unreal-tournament-iii
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UTIII mod cooker finally released to the wild
We've been harping on about this Unreal Tournament III mod "cooker" for a wee while now. For those of you who don't know, this update for the Unreal Editor on PC allows mods to be exported to a PS3-friendly format, allowing any of the current and future PC mod releases to be saved out and used on the PlayStation 3. Epic released a few mods to tide us over while the "cooker" was still being tested. Soon after that, it was released to an undisclosed number of people on the Developer Mailing list, for further testing.Now, however, it's finally available for everyone to download. From here on out we expect to see a huge amount of user-generated content being released. But not all of it can be good, surely? We're aiming to bring you a round up of our favourite mods every couple of weeks or so. So if you're a mod maker, or if you've stumbled upon a mod you particularly enjoy, let us know at Jem [at] Joystiq.com.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
First user-released UTIII mod - the Action Cam
We know exactly what you've been thinking everytime you load up Unreal Tournament III - "I wish I could see more of my character's back". Well help is at hand. One of the first mods to be released by the UTIII mod community is a third-person camera mutator. This allows you to play the game as if it was a third person shooter, similar to Uncharted.The over-the-shoulder viewpoint gives the game a very different feel and comes with a few aesthetic restrictions. Firstly, bulky character models such as the Krall can obscure your view, so it's best to stick with something a little more svelt. The fact that you never see your weapon means that you also need to pay close attention to the shape of the crosshair, or you could end up blowing yourself up with a rocket launcher you picked up without noticing. Other than these very small obstacles, this mod is excellent. Be sure to grab it at your earliest convenience. If you stumble across any other great PS3 UTIII mods, we'd love to know. Just shoot us an email at Jem [at] Joystiq.com[Via Digg]
Unreal Tournament 3 mod-cooker could be out next week
The ever-chatty vice president of Epic, Mark Rein, has posted on the official Unreal Tournament III forums to let us know that they're in the final stages of testing the public code that allows for "cooking" mod code for the PS3. Rein believes that testing should be finished sometime next week and the update can then be immediately released. This will open the flood gates and we will then see a huge amount of user generated content being played on the PS3. We can't wait.Once the "cooker" is finally released, we at PS3 Fanboy will be running a new feature showcasing the best UTIII mods available for PS3. More on that next week, hopefully![Via N4G]
Unreal Tournament 3 toolset coming soon; some content released tomorrow
We know a lot of you were disappointed to find out that, even though Epic had promised, mods were not made available for the PS3 version of Unreal Tournament III on day one. Apparently they are still waiting on some paperwork from Sony and once that's in people will be able to export their mods for the PS3 version of the game. To tide us over until then, Epic has "cooked" some mods they've picked from the community themselves. The first piece, a map by the name of DM-Shrine, is available right now to play on your PS3.As if that wasn't enough, Epic is releasing some more user-generated content for download from the modding community. A mutator, some new maps and even a new game type. This should easily keep us busy until modders can "cook" their own content - when that happens we advise that you hold onto something, because we'll be seeing a tidal wave of content being released for us.Importing content is simply a matter of placing it onto the root directory of a memory stick or USB key, then importing it through the "My Content" section of the "Community" menu. Simple as that. The power of UTIII mods really becomes clear today and we can't wait to see what the modding community comes up with once the exporter is finally released.
AGEIA to give UT3 modders a physical with PhysX mod kit
With consoles constantly encroaching on what used to be exclusively PC territory, it's refreshing to know that there are some things, such as mods, that remain the domain of those who prefer keyboard and mouse over thumbsticks. For example, while Epic's Unreal Tournament III will eventually find its way to gamers of both persuasions, it will be PC enthusiasts who enjoy the added benefit of mods, though word is that players will somehow be able to share mods between platforms. The latest mod tools for the game come from physics moguls AGEIA, who have announced plans to release a mod kit designed around the company's PhysX GPU processor, promising modders "everything they need to easily add PhysX-powered content into the UT3 universe." The kit, which will be available in December, will include additional tools, guides, tutorials and documentation and assets and examples on top of the game's existing mod tools.In addition, to show that it's serious AGEIA has also released a collection of "Extreme PhysX Mod Levels," which are now available and aim to demonstrate why we should all care about the PhysX processor. This collection includes the LightHouse and Tornado mod levels, the latter of which can be seen in video form here. More levels are promised, and while we can't say that this has driven us to brave the Black Friday crowds to lay down the geld for one of those cards, AGEIA no doubt hopes that players include PhysX cards on their shopping lists this holiday season.
Rein: UT3 could hit shelves by Dec. 11
It seems Epic's Mark Rein has remained true to his word that the PS3 version of Unreal Tournament 3 would release before the end of the year in North America as he announced the game has gone gold and is now in the hands of North American manufacturing.Although an exact release date probably won't be set until next week, Rein did say the game will hit shelves early next month. "My guess is that Midway will start shipping the title to North American retailers on Monday December 10, and it could show up in stores as early as December 11, but more likely toward the middle of that week," he said in a statement. "I think PS3 owners are going to really enjoy UT3 this holiday so make sure you get it on your shopping list!" he said. While this is welcomed news for North American PS3 owners, we're sorry to say but our European friends will still have to wait until January or February for the newest entry into the series. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Unreal Tournament III can install 3.5GB worth of data
If you so choose, you can play Midway's upcoming Unreal Tournament III with some data cached on your drive. It'll take a pretty sizable chunk: 3.5 gigs worth of data. According to Mark Rein, this will shave just a few seconds off of the already-brief load times, and is meant for the hardcore that'll undoubtedly play the game nonstop. "Yes there is an install option which places a bunch of the commonly used content on your hard drive to speed up loading and texture streaming times a bit. It does not install everything - you still have to put the disc in the drive to run the game. The install is absolutely not essential. The game runs just fine from the Bluray and load times aren't bad but if you're going to play the game a lot, and you've got an extra 3.5Gb on your hard drive, then you might as well do the install because the few seconds you save here and there will add up over time."[Via N4G]
Rein: Work on 360's Unreal Tournament III just on hold
We had a spot of confusion yesterday when Epic's Mark Rein was quoted in one piece as saying work hadn't started on the Unreal Tournament III 360 version. Meanwhile, another site was reporting that they'd already played it on 360. Now, Rein has explained to us that it's not that work on the 360 version hasn't started yet, it's just that it's on hold."What I probably should have said was 'start working on it again.' We had the game up and running on all three platforms up until last spring. In fact Official Xbox Magazine came out and played the game for a great cover story they did on it. We stopped working on the 360 version so we could concentrate our efforts on shipping the various PC and PS3 versions. Once we get those out of the way, and take some time to enjoy the holidays with our friends and families, we'll start working on the 360 version again. There's still a decent bit of work to do. For example we have simple LAN play but no Xbox Live implementation yet and we need to work with Microsoft to figure out how to accommodate mods on their platform."So take heart, 360 owners. While it may still be a while until you get your hands on the game, the wait won't be quite as excruciating as you thought.
Rein: No work [for now] on 360's Unreal Tournament III, Us: Oh, OK [Updated]
You think it's easy sitting around all day blogging about video games? Not so, sir. Take today for example. First we see this interview with Mark Rein, wherein he says that work on Unreal Tournament III's 360 version won't even begin until next year. "Wow, that's interesting," we think, and we start dashing out a post for you to enjoy.But then we get a tip from a reader leading us to Australian site Gameplayer, which previewed the game. Specifically, he told us to check out Page 3, wherein the site says it previewed the game ... on the 360. "So what should I do?" you wonder. Well, the answer is obvious: Email Mark Rein for clarification, of course. But shouldn't you have a post up about it while you wait to hear back so no one is in the dark? Yes, of course you should. So, there you have it.[Via X3F][Update: We just got the following note from Mark Rein: "What I probably should have said was 'start working on it again'. We had the game up and running on all three platforms up until last spring. In fact Official Xbox Magazine came out and played the game for a great cover story they did on it. We stopped working on the 360 version so we could concentrate our efforts on shipping the various PC and PS3 versions. Once we get those out of the way, and take some time to enjoy the holidays with our friends and families, we'll start working on the 360 version again. There's still a decent bit of work to do. For example we have simple LAN play but no Xbox Live implementation yet and we need to work with Microsoft to figure out how to accommodate mods on their platform."]
Epic not starting on 360 UTIII until 2008
So just what were all those trailers then, hmmm? In a recent interview with Riottt.com, Epic bigwig Mark Rein admitted that work on the Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament III had not yet begun. When asked about whether or not we'd ever see the 360 version, Rein responded that it was definitely on the way, and reiterated that finding a way to incorporate user created mods was causing the hold up. "So our job, when we finish the PS3 version, and we??ve taken a little break," said Rein, "is to sit down with Microsoft and to figure out how we can do Mods on their system." Rein was then asked when the 360 version might be ready and responded, "We won??t even start working on it until early next year." Ouch. Here's hoping the game actually releases in 2008 as planned.
UTIII in America this year? There's a "very solid shot"; Europe? Not so much.
We were wondering what had happened to Mark Rein - it's been quite a while since we've last heard word from him around the internets. However, an Unreal Tournament III event without him would just be plain wrong, so it's no surprise to hear another load of quotes from him surfacing from a event held in Birmingham yesterday. Eurogamer were there to ask him a few questions but, more specifically, they wanted to know the likelihood of the game being released this year. In early October Midway revised their annual estimates with the expectation that Unreal Tournament III would ship in 2008, instead of late 2007. Mark Rein then went on record to say that Epic was still intending to get the game out before the end of the year and it seems like that will be the reality - for America. Rein told Eurogamer yesterday that Epic are "very close to a release candidate" and they "should have it finished by the end of this week." After that, it heads off to manufacture and distribution. As for Europe, he suspects the release may slip into 2008. But it's not Epic's fault! It's all those pesky languages us Europeans speak. "Europe's a problem because the certification process in Europe takes longer." Rein says, "They're testing all these different languages in all these different countries, so I doubt it'll be released this year in Europe. But I don't know. We'll have to cross our fingers and wait and see." So there's a chance - but we won't hold our breath.
Fragtacular UT3 Weapons Video
GameVideos has a nice video showcasing the weapons from Unreal Tournament 3. All of the guns in the game are being completely revamped from there previous incarnations. Featured arsenal in the video includes the flak cannon, rocket launcher, shock rifle, and link gun/plasma rifle. So have a look at some fragtastic firefights, complete with a couple Multikills and a killing spree. Graphics are looking tight and the pace is as fast as one would expect from an Unreal title. Are you up for some oldschool arcade shooter deathmatch?[Via QJ.net]
Unreal Tournament III Trailer on Marketplace
Major Nelson has let us know that there is an Unreal Tournament III trailer available on Marketplace. Although it is not available in Mexico or Asia. Perhaps it's a bit of payback for releasing Crackdown early. Still, the game features the Unreal 3 Engine, and is going to easily be on par with Gears of War in terms of visual fidelity. The trailer comes in two flavors, 720p or 480p and weigh in at 66 MB and 33 MB, respectively. So hop on Live, download the trailer and tell us what you think.
New GOW content in months, PC version "inevitable"
Speaking with TeamXbox, Mark Rein revealed that new content will be arriving for Gears of War within "the next couple months," citing the Dreaded Xbox Live Certification Process® as a primary reason it has taken so long. Rein notes that the content is "not months away...it's maybe a month? When it's done." It is unclear, however, whether he is speaking of the actual creation of the content or the certification process. The upshot, obviously, is that new Gears content is coming, and that it will have "a fun little surprise."Also mentioned in the interview is the inevitability of a PC version of Gears of War. Rein notes that Epic's biggest challenge will be to recreate a game that was designed exclusively for the Xbox 360 so that it will run on a wide range of PCs. Finally, Rein speaks about the upcoming Unreal Tournament 3, discussing his excitement about bringing user created mods to the console space. Hit the "read" link for the whole interview.Now, any wild speculations about what the "fun little surprise" might be in the new GOW content? We'll have none of that reasonable speculation either. We're only interested in wild speculation, thank you very much.
New UT3 screens are eye popping
Our friends at Xboxygen scored some new shots of Unreal Tournament 3, the fourth game in the Unreal Tournament series. The shots mostly showcase the game's gloriously rendered vehicles. Most notable of the new vehicles is the vicious tripod pictured above. The giant mechanical beasts appear to be terrorizing the Japanese countryside (something that almost never happens). Another interesting shot shows two players on hoverboards hooked onto a third vehicle, Back to the Future style. Put simply, the game looks great. Click the "read" link for more pretty pictures (perfect for wallpaper).
Mark Rein: User created mods in 360 UTIII
Speaking to Game Informer, Epic's Mark Rein believes that user created content will be featured in the 360 version of Unreal Tournament III. In fact, Rein admits that user created content is the reason the 360 version of UTIII took so long to confirm. According to Rein, Epic was unsure that Microsoft would allow such content to pass through the dreaded certification process (Whatever happened to VelocityGirl?). Whatever the issue was, Rein is now confident that mods should be coming our way. As noted by Joystiq, we're not really sure how such mods would be created. It's possible that mods could be made through a 360 specific level editor, though we have to question how detailed such a thing could be. Another solution would be for Epic to distribute the most popular PC content over Xbox Live. Could Live Anywhere have anything to do with this?[Via Joystiq]
Watch UTIII, new vehicle info
It was revealed last week that Unreal Tournament 2007, under the new moniker, Unreal Tournament III, is indeed headed to the Xbox 360. Most of us were expecting it, but it's still nice to hear. Many of you probably saw the trailer, but we thought it would be best to post it here now that it is available on GameTrailers. We know how our readers just hate to click links that direct them away from us, so we're proud to offer the trailer embedded neatly into this post. If, however, you are feeling adventurous, you can click this link to download the trailer in high definition. If you stream it to your Xbox 360, you can pretend like you're actually playing it! Not that we ever do that. Because we're much to cool to play pretend anymore, even with our Halo action figures. If UTIII in high def goodness isn't enough for you, some new vehicle info has been revealed as well. IGN had a chance to play the game and try out some of the new Necrid vehicles. The Viper is a speed vehicle that has the ability to jump and self-destruct. The Nemesis is a tank with three different modes of operation, each offering different speeds and firing capabilities. Finally, the Dark Walker is a huge walking tripod that rains death and destruction upon enemy vehicles. UTIII is expected in the second half of 2007.
