The ROOtator

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SuperApe

Registered Monkey
Mar 20, 2004
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wiki.beyondunreal.com

This is a Mutator meant to populate any map with Kangaroo Non-Player Characters (ROO NPCs). Options for this mutator include the Australian RooLette and RooHunt minigames. Advanced Options include the RooHunt Match (essentially a change in the Deathmatch and TeamDeathmatch gametypes).

ROOs are simple creatures. They graze a lot and they are startled easily. When they're startled, they'll hop around until they get tired. Then, they stop and graze. If they get stuck while hopping or hop into water, they try to turn back to where they started. You can startle ROOs by Bumping, Touching, or Damaging them. If a ROO dies, it calls out to startle nearby ROOs before gibbing nicely.

Australian RooLette is a minigame where one ROO will be rigged with powerful explosives (Redeemer-sized). Advanced Options allow a timer setting on the explosives and the option to hide the explosives for a true Aussie RooLette experience.

RooHunt is an option to keep track of ROO Kills, show a RooHunt HUD to display your rank, number of kills, and ROOs remaining, and to display the rankings list at the end of the match or when all ROOs are killed. The Advanced Option, RooHunt Match, changes the end game conditions of Deathmatch and TeamDeathmatch so the winner is the one (or team) who has killed the most ROOs, survived and (in case of a tie) was the first to kill a ROO. Another Advanced Option allows a setting for MaxLives in RooHunt Matches. If a LastMan condition is met, an automatic timelimit setting can be set, based on the number of ROOs placed in the map.

To play Australian RooLette with any gametype:

Configure the ROOtator for 'Australian RooLette' and launch your desired gametype as normal. The Advanced Option 'Hide TNT' can be enabled to make the TNT pack strapped on the RooLette ROO invisible. The Advanced Option 'RooLette Timer' can be set to the number of minutes before the explosives will detonate automatically. ( 0 = Never )

To keep RooHunt scores during any gametype:
Configure the ROOtator for 'RooHunt' and launch your desired gametype as normal. A HUD display will track your rank, number of ROO kills, and the number of remaining ROOs. At the end of the match, or when all ROOs have died, a small ranking list will display the RooHunt players in order of performance, ties going to the player who killed a ROO first. This option will not affect the normal gametype's score. It is only a fun distraction for bots and players.

To play the RooHunt Match or Team RooHunt Match gametypes:
Configure the ROOtator for both 'RooHunt' and the Advanced Option 'RooHunt Match'. Then launch a Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch game. The Advanced Option 'MaxLives' may be set to limit the lives available to each player. ( 0 = No limit ) The winner is the player or team who kills the most ROOs and survives, if MaxLives have been set. Ties will go to the player who killed a ROO first.

Little extras to this mutator include:

- An option to 'Always Keep ROOs', which disables a normal "garbage collecting" function to remove startled, but forgotten ROOs after a short time.
- An option to allow ROO Kills to award one point of adrenaline.
- Full bot support. Bots will play normal games fine, only occasionally going after a ROO, when it doesn't interfere with their objectives. In RooHunt Matches or with RooAdrenaline enabled, they will go for ROOs with a vengance. Higher skilled bots avoid the RooLette ROO or shoot it at long range, etc.
- A revival of the Bot/Player celebration animations from UT2k3, when one has won a RooHunt Match. (including all taunts and special character animations)
- A (borrowed) Easter Egg where there's a chance (5%) that fun Epic Names will be used for bots in RooHunt Matches. These names include, "EpicBoy", "Turtle", "Evil_CliffyB", and most notibly, "The_Reaper", who will always be two full skill levels above all other bots (so watch out for him).

RooHunt Match Tips:
- Because ROOs can find even the most remote places to hide, use higher skilled bots and get to know your maps well.
- Play standard maps or maps with good bot support. Some maps can include areas not supported by bots where ROOs can hide for a long time.
- If you use the 'Always Keep ROOs' option and elect to set MaxLives to zero, use a Timelimit setting to prevent a hard to find ROO from extending the game indefinately.

To install this Mutator:
- Download the .zip file from the link above.
- Put the ROOtator.u, ROOtator.ucl and ROOtator.int files in your .../UT2004/System directory.
- Enable "ROOtator" in your Mutators tab in UT2004 and configure your desired ROOtator options.
* and *
- If you wish to use this Mutator on a Server, you must edit your .../UT2004/System/UT2004.ini file to include the line, "ServerPackages=ROOtator", at the end of the list of ServerPackages in the [Game.GameEngine] block. (see ReadMe file)

Here's the original thread for the ROOs. (catalogues the evolution from start to finish)
Here's a link to more information on the stand-alone version for mappers (DM-RoosOnline).

Very special thanks go to my beta testers: Hawkwind, Lord_Simeon, harryhash, King Mango, SabbathCat, AquaBlue, and Blitz. (some of whom I'm sure didn't even realize they were beta testers.;))




Enjoy!
 
Last edited:

Nemephosis

Earning my Infrequent Flier miles
Aug 10, 2000
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This mutator (ROOtator?) is freakin awesome. Fun as hell!

oh, just play the Roohunt matches. If you stick them in CTF games, you'll find yourself hunting the ROOs more than you will be capping flags. :lol:
 

SuperApe

Registered Monkey
Mar 20, 2004
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Inna Jungle
wiki.beyondunreal.com
Thanks for the kind words, Nemephosis. But, don't discount the fun of running ROOs down with vehicles in ONS games (on your way to the next node, of course). :D

Someone on the Atari Forums asked to see a pic of what happens when the RooLette ROO is hit. I happened to catch this shot of a Novice bot getting PWND.


Note: Not all ROOs explode, just the one with TNT strapped to it's back: The RooLette ROO, and only if you've selected the Australian RooLette minigame option. It can make RooHunt Match a tense single-player game (against the clock & MaxLives set to 1). It can also be used as a weapon, if the ROO is found at the right place at the right time. (like, in front of your enemy)
 

XepptizZ

What are you lookin at...
May 17, 2004
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Awesome! Makes me wish I had the PC to play 2k4 on.

Either way, it'd be nice if you'd be able to get this mod on the modsqquad mainpage as I think many still use this place as their modsite.


Well, I do.

(Hey Ape :p)
 

SuperApe

Registered Monkey
Mar 20, 2004
333
0
16
Inna Jungle
wiki.beyondunreal.com
GTD-Carthage said:
Porting code for ROOtator? Not that it would be real easy but I think it's possible... I'm not a programmer though. :p If you remember the Dinasours Mutator, I think you can do the same for ROOtator. :)

(If you were referring to ROOtator that is. :p )
I *hope* he is talking about the ROOtator. ;) But, I think he's talking about his own mutator project.

I never had UT, but I believe they only started doing skeletal meshes in UT2k3. This might make porting to UT difficult without my original ROO source files from Maya. I could probably make Meshes for UT out of the skeletal meshes I have by manipulating on the Maya side first, but like I say, I don't have UT. So, it's probably not going to happen.

But, I'm glad you liked the ROOs. Hope you had a chance to try all the different options (and AdvancedOptions) in the config menu to see all there is to do with the ROOs. :D
 

XepptizZ

What are you lookin at...
May 17, 2004
486
0
0
35
In solitude
I meant this mod actually. I wouldn't want to be a hijacker.

Skeletal animations are supported in UT in the 4.36 version. Earlier versions do not. The UT support for skeletal animations is rubbish though.