So the game – which release we’re looking forward to – all of a sudden has changed its title, instead of hackneyed and clear to everybody Unreal Tournament it’s become UT2k3…. Sounds much more hardcore, I must say.

Unfortunately not having an opportunity to test this ware I’m to rely on my fellows’ opinion who have tried this game personally.  

As a matter of fact – this article is a translation and compilation of some others that I’ve found on abroad-sites. As you know, the largest part of useful information is provided by players…  So let’s start with them, setting aside developers’ ad assurances and fans’ enthusiastic screams.

German fellows XtC, CrUsH, Zwo3 and HoRnY from mTw had quite enough an opportunity to try UT2k3-alpha. They used P4 1.7 with 256 Mb ram and Gf2mx 400  -  i.e. rather average configuration nowadays. Unfortunately fps meter was not available in that version, though with high details mode on there were no delays noticed. No traditional ini-file special effects editing was also quite upsetting, anyway the game should read the system information from somewhere… I can question high-flown announcements on 100-150 frames per sec, but I’m ready to believe that there was no obvious jerking.

Do  you remember one of the UT modes that let you feel like a ‘Matrix’-character? Evidently it’s also impressed developers, so in new UT double-jump would be a standard feature – i.e. double click on jump button will let you jump higher, you can also jump off farther with strafe-jump. There is obvious a designers’ tendency to add arcadeness to the game, in my opinion that will certainly increase the game popularity but on other hand it can push off some ardent ‘unreal’ physics fans. I think it was not worth bringing a new game down to Q3 level (let quakers forgive me)

Basic claim of many inveterate players was ‘excessive’ killing power of Unreal artillery. To my mind it was adding action to game-play but it was not the case upstairs.

To begin with you should say good-bye to the traditional EightBall. Now the Rocket Launcher has become triply-discharging, though it’s charging quicker and has a decent rocket dispersion. The alternative mode has now a Q-style, so you can hold rapid rocket fire (previously you should choose InstantRocketFire from menu and write scripts accordingly).

A new Epic creation is the grenade launcher - Assault Rifle…  It reminds Deus Ex at once. Well, I think it’s quite reasonable to have an assault rifle. Now it is the base weapon – as at “Respawn” you don’t have a usual Enforcer on hand. By the way as in Q2 the distance of a grenade launch will depend on how long you hold down the button. Though it’s not clear whether it’ll explode on timer (i.e. whether it can blow up in a barrel) or it’ll have a fuse.

The second type of weapon that you always have with you will be a certain mixture of UT hammer with some modifications in a sense of slower loading and power shield that was loved so much by Scudgy who did their hard job on Na Pali. It’s not clear though how this shield will behave on foot rocket splash attacks, but true gamers are tough people, if there is a device there will be a way to use it.

Good old Minigun remains almost unchanged, perhaps the grouping’s become a little higher in the Primary firing mode (sounds encouraging) and explosive shells have appeared in an alternative one… well let’s see what it gives.

The flak has become slower and more closely-grouped in the Primary firing mode, ricochet rate has been cut down to one (such a pity), and the shards in Alt-fire is now slower… (as for me I’m really upset about this tendency of killing power reduction… Weaker is the weapon, greater is the number of maneuver techniques… Soon, gentlemen, we’ll be playing ping-pong…).

The ASMD has become more rapid on the one hand, on the other – balls are flying slower (if it can be slower after all) and their shooting rate has decreased abruptly… It means that the era of ‘shocky’ in close combat has come to an end and spheres should be placed more carefully and thoroughly.

The Sniper Rifle is quitted at all in its original sense. Instead of it they promote a ‘rail’ with a scope. Certainly it might be fine considering it all as a way to fight campers but it’s not clear why ‘loading level’ is introduced. So there is a technical firing rate, but killing power with rapid fire is minimum (but the charge usage is the same  - evident disagreement with physics), and if we want to kick an enemy out we should wait until the charger is loaded to the maximum.

So a question arises – what for? With high probability I can predict that the Primary firing mode that comes for UT2k3 will ‘repair’ all the ammo innovations.

I think we might not tell you about what has been done to the Pulse Rifle. They’ve lowered its firing-rate, but  also there is a good news here – good and funny developers’ finding – now levelling the shaft to your teammate can increase HIS shaft power… ;) I just really see the slaughter of 4x4, when both teams are moving in a line playing Egyptian mirror lighting system.

Now let’s see what developers are saying. After all I‘ve taken the time to download all available demos and interviews, but only one in my opinion is worth looking over. By the way it’s still German stuff. To be honest despite happy faces and enthusiastic screams I don’t like the situation.

First, game details are far from what we’d like to see and from what has be shown in Unreal 2 demos. They try to justify this by pointing out that in a single all situations are calculated through and picture loading is always known and in such hardcore multiplayer as ours there are so many people that FPS will inevitably get down and player convenience is the most important thing for us.

Well, excuse me, dear sirs, but it’s a downright lie. On one hand we can play Doom 2 deathmatch in this case. There will be no less adrenaline, on the other hand, there is an obvious admission of a certain kind of compatibility with Unreal Tournament for X-box, though in different answer. So you were really too lazy to make the engine over again. I may be a paranoid but it’s Microsoft long ears that are sticking up.

Second, let’s look over the models and their movements… Don’t you think that it’s more like a cartoon with sadistic ? What was attracting in Unreal – is a sense of ‘unreality’, that’s completely gone now, giving way for unconcealed arcade. Wild leaps, rough thrust of an enemy with energy weapon shots but at the same time absence of Minigun slaughter… An enemy is simply thrown (NB – as one piece) at the map opposite side, instead of regular spiteful dismemberment... that took place even in the good old Chasm… Who see will understand.

Third, game speed is subjectively felt as 130-140% in UT. Is it a promotion feature to record demos on higher speed or is it a standard feature??? In other words we are suggested to stop trying to think and to rely on our spinal cord reflexes. As for me, what was attracting in Unreal is a chance for a ‘thoughtful’ game when there is time to make a clear-cut decision…. And with 110% tournament speed it was quite possible sometimes even not knowing the map.

And finally the maps. They also resemble ruefully Q3 – arenas. Of course best maps were designed not by Epic. Thank god there is a community of talented map-makers. My point is that UT bots are good ones but we know that they have their weak points such as bad sense of direction and unfinished logic

The bot wins on cheating-sight and ‘killing’ sharpness, but it’s not a great deal. I’d like to see new bots doing on large  and completely puzzling map.  And see whether they will start picking up corpse weapon and learn to retreat not cowardly showing their backs but strafing strategically and cutting zigzags. For now it’s more like a roosters’ fight – with wild suicide swoops…. And their retreats – I  haven’t seen them at all.

Actually that’s all about my impressions on demos seen. In May Epic is going to release game demo beta. It’s less than in a month, and still many exciting points are not clear, well, let’s see.

Behemoth
Screens @ xgr.com
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