Joystiq

Don't expect a split-screen patch for UT3 on PS3

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-04-21T19:15:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, First Person Shooters

According to Videogamer, Epic's Mark Rein says PS3 owners shouldn't expect Unreal Tournament III's split-screen option for Xbox 360 to be patched into their version of the game. To compensate, he says they "should be happy" that they have user-generated mod support.

Rein explains it would be a "big job" to go back and retrofit the PS3 version and doesn't believe Epic has the resources to devote to such a project. He says more mod support will be added to the PS3 version of the game, but wouldn't go into specifics. The Xbox 360 version of UT3 is expected "this summer."

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Samus Aran spotted in Unreal Tournament III

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2008-04-04T19:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Hacks, PC, Sony PlayStation 3, First Person Shooters

Oh, Samus, did you lose all of your suit's abilities again? Is that why you're running around in Unreal Tournament III, picking fights with Master Chief? Wait, is your lawyer okay with this? Does he think all this modding magic is "great?"

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

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Unreal Tournament 3 receives new free maps today

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-03-27T14:30:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, First Person Shooters

Unreal Tournament 3 isn't just receiving a patch today, but it's also getting three new maps for free (yum!). The maps will be available for PC and PS3 (as soon as the PSN update happens this afternoon). This free content update is very much in line with Epic's business philosophy, despite what we've seen regarding Gears of War DLC on Xbox 360.

The three new UT3 arenas are named: Morbias, Facing Worlds and Searchlight. Morbias is the deathmatch arena that "started it all," Facing Worlds is another classic map for snipers and Searchlight is a capture the flag map. Go get 'em fragmasters!

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UT3 PS3 patch coming March 27

Kyle Orland — 2008-03-20T15:43:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, First Person Shooters

Remember when buying a console game meant living with whatever bugs and gameplay glitches got inadvertently shipped with the game? Well, the folks at Epic want you to forget all about those days with a patch for the PS3 version of Unreal Tournament coming down the PSN pike on March 27.

The fixes included in the free, downloadable patch include support for character mods, an easier method for downloading mods from the web browser, and basically a lot of other stuff related to mods (in addition to some other incidental tech fixes). The patch will also bring the European and U.S. editions of the game into alignment, allowing for online matches across the Atlantic. A nice feature, but we hope all that data going across the transatlantic cables doesn't cause too much lag.

Check out the full list of bug fixes after the break.
US VERSION

* Made compatible with Euro version (both are patched to the same level)
* Fixed reversed ping sorting in server browser
* Fixed some rare crashes (shutting down, saving with low HD space, AI, etc)
* Fixed a client crash while connecting to server while server it switching maps
* Minor rewordings of various messages
* Fixed mutator mods to not be always loaded, only load mutators when needed
* Added mod import verification for inter-mod package name conflicts
* Fixed weapon/effect sorting in DM-Gateway snow
* Fixed extraneous "Player" entries in campaign scoreboard
* Fixed some getting stuck and outside the world bugs
* No longer display "Player is on red/blue" messages in campaign
* Fixed a Torlan bot pathing bug
* Fix for too many custom characters causing texture corruption
* Keyboard jump now does Smart Jump
* Fix for tilt controlling player sometimes
* Removed Warfare Score Limit of 0 in UI
* Disabled 3d sound positioning on mission briefing sounds
* Fixed exploits with ViewNextPlayer in rare cases
* Fixed some HUD positioning bugs
* Fixed a Darkwalker AI bug
* Fixed some teleporter timing bugs
* Fixed low-bandwidth, large player count connectivity

EURO AND US

* Mods now on root of memory device, can download easier from PS3 web browser
* Fixed VOIP quality issues
* Fixed some headset connection issues
* Added support for full character mods (heads/premade whole characters)
* No longer need to reboot after importing a character mod to see it in menus
* DLC no longer acts like a user mod (being listed in MyContent and causing disable mod crash dialog)
* Fix for bootup and import slowdown with many mods installed
* Add a VOIP icon when VOIP is active (button held down)
* Fixes for corrupted the auto-mod-download cache
* Fix for flickering auto-download text
* Fix for getting stuck in multiplayer menu if you get in before gamespy connects
* Fixed a mod problem with switching between mod and shipping maps with clients teleporting randomly
* Fixed a mod problem with multiple gametype mods installed, only first one imported would work
* Fixed Leviathan deploy icon
* Bots now respect players feigning death (depending on bot skill level)
* Bots now respect sandstorm "blindness"
* Fix for bots picking linkgun mode

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Today's most brick-tastic video: The UT3 Legoland mod

Griffin McElroy — 2008-02-23T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Hacks, PC, Sony PlayStation 3, First Person Shooters

While we can think of other childhood amusements we'd rather see as the inspiration for a Unreal Tournament 3 mod (like a recreation of a Mighty Max playset, or something of the Fraggle variety), this Lego-themed map is pretty ingenious (and completely free to download). Composed entirely of fully destructible Lego brick structures and populated with Lego people (whose smug smirks you can blast off their tiny, yellow faces), it's definitely the world's most vivid simulation of what going postal in Legoland might be like -- and the cleverest map we've seen from the UT3 modding community so far.

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Watch this space, Epic Games plans to double in size

Jason Dobson — 2008-01-14T11:30:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Business

Having tired of rubbing actual elbows with fellow teammates, Epic Games' always verbose VP Mark Rein has confessed that he and his squad of developers have "pretty much run out of space" in the company's North Carolina base of operations, and that plans are well underway for an expansion to "at least" double the facility's current size. According to a report by North Carolina's News Observer, the devs coughed up a cool $1.57 million for the new office space, which will be positioned on a five-acre lot adjacent to Epic's current 31,000-square foot HQ.

Headcount at Epic currently stands at 94, with current growth of around one new employee a month expected to continue for the next couple of years. So with all of this added space, will the developers get to spread out, and maybe quit knocking over each others' Mt. Dew as they reach for their mouse? Unlikely, as the report notes that the new facility will instead be largely used to house the numerous play testers that visit Epic, rather than have to rent out space down the street. We understand the need completely, though until the devs get additional space of their own we'd suggest judicious application of lids.

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Unreal Tournament 3 gets first user-created map

Justin McElroy — 2007-12-21T10:05:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, First Person Shooters

Epic still hasn't finished up the tools that will allow modders to make their Unreal Tournament 3 maps work on the PS3, but they've taken it upon themselves to pick one from the PC community and "cook" the code so it could work on Sony's box. Players can now download DM-Shrine, made by English graphic designer Thomas Browett, here or here.

The directions for getting it onto your PS3 (which we've lovingly placed after the jump) are not exactly user friendly, but shouldn't be too big of a hurdle. The one issue is that you are going to need someway to get it onto the system, either via a memory card or a USB memory stick. We know we're not game designers, and we think free content's great, but is there really no more elegant way of handling this?

[Via 1UP]

Here is how to install UT3 mods on your PlayStation 3.

1. Unzip the file to the root directory of any memory card that is readable by your PlayStation 3. It is already in the proper directory structure but, just in case, the path and filename need to be: ps3\savedata\blus30086-modimport\userdata.jam

2. Boot up Unreal Tournament 3 on your PS3

3. Go to the "Community" menu

4. Choose "My Content"

5. Press the [SQUARE] button to "Import Mod"

6. Follow the directions on the screen to import it from your memory device.

Once imported you'll be able to see the map in your list of Deathmatch maps. You'll be able to host the map and join servers that are hosting the map. All UT3 mods install this same way. If this were a mutator it would show up in the mutator list. If it were a gametype it would show up in gametype lists, etc.

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Unreal Tournament PS3 shipping in 'limited quantities' Dec. 10

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2007-11-26T09:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, First Person Shooters

Despite initial doubts, Midway has confirmed that the PlayStation 3 version of first-person twitchfest, Unreal Tournament III, will begin shipping to North American stores on December 10th, with "limited quantities" leaping onto shelves the following day. Initial supply has no doubt been hampered due to Epic's last-minute (some say miraculous) completion of the game, not to mention the fact that Bob the disc burner wanted to go on vacation like yesterday.

In case you missed it during the Thanksgiving avalanche, Unreal Tournament III is already available for the "personal computer."

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Unreal Tournament 3 on PS3 has gone gold, likely due mid-December

Justin McElroy — 2007-11-21T16:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, First Person Shooters

PS3 owners can put their fears to rest: It looks likes you are going to get your hands on Unreal Tournament 3 before year's end. Epic's Mark Rein has just posted on the company's official forums: "We got news last night that Unreal Tournament 3 has been approved by SCEA and has been released to North American manufacturing."

Now, the big question is when you or Santa (wink!) will be able to get your hot/gloved hands on it. Rein says Midway will have a formal announcement early next week, but he guessed they "will start shipping the title to North American retailers on Monday December 10th and it could show up in stores as early as December 11th, but more likely toward the middle of that week."

Rein still isn't sure about PAL territories because of some localization issues. His best guess is that the the game will ship there in January or February.

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Unreal Tournament 3 on PC Nov. 19 ... PS3 coming 'soon'

Alexander Sliwinski — 2007-10-31T13:00:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, First Person Shooters

Midway announced today that Unreal Tournament 3 is gold for the PC and will start blowing stuff up Nov. 19. And what about the PS3 console exclusive version? Midway already covered their bases and said they don't think it's coming until 2008, but Epic's Mark Rein said at the time they're still pushing for '07. Midway's press release from today says the PS3 version "will follow soon." We're just curious to know how long after the PS3 UT3 launch will the Xbox 360 version be announced -- Epic has obviously found success on the platform.

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Midway expects Unreal Tournament PS3 to slip into '08

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2007-10-02T18:44:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters

If you were picturing Darth Vader's infamously prolonged "No!" in response to this news, we'll improve your mental image by replacing the overacting villain with another shiny black object -- the PlayStation 3. In a financial update released today, Unreal Tournament III publisher Midway stated that its annual estimates have been revised due to "the expected movement of Unreal Tournament 3 for the PLAYSTATION 3 system into the first quarter of fiscal 2008." Conveniently and refreshingly, Midway's 2008 fiscal year begins in 2008. Also, unfortunately.

With fans already assaulting the forums of developer Epic Games, company VP Mark Rein has once again posted one of his noncommittal assurances. "As a public company, Midway felt an obligation to its shareholders to let them know about the possibility of a delay," said Rein. "But our goal is still to get the PS3 version of UT3 in stores before the end of 2007. However, we will only ship it once it's ready and is the best game we can deliver." See if you can extract any optimism from that, at least enough to cover what could become a fairly unsightly hole in the PS3's holiday lineup.

PC owners will be glad to learn that their version(s) of the frenetic first-person shooter is still due for a November release.

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Unreal Tournament 3 gets PC collector's edition

Jason Dobson — 2007-09-27T11:29:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, First Person Shooters

This November PC gamers will have a choice to make: settle for the regular edition of Unreal Tournament 3 ($50), or fork over just a bit more for the newly announced collector's edition, which comes in an obligatory tin case.

For an extra $10, Midway is packing in an art book detailing the game's vehicles, characters, weapons and environments, as well as a bonus DVD featuring "in depth" Unreal Engine 3 Toolkit video tutorials, an Unreal Tournament retrospective, and a look behind the scenes at the making of UT3.

This special edition is expected to be available in the US on November 19 alongside the regular, non-tin version, while Midway adds that both will also be released in the UK, Europe, South Africa, Russia, Australia and "most other territories."

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No PS3-to-PC play in Unreal Tournament 3

Justin McElroy — 2007-09-26T11:25:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, First Person Shooters

PS3 players hoping to test their Unreal Tournament 3 skills against PC players (read: get their clocks cleaned) will be out of luck according to Epic's Mark Rein. In an IRC chat yesterday, Rein wrote, "The biggest challenge in doing cross platform play is syncronizing [sic] the builds such that the build on the PC is 100% compatible with the build on the PS3."

The good news is that the PC-PS3 divide may not be a permanent one. Rein said that the feature is one that could be considered after the game is released. But, unfortunately, he says that even at that point "the likelihood is small." Though it's a cool feature, we still want to know ... is it something you guys care about?

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Cliffy B: BioShock is my game of the year

Justin McElroy — 2007-09-17T13:15:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, First Person Shooters

You know why people like Cliffy B? No, it's not just the stylish locks and game design skills (though that's part of it, make no mistake). It's his honesty. It's the forthrightness, for example, to call BioShock his Game of the Year in September of a year when he is releasing a game of his own. That's the kind of guy we look up to.

The man behind Gears of War gives a frank, funny take on the game (which was made with Epic's technology) over at his blog. Although he's dumping heaps of praise on the game, Cliffy's also honest enough to admit there are some things he doesn't like, including forcing his enemies to be covered in bees. We're still curious about the GOTY distinction though. Either he's as honest as we think, "Except for My Game" was implied in the award title or, maybe, it's just a subtle hint that Unreal Tournament 3 really, really isn't guaranteed to come out in November.

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Unreal Tournament 3 gets 'no guarantee' of Nov. release from Epic [Update]

Alexander Sliwinski — 2007-09-11T09:05:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters

[Update: Not so fast, there. Rein told Next-Gen that "Nothing has changed at this point. We're working toward a November release ... We don't know the specific release date yet and I think it is always prudent to remind our fans that we value quality over release date." While there's still "no guarantee" of a November release, it's nice to know that their plans haven't changed (they just haven't made any yet!).]

Epic's Mark Rein made a post on Epic's Unreal Tournament forums last Friday saying there is "no guarantee" of a November release on the PS3. He says they don't know when the game will be completed, but says they want to offer UT3 when it is finished instead of just getting it out the door. Next-Gen interprets this to mean that there may be a delay incoming, meanwhile GI.biz (which didn't link their source material) says that this puts "PS3 Unreal Tournament exclusivity in doubt." The PC version would also be affected by this issue.

Remember how we were talking about "happy delays" and "sad delays"? This is a little bigger than a possible "sad delay." It tosses another log -- a major log given the E3 press conference -- on the PS3's delay bonfire. Even though it also affects PC, it's just not a healthy hit for the PS3 to take at the moment on the console front. We're just wondering who's going to talk or spin this story first -- Sony or Epic? There's also no word if this possible delay will push off the Xbox 360 release to give the PS3 an exclusivity window. This is not a game the PS3 wants to lose for the holiday season, but it's also a franchise Epic won't put in danger by being partially done for release.

[Via Next-Gen and GI.biz]

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BioShock's helping hand to Unreal Engine 3's image

Alexander Sliwinski — 2007-08-29T12:55:00+00:00

If any company is going to benefit from the success of BioShock, beyond 2K Boston and Take-Two, it's Epic with their embattled Unreal Engine 3. BioShock has brought very public redemption and good press to the UE3 due to 2K Boston's phenomenal use of the tech. This hasn't gone unnoticed by Epic's Mark Rein who says, "We like to think we set a high bar with our own games, but more importantly we give our licensees the opportunity to take what we've done and do something even better with it ... There are a lot more great titles coming from our licensees as well and we're very proud of what is being accomplished and the helping role we get to play in their success."

2K Boston's Ken Levine didn't wimp out on talking about their issues with the UE3 during our interview with him. Levine said, "Of course, it's an engine, engine's are always a bear. Developing games is really hard, I think the mistake that a company like Epic might make is to say, 'Oh yeah, it's simple, we give you the engine and you go do it fellas, it'll be a breeze.' Development is hard, it gives you a leg up, but if you don't have a great technology team you're going to run into trouble. Even if you have a great technology team you can run into trouble." Although the exact contractual issues regarding Silicon Knights' license with Epic are something for the court to decide, SK's inability to get Too Human working with the UE3 looks pretty awkward in the court of public opinion in the wake of BioShock.

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Unreal Tournament 3 gets no demo on PS3, PC in the clear

Alexander Sliwinski — 2007-08-28T12:43:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters

There will be a PC demo for Epic's Unreal Tournament 3 before the game's release in November, but the PS3 version is just out of luck. Epic VP Mark Rein told Eurogamer that it's like what they told Microsoft when they wanted a Gears of War demo, "You've got a choice - you can have the demo this year or the game this year."

Rein emphasized once again that Epic is not a huge company, a reason given by Sony for sending in their ninja engineers to help get UT3 out the door on time. Rein say the PC demo will end up being a beta, giving programmers feedback to fix the game before launch. The Xbox 360 version is expected early next year -- it'll definitely be interesting to see how the whole multiplayer situation looks between PSN and Xbox Live. We're definitely expecting some phenomenal complaining about which handles multiplayer better regarding ease of use. Unless the Xbox FPS fanboys are still focused on playing Halo 3 multiplayer at that point.

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Microsoft opening up to user content

Ross Miller — 2007-08-15T22:31:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Online, Business

Though traditionally a controlling mother when it comes to its infant Xbox Live online service, Microsoft hinted today at easing up its sweaty-palmed handholding. Speaking at Gamefest 2007 (via 1UP), the company discussed the Xbox Live Server Platform (XLSP) that companies can use to deliver content, provided they take full responsibility for monitoring the content.

When suggested that one might use this to create a PC level editor that would make games for an Xbox 360 title, Microsoft Software Design Engineer Zsolt Mathe said, "Even though nobody has done that, I would highly recommend that."

Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein had previously stated that Xbox Live's resistance to user-created maps and mods was responsible in part to the delay of the Unreal Tournament 3 for Xbox 360. Looks like XLSP will be the system that expedites the version release.

The catch is that Microsoft must approve the game maker to use XLSP. We imagine it's kind of like the film Chasing Liberty, where the President of the US gives his over-protected daughter extra freedom to travel Europe with an undercover secret service agent constantly keeping watch. In this adaptation, Microsoft is played by the reliable Stark Sands, Mark Rein is captured brilliantly by the venerable and lovable Mandy Moore and XLSP is portrayed by the hunky Matthew Goode ... what? It was a good film, don't look at us like that!

[Via X3F]

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Epic's Mark Rein pleased with Blu-ray's 'legroom'

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2007-08-15T16:56:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters

Much like a psychotic chainsaw killer, Epic vice president Mark Rein has expressed satisfaction with being given more room to store all those legs. While talking up first-person fragger Unreal Tournament 3 at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival, Rein praised the PlayStation 3 disc format's large storage capacity, noting that "we may have fewer maps on the 360 version...Blu-ray has definitely given us a lot of legroom."

Of course, as Xbox 360 developers are wont to do, Rein applied some damage control on the Epic Games forums, explaining how disappointed he was that "folks on the internet treat any positive thing we say about one platform as some sort of critique of another platform." While ruling out the possibility of two DVDs for the eventual Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament 3, Rein suggested that online downloads and hard drives could sort out glaring content deficiencies between platforms.

And before you ask about mod support for Microsoft's console: "We just don't have all the answers today and it isn't our chief priority at this very moment because we already have our hands completely full shipping UT3 on PC and PS3 as well as shipping Gears of War on PC."

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Read -- "EIF: Rein's a Blu-ray fan" (GamesIndustry.Biz)
Read -- Is the 360 version limited?

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PS3 'gamercard' option seen during demo

Justin McElroy — 2007-08-15T16:26:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Online

A menu selection spotted during a demo of Unreal Tournament 3 seems to suggest that Sony is working on a player-identification system, perhaps similar to Xbox Live's Gamertag. After seeing the "Gamercard" option in a menu at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival, Games Digest was reportedly told by Epic's Mark Rein "Oops, you shouldn't have seen that."

What's more, a member of the Evil Avatar forums put forth an image from PlayStation Home that also has the "gamer card" option, this time with a space in the middle. We know very little at this point, but thought you all would appreciate a head-start on speculation. By the way, if the phrase "gamer card" seems familiar to you, you aren't imagining things.

Read -- 'Gamercard' spotted in UT3 demo
Read -- Gamercard image from Evil Avatar

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