So the first question that might come into your mind: "What is UT (Unreal Tournament)?" Let me first tell you that it is NOT an online only game. Although this is probably the major part of the game, UT is a standalone game, which just like Unreal, features a multiplayer component. The game can be played without an Internet connection, although the interactivity might be limited. UT, if you strip all of its goodies away, is simply an FPS where you run around and try to kill all the other players, whether it is online or not. If this sounds like Quake II DM, well then you are right. But the similarities stop here. UT offers much more than any other DM game has before.

Most obvious, UT runs on the exceptional Unreal engine. By no means outdated… the Unreal engine is capable of delivering breathtaking graphics. However, this is something that a lot of people feel is unneeded. This will be explained later. Over the past 9 months, the Unreal engine has undergone many improvements including faster load times, less memory usage, greater/better 3D API support, and an improved interface. But most noteworthy would have to be the souped-up Internet performance. Anyone who had tried Unreal DM on its initial release knew that it was a disaster. On my 28.8 connection, I barely got a chance to move before I was killed by some LPB, and all the other players warped around me. I don't think my kills ever went over 0 (I was usually in the negatives). If I am scaring you, I should be, because that's how the average Q2 player performed in Unreal DM. As a result, I never saw more than 10 Unreal servers on Gamespy. But fear no more... because this is now a thing of the past! Thanks to the brilliant programming skills of Tim Sweeney, Unreal netplay is now actually playable. As he himself said, "It's practically flawless." The best part is that an improved version of this code will make it into UT, rivaling that of Quake II and maybe even Q3A.

But the enhancements don't stop there. Unreal's famous bots will make it into the game… but this time improved beyond recognition. First, they now have a better understanding of how lifts and doors work. No more do they get stuck on lifts where they are easy prey. This time around, you will be easy prey, since they now know which weapon to use for different circumstances. For instance… a bot would normally fire at you with the Flak Cannon, even if you were miles away, which was pretty useless. Or they would try to fire the GES Biorifle much higher than it would reach. Bots now change weapons depending on where you are, where they are, and the distance between you. More about bots will be discussed later.