UT3 1v1 - Too stacked up on health/vials/armor?

[Boksha]

I dunno.
I never played UT 1on1 DM myself but if I recall correctly it also had a reputation of being... "streaky". That is, instead of exchanging kills the two sides exchanged killing sprees, which usually lasted until the dominating player runs out of armour.
I agree it's quite bad in UT2004 though. You often need 4 full flak sec hits (and definitely 4 LG hits) to kill someone with just full armour; you may need 6 if he has full health as well. As a comparison the stacked guy can pull out the mini or link after landing a single flak/rocket/LG hit. He has the advantage of unpredictability as well because he doesn't need to pick up weapons before he can attack, making it easier for him to land surprise hits.

In UT, 3 flakshells will often do someone with full health and full armour in. The slower movement made it harder to spawnrape someone on the other side of the map as well.

[Loco_br]

Complete Stuff about UT2k4 System Shield and mutch more for 1x1. (Signature link)

[EggSuckingLeech]

I never got this. Can someone explain how the diff armor systems made a diff in how the game plays out? I understand the technical differences so I don't need to hear that. But what I fail to understand is why one would be preferred over the other. In fact, I consistently hear ut99 guys complain about how 2k4 is more defensive in nature due to the shield and dodge jumping. And yet, the ut99 armor system seems to promote more defensiveness.

So I guess I don't really get what the big deal is.

[Boksha]

There's barely a difference between UT2004's armour system and UT's anyway. The dodgejump did make a difference; combined with the shieldgun it made getting away from enemies easier, promiting defensive play.

[EggSuckingLeech]

There's barely a difference between UT2004's armour system and UT's anyway. The dodgejump did make a difference; combined with the shieldgun it made getting away from enemies easier, promiting defensive play.

Sure I buy that. But I never understood the big deal in the armor systems.

[Boksha]

A lot of people have some very strange ideas about how armour works.
I've heard a lot of people say the 100% absorption system in UT2k3 promoted defensive play as well, while in practice, so long as armour absorption is in the range 70% and up, you will most likely wear down your armour well before you run out of health, so it really doesn't make a big difference whether the armour absorbs 70% or 100% of the damage. In fact, incomplete absorption means you get an extra means to regain lost hitpoints because it allows you to pick up health as well, which could also make staying alive easier for the player in control, which might make fleeing for more hitpoints (as opposed to going for an aggressive attack) more attractive as well, because at the end of the day a 10-0 win looks better than a 20-10 one.

[Kyllian]

I believe there was mention that the altfire of the new Hammer will be able to knock powerups off of a stacked player

[Mort_Q]

That'd serve you right for allowing someone to get that close!

[Raad11]

I believe there was mention that the altfire of the new Hammer will be able to knock powerups off of a stacked player

..........

[btcomm]

I remember back when I played UT99 I liked that the weapons were powerful and that if you hit someone with 3 flaks they were pretty much dead. Coming to UT2k3/4 it was a big point of frustration when I would hit someone with 3 or even 4 flaks and they still were not dead and then would run away with the shield gun.

I think like many people have said that the difference was not so much the armor stacking, but instead the amount of damage a weapon does to you. Also as much as I love dodge jumping it did give those really good players a way to get to you fast and kill you before you could get anything good and allows them to run away very fast when they are in low health.

I'm glad they are kind of going back to the UT99 ways even though I think the weapons are still not as powerful as they were in ut99.

[Molgan]

...even though I think the weapons are still not as powerful as they were in ut99.

According to this Q&A they are.

Dave: Weapon damage has indeed returned to UT99 levels for UT3.

[Mort_Q]

The terms UT99 levels can be interpreted more than one way.

[da ghost]

I'm sure that there will still be a pro community no matter how powerful stacks can be. i'm also sure that epic won't care about the pro community, but UT the competitive scene never needed Epic's help before. I won't worry about a thing.

[Raad11]

I'm sure that there will still be a pro community no matter how powerful stacks can be. i'm also sure that epic won't care about the pro community, but UT the competitive scene never needed Epic's help before. I won't worry about a thing.

You need sponsors to throw money at UT3 tournaments for there to even be a pro community. Pro meaning professional, meaning for $$.

And that's not guaranteed. It's not 1999, or even 2003. There's a million other games being supported right now, they could go right on ahead ignoring UT. UT2003 was briefly made famous by Fatal1ty but UT2004 was outgunned by Painkiller for major tournament support which was insane considering UT's playerbase.

If Epic just stays out of the way, UT3 will last for about a year in competitive tournament/LAN circles, maybe two. If UT3 is going to be the next big professional dueling/DM game, Epic will have to help support it (until Quake 5 or whatever, since id is focusing on competitive dueling for that game). Like how Sierra got F.E.A.R. for Xbox360 picked up by the CPL, formerly known for sticking only to hardcore PC deathmatch shooters.

[TensorWM]

UT2004 vs UT99