unreal tournament 3

Unreal Tournament III (UT3) is a first-person shooter video game and the next installment of the Unreal series after Unreal Tournament 2004. It is being developed by Epic Games, to be published by Midway Games in November 2007 for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, and sometime during 2008 for the Xbox 360. The PlayStation 3 version is likely to be released early in 2008[2], although the developers are still aiming for a release towards the end of 2007.

Unreal Tournament 3 is actually the fourth game in the Unreal Tournament series, but has been numbered in terms of the engine it runs on. The original Unreal Tournament uses the original Unreal Engine, while UT2003 and UT2004 use the Unreal Engine 2; therefore they are considered as the same generation. UT3 is subsequently part of the third generation, due to the fact that it runs on the Unreal Engine 3.[3] On October 12, 2007, a beta demo was made available for download.[4][5][6]

Contents
1 Gameplay
2 Weapons
3 Vehicles
3.1 Axon vehicles
3.2 Necris vehicles
4 Teams
5 Engine and Development
5.1 Content creation
5.2 PlayStation 3 version
6 System Requirements
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Gameplay
Similar to the previous entries of the series, the game is primarily an online multiplayer title offering several game modes, including large-scale Warfare, Capture-the-Flag, and Deathmatch. It will also include an extensive offline single-player game with an in-depth story, advancing from the simple tournament ladder to such concepts as team members with their own individual personalities.

The following game modes have been confirmed:

Deathmatch
Team Deathmatch
Capture the flag
Unreal Warfare (formerly known as Conquest): New to the UT series, maps will be potentially as big as three Onslaught maps, and will have objectives similar to Assault maps. A limited form of resource management will exist in the form of tarydium mines or fields that must be captured; the more a team captures, the faster it can build vehicles and turrets, and the more bunkers it has the more tarydium it will need. Bunkers will possibly serve a similar purpose to power nodes in Onslaught. This type of game play mode was also in the game Command & Conquer: Renegade. A significant amount of details regarding Unreal Warfare have changed since "Conquest" was first announced, so it is possible that this form of resource management no longer exists.
Vehicle Capture the Flag: Capture the Flag, with vehicles as part of the map; this exists as a separate game type to Capture the Flag, above.
Modes not returning from the previous Unreal Tournament games include Bombing Run and Double Domination; Assault was removed from the game during production[7]. Due to the game's customizable nature these game modes could be recreated by users of the game.

[edit] Weapons

The Bio Rifle
The Shock RifleThe weapon arsenal in UT3 is largely similar to that of UT2004. Returning weapons include the AVRiL (which also combines the Mine layer as secondary fire), Bio Rifle, Flak Cannon, Link Gun, Rocket Launcher (which has the original Unreal's grenade alternate fire), Shock Rifle, and Sniper Rifle. There are also two confirmed superweapons, the Redeemer and the Target Painter. From the original UT, the Dual Enforcers and Impact Hammer replace the Assault Rifle and Shield Gun, respectively. The Dual Enforcer fires either single automatic shot, or three round bursts. The Impact Hammer features an EMP blast alternate fire to disable vehicles. Returning from Unreal and Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict is the Tarydium Stinger, which replaces the Minigun. The Stinger's primary fires hitscan-speed rounds; the secondary fire mode has a slower rate of fire and isn't hitscan, but can nail an opponent to a wall if it's the killing blow. A new concept of weapons are
the Deployables, which allows hand-held devices such as the Spider Mine trap and the Stasis Field to be deployed at will. The Stasis Field is a large gelatinous cube that slows down projectile weapons and players. [8]

Killing awards have been expanded from just three in Unreal Tournament 2004 to nearly all weapons. Accumulating fifteen kills with a particular weapon or fire mode, and the announcer will award you a specific title. The awards are: Jackhammer, Gunslinger, Biohazard, Combo King, Shaft Master, Bluestreak, Flak Master, Rocket Scientist, and Head Hunter.

[edit] Vehicles
The following vehicles have been confirmed:[9][10][11]

Hoverboard (Personal transportation)
All players have a skateboard-like hoverboard, which replaces the translocator when playing gametypes featuring vehicles, intended to provide a fast way to get around the larger maps of UT3. While on the hoverboard, players may "skitch", or attach themselves to a vehicle in order to be "towed" quickly. Players are unable to use their weapons, and are extremely vulnerable to attacks; the hoverboard is intended for non-combat use only. Players are able to perform tricks while on the hoverboard.

[edit] Axon vehicles
The vehicles in Unreal Tournament 2004, including those in the Editor's Choice Edition, will return in UT3, referred to as "Axon Vehicles" as they are manufactured by the Axon Corporation. These are the more traditional of the two sets.

Manta (Quick Strike Ground-Skimmer)
The Manta is an extremely fast and agile hovercraft, using a pair of fan rotors on either side to hover. Its primary weapon is a pair of plasma cannons, and the secondary is a downward thrust that brings the vehicle low enough to the ground to clip heads off with its rotor blades.

Raptor (Air Superiority - dogfighter)
The Raptor is a fast fighter equipped with plasma cannons and air-to-air homing missiles.

Scorpion (Light Assault Buggy)
The Scorpion buggy now has an enclosed cockpit as opposed to UT2004's unshielded cabin and fires Grenades instead of bolas (plasma ribbons). It has a speed-boost function (similar to Unreal 2 XMP buggies) that allows long jumps off ramps and also works as a kamikaze self-destruct if the player ejects from the cockpit. Its secondary weapon is a pair of blades that extend to either side for cutting down enemies. The blades now extend from under the nose of the vehicle, rather than the sides as in the UT2004 version.

Hellbender (Armored Jeep)
The Hellbender is a two-man armored jeep with shock weaponry and a heavy build. The driver is able to use the skymine turret eliminating the need for an extra gunner manning the turret, as was the case with UT2004. The vehicle's rear mounted beams have done away with the charge and release style attack; they now feature a much faster rate of fire similar to the Shock Rifle.

Cicada (Airborne Support)
The Cicada is a heavy, yet maneuverable two-seater flying gunship with an arsenal of powerful missiles. It also is equipped with a targeting mechanism allowing the pilot to target areas and release swarms of missiles. Unlike UT2004's Cicada, UT3's version will have its missiles home in on specific land units when they are targeted. The second seat controls a twin barrel turret on the belly.

Hellfire SPMA[12] (Remote Bombardment Cannon)
The SPMA (or SPAM as many like to call it), is a long-range and mobile artillery unit that shoots powerful shells. The SPMA in UT3 has a half-track chassis (unlike the 6-wheel UT2004 version), and will allow players to more carefully calculate the trajectory and range of the shot with the mouse - making the weapon more accurate to use. The vehicle features a driver controlled skymine turret, much like the Hellbender, and must "deploy" to fir the artillery cannon, losing close range defense and mobility.

Paladin (Prototype Defensive Tank)
The Paladin is a prototype one-manned tank that moves (slowly) on 8 wheels rather than the traditional tank treads. It is equipped with a powerful plasma shot and a shield that protects it and nearby players from a particular direction. It also features a powerful shockwave explosion that surrounds the tank, activated by firing the main cannon into its own deployed shield.

Goliath (Main Battle Tank)
The new Goliath Mk.2 will feature improved handling and upgraded weaponry and it "should handle more like a tank than a brick". It has been rumored it will also feature destroyable treads. Playtests revealed that the main cannon fire was relatively the same; but the vehicle now featured a wide range "infantry killer" shell as its secondary fire. The secondary minigun turret has also been upgraded for much better accuracy and firepower.

Leviathan (Mobile Weapons Platform)
The Leviathan is a powerful five-man vehicle with a main turret controlled by the driver. The driver can deploy a super weapon at the cost of immobilizing the vehicle. There are also four secondary turrets controlled by other players. The secondary turrets feature shields similar to those on the Skaarj mothership's turrets in UT2004.

Axon vehicles
The Hellbender

The Paladin

The Leviathan

The Manta

The Raptor

The Cicada

[edit] Necris vehicles
The Necris, are mutated humans(including some of the best tournament and champion competitors)that resemble vampires that exist in the Unreal universe , will have a rival set of vehicles. There will be 9 new Necris vehicles with very different styling and unusual behaviors. Although they will not parallel Axon's vehicles, they are intended to make a good balance against them.

The following vehicles have been confirmed:[13]

Viper (Quick Strike Ground-Skimmer)
Designed to be highly maneuverable. It has a couple of small wings you can use while running to make a little jump and then softly hover to gain the ground of elevated platforms or the like.It will feature a kamikaze function which will allow the pilot to bail out and turn it into a sort of flaming projectile that will inflict much more damage than the turret weapon it has. The main weapon, turret, shoots energy shots which bounce around the environment.

Nemesis (Mobile Energy Turret)
Will have snake-like treads which adapt to the ground below it as it moves. Its main gun is very similar to mounted energy turrets. This vehicle has a zoom function. This vehicle looks strikingly similar to the Scion Titan battle tank from Battlezone II

DarkWalker (Heavy Walker)
The main weapon will be a powerful twin laser beam which can fire in short bursts; secondary fire produces a tremendous "scream", which knocks opponents off their feet, making them easier targets. It will also have the ability to bend down or pop up in order to surprise the enemy, and as a walker will be capable of negotiating terrain too steep or uneven for a wheeled/tracked vehicle. Judging by screenshots, the Darkwalkers somewhat resemble the "Striders" in Half-Life 2, and more strongly resemble the tripods from H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds. The second seat of the darkwalker is a powerful turret that projects plasma in a beam capable of instantly vaporising an unarmored target.

Fury (Air Superiority - dogfighter)
A Necris aircraft that uses tentacles for a jellyfish-like method of propulsion through the air. Has the ability to boost and barrel roll to escape enemy fire.[14]

Nightshade
"This Necris stealth vehicle can go invisible while it moves around. By uncloaking, the Nightshade gains the ability to drop deployable objects such as spider mines and stasis fields. The stasis field unleashes a large, green tinted cube that slows anything inside of it down to a crawl."[15]

Scavenger [16]
A Necris ground vehicle with the ability to roll into a ball and travel through levels at high speed. The Gamespot website recently stated "It looked like a big, rolling hamster ball, except it had whip chains it could lash about. We don't know what it's called--just that it hurts." [17] An IGN article adds, "This energy orb with three long tendrils attached runs along using the tentacles a bit like a spider. The arms can be pulled in to start rolling and then whipped out to attack. It may not be the most effective ride, but it looks quite swanky." [18]

Necris vehicles
The Viper

The Dark Walker

[edit] Teams
Single player mode will allow the player to select from competitors from all races, and compete against a selection of preset teams, including:

Necris, appearing in several previous titles, are the re-animated dead and the antagonists of UT3; white-skinned, gothic-looking beings with advanced technology.
The Corrupt, a team of artificially intelligent cybernetic robots, financed by the Liandri Corporation and lead by Xan Kriegor, champion of UT.
Iron Guard, a group of hardened mercenaries, led by Brock and his girlfriend Lauren.
Krall, serving as soldiers for the Necris army, are a veteran clan of reptilian alien warriors, slaves to the Skaarj during the time period of Unreal.
Thundercrash, led by Malcolm, a famous team of former NEG soldiers.
Twin Souls, a team protected by red armour, with yellow glowing LEDs and henna tatoos; due to the similarities in armor and previous articles, this team may represent the Izanagi. [citation needed]

[edit] Engine and Development
UT3 will use the Unreal Engine 3. Already known for its extensive graphical capabilities through titles such as Gears of War, the engine now takes advantage of third party technologies such as PhysX physics cards to provide an advanced game experience.[19][20] Also included is the ability for AI bots to respond to advanced and specific voice commands, improved from previous use of a very small number of voice commands, along with the ability to use a command menu to control bot behaviour.[21]

As in Half-Life 2, the levels of UT3 are being developed with simple building blocks, with artwork to be added afterwards, allowing the focus to be placed on improving gameplay. Lead designer Steve Polge claims, "We're not trying to make a prettier UT2K4. We're really trying to make a very new game." A larger emphasis is also being placed on AI. The bots in UT3 will be able to understand simple voice commands; while they will not understand speech as well as a human, Polge states the player will be able to "have some sort of conversational vibe with it".

[edit] Content creation

Unreal Engine 3 allows for advanced lighting and real-time self shadowing on complex, intricate models.The Unreal Editor (also known as UnrealEd and UEd) is included with all UT games, and allows the user to edit and create custom content for the game. The editor for UT3 will be different from the editor for UT2004, since UT3 uses the new Unreal Engine 3. One notable addition will be a "play" button allowing mappers to test their content from within the editor itself. There will also be a visual scripting interface, known as Kismet, allowing those with little or no programming knowledge to create their own mods easily.

[edit] PlayStation 3 version
User-created content will also be downloadable to the PlayStation 3 console, although owners of the console will need to purchase the PC version to create such content, as the PlayStation 3 version does not include the Unreal Editor for either platform. However, content will be made available on download via the PlayStation Store.

Keyboard and mouse controls will also be supported for the PS3 version via the USB ports on the front of the console. The motion-sensitive SIXAXIS controller will allow aiming by tilting the controller.[22] After the announcement of the DualShock 3, which includes vibration as well as motion-sensitive controls, a list of vibration-supporting titles was released, which includes UT3.[23]

On the ShackCast, we talk about video games!
In our weekly online audio show, Shacknews editors discuss gaming news, industry trends, upcoming titles, and recent games we've been playing. We cover all major gaming platforms. Check back each Wednesday for a new episode.

Send your comments or questions to shackcast@shacknews.com--if you've got something interesting to say or ask, we'll highlight it on the next ShackCast!

ShackCast Ep. 13 - October 12, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

For this week's ShackCast, Remo spent some time hands-on with Super Smash Bros. Brawl and several of its new characters--Pit from Kid Icarus, Meta Knight from the Kirby series, the new Samus and her Zero Suit form, and the just-revealed Sonic the Hedgehog.
Nick was at Epic's offices checking out Unreal Tournament 3, which he feels is underrepresented by its recent demo. Carlos met with Sierra to check out several upcoming PC and Xbox Live Arcade downloadable games; some--such as Aces of the Galaxy and Commanders: Attack of the Genos--are promising, and some--Battlestar Galactica--are not.

Plus, all of us played through Portal and loved it, because it is lovely. Finally, we discuss Double Fine's new game announcement and Electronic Arts' acquisition of BioWare and Pandemic Studios.

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Comment on this episode with other Shackers!

Check out the full breakdown:
00:00: It's a song! And it's not Friday the 13th.
01:56: Remo checked out Super Smash Bros. Brawl as Sonic! He's in! (Story)
14:01: Nick on Unreal Tournament 3: game better than demo. (Demo, preview)
27:20: Carlos on Aces of the Galaxy for XBLA. (Preview)
33:17: ...and on Commanders: Attack of the Genos for XBLA too! (Preview)
34:35: Did you guys play Battle Bugs for PC? No? Okay.
37:15: More XBLA! Switchball!
38:03: Carlos is thoroughly unimpressed by Battlestar Galactica on XBLA.
40:18: Even more XBLA! Arcadian Warriors from the makers of Assault Heroes!
42:34: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin is coming to DS! YES.
45:29: Remo has Call of Duty 4 PC single- and multiplayer hands-on. (Preview)
47:48: Nick is underwhelmed by Heavenly Sword (PS3).
50:03: We all love Portal. A lot. (Review)
57:57: We also love Half-Life 2: Episode Two. (Review)
62:55: Double Fine is (officially) making a new game, Brutal Legend! (Story)
65:13: Electronic Arts has consumed BioWare and Pandemic Studios. (Story)
72:20: Listener mail, including in-game ads talk and the workings of the Shack!
85:44: Remo likes Rocket Race in Halo 3, so this was born.

ShackCast Ep. 12 - October 5, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

Here's your weekly Shackcast, and it's a packed show befitting this absurdly blockbuster-ridden upcoming holiday season. As always, send in your comments and questions to shackcast@shacknews.com.
Episode 12 focuses almost entirely on game impressions, with no time left for news. On tap is discussion of Gears of War on PC, Crysis, Portal, Guitar Hero III and its differences on the three main platforms, Hellgate: London, and Dementium: The Ward on DS.

Faylor also played a bit of Treasure's N64 classic Sin & Punishment, officially available in the West for the first time thanks to Virtual Console on Wii, and we have some listener mail involving missing game discs at retail and the unsettling growing number of simultaneously offered models of various consoles.

(Still working on the breakdown!)

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ShackCast Ep. 11 - September 28, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

We're trying out publishing the podcast on Friday going forward, to better line up with how news is released. Unfortunately, we ran into numerous bizarre technical problems, hence the later-than-intended release this week. Let us know what you think of the new schedule, and keep sending your questions and comments into shackcast@shacknews.com.
Episode 11 starts off with plenty of Halo 3 discussion, followed by Team Fortress 2 impressions and Nick's highlights (and lowlights) of TGS, including Metal Gear Solid 4, Ninja Gaiden 2, and NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams.

Nick and Steve have been playing and enjoying Hellgate: London, and Remo finds out Crysis' multiplayer component is more ambitious than he anticipated. Faylor really wants Samba de Amigo on Wii, Remo likes Jam Sessions on DS, Steve and Faylor are mixed on Clive Barker's Jericho, and Retro Studios has crushed our dreams by debunking its own Metroid Dread rumors.

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ShackCast Ep. 10 - September 19, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

After last week's slightly abbreviated show, Episode 10 runs a little longer than usual, clocking in at a little under an hour and a half. Chris Remo, Chris Faylor, and Carlos Bergfeld are joined by Nick Breckon, checking in from Japan as he prepares to take on the Tokyo Game Show.
Topics include the wackiness of Japan, Tokyo Game Show, Team Fortress 2 and The Orange Box, Super Smash Bros. Brawl going online, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on Wii, Warmonger and AGEIA PhysX cards, Peggle, and superhero video games ranging from average to bad.

Reader mail sparked discussion on the role of originality in video games, as well as crucial entries in the gaming pantheon. Keep sending in your comments and questions to shackcast@shacknews.com.

Check out the full breakdown.

ShackCast Ep. 9 - September 11, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

This week's show is both early and a quickie, as scheduling concerns backed us into a bit of a Monday evening corner. Episode 9 starts out with Chris Remo, Chris Faylor, Nick Breckon, and Carlos Bergfeld, and by the end has been whittled down to Remo and Bergfeld. Game impressions on tap include Army of Two (PS3, X360), SimCity Societies (PC), and Medal of Honor Heroes 2 for Wii.
In the news category, we touch on the Wii Zapper and its bundled game Link's Crossbow Training, new Rock Band tracks (Pixies!), Eternity's Child moving from Xbox Live Arcade to Wii, Sin & Punishment hitting Virtual Console, and Ubisoft quietly retracting its free game offers.

Due to time constraints, we unfortunately didn't get to address reader questions this week, but we'll make it up to you! Keep sending them in to

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ShackCast Ep. 8 - September 5, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

This week, Chris Remo, Chris Faylor, and Nick Breckon discuss Warhawk on PS3, Spore, Jeanne D'Arc on PSP, Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix on Xbox Live Arcade, BioShock's copy protection on PC, and EA and Ubisoft's recently-released free full games and the ads that come along with some of them.

Plus, for some reason, we have a convoluted puzzle game discussion including such titles as Planet Puzzle League, Zuma, Tetris 2, and Spider Solitaire! We don't know why!

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ShackCast Ep. 7 - August 29, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

This week, Chris Remo, Steve Gibson, and Nick Breckon discuss Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, BioShock, and more. Plus, Carlos Bergfeld stops in to deliver his impressions of Far Cry 2, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, and Kane and Lynch from the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle.

In other topics, we've got discussion of the odd Joust movie announcement, Manhunt 2's re-rating and upcoming release, the world of downloadable and retail games, major publishers such as EA and Ubisoft publishing very demanding PC games, and the winners of our BioShock contest. Join us!

[edit] System Requirements
Minimum System Requirements: [24][25]

Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista or Linux with advanced 3D processing or Mac OS X 10.4
2.0+ GHZ Single Core Processor
512 Mbytes of System RAM
NVIDIA 6200+ or ATI Radeon 9600+ Video Card
8 GB of Free Hard Drive Space
Recommended System Requirements:

2.4+ GHZ Dual Core Processor
1 GBytes of System RAM
NVIDIA 7800GTX+ or ATI x1300+ Video Card
8 GB of Free Hard Drive Space