Unreal Tournament Complete Guide (81 Sections) | AntMag

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Welcome to Unreal Tournament, the legendary 1999 arena shooter from Epic Games. You'll be thrown into fast-paced, sci-fi combat across a variety of maps, mastering iconic weapons like the Impact Hammer and Bolt Driver to outmaneuver and frag your opponents. Whether you're playing solo through its missions or dominating multiplayer matches, UT demands quick reflexes and strategic weapon usage.

This guide dives deep into the core mechanics of Unreal Tournament. We'll cover efficient weapon strategies, detailing the primary and alternate fire modes for each weapon, and provide walkthroughs for tackling the game's levels. For those seeking the ultimate challenge, we also detail how to conquer the notoriously difficult 'Inhuman' mode.

Part 1

Hello, and welcome to my guide for Unreal Tournament GOTY Edition.

This is by now a very old game, but it will always be a classic, and I recently decided to revisit my guide and give it one final big polish. There are two reasons for this: firstly, until February 2023, I had no idea that a GOTY version existed, and when I found out I realised this document, originally written for UT 99, would contain a lot of mistakes and would be missing a lot of content; and secondly, the 25th anniversary of Unreal Tournament will be next year (2024), and so there might be some re-release by Epic (although they are no longer supporting the game's servers), or some new or old players returning to the game and looking for help.

I have therefore updated and improved nearly every area of the guide. I have gone into much more detail about weapon utility and map strategy (including the additional GOTY maps, previously missing), and I have made lots of corrections to wrong or outdated material. I have also done the usual thing of cleaning up typos and formatting, so everything should be much more presentable than it used to be.

Finally, in the latest version, I have included a new section on how to reinstall this very old game and get it working perfectly on modern systems (see section 1.3).

The guide begins by going into detail about the various powerups and weapons available in the game, plus as many other gameplay features as I could think of; it next covers ways on how to customise UT to suit your own preferences and style; and finally it breaks down every map in the single player tournament ladder, offering gameplay tips and advice on each. The guide is mostly aimed at those players who enjoy working their way through the single player mode, but there is also plenty of information in here which may be useful even to online veterans. I played on Masterful, as I assume most people will pick this, but I recommend capping the GOTY difficulty at Adept.

Anyway, whether or not you learn anything from this guide, I hope you enjoy it.

For further help with the game, whether with gameplay or technical questions, I suggest you visit this site:

1.2 GOTY EDITION

The Game Of The Year Edition of Unreal Tournament is not very different to the original with patches 436 / 469C, but there are some changes you should be aware of.

The most obvious is that there are some new maps in the championship ladder, specifically in DM and CTF (there's also one old map missing, DM-Barricade). These maps were around on public servers for a long time, before and after being absorbed into the GOTY edition, so they will likely be familiar to many players.

Bot AI has also been (mostly) improved: th

Part 2

This section covers the installation of Unreal Tournament GOTY edition, applying necessary patches, and configuring display settings for an improved gameplay experience. It also touches upon bot AI advancements and new bot types introduced in the game.

Bot Difficulty and AI: Bots in Unreal Tournament have become tactically smarter with increased difficulty. While Adept is considered the 'normal' difficulty, higher levels like Masterful can feel unbalanced. New bots, such as the Skaarj, are introduced. Bots have gained new abilities like banking grenades and using rippers off walls. At higher difficulties, they can perform hammer-jumps and use translocators. An 'Enhanced Team AI' option exists for Domination practice sessions, though its specific function is not detailed.

Community Mods: The GOTY edition includes two community mods: ChaosUT and RocketUT.

Game Version: The game version listed is 496C, a community patch incorporated by Epic. The latest patch is 469E.

Installation:

Download the ut_goty.zip file and extract its contents.
Run the UT_GOTY.exe installer. Ensure 'Register the game as the handler for the UMOD files' is checked to facilitate mod installation.
The installer will download and install essential GOTY edition files.
Locate the System folder within your UT installation directory and run UnrealTournament.exe.
Configure video driver options; 'Direct3D 9 Support' is recommended.
Configure mouse settings; 'Raw Input' is recommended.
Run UT from the final screen.

Patching:

GOTY edition is a patch itself. The next step is to update to patch 469E, which includes fixes and enables online play. Download links for various operating systems are provided.

Display Configuration:

After installation and patching, customize game settings via Game > Preferences > Video.

Resolution: Choose your desired resolution, with widescreen options like 1280x720 recommended.
Fullscreen Issues (Windows 11): If fullscreen mode doesn't work at a non-desktop resolution, set Video > Window Mode > Full Screen. If it still fails, manually edit UnrealTournament.ini by finding the [WinDrv.WindowsClient] section and setting WindowedViewportX, WindowedViewportY, FullscreenViewportX, and FullscreenViewportY to your desired resolution values (e.g., 1280x720).
Framerate: Change 'Min Desired Framerate' from the default 30 to 60fps for a significantly improved experience.
Dynamic Lighting: Enabling 'Use Dynamic Lighting' animates map lighting but may reduce framerate.

Part 3

This section covers configuring your Unreal Tournament installation, focusing on mods and multiplayer settings. It's recommended to back up your user.ini file before making changes, as it stores your playstyle and custom settings. You can find this file in the game's System folder.

1.3.2 MODS

Hundreds of mods exist for Unreal Tournament, ranging from custom game types to user interfaces. Here are some notable types:

UMOD Extractor: A utility required to install many mod packages with the .umod extension. If you selected this option during installation, you won't need it separately.
HD Textures: High-definition texture packs can enhance the game's visuals. Copy the provided .utx files into UT's Textures folder, overwriting existing files if necessary.
Smart Scoreboard: This UI mod improves the game's interface and provides detailed statistics, including player accuracy, efficiency, and Assault objective lore.
Smart Stock Bots: Primarily for single-player, this mod significantly enhances bot AI, making them more challenging and human-like with improved movement and tactical awareness. Recommended difficulty is Masterful, as lower levels don't enable dodging, and higher levels result in aimbot-like behavior.
Ninjabots: A map rebuild project designed to work with Smart Stock Bots. It replaces original DM maps with rebuilt versions that allow bots to utilize advanced movement techniques like hammer-jumps and ambushes, making them less predictable. Configuration is not required, but default DM maps must be replaced with these versions to maintain original filenames.

1.3.3 MULTIPLAYER

To ensure the master server list functions, update Unreal Tournament to at least version 469d or 469e using community patches. A live server list is available online; you can copy and paste server IPs into UT via Multiplayer > Open Location. Some servers may be password protected.

1.4 USING THIS GUIDE

Use CTRL + F with the guide's contents menu to quickly navigate sections. The main walkthrough is located towards the end. Abbreviations used include AS (Assault), CP (Control Point), CTF (Capture The Flag), DM (Death Match), DOM (Domination), DPS (Damage Per Second), FC (Flag Carrier), FPS (First Person Shooter), GOTY (Game Of The Year), HJ (Hammer-Jump), LMS (Last Man Standing), NZ (Neutral Zone), OBJ (Objective), R/L (Rocket-Launcher), T/L (Translocator), and UT (Unreal Tournament).

1.5 CONTACT ME

For suggestions, corrections, or feedback, contact hayabusa21180@gmail.com. Please include 'Unreal Tournament' in the subject line.

Part 4

This section covers essential game settings that significantly impact your gameplay experience in Unreal Tournament. Adjusting these options can improve your aim, visibility, and overall control.

Recommended Settings:

Weapon Hand: Center or Hidden. While 'Right' might feel natural initially, 'Center' offers better accuracy relative to your crosshair. 'Hidden' provides the most screen visibility but requires practice to avoid confusion when switching weapons.
Gore Level: Ultra-Low. High gore levels can obstruct your view, especially with explosive weapons, potentially leading to self-inflicted damage.
View Bob: 0%. Set this to the minimum to prevent your view from bobbing while moving, which greatly improves aim stability.
Game Speed: 100%. This is the default and generally the most balanced setting for online play and practice.
Dodging: On. Essential for combat maneuverability and mobility, including hammer-launching.
Weapon Flash: Off. Weapon flashes, particularly from the minigun, can be distracting and obscure your vision.

Input Preferences:

Auto Slope: Off. Prevents the camera from automatically aligning with surfaces, ensuring your aim only moves when you intend it to.
Mouse Sensitivity: Personal preference. Note that X and Y axis sensitivity can be set independently, overriding this global setting.
Invert Mouse: Off. Standard setting where moving the mouse forward scrolls the view up.
Instant Rocket Fire: Off. Disabling this allows you to choose between firing single rockets/grenades or grouped ones, offering more versatility.
Mouse Input: Raw Input. Ensure this was selected during installation.
Speech Binder: Recommended for setting up voice commands for teammates and bots.

Controls and HUD:

Key Binds: Customize important key bindings. Assigning a key for the console and a 'best weapon' key is also advised. Advanced customization can be done via the user.ini file.
Crosshair: Customize for visibility. A small dot or cross is favored by many players. Adjusting the color for high contrast against backgrounds and shock balls (e.g., red) is crucial. Smaller reticles can improve aim with practice, provided they remain visible.
HUD Options: Enable 'Smooth', 'Translucent', and 'Always Center' for the crosshair for optimal visibility and centering.