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A 'Fortnite' security flaw could have exposed players' accounts
Fortnite fans who are able to log in and play without any issues (other than being eliminated before so much as building a ramp) might thank their lucky stars Epic Games has resolved a security issue. Check Point security researchers found vulnerabilities on Epic's site that could have let hackers access accounts.
Epic stops work on 'Unreal Tournament' sequel because of 'Fortnite'
Epic Games has lately been quiet about its long-in-the-making Unreal Tournament sequel, and it now looks like the project is effectively on ice. In the wake of a September decision to move UT developers to Fortnite, Epic chief Tim Sweeney told Variety that the revived multiplayer shooter isn't being "actively developed." It's still in the store if you want it, but you shouldn't expect new modes or extra polish any time soon.
Epic Games is the latest hacking victim
Not even a chainsaw bayonette (or the stealthy gent up above) could stop Epic Games from falling prey to hackers. The Unreal Engine-maker sent emails to members of its forums announcing that unauthorized access to usernames, email addresses, passwords and birthdates may have been accessed by an intruder. From the sounds of it, the only channels affected were related to Bulletstorm, Gears of War, Infinity Blade, UDK, and older Unreal Tournament titles.
Go flex your Flak Cannon skills in the 'Unreal Tournament' alpha right now
How's this for irony? If you're the impatient type, an alpha version of the forthcoming Unreal Tournament is available for download right this instant. It'll almost assuredly push your grit to its limits, though. As is typically the case with prototype games, you might rip out more than a few hairs over unbalanced weapons and possible game-breaking bugs because, well, it's a work in progress. The development team at Epic Games says that the shooter will be updated every Friday to tie up the likely multitude of loose ends ahead of the final product. If any other "worthy" changes crop up before that, IGN reports the patches could be more frequent. So, if you want in on some of the action Epic teased earlier this summer, now's your chance. Correction: The alpha build isn't an official Epic Games release, but instead a product of the Unreal Engine 4 development community.
Headshot: Watch new Unreal Tournament devs play first deathmatch
In three weeks time, what can you accomplish? When we last heard from the Unreal Tournament team at Epic Games, they'd only announced that the project was a thing. Well, now there's video of them playing a round of deathmatch in an early build, as spotted by Joystiq. It isn't much to look at, what with the lack of complex textures and level geometry, but, it's a totally playable game and there are definitely people running around and shooting at each other with frickin' lasers. What's more, you can join in on the work-in-progress mayhem for yourself if you're paying the $19 per month for a subscription to Unreal Engine 4. You can leave feedback in the official forums with a free account, too. Like Tappy Chicken before it, this fast progress by a small team shows just how flexible and easy the new development tools are to use. Who knows, maybe we could see a beta version sooner than expected -- better dust off those Flak Cannon skills just in case.
Remember Unreal Tournament? Epic's making a new one and it's free
Epic Games is known for a lot of things, the Gears of War game franchise and development tool Unreal Engine prime among them. But old-school game fans might know Epic Games for another classic franchise: Unreal Tournament. The long-dormant series is making its return starting today! Sort of. Epic announced this afternoon that the next Unreal Tournament game begins development starting today with "a small team of UT veterans" focused on development for Windows, Mac and Linux. The entire development is open source, which Epic characterizes as, "a collaboration between Epic, UT fans and UE4 developers." As that line infers, the game's being created using Unreal Engine 4. Best of all? When the game's ready to play, it will be free. As Epic puts it: "Not free to play, just free."
Cliff Bleszinski quits Epic Games, leaves us with an Unreal feeling
Fall must be the season for sea changes in the game industry. Just weeks after BioWare's founders retired, key Epic Games veteran and Design Director Cliff Bleszinski (known to many as just CliffyB) is hanging up his hat. He simply describes it as taking a "much needed break," which makes sense when you see his development experience: he joined Epic's crew with Dare to Dream Volume One in 1993 and has nurtured virtually every major (and often minor) game franchise at the company since, including the Jazz Jackrabbit platformers, untold numbers of games in the Unreal line and most recently the Gears of War series. Bleszinski hasn't said where he's headed next, although it's hard to imagine him switching professions like the two BioWare doctors -- for many, he's synonymous with certain eras of first- and third-person shooters. Wherever he goes, we wish him the best of success.
Unreal Tournament 3 multiplayer powered by GameSpy
IGN and Epic sent word this morning that Unreal Tournament 3 will use GameSpy's online technology for multiplayer match ups. The announcement makes sense, given that GameSpy joined Epic's Integrated Partners Program in August, marrying the company's technology with Unreal Engine 3 and permitting cross-platform play across both the PC and PS3. According to a statement, both versions of UT3 will leverage off of GameSpy's tools for multiplayer matchmaking, in-game and out-of-game messaging, tracking players stats, VoIP messaging, and online ranking and leaderboards. However, while interoperability between the two versions of UT3 is expected, this still has not yet been confirmed. The game is currently earmarked on our calenders for release for the PC on November 19, while the PS3 version remains something of a mystery.[Via press release]
Sony announces holiday lineup, still believes in Unreal Tournament 3
Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced its 2007 holiday lineup for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network and PlayStation Portable. The full list (posted after the break) contains every released and unreleased title the publisher expects to add to the cacophony of "Buy me!" screams echoing throughout the aisles this festive season. Highlights includes the cringe-inducing PAIN, stealth saga Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus and Lara Croft gender bender, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune for PS3. You'll also spot a burst of confidence regarding the timely arrival of one Unreal Tournament III, despite the fact that publisher Midway has written it off for 2007. Is Epic Games going to perform an unlikely Unreal miracle, or did someone miss the memo?
Midway expects no more PS3 delays in 2008
Did you know that the American PS3 version of Stranglehold slow-mo dived out the door this week? Midway's destructive Hard Boiled follow-up, like several PS3 games in the past few months, had been pushed off the edge of the calendar so many times that many eventually lost sight of it, played it on competing platforms or just moved on to other things. Midway CEO David F. Zucker recently discussed the predicament following a Top Secret! financial conference call, noting that technical hurdles on Sony's platform initially slowed them down. "For our first wave of next-gen games... lead development has been on the Xbox 360, due to its earlier introduction and larger installed base," said Zucker. "We ran into some technical issues developing for the PlayStation 3 that have taken more time to finalize than we expected." He now considers said issues resolved, however, and expects "PS3 versions of [Midway] titles to ship day and date" with those on other platforms beginning next year. As for Unreal Tournament III, PS3 owners should look for it "as soon as it's ready."Finally, with development hassles supposedly out of the way, Midway can continue work on a soon-to-be-announced title described by Zucker as an "ambitious open-world game." We certainly hope he means the Psi-Ops meets Crackdown adventure we just envisioned.
Developers walk through Unreal Tournament III
For the Unreal devotees, it shouldn't come as surprising that Unreal Tournament III is shaping up quite nicely. Already far along in development, this PC/PS3 first person shooter is pushing the boundaries of the already-impressive Unreal Engine even further. Not only are the weapons demonstrated in this video, but the vehicles are, as well. Some of them are quite creative, we have to admit.While we're impressed, we're worried that the current popularity of Warhawk may deter fans from switching to yet another multiplayer shooter. While UTIII and Warhawk have very different approaches to the genre, we hope that gamers don't get too burned out from their endless Warhawk sessions.[Thanks, Daichi!]
Unreal Tournament 3 to feature PC to PS3 cross play? Still undecided
The rumour mill is working overtime today, churning out bags and bags of delicious untruthes. The latest of which is that Unreal Tournament 3 will feature PC to PS3 cross play and that the PS3 will be the only console to support the feature. We contacted Mark Rein for clarification and he responded exactly as we expected him to. "We have not made a decision on PS3 vs. PC play."To clarify further, for those confused, the PS3 version of UT3 will feature keyboard and mouse but PC to PS3 cross play has not been decided on yet. Rein listed some hurdles that need to be jumped before the feature could be implemented during his interview with Joystiq. One of those hurdles? Control differences. So with that fixed, it's a possibility. They just haven't decided yet. Yes, we're really driving that point home. Keep those rumours coming and we'll keep debunking them. Probably.
Keyboard and mouse support for UT3 PS3
Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein has confirmed on the official forums that Unreal Tournament 3 for the PlayStation 3 will support keyboard and mouse."[Designer Steve Polge] is confident we are doing it in a way that will be balanced without feeling "gimped" for either side," he said. Rein also added that there will be options to "allow people to choose whether or not they want to allow mixed controller vs. keyboard/mouse games or not." In our recent interview with Rein, he was still unsure if this feature would be implemented.Will the battle for the best first-person shooter controls -- gamepad or keyboard and mouse -- now be fought locally? Is this further evidence that Epic will implement the PS3 and PC cross-platform multiplayer? Our fingers are crossed.%Gallery-4830%[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Unreal Tournament 3 not using Games for Windows Live
Xbox 360 users who want to shoot up their PC counterparts in Unreal Tournament 3 are out of luck -- Epic vice president Mark Rein has confirmed on the developer's forums that the first-person shooter will not use Games For Windows Live and will therefore not feature cross-platform play between Microsoft's console and the PC. Rein said that they have not decided about cross-platform play between PC and the PlayStation 3. "We're not 100% sure that users want that feature but if we get time we'll play around with it and see how it works," he said. Sony's console will have the ability to share PC mods, so the the logistics of PC vs. PS3 play shouldn't be too hard. No release date has been given but Unreal Tournament 3 has been confirmed as a timed exclusive for the PS3.%Gallery-4830%
Gears of War, UT3 coming to Macs
At this rate, it's becoming difficult not to play Cliffy B's roadie-running extravaganza. During an interview with Game Head's Geoff Keighley, Epic VP Mark Rein revealed that Gears of War is in development for Mac OS X, along with Unreal Tournament 3. This news follows Epic's E3 announcement that Gears is in development for PC, with additional features not seen in the Xbox 360 version.No development details or release dates were mentioned. Given the casual nature of this announcement, however, one can assume that both Gears and UT3 will be ported from the PC to OS X using Cider, rather than being developed natively. No love for PowerPC users; though it might be time to consider that Intel-based Apple you've been eyeing ...[Update: It appears these are coming to the Mac natively, not through the magic of Cider, according to this comment from MacSoft's Ryan Gordon: "And no, neither game is using Cider." Impressive. Thanks for the link, David!][Via X3F]
Gears of War and UT3 coming to the Mac
Back at WWDC one of the most surprising things was the emphasis on gaming. Well apparently Uncle Steve and Co. were serious as Epic has confirmed that the Xbox 360 mega-hit Gears of War as well as the highly anticipated Unreal Tournament 3 are both coming to the Mac. On a video at Gametrailers.com, Epic VP Mark Rein reveals the news. As the resident 360 maven let me assure you that getting Gears on the Mac should make a lot of Mac gamers happy. There's no word on timing, but with announcements like this there's reason to hope that the future of gaming on Intel Macs looks bright.[via MacMinute]
Joystiq impressions: Unreal Tournament III
We got to see Unreal Tournament III running side by side on PC and PS3. Both versions obviously looked fantsatic, and it was great to see how nearly identical they look. However, the incredible resolution of the PC version made it the clearly superior offering. A representative from Epic told us that the PS3 version is still being tweaked, and that details about the resolution and framerate it will run at won't be revealed yet as they're still trying to optimize the performance for the console.UTIII will feature the return of many fan-favorite weapons, but we saw a couple of a new additions. Of particular note had to be a weapon that generated a time-warping field. A cube can be created, and within that cube, all time gets slowed down significantly. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the field, we saw the Flak Cannon shoot into the field. As the spray entered the field, it came to a crawl, and the player was able to run past the flak and see it exit the other side, at full momentum. We don't know if this will make a significant change to battles, but it certainly was a cool effect, nonetheless.In addition, UTIII will feature a greater variety of vehicles. The coolest addition has to be the hoverboard, which is readily accessible at all times. This allows players to move much more quickly, and can be used while holding a CTF flag. A new single player mode was briefly demonstrated, and it shows a lot of potential. The offline single player from previous Unreal Tournament titles were slim on story and options. In the newly updated single player campaign, players will be able to watch a story unfold, and choose a non-linear path through various missions.%Gallery-4830%
Hands-on Unreal Tournament III
We got to see Unreal Tournament III running side by side on PC and PS3. Both versions obviously looked fantsatic, and it was great to see how nearly identical they look. However, the incredible resolution of the PC version made it the clearly superior offering. A representative from Epic told us that the PS3 version is still being tweaked, and that details about the resolution and framerate it will run at won't be revealed yet as they're still trying to optimize the performance for the console.UTIII will feature the return of many fan-favorite weapons, but we saw a couple of a new additions. Of particular note had to be a weapon that generated a time-warping field. A cube can be created, and within that cube, all time gets slowed down significantly. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the field, we saw the Flak Cannon shoot into the field. As the spray entered the field, it came to a crawl, and the player was able to run past the flak and see it exit the other side, at full momentum. We don't know if this will make a significant change to battles, but it certainly was a cool effect, nonetheless.In addition, UTIII will feature a greater variety of vehicles. The coolest addition has to be the hoverboard, which is readily accessible at all times. This allows players to move much more quickly, and can be used while holding a CTF flag. A new single player mode was briefly demonstrated, and it shows a lot of potential. The offline single player from previous Unreal Tournament titles were slim on story and options. In the newly updated single player campaign, players will be able to watch a story unfold, and choose a non-linear path through various missions.%Gallery-4836%
Unreal Tournament 3 to ship with dozens of multiplayer maps
The August edition of the Official Xbox Magazine ships with its usual disc of goodies and this month it includes a mini-documentary of the future frag king, Unreal Tournament 3. We'd link the issue here, but their site is currently under construction. As BeyondUnreal reports, UT3 -- which is decidedly not for wimps -- will be shipping with "three to four dozen multiplayer maps." This is consistent with what they told CVG back in February. Judging from their work on Unreal Tournament 2003 and 2004, we're willing to bet that a good chunk of these maps -- these "pain sanctuaries," if you will -- are remixed versions of UT classics. Our cup still runneth over as it's good to know that Epic isn't slacking off in a day and age where some folks think it's cool to ship with a map count in the single digits.
"One Thumb to Rule them All"
This video is just flat out amazing. Mike Phillips is a Mac gamer and writer, who just happens to have been born with spinal muscular atrophy. He's apparently only able to move his thumb, and yet that doesn't stop him from playing Unreal Tournament and World of Warcraft. This is possible thanks to a proximity switch connected the Swifty USB switch interface from Origin Instrument and the SwitchXS software from AssistiveWare. The latter looks basically like a kind of on-screen keyboard, that Mike scrolls through to select arrows or letters, etc. Seeing Mike frag people left and right is enough to make me keep away from him online. AssistiveWare has a variety of products to help disabled Mac users, as well as other videos demonstrating some of them.[via MacDevCenter]
