Wirehead Studios

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/41026 (http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/41026)

Read 'em and see for yourselves!

Let's see it running first, eh? ;)

Probably just because I'm an old fogie... but, to me (and my heavily bias opinions), the games are getting better and better graphics.. while getting worse and worse in every other category. I find myself not looking forward to anything that gets released any more...

That being said, I'll be the one to be heavily pessimistic about UT2K7. Then again, I didn't like UT2K4 either. So :p

Think I truly am 'old school' now.. but hey, I'm happy with it.


...back to the shadows where I belong. :ninja:

Nah i agree game makers are geting too caught up in what they can do with technology anymore, it takes a long ass time for a game to be made anymore and I kinda see new releases with a bit of "yeah ok shiny but is it any fun?" granted the graphics sucked but older games are just more fun it seems and I mean about the NES to maybe mid PS one eras, but then i might be a bit generous...

anyway back on topic ut07 looks great but it also looks like an ass load more work for anyone who wants to make custom models... a far cry from Quake 2 where either talentless or (more likely) lazy people would "realease" a model that was just a friggin box...

yeah i heard that there won't be any Gen Mokai (sp?) or Skaarj probably baseless rumours but it freakin "UNreal tounament" not "potentially posible should science evolve faster tournament".

hey I remember that model.

HAL9000, If I remember correctly ...

I've read about this for a few years now. I can't wait.
*waits*

Looks pretty, but I still prefer classic UT on the whole.

I second that.

I think UT2k7 will hinge on:

a) the 'feel' of the movment
b) resolving weapon balance issues from UT2004
c) having good 1st party maps.

UT2004 was good, but it had some problems. The movement felt too "floaty", and while the weapons were far more balanced than prior Unreal games, there were still a handfull of issues which made them 'unfun' to use. Lastly, only 1/3 of the maps were any good to play, and  even those were not as fun as they could have been. If UT2007 corrects all of these things, then it will be awesome.

I know what could make 07 better than 04, BRING BACK THE FRIGGIN RIPPER!!! And y'know at least keep the Flak Cannon, Link Gun, and maybe the Biorifle, some of the other weapons seem to be just common unimaginative filler crap, really how many games have a minigun? I'm not saying it's a bad weapon just that the concept is overused.

I agree, the ripper was a fun weapon in UT99. It's too bad they ditched it, instead of re-balancing it to make it less spammy and more usefull.

The minigun is being replaced with the Stinger in UT2k7. Like in UC2, I assume one firemode will be hitscan like the minigun, and the other will probably be some type of projectile. Hopefully, they don't use the lame seeker shards from UC2, but otherwise, I don't see how they will differenciate it from the Link primary fire.

Anyway, the point is, since you're right, the minigun is an overdone concept, the Stinger is sort of like the cool sci-fi/Unreal version of the minigun. I'm hoping it will have atleast some sort of unique features to diffenciate it from a regular ol' machinegun though, besides purple "tarydium" bullets. Maybe the shards can ricochet or explode or something...or the "hitscan" mode can actually just be really fast projectiles (like double flak speed) so you still have to lead a little bit.

Yes. I miss it most of all.

However, the chos mod for ut2004 puts in the ripper again.  it looks pretty good as well.

I, for one, liked the minigun in UT.. the original one that is. Accurate weapon at a long range.. use secondary fire up close where perfect aim doesn't matter and the gun shoots faster. In 2k3 and 2k4.. I felt the gun was nerfed heavily, but.. oh well.

Then again, I'm one of those people who love belt-fed weapons.. and well, the minigun is perhaps the god of them all. Gimme a sniper weapon in a game and I'll miss with every shot... give me a weapon that can send a literal wall of bullets in a certain direction  and I'll wipe out a whole squadron. ...oddly enough this really doesn't apply in Gen, since I suck major ass with Earth..

The original Stinger in Unreal was basically a Quake-style nailgun, except that the secondary mode was a shotgun blast of shards.  That was actually quite useful against the Skaarj when they did their little dodge roll moves, and was devastating against the earliest brutes you encountered.  It was sort of like a mini-flak gun for the secondary.  Playing the Unreal bots in deathmatch, it wasn't all that useful (much like the Quake nailgun).  The only thing more useless in Unreal for deathmatch was the dispersion pistol.  Even powered up you couldn't hit squat with it because of that damned dodge code (much hate for dodging).  Makes me wonder what this new version of the Stinger will be like though...

I haven't played UT 2k3 or 2k4, so I can't comment on them, but I absolutely loved the Ripper in UT.  Most people go for the "staple" weapons - rocket launcher, shock rifle, minigun, etc, I tend to go for the "fun toys" and more unusual weapons.  Why?  They're just that - fun and unusual.  Bouncing saw blades around corners to get headshots is fun, and I love nailing people with bouncy weapons.  I also love the Ion Ripper from The Reckoning for Quake 2, so it was natural that I would like the Ripper from UT.  Dual enforcers were a favorite of mine as well.  Those akimbo pistols were LETHAL if you were a good shot, and using the secondary at close range you'd kill someone very quickly.  Another gun I really liked was the Bio Rifle.  Not really a high precision weapon, but it had some very nice tactical applications for blocking access to areas.   It was great if you had an aggressive opponent and you did not have the high ground, you could retreat, saturate a hallway and let them charge right into the goo.  It's also a flag guard's best friend since you can slime the flag area when someone's approaching and then switch to another weapon to fight with.  It forces the flag runner to either deal with the slime while you're attacking them, or else duel with you and ignore the flag.  Finally, let's not forget remote-piloting the Redeemer!  I'd find me a nice out of the way spot and fly that thing all over the map, then fly it right into someone's face.  There's nothing more satisfying than flying that missile up to where somoene's camping and nuking them from here to kingdom come! :evil:

Spawn:  Earth's gatling gun is best suited for chewing up unarmored opponents at medium range.  It's most effective against someone trying to use the railgun or any other kind of hitscan weapon (machineguns, shotguns, etc) where you can sustain the attack.  The slower their gun is, the better your chances of chewing them down to zero.  It is NOT the best weapon to go head on with a Doomer that's trying to cram 5 torpedoes down your throat, or a Slipgater toting a thunderbolt with 100 cells worth of pain.  It's also decent for shooting into a crowd, but that's where the second gat really shines.  Dual gats work best with surprise on your side, and worst when it's not since you'll hand someone a BFG if you lose them.  The single gat is versitile, but you have to choose your fights.  The best advice I can give for single gat work is tank up on armor first, then go into battle.  Keep close enough that the gun's accuracy can work for you, but far enough away that a Doomer can't shove his Combat Shotgun in your face.  Make sure there's some cover to work with.  The single gat can also be as effective as the flamethrower for covering a retreat in crowded halls and cramped areas.  Just run backwards and shoot.  I've gotten quite a few kills against chainsaw-charging Doomers this way. :)

Epic has managed to continuously impress me with each new release of the Unreal Tournament series, but I am wary of UT2007.  I think for team-based gameplay, UT2007 will be fantastic, but returning to UT-style DM is a step in the wrong direction.

UT's weapons were interesting in that they were all overpowered, but it strangely worked.  The design of the weapons was (then,) a fresh take on generic weapon concepts and a nice improvement over Unreal's arsenal.

Each game in the series slowly improved and tweaked the arsenal though.  UT2003 brought balance; UT2004 brought new weapons; Unreal Championship 2 brought back old favorites with new ideas and added a melee system.

UT2007 will retain Onslaught so it's probably safe to say the new weapons UT2004 had will stick, but I will be extremely disappointed if Epic goes back to the unbalanced yet balanced gameplay of UT and totally ignores what UC2 brought to the table.  (UC2's deathmatch is the best of the series thus far, hands-down.)

UT's dodge system was a neat concept, but it was hardly different than Unreal's dodging system.  UT just added the ability to move in a certain direction while dodging.  (This lead to tricks such as dodging while moving diagonally to gain a boost of speed.)  I can think of the occasional instance where dodging saved my ass in UT, but it was still relatively useless.

UT2003 expanded upon the dodge system muchly.  Players could now kick off walls and when combined with the double-jump system, one could cover some serious ground and more effectively dodge projectiles.  I can think of several instances where I avoided splash damage from rockets, point blank blobs of goo, and managed to get behind an enemy persuing me thanks to UT2003's dodging system.

UT2004 really didn't change the dodging system that much.  It just toned down a trick known as a "boost dodge," (it's a hard-to-pull-off glitch that allows one to dodge further distances.)  The only other thing UT2004 did was that it featured more levels which took advantage of a glitch/trick known as the "slope dodge,"  (you can dodge up certain inclines.)  Although, UT and UT2003 had their own variants if I am not mistaken.

UC2 damn near perfected the dodging system.  For one, it removed the need to awkwardly double-tap a direction key to dodge.  The dodging system was tied into directional movement and jumps making it much easier for novices and veterans alike to pull off fancy manuevers.  UC2 also had no restraint on wall-dodging.  (You could "climb" walls this way.)  With properly designed levels, UC2's dodging system made combat extremely three dimensional, and it made the standard convention of "kill the other guy before he kills you" a hell of a lot more interesting.

And here's why I'm wary the most...

Epic representatives have repeatedly said that while double-jumps and wall-dodges will be preserved, their roles will be diminished to encourage more on-foot battles.

And here's what I think of that...

Why, oh why, hast thou forsake me?

UT2004's movement system and even UC2's movement system do jack shit unless you have maps designed to take advantage of them.  UT2004's movement system is damn near useless in Onslaught.  (UC2's movement system would be even more so.)  If Epic is shooting for vehicle-based team modes, then more power to them, but I do not understand why deathmatch should get nerfed as a result.  Onslaught played a hell of a lot differently than the rest of the modes in UT2004 and no one seemed to care.  Why, oh why, do I want a stripped-down version of DM that plays just like every other damn DM mode.  If I wanted that, I'd play Halo!

there is a place for this kind of game, but there is also a place for good old old time deathmatch.

i like to play both, and no game can be both, i don't think. so what? its like comperaring oranges and baked beans, cos they're both the same colour! enjoy both.

note: i am just about to start playing MALICE again on my Lan with my sons. remember that one?

One reason I hated dodging was the higher you pump the bot skill up, the more they "instantly avoid anything and everything thrown at them by dodging magically a split second before the gun fires".  This behavior existed with the Skaarj and Gas Bags in Unreal, and it got carried into UT.  You're reduced to either using undodgeable hitscan weapons, backshooting a distracted enemy, shooting six rockets in a spread at near point blank range in the hope that ONE might wing the bot, or else firing point blank with the Flak Cannon (good luck if the bot has the Pulse Blaster).

That being said, the double-tap is the primary reason I hated dodging because I am CONSTANTLY fast-tapping keys.  I'm a bird.  I'm twitchy like that.  I don't like getting thrown into voids because of a "feature".  -_-

Let me guess you use the "hunt and peck" typing method.

It'd be nice if in ut07 a linkgun that's boosting another one doesn't use ammo unless the second linkgun is being fired.

UT's Bio Rifle is one of the coolest weapons in any shooter. Particularly the alt-fire: charge up, wait for some unwitting sucker to stray into your path and slime 'em!

BTW: Yes, Sham. Malice rocks  :slippy_thumb:

I used a mod in ut to turn all the weapons intobioguns. a kind of 'arena' mod. took me ages to find it. we all sucked against the bot, at a fairly normal setting. every other weapon, we owned them. they were just so much sharper with it than we were. apart from the alt fire, I always thought it was a bit underpowered though. I think that the sludge should have smoked a bit. rather than just lying there....

reason I believe they dropped the ripper? too much processing power needed if a lot of blades were bouncing around, (which they did when I used the afore mentioned mod!)

I don't get that though.  Bouncing stuff in Quake doesn't really eat CPU power and not much netcode either.  You just do a vector calculation and send an event to make the bounce noise and maybe some kind of impact effect.  I've played Reckoning over the net many times and the Ion ripper bounces a hell of a lot more than UT's ripper, especially if you get dualfire (2x weapon haste) and it causes no appreciable lag at all.  Unless UT is very inefficient with its projectile calculations, which I won't rule out.  I've never really played it much online, only twice I think on dialup.  The only time I'll admit that I actually outright camped (outside of CS) was during one of these sessions, and it's a rather funny story.  I'll have to share it sometime. ;)

i've just run an all-ripper game on deck 17. there was no lag i could see. another reason to play original ut? the best babes.....

if anyone wants the arena mod, let me know.

I have always liked the bio-rifle, but I think Unreal Championship 2 does it the best.

Primary fire shoots "smart" globs of goo that bounce after enemies for a short duration.  Secondary fire is a press and hold affair that shoots one giant glob of "smart" goo.  (One thing to note about the "smart" globs though, they will go after you if there are no other enemies or you cross their path.)

Here's the really nifty part though...

While holding down secondary fire, you can also launch the glob of goo by pressing primary fire.  If you do this and let go of secondary fire while the glob is airborne, it explodes and forms a poisonous cloud.

UC2 has this level of functionality for nearly every weapon.  For instance...

You can "freeze" shock balls from the Shock Rifle for a limited period of time and use them to get the drop on unsuspecting foes coming about a corner by using the shock combo.

Secondary fire for the Ripjack energizes the blade causing it to explode upon hitting something.  Using it in conjuction with primary fire allows you to place the blades so they function like proximity mines.

The tarydium minigun gradually begins to heat up, causing the gun to fire faster and the shards to do more damage.  With proper timing, usage of the primary and secondary fire causes the minigun to fire at advanced speed from the get go.

Oh and this will be even more offtopic, but...

We really should all get together and play Malice online some time.  I've played the mutli-player once, but I don't remember what it was like all that well.