XMP is coming to UT2004! - Free Monkey Interactive Announces UT XMP

[SubCog]

As for bots, it would be incredible if someone wrote some really decent ones. However, even crappy ones that just sortof jumpjet around the level and let you shoot at them would be nice. Bots are great for small lan parties. 3 or 4 humans and throw in another dozen bots. Even if they're crappy, it's still good.

The only danger I see with bots is if they end up in internet servers like some other games I can think of...

Oh, and just to clarify, XMP doesn't run on the U2 engine. It runs on the UT2kx engine (although it's forked off from that awhile back too). This was a smart decision since U2 isn't that good of an engine for multiplayer anyway. So the maps and models and stuff are pretty much compatible (it's just that they can't be used for legal reasons.)

 

[shoptroll]

I doubt I am the only one that doesn't think its a bad thing.

I may have issues with Microsoft made products (yep they have dropped some real lemons) however not with them as a publisher. If have played plenty of microsoft published games and have no gripes with them in that role.

It would suck if MS bought them... but as a publisher I don't see the harm.

Agreed. I am a member of a club on my campus that is interested in Game Development. We had one of the major developers from Blue Fang Games, makers of Zoo Tycoon and who also use M$ for publishing.

M$ stresses the use of milestones in their publishing. This means that the developers are expected to hit a lot of important dates during the development cycle. I think if M$ were to take over publishing for Epic it wouldn't be necessarily a bad thing.

Not to sound like a M$ lover, but honestly, they do seem to have a good idea of how to get stuff out the door properly and on time.

 

[RaptoR]

On-time, maybe, but not necessarily properly. Just look at Freelancer, that's a classic example of a good game that could have been a great game if MS waited and released it when it was done.

 

[shoptroll]

On-time, maybe, but not necessarily properly. Just look at Freelancer, that's a classic example of a good game that could have been a great game if MS waited and released it when it was done.

But wasn't freelancer from like way back in the Win95 era? Every company has some skeletons in their closets.

 

[Zetto]

But wasn't freelancer from like way back in the Win95 era? Every company has some skeletons in their closets.

That was Starlancer, Freelancer was released last year I think.... Both very nice if I am not mistaken.

 

[W0RF]

reading page 3 reading page 3 reading page 3 ah screw it, skip to the end.

"This will tear apart the community and ruin everything etc etc blah blah"

WHAT COMMUNITY?!?!? I can't remember the last time I saw more than like 30 people online. THIRTY!!!!! And half those people are in clans like VD or LNS or whatever.

The most horrible XMP conversion of all time will still have more players on 2k4 then the current version will have on U2 between now and the end of time. Having a more refined engine with optimized netcode and a larger online community IS A GOOD THING.

 

[Mantik]

reading page 3 reading page 3 reading page 3 ah screw it, skip to the end.


WHAT COMMUNITY?!?!?

The community that has more people posting, and viewing their forum than any other Unreal title at virtually any given time during the day. The community who has damn near 200 replies to this thread after what, 2-3 days? The community that hops on MyU ts and has GG's with each other through voice chat on a nightly basis, being friendly about it too. The community that.. is uh.. doing this conversion.. (ring a bell?) The community that is doing the cXp, the community that did the CBP, the community that is doing the AP map pack, the BLAH BLAH BLAH. I don't think I need to go on.

When will it end

UTXMP - Appears to be a good thing, but only time will ultimately tell. Until then, there is U2XMP. Yes, people still play it. Yes, there is a community

 

[Gumby]

Ok i bet someone's already asked this, and my eyesight is just failing

Does anyone know how the conversion is gonna take place ie;
1) Like U2XMP:- just requiring the U2 (UT2004 in this proposed case) play disc just to verify you've actually bought the game, installed to a separate directory and not directly using the 'parent' game to run
2) An addon type thing which is installed in the same directory and uses the main game engine ie. Red Orchaestra for UT2003
3) An ingame selection ie. the list goes: 'Deathmatch', 'D. Domination', blah blah... 'XMP'.

XMP is actually like a mix of most of the gametypes on UT2004 anyway so thats why it pawns

 

[shoptroll]

The community that has more people posting, and viewing their forum than any other Unreal title at virtually any given time during the day.

Not to be a bastard or anything, but I think INA UT2003/2004 has this forum beat down big time in terms of this. You post stuff in the general discussion and theres a good chance that within an hour its 2nd or 3rd page.

I've been re-visitng here lately again and its the same 10 threads at the top.

 

[chip]

Does anyone know how the conversion is gonna take place ie;
1) Like U2XMP:- just requiring the U2 (UT2004 in this proposed case) play disc just to verify you've actually bought the game, installed to a separate directory and not directly using the 'parent' game to run
2) An addon type thing which is installed in the same directory and uses the main game engine ie. Red Orchaestra for UT2003
3) An ingame selection ie. the list goes: 'Deathmatch', 'D. Domination', blah blah... 'XMP'.

since it's proposed as a Total Conversion, the likely approach wil be to use the new UT2004 -mod architecture, which allows mods to be run from the Community>User Mods UI. this essentially launches the mod completely separately from the regular UT2004 gametypes & interface. the glitches are still being smoothed, but i've used this for a highly customized gametype (sort of a mini-TC) and it looks very promising for developers, and likely much easier for players.

 

[W0RF]

When will it end

I would say it ends right about here.

 

[Mantik]

Look dude, compare it to other games all you want. There is a community whether YOU think so or not. Show me where it says "YOU NEED TO HAVE THE MOST PLAYERS ONLINE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT FOR IT TO BE CONSIDERED A COMMUNITY" and I will gladly eat my words, until then..

Negative.

A community is not a friggin popularity contest. Communities mean just that.. A COMMUNITY. Half-Life is comprised of pre-pubescent 10 years olds with ADD from Wisconsin who only play so they can call each other asshats and test out their new and improved '1337 Hax0r Bot 2004 omg keke ^_^' now if that's considered more of a community than you consider XMP to be a community then I think you need to re-evaluate your decision making patterns to come up with something that resembles common sense. Not bustin on you perse, just the idea that XMP has no community. That's just plain stupid. If it has no community - then who the hell is making this conversion? People who hate XMP, never played it before, and want to see it die? Oh wait, no they aren't.. they are people who love xmp, play xmp, and want to see it live - I call that one helluvan f'ng community.

 

[[DF]phalanx]

lol how come more ppl are playing tribes then tribes 2?

o well it may pick up soon

 

[WolfmanK]

ok my 2 cents then I'm unsubscribing from this thread.

if XMP can be upgraded to UT2k4 I will probably play. I buy upgrades and updates to all the games I like. I bought all 4 quakes, this should be no different.

I do feel for the CXP guys who are now being usurped by people with better contacts and resources (it seems) It would be nice if both teams with great ideas could get on the same page but judgeing from the hostilities of this post I doubt it will happen.

I, like PRG, just love the game play, I will play it in whatever form it comes in. If this kills XMP bothe the u2 version and the ut2004 version then I will head over to tribes or whatever game I can find similar gameplay with.

I love this community and yeah its small, but its also tight, which is why there is so much emotion around this concept. But we need to face facts. We are losing players and members of this community faster than they are comming in. Why? The game is unsupported by a major corporation.... If it could be released as an open source project that would be one thing, but that will never happen. Even as much as we (the community) try to support the game it is ultimatly doomed if it reamins in its current state. It needs patches, updates and marketing. Moving it to UT2004 is the best bet at this point, and it has my support.

Thanks Free monkey, for working on this.

Now in the mean time, lets keep this game alive, and play some XMP!!!!

 

[W0RF]

Not bustin on you perse, just the idea that XMP has no community. That's just plain stupid. If it has no community - then who the hell is making this conversion? People who hate XMP, never played it before, and want to see it die? Oh wait, no they aren't.. they are people who love xmp, play xmp, and want to see it live - I call that one helluvan f'ng community.

Look, this is really very simple. When the game is no longer supported by the publisher, the development team has been closed down, the master server has basically ceased to exist and there are only a dozen servers operating at any given time, maybe 3 of which have people in it... it's a dead game. If you want to get pissy about it, that's fine, but as someone who enjoyed playing XMP, I think it would benefit greatly from being moved to a game with a larger player base.

If you define "community" as three active clans and a handful of team-killing f*cktards, that's fine by me. But you need to keep in mind that when you get defensive like this, you're taking it out on the wrong people.

 

[Mantik]

No, it's just the fact that you only see the community the way you WANT to see it. There's plenty of people working to make it better, but you downplay their attempts and successes by saying the game WILL die and that our community is full of dip****s and a handful of people. Handfull of people or not, they are still people and they still play and they still have fun and they still make this game great. Don't think so? Fine. But those of us who are in the community, will prove you wrong. How? By simply playing the game. Bust on it all you like, I'll be the one having fun and GG's on servers with the rest of the community.

PS; there's over 20 clans listed that I personally know about. There are more. That's about 200 people right there. Not to mention unaffiliated public players that play on a nightly basis as well. Just because we don't have 87,000 on at once like the almighty HL does.. take into consideration that this community is split virtually in two based on continents. Europe doesn't play when we play, and we don't play when Europe plays. Take whatever you THINK the community is, and triple it due to that fact, and the consideration of non-clan players. It's small, but it isn't a handful of clans and TKing rejects. And the people within the community are woth 10 of every HL gamer out there.. maybe even more. Nobody is denying that the game is dying, but I think everyone who plays this game on a daily basis.. proves that you are wrong when you say "there is no community."

Go tell Lou his XMPTV does jack ****. Go tell FMI not to bother with making a conversion, since it has no community MY WHO EVER WILL PLAY IT?! Obviously nobody right? Please. Go tell IGL, Jolt, and Clanbase to close their ladders because absolutely NOBODY plays on them. Go tell those who coordinate independent tournies and events to not bother since NOBODY will play them. There is no community afterall. Whatever opinions you have about the communities strength or whatever, are yours to have. But don't try and sit there and say there is NO COMMUNITY when you play the game, and I play the game.. and virtually everyone else who responded to this thread.. plays the game. A community is like the internet, as long as there are TWO people, there is a community. Again I will reiterate that communities do NOT equal popularity. It's based on dedication to the game, and having fun with your fellow players. FFS don't knock it, that's poor form all around the board dude :/

 

[W0RF]

No, it's just the fact that you only see the community the way you WANT to see it.

I want to see it with more people and a working master server. OMFG NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

There's plenty of people working to make it better, but you downplay their attempts and successes

by supporting free-monkey's efforts. Great logic.

by saying the game WILL die

actually, I said the game basically WAS dead. If you're going to flame me at least quote me accurately.

and that our community is full of dip****s and a handful of people.

*cough* ObviousGay *cough* Artifact hiders *cough* or maybe you should go ask some of the ppl who left the game, why they left the game. In the meantime, a lot of ppl still on this board have enough intelligence to figure out for themselves that I'm not referring to them, because most of us here all know each other and know who the real jerks online are. Your hysteria is blinding you to the idea that most of us exercise common sense.

Handfull of people or not, they are still people and they still play

Which is a great reason not to bring more ppl to the game?

and they still have fun and they still make this game great.

What a relief. I thought the development team who designed and implemented XMP made the game great.

By simply playing the game. Bust on it all you like, I'll be the one having fun and GG's on servers with the rest of the community.

How many times in this thread alone have I pointed out that I play the game too? Do you even read, or just hit 'reply' and start typing some more?

Nobody is denying that the game is dying,

Except you keep posting volumes on how it's not.

Go tell Lou his XMPTV does jack ****.

um... what did I ever say about xmptv?

Go tell FMI not to bother with making a conversion, since it has no community

The number of times I have shown support for FreeMonkey's efforts demonstrates that now you're just making things up so you can yell at me some more.

MY WHO EVER WILL PLAY IT?! Obviously nobody right? Please.

Actually, I'm hoping MANY ppl will play it, which is why I would like to see it move to 2k4.

A community is like the internet, as long as there are TWO people, there is a community.

Have fun playing XMP with two people. I look forward to seeing multiple servers with 10-20 players playing online.

FFS don't knock it, that's poor form all around the board dude :/

What exactly am I knocking? Everyone who posts on this forum is realistic enough to realize they are the last of a dying breed. They themselves are great but there aren't a whole lot of other ppl to be brought IN which means that the numbers will continue to go DOWN rather than UP as ppl move on to other games, as they inevitably do. Turn off your flamethrower for one minute and realize that I'm not knocking the game or the board. I'm realistically stating that this game needs a shot in the arm and the conversion will likely provide it. But hey, if me wanting the game to grow is a bad thing, then just go right back to your rantfest. Whatever helps you sleep at night.

 

[L0cky]

Well said

 

[Mantik]

Dude, I never said the conversion is bad.. or that you were saying it was, all I'm saying is that you crap on the community that's here in anticipation for a new one. "there is no community" blah blah blah. There IS a community here. Saying there isn't one is basically a slap in the face to the people inside the community who make it what it is, an indirect knock on FMI even, since they are part of the community. Saying there is none makes it seem like everyones efforts are worthless.

Have your opinions. I'm not flaming YOU I'm disagreeing with your statements that there is no community. That's bogus. Just bogus.

 

[W0RF]

And I'm saying (for the umpteenth time) that you are taking my comments entirely too literally. You know why no one else is jumping in to defend you on this? Because they know what I'm talking about. They know XMP is a shadow of its former self. They know that this once-fairly popular gametype is now relegated mostly to clans. They've seen the others migrate to 2K4 or just plain leave. They know that you don't have to wait until a game has ZERO players left before you declare it "dead" with any level of accuracy, especially with no developer support and no publisher support.

It's for that exact reason I applaud FMI's efforts. They are trying to RESURRECT a DEAD GAME. Taking advantage of the larger player base and the optimized engine is the ideal move to 1). improve the game, 2). bring in more people, 3). assemble some nominal level of support and patches. It gives the game somewhere to GO, which at least would put it on a level with Deathball or Jailbreak (which I might add, both are migrating to 2k4 as well).

Just step back from yourself for a second and realize that this is not a knock on the faithful few that remain, but an acknowledgement that yes, this game actually used to have more people than this, and it well could again, given the proper presentation.