What exactly IS it about UT99 that makes it so popular?

[R3plicant]

Removed

[Tarantella]

The whole package of course. Later versions improve on some aspects but they've always been lacking in one department or other.

In ut99, the sounds are great, the weapons balanced, the taunts and audio speech is great, custom downloads on joining a server are fine timewise, the maps are not cluttered with unnecessary texturing and detail, the ui is brilliant in its simplicity, the range of mutators a bonus and you can play it these days with onboard graphics at over 100fps.


If Epic could have just revamped the player models and upped the textures and tweaked the engine to allow more polygons I would have bought it immediately.

[Batty]

I agree with all the reasons mentioned so far .....


If Epic had just 'tarted up' UT99 to pacify the players who want awesome graphics but kept the form and movements of the UT99 bots, the taunts and speech, the weapons, it would have lasted another x years without a problem.

It is just so much fun to play ..... no matter how often you play it just doesn't get tired ... except on the maps you didn't ever like of course. I have wept with laughter playing with friends on Truff servers and here at Multiplay ... and that is a precious thing. :)

[BullDog]

agree with everything so far.

the thing that always boggles my mind is the attention to detail that UT got.
example:

say on Deck16 and you are over by the shock rifle you can easily side dodge to the x-beam for the shield/vials.

someone actually must have thought that out with a 'wouldn't it be neat if...'

the hammer was an inspired choice of weapon as was the trans.
they opened up the game to so many more realms of posibilities that the orignal makers may not have even considered.

this sort of open mindedness seems lacking in any of the 3 follow ups.

for me the top thing out of them all is probably the uncluttered grafix.

I can walk into a room and know where everyone is - no need for 'bright skins'.

let's face it ut2k3 and 4 had to have those things added to make the games playable and even then with some competitive games players were forced to use the same butt ugly skins.
with UT3 the brightskin is already there - this was their solution to the whole problem that wasn't present in the original.

all because of un-needed graphical upgrades.

UT is a game of simple graphical elegance.

[Tarantella]

Talking of elegance remind me of the dodge animation in ut99. The simple bending of the leg at the joint and movement in the direction of the extended knee even with the simple player models comes across as very elegant. The moment that leg starts to change position gives enough visual clues to the opponent(if they are quick enough) to counter the move.


I dont see that in the later versions of the game with the spindly female models of 2k4 nor the blocky powered armoured models of ut3.

[milou]

Well said.

[Tarantella]

Well said.



Quite so, but then I've got an ology in english and sometimes I thunks really hard about things before I speak unlike the op of this thread unfortunately. :fart:

[StayFrosty]

Its true that they got the gameplay, models and animation right with the original 99 but this is also true of both Quake 2 and 3, the only thing i never realy took to was the audio side of it with both the taunts and music being turned off. The other thing that has made it still so popular is that people have not had to upgrade their pc's to keep playing and as a fast online shooter it still holds upwell against all others.

But for me it was playing within the Truff community that made the game for me. The promotion of fair play and fun was lacking massively in most that i visited and even now i still find this evident on lots of servers whether its 99 or UT3 (and other online games).

I have to agree with Batty's words " i have wept with laughter " whilst playing on truffs and met some great people.

[milou]

UT99 was my first online gaming experience (even at my grand old age) and an awful lot of help in getting to know the tricks, maps and methods came from the MPZ community. For that reason alone, I have very fond memories.

[I_AM_SAM]

Playability, not so complicated and well clear graphics, speed and people ;)

[Juan90]

Elephants......

[blackcheetah]

UT99 gameplay is not complicated, the fact that dodge is use more with skill because you have to double tap creates better fun because a play is also thinknig more and is exercising his hands.

The character models are easy to see and the colors are attactive, while the actors range from smiling girls to angry monsters (skaarj hybrid).

The taunts are unique voices, very unreal voices that in between soldier and wrestler type voices

Weapons are very unique. If the second fires were taken out the weapons uniqueness would fall because then then they would just be copies from game such as quake 2 but because of second fire it brings the weapons to a whole new world of fragging and skill.

Mods mods MODS!

Reason why ut99 so popular?

Blackcheetah plays it.

[NJ.]

unreal99 engine rules.

1 of most smooth playing game i know.
direct shooting (like sniper) without 2 much overacting various exotic weapons
normal karakters (not stupid big unreal player karakters)
less complicated settings for smooth playing
easy keysettings for the most (execept for dodge, no keysetting possible) but they stopped dodge in new ut not for nothing.



the best players of other games could not win here in ut99 of the top ranking players (rarely) !