Unreal Tournament 3

Unreal Tournament 3, also known as UT3 (previously codenamed Envy and also formerly named Unreal Tournament 2007, UT2007 or UT2k7) is Epic Games' sequel to Unreal Tournament 2004. Published by Midway Games, UT3 is powered by Epic's new Unreal Engine 3, and is due to be released on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.



History
UT3 was revealed to the world in the May 2005 issue of Computer Gaming World magazine. The first news of it began to appear on or around March 27, 2005. The game was originally codenamed UT "Envy", but later, around May 29, 2005, it was revealed that the name had been changed to Unreal Tournament 2007. It was not until January 25, 2007 at the Midway Gamer's Day event in Las Vegas that it was revealed that the game's name had been changed to Unreal Tournament 3. This change was met with great enthusiasm from the Unreal fan base.

Many changes have been made to the originally announced design of the game. For example, a game mode named Conquest that was originally announced was later complemented by Unreal Warfare and then replaced by it altogether. There was also an Onslaught 2.0 announcement which has also been rolled into the all-encompassing Warfare gametype.

Unreal Tournament 3 promises a return to the "feel" of the original Unreal Tournament. Epic aims to make the game more in-your-face, fast-paced, and less "floaty". To accomplish this, gravity has been increased and dodge-jumping has been removed. However, dodging, double jumps, and wall dodging will remain with their effect somewhat diminished due to the newly increased gravity. Gameplay in UT3 stresses close combat more than its predecessors UT2003 and UT2004. Many of the weapons are more effective up close. Epic stresses that the aim of UT3 is to create a whole new - and better - game, rather than merely a prettier UT2004. In addition to this, old favorites from the original UT such as jump boots and the ability to feign death will return in UT3.

Demo
At Midnight on Friday, October 12th, 2007, Fileplanet began preloading the game to its subscribers.

The demo was released on Fileplanet officially at 12:35 PM on Friday the 12th, although hours before, a Norwegian site, "IT Avisen", released the demo approximately 5 hours prematurely.

The demo, which is Version 3464 according to the startup logs, comes with 3 maps: DM-ShangriLa, DM-HeatRay, and VCTF-Suspense. Of note is that DM-HeatRay is our first taste of the Necris Vehicles, specifically, the Darkwalker.

This is what is termed by Epic as a "Open Beta Demo", and thus is just a glimpse of how the game will play. It is important to note that things might still change considerably based upon player feedback.

Release Details
Only the beta demo has been released. The retail version for PC should be in North American stores by November 19th, 2007, European release follows a bit later on November 22nd. The PS3 version is being finalized and Gold-status should follow soon, while the Xbox 360 version is still slated for Q1 2008.

Reception
Reception to the beta demo has been generally positive, with most people agreeing that Epic has "got it right." There is some notable dissension from the crowd who enjoyed UT2003 and UT2004, though.

Engine
Unreal Tournament 3 uses Unreal Engine 3. The Beta Demo Version is 3464.

Music
Rom DiPrisco and Jesper Kyd are composing the UT3 soundtrack. Kevin Riepl also has a major hand in music production for the game.

An official game soundtrack is scheduled to be released November 20, 2007. The 2-CD set comes with 33 tracks which feature a number of remixes from previous Unreal Tournament games.

Gametypes

 * Single Player
 * Will expand upon the simple ladder matches present in previous installments. A four act storyline, complete with a cinematics throughout, which will tell the story of the player seeking revenge for the slaughter of his clan. Mid-way through, the Necris attack and your allegiance can slip from corporation to corporation. Features world map with selectable missions which include boss battles. Players can earn "cards" or powerup rewards for completing side objectives. These can be used in later missions. An example is that all team players will receive instagib rifles for the mission. Co-op play will be available in campaign mode.
 * Deathmatch
 * The grandaddy of first-person-shooter gametypes is alive and well.
 * Team Deathmatch
 * The grandaddy of first-person-shooter team gametypes is alive and well.
 * Capture the Flag
 * The classic CTF gametype is still included and includes the translocator.
 * Vehicle Capture the Flag
 * The Hoverboard replaces the Translocator in maps with vehicles, and you can carry the flag on the Hoverboard. However, entering into any vehicle with the flag will cause you to drop it.
 * Warfare
 * Warfare is a new combination of Onslaught, Assault and some of the ideas presented in the past about the Conquest gametype.
 * Duel
 * This gametype was mentioned in a few previews and was seen in the game menu of several recent videos. It is a 1v1 mode, with two players in the map at any given time, and the other players forming a queue. The winner gets to stay, the loser goes to the end of the line. Weaponstay is off by default in this mode.

Weapons

 * Hoverboard
 * Pressing the translocator button will cause the player to hop on a hovering skate-board like device that is used mainly for transportation and is present only in Warfare and vehicle-based Capture the Flag maps. The flag or orb may be carried on the Hoverboard, but any amount of damage, even one point, will send the player tumbling (this includes falling damage). A player who falls off will be prone for a moment before being able to get up, which could naturally be fatal if there's opposition in the area.
 * Deployables
 * Strategy-themed devices such as a time-slowing cube which can be dropped to slow down incoming weapon fire, not to mention turrets, spider mines and more. How they are deployed is not yet known, but footage from E3 showed spider mines and the slow-cube dropping from the back of a vehicle.
 * Translocator
 * This Unreal series favorite returns to the Capture the Flag gametype, except for maps that contain vehicles, in which the hoverboard becomes the secondary method of transportation. There are more charges than UT2004 (7 compared to 6) and they refill faster. (About one per second.) Also, the disc has a flatter trajectory than UT2004 and it fires farther than UT, but not quite as far at UT2004.
 * Impact Hammer
 * This favorite from Unreal Tournament makes a comeback with an EMP alt-fire that disables vehicles and removes powerups from other players. One of the newer effects of the Impact Hammer is that if you get several kills with it, blood and gore smear over the hammer - eventually making it more red than orange.
 * Enforcer
 * Your starting weapon, the Enforcer is a pistol with rapid fire. Secondary fire shoots a less accurate triple burst. You spawn with one enforcer, though if a player is killed while holding the weapon it is dropped, and picking up a second enforcer allows you to hold two at a time. As a homage to the original Enforcers, they now turn sideways when you are close to an opponent.
 * Bio Rifle
 * This weapon fires a big slow arcing gob of sludge that can instantly take out a heavily armed opponent or stick to floors and walls, then break apart into smaller pieces creating an instant minefield. Players with a large amount of slime attached to them will get rapidly "chipped" in damage, but they will have a second or two to fight back before dying, giving them a chance to take out the enemy who hit them.
 * Shock Rifle
 * A classic weapon, the Shock Rifle fires an instant-hit beam of energy when primary fire is used, and a floating ball of energy when secondary fire is used. Players can also shoot the ball of energy with the beam to create a shock combo, dealing intense amounts of damage in a small radius (enough to kill a player wearing even medium armor). When compared to past titles, the shock balls have been sped up from UT2004 to be more closely match the rate of the original UT. The primary rate of fire has also been reduced. Shock combos will now suck up ragdolls in a small vortex, and gib them if it does so.
 * Link Gun
 * The link gun shoots small fast moving plasma balls similar to those in the original UT. The secondary shoots a straight beam of energy that can kill foes, heal vehicles and charge power nodes.
 * Stinger Minigun
 * The stinger from the original Unreal replaces the Minigun as a fast firing semi-projectile weapon. The gun has two modes, a fast but inaccurate spread of Tarydium crystal shards that hits instantly, and a slower firing more powerful projectile shot that can also sometimes nail opponents to the wall with the killing blow.
 * Flak Cannon
 * Primary fire for this weapon releases a number of chunks of metal, tearing enemies into shreds. The secondary fire releases an undetonated flak shell that detonates and turns to shrapnel on impact. Compared to past titles, the primary fire bounces more and has a much tighter spread, while the flak shell does not travel as far as it did in UT2004, but it has a much higher upward arc.
 * Rocket Launcher
 * The new rocket launcher combines the instant rockets ability from UT2004, and the grenades from UT. As in UT2004 primary fire shoots instant rockets, secondary fire loads rockets, and hitting primary while holding secondary will switch to spiral fire mode with a single tap, grenades with two, or back to a spread with three. As in previous titles, rockets can lock onto things. This feature has been visibly improved to help take out vehicles, with much better locking and turning ability.
 * Sniper Rifle
 * The classic sniper rifle has returned to replace the Lightning Gun as the primary long range weapon. It now features a red-colored tracer, and Bolt Action reloading. It's comparably as strong as UT's Sniper Rifle, however, the rate of fire is not as fast as UT's, but it is much faster than the Sniper Rifle or Lightning Gun in UT2004.
 * Longbow AVRiL
 * The AVRiL is now hand loaded. Its tracking beam can be used to "herd" Spider Mines, much like the alt-fire on the Mine Layer in UT2004, and the tracking beam is also visible to combat problems where a person could get shot with AVRiLs and not know where the enemy is. It also has a secret function that has not yet been revealed.
 * Redeemer
 * Acting as the super weapon in this title, the redeemer is a rocket-launcher type weapon that fires a small nuclear warhead, capable of killing anybody within range regardless of how they are protected. Primary fire just releases the warhead, while secondary fire gives you the ability to guide it. If you are close to the epicenter, but not directly exposed to damage, you may be knocked off your feet for a moment, as if you had fallen off the hoverboard.
 * Target Painter
 * Epic plans to allow the Target Painter to control level-specific hazards in UT3. Note: This may not make the final game.

Powerups
All Powerups are dropped when the player is killed, or if they are knocked off of the player with the Altfire of the Impact Hammer.
 * Jumpboots
 * The Jumpboots return from UT, and are activated by double jumping.
 * Berserk
 * Increases weapon rate of fire speed. Combined with the Damage Amplifier, the game will give you a "Juggernaut" award.
 * Damage Amplifier
 * Gives double damage. Combined with the Berserk, the game will give you a "Juggernaut" award.
 * Invulnerability
 * Grants you total invincibility.
 * Invisibility
 * Makes the player very difficult/impossible to see.

Health

 * Health vial - Small and Green. Heals 5 Health, up to a maximum of 199.
 * Health pack - Large, White Health Packs that somewhat resemble UT2004's Kegs, but a bit more rounded and without the blue. Heals 25 Health, up to a maximum of 100.
 * Big Keg O' Health - As always, the Keg of health provides an instant +100 Health boost, up to 199 health.

Armor

 * Shieldbelt
 * The Shieldbelt returns, although it provides only 100 points of protection, however, unlike the UT200x shields, the shieldbelt will absorb 100% of damage, until it is destroyed. If you are wearing a shieldbelt and in a vehicle, you will not die instantly - instead, you will be ejected from the vehicle.
 * Chest/Body Armor
 * The Body Armor provides 50 points of protection, and absorbs 75% of taken damage.
 * Thighpads
 * The Thighpads provide 30 points of protection, and absorbs 50% of taken damage.
 * Armored Helmet
 * The Armored Helmet provides 20 points of protection, and absorbs 50% of taken damage. One feature this piece of armor has that is unique, is its ability to block headshots. Assuming you have at least 1 point of Helmet Armor on, if your character suffers a headshot, it will not affect him or damage him at all - however, the helmet will be destroyed.

Axon

 * Scorpion
 * The primary fire shoots electrified balls that explode on contact; these are particularly effective against other vehicles, upon which they home in on. It also now features a speed boost feature. You can eject from the Scorpion when using it in this manner, and it will blow up and detonate upon impact. If it destroys a tank in this manner, the game will reward you with a "Bullseye!" award.
 * Hellbender
 * The new rendition of the hellbender places the driver in control over the skymine turret, while the rear turret functions differently from UT2004, being more like a standard turret instead of the twin-beam configuration.
 * Manta
 * In addition to a visual update, players will no longer be able to ride on top of the side fans, but will be sucked down and gibbed. The Manta is also unable to hit players without crouching down anymore.
 * Raptor
 * Besides the visual update, the Raptor now seems to be a bit more responsive to manuevering, and both the rate of fire and locking ability for its missiles have dramatically improved.
 * Cicada
 * Sporting a much bulkier and boxier look, the Cicada is mostly unchanged, however, ascending and descending seems even faster than before. Missiles can still be charged and held with the Altfire.
 * Paladin
 * Visually much improved from it's UT 2004 debut. The shield will no longer remain deployed if it goes through buildings or other level geometry, and it will get dimmer with sustained damage. Furthermore, using the shield combo to knock away nearby infantry is now instantaneous, as well as will deplete the shield slightly, taking about six combos before the shield is down. It seems to be slightly faster, as well.
 * Hellfire SPMA
 * The skymine turret is now controlled by the driver when the paladin is undeployed. There is no longer a passanger/gunner seat. The camera can now crush and kill people if it hits them when destroyed, and it also cannot be launched as far upward - however, to compensate, the bombing is considerably more tightly packed.
 * StealthBender
 * A variant of the Hellbender created using Necris stealth technology. Its capabilities aren't known, but may include the ability to use deployables.
 * Goliath
 * The Goliath tank works effectively the same to its UT2004 equivalent. It can climb over small obstacles now, such as other vehicles, and has a much higher upward firing range than its UT2004 counterpart.
 * Leviathan
 * This mobile fortress still features its devastating main cannon and has added distinct weapon fire to each of its four turrets rather than UT2004's link-like projectile. Each turret also has an alternate shield function.

Necris
Nine vehicles are planned for the Necris side of the game, all of which compliment the nine Axon vehicles in some way. Of those in the game, we know about the following:
 * Viper
 * A single passenger speeder. The primary gun fires projectiles that bounce off walls. The vehicle can also spread out like a real life viper to hover high in the sky. Like the Scorpion, it can be used on kamikaze missions.
 * Darkwalker
 * This lumbering tripod has tendril-like legs that allow them to climb a wider variety of terrain compared to other vehicles. The primary weapon is an extremely powerful twin laser beam that shoots out a line of plasma. The secondary fire "screams" knocking players off their feet. The vehicle also features a secondary gunner position.
 * Nemesis
 * The Nemesis is the Necris answer to the Goliath, and it features an instant hit twin laser beam with zoom. The vehicle also supports different modes. When you crouch down the vehicle moves faster, but it will completely lock your aim, with no motion at all except for vehicular manipulation. You can also rise up to attack, but this makes you more of a target.
 * Fury
 * The fury is a single-seated flying vehicle that specializes in shooting down other air units. This vehicle can dodge, allowing you to barrel roll out of the way. Primary fire is a hitscan beam attack, similar in nature to the Darkwalker, but with a lock-on ability once struck and a very quick recharge time. Altfire allows a quick burst of speed to get out of the way of missiles or shots heading your way.
 * Nightshade
 * Seemingly the Necris answer to the Axon's Hellbender, this stealth-based vehicle has deployables such as spider mines and the slow volume.
 * Scavenger
 * This spherical vehicle can extend its legs and pull itself up terrain or retract them and roll on the ground like a ball. It also has a spinning attack that is effective against infantry.

Other

 * Turrets
 * These formerly stationary one-man laser cannons are now equipped with rails, offering the turret limited mobility in order to help prevent attackers from taking advantage of the terrain by obtaining angles of shot that cannot be avoided. New to UT3 are Rocket Turrets.

Teams
In an interview CVG had with character artist Chris Wells, it was said that the line-up of characters in UT3 would consist of 6 teams. However, as of the Beta Demo it would appear that there will only be 5 in the game. Teams listed ingame and game files only indicate the following as present:
 * Ronin
 * The only survivors of the infamous Twin Souls massacre, bound together out of a sense of duty, honor, and revenge.
 * Iron Guard
 * A group of highly skilled and well trained mercenaries, experts in virtually any combat scenario.
 * Krall
 * The Necris use these formidable reptilian beasts for the pacification of newly conquered planets.
 * Necris
 * The secretive Phayder Corporation developed the Necris process to produce this elite group of assassins.
 * Liandri
 * Combat modified versions of the Liandri Mining Corporation's world-class security drones.

These teams were at one point in the game, but appear to have been dropped.
 * Thunder Crash
 * Even though Malcolm is present in the game, it currently appears that his team of experienced fighters is not.
 * Juggernauts
 * These heavily armored, gene-boosted combatants would return from UT2004. They mostly consist of disgruntled prisoners and criminals.
 * Nakhti
 * Not much is known about the background of these Egyptian species. They possess far advanced technology and are well skilled in fighting. The Nakhti are also featured in UC2.

Characters
New to the Unreal Tournament games, UT3 will now include the option to fully customize your character. For example, players will be able to change shoulder pad, boots, torso and leg armor pieces as well as additional parts like helmets.

The following are the only basic characters currently known to be in the game:

Iron Guard

 * Lauren
 * Slain

Krall

 * Scythe

Necris

 * Akasha
 * Freylis
 * Damian
 * Loque
 * Malakai
 * Kragoth
 * Nocturne

Liandri / The Corrupt

 * Cathode
 * Matrix
 * Xan Kriegor

Izanagi / Ronin

 * Bishop
 * Jester
 * Othello
 * Reaper

Additional characters

 * Malcolm

Unlockables

 * Alanna
 * Ariel

Maps
This time around, Epic wants to step away from the wildly different maps seen in previous tournaments, and instead create a few cohesive worlds and tie them together with their level design. You may see a building in the distance on one level and play in it on the next. There are currently only a few known map names, however it has been confirmed that 40 maps will ship with the game and that 13 of them are Warfare maps.

Several Warfare maps have alternative versions listed in the game files, it is unclear as of yet if these versions will be in the actual line-up.

In-Game Awards
This info was gained from the demo, and may change in the full game

Sprees
Awarded for making a certain number of kills without dying throughout the match.
 * Killing Spree: 5 kills.
 * Dominating: 10 kills.
 * Rampage: 15 kills.
 * Unstoppable: 20 kills.
 * Godlike: 25 kills.
 * Massacre: 30 kills or more.

Multikills
Awarded for making the amount of kills within the allotted time.
 * Double Kill: 2 kills.
 * Multi Kill: 3 kills.
 * Mega Kill: 4 kills.
 * Ultra Kill: 5 kills.
 * Monster Kill: 6 kills or more.

Weapon Awards
Awarded for getting the amount of kills with the said weapon.
 * Jack Hammer: 15 kills with Impact Hammer.
 * Gun Slinger: 15 kills with Enforcer.
 * Bio hazard: 15 kills with Bio-Rifle.
 * Combo king: 15 kills with the Shock Rifle's combo.
 * Shaft Master: 15 kills with Link Gun's alt fire.
 * Blue Streak: 15 kills with Stinger Minigun.
 * Flak Master: 15 kills with Flak Cannon.
 * Rocket Scientist: 15 kills with Rocket Launcher.
 * Head Hunter: 15 Headshots with the Sniper Rifle.
 * Big Game Hunter: 15 kills with the Longbow AVRiL.

Other Awards

 * Eagle Eye: Shooting a flying (not hovering) vehicle with the Goliath, or shoot a speeding Scorpion.
 * Bullseye: Killing an enemy with the kamikaze feature of the Scorpion.
 * Pancake: landing on top of an enemy with the Manta.
 * Road Rampage: Running over 15 people with a vehicle.
 * Juggernaut: Have Berserk and Double Damage at the same time
 * First Blood: Be the first to make a kill in a match.
 * Hat Trick: 3 successful flag captures.

Community
Epic plans to use UT3 to bring more and more people into the Unreal community, with strong community integration out of the box. In-game lobbies are planned for the Unreal Warfare mode, and game stats integration will allow you to find similarly-skilled opponents via the UT3 server browser.

Also planned are a global rankings system to allow clans to compare scores, as well as a system for viewing community and clan pages in-game.

UT3 mod teams will, of course, be able to take advantage of the improvements in Unreal Engine 3's UnrealEd content creation tool, including the new UnrealKismet scripting environment, visual material editor and UnrealCascade particle engine. More details of UE3 UEd features can be found here.

AI & Voice
UT3 will bring major advances in the artificial intelligence that controls UT bots, as well as the way in which players communicate with them. UT3 players will be able to give bots specific orders using their own voices. Whereas in UT or UT2004 you'd use the voice menu to tell your bots to "attack", you can now give orders like "there's a sniper on the tower, go get him". Bots will also respond to particular questions. For example, if you asked "is there anyone in the cave?", they might reply "no, the cave is clear".

UT3 bots' personalities will also make them better suited to different in-game tasks.