I downloaded UTXMP a little earlier this evening. While the following impressions are solely based on BOTMATCH play (Im going to hop online next and try it against humans), I think they are a pretty accurate first impression of the port. Some of my comments will be instant action/AI specific, while some others will be overall ideas/problems. Ill start with the AI and related gripes. Please bear in mind that I havent played XMP online since shortly after the public release as I was on dialup at the time. In order to get most of the beta files I had to go to a local LAN center with my PC to download them.
Artifical Intelligence...or not so intelligent.
Bots dont respond properly to voice recognition commands. I would assume this is due to the changes made to the comm menu messing up the bindings for it.
Bots dont enter vehicles when the horn is sounded.
Bots only ever play as the gunner class, never as Tech or Ranger.
Bots enter and attempt to drive vehicles even when theyre locked from low energy status.
Classes/weapons
Flamer alt fire needs to go back to the stuck-to-the-ground animation for the napalm. The gassy looking stuff just doesnt seem right. Also, it doesnt burn in a wave like I seem to remember. If you lay down a line of napalm then light it with primary it all ignites at once, not from points of ignition outward
Sniper rifle - As much as I hate to actually try to make a sniper class more powerful, I think the sniper rifle needs a higher magazine capacity. 4 or 5 rounds instead of three would be more fitting. Bear in mind I suck at sniping and might get a headshot one of five rounds fired.
Also, the sniper rifle zoom control is backwards. Scrolling up zooms out, scrolling down zooms in.
Tech: Maybe Im missing something here, but where did rocket turrets and field generators go? Also, where did the multiple auto turrets go? I seem to remember three auto turrets being available.
Vehicles:
No more vehicle flamethrower! I dont remember which of the big trucks (*whap forehead* Juggernaut...) had it before, but its not there now (as far as Ive seen, anyway). I miss the flamer.
Vehicle physics seems pretty screwed. Having someone on foot run up to a harbinger or juggernaut and knock it off two wheels without firing a weapon (ie: infantry ramming!)? Wha?! Having a single rocket stop a top-speed harbinger in its tracks and knock its front wheels into the air? Something not right there at all.
Finally, my lasting gripe from U2XMP. More classes. Why? The three existing classes have always seemed too 'jack of all trades'; only the gunner can really excel at any one thing. XMP has always felt to me that it needed about five or six classes: Medic, scout/sniper/subversion, engineer/technician, a solid medium infantry, and a heavy class, perhaps in two varieties; say a close support HW and a long range HW (heavy machine gun for one, rocket launcher for the other).
Now...
Things done right!
Graphics look great, controls seem spot on except that the vehicles dont work with the horn key introduced by UT04. More faithful to the original XMP than I thought. Havent tried the new maps yet, but I will give those a go next and report comments after I do some online play.
Overall, I think its great to see XMP making a comeback like this. Perhaps now itll see alot more players and fans, much as it deserves. Excellent work!
Artifical Intelligence...or not so intelligent.
Bots dont respond properly to voice recognition commands. I would assume this is due to the changes made to the comm menu messing up the bindings for it.
Bots dont enter vehicles when the horn is sounded.
Bots only ever play as the gunner class, never as Tech or Ranger.
Bots enter and attempt to drive vehicles even when theyre locked from low energy status.
Classes/weapons
Flamer alt fire needs to go back to the stuck-to-the-ground animation for the napalm. The gassy looking stuff just doesnt seem right. Also, it doesnt burn in a wave like I seem to remember. If you lay down a line of napalm then light it with primary it all ignites at once, not from points of ignition outward
Sniper rifle - As much as I hate to actually try to make a sniper class more powerful, I think the sniper rifle needs a higher magazine capacity. 4 or 5 rounds instead of three would be more fitting. Bear in mind I suck at sniping and might get a headshot one of five rounds fired.
Also, the sniper rifle zoom control is backwards. Scrolling up zooms out, scrolling down zooms in.
Tech: Maybe Im missing something here, but where did rocket turrets and field generators go? Also, where did the multiple auto turrets go? I seem to remember three auto turrets being available.
Vehicles:
No more vehicle flamethrower! I dont remember which of the big trucks (*whap forehead* Juggernaut...) had it before, but its not there now (as far as Ive seen, anyway). I miss the flamer.
Vehicle physics seems pretty screwed. Having someone on foot run up to a harbinger or juggernaut and knock it off two wheels without firing a weapon (ie: infantry ramming!)? Wha?! Having a single rocket stop a top-speed harbinger in its tracks and knock its front wheels into the air? Something not right there at all.
Finally, my lasting gripe from U2XMP. More classes. Why? The three existing classes have always seemed too 'jack of all trades'; only the gunner can really excel at any one thing. XMP has always felt to me that it needed about five or six classes: Medic, scout/sniper/subversion, engineer/technician, a solid medium infantry, and a heavy class, perhaps in two varieties; say a close support HW and a long range HW (heavy machine gun for one, rocket launcher for the other).
Now...
Things done right!
Graphics look great, controls seem spot on except that the vehicles dont work with the horn key introduced by UT04. More faithful to the original XMP than I thought. Havent tried the new maps yet, but I will give those a go next and report comments after I do some online play.
Overall, I think its great to see XMP making a comeback like this. Perhaps now itll see alot more players and fans, much as it deserves. Excellent work!
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