UT3 Officially sucks

[Zillatech]

So I bought the game last weekend for $9.99 on Steam and found that almost no one is online to play with and to top it off, I got the infamous ?CD Key? bug. Every time I reboot my computer I have to re-enter my CD Key to play the game. I tried everything that Steam support has suggested and still no fix. It wasn?t even worth the $9.99 I paid for it. IMO , Epic has successfully managed to drive away all the hardcore UT2004 fans and failed miserably with UT3. I?m so bummed.

Thanks for killing my Game Epic & thanks for the wonderful "CD Key" bug! What a bunch of Wankers!

 

[zerocool84]

The CD-key bug has to do with Steam. I enjoy the game a lot and never have trouble finding a server to play on.

 

[Zillatech]

Well, I can find servers to play on too but the pings are shit! (200+) and mostly they are full of bots. I have 4-5 Ut2004 servers that are under 100 ping now that are full of "real" players. I like the Titan Pack mod but lets face it, Epic missed the mark big time! If the CD-Key is a Steam issue, how come they can't fix it???

If I lived in Europe, the servers might be ok I guess. Every time I look for real players on servers, I find 1 or 2 at best or the server is in the UK and pings are so bad, its not worth trying to play. WTF happened to UT ??? Oh wait I remember, Gears of War and Consoles. Its a damn shame

 

[Zenoth]

I have no issues with my Steam version, I entered the provided CD-Key once, created a game profile and voila, done, now each time I start the game again it goes to the main menu automatically and logs in to the profile I created without me having to do anything.

 

[shortylickens]

I bought the disc version for 9.99 and played it.
I still think it sucks. It has absolutely no gameplay improvements over 2004 and the graphics did not impress me. I've already seen Call of Duty 4 and Crysis and Grid and frankly, considering it was a UT game they should have put all their effort into the fucking GAME! A year or two after it comes out no one is going to care about the visuals. The game is what they'll be playing (or not) and thats what will keep the sales trickling in.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Some of you might be surprised to learn that there are still die-hard UT99 fans out there (not me personally) who think UT 2004 sucks. Here's what I've been pm'ing to people on the Epic Games forums when they ask about UT3 and what happened to it.

Here's what you should know if you're new to Unreal Tournament. The original Unreal Tournament game (UT99 or UT-GOTY--game of the year edition) was fantastic and had a huge and very dedicated, fanatical fan base. Over ten thousand custom maps and mods were released for it.

Epic then released UT 2003 which proved to be a failure but fixed it up and improved it some and released a new version as UT 2004, which has proven to be a decent game though the movement and overall game play pales in comparison to the Original UT99. UT 2004's saving grace was its Onslaught (Warfare) game and Invasion-RPG games.

Sadly, Epic became infected with the consolitus virus and consolized UT3. The basic UT3 game play is decent, but everything that surrounds it is just god-awful.

The game was consolized, having a horrific user interface and server browser. Going from UT99 or UT 2004 to UT3 is like going from a Lexus to a Kia. Who wants to do that? The UT3 game play is pretty decent and UT99 clanners liked the gameplay of the Demo and were somewhat excited about it--it's just everything else that surrounds it--the (at release, the barely functional and pathetically featureless) server browser, the (consolized, clunky and slow) user interface, the lack of customization options, the awful map vote menu, the game's clumsy handling of custom content auto-downloading, etc., that's messed up and ended up killing the game.

UT3 was released as a stillborn. If you're brand new to the UT series, I suggest you buy UT 2004. Lots of folks still play that. To get a sense of what got the series going in the first place, I suggest getting the Original Unreal Tournament (UT99 or UT-GOTY). UT99 had the best game play of all three versions.

Here's what happened with UT3... Basically, the PC version of the game ended up feeling consolized and the game was released as a buggy beta when it needed much more polishing.

When the beta demo was released last year in October a number of hardcore UT99 fans who'd rejected the UT 2004 floaty-dodgy hitscan style liked the UT3 game play and were enthusiastic about it. However, when they found out that the retail release of UT3 = buggy beta demo they lost interest.

When UT3 was released the server browser barely worked and you couldn't even add Favorites! Basically, the game had been consolized--the user interface was clunky and slow and you have to wait to load the main menu. (Why the **** should anyone have to wait to load the main menu? It should pop up instantaneously when summoned.)

The list of what's wrong with UT3 is very long, but to sum it up--the game was consolized. The user interface was horrific and the server browser was featureless and non-fuctional and the game offered few customization options. Going from UT 2004 or UT99 to UT3 is like going from a loaded Lexus to a stripped down Kia. Also, the way content is organized in the folders is an abomination.

The UT3 game play itself isn't too bad and the player movement feels very good, which is why it's such a shame that the consolization of everything that surrounds the game play resulted in the game's being a stillborn. For people who want to play UT I recommend playing UT99 CTF pug matches, which are still going strong or just playing UT 2004 Onslaught. I guess UT3 Warfare might be viable and I can always seem to find at least one populated server online and of course they'll always be a few populated servers for DM, but overall I have more fun playing UT 2004's Onslaught game.

Hopefully Epic will take the avalanche of criticism it received for UT3 to heart and release a real, bona fide UT99-2 designed for the PC and made to feel like a polished PC game. It would be great if UT3 could get the UT 2003 ----> UT 2004 treatment.

 

[lxskllr]

Every time I play UT3 I get pissed off. The latest patch improved the *appearance* of the menus. They look beautiful now; It's a shame you they still functionally suck. I still play UT2k4 nightly, UT3 is a clunky constricted spam fest.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: lxskllr
I still play UT2k4 nightly, UT3 is a clunky constricted spam fest.

Where do you play 2k4 nightly?

I find nothing but crap servers in that game these days, or demo servers, or mod-infested servers...

Zillatech, i'm sure you can install the regular game version & use the same key.

You'd just need to acquire the normal version disc/.iso/etc.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: n7

Originally posted by: lxskllr
I still play UT2k4 nightly, UT3 is a clunky constricted spam fest.

Where do you play 2k4 nightly?

I find nothing but crap servers in that game these days, or demo servers, or mod-infested servers...

Zillatech, i'm sure you can install the regular game version & use the same key.

You'd just need to acquire the normal version disc/.iso/etc.

Our clan server. It's pretty much vanilla DM. We run a chat filter, and anti cheat, but that's it. I stopped playing for a little while, and traffic slowed up, but from 10-11pm we get about 6 people we've been playing with long term. If I had the stamina I used to have, I could get us built back to our former glory, but I don't have the drive to play 8 hours per day anymore :^D

 

[rh71]

UT99 was great not because of the gameplay compared to UT3 in my opinion. It's just different times / different era. Those games like Doom were real popular and UT99 happened to be the pinnacle. People have moved on and that's why I think there are fewer players in the UT universe. I used to stay up till 2am with a couple co-workers playing UT99 DM against each other on random servers with other random people. It was great times... we'd come into work the next day and talk a good chunk of the morning about the previous night's games and look up the stats online. Now there's just different things to care about... that generation has real life, and other games which may not include FPS. If you think it's a gameplay issue then find me someone who's NEWLY into FPS and would rather play UT99 over UT3. It's essentially the same. I installed it but don't even have the urge to play anymore. I'm playing WoW or Sims3 or a racer. My coworkers aren't FPSing anymore either.

 

[I4AT]

I got the CD Key bug and my copy isn't registered with Steam, I installed it retail.

 

[evident]

i hate hate hate hate the fact that bots show up in servers as players. totally ruins the experience for me

 

[ibex333]

Originally posted by: Zillatech
So I bought the game last weekend for $9.99 on Steam and found that almost no one is online to play with and to top it off, I got the infamous ?CD Key? bug. Every time I reboot my computer I have to re-enter my CD Key to play the game. I tried everything that Steam support has suggested and still no fix. It wasn?t even worth the $9.99 I paid for it. IMO , Epic has successfully managed to drive away all the hardcore UT2004 fans and failed miserably with UT3. I?m so bummed.

Thanks for killing my Game Epic & thanks for the wonderful "CD Key" bug! What a bunch of Wankers!

UT3 is MUCH better than any UT before it. The gfx are unsurpassed by just about any game out there, PC or console with only a few exceptions. I have no CD-Key bug. There is something wrong with your PC or your software. There is enough ppl playing online, but even if there wasn't, this AWESOME game is well worth the $10 if only to play with friends 1 on 1.

 

[StinkyPinky]

UT3 is pig balls. Sucks.

UT99 was the best
UT03 was poor
UT04 was excellent

 

[Sylvanas]

UT3 is horrible, pretty much killed the genre. UT2004 was fun, UT3 is just meh- I have no interest in reinstalling it.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

UT3 OWNS ALL, i occasionally get the urge to reinstall COD4 or WAW but I can always find some serious competition on ViperMax DM

 

[4537256]

i dont care for most of the maps. their grungy, gritty and rather boring not to mention a bit too small, no variety. The ping really sucks. 90% of all servers for me are 400+. the others within 100 have like 2 players in it. i try hosting my own but no one joins. UT3 is pretty lame overall. the framerate is nice on my rig though at max settings but then again theres no real physics or dynamic lighting/shadowing involved.

 

[Udgnim]

UT 3 sucked the moment Epic released the beta

 

[soccerballtux]

Yeah I agree. It's only worth keeping around for Instagib CTF if you like that stuff. It's enough for me to keep it installed, tons of custom maps. Enjoy Team Deathmatch too.

For more team play check out Quake Wars: Enemy Territory, it's $6 on newegg free shipping; I bought it a few weeks ago and played it first Friday, enjoying it a lot. Smart players, too, interested in cooperating rather than doing their own thing. Dedicated fan base, not having any trouble finding full servers of 24 players. Having a lot of fun; for $6 shipped you'd be crazy not to check it out.

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: evident
i hate hate hate hate the fact that bots show up in servers as players. totally ruins the experience for me

I guess they thought "har har when people see screenshots of the new 2.0 version they'll think it's full of players!!!"

If you turn on "ignore empty servers" it removes almost all of them.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: n7Where do you play 2k4 nightly?

What game types do you want to play? You can find populated Onslaught servers during North American prime time. Try the Omnip)o(tents and Clan Death Warrant Spam Vikings Onslaught servers.

You can also try Invasion Monster Mash RPG, which can be fun once you learn the game. Death Warrant also has two very popular Invasion-RPG servers but they are very hard on new players (low level characters).

You can find the websites here:

Omnip)o(tents clan and server community

Clan Death Warrant community

208.100.49.221:7777 (DW Onslaught)
208.100.49.220:7777 (DW Monster Mash #1)
208.100.49.220:6666 (DW Monster Mash #2)

8.12.20.203:7777 (Omnipotents Onslaught server)

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: ibex333UT3 is MUCH better than any UT before it.

If it's so much better then...

Why is the user interface so clunky and slow? Why do you have to leave the server you are playing on in order to check the server browser?

Why can't I have communication keybinds and taunt keybinds? What if I want an "Enemy Flag Carrier is here" (location) keybind? (The answer is that consoles don't have enough buttons for that sort of thing, so they didn't put it in the PC port of the game.)

What happened to my built-in IRC browser?

Why do I have to wait for the flippin' Main Menu to load up? It should pop up instantaneously!

Why are there so few graphics and sound customization options and why do we have scroll bars for setting them as opposed to boxes where values can be typed in?

Why do I have to log in all the time?

Why is the translocator limited?

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but ultimately, people vote with their feet and the original UT99 had far, far higher player counts at given points in time after its release than UT 2004 ever did which had far higher player counts than UT3 ever did or will.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: 4537256
i dont care for most of the maps. their grungy, gritty and rather boring not to mention a bit too small, no variety.

I agree that the looks aren't very good. They Gears-of-Warrified and consolized them.

Also, I really think that an abundance of static meshes detracts for the game and makes it harder to understand what's going on around you. The original UT99 just felt crisp and clean whereas UT3 feels cluttered. I also think that they made the default speed for UT3 too fast. It should have been the UT99 game play speed but 5% faster.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper

Originally posted by: ibex333UT3 is MUCH better than any UT before it.

If it's so much better then...

Why is the user interface so clunky and slow? Why do you have to leave the server you are playing on in order to check the server browser?

Why can't I have communication keybinds and taunt keybinds? What if I want an "Enemy Flag Carrier is here" (location) keybind? (The answer is that consoles don't have enough buttons for that sort of thing, so they didn't put it in the PC port of the game.)

What happened to my built-in IRC browser?

Why do I have to wait for the flippin' Main Menu to load up? It should pop up instantaneously!

Why are there so few graphics and sound customization options and why do we have scroll bars for setting them as opposed to boxes where values can be typed in?

Why do I have to log in all the time?

Why is the translocator limited?

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but ultimately, people vote with their feet and the original UT99 had far, far higher player counts at given points in time after its release than UT 2004 ever did which had far higher player counts than UT3 ever did or will.

And lastly, Why isn't anybody playing it? :^P

In regards to your point below. I rather like the way it looks. From a purely aesthetic point of view I think it's a very nice looking game. I agree that it's too cluttered for arena style combat though.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Originally posted by: Zillatech
So I bought the game last weekend for $9.99 on Steam and found that almost no one is online to play with and to top it off, I got the infamous ?CD Key? bug. Every time I reboot my computer I have to re-enter my CD Key to play the game. I tried everything that Steam support has suggested and still no fix. It wasn?t even worth the $9.99 I paid for it. IMO , Epic has successfully managed to drive away all the hardcore UT2004 fans and failed miserably with UT3. I?m so bummed.

Thanks for killing my Game Epic & thanks for the wonderful "CD Key" bug! What a bunch of Wankers!

dude, join the forums and learn how to solve your problem - you officially suck