Intro :
Fellow gamers rejoice: Unreal Tournament 3 (UT3) is more than just screenshots and videos; now you can experience this awesome game in the form of a public beta. Download the beta demo
here. Although one can't talk much about beta impressions, there's lots to ogle at in this 700 MB demo. There are some major changes in the game -- and I aren't talking only about the graphics. The game speed will remind you of classic UT. Read on to know more.
Nostalgia :
There are 4 game modes in the demo: DM, TDM, Vehicle CTF, and Duel. DM and TDM are classic game modes that need no introduction; Vehicle CTF
is again classic CTF with the inclusion of awesome vehicles; and Duel is a one-on-one game mode. Let me go into more details about each mode.
Death-Match, Team Death-Match, and Duel :
You have 2 maps available for both the modes: Shangri-La and Heat Ray. Both are beautifully designed and look great. The level design is very
complex with many positions, which is an advantage as well as a disadvantage. You can find a sweet spot to snipe or be caught in a dead end with 3 rockets propelling towards you. The same maps are used for Duel as well with no major changes. There are weapons in abundance, and you're never short of ammunition. U-damage -- or as the layperson may call it: mega damage -- is placed in very hard to reach places, which makes it time consuming as well as dangerous. Both the levels are great to play -- and while Heat Ray is dark (and a tad dull), Shangri-La is more vibrant. In Death
Ray, there's a "Drop", which appears after regular intervals. This drop is actually a "Robot" (that's the best word I could find), which can be mounted and used to disintegrate enemies into dust. Although it's very powerful, it's also very slow.
Vehicle CTF :
The map used in Vehicle CTF is called Suspense, indicating the suspension bridge used as the battlefield. The map is well designed, and is a great
combination of shortcuts and hidden pathways. The map design is simple yet effective; you can either run across the main roads, or climb on top of
the bridge or travel from under it. The coolest feature ever in UT3 is the inclusion of hover boards: in CTF, you don't run -- you hover. I found this to be an awesome feature, which makes running around with the flag a little more adventurous. There are all the classic vehicles, which have been
redone with some better abilities. All this makes for a good combination of classic gameplay elements with a fresh approach.
Guns'n'Gameplay :
The guns of UT3 look awesome. The models have been redone and how! The rocket launcher looks super cool, so does the flak canon. But just wait
till you see the redeemer. They all have their basic attack modes with a few changes. The guns don't feel different and will remind you of classic UT.
he game is fast, it's intense, and there's a lot going around, no matter where you stand. You move faster than UT 2004, and everything feels much smoother. The double jump and strafe are still active and work great while using a rocket launcher.
Graphics :
The game, though still a Beta, looks jaw dropping. The textures are highly detailed, and although they may seem a little similar to Gears of War (same
engine), they look nice. The game has no in-game benchmark, so I used FRAPS -- a third party program that offers some decent results, good
enough to make a judgment. In the graphics settings, there are 2 major options: Texture Detail and World Detail, both represented by a scale of 1-5. Here are 2 screenshots from the Heat Ray map at settings 1 and 4 (4, because it's not much different from 5).
Setting 1 (low res.)
Setting 4 (hi res.)
There's a huge amount of difference in the textures and details, especially with post processing. What's interesting is that even at lowest settings
the game looks decent enough to play. At the lowest setting, I was able to achieve a score of 50-55 FPS; and on high a score of 30-35 FPS, both at
16080x1050 resolution. The following are my rig specs:-
CPU: Core 2 Duo E6750 @ 2.6 Ghz
2GB RAM, 8600GTS 256 MB graphics card
This is still a beta demo. Hence, I expect much better results once the game is out officially.
Demo Impressions :
The game looks amazing, feels awesome, and plays fantastic. You can go and play online with hundreds of human players -- and its free. You can
download the from the UT3 website. So go enjoy. And let's hope the game arrives soon.
RIP OFF From Source : HERE
Unreal Tournament 3 (Beta Impressions)
Linear Mode
