How can Epic save UT3?

[Xarv]

Just add the good old maps in the game in a new patch and belive me, there will definitely be more players online.

[Trepænima]

UT3 needs more patches to fix still-obvious problems in server administration, UI, client server acquisition, profile customizations, crashing bugs, etc.

After that a great demo needs to be released. I'm not sure if they can capture the magic of the UT2k4 demo which is still being played today, but obviously something a little more convincing than the current demo needs to be released.

Maybe some advertising?

[xi0s]

No i do, and i do know what happened to Q4, but it is not an apt comparison.

Q4 was mediocre singleplayer game with en even more mediocre and small MP component, on an engine that nobody was exactly thrilled to work with, it didn't have a prayer.

If Quake 4 were released like the way it is now, it actually could have done a LOT better, despite the slacking engine. I think its a MUCH improved game the way it is now, but alas there really isn't any turning back. People can only look forward.

[Mike888]

If Quake 4 were released like the way it is now, it actually could have done a LOT better, despite the slacking engine. I think its a MUCH improved game the way it is now, but alas there really isn't any turning back. People can only look forward.

i started a thread stating "epic has given up on the ut series", i went to check it a few hours later, 3 pages already, and when i went to click on page 2, they had deleted it and i got the error "invalid thread specified" not sure why the HELL they removed but w/e


this quote is one of the things i said. sure they can patch the game, sure people will join. BUT!!!!!!!! it can NEVER be as big as it COULD have been if they just got off their lazy asses and fixed it BEFORE release AND advertised. hell i saw two cod4 commercials last night on tv. TWO! on TV! i haven't seen ONE ut3 yet. i do remember seeing a crapload of gears of war commercials though...why doesn't the same thing happen here?????


point is, there really isn't any saving atm. fanbase will never be as big because the initial impression is everything. **** man, not to mention i had a teammate go "wow i can actually play this game now with all that blur **** gone" because i told him like TWO DAYS AGO when i found out what his problem was. epic pushed everyone away with such horrible settings.

i guess the only hope is to release ut3.5, with advertisements, lots of maps, new (old) gametypes and hopefully brand new ones too maybe?, and the people who bought ut3 either get it for free or a serious discount.

[Grobut]

UT3 needs more patches to fix still-obvious problems in server administration, UI, client server acquisition, profile customizations, crashing bugs, etc.

After that a great demo needs to be released. I'm not sure if they can capture the magic of the UT2k4 demo which is still being played today, but obviously something a little more convincing than the current demo needs to be released.

Maybe some advertising?

This is actually a great idea, the horrible Demo scared away alot of people, i cannot begin to count the number of people i have seen on various gaming boards who wrote off UT3 because of that Demo.

A new demo, showing a patched UT3 with the options put back in the game, and graphics settings that resemble what UT3 is capable of, would go a very very long way in winning back hearts and minds!

[Poiso]

It should be marketed more as what it is. A true-to-form deathmatch game, the first quality one in nearly a decade. There are lots of us dudes out here who are happy with this.

[daveron]

Crossplatform could have save it a little, otherwise it's dead already after such release.

[DGUnreal]

I know for a fact that Epic is working very hard on UT3 and the Unreal Engine, and many cool new things are coming soon (as a community mapper there are a number of upcoming engine features that I really want to incorporate into my own maps).
Plus there are many community mappers including myself working long hours on creating new maps to supplement the great stock maps and to fill in the spots where specific gameplay style maps are currently not available.
Epic is well known for being the best company for providing numerous bonus packs with extra content and game fixes throughout the lifespan of the games they release.
So why would anyone who is familiar with the UT Series think that Epic would treat UT3 any different?

I'm giving a few copies of UT3 to relatives for xmas gifts...

[Asurastrike]

As soon as modders start pumping out content, all these negative threads will go away.

Just remember, the PS3 was "in need of saving" 6 months ago and now it is outselling the Wii in Japan.

[Obscurite]

William Shatner's exclusive in-game model. That alone is filled with pure awsome.

[richcz3]

This is actually a great idea, the horrible Demo scared away alot of people, i cannot begin to count the number of people i have seen on various gaming boards who wrote off UT3 because of that Demo.

This was the key - the root of the problem.
No one could look at that demo and say "Hey that's what I saw being showcased in the demonstrations at E3 and online sites".
Every pre-release screen shot to date was sharp and very detailed. There is just so much going wrong in the demo presentation including the UI people won't even consider the full game. Although the core game is there, it's definitely down sized and got pushed out the door before it was done.

Patched really need to optimize the engine, fix bugs, fix the AI, and address the inclusion of game modes to make the game complete.

Epic needs to deal with this a PC game and not parallel platform joined at the hip with the console release. UT3 needs more than a face lift and a Map Pack to compete and get players back.

[sKr1p7k1dd]

I *obtained* UT2k4 just to see what y'all were comparing it to and I didn't play for more than 20 mins before getting bored.

UT3 is definitely a step up from 2k4, but it still has problems of its own.

[Dezx]

Not save but...a map pack with ut2004 popular maps would be good, a new demo (bugs fixed and more gametypes, CTF for example) and fix that problem with the names and clan tags, the people want to see their clan tags with unique characters (not just "[]")

[Grobut]

So why would anyone who is familiar with the UT Series think that Epic would treat UT3 any different?

Its normal PC-Gamer paranoia syndrome (hey lookit, i invented a new desease!), i suffer from it myself to be honest, and it comes from the Bizz having treated us PC gamers very poorly over the last years, there has been so many horrible ports from Consoles to PC, many in a state that was unplayable, and many of them have never been fixed, most of us have been burned by this many many times by now, and seen games with great potential waste away on our shelves because they where too buggy to play, and the developers only care about the Console version, its making it very hard to stay optimistic about any PC game that doesen't work flawlessly out of the box, especially if there also exists a Console version of it.

So even though i know Epic's track record, there is still that nagging doubt in the back of my mind.. cautioning me not to get my hopes up lest i get burned again, its a defense mechanism, plain and simple, and even Epic, with their good reputation and track record, cannot hope to escape this syndrome.

[SmokeRingHalo]

I know for a fact that Epic is working very hard on UT3 and the Unreal Engine, and many cool new things are coming soon (as a community mapper there are a number of upcoming engine features that I really want to incorporate into my own maps).
Plus there are many community mappers including myself working long hours on creating new maps to supplement the great stock maps and to fill in the spots where specific gameplay style maps are currently not available.
Epic is well known for being the best company for providing numerous bonus packs with extra content and game fixes throughout the lifespan of the games they release.
So why would anyone who is familiar with the UT Series think that Epic would treat UT3 any different?

I'm giving a few copies of UT3 to relatives for xmas gifts...

That is what I've been saying, that Epic is the best in the business for game and community support. But I'll admit that I did have moments of doubt considering that things have been done differently with UT3 - from consolish UI menus to eliminating the ladder in favor of a weak story campaign - so yeah I have had some fears of history not repeating since the product this time hasn't held true to old forms.
Care to share some of those upcoming engine features?
Oh and you also just answered what UT3 really needs, "Community Bonus Pack 1"!