'Return' to UT is more than just gameplay. It is community!

[innociv]

Yeah the players now days are much different than the old days..
And they don't know what IRC is.

The new gamers are just worse and worse culturally.

[Noah Crane]

I don't think an in-game browser will make much difference. I don't think that many people used it in any case.

As much as I'd love a return to the large community that characterised UT, I don't think it's going to happen.

Back when UT was released there weren't that many games to choose between as regards online play. It was basically a choice between UT, Q3 and CS. Nowadays it's far more splintered. Within the UT community itself there are too many gametypes which further splinter the community. Frankly I'd be happy with CTF, DM, TDM and instagib. I don't care much for vehicles in CTF, or game types such as onslaught or the new warfare.

I'd love for a return to the days when I could encounter 'regulars' on CTF public servers night after night but I don't envisage it and seeing as normal CTF doesn't appear to be top of the list of priorities (strange considering it was probably UT's greatest strength) I guess I'm destined to be disappointed once again. That said, it's probably the case with me (as I'm sure it is with others) that fond memories of UT are mainly nostalgia.

[SandRock]

You forget the online community has increased massively as well. More people, more games, the question is if the community for ut really has become smaller. Of course it will seem smaller if everyone is split up between 10 ladders, 10 irc servers, etc.

Even though there are a lot of gametypes not every one of them is played a lot. For instance in UT2004 VCTF and ASSAULT were hardly played. In competitive play it was mainly ONS, TDM, and CTF from what I have seen.

DM does not split the community up as it is 1vs1 mainly, and in competitive play it is clan play that is the most frequent.

[[SOD]BART]

But UT was more than just the fast paced, hardcore, adrenaline-pumping, palm sweating action. UT was a way of life . It was a real community. Anyone who was part of it near the start of UT would know this.

I have talked to soooo many people who used to play ut99...and they ALL feel the exact same way. It was definately something special. I hope UT3 can duplicate that.

[Ultron]

I do agree people nowaday use messengers far more than IRC. So maybe it would be better for UT3 to have a messenger.