Unreal Tournament Guide
In early December 1999, Epic Games & Digital Extremes released what has now become known as one of the best games of the year, Unreal Tournament. Representing the very best in FPS gaming, Unreal Tournament is a game full of depth, with tricks and secrets to learn and skills you must hone if you hope to survive. You may be new to the first person shooter craze, or perhaps you're a seasoned veteran returning for more gibs and glory; whatever the case, this guide is for you. Whether you're an Unreal Tournament virgin or "Frag Masta Flex", we hope that this guide will provide you with all the knowledge you need to succeed both against UT's AI opponents and in the vast world of online gaming. Let PlanetUnreal take you by the hand and show you the way...
Getting Started
Essential Files
The Essential Files
Are you wondering you need to do to get yourself up-to-date with all the latest bug fixes? Considering running a linux sever but don't know where to start? Or perhaps you aren't quite ready to part with your cash and would like to try out the UT Demo first. Whatever your situation, you've come to the right place. We'll guide you to the section of FilePlanet that you're looking for.
Unreal Tournament Patches
It seems that we live in a world where no game is released without at least a few bugs, and Unreal Tournament was no exception. You can be sure though that as soon as they're found, they'll be fixed. Here are links to the latest patches for the Windows, MacOS and Linux i386 platforms:
FilePlanet UT Patches Section
Once the patch has been downloaded to your computer, simply double-click to run it and follow the prompts to install the patch. Your Unreal Tournament CD will be required during the process.
Please note that all versions of Unreal Tournament are network compatable with one another. This means that no matter which version of the game you and the server are running, you'll be able to play! Unreal Tournament Linux Client & Server
Linux is becoming increasingly popular as a stable server platform and alternative to "mainstream" operating systems. Responding to this, Epic Games have ported the Unreal Tournament code over to Linux, enabling people running that operating system to operate Linux servers and play the game in XWindows. If you would like to join them, simply download and install the following tar ball:
Unreal Tournament 400A Client/Server for Linux i386 (3.5 MB)
Obviously you will need a retail copy of Unreal Tournament in order to install this, and don't forget to download the patch above as well! For more information regarding the linux port, you can find extensive documentation over on the Unreal Technology Page. Unreal Tournament Demo
So, you've heard the hype, you've seen the screenshots, but you still haven't experienced the game everyone seems to be talking about? If you're one of those people who likes to "try before you buy", then here's your chance. Simply download the Unreal Tournament for your platform and get ready to frag away!
Unreal Tournament 348 Demo for Windows (53.1 MB) Unreal Tournament 348 Demo for MacOS (50.6 MB) Unreal Tournament 348 Demo for Linux i386 (53.1 MB)
Epic Games Goodies
It used to be that once a developer had completed a game, they would not touch it aside from addressing major bugs and releasing commercial expansion packs, but no longer. Epic Games are currently beavering away at a free-release Bonus Pack for Unreal Tournament, which is slated to include many new maps, new player models and the "Relics" system. Once it is released it will be posted here. Digital Extremes Goodies
Digital Extremes aren't going to sit idly by either. Their team of expert mappers and coders have been busy expanding on Unreal Tournament, and have so far released the following .zip files of goodness:
Digital Extremes' CTF Maps: CTF-HallOfGiants & CTF-Orbital for Unreal Tournament (0.4 & 1.1 MB) Digital Extremes' Mutator Pack for Unreal Tournament (0.08 MB)
The mutator pack comes as a .umod, which when ran should automatically install itself.
The UT User Interface
The Unreal Tournament Graphical User Interface has been designed specifically to look and feel much like Windows, and therefore if you can use Windows then you should have no trouble with UT's GUI. Here's a shot of what the typical Unreal Tournament desktop looks like:
As you may notice, a menubar runs along the top of the screen, this making easily available many different options including starting a new Single Player game, resuming a previous one, adjusting your settings and playing online. You should be aware of the distinction between the Start Unreal Tournament and Start Practice Session options in the Game menu - Start Unreal Tournament refers to UT's actual Single Player game, whereas Start Practice Session is the equivilant of Unreal's Botmatch option, alebit with a much larger range of Game Types, maps and other parameters to choose from. You will find all of Unreal Tournament's playing options and more under the pull-down menus, which are activated by clicking on their respective headings with the left mouse button:
File:Metalguiskin.jpg File:Goldguiskin.jpg File:Iceguiskin.jpg
As you move the cursor over an option or heading, by default context help will be displayed inside the colored bar at the bottom of the screen, explaining what the menu option is or what the menu allows you to do. This can be very handy if you are unsure of exactly what enabling an option will do, or what a particular variable will set. If you don't understand exactly what something is, simply place the cursor over the item and read the context help at the bottom of the screen.
User Interface Customization
Just like Windows, the Unreal Tournament UI can be customized somewhat to your tastes. There are three pre-made UT GUI skins available to use, and a capability to add your own if you wish. The three skins included with UT are as follows:
Of these, Ice is the default, however you can always change the current skin in the Options --> Preferences --> Video menu. Once you've made your choice, close the preferences window to confirm your selection.
General Info
Weapons
The range of weaponry in Unreal Tournament represents some of the most diverse and extensive collections available in any traditional FPS game today. From the Flak Cannon to the Sniper Rifle, every weapon has specific strengths and weaknesses, all which must be learned and taken into account if you hope to succeed at a high level, either against bots or other human players.
We all know that understanding of the weapons and how they work is integral to employing them strategically and effectively, with the goal of inflicting as much damage to your opponents as possible. In this section, PlanetUnreal's UT gurus will share with you their knowledge of each weapon and how to best put them to use.
Impact Hammer
Classification: Melee Piston Weapon Effective Range: Arm's reach Ammo on Pickup: N/A Maximum Ammo: N/A
Many games of the "second generation" of 3D First Person Shooters seemed to forego the inclusion of a melee weapon or weapons, thankfully however the third generation, of which Unreal Tournament is a part, has largely heralded their return. The Impact Hammer is a very close range weapon which was originally intended as a mining device, consisting of piston which is pneumatically propelled forward by compressed air stored in two small tanks. These tanks can either be completely filled, or only partially, depending on the effect desired.
The Impact Hammer's Primary firing mode is one of the most destructive in the game, requiring the player to hold down the primary fire key/button in order to build up a massive amount of compressed air in the storage tanks, which can subsequently be released by either halting the buildup or simply touching someone with the end of the weapon. If your victim doesn't happen to be wearing any armor, more than likely you're going to completely ruin their day, and be showered with gibs to boot. In any case, this attack inflicts massive amounts of damage, as the piston is rammed instantly and devastatingly into whoever happens to be standing in front of you.
This weapon's Secondary firing mode, whilst in some ways similar to it's Primary, is less powerful, faster to execute and can be used to perform a very difficult, though impressive trick. No holding down of the button or key is necessary for the Secondary attack, simply tap it to let off one piston jab, or hold to inflict pain repeatedly. This move only employs a fraction of this weapon's potential, but can be effective if you're looking for a quick hit or the ultimate in humiliation kills. As mentioned, the Impact Hammer's Secondary attack comes with a trick which, whilst it takes much skill to perfect, can be invaluable in saving your life at critical moments - it allows you to deflect incoming projectiles. You need to have the reflexes of a eagle to pull this off, but we guarantee that it works.
Advanced players also know that the massive amount of force the impact hammer can output may be put to many interesting and valuable uses. These include the ability to "Impact jump" by using the Impact Hammer as you would a Rocket Launcher in order to attain a greater than normal height (though causing damage to your person in the process), and being able to project members of your own team forward rapidly though harmlessly - useful for jolting a flag carrier forward on their journey home. All things considered, UT's Impact Hammer has the potential to be immensely valuable asset to any Unreal Tournament player.
Enforcer
Classification: Pistol(s) Effective Range: Short-Medium distance Ammo on Pickup: 30 Maximum Ammo: 199
The Enforcer is Unreal Tournament's version of Unreal's Automag pistol. It fires traditional bullets, the same used by the Minigun, in a relatively straight path toward your target. The Enforcer is an instant-hit weapon, and distance does not need to be taken into consideration when using it, other than to be aware that the Enforcer's accuracy is significantly diminished at long range.
It's Primary firing mode is what you would expect from a pistol, and the fire key/button can either be tapped for a single bullet, or held down to herald continuous fire. Whilst it is not able to eat ammunition nearly as fast as the Minigun, the Enforcer pistol inflicts more damage per bullet, making it a formidable threat in the hands of a talented marksman. Due to Unreal Tournament's locational damage feature, aiming for your opponent's head is the most effective way to quickly down a foe with the weapon, though this can take considerable skill from a distance. Picking up a second Enforcer, usually found only when dropped by other players upon their death, will double your fun allowing you to wield two Enforcers at the same time, and with some practice you can tweak your trigger timing to provide you with either twice the power or twice the firing rate of the usual single-Enforcer option.
Like the Automag, the Enforcer's Secondary fire mode finds the weapon flipped on it's side, "Gangsta" style. This position, regardless of the number of Enforcers (or "gats") you are holding, gives you a faster rate of fire, but in turn results in diminished accuracy, spreading the bullets over a wider space around your crosshair. At point blank range, this firing mode is ideal, however does not come recommended for any situation where it would mean you'd be likely to miss whatever you're aiming for.
GES BioRifle
Classification: Toxic Rifle Effective Range: Short distance Ammo on Pickup: 25 Maximum Ammo: 100
Certainly an original concept, the GES BioRifle first made an appearance in the original Unreal, though in it's original incarnation was criticized for being too weak and gimmicky. Not so this time around, the BioRifle now represents both an innovative and effective way of disposing of your enemies, and, more than often, yourself. That's right, the BioRifle ranks near the top of the scale of weapons with which it's very easy to do far more damage to yourself than anyone else, though, as with all of UT's weapons, in the hands of a master the BioRifle can be a great aid on the road to victory.
The BioRifle's Primary firing mode causes it to expel small blobs of translucent green industrial waste in a vertically parabolic path, which may subsequently land on the floor, walls, roof, or your enemy's face. If a blob of waste comes into contact with anything biological or is interfered with in any way it will explode instantly, causing a little damage to anything nearby. However, when the waste hits a wall or other piece of architecture, it sticks, remaining dormant for several seconds before exploding. The beauty of this weapon is in the chain reactions which can occur between dormant and exploding blobs of BioRifle goo, causing massive damage to anyone nearby and making possible the setting of traps for other players to walk into.
The concept behind the BioRifle's Secondary firing mode is similar in a way to the Impact Hammer's Primary mode of fire. Whilst tapping the fire key/button will produce an effect similar to the BioRifle's Primary attack, holding it down slowly fills the BioRifle's chamber up with large amounts of waste (9 units when filled), which when the released is expelled forward as a massive, Jello-like blob. As you can imagine, this blob contains within it an enormous amount of chemical energy, and is devastating if it comes into contact with someone during it's flight, usually resulting in an instant kill. If it reaches a solid surface first however, the blob will separate into 8 smaller globules, seven of which will fly out from the point of impact, covering the surrounding area. If you're looking to set up a goo trap in a hurry, this can be a good way of going about doing so.
Unfortunately, the BioRifle is one of the least used weapons in the UT collection, especially in DeathMatch games. However, it is in the defense aspect of team games that the BioRifle shows that it can be an invaluable tool in your arsenal; Domination control points, CTF flags and even choke points and goals in Assault games may be made much less enticing to enemy players when surrounded by blobs of extremely volatile industrial waste. This weapon can gain critical seconds for your team when they're really needed, and should be treated with the respect it deserves.
Shock Rifle
Classification: Energy Rifle Effective Range: Limited only by your aim Ammo on Pickup: 20 Maximum Ammo: 50
The best way to describe the Shock Rifle to someone new to the Unreal universe would be perhaps to note it's similarities to Quake 2 & 3's Railgun weapon. However, like all Unreal Tournament's weaponry, the Shock Rifle is far more interesting and useful than the simple point and click guns found in some other games. For those familiar with the weapons found in Unreal, the Shock Rifle is more or less a clone of the ASMD which was tweaked considerably over several months during UT's development, rendering it perfectly balanced for DeathMatch play. Like all of UT's weapons, the Shock Rifle sports two firing modes and even a special "combo" move for those with skill who are looking to do even more damage than the Rifle's searing laser and plasma cannon can normally dish out.
The laser, an instant-hit weapon which inflicts a significant amount of damage and massive momentum transfer to it's victim, is the Shock Rifle's Primary attack. Like UT's Sniper Rifle, the laser always shoots in a perfectly straight line. Unlike the Sniper Rifle however, the Shock Rifle has truly unlimited range and is hampered only by the absence of a scope. Due to the amount of force transferred by it's beam, the laser is ideal for slamming other players around a map, which on levels such as DM-Morpheus can be just as deadly as if you had killed them outright (except that you don't receive credit for the kill). A more powerful version of the Shock Rifle's laser is used in when the Instagib mutator is active, which whilst it requires good aim, always rewards a successful hit with an instant kill. If you find that your aim is too poor to make the Shock Rifle's Primary fire useful to you, playing some Instagib is an excellent way to improve your skill with this weapon.
The Shock Rifle's Secondary fire will send out a relatively slow-moving ball of bright plasma, which will sail across the map in a perfectly straight line until it hits, or is hit by, something else. Whilst this firing mode is useful on it's own for it's splash damage characteristics, making it useful for firing at the feet of an oncoming assailant, the ball of plasma's power is only fully realised when it is shot by a beam from the Shock Rifle's laser, causing a pretty though deadly explosion which can cause severe damage to surrounding objects and players. This combo move is one of the easier tricks found in UT, and therefore essential knowledge for any player. Try it a few times, by firing a plasma ball followed closely by a shot from the laser aimed at the ball (give yourself plenty of space), and you'll soon get the hang of it.
When using the Shock Rifle, the following important factors should also be taken into account: The combo move consumes twice as much ammunition as the shots themselves, meaning that it's not always a sensible option if you're short on supplies. Oncoming plasma balls may also be stopped mid-flight by firing another ball of plasma at it; when they collide they will both explode as if they had hit a wall. Keeping these facts in mind, and with plenty of practice, you should be slapping people around with the Shock Rifle in no time.
Pulse Gun
Classification: Plasma Rifle Effective Range: Short-Medium distance Ammo on Pickup: 60 Maximum Ammo: 199
Along with the melee type weapons, plasma guns also seem to be experiencing a resurgence in popularity after their apparent absence from several generations of FPS games. UT's plasma weapon, the Pulse Gun has won many fans, it's Secondary fire proving to be a very popular weapon in all of UT's game modes. The reason behind this is mostly likely that the Pulse Gun is a simple weapon, though often an effective one.
It's Primary firing mode would be familiar to anyone who has ever used Doom's or Q3A's Plasma weapons, burning hot wads of plasma are fired from the weapon's barrel at an alarming rate. The plasma travels quickly, much faster than the Shock Rifle's Secondary fire, though in this case the plasma balls are not fired in an exact straight line, spreading slightly as they travel. As you might expect, this firing mode is very effective at short range, and can to a lot of damage in a short period of time. However, for assaults over a longer distance, the Pulse Rifle's Secondary firing mode can be much more effective.
Taking the form of a lighting bolt-esque stream of plasma, the Pulse Gun's Secondary firing mode gives you a long and very hot sword with which to melt through your enemies. When used by a player under the influence of a Damage Amplifier, this attack is devastating, as you cut through people "like a hot knife through butter". Due to it's limited range however, this attack does have a downside, and the best way to defend yourself from a player attempting to melt through your torso with it is to simply run away as fast as possible, preferably whilst letting off a few good shots directed towards their head. Try to get a feel for the distance at which the Pulse Gun's plasma stream ends, and take this into consideration when using it in battle.
Ripper
Classification: Ballistic Blade Launcher Effective Range: Short-Medium distance Ammo on Pickup: 15 Maximum Ammo: 75
Fans of Unreal's Razorjack will be happy to know that it's making a strong comeback in Unreal Tournament, though with no less than a complete overhaul. The Ripper has been redesigned from the ground up, and whilst it's Primary attack method remains the same, it no longer supports the ability of being able to curve disk's trajectories by flicking the controls as it fires. Instead, the guys at Epic have added a special new feature to the blades themselves.
Feared by Unreal player's the world over, the sound of a fast-spinning razor-sharp disk embedding itself into human flesh echoes even louder in Unreal Tournament. The Ripper's primary fire accelerates a razordisk's rotation and instantly sends it spinning out in a straight flight path at a decent rate of speed. As disks come into contact with walls and other solid surfaces, they ricochet off, sent spinning again until either hitting flesh or is being damaged by too many ricochets. This attack is deadly when aimed at an opponent's neck, and can be used to take shots around corners and into places to which you may not have a direct line of sight.
It's the Ripper's Secondary attack which Unreal veterans aren't going to be familiar with - In Unreal Tournament the titanium disks fired by the Ripper come with a special surprise, this time they're packed with explosive. As an armed disk comes into contact with something, it will explode, in much the same way a rocket would. Also, like a rocket, the Ripper's Secondary attack can be employed when needing to gain a little extra height, by firing an explosive disk at your feet whilst executing a running jump. As with all splash damage weapons in Unreal Tournament, if in doubt, aim low so as to at least inflict some damage from the explosion if you don't make a direct hit.
Minigun
Classification: Gatling Gun Effective Range: Short-Medium distance Ammo on Pickup: 80 Maximum Ammo: 199
Of all the weapons in Unreal Tournament, the Minigun requires the least explanation. A simple though deadly bullet weapon, the Minigun is capable of outputting as many as 13-14 rounds per second, enough to cause any target serious leakage problems. Employing a rotating barrel so as not to overheat, the Minigun still appears to run very hot. To aid in aiming the weapon, the Minigun also fires tracer rounds at a rate of 1-5 per second, depending on the current firing mode, which greatly assist in assessing the weapon's current spread.
The Minigun's Primary firing mode is what you would expect, and the fire key/button can either be tapped to let off 4 quick rounds, or held to maintain a continuous stream of bullets. This firing mode is reasonably accurate, and is effective up to a medium distance. Handy for causing some damage to your opponent whilst closing in and "spraying" groups of opponents from a distance, the Minigun's Primary attack is suited more to passive combat than in-your-face duels.
For those intimate moments however, the Minigun's Secondary attack is often more than enough to quickly dispatch your enemy. Similar to the Primary firing mode though considerably faster, the Minigun's Secondary attack packs enough punch to annihilate an unarmed opponent in less than a second. The drawback of this increased firing rate however, is a drastic reduction in accuracy, the bullets being dispersed over a wide area, especially when fired from a distance. Still, when used in the correct situations, few will stand in your way for long when wielding this weapon.
Flak Cannon
Classification: Heavy Shrapnel Cannon Effective Range: Short distance Ammo on Pickup: 10 Maximum Ammo: 50
Whilst the Flak Cannon could be classed as a simple shotgun equivalent, anyone who has played Unreal or UT will know that it is so much more. Instead of disintegrating upon hitting a wall or other hard surface, white-hot shrapnel ricochets, resulting in possibilities far beyond what a normal shotgun would be capable of. Beware however, as with all weapons with ricocheting projectiles or splash damage, it's just as easy to bring about your own end as it is that of others. The Flak Cannon is also hampered by relatively long loading and reloading times, a factor which must be taken into account when choosing this weapon and timing your shots.
When firing the Flak Cannon with the Primary fire key/button, the shell inside the Cannon will explode and release 9 tiny pieces of shrapnel, which subsequently fly out in a largely random though shotgun-like pattern. This reasonably concentrated volley of white-hot flak is absolutely devastating at point-blank range (often resulting in instant kills of unarmored opponents), and very effective at a short distance. Like the Ripper's titanium disks, firing a round of flak from a short range into confined spaces is often lethal to whoever happens to be inside. At longer distances though, where less than half of the shrapnel pieces are likely to hit your victim, you're probably going to be much better off using a medium-long distance weapon instead.
Rather than exploding the shell within the Flak Cannon itself, the Secondary attack actually launches the shell, intact, from the barrel of the weapon. This sends the shell traveling forward in a straight path, though it quickly falls to earth due to it's substantial weight. This flak "grenade" has many deadly aspects, all of which have the potential to cause significant injury and often instant death. If the shell comes into contact with an enemy mid-flight it will explode with considerable force, and despite the smiley face painted onto the front of these shells, they deal death with alarming regularity. The flak shell also has the ability to inflict great damage after it hits a surface and explodes, letting out 5 pieces of shrapnel and itself exploding with enough force to critically injure enemies standing nearby. This attack is most useful at short range, as at point blank it will damage you as well as your enemy. Play around with it and you will soon find many situations in which this attack is most effective.
Rocket Launcher
Classification: Heavy Ballistic Effective Range: Short-Long distance Ammo on Pickup: 6 Maximum Ammo: 48
It's hard to envisage a successful DeathMatch game which does not include a Rocket Launcher of some description. Unreal Tournament acknowledges the important role this weapon has to play, but in including it Epic Games have ensured there's a lot more to it than the Rocket Launchers found in many other games. Perhaps the most versatile and feature-packed weapon in the UT arsenal, the Rocket Launcher is both powerful and extremely satisfying. It is however by far the easiest weapon with which to kill yourself if you are prone to disorientation or fail to keep track of how many rockets you have loaded and remaining; ngWorldStats statistics for suicides leave little doubt in this matter. We hope that the following advice will help you improve your prowess in using this weapon.
UT's Rocket Launcher's Primary firing mode is exactly what you might expect, when you tap the fire key/button a rocket will be launched from the weapon, traveling forward in a straight path. The rockets are self-propelled and are effective for causing damage at any range - as long as your target doesn't move too far from where you expected them to be when the rocket hits. Also, being a projectile with splash damage characteristics, unless you're sure of a hit, it's usually a good idea to aim for the wall, ceiling or floor nearest their current position to ensure you inflict at least some damage. Firing a rocket at an opponent, object, wall, floor or roof too close to where you're standing though, will also cause some damage to yourself, so be careful when firing at close range. As with many weapons in UT with this property, the Rocket Launcher may be used to gain extra height when jumping by firing a rocket at your feet as you lift off the ground - "rocket jumping" is a well known trick commonly practiced by experts and casual players alike.
As many of you would know, the main feature which sets Unreal Tournament's Rocket Launcher apart from the rest however is it's ability to load anything up to six rockets before firing (automatically if you allow all six rockets to load), giving it the ability to wreck havoc on a grand scale. If more than one rocket is loaded, when fired they will be launched in a line formation, spreading out from the crosshair first to the left and then to the right, the exact pattern depending on the number of rockets fired. This spread of rockets gives one volley the potential to harm many targets over a wide spread, however if you're looking to condense as much punch into one target or area as possible, by holding down the Secondary Fire button/key for apx. 1 second at any time whilst loading the Rockets they will be launched a in a tight cluster, perfect for this purpose. Each additional rocket loaded will significantly increase the damage dealt by the volley, so it's recommended that you be economical, using only as many rockets as you need, and not waiting to load that sixth rocket when you're granted the ultimate firing opportunity on the 4th or 5th unless you're setting up something very special indeed. Also, attempting to rocket jump with more than one rocket can be messy - we don't recommend it. If the whole idea of loading multiple rockets seems too complicated for you, there's an option to enable instant rocket fire in the Input section of the Preferences menu.
The final ability of the Rocket Launcher's primary firing mode to be covered is it's tracking and homing feature. When holding the Rocket Launcher and maintaining an opponent at a short-medium distance directly within your sights for a few seconds, you will hear a beep sound and your crosshair will change into the red tracking crosshair, indicting that the Rocket Launcher has successfully locked onto your target. Once locked on, any rockets loaded and fired whilst the target lock is maintained will automatically guide themselves once fired, adjusting their course in-flight as your target moves. If you should loose your target lock before firing the rockets however, they will fire normally, either spread or in a cluster as determined by the method discussed the previous paragraph. Whilst this is by no means foolproof - a talented player should be able to dodge most guided rocket attacks - this feature can render the Rocket Launcher a much more effective weapon in some cases.
Finally, rather than dedicate another entire weapon to launching grenades, Unreal Tournament's Rocket Launcher has his functionality built in, it's Secondary firing mode loading up to six grenades before firing. Once released, the grenades fly out, bouncing off solid surfaces and exploding after 3 or so seconds if they do not impact with human flesh beforehand. Unlike the Rocket Launcher aspect of this weapon, the grenade launching Secondary attack does not come with any built-in tricks, though with the ability to bounce around corners and swarm confined spaces, grenades certainly have their uses.
Sniper Rifle
Classification: Long Range Ballistic Effective Range: Short-Long distance Ammo on Pickup: 8 Maximum Ammo: 50
A favorite of many players, Unreal Tournament's Sniper Rifle is considered to be one of the best in any current FPS game. A long range, instant-hit bullet weapon, the Sniper Rifle's range is long enough to serve you well on all but the largest maps. Featuring a variable zoom scope, picking off enemies at long distance is easier with this weapon than any other, and it's great power lends itself to killing sprees so long they would be extremely difficult to maintain any closer to the action. Unreal Tournament's locational damage feature also makes landing a perfect HeadShot the rewarding experience it should be, often resulting in the instant decapitation of the victim, as shown in the following screenshot:
(Rhea was seriously wounded, but the soul still burns!)
As you would expect, the Sniper Rifle's Primary firing mode shoots a single bullet from the barrel of the rifle in a perfectly straight path for anything up to very long distances. Holding the fire button/key down repeats the action, though as with the Flak Cannon and Shock Rifle, at such a slow pace that it is much better to simply line up and take all your shots manually, allowing you to pull the trigger when you know the target is in your sights rather than have the bullet fire when you're still attempting to line the shot up.
The Sniper Rifle's Secondary attack simply activates the Sniper Rifle's scope, and the longer the Secondary fire key/button is held the further to scope will zoom in, up to a total 8.3x magnification. Tapping the Secondary fire button again deactivates the scope. When using the Sniper Rifle whilst mobile, unless you are able to zoom in with the scope very quickly it's usually a much better idea just to fire the rifle without aiming through the scope - however it is invaluable when using the Rifle from a distance in a Sniper nest or other camping position. In you are having trouble hitting targets even with the scope zoomed all the way in, try guessing where an opponent will move and place the crosshair over a position they will likely soon occupy, wait from them to arrive and unleashing a shot the moment they come into your sights. You should soon develop the reflexes and accuracy it takes to be an effective sniper.
Translocator
Classification: Personal Teleportation Device Effective Range: N/A Ammo on Pickup: N/A Maximum Ammo: N/A
The Translocator is a device which can be used by both human players and bots to warp themselves around a level. Consisting of two parts, a Translocator beacon and a hand-held control device, the Translocator (if enabled by the player or Server Administrator) can be found by pressing the 1 key when the impact hammer is being held (or, by pressing 1 twice when using any other weapon). The Translocator can also be bound to it's own button key, something which is highly recommended for Unreal Tournament play at a high level. Many have found that mouse thumb buttons, available on many popular mice sold today, are ideal for this purpose.
The Translocator works as such: Activating the Primary Fire mode will send the beacon traveling in a parabolic path in the direction in which you are currently facing, either whilst the beacon is still in flight or when it has landed (at which point it will raise it's antenna and light up), you may teleport to the beacon's current location by using it's Secondary Fire. If you would like to retrieve the beacon without teleporting to it, simply activate the Primary Fire again or run over your activated beacon to return it to you.
You should be aware that the Translocator beacon may be destroyed by other players, and if you attempt to teleport to a non-existent beacon, you will be instantly killed. Translocating when carrying the Flag in CTF games is also not recommended; whilst you should teleport successfully, the flag will be dropped at the location you teleported from. This can be useful in certain situations however, such as when you want to "pass" the flag to another player on your team.
Whilst not intended primarily as a weapon, the Translocator can be used to telefrag unsuspecting opponents. This may be done by setting the Translocator beacon down as a trap; activating the Translocator when someone steps over it, or by launching the Translocator directly at someone and activating it just as the beacon hits them. This trick does not apply to teammates though, or to yourself. Attempting to telefrag something you cannot kill or to a place you are unable to fit will simply return the beacon to your possession.
In the hands of an expert (for example, Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski) the Translocator is a formidable tool and weapon. In many Unreal Tournament maps, some weapons and power-ups may only be accessible by employing the Translocator, and many tricks are made possible only by it's inclusion in the UT arsenal. Only with practice and experience can you hope to learn it's finer points, though if you're planning in participating in anything more than just casual play, you're going to be left behind if you don't.
Chainsaw
Classification: Melee Chainsaw Weapon Effective Range: Arm's reach Ammo on Pickup: N/A Maximum Ammo: N/A
Implemented in Unreal Tournament only by way of a mutator, the Chainsaw deserves a mention here regardless as it's a popular alternative to the Impact Hammer and one you should be adept at using. Not widely seen in first person games since the Doom era, it's nice to see this gory though effective weapon making a come back in recent days. As seems to be the trend here though, if you're expecting this weapon to be nothing more than it's Doom universe ancestor, you're in for a surprise.
What isn't going to catch you off guard is the Chainsaw's Primary firing mode. By pulling the trigger, the rotation of the chain is sped up dramatically, and the Chainsaw lowered into a cutting position. Whilst held here, whoever happens to come within your reach will be violently mauled by the Chainsaw's blades. When using this weapon it's often best to simply charge at your opponent and hope that by the time they're able to react you'll have done enough damage to ensure they don't get very far. You should be aware however that the Chainsaw's loud roar is easily audible from some distance away, and unless you're careful, more than likely opponents are going to be ready for you by the time you attempt to charge them. If you're hoping to sneak up behind an opponent, the Chainsaw is probably the best choice as far as weapons go.
In order to be a reasonably worthy alternative to the versatile and potentially devastating Impact Hammer, the Chainsaw needed to be more though, and as a result Epic Games came up with it's Secondary attack, the swipe. Whilst at first this may seem to be a relatively ineffective and slow form of attack, once you see what happens when you aim the swipe for an opponents neck, you're not likely to look back. Instant decapitation is often the result of a well-placed swipe with the Chainsaw, and whilst it takes more skill to pull off than a piston slam with the Impact Hammer, it's certainly got it's advantages. Even if you never normally play with the Chainsaw Melee mutator, this move is well worth checking out.
Redeemer
Classification: Nuclear Missile Launcher Effective Range: Medium-Long distance Ammo on Pickup: 1 Maximum Ammo: 2
The Redeemer is massive. Not only does the launcher take up a large chunk of your vision, if something breathes, this weapon can bring about it's end in an instant. Whilst it isn't quite as powerful as one might expect from it's classification, nothing else mentioned here comes close to the destructive power of this weapon and the first time you score a "Double Kil.. Multi K... Ultr... M-M-M-M-MONSTER KILL!" you'll wonder why we've not seen something like it before now. Redeemer missiles are impressive also; large enough to be realistic and featuring a video camera built into the nose, remote control, a Thermonuclear warhead and "Adios!" scrawled along it's side, you couldn't ask for more in a rocket you're supposed to be able to fire from a hand-held launcher!
Once you've gotten your hands on one of these rare and treasured missile launchers, you can hit the Primary fire button/key to launch the missile directly towards your current target. In this firing mode, once launched you will not be able to control the detonation or course of the missile in any way and should simply do your best to ensure that you won't be caught it it's wave of destruction once it hits - firing the missile at a close target is almost certain suicide, though the frag loss can often be offset if you manage to kill two or more enemies in the explosion. Whilst a Redeemer missile is capable of inflicting instant death over as wide radius, as flying through there air it can be quite easily disabled by shooting it out of the sky. Also, it is possible to carry up to a maximum of two redeemer missiles with you at a time, but when firing take care not to launch two too close to each other, as the detonation of one is likely to destroy the other rocket before it makes impact.
The Redeemer's Secondary attack is perhaps one of UT's most talked about features, and it deserves to be. Clicking the Secondary firing mode button/key launches a missile from the launcher and instantly transfers control of the projectile to you, allowing you to see from the camera mounted inside the missile's nose cone and steer it with your look up/down and turn right/left controls (usually the mouse). Whilst commanding the missile you can steer it almost anywhere, even underwater. As it is being flown the missile can be detonated by either crashing into an object or solid surface, or hitting either of the firing buttons/keys. If you see a Redeemer heading your way and are unable to shoot it down, basically your only hope would be to get behind something which will shield you from the blast and hope for the best. Truly a weapon of destruction.
Please note: It is not possible to give simple values for the exact amount of damage each weapon inflicts, as in Unreal Tournament this is influenced by many factors. These factors include the current game type, the difficulty settings of the bots being played against and the bodily location where the damage was inflicted. It is for this reason that damage values are not given in this Guide.
Pick-up Items
In Unreal Tournament, all players are spawned equal. It's up to you to gain an advantage, and the easiest way to do this is to stock up on armor, health, ammunition and powerups. By obtaining the upper hand, you'll stand a much better chance of success against both AI bots and human opponents. If you see it, grab it!
Armor
Shield Belt: The ultimate in protection. Often found only in secret rooms and hard-to-reach places, when worn the shield belt projects a force field which completely encompasses the body, taking your armor rating straight to the 150 point limit. The shield belt absorbs all damage until it is destroyed. A yellow glow around the image of your player on the HUD indicates that it is active. A player wearing the Shield Belt will look like this:
Body Armor: The Body Armor will increase your armor rating 100 points, up to a maximum of 150. It absorbs a significant amount of, though not all the damage dealt to the wearer. When worn, the chest section of the player image on the HUD will be highlighted.
Thigh Pads: The lowliest form of Armor available in UT, the Thigh Pads are still much better no protection at all. When slipped on they up your armor rating by 50 points, though observe the 150 maximum. They will absorb a percentage of all damage dealt to you until they wear away. The Thigh Pad indictor on the player image shown on the HUD will light up when they're on the job.
Health
Big Keg O' Health: When consumed, this Keg of Health-giving liquid will instantly boost your current Health level by a massive 100 points, up to a maximum total of 199. These are rare, often hidden and regularly snapped up the second they respawn. Make sure you're there when it does.
Health Pack: A standard medical kit, each Health Pack will restore 20 units of health up to the limit of your original health, 100. As they are meant only to heal your wounds, Health Packs do not increase your health beyond it's original, healthy level. Often found in pairs and readily available around most maps.
Health Vial: These small test tubes of health-giving liquid are able to boost your health beyond what is normally possible, increasing your health points by 5 for each one consumed, up to a maximum of 199 points. These are usually found in lines and clusters, apt to being consumed on the run.
Powerups
Damage Amplifier: Giving the holder's weapon an evil purple glow, the Damage Amplifier is an object to be both worshiped and feared. Whilst it lasts only a short time, the 3x increase in damage it allows the holder to dish out is devastating. Upon encountering someone holding this powerup, unless you're confident you can knock them down in an instant it's probably best to leg it out of there! Often difficult to find or reach, keep your eyes open and don't be afraid to give yourself a boost with the Impact Hammer when you see a chance to grab a Damage Amp.
Invisibility: Whilst not overly effective against bots, fighting an almost invisible opponent is something many humans have a great deal of trouble adjusting to. This powerup isn't as useful for stealth purposes as you might think, but will definitely give you an edge over human opponents in close combat situations while it lasts. Don't expect to find these just lying around either, you'll often have to go out on a limb or uncover secret rooms to grab one. When active you'll notice your weapon being cloaked by the powerup also. Here's a shot of a cloaked player:
AntiGrav Boots: Whilst found in only some of Unreal Tournament's maps, AntiGrav Boots can be a very handy substitute for the Translocator when you might not have the time to sit around aiming and shooting beacons around the place. Good for three "super" jumps, these boots come in handy in combat situations as well as when trying to reach high places. You can tell if you're wearing a pair by checking to see if the Boots indictor on the HUD is active. Simply use the Translocator when you need to jump but would rather save your 3 charges up for later.
Ammunition
Bullets: Coming in magazines of 50 bullets, these may be used with either your Enforcer or Minigun. If you're hoping to use the Minigun for any extended period of time you'll want to pick up several of these boxes beforehand.
Biosludge Ammo: Containing 25 units of extremely volatile industrial waste, these little containers replenish the goo supply for the GES BioRifle. As with all the ammunition shown here, if you're not currently holding the BioRifle it will be stored in your inventory regardless.
Shock Core: These cylinders contain 10 units of charge with which you can power your Shock Rifle's laser and plasma cannon. There's only enough power in one of these for two combo attacks and a couple of normal shots, so try to be economical.
Pulse Cell: The Pulse Gun must need a lot of power, and these batteries contain enough charge for 25 rounds of the weapon's Primary firing mode and several seconds of streaming plasma.
Razor Blades: Elegantly laid out like Compact Discs in a stacker, 25 razor-sharp explosive titanium disks fill these containers, ready to be spun out by the Ripper.
Flak Shells: Nestled in these easy to carry packages are 10 Flak Shells, primed and ready to be launched from your Flak Cannon. Depending on the firing mode used, either 9 or 5 pieces of flak will be released when they explode.
Rocket Pack: Who could ask for a more convenient package? Containing 12 rockets a piece, these handy pick-ups pack enough solid-fuel action for two full volleys from your Rocket Launcher.
Rifle Rounds: Made to the highest quality and precision, these high caliber bullets were designed specifically for use in the Sniper Rifle. Capable of decapitation in one hit.
Other Items
SCUBA Gear: Owning this allows you to move freely underwater without needing to be concerned with drowning due to lack of oxygen. Good for several minutes under the sea, you'll hear a distinct breathing sound when wearing this gear. Found only on maps which require long underwater journeys, though often freely and widely available.
The Bots
Unreal Tournament's Bots, frighteningly human-like computer controlled players made possible by advanced Artificial Intelligence and very smart programming, are one of the game's most important and highly praised features. Developed over many years and a considerable evolution of the revolutionary bots which were included in the original Unreal, the credit for Unreal Tournament's awesome bots rests almost solely with Epic Games programmer Steve Polge, the man made famous for his original Reaper bot modification for Quake. So advanced are the bots, they will constantly fool you into believing they are actual human opponents, something which could not be said for some other recent releases in the FPS genre.
So confident were Epic in the versatility and believability of their bots, Unreal Tournament's Single Player game relies upon them completely to provide the player with intense, fun and memorable DeathMatch and team play experiences. Often more organised that many human teams, the bots excel at team play Game Types, fully understanding the rules of Capture the Flag, Assault and Domination and making effective team mates as well as formidable opponents.
In the Practice Session setup menu, the game allows you to bring as many as 15 bots into the fray, however this can be increased simply by using the addbots <number> Console command. Whilst 15 is a sensible limit as to the number of bots you should use in any one game, it is possible to bring more than 350 individual bots into a game (it's recommended you do this on only the largest of Assault and CTF maps). Despite the fact doing so reduces the framerate to close to one frame per second on most systems, it can result in some awesome screenshot opportunities.
The bots are programmed to scale their speed, aim and DeathMatch ability according to the level of difficulty set by the player, this can even be set to change during the course of the match making the bots more difficult when you're playing well and toning them down when you're having a tough time keeping up. All in all, the bots come with eight independent difficulty levels, ranging all the way from the newbie-friendly Novice level, all the way through to Godlike, bots set at which put up one hell of a fight. As you get increasingly better at Unreal Tournament, try to raise the difficulty level of the bots you play against in practice sessions from time to time. This will force you to remain on the edge of your potential, and hopefully increase your DeathMatch skill significantly over a period of time.
Unreal Tournament's Maps
Many reviews listed Unreal Tournament's level design as one of it's strongest features. Whilst the game did not feature fancy tricks such as curved surfaces, the level designers still managed to use it to create some of the most beautiful real-time computer generated worlds to date. The number of maps included in Unreal Tournament was also impressive to say the least. Featuring more than 50 different arenas to play on, at least 7 for each Game Type, it will take many years for you to tire of this marvelous collection.
When designing PlanetUnreal's UT Guide, we decided against providing in-depth descriptions and "walkthroughs" for each and every map in Unreal Tournament. Instead, we felt it best to provide players with recommendations and advice on how best go about learning the maps from their own experience; playing the maps for themselves and retaining information gleaned from practise sessions much more readily than most people could from reading a text description. Some of our Game Type overviews go into depth on how you should go about preparing to play a map for the first time, where some common places to find good powerups are, and what to take note of when you're flying around in spectator mode before the game.
The following pages contain a list of all the maps in Unreal Tournament listed in the order they must be completed in each ladder to finish the single player game. If you're eager to know which arena you'll be playing on next, come find out:
DeathMatch/Challenge Maps
Capture the Flag Maps
Domination Maps
Assault Maps
DeathMatch/Challenge Maps
The range of DeathMatch arenas included with Unreal Tournament are, many would argue, the most varied and interesting collection of DeathMatch maps in any commercial release to date. Featuring maps suited for frantic one-on-one matches to those which will easily accomodate 16 or more, Epic Games ensured they had every base covered. At the same time, you'll be hard pressed to find two Unreal Tournament maps with similar themes and styles, ensuring that each map you play is an interesting and refeashing experience.
DeathMatch Ladder Maps
DM Tutorial Oblivion - Juan Pancho 'Xcept One' Eekels Stalwart - Alan 'Talisman' Willard Fractal Reactor - Dave Ewing Turbine - Cliff Bleszinski Codex of Wisdom - Cliff Bleszinski Pressure - Juan Pancho 'Xcept One' Eekels Grinder - Myscha the Sled Dog Koos Galleon - Juan Pancho 'Xcept One' Eekels Tempest - Cliff Bleszinski Orion's Barricade - Cliff Bleszinski Liandri Central Core - Alan 'Talisman' Willard Conveyer - Shane Caudle The Peak Monastery - Juan Pancho 'Xcept One' Eekels
Challenge Ladder Maps
Phobos - Cedric 'Inoxx' Fiorentino Morpheus - Dave Ewing Ice Station Zeto - Alan 'Talisman' Willard HyperBlast - Cedric 'Inoxx' Fiorentino and Juan Pancho 'Xcept One' Eekels
Other DeathMatch Maps
Curse][ - Cliff Bleszinski Deck16][ - Myscha the Sled Dog Fetid Sewers - Cedric 'Inoxx' Fiorentino Gothic - Shane Caudle Morbias][ - Myscha the Sled Dog Floating Pyramid - Cedric 'Inoxx' Fiorentino Stalwart XL - Alan 'Talisman' Willard
=Capture the Flag Maps
CTF is by far the most popular team play Game Type for Unreal Tournament - Epic Games knew that they shouldn't be able to get away with creating a handfull of substandard maps, so instead they created a plethora of brilliant ones. From the beautful Earth-orbiting Facing Worlds to the intense action of the Novemeber Sub Pen, you're bound to love every one. Here's a list of the maps in order as you will play them in the CTF Ladder, with the names of the authors included:
Capture the Flag Ladder Maps
CTF Tutorial Niven - Alan 'Talisman' Willard Facing Worlds - Cedric 'Inoxx' Fiorentino Eternal Caves - Juan Pancho 'Xcept One' Eekels Coret Facility - Alan 'Talisman' Willard The Iron Gauntlet - Cliff Bleszinski Dreary Outpost - Shane Caudle Grinder - Myscha the Sled Dog The Last Command - Myscha the Sled Dog The Lava Giant - Juan Pancho 'Xcept One' Eekels November Sub Pen - Myscha the Sled Dog
Domination Maps
Domination maps are unique in that they must be designed to accomodate for the Control Points which are the key to any Domination match. By the time Unreal Tournament shipped, Epic had mastered this formula, and managed to create an excellent group of Domination maps for you to enjoy. Here's the list:
Domination Ladder Maps
DOM Tutorial Condemned - Dave Ewing Ghardhen - Alan 'Talisman' Willard Cryptic - Alan 'Talisman' Willard Cinder Foundry - Cliff Bleszinski GearBolt - Cliff Bleszinski Leadworks - Myscha the Sled Dog Olden Aquifer - Alan 'Talisman' Willard Tomb of Sesmar - Juan Pancho 'XceptOne' Eekels Metal Dream - Cedric 'Inoxx' Fiorentino
Other Domination Maps
Lament - Alan 'Talisman' Willard
Assault Maps
Perhaps the most talked about and unique Game Type in Unreal Tournament, Epic knew Assault wasn't going to be successful unless it supported by some awesome maps. They well and truly delivered here, with several of the following maps already considered classics by much of the level design community. Here's the list as you'll play them in the Assault Ladder:
Assault Ladder Maps
AS Tutorial (Guardia Fortress) - Cliff Bleszinski Frigate - Shane Caudle HiSpeed - Juan Pancho 'XceptOne' Eekels Rook - Alan 'Talisman' Willard Mazon - Shane Caudle OceanFloor 'Station 5' - Juan Pancho 'XceptOne' Eekels Overlord - Dave Ewing
Announcer Messages
As we learn in the game's opening sequence, Unreal Tournament matches are sporting events televised throughout the universe by Liandri Mining Corporation and, like all real sporting telecasts, Unreal Tournament matches are commentated. Whilst not quite at the level we have come to expect from real sporting games such as the EA Sports series, Unreal Tournament's commentary still adds significant encouragement and excitement to the game. We'll outline for you exactly what each of the announcer's calls mean, and give you some advice on how to let other players know you're a force to be reckoned with.
Killing Sprees
In Unreal tournament a Killing Spree is defined as scoring a large number of kills whilst managing to stay alive; killing without being killed. This is often only possible by constantly maintaining armor and health levels near their maximum, by "controlling" these items on a map. It is also common to see Killing Sprees scored by snipers in team games, where they are able to score many kills without putting themselves at considerable risk and are free to stock up on health and armor when required. There are five separate Killing Spree levels which you may hope to attain, and they are as follows:
"Killing Spree!" - You'll hear this when you successfully down 5 foes without biting the dust yourself. "Rampage!" - You'll truly be on a rampage if you manage to make this, which is earned by scoring 10 confirmed kills during a Killing Spree. "Dominating!" - Once you've successfully knocked out 15 of your enemies without being taken out, you'll well and truly be dominating your opponents. "Unstoppable!" - IF you score 20 non-stop frags, you'll begin to seriously worry your opponents. Keep up the momentum a little longer and you'll be... "Godlike!" - Killing 25 times without taking a lethal wound is a considerable achievement, and this is your reward. People will fear you.
Killing Spree messages are broadcast to every player currently in the game. As well as being a significant ego booster for the scorer, the "FrAgMaStA is Unstoppable!" type messages will give everyone an indication of who they need to watch out for, or who they need to try the hardest to kill, depending on their attitude. In some games players on one team may be so frustrated by a sniper on the opposing team who keeps knocking them off that they'll forget all about the flag and concentrate all their energy on taking the sniper down. Killing Sprees can work both for and against you; the most important thing to remember is stay on your toes and never forget your own mortality.
Multi Kills
Every time you score a frag in an Unreal Tournament match, a message will flash up just above your crosshair confirming your kill and indicating the identity of your victim. This message fades away after only a few seconds, however if you manage to land another kill during this time you'll score what's known as a Multi Kill. Whilst these can take some skill to rack up, especially with some of the less powerful weapons, continuing to frag at such short intervals will result in higher and higher Multi Kill accolades, until one hears those immortal words: "M-M-M-MONSTER KILL!". Unlike Killing Spree messages however, Multi Kill announcements are for your personal enjoyment only. Here's a low down of the different stages and what it takes to reach them:
"Double Kill!" - Simply fraging 2 enemies one after the other will score you this, not too hard. "Multi Kill!" - Managing to take out 3 foes in a matter of seconds does take something special though, and for doing so you'll hear this. "Ultra Kill!" - You'll have to lay the smack down hard to score one of these, which require you to frag 4 times without missing a beat. "M-M-M-MONSTER KILL!" - An awesome sound bite to go with an awesome achievement, running down 5 or more opponents in a row. Nice!
Whilst it's possible to score Multi Kills with every weapon in the UT arsenal (and many experienced players will have), the most common weapons to score one with are the Redeemer and the Sniper Rifle. In a team game with a large number of enemy opponents it's quite easy for a good sniper to score and maintain MONSTER Kills for a considerable amount of time. Those who prefer a simpler and more direct method though will find the Redeemer's Nuclear missiles are quite effective at breaking up a posse of enemy players, resulting in Multi Kills and possibly even Killing Spree advancements if you manage to score a direct hit. Awesome!
First Blood
The first player to score a frag after the beginning a match will score a "First Blood" award. Occurring only once per match, the First Blood message will be broadcast to all players current in the game, and whilst not very significant in DeathMatch and Domination matches, when observed in other team play modes it signals joining of battle between the opposing teams. If you're the player lucky enough to draw the first blood, you'll hear "First Blood!" as well as seeing the usual message.
Head Shots
Whilst only possible when using some of UT's vast selection of weapons, decapitations are not an uncommon occurrence during a typical Unreal Tournament game. Whether it's a high caliber bullet fired from a Sniper Rifle, a rotating razor-sharp titanium disk slung from the Ripper or a swipe from the Chainsaw that sends the head flying, you're going to hear the announcer shout "Head Shot!" and see a confirmation message flash up on the screen for your trouble. In order to score Head Shots, aim for the head or neck of your opponent when firing (or swiping) - if your foe is weak and unprotected enough, you're almost guaranteed to score a head/torso separation which would please even afficionados like Henry VIII. As with Multi Kill messages however, these are exclusively for your eyes and ears only.
Time Warnings
Throughout a game the announcer will provide both spoken time warnings and messages as the game approaches it's time limit. These warnings appear in the minutes leading up to the conclusion of a game, 30 seconds from the end and the final 10 seconds are counted down out loud, just to add a little to the tension. If you don't want to put yourself at risk by taking time to check the scoreboard (by pressing F1), watch out for these warnings to give you an indication of how much time is remaining in the match. At the conclusion, the commentator announces whether you won or lost and displays the name of the Player or Team who was victorious.
Game Types
DeathMatch
Pioneered by id software more than half a decade ago, DeathMatch remains one of the most popular forms of Multiplayer gaming, over the internet or otherwise. Whilst it explores many different game types, Unreal Tournament's Single Player Game centers around DeathMatch, all the way down to your one-on-one free for all against Xan Kriegor at the very end.
DeathMatch has much in common with all of UT's various game types. Therefore, many of the techniques described in this section apply equally to all of UT's game types. Whether they are just slight variations on the traditional DeathMatch formula such as Team DM and Last Man Standing or games with completely different goals an objectives such as Assault, Capture the Flag and Domination, points are always awarded for frags.
That's basically what DeathMatch boils down to, frags. The objective in DeathMatch is to kill as many opponents as possible whilst avoiding being killed yourself, or in some situations weighing up death against the number of frags which could be scored by executing a potentially fatal move. Whilst there are many advanced strategies which can be employed in a DM game, they all revolve around the basic premise of killing and trying to avoid being killed.
"If it moves, kill it. If it's not moving but looks vaguely human, shoot it and see what happens."
Unreal Tournament's DeathMatch Tutorial should do a fairly good job at teaching the basics of playing DeathMatch - moving, strafing, jumping, shooting etc. Understanding these concepts completely is essential, so this Tutorial should be any new player's first port of call. Once you have these fundamentals down, you'll need some skills and knowledge which will set you apart from the opposition, and that's what this section of PlanetUnreal's UT Guide is all about.
Routes & Item Control
In any DeathMatch game, those players who know the layout of the map, the locations of armor and health pick-ups and the areas where they can find the best weapons are almost always going to have a clear advantage over any player who doesn't. Being able to get to items such as the Shield Belt, Big Keg O' Health and the Rocket Launcher as quickly as possible will give you a massive leg up when it comes time to teach the other players a lesson. It is for these reasons that most advanced DeathMatch player dedicate time to learning and memorizing map routes which allow them to quickly make their way around a level whilst picking up the best items along the way. Especially good players are even able to time item respawns with their route so that they are able to take items just as they come back into play, with little or no danger another player may be able to secure them instead.
Whilst this skill takes a lot of dedication and experience to hone, average players and even beginners can still remember to occasionally check areas where they know good items are, even if the items are little way off the beaten track. Sticking to a single "favorite" area will very rarely do you any favors, and nor is camping on the respawn point of a good item a particularly good idea as many players are likely to pass through to see if it's repawned, probably killing you in the process. Always try to keep moving, gravitating towards the next area where a good weapon or item is, and attempting to avoid vicious combat until you have something more than the Enforcer unless you're an excellent shot.
Of course the key to all this is actually knowing where the coolest items on the map are in the first place, and if you're not familiar with UT's maps already this can take some time to discover and learn. However, if you're practicing with bots on a map you're not completely familiar with, before the match begins as you fly around the level you have an excellent opportunity to spot items - take it. Some of the better items are often hidden in secret rooms however; a good way to find these is to watch bots playing, observing them opening these areas so you'll know where to find them later.
For advanced players, being able to effectively control some of the best items on the map is as integral to being able to frag when it comes to winning a game. If you're not quite up to their standard as yet, try to emulate them as best you can and you should soon get the hang of it.
Survival
As most people are aware, dying in a DM game is not a serious issue. After all, you can simply respawn and start again. Getting worked up over dying is not likely to improve your DeathMatch performance, so attempt to stay calm no matter what might befall your player. However, any good DeathMatcher should also know that staying alive whilst being able to down numerous foes will usually give you a clear advantage as you'll be able to maintain your weapon collection, ammunition supplies and armor levels at roughly the same level as you face numerous opponents, rather than having to re-gather these after every few kills. Thus, being able to dish out as much damage as possible without taking too many scatches yourself can become a key issue in being able to win a DM match.
There are many obvious aspects to survival, such as knowing that you need to grab some Health Packs when your health drops below 100 and that armor provides significant protection against oncoming fire. Some things however, not everyone would realise. Don't be afraid to run away when you're unarmored and holding an enforcer when you're facing a foe with the Shield Belt and a Flak Cannon - in fact, when you're facing a situation like this you'd better run and hide as quickly as possible, jumping and strafing to make it more difficult for your opponents to hit you. Using methods such as weaving, jumping and strafing are often very effective, especially when running from less experienced players. Lifts, falls and jump pads are also often ideal ways to make a quick escape. Knowing where the closest health and armor can be equally important, as we've just covered.
The perfect offence, it is often said, is the best form of defense. This applies to Unreal Tournament as well, both in direct confrontations and whilst running away. Always try to deal as much damage to an opponent as you can, as quickly as you can, usually by employing the most appropriate weapon for the purpose which is currently in your possession. Try not to give your opponents a chance to retaliate, and if they try, do your best to dodge their attacks whilst also making it difficult for you to be hit. Using offence as a means of defense works equally as well when escaping from a fight you don't think you can win - someone will be much less likely to follow you through a doorway or around a corner if they see a few rockets or flak shells exploding at the entrance. Cover your tracks, watch your back and never, ever, let your guard down.
Other Strategies
With so many different ways to succeed at DeathMatch, there's plenty of scope for you to develop your own unique style. Snipers, Suicide Bombers, Campers, Bunny Hoppers, Methodical Killing Machines and even *gasp* Keyboarders; they're all there. Your personality and skill level will be significant determining factors as to how you play DeathMatch, and included below are some strategies, not all of which are smiled upon by all gamers, which you may choose whether or not you want to use.
After all, DeathMatching is about scoring as many frags as possible no matter what, right? Not everyone would agree. Killing other players who are obviously being severely lagged, are currently speaking (you can tell by the way in which players speak into their microphones) or are otherwise disabled is severely frowned upon by some, though considered fair game by many others. Similarly, "stealing" frags from other players by joining in a two person fight at the last minute just to waste one (or both) of the players who've just spent several seconds attempting to kill each other is not exactly an honorable way to rack up a few frags, though again many couldn't really care less. To many, "camping" - the act of sitting in one place waiting in ambush for other players or sitting on the respawn point of a valuable item, is considered a sin punishable by death, and it often is, with the UT arsenal providing plenty of ways of easily cleaning out those who feel too attached to a particular section of a map. However, to the campers themselves, this would be a perfectly valid way to play DeathMatch.
A player's state of mind can also be a significant deciding factor in DeathMatch games, especially in contests involving DeathMatch veterans who've been doing this for years. Being able to get completely into the DeathMatch state of mind can help considerably in making you much more relaxed, quick to react and efficient in the arena - just remember it's a game, folks. A well known Unreal Tournament master is Epic Games' own Cliff Bleszinski, the Co-Designer and Lead Level Designer on the project. He has this to say on the role state of mind has to play in the DeathMatch experience:
"To be a great DM player you need to play DM. That means learning the maps, the games' physics, as well as all the weapons and the combat style of your opponent.
But, above all, you need to be able to get "in the zone!" That moment where you tune everything else out and you're totally into your match and kicking ass.
I'm in the zone, baby, I'm in the zone."
Finally, always keep yourself open to new ideas and tactics. Never be afraid to learn something new. With an open mind and enough determination, almost anyone has the potential to become a truly great DeathMatch player. And even if you're just in it to have a good time, with Unreal Tournament you're sure to succeed there too!
Team DeathMatch
From it's name, one could be forgiven for assuming that Team DeathMatch is the perfect game type, a best of both worlds compromise between normal free-for-all DeathMatch and recently more popular team play game types. In practice however, Team DeathMatch does not seem nearly as popular and widely played as it perhaps should be, but that's not going to stop us offering some tips on how to make the most of your Team DM experience.
As the name suggests, a Team DM is the same as a normal DeathMatch game except that all participating players are split up into teams. Team's do not spawn together, nor are team members under any obligation to assist their team mates, the scores of all members of a team are simply accumulated into a single team score, and the first team to accrue enough frags to hit the frag limit (or with the most frags when the time runs out) will win.
Whilst, to their credit, Unreal Tournament's bots seem to do a brilliant job of grouping together and working as teams in order to annihilate their foes, there are a considerable number of human players who, when playing Team DM, don't seem to care much or sometimes even realise that they're part of a team. When playing with those who do understand the concept behind this game type however, Team DM can be a very enjoyable experience.
Working As A Team
Often the difference between a good team and an excellent one, and this applies to all UT's team game types, is their ability to communicate and work together effectively as a group. Whilst this is considerably more difficult when playing with people over the internet rather than, say, at a LAN Party, it is still possible and highly recommended if you belong to a Clan or set team and take your team games seriously. It is still possible to work together without direct communication however, Unreal Tournament's built in taunts and gestures providing a limited body language vocabulary. These, combined with the traditional "jump to get attention" form of communication should be enough to satisfy the basic needs of Team DM games in Clan-type situations.
Of course, the majority of gamers will not belong to a Clan or have much interest in spending time communicating ideas with people who are probably not even listening. This reality of the mainstream Team DM games is an unfortunate one, but one which we must accept and adjust to. Therefore, especially if you're new to team play gaming, we recommend that you start off by finding and then following a member of your team, supporting them as best you can by attacking the same opponents (two is, after all, better than one) and watching their back. In time they should acknowledge your presence and adjust their playing style according. In return you can ensure that you leave them adequate supplies when collecting ammunition, health and armor whilst also catering for your immediate needs. This kind of team work is what can make Team DM so enjoyable, especially when playing with a friend or someone you are able to function with well.
Health Care
When you place your cursor over your teammates you will be able to see their current level of health. If you notice that they're suffering even though you're still fighting fit, try placing yourself at the forefront of your group's attacks and give your buddy some opportunities to stock up on health and armor. This kind of care for your teammate's needs should earn you respect from them, especially if they've never heard of you before and you're playing together for the first time. If you find yourself in serious trouble and your friend doesn't seem to notice, don't worry though, simply tend to your own needs for a while and let them take the damage until you're in a fit state once more.
When playing in a Team DM game where Friendly Fire is enabled, even if at a small percentage (meaning your weapons will only do a fraction of their normal damage to friendly targets), you must be very careful not to inflict significant damage to your teammates, especially with splash damage weapons such as the Rocket Launcher. Doing so not only weakens your team as a whole, it will probably somewhat annoy them as well. If you're unlucky enough to be directly responsible for the demise of the fellow team member, this will be treated like a suicide and 1 frag will be removed from your team's total. It goes without saying that this should be avoided wherever possible.
Even on the largest Unreal Tournament DM maps, locating a fellow team member after dying should not be an issue. Whilst you may get preyed on by other teams whilst you're alone and vulnerable, do your best to repulse their attacks and if you fail you'll be respawned somewhere else with another chance to catch up with your buddies. Hopefully you'll do enough damage to make things slightly easier when the time comes to face them again, either alone or with 3 team mates by your side. In time you're sure to gain enough confidence and experience to function well with a group of human players, and if you think team play really is your thing, seriously consider joining an active Clan or creating your own - more than likely you won't look back.
One last note: When setting up Team DMs with large numbers of players or bots, don't forget that Unreal Tournament supports up to 4 teams in a match. Playing with 3 or 4 teams rather than the default 2 can result in a much more frantic though less tactical game. Try it out with some bots and see what you think works best.
Capture the Flag
The most popular of all Unreal Tournament's Team orientated Game Types for online play, Capture the Flag will be a familiar concept to almost all people who've been following the FPS genre for a number of years. In effect, the name says it all; Capture the Flag is about infiltrating an enemy base and taking their flag whilst simultaneously defending your team's own, preventing it from being removed by a member of the opposing team. When a flag belonging to an opposing team is brought back to the friendly base and touched with your own flag whilst it is still in it's original position your team scores a capture!
Unlike some Team Game Types, Capture the Flag gives each player total freedom to choose the way in which they play each game. CTF allows you to stay behind and defend your own flag, attempt to capture the enemy flag, provide support to a flag carrier (by running backwards behind him and keeping the enemy at bay), freelance or even lead the team if you're playing with bots or a group of serious human players. With such a wide range of options available to each player, and the ability to switch roles in an instant, it's very difficult to become bored playing Capture the Flag. With so many different ways to play, there are also many different tactics and strategies which you can employ to more effectively carry them out. Once you've played through Unreal Tournament's CTF Tutorial, read on and we'll build on that basic knowledge with some more advanced tips and tricks for you to learn.
Capturing the Flag
Often regarded as the most exciting and glamorous role in a CTF game, that of flag runner is also the most dangerous and potentially frustrating. Entrusted with the task of infiltrating the enemy's base, either by stealth or more direct methods, stealing their flag from it's holding position deep within the opposing camp and then rushing it safely back to friendly base to capture it, flag runners certainly have their work cut out for them. Whilst good general DeathMatch skills and good judgement are important skills for an attacking player in a CTF game, one must also be able to function well as part of a team and effectively adjust to the situation as the game progresses.
The way in which a player goes about an assault on the enemy base should be determined as much by the size of the opposing force as it the map on which the match is to take place. When playing in a game with a large number of players on a map where the enemy bases themselves comprise the vast majority of the level it would be very difficult to infiltrate an enemy encampment without being noticed, therefore you should go in well armored and ready for a fight. On the other hand, when playing on a map such as CTF-LavaGiant with a small number of players, it would be relatively easy to sneak up on the opposing team, make a surprise attack and escape with the flag without hardly being seen. Rather than restricting yourself to a certain attack style, adjust it to reflect the current situation and at the same try to differ the routes you use to move through a map, keeping the enemy guessing every step of the way. By doing this an attacker will stand the best chance of stealing and escaping with the flag.
When organising teams (which the bots are able to do well on their own, though this should be worked out between human players before the match), ensure that around half of the players in the game are concentrating on offence, with plenty left over to adequately defend your base and, more importantly, your flag. It's also often also appropriate to have players on offence pair up, generally giving at least one of them an increased chance of making in into and out of the enemy base in one piece, forcing the opposing team's defenders to deal with two targets rather than just one. In CTF games with bots, one will usually assign itself to supporting you at all times regardless of how you play the game, however this pairing is only really effective when freelancing or going for the enemy flag. If you're planning on defending for a while, consider sending the bot off to have a crack at grabbing the enemy flag.
Team organisation can be the key to success in CTF games, ensure that you make at least some effort to be flexible and adjust to the needs of your team when necessary. When the enemy flag has been stolen by a teammate, unless you're confident that you can hide inside the enemy base and wait for the flag to return without being spotted you should return to your own base immediately, either assisting the flag carrier along the way or rushing home to ensure that your flag is not taken by the enemy before your team's flag carrier is able to capture theirs.
Breaking through enemy's defences can be difficult, and repeated expulsions can begin to frustrate even the coolest of CTF veterans. Regardless of the situation you can almost gaurantee that there's always going to be at least someone defending the enemy flag, and you must be prepared for this whether you intend on taking them out before grabbing the flag or diving in as if you were recording a Speed Run demo and escaping before before they realise what's happened. When facing a solid defence however, often the only breakthroughs come from coordinated attacks by several attackers coming from many directions all at the same time. When these are excuted well and result in a successful capture, it's very sweet success.
Above all else, if you want to be an effective attacker you must remember to go with the flow and play for the moment, ensuring that you understand what is going on at all times so that you can react within an instant to situations as they arise.
Defending the Flag
Whilst usually not quite as rewarding or exciting as playing as an attacker in a CTF game, many players will choose the roll of defense regardless. This may be because they aren't particularly good face-to-face DeathMatchers, they prefer to camp or snipe, or simply enjoy the challenge and responsibility of defending their team's flag. Whatever their motivation, a good defender needs to be effective at destroying any threat which may arise to their flag's safety by whatever means necessary.
Typically, a team's defense will comprise of approximately 50% of all players on the team, and they should be arrayed, in groups if possible, around their base though principally in areas directly overlooking the flag. By leaving intrusions at the outer reaches of your base for freelancers and attackers to deal with at their leisure, the core defending group can be tasked with the key responsibility of preventing the flag from falling into enemy hands and recovering it immediately if it somehow does. When possible, set up in positions which are above the flag, overlooking it and the surrounding area. Not only are these positions often ideal for sniping, they also allow the release of intense rocket fire and other potentially dangerous attacks with little or no chance of hurting you or (if Friendly Fire is enabled) your teammates.
A more risky though somewhat more interesting way to go about the defense of your flag is to make that defense as invisible as possible. For example your team's defenders could set up close to, but not directly overlooking the flag so that when an enemy enters the flag room they will hopefully believe it undefended and approach the flag immediately, usually leaving them completely open to your surprise attack at the moment just before or after they make their attempt.
Whilst you should take care not to commit suicide unintentionally, defender's lives are, for the most part, expendable. If see an opportunity to rain terror upon a group of 3 oncoming enemy attackers with a volley from your Rocket Launcher, but doing so would likely result in your death, you're often best to do it anyway. As long as there is a reasonable percentage of your team defending the flag the loss of your life should not be a significant issue, especially since you will likely be able to resume your original position in a relatively short amount of time. This is a stark contrast with attackers, the lost of whose lives often result in a significant setback for the team.
We've already discussed being flexible and adjusting your style of play to the current situation. This applies equally to defenders, and despite what you may think, there are times when all defending players should leave their posts and engage the enemy head-on. For example, if despite your defense, your flag has been stolen there is absolutely no point in the defenders remaining to watch over the empty holding position. Instead all defending players should rush toward the enemy base as quickly as possible, chasing the enemy flag carrier and hopefully killing them and returning the flag before he is able to make it too far.
Freelancing
An effective freelancer can be an invaluable asset to a team, however a poor one will often simply be a complete waste of manpower. Cast in a role that is neither straight offence nor defense, a freelancer's primary responsibility is to patch up any holes in either of these aspects of their team's game. As events occur, such as a flag being taken or dropped, freelancing players should react immediately, supporting key attackers or defenders in their roles or desperately scouring the map searching for a dropped flag. In times of need, Freelancers can always undertake a specific role in the team, such as acting as an additional flag defender or making a run for the flag and obviously need to be skilled in all aspects of CTF play. This role is ideally suited to skilled and experienced players who don't want to be bound into a specific role but would rather use their talent and knowledge to assist their team in any aspect of the game when required.
Looking for detailed CTF strategy and gameplay tips? Check out Captured.com, one of the most comprehensive CTF information sites on the net.
Domination
Another popular Unreal Tournament Game Type both online and off, Domination, like Team DeathMatch is a fusion of traditional DM and some team play elements. Whilst the Last Man Standing Game Type emphasizes the survival aspect of DeathMatch, Domination leans far more towards the control angle, introducing "Control Points" which members of your team must secure and hold in order to win the match. For every 5 seconds a Control Point is held, one point is added to your team's total. Apart from individual scores, frags mean nothing in Domination games, and you should concentrate on capturing and defending control points at all times.
At the beginning of each game, all Control Points will be unclaimed and it's up to you to locate and secure them for your team by touching or running over them. If you're playing Domination or a particular domination map for the first time, it's a good idea (if you have the opportunity) to fly around and see if you can memorize the locations of the control points. With experience you'll come to associate the Control Point locations with their names and be able to ensure you're always where you need to be. As always, it's a good idea to play the tutorial included in Unreal Tournament's Single Player game as this will do a good job of familiarizing you with the concepts and specifics concerning Domination play.
As with Team DeathMatch, when playing with large numbers of bots or other humans players, the game is often more interesting and intense when more than 2 teams are in the game. Domination supports up to four teams on any map, and if you don't mind a little extra action you should take advantage of this where possible.
Team Organization
Many of the Domination levels included with Unreal Tournament include at least one easily defensible Control Point. By using this fact to your advantage, attempt to organize your team so that at least two players are defending this point at all times, guaranteeing at least some point income throughout the duration of the match. All other players should try as best they can to group together and roam the map covering the other Control Points. In a large group, these players should have little trouble moving around the map and capturing the other Control Points as they come across them. Rather than remain at Control Points to defend them however, this second group should continue to move around the map to the next Control Point which is current owned by another team. Only when your team controls all Control Points on a map should all the players on that team move into a defensive state of play, and this total control is often very difficult to maintain for long, especially on the smaller maps when many players are in the game.
As the match progresses, it is likely that one team will gain a clear lead. Depending on whether or not this is you, you may need to adjust your strategy in game to give your team the best chance of ending up on top at the end of the match. If you find that despite your best efforts to defend the "key" Control Point your are finding that it's constantly being captured by the enemy team, better use of your team's manpower may be made by having these players join the offence and roam the map looking for a few Control Point to defend for a while. Whilst you should never relax during a match, even if you do have a clear lead over the opposition, changing strategies when you are close winning can also be a option. If you example you'd like to give the defenders a chance to freelance for a while, this should be perfectly alright, especially if you are sure you can maintain control of one or more of the more easily capturable Control Points on the map. If playing a serious match however, even close to the end a team should never let their guard down. If a large number of players have been on offence for the majority of the game, they should knuckle down and defend for the final minute or so - just so victory should be guaranteed. It is possible that the tables can turn in the middle of a match, and you should always be as prepared as possible for this.
If you and your team find yourselves in a position where the game is quickly getting away from you, don't panic. Rather than concentrate of roaming the map and grabbing Control Points where possible, concentrate your efforts on only two of them, defending them both as well as you can. By maintaining the majority of Control Points for most of the remainder of the match then you should be able to catch up to the other team(s) and hopefully even surpass them though. However, don't expect them to take this easily. To make maintaining hold on Control Points easier, search around for the Health and powerups which are often within short reach - often the Shield Belt, Body Armor or the Damage Amplifier will be found by having a close look at your surroundings, looking in places you wouldn't normally see and shooting walls which could in fact be doors to secret rooms. These items should greatly assist in maintaining your grasp on your pointflow and can often be the advantage you need to scrape in a close victory.
Mobility
Being able to move around a map quickly is a significant asset in Domination games. Use of the Translocator and AntiGrav boots can greatly shorten the time required to move from one Control Point, and will give you a definate edge over the competition. When placing the Translocator, take care to throw it into an area where it will not be clearly visible, on the top of crates or in rafters for example. When you notice that the Control Point which you placed your Translocator near has been taken, wait a few seconds and then teleport in, hopefully the enemy player(s) responsible will have moved on and you will be free to retake the Control Point.
Assault
It's been said that many people bought Unreal Tournament purely on the strength of one map, AS-Overlord. Transporting players back to World War Two on a boat in the midst a Normandy style beach landing, Overload pits them against a vicious enemy and seemingly insurmountable odds and is considered by many the finest example of Unreal Tournament's Assault Game Type. No doubt you would have heard about Assault before - an Assault match consists of two teams, one defending a set of objectives which the opposing team must attempt to reach, manipulate or destroy, usually in a specific order.
Each match is divided into two separate games, with one team taking the defending role in the first and the attacking role in the second, with the opposing team doing the opposite in each case. In each game, whoever is attacking must complete all a map's objectives within a set time limit, usually only a matter of minutes, after which the map restarts with the roles reversed, the side who was previously defending given the time previously attacking team completed the map in to do so themselves. Whoever manages to complete all the objectives on a map (whilst attacking) the fastest becomes the victor, and if neither is able to do so within the time limit then the result is a tie.
Even though each team has a set role to play in both stages of a Assault game, either defending or attacking, there is still plenty of strategy involved and many different ways players can fulfil their objectives, be that reaching the front of the train (in the case of the attacking team) or preventing opposing team members from making it there (in the case of defense).
Although Unreal Tournament only comes with a relatively small collection of Assault maps on which to play, they are all unique and provide enormous replayability due to the multitude of different tactics which can be used to succeed on each and the sheer fun of playing them. This section of PlanetUnreal's UT Guide will cover some of these tricks and strategies, which will hopefully give your team the edge it needs to succeed.
Attacking
This should be fairly straightforward right? All you need to do is meet the objectives whilst avoiding or returning enemy fire. Actually, it's not quite that simple. Each individual Assault map will usually have at least two ways you can meet each objective, be it going through the train or across the roof, over the gangplank or in through the hole in the ship's hull, etc. etc. This flexibility allows each game to be different and allows plenty of scope for variations in tactics.
More than with any other Game Type, the importance of time in an Assault game cannot be emphasized enough. Not only does every additional second it takes you to complete the objectives on a map give the opposing team another second to do the same, but the difference between completing a map in under a minute and not being able to complete it in time at all can be decided in a matter of milliseconds, for example by failing to dodge an incoming rocket or accidentally looking the wrong way, resulting in arriving at a choke point a fraction of a second too late to pass through without any trouble. In maps such as AS-Rook, as long as the attacking team is able to reach objectives just before the defending team does, you should have no trouble winning the map in under a minute, even with 8 Godlike bots on the defending team. Often by sprinting as efficiently as possible to the Library access switch, chains securing the Gatehouse or the switch that opens the Main Gate as soon as you respawn (neglecting even to stop and pick up a decent weapon) and throw yourself at it whilst avoiding (jumping often works well) and ignoring enemy fire, you will reach it in time to do whatever needs to be done before you're jibed by the now very alert enemy team. If they are allowed time to secure the Library or area beyond the Main Gate however, you'll be faced with a very difficult challenge, one which doesn't leave you much of a chance of completing the map at all.
Unfortunately, in the vast majority of games, your ability to Speed Run them effectively comes down just as much to luck as it does to skill, as your success is often be dictated by the spawn point as which you start the game, the positions the enemy team start from, the weapons you and they are able to pickup quickly and how well organised your team mates are. However, these random aspects are also a positive, as without them it's likely that Assault games would be a much less varied and loose some of their replay value. Regardless of the position you start from, you need to be prepared and if Speed Running doesn't seem to be working, you'd do well to try some other tactics.
Whilst rushing through maps by yourself is all well and good, you're going to have little chance taking on a well defended position with nothing but an Enforcer and no one by your side. When Speed Running fails, teamwork is there to catch it, and in a sense this is where Assault truly shines. There are several ways to coordinate you team when aiming to carry out an organised assault on a position and with experience it is easy to get a feel for what works in different situations and what doesn't work in others. Generally however, attacking with your entire team at one from the one direction is not a successful strategy and nor is running individually after respawning - both strategies are lead to most of team being decimated before they even get close to the objective. Rather, when possible, coordinated attacks in two or three separate groups coming from different directions works best, and it will leave the enemy scrambling to deal with two considerable threats at once. Anyone who has played one of the new breed of tactical actions games like Rainbow Six will understand the benefits of coordinated attacks, and those benefits largely apply equally to similar situations in Unreal Tournament. When you have plenty of time left, rather than rush directly back to the opposing team's defense position straight after respawning, collect weapons and wait up for some buddies to join you before you advance. This can often mean the difference between victory and spending 3 minutes throwing yourself at a hopeless situation.
Weapons with ricocheting projectiles such as the Ripper and Flak Cannon can also play vital roles in weakening a well defended position whilst remaining out of sight and (hopefully) out of danger. Firing a volley of Razor Blades into a choke point such as the chain room in AS-Rook or the bridge on AS-Frigate just before entering can make the difference between a successful attack and being repulsed for the sixth time, so keep this tactic in mind when it seems that there's no way possible to break through the enemy ranks.
Finally, it should be noted that team coordination can be of great benefit even when your initial aim is to Speed Run through a map. For example, on levels such as AS-Frigate and AS-Rook, there are areas such as the top of the staircase next to the hydraulic door (in Frigate) and behind the Gatehouse (in Rook) which are relatively safe and at which an attacker can hide, laying in wait for when they are opened by another member of the attacking team. By having a team member in a position to move forward before the defending team is in place to prevent them from doing so, they stand an excellent chance of completing the next objective with no trouble whatsoever (in Frigate, this results in the completion of the map). Similarly, if you know for a fact that a objective if just about to be taken by your team, begin to head towards the next one, hopefully placing you ahead of the defending team in the race to get there.
Defending
When defending, time is just as much of the essence as it is when playing on the attacking side. As soon as the defending team spawns they should quickly collect nearby weapons and assemble immediately at the first defensive position, usually the choke point closest to the starting point of the attacking team. Try to take up defending positions which will allow to reign terror on the attacking forces whilst staying relatively safe, or in positions which will distract the offensive from what should be their one and only target, the map's objectives. As each objective falls, fall back as quickly as possible to the next, erecting defenses and taking advantage of as many choke points along the way as you can find. Be aware also of any shortcuts attackers can take, placing at least someone in the last carriage of the train in AS-HiSpeed at all times for example - just incase the opposing team attempt an assault across the carriage roofs.
The GES BioRifle is an awesome defensive weapon in almost any Assault situation. Allowing you to lace hallways, staircases and other areas with large amounts of extremely volatile industrial waste, it can be even more effective than a volley of rockets when it comes to wiping a group of desperately advancing attacking players off the face of the Earth. It is also very effective when used to smear the area around objectives with goo, making any Speed Runner think twice before approaching it in a hurry.
Finally, remember that just as in CTF, defenders lives are for the most part expendable. If have a chance to prevent an attacker from reaching an objective but will die as a result, don't even think twice before you release, for example, four rockets at point-blank range. Exchanging a life in order to delay the enemy's advance for even a few seconds is often worth it, and an organised defense should always have someone to back you up.
Last Man Standing
Although Last Man Standing may appear on first glance to be nothing more than a simple DeathMatch variation, those who have played it will know that it's quite a bit more than that. Emphasizing survival over all other skills, LMS goes as far as eliminating the item gathering aspects of the game altogether, forcing players to play a much more tactical game in which every point of damage makes a difference. In a LMS game, the Frag Limit becomes the number of "lives" each player begins with, with the player standing when all others have expended their supply of lives crowned the victor.
Upon joining a server running the LMS Game Type, you'll notice that you'll be required to wait until the current game is finished. After all, it wouldn't be very fair if the everyone else was down to 5-10 lives and someone joined the game with 25 would it? Thankfully, Unreal Tournament's excellent spectator mode makes this time pass quickly, and soon a new game will start and you'll be in the ring. The first thing you'll probably realize upon the commencement of your first LMS match is the fact that you will always respawn with full Body Armor (100 armor points), all of the normal weapons and the maximum amount of ammunition for each. Whilst this may seem great, the wide variety of weapons constantly available may overwhelm some players, often rendering the match into a simple Rocketfest. Despite this, a LMS game can be an exciting experience where you'll be forced to make the best out of every life you are given.
As mentioned, in LMS games all pickup items (including health, armor and powerups) are removed from the map. Every point of damage you inflict, whether you score a kill or not, will damage your target irreparably, and every hit you take will bring you one step closer to falling out of contention. Therefore if you hope to succeed you need to stay out of trouble, avoid maneuvers which will cause you damage, harming yours foes only when it's possible to do so with minimal danger to yourself. Staying alive is often far more important than killing foes in an LMS game - always keep this in mind. Whilst being able to build and maintain Killing Sprees in DeathMatch games are a great thing, they mean even more in Last Man Standing.
Camping
Last Man Standing's survival angle may seem to lend itself perfectly to camping - finding a relatively safe place to hide on a map and perhaps taking some pot shots or sniping those who come a little too close. In reality however, camping is considered by many as unsportsmanlike and choosing to play this way can result in being verbally abused and/or being deliberately sought out by other players in the game. Unlike some past titles, many of Unreal Tournament's DeathMatch maps do not lend themselves well to camping, and you'll have a difficult time finding good hiding places. With that said however, if you're determined to camp no one can stop you from trying. You must realise however that to ever be considered a true player you're probably going to have to play on fair terms with everyone else. It is only truly skilled players who will win out by playing "fairly" in a good LMS game. The feeling of victory is so much sweeter when you know you've worked for it rather than let everyone else do the dirty work for you.
Mutators
What's a mutator? It's a tiny bit of code which is designed to modify an Unreal Tournament match in some way, perhaps by lowering the gravity, making players fatter as they accumulate frags or even remove all the powerups from the game. The effects of mutators are temporary, and unless you explicitly specify to keep them permanent you will have to re-set your mutator preferences for every game you want to play.
For such a simple concept, mutators add enormous replayability to Unreal Tournament, by allowing endless original combinations of maps, bots, mutators and more. Even if you're a purist you doesn't normally bother to stray too far from the path of hardcore DeathMatch or CTF, everyone should try these out at least once just for the fun of it.
Chainsaw Melee: When this mutator as enabled the Impact Hammer will be replaced by the Chainsaw in all player's arsenals.
Fatboy: This one is a must-see. Causing players to gain weight as they score kills and loose weight when they die, you'll soon find stick figures and massive sumo-esque fighters populating the match. Not only does this add some additional realism to the game (in that people are many different weights), it makes good players much easier to see and hit, evening the odds a little for those who aren't quite as skilled.
Flak Arena: Replaces all weapons and ammunition on the map into Flak Cannons and Flak Shells and gives every player only the Flak Cannon to use, with a full load of ammo to begin with. This is all well and good until you run out, at which point you are left completely helpless.
InstaGib: All players are given a Enhanced Shock Rifle as their only weapon. This requires no ammunition, yet inflicts massive damage resulting instant death for the victim. This mutator is excellent if you are looking to improve your aim.
Instant Rockets: Allows no loading of multiple rockets or grenades. Instead, each rocket/grenade is launched as soon as the fire button/key is pressed.
JumpMatch: Give everyone permanent AntiGrav Boots, allowing them to jump much higher than normal. Combining this with Low Gravity results in players being able to jump to ridiculous heights. This mutator makes some maps which rely on wall fortifications (such as CTF-LavaGiant) much easier.
Low Gravity: Reduces the gravity in a match to a fraction of it's normal level, as is the default on DM-Morpheus. Not only can players jump higher, projectiles which are affected by gravity travel further and straighter, and the Translocator is able to be thrown much higher and further.
No Powerups: Removes all Damage Amplifiers, Invisibility Powerups, Big Keg O' Healths and Shield Belts from a map.
No Redeemer: Removes the Redeemer from the map. This is recommended for professional and serious matches.
Pulse Arena: All players are given Pulse Rifles as their only weapons and all other weapons and ammo on a map are transformed into Pulse Rifles and Pulse Ammo batteries.
Rocket Launcher Arena: Gives every player a fully loaded Rocket Launcher and changes all weapons placed in a map into RLs and all ammunition supplies into Rocket Packs.
Shock Arena: The Shock Rifle becomes the weapon du jour - it being the only weapon available on respawn, albeit fully loaded. Every weapon and ammunition pickup in the map are transformed into the Shock Rifle and Shock Cores.
Sniper Arena: Exactly like all of the other Weapon Arena mutators, except this time it applies to the Sniper Rifle and Rifle Rounds. Happy Sniping!
Stealth: Every player is invisible for the duration of the match. This makes identification of teammates in team games very difficult (though they can still be identified by moving the crosshair over them). We recommend that you use Team Beacon in conjunction with this if you plan on using it with an team Game Type.
Team Beacon: Places an beacon above the heads of all team mates, making them easy to identify even at a distance and when they are invisible. Included in Digital Extreme's Mutator Pack.
Volatile Ammo: All ammunition packs in the match become explosive, and are detonated when fired upon. Makes bases in team games somewhat less safe to be in. Included in Digital Extreme's Mutator Pack.
Volatile Weapons: When a player dies and drops their weapon, it explodes - Watch out! Included in Digital Extreme's Mutator Pack.
If you'd like to know more or are interested in developing some original mutators yourself, be sure to check out the Mutators FAQ here at PlanetUnreal. The download is small, and it contains just about everything you could ever want to know about Unreal Tournament's mutator system.
Single Player
Unreal Tournament's Single Player Game
Set in the year 2341, Unreal Tournament's Single Player game casts the player as a legendary fighter about to take part in Liandri Mining Corporation's Grand Tournament. Televised across the universe, the fights are intense, brutal and deadly - watched by billions of avid fans. As a fighter wins matches, they advance up a ladder, facing off against increasingly more skilled and experiened opponents at arenas spread throughout the galaxy and in games such as DeathMatch/Challenge, Capture the Flag, Assault and Domination. If your fighter manages tp make it all the way to the top they will be given the opportunity to challenge the Tournament Champion himself, the mystereous Xan Kriegor.
To enrol your fighter in the Tournament, select the Start Unreal Tournament option in the Game menu in UT's Graphical User Interface. Doing this will take you to the fighter enlistment screen where you will be required to choose your fighters "stage" name, appearence and the difficult level at which you wish to play. In regards to the difficult level, it's recommended that only those completely new to First Person Shooter games choose the Novice option - most players should opt for either Skilled or Adept, with talented and experienced DeathMatchers recommended to choose Masterful or even higher.
Once the enrollment proceedure is complete you be taken to the Tournament ladder screen, your gateway to your personal trophey room (not yet available), the Game Type tutorials and the matches themselves. To continue ensure that DeathMatch is selected and click the forward arrow once again. On the DeathMatch ladder screen you will be given the option of participating in a DeathMatch tutorial (which finishes with a quick one-on-one with a bot) or jumping straight into the fray with your first bout - DM-Oblivion, against the abitious though relatively inept Blake. If you have a lot of difficulty with this first battle then you should try it a few more times, it's normal to take a little time to adjust to Unreal Tournament's controls and weapons. If after some time you are still having trouble defeating Blake then that is probably a good indication that you should play the Tournament on a lower difficulty - simply exit to the GUI and start the enrollment process again.
Slowly the different Game Types will become available to you, with the first additional Game Type opening up after the player completes and wins 3 matches in the DeathMatch ladder. Once all the ladders have been conquered, the fifth and final one will open, the Challenge ladder. In the four fights which ensue, the player will engage several evil Killing Machines, robots created purely for the purpose of DeathMatch. If you succeed here, you will face Xan Kriegor in the fourth and final battle; a desperate one-on-one fight to the death.
Unreal Tournament's Story
Unreal Tournament's introduction sequence does an excellent job at setting the scene for the bloody matches which ensue. Set in a dark and dirty future city somewhere on Earth, the intro takes the player on a flyby through this cold and uninviting place as a female voice tells the story of this seemingly cruel world. As her tale of the history of DeathMatch shifts into the present, the flyby reaches a massive pyramid-esque building owned my Liandri Mining Corporation in which a fighter is seemingly about to engage Xan Kriegor, the champion of the tournament and rumored to be LMC's chief encased in a state-of-the-art battle suit. Here's the full text, in English, of the story told in the opening flyby:
"In 2291, in an attempt to control violence among deep space miners the New Earth Government legalized no-holds-bared fighting.
Liandri Mining Corporation, working with the NEG, established a series of leagues and bloody public exhibitions.
The fight's popularity grew with their brutality. Soon, Liandri discovered that the public matches were their most profitable enterprise.
The professional league was formed; a cabal of the most violent and skilled warriors in known space, selected to fight in a Grand Tournament.
Now it is 2341, 50 years have passed since founding of DeathMatch. Profits from the Tournament number in the hundreds of billions.
You have been selected to fight in the professional league by the Liandri Rules Board. Your strength and brutality are legendary.
The time has come to prove you are the best; to crush your enemies; to win the Tournament."
One thing the introduction does not make clear is how the DeathMatches themselves take place - this is left purely to the player's imagination. Could it be that the matches actually take place in real time and space, with challenger's bodies being instantly reconstructed by some means after they are killed? Do the matches themselves take place not in reality, but in some kind of cyberspace environment in which the players feel completely connected to their virtual bodies, but where dying is of no consequence? Are the challengers actually highly advanced biological "robots" controlled by humans whilst a sleep-like state in a way similar to how humans interface with the Mechs in One Must Fall 2097? Whilst some possibilities are more plausible than others, none could be ruled out for certain, and you're left to decide for yourself how you believe the Tournament challengers are able to cheat death, if you even care to give thought to the matter at all.
The only other aspect of Unreal Tournament which is left lacking is the absence of any real ending. By the time they manage to defeat Xan Kriegor, many players are eager to know exactly who, or what, he in fact is. This desire for knowledge is in no way fulfilled at the end of the game, leaving some players feeling a little disappointed. Thankfully however, those beautiful trophies almost completely make up for this oversight, and are a worthy reward for the achievement of completing the game.
Single Player Tips
Are you having trouble making it all the way through the Single Player game? Sick of those Sniper bots smacking you down every time you make a run for the flag? Desperate to face off with Xan and move on with your life? You've come to the right place. Here at PlanetUnreal we are regularly sent emails from people who are having difficulty making it all the way through the game - we've even had some trouble ourselves. We hope that this section of our guide will give you the knowledge you need to clear the road and advance once again.
Firstly, absorb all the information you are given. Although the profiles shown for each opponent are often just background information, they can also contain valuable information about a challenger's playing style. By reading this and remembering what each opponent looks like from their profiles, you will be able to engage your targets often with at least a general idea of how they might react or counterattack. Knowledge is power - don't miss it.
Whilst discussed extensively in our DeathMatch overview, the importance of item control when playing in any Game Type against bots cannot be emphasized enough. Don't leave the best weapons, armor and powerups for someone else - grab them! Also, if any enemy bots get a hold of the Invisibility powerup then you're going to have a difficult time even hitting them. If a map contains this powerup then be sure to grab it before the bots can. Make this one of your top priorities.
Several maps (for example DM-KGalleon and CTF-LavaGiant) seem to prove to be exceedingly difficult, even for seasoned players (assuming of course, that they are playing at a suitable difficulty). If you find yourself in a situation where you are unable to win a certain match even after ten or more attempts and are too far into the Tournament to consider restarting on a lower difficulty level, chances are that you are forgetting something simple and might do well to read through the section in this Guide for the particular Game Type the match is based on. Often when we offer advice to stuck players we find that they are forgetting to control important items, explore certain areas of maps and take advantage of the level's design to kill as many opponents as possible whilst putting themselves in reletively little danger. As is the case with CTF-LavaGiant (a map which has had entire strategy guides written about it), it seems that many players simply aren't thinking hard enough to come up with a solution to their apparent deadlock. If you see AntiGrav Boots in a match, chances are they're there because they'll be very useful - grab them and be conservative with their use.
If after trying all this you are still stuck, it's quite possible that your actually playing ability is not at the level required to win out against the bots at that stage in the Tournament. Whilst there's no easy solution to this, playing lots of Instagib (to improve your aim), using the Game Speed option to play games at a higher than normal speed (to improve your reflexes and reaction speeds), tweaking your controls (increasing your Mouse Sensitivity gradually over a few days for example) and playing against real human opponents are all things which have to potential to significantly improve your playing ability. Not only should this allow you to move forward in the Single Player game, you're likely to be a greater contender when it comes down to playing in real Tournaments and the like as well. Bonus!
The Final Fight - Xan Kriegor
DM-HyperBlast is the stage for what is to many their greatest gaming challenge to date, a one-on-one free-for-all DeathMatch against Tournament Champion and rumored Liandri Mining Corporation boss Xan Kriegor. Perhaps it's fate that you should end where you began, on a ship traveling through Hyperspace on it's way to an unknown destination. We can guarantee you though, Xan Kriegor will put up much more of a fight than Blake ever could. Be prepared for the DeathMatch of your life.
Thanks to a technology called Magnetic Anti-Vacuum Resonance, not only will you be able to do battle with Xan within his flying arena, it's possible to venture outside onto the exterior of the ship and take advantage of the weaker gravity out there to move quickly to and from different parts of the ship. This added mobility allows both Xan any yourself to move swiftly from one end of the ship to the other, collecting powerful weapons and powerups and knowing that the enemy is only ever going to be a short travel away. Two of the most useful weapons in this match, the Rocket Launcher and the Shock Rifle, are also located outside this ship, so don't forget to go looking for them when you have a good opportunity. Take care when drifting through space from one portal to the next and walking along the roof however, it's all to easy to fall from the ship to your instant death at the hands of Hyperspace.
Inside the ship you will find a wide assortment of weapons and powerups. In fact, every standard weapon except for the Sniper Rifle is present for this final match, and it wouldn't be of much use in such a small map anyway. If you are in a position to snipe, use the Shock Rifle if you have it. Not only should you make a direct hit, but the force of the laser will likely knock Xan straight into Hyperspace - chao! The Shield Belt is located at the apex of the semi-circular hall at one end of the ship, and is easily accessible from both inside and outside the ship (just drift down into the portal directly in front of it when approaching from the outside). You'll find the Invisibility powerup in a similar position, except at the other end of the ship. It occupies the center of the hall closest to the two "fangs" of the ship, and preventing Xan from gaining access to this is just as integral to your success as gaining the Shield Belt for your own protection. The last significant item on the map, a set of Body Armor, may be found on the bottom level of the ship and is positioned directly below the Invisibility powerup. It's accessible both by making your way down to the depths of the ship's inferior or by drifting into the room from the outside.
Once you have familiarized yourself well enough with the map, the powerup and weapon locations and the unusual dual gravity level environment and have worked up enough courage to face Xan himself, don't hesitate. At the beginning of the map Xan will attempt to intimidate you with one of his (somewhat hilarious) taunts and insults, unless you find them funny you're best to ignore them, hopefully you'll make him eat his words (Penny Arcade style) later on. You should set about collecting items immediately - go for the Rocket Launcher, Shield Belt and Invisibility first, and then start to stock up on the less important though still significant items such as Health Vials, the Body Armor and a wider range of weaponry. Once you're ready to face Xan (if you haven't run into him already), wait for him in his favorite hangouts, namely the semi-circular hall and around the Rocket Launcher on the top of the ship. It is in these places where you're likely going to have the greatest chance of knocking Xan off before he is able to do the same to you, the surroundings in the hall being ideal for ricocheting projectiles and splash damage weapons, and the roof providing a great opportunity to send Xan on a space flight not even his suit can withstand.
Xan Kriegor's dodging skills are supreme. If you attempt to take him on in one of the more open interior areas then you're in for a very difficult fight. Xan is likely to outmaneuver you with ease when you give him half a chance, and will pounce all over you when you get too close - don't give him the opportunity. If possible, quickly move the fight into a more enclosed area or into the low gravity environs of outer space, but if not, throw everything you have at him and hope that your skill will be enough to take him down. No matter what you do though, never stop moving.
Although the frag limit is relatively low, only 15, remember that this is a one-on-one duel and if you manage to put up a good fight you're going to be looking at a match of significant length. If you think you need a break, take one. Pressing Esc to exit the to the GUI will pause the game and allow you as much time as you need to re-gather your composure. Be mindful though that staying away too long may cause you to loose your rhythm, and as many of the world's top FPS gamers will tell you, state of mind can have a great influence on the way in which you play. As CliffyB commented in our DeathMatch overview, being in "the zone" is often the difference between a good and a great DeathMatch player, and can make all the difference in the end. Switch on, focus on the game and think of nothing else. Listen for sound cues, move your legs as your player runs, do whatever it takes to get yourself completely in the game - not only should the experience be one you'll never forget, hopefully you'll kick Xan's ass too. Good luck.
Multiplayer
Unreal Tournament's Multiplayer
Whilst Unreal Tournament's Single Player game will keep all but the most experienced DeathMatchers busy for quite some time, as is the case with many games released in the past few years it's the Multiplayer options which are going to keep you coming back again and again. Not only does Unreal Tournament provide simple access to online play, it makes playing over a LAN at an office or LAN Party a breeze and always provides endless botmatch options to fall back on if you're not in the mood to bother fellow humans.
When playing a Multiplayer game or Practise Session, all of Unreal Tournament's Game Types, Maps and other options (such as mutators) will be available to you. If you're desperate to play Assault but you're not far enough into the Single Player Tournament yet, then you can come here for a fix if you really want to. Keep in mind though, that it's not possible to play the tutorials other than within the Single Player game and you might have absolutely no idea what's going on if it's the first time you've played a particular Game Type. For some general information and advanced strategies, you can check out the Game Type sections of this Guide, but you're truly new to something we strongly recommend that you play the relevant tutorial at your earliest convenience.
Before you venture into the big online world, or even if you're just going to be playing across a network with some friends, first ensure that all your Preferences are correctly set, including the speed of your Internet Connection. Next, it's in your best interests to double check your Player Setup in the Options menu. It's in this dialog that you choose the name, appearance and voice of your online persona - especially before you play Multiplayer for the first time you're going to want to make sure your name is not still set to Player. Once you're all set, head over to our LAN Play or Internet Play sections to find out what to do next.
Playing Unreal Tournament Over a LAN
You would never expect LAN Play to be anything but pure, no-lag gaming bliss, and Unreal Tournament is no exception. Whilst UT's networking code has been significantly optimized for play over the Internet, LAN games benefit from these enhancements too. On a well set-up network (see LANparty.com if you need advice in this regard), you should not have any trouble getting a server up and running and jumping into a game within a matter of minutes.
Joining a LAN Game
Finding and joining a game current running on a LAN couldn't be easier. In the Unreal Tournament GUI, select the Find LAN Games option from the Multiplayer menu. UT's in-built Server Browser will launch and you'll see a list of servers currently running within a second or two with the map, current number of players and a whole lot of other information displayed. If there are no servers displayed, it may still be being set up, just wait a few seconds and hit the F5 key to refresh the listing. Once you're ready, simply select the server you'd like to play on and either right-click and select Play on This Server, or double left-click on the name of the server. The game will be launched and you can frag away. Good luck!
Setting Up a LAN Game
When you're the one with the phatest PC and you're being nagged by your friends to set up a server for them to play on, what do you do? Simple. Select Start New Multiplayer Game from the Multiplayer menu and proceed to set up the game's parameters just as if you were about to start a Practise Session. The only key difference between setting up a server and starting a local game is that an additional tab is added, called, would you believe it, Server. In this section you'll find a plethora of options for customizing the server to your specifications - you can even choose to advertise it on the master server, optimize the game for LAN play and control the server remotely with a web browser by enabling the WWW Remote Admin option. Finally, choose whether you want to server to be run as a Dedicated or Listen server. Whilst Dedicated servers require less CPU and generally allow more the one server to be running on the same machine without resource overload, you won't be able to see or participate in the game yourself, only Listen servers allow you to do this. Once you've chosen what's appropriate for your situation, click on the relevant accept button and get ready to rumble.
It is also possible to set up and run dedicated servers without actually launching Unreal Tournament itself. By running ucc.exe with the appropriate command line options (it's usually easiest to make a batch file so you don't need to rewrite them every time), the engine will start a dedicated server without launching the game itself, saving large amounts of system resources and making setting up multiple servers on the same machine much more simple. For more information about running dedicated servers for Unreal Tournament, check out Epic Games' programmer Jack Porter's Guide on this page over at the Unreal Technology site.
Playing Unreal Tournament Over a The Internet
Unreal Tournament's networking code is state-of-the-art, optimized and able to cope well with almost every type of internet connection. Whether you're playing on a 28.8 modem or a T3, you should encounter one of the smoothest online gaming experiences of your life. With more than 1000 servers currently available to play on, and several thousand players online any time of the day, you're almost guaranteed to find a fun game with a decent ping whether you log on at 4 in the afternoon or 5 in the morning.
In this section of the PlanetUnreal UT Guide, we'll show you how to set up and play Unreal Tournament over the 'net faster than you can say "I hacked my .ini file to play with the Xan Kriegor model".
Joining an Online Game
There used to be a time when finding a game online was a long and difficult process requiring arcane browser plugins and knowing where to go to get accurate server listings. These days with the aid of GameSpy or by using server browsers built directly into games themselves, it's faster and easier to find a suitable server and begin playing than ever before.
In Unreal Tournament, the procedure is simple. If you would like to use UT's built in server browser then select the Find Internet Games option from the Multiplayer menu in Unreal Tournament's GUI. The server browser will pop up and you'll be confronted by a wide assortment of tabs, each of which applies to a particular game type or selection criteria. You can also use the News tab to check up on the latest Unreal Tournament patch news and official announcements from Epic Games, and use the Chat option to connect to and talk in IRC chat rooms whilst you organize a game with friends, and even as you play!
When you're ready to start a game select the tab relevant to the type of game you would like to play. For a list of all active advertised Unreal Tournament click on the UT Servers tab. To find only servers which are populated, in your favorites list or of a specific Game Type, just click on the appropriate tab and all servers running games fitting those criteria will be listed. By selecting a server in a list, additional information about it will be displayed in the server browser window, including the player list, their current pings and scores and all of the rules currently being applied to the game. Once you've found a game you'd like to join, either right click on the server name and select Play on This Server, or just double left-click on the name. If you'd like to refresh the server list, re-ping all servers or just ping one, you'll find all those options and more also in the right-click menu.
With Unreal Tournament it is also possible to join a game directly without having to look it up on the master server (if it is listed) by instead entering the server's IP Address or Domain Name into the Open Location dialog which can also be accessed under the Multiplayer menu. Simply copy the address of the server to the clipboard to write it down and then paste or write it into the text field and press OK to begin the connection process.
Despite UT's excellent in-game server browsing features, many advanced players may want to opt for the more sophisticated options available only with a tool such as GameSpy3D, the unlimited-use shareware version of which you can download from FilePlanet here. Registration is $US20 and adds extra features such as SmartSpy which allows you to search for games playing particular maps or modifications without the need to refresh the server list and ping every server on the internet individually, however you'll be under no obligation to pay up.
Once you've downloaded and installed the GameSpy software, you'll need to let it know that you'd like to use it to find servers for Unreal Tournament. Once the program has started up, go into the GameSpy menu and select the Games and Filters... option. You'll shown a dialog box listing all the games GameSpy supports - simply scroll down until you see Unreal Tournament and check the box next to it's name. Once you've shown GameSpy where you have the game installed, click the OK buttons and you'll be returned to the main screen. Here, you'll need to open the Tools menu, take your mouse pointer down to GameSpy Updates and then across to Udpate Master Server List and click. Once this is done, right-click Unreal Tournament in the game list down the side of the left side and choose Update. The server list will not slowly populate with all the Unreal Tournament servers currently available. See GameSpy's Help menu for information on it's advanced server browsing features. "Let's get it on with the killing!"
Setting Up an Online Game
Creating a Server with the intention of allowing people the play on it over the internet is very similar to setting up a server to use over a LAN, so check out this part of the Guide for more information. Keep in mind though that effective bandwidth management is a very important issue when setting up an Online Server, so be sure to be realistic about the number of players and what conditions the server computer and it's pipe could support to be certain that people will have a fun time playing on your machine. It's also highly recommended that Internet Servers be dedicated machines, try to use a second machine to play on your server rather than being forced to run a Listen server and significantly disadvantaging all other players who choose to come to your server.
If you plan on becoming a long-term UT Server Administrator, we strongly recommend that you check out The Admin Page, "The Website Dedicated to the Unreal Server Admins" and a Hosted Site here at PlanetUnreal. There you'll find everything you need to know to make your server a success and even be able to discuss Server Admin issues with others of your kind on the Forums. Check it out, you won't regret it.
Playing & Recording Demos
Being able to record demos in games such as Unreal Tournament has many advantages - Major Tournament finals can be captured and made available for download on the 'net, entire movies can be scripted and shot and "Speed Runs" and "Timedemos" can be created by members of the community to show off their skills and provide a benchmark for Unreal Tournament performance. Support for all this has been available in Unreal Tournament from the word 'go', and is about to be expanded further by the ability to loop demos continuously (perfect for Trade Shows and in-store demonstrations), this feature being included in the upcoming Unreal Tournament 406 patch.
Unreal Tournament provides the ability to record demos both on the client side, when playing with both humans or bots - recorded from the point of view of the player; and on the server side, recording a demo of every event in the game - allowing the playback to be from any position or point of view on the map. Demos you record are stored as .dem files in your Unreal Tournament /System/ directory, and whilst they are quite large "raw", they can be compressed with WinZip or other compression program into somewhat smaller files for distribution.
Recording
To begin recording a demo whilst in a match, bring down the Console with the ~ key or press Tab for the Quick Console and type in: demorec filename with filename being the name of the file to which you wish the demo to be saved. Recording will begin immediately will cease automatically upon the end of a match or change of level, and can also be stopped by issuing the stopdemo command.
Playback
When playing a demo back, there are several options you can choose to as to how you want to do so. The programmer responsible for Unreal Tournament's demo support, Jack Porter explains the options and the syntax you need to use them as follows:
demoplay filename?option1?option2?option3
Any of these playback options can be specified:
3rdperson - Plays a [client side recorded] demo back in spectator mode.
timebased - Synchronize demo playback to time rather than frames.
noframecap - Don't limit the framerate on playback to that of the recording.
loop - Added in [UT] 406 to make the playback start again.
When "timedemo 1" is active, noframecap is automatically enabled, like it is when playing back a Quake timedemo. The only way to stop it returning to the entry level is to use the loop option, which I've just added for 406.
To play a demo back normally with none of the advanced options, simply enter demoplay filename in the console, where filename is the name of the demo file residing in your UT /System/ directory which you wish to play.
The UT Console
As has become the norm in First Person Shooters of late, Unreal Tournament includes a Console; a way of interfacing the game's engine through direct text-based input, which can simply doing certain tasks as opposed to issuing commands and setting options by manually searching through and using the menus. Whilst the Console should normally only be of concern to advanced players, it is also the means in which Cheatcodes are entered, so those interested in using them will need to know something of it as well.
Typically, the Console can be accessed in two ways. Firstly, by pressing the ~ key Unreal Tournament's System Console window will appear, allowing you to issue commands and observe the output, if any. Once you're finished simply close the window with the mouse or press Esc to return to the game or GUI desktop. Secondly, once you are in a game there is another way for you to access the Console, by way of the Quick Console, accessed by default with the Tab key. This appears in the top left-hand side of the screen and looks something like a standard command prompt, which it is. Simply enter your console commend and hit the enter key to have it executed and be returned to the game. Any output will usually be displayed in the small chat window just above where the command prompt appears.
Epic Games programmer Jack Porter has written up an extensive guide to all the Console Commands for Unreal Tournament, which is hosted over at the Unreal Technology page. If you'd like to learn more about the Console or would like to find out exactly what a particular command does, this is the place to look.
Unreal Tournament Cheatcodes
Whilst real players would never consider using Cheatcodes, there are certain situations in which they can come in handy (such as when taking screeshots). There's also always inevitably going to be scores of younger gamers who aren't quite grown-up enough yet to be able to cope with the concept of dying in games, and this page is probably the first section of the Guide they opened. Regardless of what your motives in using them are, you'll need to know how to use them, what you can do with them and how to return your game back to normal once you're finished. That's what we're here for - let's take it away.
All Cheatcodes in Unreal Tournament are typed in from the console, so unless you're completely familiar with this you might want to check out the section of PU's UT Guide relating to using the Console before you continue here. Also, before you'll be able to employ any of the cheats, you're going to enable cheat mode, which is done by entering iamtheone into the Console. You'll see a message verifying that cheats are now enabled, and you'll then be able to enter any of the following:
allammo - Gives 999 ammo for every weapon currently in your possession. fly - Allows you to fly around the map freely. ghost - Allows you to fly and also to pass through any solid object, including walls. god - Makes you invincible. Dying is impossible, even if you fall off the level. killpawns - Removes all bots from a game. loaded - Give you all the game's weapons, fully loaded. summon <object name> - Allows you to create objects, such as weapons, ammunition and other things a short distance in front of you ready to be picked up. walk - Reverses the effects of ghost and fly. Make sure you're in an open area and a reasonable distance from the ground if you expect to live.
There are also several quite useful Console Commands which you can use without enabling cheat mode. These include:
addbots <number> - Adds the number of bots specified to the game. When more than 32 bots are in the game, they are begun to be assigned numbers rather than names. behindview <number> - Valid values are 1 and 0. 1 Will switch third-person mode on, 0 will switch it off. open <map name> - Switches the current level to the map name entered. playersonly - Causes everything in the game which is not a player to freeze. Awesome for taking cool screenshots and just marveling at the beauty of the Unreal Engine. slomo <number> - Multiplies the game speed by the value entered. Can both significantly increase and decrease the speed of the game.
You should take some time to play around with some of these (Slomo in particular) and see what you think.
Source: http://planetunreal.gamespy.com
