The "Major UT3 Expansion"

[Bishop F Gantry]

Gamespy came close to being a deal breaker.

In the end it is a question of choice. Give something up and get something in return or don't give something up and don't get something in return.

In my case, I chose not to install Steam and I know I've missed out. I was a huge fan of SiN (couldn't care less about HL) and it was a real pity that I never got to play the later incarnation of the game.

In any event, let's stay on topic - you don't try to convince me how wonderful Steam is and I promise not to tell you why it sucks.

Sin Emergence, dont worry you didnt miss out on mutch, no multiplayer only 4weapons that feelt like straight from HL2, and Blade being mute and thanks to german gaming laws had been censored and toned down...

 

[GreatEmerald]

Wow, a duplicate topic...
Anyway, if you didn't notice, I've thought about the possibilities of the release format here (don't be too lazy to read lol):
http://forums.beyondunreal.com/showpost.php?p=2210216&postcount=505


Hmm, quite off topic, but all this 8+26 page discussion reminds me of one Unreal II scene...

John Dalton: So, whaddya think: lost ancient glories, or Pandora's Box?
Isaak: Are you kiddin? They *gotta* be dangerous. Why else would someone put glyphs on 'em and scatter 'em all over the galaxy. I bet when they break the code, it says, "Run like hell!"

Actually, UT3 has a lot of more technical returns to Unreal II, wonder why everyone sees only the returns to UT99... (hint: dynamic crosshairs, movement etc.)

 

[UBerserker]

Actually, UT3 has a lot of more technical returns to Unreal II, wonder why everyone sees only the returns to UT99... (hint: dynamic crosshairs, movement etc.)

I don't think there are many people around who remember, or even played, Unreal 2.
A shame though, as it is a great game of its own rights, in my opinion.

 

[WHIPperSNAPper]

Scifi shooters stopped evolving and started regressing thats why they stopped selling. Main reason why ID and Epic isnt the kings of FPS games anymore, sure they make nice engines with nice eycandy, but eyecandy dosent make a game playable for years or remembable.

The reasons why ID and Epic are no longer the leaders is because they both screwed the pooch.

ID failed to release a real sequel to Quake III, by that I mean, a real online multiplayer sequel and not the single player game Quake IV. As far as I know Quake Wars failed to include the Quake III game types and would be similar to a UT 2004 that only contained Onslaught.

As for Epic and UT...you guys know the story. UT 2003 was a disaster and turned many UT99 fans away from the series. Many of them didn't like UT 2004's floaty-dodgyness, and UT3 was released as an unfinished beta with a horde of user interface, server browser, and game play issues.

Epic's and ID's malaise have almost nothing to do with people's losing interest in sci-fi shooters; at least there doesn't seem to be clear evidence for it when you consider all of their missteps.

 

[UndeadRoadkill]

As far as I know Quake Wars failed to include the Quake III game types and would be similar to a UT 2004 that only contained Onslaught.

No, Quake Wars wasn't that kind of game.

 

[Shlomo]

The Major UT3 Expansion will be a 30 dollar map pack including MAYBE a gametype, some useless character models, and maybe a refresh on the UI.

It will not revive UT3, since it will not be a standalone game. Only a new game, on a fresh new slate can revive UT3

 

[TheIronKnuckle]

I don't think there are many people around who remember, or even played, Unreal 2.
A shame though, as it is a great game of its own rights, in my opinion.

I would call it a good game, not a great one.

It was average. It had no continuity with unreal 1. It was decent, but i'm sure GoW is better and i haven't even played it.

It was a good game, but nothing special. XMP helped a lot.

 

[WaitForTheRain]

It will not revive UT3, since it will not be a standalone game. Only a new game, on a fresh new slate can revive UT3

Yeah, I agree with that unfortunately. It would be great if the expansion could help to revive UT3, but it's not going to. Too many people have played it by now and heard about it. If people didn't like the original game and saw it as a waste of their money they probably wouldn't pay any extra for an expansion, so unless it's free, not many people will bother getting it.

Whether it's free or not, I'm probably going to get it as I seem to be one of the few people who actaully still enjoy UT3.

 

[Bishop F Gantry]

I don't think there are many people around who remember, or even played, Unreal 2.
A shame though, as it is a great game of its own rights, in my opinion.

Subpar short mediocre shoota with no multiplayer and barely nothing resembling a sequel or ties to the Unreal franchise.

ID failed to release a real sequel to Quake III, by that I mean, a real online multiplayer sequel and not the single player game Quake IV. As far as I know Quake Wars failed to include the Quake III game types and would be similar to a UT 2004 that only contained Onslaught.

Quake3 is what screwed up the Quake franchise, a poor attempt at copying Unreal Tournament, and Quake4 multi is fairly similar to Quake3...

Quake Wars is a spiritual succesor to Enemy Territory and Enemy Territory is a spiritual successor to Return to Castle Wolfenstein Multiplayer, only real major mistake Splash damage did was not including Singleplayer, not make QW a prequel to Quake2 and choice of engine.

XMP is to Unreal2 what UT3 is to UT2k3 is to Unreal1 an utter incoherent mess with no common guideline in sight...

 

[IronMonkey]

I would call it a good game, not a great one.

Really my only memory of U2 is the number of times that I fell outside the world...

 

[GreatEmerald]

I don't think there are many people around who remember, or even played, Unreal 2.
A shame though, as it is a great game of its own rights, in my opinion.

Yeap. If something deserves a movie, then that something is definitely Unreal II. Or maybe not, as the game is already like a movie lol! And it's graphics still looks amazing, and a lot better than UT3! The only thing that made it unpopular was the unfinishedness - if Legend had some more time, there would have been Co-op, multiplayer, more levels (including the Shian level(s) that seemed to be awesomely wonderful). And that would have kept Unreal II alive until now. But as it was never finished (just like XMP), it's now exactly like a movie - you play through it and don't want to get back as you already saw everything.

I would call it a good game, not a great one.

It was average. It had no continuity with unreal 1. It was decent, but i'm sure GoW is better and i haven't even played it.

It was a good game, but nothing special. XMP helped a lot.

I'm sure GoW is much worse, but I haven't played it too. PCs FTW It wasn't a sequel to Unreal 1, but that doesn't stop it from being a good game. Besides, there's nothing much else to sequel from Unreal 1 - the prisoner already escaped the planet 2 times, give him a break already!

No, not "XMP helped a lot", but "XMP helps a lot" It's still alive, all you need is to go on a server and eventually after 10 minutes you'll have a 1on1 match, after 30 minutes you'll have a 2on2 and so on

Really my only memory of U2 is the number of times that I fell outside the world...

Huh? Where, on Janus?
Also, you can create replayability by yourself, just set the level on highest, summon a Singularity Cannon on each level and try going through the campaign Very different feel.

 

[DarQraven]

Quake3 is what screwed up the Quake franchise, a poor attempt at copying Unreal Tournament, and Quake4 multi is fairly similar to Quake3...

I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to stop you there.
If there is ANY arena game that is considered defining and good, it's Quake 3.
It might be a bit different from Q2 (never played that much), but I find it hard to believe that Q3 is a lame copy of UT99 when it was actually released earlier.

Unless id has used some pr0 corporate espionage tactics, Q3 was a game of it's own.

 

[Sir_Brizz]

I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to stop you there.
If there is ANY arena game that is considered defining and good, it's Quake 3.
It might be a bit different from Q2 (never played that much), but I find it hard to believe that Q3 is a lame copy of UT99 when it was actually released earlier.

Unless id has used some pr0 corporate espionage tactics, Q3 was a game of it's own.

Actually, Quake 3 was released about a month later than UT was.

And, he's right to an extent. Quake 3 made it so id couldn't make any new Quake games and have them be successful. To be fair, UT probably did the same thing to the Unreal series (at least, the Unreal tournament series).

 

[hal]

Actually, UT was released just several days before Quake 3. I remember buying UT the week of Thanksgiving and then Quake 3 the first week in December.

 

[IronMonkey]

Huh? Where, on Janus?

Don't remember but I remember getting stuck several times under the terrain layer. Very annoying.

That apart, U2 wasn't actively annoying but the disconnect from Unreal was disappointing. It might have fared better in the memory if it hadn't been called Unreal 2 - to do so was to invite comparison.

 

[UBerserker]

Subpar short mediocre shoota with no multiplayer and barely nothing resembling a sequel or ties to the Unreal franchise.

Unreal 2 had XMP.
Also I disagree* with you about it being mediocre.

*as usual

 

[GreatEmerald]

Don't remember but I remember getting stuck several times under the terrain layer. Very annoying.

That apart, U2 wasn't actively annoying but the disconnect from Unreal was disappointing. It might have fared better in the memory if it hadn't been called Unreal 2 - to do so was to invite comparison.

Hmm, you must have had an unpatched version of the game then, nothing similar happened to me all the 3 times I played the game through.

Well, they probably wanted to keep the same naming scheme: Unreals are single player with botmatch support and coop, UTs are multiplayer with a ladder style single player, and UCs are UTs for "C" - Consoles.

Unreal 2 had XMP.
Also I disagree* with you about it being mediocre.

*as usual

It has Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch too, and also a partially working Capture the Flag. Also, it has an early alpha of XMP in it, which is very different, and I should say, very interesting as it doesn't play as VCTF, but you have to use computers to research technology, produce items etc. and there were pickups. All the gametypes can be unlocked by using the botmatch GUI mod (see LA Unreal II Essential Files section).

Is "mediocre" the same as "medium"? Then I'll say definitely no, the levels are so polished that they look a lot better even than UT3 levels look now.

 

[UBerserker]

Mediocre is like 5/10. Honestly UT3 maps are far more detailed than U2 ones, especially the custom ones.

 

[TheIronKnuckle]

err greatemerald..... U2 does NOT have better graphics then UT3

 

[Leo(T.C.K.)]

Unreal 2 had wasted full potential and removed and unused things thanks to Atari(Infogrames) as they owned Legend...U2 was supposed to have multiplayer(it still has in unused form and then came xmp, basically one multiplayer gametype that was left off, although changed from original concept, originally you were supposed to search the artifact at special map points, so they were not a bases like ctf flags...etc) and there was a lot of races and levels which was removed and which kicked serious ass.....such as the Shian underwater city, several alien ruins, other planets etc... so much I would say that their design and concept was simply one of the best that computer games ever had....
plus I don't like Grayson Edge's maps, he may be good in multiplayer, but that's all...his maps like Janus were worst for me, or even Sanctuary consists of parts of multiplayer map designs turned to SP.....I would rather see return these maps instead of these boring ones and the others that were made more linnear in the end........