it can be poured onto. Players not in a shelter can be damaged by rain, and if cover is not found in time, die from severe burns. The acid blob turns the brick gray first, then turns green and disconnects from other bricks if they are hit twice with the blobs. If it takes further damage, the brick turns dark green, eventually turning black and disappearing (this can be skipped if the original brick's color is like the affected brick). Touching a brick that has been damaged by acid rain can cause a small amount of damage. Make sure something is over your head, but it's best to stay inside. It's a very difficult mess if you're in Fort Indestructible as there isn't much cover.
Thunderstorm	Cloudy	File:NDS - DIsaster Thunderstorm.png	A second after the warning disperses, a huge crackling sound of thunder plays and a bolt of lightning strikes. The lightning strikes around 45 times on the map in different areas, including the sea. It is recommended to stay indoors and avoid heights, as the lightning might hit the high places. If a bolt of lightning hits the players directly, they will die instantly. If it hits near they character, they will not die but may lose some limbs. Therefore, stay indoors all at costs. It's a very difficult mess if you're in Fort Indestructible as there isn't much cover.
Tornado	Cloudy	File:NDS - DIsaster Tornado.png	Inmediately after the warning, a smoke-like funnel attacks the center of the map and destroy all objects in its way. The tornado is very destructive, picking up any object it hits. Keep running away from the tornado and make sure it does not run up to the players. Otherwise, they will lose their accessories, limbs or be flung off the map. The flying debris may also knock players off the island if they stand too close to the edge of the island. On Coastal Quickstop the tornado does not spawn at the lighthouse, docks or the well, so stay at any of those places if there is a tornado.
Flash Flood	Cloudy	File:NDS - DIsaster Flash Flood.png	10 seconds after the warning, the ocean surrounding the island starts to rise, eventually rising above the island. It destroys any unstable and low structure in its way. If a player touches the flood water, their health slowly drains until they die. It is recommended to stay on stable structures just high enough to avoid the flood. Do not climb too high or else the player might fall and die. If the structure falls, jump and try to stay on top of a brick above water. Flash Flood is considered one of the toughest disasters in the game as a lot of structures dismantle too fast during the disaster.
Blizzard	Cloudy Foggy	File:NDS - DIsaster Blizzard.png	When this disaster begins, a large force rushes in from a random direction and begins to disintegrate and blow up objects, dealing damage to players not behind any objects. Also, the blizzard will cause any player who doesn't touch any walls or corners to become hypothermic, and if it stays for long enough, it will cause them to die of hypothermia. However, as long as the player remains in a corner of a house or building, the storm will not deal significant damage to the player.
Sandstorm	Cloudy Dusty	File:NDS - DIsaster Sandstorm.png	Before the dusty wind arrives, the view will become dusty and the screen will be covered with sand. When it starts, the big force rushes from a random direction and starts to disintegrate or blow up all the bricks. Players will not take damage from the sandstorm itself, however its flying bricks are more deadly when they hit the player. During this disaster, stay outdoors and watch where objects are flying, for example, if we see structures flying to the east, please stay to the west and watch out for flying structures. Sometimes everything on the island is wiped off the map.

Maps

These are the 21 available maps in Natural Disaster Survival:

Map Name	Image	Basic Information
Glass Office	File:NDS - Map Glass Office.jpeg	An empty skyscraper with 7 floors and a road outside. Players can access all the floors by going up multiple flights of stairs. On the outside, there are what appears to be bushes on both sides of the pathway leading inside the building.
Heights School	File:NDS - Map Heights School.jpeg	A two-story high school with lockers, multiple classrooms, restrooms, and a principal's office.
Sunny Ranch	File:NDS - Map Sunny Ranch.jpeg	A ranch surrounded by a white wooden fence with a barn, a drivable tractor, and silos that can be climbed.
Party Palace	File:NDS - Map Party Palace.jpeg	An amusement park with a turbo drop, a pirate boat, whack-a-mole, carousel, strong man game, a popcorn machine that can be pushed, and a light yellow building with a red roof. Music is being played during the map.
Lucky Mart	File:NDS - Map Lucky Mart.jpeg	A green shopping mart with a canteen and a car park.
Sky Tower	File:NDS - Map Sky Tower.jpeg	A huge, empty 16-story skyscraper with a lightning rod on the top. Players can exit the building on the first floor, fifth floor, thirteenth floor and the roof. There is also a sparkling rod on the top.
Happy Home	File:NDS - Map Happy Home.jpeg	Similar to the 2007-2008 starter place, also known as Happy Home of Robloxia, featuring a red-roofed two-story house with a chimney and a truss behind the house. A slide and a seesaw can be found near the house.
Fort Indestructible	File:NDS - Map Fort Indestructible.jpeg	A military fort surrounded by a wall with drivable tanks, an immovable helicopter, and a truss tower with a red sparkling rod on top.
Trailer Park	File:NDS - Map Trailer Park.jpeg	A park with multiple trailers strewn around, along with a water tower. The biggest trailer is the sand colored one, boasting two floors. If players want sturdy cover, the best place to go is the water tower. The white trailer has a bathroom in it, while the green ones have paintings in them.
Arch Park	File:NDS - Map Arch Park.jpeg	A park with a sign, a fountain, a tuck shop and a statue with a sword in its hand beneath an arch.
Surf Central	File:NDS - Map Surf Central.jpeg	A sandy beach with plenty of umbrellas, beach chairs, and two lifeguard towers. On the higher area of the land, there is a road and a wooden building with lots of surfboards inside. Players can get to the top of the building by climbing the truss behind it.
Rakish Refinery	File:NDS - Map Rakish Refinery.jpeg	A small oil refinery with tanks, boilers, a chimney and a red empty building. Players can climb to the top of the chimney.
Raving Raceway	File:NDS - Map Raving Raceway.jpeg	A race track with 8 drivable race cars.
Coastal Quickstop	File:NDS - Map Coastal Quickstop.jpeg	An island with a few houses, a well, a dock, and a lighthouse. The extra lands under the lighthouse and the well are destroyable and flammable too, although the lighthouse, the well, and the dock cannot be reached by a tornado, making them safe places during a tornado.
Furious Station	File:NDS - Map Furious Station.jpeg	A gas station with a convenience store, a billboard which players can access and climb to the top, and a car park. Multiple drivable cars are located on the map, and 2 drivable trucks sitting in front of the car park.
Prison Panic	File:NDS - Map Prison Panic.jpeg	A basic prison outfitted with gym, cafetería, interrogation room, office, snapshot room and guard walls. The fences and the tall walls are barb-wired, which deal damage to anybody who comes in contact with them. Whenever players decide to pass through the snapshot room, they will teleport inside a cell and are stuck there until either themselves or another player clicks on their cell door handle.
Safety Second	File:NDS - Map Safety Second.jpeg	A construction site with drivable excavators and crane trucks. There is also a pile of dirt, containers and a unfinished building with 3 floors. However, the 3rd floor does not have a ladder; the only way to get up there is to go to the 2nd floor, jump onto the wooden crates, and there will be orange trusses that they can climb. On the left side of the island, there is also an unfinished building with wet concrete which would slow down players if they step into it.
Launch Land	File:NDS - Map Launch Land.jpeg	A rocket launch site with a space shuttle, a patrol tower, a ramp with a bridge to enter the shuttle, a platform, and push buttons all over the map. There are 4 push buttons present: Two blue buttons are located on the service tower. A yellow button, which is located at the top of the ramp. A red button inside the shuttle's cabbin. The blue buttons get the rocket ready, the yellow button drops the bridge linking the shuttle with the tower, and the red button ignites the Space Shuttle's main engines, which are mounted on the Orbiter portion of it.
Manic Mansion	File:NDS - Map Manic Mansion.jpeg	A remade version of Shedletsky's haunted mansion featuring a three-stories mansion with multiple rooms, including a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, two bedrooms and a attic. Players can access the rooftop through a hole in the ceiling in the attic. Behind the mansion, a swimming pool can be found.
Rainbow Ride	File:NDS - Map Rainbow Ride.jpeg	A giant fully-functional, colorful ferris wheel with 20 carts of different colors, which can be ridden to observe from heights. Players can also access the center of the Ferris Wheel by walking on the support of the wheel.
Modest Headquarters	File:NDS - Map Modest Headquarters.jpeg	A remade version of the Roblox HQ tower featuring sky-high identifical twin towers with a bridge connecting in between. Each tower has a basement, a CEO room on the second floor and a new Roblox logo in front of the tower. A water fountain and a Roblox sign can also be found in front of the towers.

Start of Fire Disaster

The Start of Fire disaster on a map is an object, which in the event of a fire disaster, would be the first brick to catch on fire.

Map	Fire Starter(s)
Glass Office	Fourth floor, the west of the building.
Heights School	The green can on the second floor of a corner.
Sunny Ranch	The lantern inside the barn.
Party Palace	The popcorn machine.
Lucky Mart	The cash register nearest to the entrance.
Sky Tower	First floor, central-right.
Happy Home	First floor, upper-left.
Fort Indestructible	The second tank at the right near the truss tower.
Trailer Park	Tree north of the water tower.
Arch Park	The grey barrel/trash can near the fountain.
Surf Central	East of the wood building, the entry.
Rakish Refinery	The boiler nearest to the chimney.
Raving Raceway	The yellow racecar.
Coastal Quickstop	The fireplaces in two huts.
Furious Station	The microwave inside the store.
Prison Panic	The blue bin nearest the counters af the cafeteria.
Safety Second	The red garbage container af the left of the map.
Launch Land	The start of the bridge leading to the rocket at the ramp tower.
Manic Mansion	The fireplace in the living room.
Rainbow Ride	One of the blue carts of the Ferris Wheel.
Modest Headquarters	The desk in the West Tower.

Tools

There are 3 tools in the game that can be obtained from gamepasses. Each gamepass costs 80 Robux. The exception is the compass which could also be obtained from Mysterious Golden Gift in 2017.

Gamepass	Image	Details
Green Balloon		Green Balloon lowers player's gravity, allowing them to jump higher and receive less fall damage. But if they use it while on very high ground (e.g. at the top of the twin tower in Modest Headquarters), the balloon will pop and become unusable temporarily. It is extremely useful of even necessary if flash flood or tsunami is the selected disaster.
Red Apple		Red Apple heals the player once they bite it, it has a 5.5 second cooldown so they have to wait for a short time to use it again. This is extremely useful on blizzard, acid rain and deadly virus which are the disasters that deplete players' health over time.
Yellow Compass		The compass, which can be either bought from a gamepass, or obtained from a Mysterious Golden Gift, is the third and final tool in the game. The function of the compass is simply for players to vote 1 of 3 maps presented by the system. The map with the most votes will be selected to be the next map. If there is a tie in the voting, the system will select one of the maps with tied votes randomly. One specific map can be duplicated, or even tripled. If said map is tripled, it gives no choice to the player on what the next map will be.

Product

Power-Up Machine

In 2016, the Power-Up Machine was introduced. Players can use the Power-Up Machine to start a round of multiple disasters by buying the product for 100 Robux per use. Each time the Power-Up Machine is powered, there will be an extra disaster during multiple disaster round. The more it is powered up, the more disasters there will be.

There can only be maximum of seven disasters at once. If the machine is powered more than six times, the remaining power-up will not be consumed and will be left for the next multiple disaster round instead.

Multiple disaster round occurs once every three rounds.

Reception

Christian Vaz of PCGamesN rated the game as one of the best Roblox games.

References

 This article incorporates text available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.