'', also known as '''''UT2004''''' or '''''UT2K4''''', is a '', and '' Battlefield 1942 ''. ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' also features great user interactivity with user-made mods, maps, and other add-ons.
''Unreal Tournament 2004'' is not a brand new game or a conventional expansion pack, rather it "is what ''Unreal Tournament 2003'' should have been". Besides introducing new weapons, vehicles, and game modes, ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' also contains everything released previously in ''Unreal Tournament 2003'', making ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' a superset of its predecessor. ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' completely replaced ''Unreal Tournament 2003'' on store shelves and ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' boxes sold in the United States include a $10 mail-in rebate requiring that a short form be completed and sent to the publisher along with a copy of the manual cover for ''Unreal Tournament 2003''.
Epic Games had very ambitious plans for the sequel to their 1999 hit '' Unreal Tournament ''. Although work on the game engine and Deathmatch had been complete, there was still much to be done regarding complex game modes such as Assault and Onslaught which included vehicles. As a result, the stripped-down ''Unreal Tournament 2003'' was released in 2002 while the developers concentrated upon implementing Assault and Onslaught for a 2003 release (later pushed back to 2004). In addition, the developers also addressed shortcomings that gamers had with ''Unreal Tournament 2003''.
''Unreal Tournament 2004'' was created by several game development studios acting in collaboration, including Epic Games who led the project. Lead programmer Steve Polge describes the role each company played:
: All the enhancements to the ''Unreal Tournament 2003'' game types, the new UI, Voice over IP and bot voice command support, engine enhancements and optimizations were made by the primary developer. They also made an improved single player game, and improved community and demo recording support, in addition to thirty-one new playable characters. A Sniper Rifle similar to the one included in the original ''Unreal Tournament'' was added. They created one Onslaught map, and developed AI support for Onslaught. 16 new DM maps, 5 new CTF Maps, 2 new DDOM maps, and 1 new BR map were added. The Assault game type design and implementation, including 3 new vehicles, 3 types of turrets, and 6 new maps were also reintroduced from the original ''Unreal Tournament''. (Total of 31 all new maps for ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' from Epic.)
: The Onslaught game type design and implementation, with 6 new vehicles, 4 new weapons (grenade launcher, spider mine layer, Anti Vehicle Rocket Launcher (AVRiL), and the Phoenix target painter), and the energy turret. They also created seven Onslaught maps, and collaborated with Streamline Studios on the popular map ONS-Torlan. Finally, they made the new model for the Translocator.
: Created 2 new DM maps, 6 new CTF maps, 2 new BR maps, and 3 new DDOM maps. Two new playable characters. The new HUD design. New weapon models for the Assault Rifle, Shock Rifle, and Link Gun.
: The single player introduction movie and ONS-Torlan in collaboration with Psyonix. Later made an Assault map called AS-Confexia, downloadable from the Internet.
On February 11 2004 , the Demo for ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' was released and included five maps for five different game types. Demo versions for Windows , Mac OS X , Linux on X86-32 ( February 13 2004 ) and Linux on X86-64 ( February 15 2004 ) were made available for download. By March 5 2004 ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' had " Gone Gold ". This means that the game was finished and ready for distribution. It was the first Closed Source game to support the new X86-64 -bit extension, utilizing Linux, as Windows for x86-64 had not been released at the time.
As the year of 2004 would draw to an end, ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' received awards for Multiplayer game of the year (IGN, Gamespy, Computer Gaming World) and Best Value for 2004 award (Computer Games Magazine).
''Unreal Tournament 2004'' was released on March 16 2004 for the PC (Linux x86-32/x86-64 and Windows), the Mac OS X version (DVD only) followed on March 31 2004 . The version for Windows X86-64 was released as a downloadable patch on October 1 2005 . At release consumers could purchase the game on either CD or DVD . The DVD version was a limited-time special edition that came with a Logitech microphone-headset and a second DVD filled with video-tutorials on how to use UnrealEd (the program used to make UT-maps and mods). A single DVD version with neither microphone nor tutorials was also released in Europe. The CD version of the game was six discs. On April 13 2004 , ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' was rereleased on a special edition DVD to meet the high demand of players wanting the game on DVD rather than CD.
Epic and Atari, in collaboration, released two official Onslaught maps over the summer, ONS-Ascendancy and ONS-Aridoom.
On 2004 , and is available for free download.
In December of 2005, the Mega Bonus Pack was released by Epic, which included several quality maps, along with the latest patch and the aforementioned ECE. The release was solely through the Internet.
The available game types are:
- Deathmatch
- Team Deathmatch
- Capture The Flag
- - Similar to normal Capture the Flag, but everybody has a Super Shock Rifle (with unlimited ammo), which can kill anybody in one shot.
- - Capture the Flag, but with vehicles. You can carry the flag in all ground vehicles. This is an official gametype, but only fan-made VCTF maps are available, and necessary for the game type to be seen.
- - Is essentially a Team Deathmatch type of gameplay played on a huge map where the object is to destroy, capture and hold key power nodes. The gameplay is very similar to the conquest gametype of '' Battlefield 1942 ''; however, after capturing key nodes you must destroy your enemy's power core. Vehicles are extremely critical in Onslaught mode. Of all the gametypes in ''Unreal Tournament 2004'', Onslaught is the most popular and so far exclusive to ''Unreal Tournament 2004''.
- - This gametype was in the original '' Unreal Tournament '', but did not make it into '' Unreal Tournament 2003 ''. The object is to complete a set of objectives, then switch sides and defend those same objectives from your enemy. The team to finish more objectives or do it the fastest wins.
- - In Double Domination your team must control two points on the map. Holding both locations for a certain period of time gives your team a point. (Note: While in the original Unreal Tournament , the gametype was simply called Domination and would feature as many as five Domination Points in a single map, Double Domination maps are restricted to two points in a map and could easily double as Capture the Flag maps.)
- - All players in this gametype spawn with a limited number of lives. The last player alive wins.
- - Invasion is the closest gametype to true co-operative play. All of the players in the server are on one team, and that team must work together to clear waves of invading aliens (players of the original Unreal will recognize the enemies instantly). If a player is killed, they sit out until their team clears the map of aliens.
- Bombing Run
- - Mutant can easily be described as akin to "reverse tag" in its style of gameplay. The first person to make a kill becomes the mutant, which gives them all of the standard weapons, maximum ammunition for all of the standard weapons, and all four Adrenaline powerups simultaneously and indefinitely. The mutant then tries to get as many kills as he can until he's killed. The person who kills the mutant then becomes the mutant. (To keep the person playing as the Mutant from simply hiding in a corner until the game is over, he loses 1% of health per second. His health is replenished by killing the other players.)
- Movement Commands are a very original aspect to the UT series, and give you the ability to further personalize your path around the level and your battle style.
- To double jump, jump in any direction, and in the middle of the jump press the jump button again, you will gain some height on your jump.
- To dodge, first you must have dodging enabled. Then you double-tap your 'Foward, Strafe Left, Strafe Right, or Backward' button. Additionally, you can dodge-double-jump (DDJ) at a certain point in this dodge and gain even further distance.
- To wall jump, jump toward a wall, and then use the dodge move in the direction you'd like to jump off of the wall.
''Unreal Tournament 2004'' features 16 weapons:
- - Primary fire produces a shockwave that can repel projectiles and (at close range) shred opponents; secondary fire produces a shield that absorbs damage from weapons and falls, as well as reflecting some Hitscan beams, such as the Shock Rifle's. Shield gun "ammo" regenerates quickly.
- - Primary fire is a weak and inaccurate hitscan bullet fire; secondary shoots time-detonation grenades with force proportionate to how long secondary fire was held. The Assault Rifle may be dual-wielded if the player picks up a second rifle (this will increase the maximum primary fire ammunition limit from 200 to 400, as well as the maximum alternative fire grenade limit from eight to sixteen). Dual Assault Rifles will increase the primary fire rate; the alternative fire grenade launch remains the same (the rifles alternate grenade fire).
- - Primary quickly disperses small globs of sticky, poisonous goo; secondary can be held down to charge up a much larger, splattering glob. Any charge currently being held will be discharged when the player holding it dies. A single glob from a fully charged Bio-Rifle is enough to wipe out a fully-shielded opponent.
- - New in ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' - Primary fire deploys up to eight simultaneous "spider mines" which will chase nearby opponents; secondary fire targets a spot for the mines to rush towards. Mines detonate if the player dies, or if they run into unsurmountable terrain (walls or steep slopes).
- - Primary shoots a hitscan shock beam; secondary shoots a slow-moving shock core. Hitting a shock core with a primary beam produces a huge explosion, called a "shock combo", which uses up additional ammo.
- - Primary fire shoots plasma projectiles; secondary produces a short-range plasma beam. Secondary fire is also used in Onslaught and Assault modes for healing nodes, vehicles, and Sentinels. Players can also "link up" by firing their link gun at a team member carrying the Link Gun as well, who will have their power for healing or damage multiplied by the number of linked teammates.
- - Primary fire spits medium-damage hitscan bullets most effective against infantry; secondary shoots more accurate, but less rapid hitscan bullets that do more damage to vehicles.
- - Primary fire shoots a hail of glowing metal chunks; secondary launches a single shell which bursts into radiating flak chunks on contact. This is, in a way, Unreal's version of the shotgun featured in other games.
- - New in ''Unreal Tournament 2004'', and exclusive to the Editor's Choice Edition bonus pack - Primary launches up to eight "sticky" grenades which attach themselves to vehicles, nodes and players; secondary detonates them, usually with devastating effect on vehicles and infantry. Grenades auto-detonate if the player dies.
- - Primary fire shoots single rockets; secondary, held down, loads two to three rockets (depending on how long the trigger is held) which are then launched simultaneously; primary-firing while loading launches the rockets in a tight spiral. If the crosshair is held over a target for a certain amount of time (about 1.4 seconds), the rocket launcher will beep and any rockets fired while the crosshair remains on the target will home in on it.
- - New in ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' - Primary fire shoots relatively slow but powerful anti-vehicle missiles; holding the crosshairs on a vehicular target causes the missiles to home in on it. Secondary fire zooms and locks on. AVRiL rockets can be shot down. AVRiL stands for Anti-Vehicle Rocket Launcher; the "i" in the name is to make it pronounceable.
- - Primary fire shoots a hitscan bolt of lightning at the target. Secondary fire zooms. Although the shot is hitscan, there seems to be a slight delay between the trigger pull and the actual lighning projection.
- - Returns from '' Unreal Tournament ''. Primary fire shoots a hitscan bullet and momentarily obscures the view with a puff of smoke; secondary fire zooms.
- - Primary fire shoots a miniature nuclear missile; secondary fire shoots the same missile but with full steering capability using the missile's eye-view camera. The missile can be shot down by enemy fire.
- - Primary paints a target which is then fired on by an orbital ion cannon; damage style is similar to that of the Redeemer's missile, but is approximately half as powerful. Secondary zooms.
- - New in ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' - Primary, like the Ion Painter's, paints a target; in this case, a bomber appears over the battlefield and drops a line of bombs towards it. Secondary fire zooms. The bomber can be shot down fairly easily using hitscan weapons such as the lightning gun or stationary turret beams, however, it is impossible to lock onto the bomber using either the AVRiL or Rocket Launcher. The Bomber, once shot down, will produce a Redeemer-sized explosion wherever it lands.
In addition, ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' features the Translocator that allows the player to quickly teleport across the map by shooting a small disc where the player wants to go. Technically speaking, however, this can also be used as a 'weapon', by firing the beacon at another player's feet and then teleporting there, performing a so-called '' Telefrag ''. This action is usually quite difficult to perform, and has been made even more difficult than in the original Unreal Tournament .
- Total conversion mods, which contain little trace of the original ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' in their gameplay, include ''Red Orchestra'', ''Alien Swarm'', ''Metaball'', ''Air Buccaneers'', ''COR'', and ''Frag Ops''.
- More conservative mods include ''Jailbreak'', ''Wehtam Invasion III'', and ''Clone Bandits''.
- The Editor's Choice Edition pack includes the aforementioned ''Red Orchestra'', ''Alien Swarm'', ''Air Buccaneers'', ''Frag Ops'', ''Jailbreak'', and ''Clone Bandits'', as well as ''ChaosUT2'', ''Domain'', ''Rocketeer'', ''Deathball'', and the ''UnWheel'' caste of gametypes.
Stratos Group's Unofficial Guide To Unreal Tournament 2004
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