Slashdot Mirror
Unreal Tournament 2003, Now With More Ogg
Alizarin Erythrosin writes "Unreality is running an article today about a hands on preview of Unreal Tournament 2003. An interesting bit was on page 2, saying that Ogg Vorbis is being used to compress the audio for the game." A nice screenshot demonstrates some of the eye-candy.
Money, man, money.
that's the best looking ogg player to date if you ask me. :)
Serious Sam: Second Edition (SSSE) has used Ogg Vorbis for music. Seems like it's catching on!
^_^
Am I the only one who thinks these graphics are well kinda lame. Maybe it's a semester of taking computer graphics, and recently being exposed to real time radiosity engines that is spoiling me. :)
To be honest, I am not all that impressed by the screenshots. It looks worse than Q3. The gameplay of UT was great though.
Screenshot mirrored here if it gets 'dotted.
Looks quite a bit like Tribes 2, which has been out since ~May of last year.
of a better use for this.
Also uses Ogg Vorbis - except you never saw that as a headline on slashdot.org
Well it already seems slashdotted just after 2 posts. Anyway Anandtech.com has a sub $200 video card shoot out and one of the benchmark test is using the Unreal 2003 engine. So if you are in the market for a new video card and plan on making Unreal 2003 a major game played on the card check out this site:l ?i=1608
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.htm
Nick
trust me of what I've seen of the game q3 can't compare. www.ign.com has better screen caps of UT2003 the ones in the article here are rather poor. also of what I've seen the animations are top notch(q3's seem rather poor compared to these) and it even includes dismemberment.
Evolve and Name|ess will be respawning soon.
" Looks quite a bit like Tribes 2, which has been out since ~May of last year."
That was my first thought as well. I wonder if an indoor shot or a closer view of one of the other players would have given a better sense of the new graphics engine. The snow effects look nice, though.
** The opinions expressed here are my own, and do not reflect those of my employers - past, present, or future**
Is this this "pizza delivery boy" mode? Or, more correctly "ball delivery killing machine"
"Red team, this is blue team. We know you have our balls and would like you to return them"
Why would you want to have any sort of audio compression taking up CPU cycles in a game that is so processesor depedent?
These sort of games seem to work by pushing computers to their limits, so it just seems odd that they would include something that takes power away from graphics/engine, espically when it's really not needed. (standard CD audio can be read off a disk with next to no CPU usage)
Am I way off base here? If so, let me know why.
The Internet is generally stupid
This looks like an unbelievable upgrade to the original. Wondering if this will take advantage of Gefore4t technology. Would defintely consider upgrading my GF2 if this was the case.
Eddy.WriteLinux.Com
http://thought.joint.net.au
Deography Photoblog
Ok I was set to buy my ps2, after all GT3, made it all worth it, now this, now I have to put aside my years savings to buy a new video card because my dual voodoo2 isn't supported by win2k and it would probable choke. ofcourse my new video card, wont work on my overclocked celron 300a. so now i need a new board cpu memory. WHY !!!! dont people realize it sucks to play on my computer in my basement i want to go upstairs on my 48" TV. but i still want my network play so i can shoot the heads off all my wayward co-workers
Maybe I missed it in the article, but I couldn't find any mention of the assult type of gameplay. Everything else seemed to be covered. Personally, that was my favorite style of game in UT 1 mainly because it was like Deathmatch with an actual purpose. Of course, pure free-for-alls are fun, but Assult brought a bit more strategy and (in my opinion) replayability. I truly hope they have something like it, except with more missions than UT 1 had. But, this was still an Alpha, so I'm willing to wait and see.
-James
here
If you don't understand any of my sayings, come to me in private and I shall take you in my German mouth.
Cool. If I'm not mistaken, my friend from Schloss Tegal did the soundtrack for some of the levels. You can check out some of his music here. He makes some dark, creepy stuff - perfect for Unreal.
Perhaps this will be the beginning of a mainstream penetration of the Ogg format. IIRC, before every teen in the western world (yes, generalization/exaggeration I know) had a 5 gig mp3 collection, there were some games using mp3 (although i can't remember specific examples). Perhaps this will encourage the semi-tech crowd (the casual gamer type mostly) to use Ogg, and it may filter down in to the main populous who mainly uses mp3 right now.
OTOH, mp3 use has become so widespread over the last 2-3 years that getting the millions who use it daily to switch to a format that provides little benefit for them (they simply want to listen to their music) is unrealistic.
My other sig is funny!
Honestly, I was glad they posted this. In fact, this has been the first /. article I've read all day.
/. editors post it for us to see.
If something is interesting, whether it be a product or a story, I would hope that the
My Journal - 1,337 fans and countin
Does anyone know if there are plans to release a Linux port, now that Loki isn't around?
Giga.de
Ask Slashdot - google for stupid people.
Fair enough, but is that really the point anyway? UT is a great game, and it's getting kind of long in the tooth now, but it's still a blast. UT 2003 is going to be a kickass game if it follows the model of its predecessor.
The thing that caught my eye more than the graphics and the new HUD look was the message at the bottom of the shot saying "You have the ball, deliver it to the enemy base!" I don't know if this is a mod that's already out there, but it seems like it's based on sports like football, soccer (the other white football), and games like it. More modes of play means more fun which means a better game, graphics aside. If my computer can run it when it comes out, it'll be in my hands ASAP.
"I may not have morals, but I have standards."
I really enjoyed Oggs comments too. (Ogg if you are reading this -- I beg of you please come back!!)
(+1 Funny) only if I laugh out loud.
Use Ogg, get free advertising on Slashdot.
There ain't no rules here; we're trying to accomplish something.
From the Unreal 2 site...
Q. For what platforms is Unreal II being developed?
A. At this time, the PC is the only announced platform.
Now that doesn't mean much, "announced platform"? It's been a while since I've read anything about it, but I am pretty sure I read that it is going to be D3D only ;-( I can't find it right now though...
Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken - Tyler Durden
That's OOG_THE_CAVEMAN to you.
Here's some more text so it doesn't appear to be all caps. I'm not yelling, damnit.
of the one true FPS: Quake 3 Area. Let's see, the enforcer is replaced with a Q3A-style machine gun, the sniper rifle has been replaced with a rail gun (trail back to shooter)... And you can't "load up on rockets" quite so much anymore - those poor UT players might have to actually learn to aim now ;-)
UT2003 For Linux? - Wednesday Apr 17 18:53:54 2002 - Updated by AlKini
foser wrote in to point out a little bit of information regarding the possibility of UT2003 being ported to Linux. The information came from an IRC interview in which Mark Rein from Epic participated:
[19:35] DE/Epic: Will UT2003 make it to Linux? If so, server, client or both?
[19:35] Server for sure on Linux
[19:36] MarkRein[Epic]: any word on a client
[19:36] Irix--> Don't know yet about a client but it will probably happen eventually
[19:37] Irix--> We'd definitely like to see it and I know Dan Vogel is talking with some friends of his who would like to do it.
So, someone who could do it, wants to do it. I sure want him to do it ;-)
So, I take my previous comment back ;-)
Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken - Tyler Durden
If game companies start seeing the economic benifits of ogg, I would think that in a year or so, after a couple big releases most game soundtracks will use this format.
And if they were smart they'd let everyone know about it, Look another program that uses OOG.]
That'd get people using it.
Also if you could insert your own ogg files as a soundtrack. People would be more likely to use it.
Chicago2600.net more than a lifestyle, its a survival trait.
but if your just looking at music, it just seems a good deal simpler to have that run off the CD.
Which limits you to sixty minutes of music if you devote 3/4 of the disc to Red Book. Big games will want more than an hour of music.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Tycho Brahe has laser eyes.
RUN.
[PowerPoint] is a tool for capitalist presentation
From first hand experience, my old 486DX2/66 could play S3M's and IT's up to 32-channels without any problems.
Probably using zeroth order (nearest neighbor) resampling, which introduces ugly aliasing artifacts. Most modern s3m players (such as Modplug Player) use cubic spline interpolation to resample the instruments, which requires many more multiply operations than resampling does but produces a much cleaner sound.
I'm just waiting for a mod format that uses Vorbis to encode its samples.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Screens
:)
screens 1
screens 2
gamespot article
screens 3
screens 4
screens 5
Weapons
http://www.unrealops.com/ut2-weapons-preview.htm
Hope this makes someone as happy as it did me when I first got it.
-Vic
I like what they did w/ the first unreal. It was kind of like midi, except it had samples of the sounds used right there in the file.
That's called mod. It's commonly used on Game Boy Advance games too. The UMX files are actually renamed XM, S3M, and IT files, and you too can make those with Modplug Tracker.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Who cares unless there is a linux port of it. Loki isnt around to give us a port for this one, so I'm betting it will never surface..
Hey! EPIC! I'll pay $75.00 for a linux version that DOES NOT USE WINE.
and I'm sure there are others that also would do the same.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Perhaps this will encourage the semi-tech crowd (the casual gamer type mostly) to use Ogg, and it may filter down in to the main populous who mainly uses mp3 right now.
People still use MP3 because there are pocket-sized MP3 players, and there are pocket-sized MP3 players because efficient MP3 decoder software that uses fixed-point (integer) arithmetic is widely available. The reference Vorbis decoder still uses floating-point arithmetic, which common ARM microprocessors cannot do in real time.
Will I retire or break 10K?
You "believe"?
If you'd check your facts, you'd find that the only sound formats supported by Dungeon Siege are MP3 and WAV. They apparently played with the idea of supporting WMA, but it used too much processing time. Not even a hint that they might have thought about OGG.
The better trolls have a grain of truth in 'em.. this isn't one.
Ya, funny how one of the most popular games, based on the most popular FPS game engine, get's mentioned but a far less popular, niche-market targetted game doesn't get mentioned.
It's almost as if Slashdot stories came from submissions from its readers, so naturally a more popular game would have more attention, and thus more potential news submissions.
Weird.
Rocket launchers? What's wrong with photon torpedoes and phasers?
OGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!
jeez, and quake 3 only came out 2 years ago? Damn those bastards at id for not making a game that will be prettier than anything else following it for a 2 and a half year period :)
beware the jabberwock, my son! the jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
people still use MP3 because there are pocket-sized MP3 players,
people use mp3 because everyone uses mp3: if you want to use a p2p tool to download music you want mp3 files, they are more likely to be found.
Operation Flashpoint is undoubtedly the best FPS I've ever played. Granted, it's not the best-looking one or "fun", but it's realistic and above all atmospheric. It's not about Quake-style bloodbaths - it's about realistic war. This isn't "shoot stuff that runs"; It's "oh shit, here I am. And those Commies are coming here. I guess I run." =)
It's not really an FPS. It's more like a "soldier simulator".
Don't blame me if it hasn't been marketed too much. I just heard, one day, from a local game magazine that there was this "totally world-changing" game I had never heard of - bought it, and loved it.
Yet another of those games that don't get the attention they so much deserve...
(Now, if only I could make Direct3D 8 to work properly on my machine again, it just blew up one day... Glad OpenGL works, so I can spectate Q3F in Linux while waiting for my copy of Myth II to arrive.)
>People still use MP3 because there are
>pocket-sized MP3 players, and there are
>pocket-sized MP3 players because efficient MP3
>decoder software that uses fixed-point (integer)
>arithmetic is widely available. The reference
>Vorbis decoder still uses floating-point
>arithmetic, which common ARM microprocessors cannot
>do in real time.
Portable players are available, as well as an official integer-based decoding lib (it needs to be licensed, but it's a small *one-time* fee. There's a totally free one being developed on sourceforge too I believe).
Your arguments no longer hold nowadays.
--
GCP
>As in not free then.
Yes, but a huge difference from a per-copy fee. It's a small one-time cost. As an example, one of Epic Games's developers bought copies of VS.NET for some Vorbis developers. It was a one-time cost for them. Much cheaper than to license MP3.
Same thing for portable players. A small one-time cost vs. paying Fraunhofer for *every player sold*.
>Very wrong indeed, you appear to be confusing what
>you hope will happen in the future with what is the
>case now, this doesn't benefit anyone.
Sorry, the libs *and* players are available *right now*.
--
GCP
I didn't know things were so desperate for you guys that you'd start dating ogg players. Then again, this is slashdot.
FPS example
FPS example
Non-FPS example
Only with the note that it was a particularly strenuous test that isn't representative of the stress that will be found in the release of the game, I present a counter-example: UT2003 CPU-Scaling benchmarks on cards of today