Purchasing Unreal Tournament 2004

[legacy-teamalcohol]

Hey gang...

I'm in love with the UT2004 demo, so I'm gonna go out and buy it this week. Just wondering what I get with the standard package? Do I get the server version? Could I host a game on one PC and play it from another in my house, or would that require that I buy two copies of the game?

Thanks

[legacy-Lord_Garric]

Welcome to the world of unreal!

http://www.gogamer.com/cgi-bin/GoGam...View/001UNRT24

This would be a good place to buy it for cheap.

Theres only 2 packages, and they are the same, except one is the DVD version (with some extras). You download the server patch if you intend on hosting a server. I think you will need 2 copies. Each game has their own cd key. But if you just want to play it on a LAN, you could use a fake CD key (I think, don't blame me if it doesn't work) and try it with two PCS.

[legacy-LooseScrew2]

IIRC, you can play LAN games with just one CD key (enter it into both computers) - it's just that if you want to play on the Internet, you'll need two different CD keys.

By the way, about CD key security (before I go and buy UT2004) - how can I be sure (with the number of pirates out there) that my CD key will work in the game once I've bought it? How can I be sure that I won't come to try and play online and find that I can't due to someone stealing/spoofing my CD key? Are retail CD keys different from the ones pirates use or something? (This is quite a worrying issue for me, as I don't want to have to pay for something I'm not getting the full functionality of, if you see what I'm saying...)

[legacy-Lord_Garric]

Originally posted by LooseScrew2
IIRC, you can play LAN games with just one CD key (enter it into both computers) - it's just that if you want to play on the Internet, you'll need two different CD keys.

By the way, about CD key security (before I go and buy UT2004) - how can I be sure (with the number of pirates out there) that my CD key will work in the game once I've bought it? How can I be sure that I won't come to try and play online and find that I can't due to someone stealing/spoofing my CD key? Are retail CD keys different from the ones pirates use or something? (This is quite a worrying issue for me, as I don't want to have to pay for something I'm not getting the full functionality of, if you see what I'm saying...)

The chances of a pirate getting the same key as you are 1 in a million. A cd key has billions of different combinations, and theres no way that a pirate can "spoof" your key unless you post in a public area. Most pirates don't play online, and they stick to singleplayer.

[legacy-Archer]

Just be careful as to what you download as an add-in for 2k4. There have been cases of people being tricked into a program that was actually a CD-Key Stealer.

If you're content just using the default content, though, then you have no worries.

[legacy-LooseScrew2]

Thanks for the replies, guys. You really set my mind at ease.

Online play is something I really, really want to experience (I've heard a lot of good things about it) - I've never actually played anything online even though I have 512k ADSL (hard to believe, I know, but it's true) - so I'll be buying this game by the end of the week, for sure. :up:

Is online play hard to pick up? What sort of things can I expect in terms of general playing experience? (And by that I mean lag, player skills etc. - I know at least that online play isn't as responsive as single player in terms of control, but what sort of opposition can a newbie like me find himself going up against, on average?)

By the way, my 512k ADSL connection is shared between two computers on a wireless network. Would this impact what my play experience is like?

[Piglet]

Hi,

I'm on a 512K adsl line, with 2 machines connected to it. I've got my brother-in-law visiting with his copy of UT2004, and last night we were both playing the game, multiplayer with absolutely no lag.

It sure makes a difference if you can call across the room to a teammate rather than rely on voip!

No - it's not hard to pick up - and with ONSlaught maps you can help your team even while being slaughtered by the opposition!

[legacy-Dunsinane]

Originally posted by LooseScrew2
Is online play hard to pick up? What sort of things can I expect in terms of general playing experience? (And by that I mean lag, player skills etc. - I know at least that online play isn't as responsive as single player in terms of control, but what sort of opposition can a newbie like me find himself going up against, on average?)

By the way, my 512k ADSL connection is shared between two computers on a wireless network. Would this impact what my play experience is like?

The game stays the same, but real players don't act like the bots do. I'd guess that you're probably going to find yourself getting smacked around a bit, especially at first. That's just the way it is on your first couple of ventures while you're figuring things out.

As for your connection, you should be fine unless you've got a crappy wireless network. Just pick a server with low pings from the browser and have at it. Preferably one that doesn't have a thirty player limit. Those tend to get a bit dodgy.

[legacy-teamalcohol]

Yea thanks for all the advice. Sounds like I should be okay with one copy. Just ordered it online. Thanks again.

[legacy-LooseScrew2]

Sorry to bother you again with yet more questions, but I've been playing online with the UT2k4 demo and I've tried to do some comparisons between that, and UT2k3 (from when I played it at a friend's house). I've come up with three issues that I'd like to have cleared up. Once again, I'm sorry to bother you, but I guess I just want to know more about this game...

• UT2k4 feels a little bit sluggish to me (compared to 2k3). I don't know how to describe it, but when I played 2k3, it just felt a lot faster and more responsive than 2k4 - is there anything in 2k4 that would allow me to play using 2k3's style? (In particular, I loved 2k3's InstaGib - is 2k4's just like 2k3's? Fast and furious? Or is it slower and more tactical, like the rest of the game? I'm not too tactical, you see, and I like my battles to be fast.)
• Lag is sometimes absolutely horrendous... Does anyone have any tips on dealing with and adjusting to the difference between no lag (in Single Player) and some/lots of lag in Internet Multi Player? As you can expect, I'm having a lot of trouble adjusting to having lag mess with my gaming experience. It does look weird to me to fire the Link Gun and have the bullets come out after a delay - by which time I'd probably already be dead... :cry:
• I totally SUCK online!! Also, I've found that dodging is extremely hard to do while in a heated battle - does anyone have any tips on getting dodges out cleanly every time? I've tried adjusting the "Dodge Double-Click" time setting in the Options, but I still can't seem to dodge accurately.

Thanks for your time and your help. It is much appreciated.

[legacy-NoGodForMe]

Practice against the bots to gain experience.
Real players will still own you, but the bot practice does help.

As for lag, sort the server list by ping. Do a full refresh of all ONS servers. At the top of the listing, you'll see heading tabs, one of them says Ping. Click it and the entire list resorts by lowest ping. Play on those servers.