Returning to Unreal..

[7percent]

Howdy everyone,

I used to post here back in the day, I imagine my username was 7% or 7percent, I certainly recognise most of the usernames on here!

Unreal was my first love, we bought a copy when we got our first family computer ~'98 and I really fancy playing it again.

So I'm going to act like a proper n00b and bombard you all with loads of questions.. for this I am sorry.

1. My monitor is 16:9, what resolution(s) is it best to play it in? [if playing in UT and Oldskool] I imagine Unreal works best in 4:3 ratio but want to make the most my monitor..

2. I have a system called AMBX which is a set of lights plugged into my computer that flash when weapons are fired etc. I can use it in UT with a mutator, but using that mutator in singleplayer won't let me load the next level.. Anyone know a work-around?

3. What do I play? There's been so much community-made maps etc I'm not sure what I should play and in which order. If you can help me make a check-list I'd be grateful.

-1- Unreal
-2- Return to Na Pali

ONP? Deja Vu? what will continue a 'narrative' best? and feels most Unreal? suggestions welcomed..


Thanks for reading all this and I look forward to discussing Unreal a bit more with all of you

[Buff Skeleton]

Welcome back! I think I vaguely remember your name, but I'm not sure. Anyway:

1. My monitor is 16:9, what resolution(s) is it best to play it in? [if playing in UT and Oldskool] I imagine Unreal works best in 4:3 ratio but want to make the most my monitor..

Native resolution of the monitor is always best. If that's 1600x900 or 1920x1080 depends on its size. I play at the latter and it looks good. Just be sure to do "setfov 105" and/or "fov 105" in the console so it remembers to use a wider FOV. Otherwise you end up seeing a lot less at the top and bottom.

2. I have a system called AMBX which is a set of lights plugged into my computer that flash when weapons are fired etc. I can use it in UT with a mutator, but using that mutator in singleplayer won't let me load the next level.. Anyone know a work-around?

Which mutator is it?

3. What do I play? There's been so much community-made maps etc I'm not sure what I should play and in which order. If you can help me make a check-list I'd be grateful.

Really, if you have time on your hands, you may as well play everything that's been reviewed. There's a lot of good stuff. Start from the top score-wise and work your way down if you want to stop before you get to the not-so-good stuff due to time constraints, or do the reverse if you want to save the best for last.

[7percent]

Looks like I used to be tobler-1 [or a variation thereof] there's still a review of my fan fiction on the site! wow..

AMBX - I haven't actually got the lights plugged into my computer at the moment.. I shall plug them in shortly to see what's what and give you more info this is how it looks with the mutator running though:

I haven't got that much spare time to be honest, just looking forward to playing through unreal again. I wouldn't say I've forgotten enough of it to make it feel like a new experience but hopefully I'll rediscover a few bits I've forgotten..

Will take it slow and savour every moment. Just finished NyLeves Falls and, well, it was awesome. And it was only Nyleves falls!

This is gonna be fun

[jackrabbit]

Play stuff on UT by team "Red Nemesis" such as Xidia Gold and 7Bullets. It is well worth your while. I wouldn't do Deja Vu just after I beat Unreal campaign because they are too similar and same for RTNP expansion.

Some other which I consider the best:

-The Tower of Shrakith'a ("quite possibly the best" ... period)
-Liberation of Na Pali (awesome atmosphere and very original)
-One Day (underrated very nice little campaign)

Yup those are my top picks for sure. I promise you won't be disappointed by any of them.

I'm sure there are other ones out there which you should also invest your time in if you get the chance...

[Lightning Hunter]

You guys are mentioning some good map packs and all, but are completely ignoring what 7percent really asked for. To quote a part of his original post:

ONP? Deja Vu? what will continue a 'narrative' best? and feels most Unreal? suggestions welcomed..

I'd say that Deja Vu, Hexephet, Tower of Shrakitha, and One Day feel the most Unreal. They have the same storytelling style of Unreal, similar architecture, and similar game play. ONP, Xidia, and Seven Bullets are awesome map packs, but do not feel the most Unreal. If 7percent had asked for something modern and fresh, I would most certainly recommend those three packs.

[UB_]

Go with Deja Vu, Shrakith'a, Alshar, Shamu Quest, Return the Heart, Tashara's Cove and Shinigami 1.

[redeye]

Goto Loathsomes server for UT oldskool SP coop, it will get you motivated to download tons of things.

I also suggest getting monsterhunt, for even more radical playing, (look for "planetmonsterhunt" server) that will keep you going for a while, and tune up your UT usage skills.

Of course DM servers, go download my "DM-Trenchdog" map, set bots on adept or higher, and practice your UT skills it's a friggen snappy map, it wares you out.

[7percent]

Thanks for the input guys!

Just got to the sunspire on Unreal difficulty, feeling like bit of a cheat though as I never play at 100% speed.

How do we feel about letting things live? I didn't want to waste too much ammo on a titan in spire village so I avoided it completely..

Also anyone as anal as me pick-ups wise? I keep killing everything on a level and then going back for all the ammo I've missed, and I won't pick up armour if I think I've still got some left from earlier..

God I love Unreal.

[UB_]

I play at 115% speed, and I mostly use the Dispersion Pistol. I use other weapons and waste the same quantity of ammo that you can find in the current map.

[7percent]

Wow, what an old thread..

Well I'm back and I'm hankering for some more Unreal. Will be trying some HD textures and whatever other mods/updates I can find.

I want to try Unreal Evolution as well- any thoughts?

[UB_]

I want to try Unreal Evolution as well- any thoughts?

Considering the very fast ban the author got in the discord, I'd recommend staying away from it. The installation method is godawful and it resets settings among other things, plus it is terrible to get rid off just in case; might had some decent idea but you're infinitely way better off trying custom maps/mods.

[Mister_Prophet]

You might enjoy the Savage Land Demo that released in February.

https://www.moddb.com/mods/savage-land/ ... eland-demo

Link to download: https://www.moddb.com/mods/savage-land/ ... eland-demo

[7percent]

I want to try Unreal Evolution as well- any thoughts?

Considering the very fast ban the author got in the discord, I'd recommend staying away from it. The installation method is godawful and it resets settings among other things, plus it is terrible to get rid off just in case; might had some decent idea but you're infinitely way better off trying custom maps/mods.

Is it that bad? I will be starting with a brand new install of Unreal and once it's finished I was just going to unintsall the whole lot and start with a clean install. I like the idea of tweaking Unreal so it would be a slightly different experience.

[7percent]

You might enjoy the Savage Land Demo that released in February.

https://www.moddb.com/mods/savage-land/ ... eland-demo

Link to download: https://www.moddb.com/mods/savage-land/ ... eland-demo

Ooh, that looks cool! Will definitely put that on my list. It's amazing to see that people are still making mods for Unreal.

[ividyon]

I want to try Unreal Evolution as well- any thoughts?

Considering the very fast ban the author got in the discord, I'd recommend staying away from it. The installation method is godawful and it resets settings among other things, plus it is terrible to get rid off just in case; might had some decent idea but you're infinitely way better off trying custom maps/mods.

Is it that bad? I will be starting with a brand new install of Unreal and once it's finished I was just going to unintsall the whole lot and start with a clean install. I like the idea of tweaking Unreal so it would be a slightly different experience.

If you can separate the art from the artist (who has quite the fragile ego and thus defends it with insults), you can try Unreal Evolution by using a separate install specifically for it. Just install Unreal, then copy the whole Unreal folder, and use that copy for the mod.

Since the author is not very good at Unreal modding, coming from a Deus Ex background, he resorted to hacking the internal files of the game itself, as well as the original maps, to change them to his liking. This destroys a normal Unreal install, and affects any other mods you install on it, hence a separate one is required.

So long as you quarantine it away from your "legitimate" Unreal install, you'll be fine.

--

By the way, if you have UT99, you may also enjoy the freshly updated The Vale: Evelyn, which might well be the best single map created for Unreal to date.

And if you want to get the most out of your Unreal and UT installs, don't forget to install and use the HD Skins Mutator and HD Texture pack!