I just think alot of people are exaggerating the flaws, I mean clientside demo record? ever since I heard about this one I havent heard the end of it. Honestly I didnt know it even worked properly in 2k4, my experience with it was that it was pretty dodgy.
The nay-sayer's have simply latched onto the half-dozen items in UT3 that have issues or are broken, regardless of the actual "usability" or popularity of those features. I'm sure we can all list them off by heart by now since they have been repeated ad nauseum...
The list of items tends to change as the nay-sayers get continually shown why various items on their list are flawed. The new batch includes the demorec and the inability to export textures.
Regarding the demorec, it had issues in UT2004 as well. Just go to the Epic forums and do a search for "demorec" in the UT2003/2004 forum area, you'll get a pile of threads with people asking why it crashes when they record.
The UT3 nay-sayers just want to find every little issue just to try to validate their negative position against UT3 and state that "this" is why I don't like the game or "this" is why it didn't sell well or "this" is why there is no one on the servers. As if demorec or exporting skins has something to do with the number of players online...
Is a malfunctioning demorec really an issue here? Does it affect playing the game in Instant or online? Does it affect mapping or mod'ing?
It is all totally unfounded and silly.
There are other issues that I would like to see fixed long before the seldom/never useful demorec. And don't ask me what they are... I'm not going to give you more fodder to fire at UT3...
I will agree that stability/crashing for those who are encountering it is an issue. That is an issue with any game and something that needs to be resolved. However, as a comparison, I still have issues with BF2142 and that is 18 months since its release.
But stability, along with everything else mentioned can be fixed in future patches and without re-releasing the game (interface, demorec, server browser, texture export, adrenaline, weapons, vehicle handling, game types, ...)
If everyone complaining really took the time to search back through all of the reviews and posts regarding issues with UT2003 and UT2004, they would see that UT3 is no better and no worse. UT2004 patches and packs fixed bugs and added features and new characters and new vehicles and new game types, etc. etc. The initial release version of UT200x was no more and no less better or complete.
A few quotes right from BU reviews:
Community compliants over UT2004:
"The game’s flaws are minor, yet enough for die-hard critics to employ a platform for complaints."
UT2004 Interface:
"Death and taxes remain constant, but so does the love and hate relationship fans have with Unreal’s interfaces."
UT2004 Interface:
"I'm still not happy with the GUI, sure compared to UT2003's it’s a godsend, but I can’t help but feel a little let down. It’s extremely cluttered, too colorful (mainly in regards to the loading screens), dull in areas, inconsistent, and not to mention just downright ugly in sections. I’m not going to sit here and preach."
UT2004 Vehicle Handling Issues:
"Vehicle models react well with the world, but will occasionally experience slight problems with a map."
UT2004 Bot AI:
I won't bother attempting to link to all of the comments on this, which includes: bots sticking on map geometry, bots walking past you without engaging in fights, bots staying in vehicles, bots dismissing roles, etc.
UT2004 Mutators:
"Some critics opined that these mutators would hinder the game play or flow of the maps –especially the new ones."
Shall I continue with more or do you all get the point...
I'm sure I can fill a dozen pages in this thread with complaints and issues with UT200x when it shipped as well.