jharrison wrote on 2022-12-24, 14:24:

https://github.com/OldUnreal/UnrealTournamentPatches

Will still work after the server shut-off:

https://github.com/OldUnreal/UnrealTournament … hes/issues/1132

yea it's not bricked, it's just you'll have it patch it. If you want to do LAN parties you still can, or using VPNs or tools like Hamachi to simulate a LAN but on a WAN.

Maybe they (Epic?) are already planning to release them for free.

Good site so not to miss games getting delisted: https://delistedgames.com/

Some developers/publishers only give a day's notice before a delisting.

liqmat wrote on 2022-12-24, 17:51:

Good site so not to miss games getting delisted: https://delistedgames.com/

Some developers/publishers only give a day's notice before a delisting.

+1

I have Unreal original cd and bought U2 a few days ago for 1.99€

Grunt wrote on 2022-12-24, 17:34:

Maybe they (Epic?) are already planning to release them for free.

If they were planning to release them for free, they shouldn't have been delisted from the stores in first place.

Grunt wrote on 2022-12-24, 17:34:

Maybe they (Epic?) are already planning to release them for free.

They are doing a remastered UT3 release and we don't know what's going on with the rest, but remasters are certainly possible and desired.

Ok, It seems I've been right or at least half-right:
A completely free Unreal Tournament 3 X page has appeared on Steam

It's going to be free, but Epic way of free. No news about original Unreal or UT2004 though. Pretty happy as I own original CD with files dating back to 1998 and some patches.

Might enjoy Redux (if it ever comes out) after all.

leileilol wrote on 2022-12-23, 02:20:

UT2004 was originally scheduled for October 2003, and then a bunch of fortnights of delays happened

UT2003's probably less like UT99 than UT2004 is. It was underwhelming originally and the climactic final battle with malcolm was just hide and seek maze without music. also the attempt at a sports announcer was extremely irritating at the time and there's that alienating first impression from the leaks and demo release.

The entirety of UT2003's still in UT2004 and it shouldn't be that difficult for a mod project to restore it.

UT 2003 is a port of the XBox (the first XBox) game Unreal Championship. For whatever reason, instead of porting the PC game Unreal Tournament (the first UT) to the XBox (as they had to the PS2), they created Unreal Championship, which to me was inferior to UT in most ways. Epic then ported Unreal Championship back to the PC, calling it UT 2003, with minor enhancements. But even on the PC I didn't like the game. Then Epic brought out UT 2004 on the PC, and Unreal Championship 2 on the XBox, and both games were excellent, and pretty different to one another.

RetroGamer4Ever wrote on 2022-12-24, 23:25:

Grunt wrote on 2022-12-24, 17:34:

Maybe they (Epic?) are already planning to release them for free.

They are doing a remastered UT3 release and we don't know what's going on with the rest, but remasters are certainly possible and desired.

Making a remastered UT 3 won't interest many UT fans, as the game isn't too popular among many of us. It wasn't just that UT 3 lacked so much compared to it's predecessor UT 2004, such as game modes, maps, and mutators, but the friendly A. I. seemed irritating inferior to the earlier games, and I can't remember what else, but I know I personally was massively disappointed with UT 3, and abandoned it pretty quickly.

If Epic wanted to make an up to dated remaster that fans will love, then I see no reason at all for them to choose UT 3 instead of UT 2004. Even if they bring a UT 3 remaster up to the standards of UT 2004, which will involve *many* additions and changes to game-play, then I think many people will be dissuaded from trying it due to bad memories of the original version.

I also long to see Unreal REDUX released. Though I own and have played the original Unreal, I never beat it because I got side-tracked with other FPS games, like it's Unreal Engine 1 sibling "Klingon Honor Guard", SiN, and Half-Life. If Unreal REDUX turns out to be a success, I'm hopeful that someone will pick up KHG and give it a good update with the same level of craftmanship and enthusiasm.

Kerr Avon wrote on 2022-12-30, 13:15:

For whatever reason, instead of porting the PC game Unreal Tournament (the first UT) to the XBox (as they had to the PS2)

The PS2 port was done before the GOTY edition in 2000. PS2 was a new console and UT was a launch title. Why would they repeat this effort for the upcoming Xbox, especially as they've had unveiled UnrealEngine2 (and would-be UT2003 assets) in September 2000 sparking sequel hype since? UT on the Xbox at launch wouldn't have a chance against Halo.

Also UT2003 came out before Unreal Championship and both games were developed concurrently since then.

I can't help myself, just stumbled across this note:

About Unreal […]
Show full quote

About Unreal

Introduction
This is a little game we are creating for a Fall ‘96 debut. Unreal will be published in shareware by Epic MegaGames and distributed in retail stores worldwide by Electronic Arts.
Unreal runs on the Windows 95/Windows NT platform and requires a fast Pentium processor. No DOS or home console versions are planned. Unreal will be a large-scale network action game, and the server will be ported to the MIPS and DEC Alpha Windows NT platforms to enable large (20- to 100-player) games to be set up on Internet and online services.

The Game
This is an immersive game that thrusts you into an alien world and leaves you with nothing to survive on except for your instincts and an arsenal of really cool weapons.
There is an intricate story in Unreal, but it’s unwritten. You will piece it together as you explore the new, uncharted world.

The Setting
You awake in a small, enclosed room with metal walls. The floor and walls are notably titled at an odd angle. The room is illuminated by a dim light flowing through a crack in the ceiling. A minimal fold-out bed is attached to a wall. Though you have no recollection of where you are, it might appear to be a prison cell. An angled metal door is ahead. With effort, you push it open, and it emits a dull creaking sound.
You’re in a small, metal-enclosed hallway. Lights on one of the walls are blinking, and you hear the dull sound of machinery. Exploring the tight metal corridors, you find a closet amply stocked with weapons. Instinctively, though rather stereotypically, given the setting, you grab a shotgun. Nothing here to shoot... You continue exploring.
You come to a large metal door. It’s partially open, revealing light behind it. Pressing a switch on a nearby wall, it slowly and noisily opens.
You see a bright green landscape and lake beyond. You walk out into the middle of a small peninsula within a lake surrounded by mountains.
This is not at all what you expected. The “prison” you just exited seems to be a small, badly-damaged spacecraft. You see a trail of debris along the crash site; the craft itself is wedged halfway into the ground around it, forming a crater.
Though you have no recollection of where you are or what your purpose here is, you walk along a trail in the landscape, shotgun in hand, searching for the answers.
You have thus found yourself in the entryway into the world of Unreal. From here, you will discover the intricately detailed, elegant architecture of an unknown alien race that once lived here.

Monsters
The present inhabitants of this world which you’ll first encounter are an interesting mix of fantasy creatures with an insectoid look to them--including an alien dragon, a deformed alien minotaur, and many others of the same style.
However, this is just the beginning of the Unreal story. As you journey deeper into the world of Unreal, you’ll discover something far more shocking. You won’t see what it is for a very long time, perhaps not even in the initial release -- though you’ll see its effects, in the pre-existing slaughtered monsters and humans you’ll encounter, in the shocking screams you’ll hear as you explore the world, and in the mysterious shadows you see from time to time.

Gameplay
100% action and exploration.

The Environment
The Unreal environment is continuous. Though “levels” do still exist, you travel between them smoothly, meaning that the entire world--whether you’re playing by yourself or you’re on a large network game server--is melded into one big, continuous environment.
The Unreal environment is permeated by music and sound. The sounds of wind, flowing water, torches, footsteps, and monsters flow throughout the Unreal world.
The Unreal environment is richly illuminated. Torches flicker and lightsources cast realistic shadows on their surroundings. Monsters, as well as players, cast shadows, which can often be seen around corners before their presence is fully revealed.
The Unreal environment uses a full, six-degree-of-freedom geometry and physics model, which means that you can look at the world from any angle, explore complex architecture with multiple overlapping bridges, domed ceilings, and the like--in other words, if a designer can envision a level, he can build it in Unreal.

Network play
In addition to supporting small (2- to 10-player) games on a local area network, Unreal enables large-scale modem and network games. An Unreal server can be set up on a fast Pentium, P6, MIPS, or multiprocessor DEC Alpha machine running Windows NT, and can serve 20 to 50 players. Multiple servers can be networked, with each server handling several game levels,

Dated to Sat Oct 28 19:04:47 1995. Well about "(20- to 100-player) games to be set up on Internet and online services" thing…mission accomplished. It simply isn't called Unreal (Tournament) anymore but Fortnite. Maybe this might be reason.

Grunt wrote on 2022-12-30, 18:30:

I can't help myself, just stumbled across this note:

About Unreal […]
Show full quote

About Unreal

Introduction
This is a little game we are creating for a Fall ‘96 debut. Unreal will be published in shareware by Epic MegaGames and distributed in retail stores worldwide by Electronic Arts.
Unreal runs on the Windows 95/Windows NT platform and requires a fast Pentium processor. No DOS or home console versions are planned. Unreal will be a large-scale network action game, and the server will be ported to the MIPS and DEC Alpha Windows NT platforms to enable large (20- to 100-player) games to be set up on Internet and online services.

The Game
This is an immersive game that thrusts you into an alien world and leaves you with nothing to survive on except for your instincts and an arsenal of really cool weapons.
There is an intricate story in Unreal, but it’s unwritten. You will piece it together as you explore the new, uncharted world.

The Setting
You awake in a small, enclosed room with metal walls. The floor and walls are notably titled at an odd angle. The room is illuminated by a dim light flowing through a crack in the ceiling. A minimal fold-out bed is attached to a wall. Though you have no recollection of where you are, it might appear to be a prison cell. An angled metal door is ahead. With effort, you push it open, and it emits a dull creaking sound.
You’re in a small, metal-enclosed hallway. Lights on one of the walls are blinking, and you hear the dull sound of machinery. Exploring the tight metal corridors, you find a closet amply stocked with weapons. Instinctively, though rather stereotypically, given the setting, you grab a shotgun. Nothing here to shoot... You continue exploring.
You come to a large metal door. It’s partially open, revealing light behind it. Pressing a switch on a nearby wall, it slowly and noisily opens.
You see a bright green landscape and lake beyond. You walk out into the middle of a small peninsula within a lake surrounded by mountains.
This is not at all what you expected. The “prison” you just exited seems to be a small, badly-damaged spacecraft. You see a trail of debris along the crash site; the craft itself is wedged halfway into the ground around it, forming a crater.
Though you have no recollection of where you are or what your purpose here is, you walk along a trail in the landscape, shotgun in hand, searching for the answers.
You have thus found yourself in the entryway into the world of Unreal. From here, you will discover the intricately detailed, elegant architecture of an unknown alien race that once lived here.

Monsters
The present inhabitants of this world which you’ll first encounter are an interesting mix of fantasy creatures with an insectoid look to them--including an alien dragon, a deformed alien minotaur, and many others of the same style.
However, this is just the beginning of the Unreal story. As you journey deeper into the world of Unreal, you’ll discover something far more shocking. You won’t see what it is for a very long time, perhaps not even in the initial release -- though you’ll see its effects, in the pre-existing slaughtered monsters and humans you’ll encounter, in the shocking screams you’ll hear as you explore the world, and in the mysterious shadows you see from time to time.

Gameplay
100% action and exploration.

The Environment
The Unreal environment is continuous. Though “levels” do still exist, you travel between them smoothly, meaning that the entire world--whether you’re playing by yourself or you’re on a large network game server--is melded into one big, continuous environment.
The Unreal environment is permeated by music and sound. The sounds of wind, flowing water, torches, footsteps, and monsters flow throughout the Unreal world.
The Unreal environment is richly illuminated. Torches flicker and lightsources cast realistic shadows on their surroundings. Monsters, as well as players, cast shadows, which can often be seen around corners before their presence is fully revealed.
The Unreal environment uses a full, six-degree-of-freedom geometry and physics model, which means that you can look at the world from any angle, explore complex architecture with multiple overlapping bridges, domed ceilings, and the like--in other words, if a designer can envision a level, he can build it in Unreal.

Network play
In addition to supporting small (2- to 10-player) games on a local area network, Unreal enables large-scale modem and network games. An Unreal server can be set up on a fast Pentium, P6, MIPS, or multiprocessor DEC Alpha machine running Windows NT, and can serve 20 to 50 players. Multiple servers can be networked, with each server handling several game levels,

Dated to Sat Oct 28 19:04:47 1995. Well about "(20- to 100-player) games to be set up on Internet and online services" thing…mission accomplished. It simply isn't called Unreal (Tournament) anymore but Fortnite. Maybe this might be reason.

Epic games and electronic arts early as 96 wow. What happened to seeing groundbreaking engines and companies like id software relaxing their source code under GPL. I used to like epic but Epic is not your friend

oldrunreal dev explained the shitshow at GoG
and FTC is to blame for this

Deffnator wrote on 2023-01-01, 03:42:

oldrunreal dev explained the shitshow at GoG
and FTC is to blame for this

Mind elaborating a bit or sharing a link?

Ensign Nemo wrote on 2023-01-01, 03:53:

Deffnator wrote on 2023-01-01, 03:42:

oldrunreal dev explained the shitshow at GoG
and FTC is to blame for this

Mind elaborating a bit or sharing a link?

Well Fred, it's like this.....

Young boys and girls have really gotten into this swell new game called Fortnite. These children are engaging in a lot of micro-transaction nonsense, with their parent's credit cards and the game is downright addictive to them and older players, as it was designed to be. This Federal Government agency known as the Federal Trade Commission doesn't like this and thinks it's bad, especially since the game collects data on players and transactions, which is then used for marketing purposes. To add insult to injury, this agency is also claiming that the lack of parental controls and the player data collection on Fortnite and other Epic multi-player titles violates the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which has been around since 1998, so the agency is forcing Epic to remove it's Unreal series games from the market and shut down it's multi-player servers. The good news is that the games might come back, albeit with updated code and privacy stuff to comply with whatever it is the agency wants, though there is no timeline for that and it's not even known if it will happen, until a lot of legal stuff is sorted out.

RetroGamer4Ever wrote on 2023-01-01, 04:15:

Ensign Nemo wrote on 2023-01-01, 03:53:

Deffnator wrote on 2023-01-01, 03:42:

oldrunreal dev explained the shitshow at GoG
and FTC is to blame for this

Mind elaborating a bit or sharing a link?

Well Fred, it's like this.....

Young boys and girls have really gotten into this swell new game called Fortnite. These children are engaging in a lot of micro-transaction nonsense, with their parent's credit cards and the game is downright addictive to them and older players, as it was designed to be. This Federal Government agency known as the Federal Trade Commission doesn't like this and thinks it's bad, especially since the game collects data on players and transactions, which is then used for marketing purposes. To add insult to injury, this agency is also claiming that the lack of parental controls and the player data collection on Fortnite and other Epic multi-player titles violates the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which has been around since 1998, so the agency is forcing Epic to remove it's Unreal series games from the market and shut down it's multi-player servers. The good news is that the games might come back, albeit with updated code and privacy stuff to comply with whatever it is the agency wants, though there is no timeline for that and it's not even known if it will happen, until a lot of legal stuff is sorted out.

I don't like modern monetization practices, but this example looks more like a parenting issue. Parents shouldn't be giving their kids their credit cards for micro transactions.

I'm pretty sure 'other multiplayer titles' referred to were Rocket League and Fall Guys, which are marketed towards minors and contain MTX... FTC and COPPA is not the reason for Unreal being pulled (Unreal/UT/UT2004 don't harvest personal information, just servers checking IPs/keys). That story came days after this.

Grunt wrote on 2022-12-30, 11:24:

Ok, It seems I've been right or at least half-right: A completely free Unreal Tournament 3 X page has appeared on Steam […]
Show full quote

Ok, It seems I've been right or at least half-right:
A completely free Unreal Tournament 3 X page has appeared on Steam

It's going to be free, but Epic way of free. No news about original Unreal or UT2004 though. Pretty happy as I own original CD with files dating back to 1998 and some patches.

Might enjoy Redux (if it ever comes out) after all.

I don't trust ut3 x seeing as how you'll need an epic games account to play, and I lost my ut3 media cd key. I am not buying into that hype that ut3x will be free to play no MTX. I wondered how long it took them to get them off steam and onto their own store, given that you'd think epic would do all their classic titles first, and delist on other sites. Its only a matter of time before they delist other classics like jazz jackrabbit,jill of the jungle and that pinball game

Closed.