XLR8YOURMAC.com's Unreal Digest of past news/tips

Manta/Giant Manta/Cave Manta: These pesky, flying foes swoop in for surprise attacks in enclosed areas. Health Points: 100 - Manta; 50 - Cave Manta; 400 - Giant Manta

As for any flying creatures, I like to use the stinger, the automag or the alternate mode of the Razor Jacks. Because these projectiles are coming so fast, they won`t be able to dodge what you throw at them.

Krall/Krall Elite - The Krall is an alien race working in conjunction with the Skaarj. Krall are noteworthy for their relentlessness. If you blast away their legs, they will keep coming, so do not turn your attention away from them until you know they are dead. Health Points: 175 - Krall; 250 - Krall Elite

Those foes are quite easy to dodge and defeat if you remain far. Any weapons should work well. I especially like the eightball gun for those since I am sure to blast every parts so they don`t keep coming at me.

Gasbag/Giant Gasbag- These bloated, flying foes possess both physical and projectile attacks and are surprisingly tough. Fight them from a distance and don't let them gang up on you unless you love trouble. Health points: 220 - Gasbag; 600 - Giant Gasbag

Since these foes can easily dodge any attacks, I recommend to use the Razorjacks:

This weapon fires Razor Blades. To better hit the Gasbag, I use the alternate Fire since the Razor Blades can be directed.

Demonlord - A winged demon that fires projectiles from the sky. When you challenge this enemy, do it on your terms in a small, enclosed place that inhibits the Demonlord's ability to fly. Health points: 1,500

To beat him easily, I use a dispersion Pistol with 3 or 4 powerups plus the Amplifier. The bastard should die quickly after 1 or 2 hits. I admit this is not as fun as trying to bring him down with the minigun...;-)

Behemoth - A large powerful cousin to the Brute. The Behemoth is both slow and extremely tough, much like a walking tank. Counter this power with speed and superior firepower. Health points: 500

To kill this beast, I use the following:

Eightball Gun - This rocket launcher is capable of projecting explosives across a room. As the Eightball Gun lobs its projectiles, it works well against enemies who seek cover behind shields or structures. It also works well in a crowd. Primary Fire: 85 points Alternate Fire: 100 points

Flak Cannon - This high-powered firearm projects Shrapnel. Primary Fire: 70 points .

Setting up an Unreal Server

Internet and LAN games

Go into the "Multiplayer" menu to start or join a network game.

Unreal supports both LAN and Internet play with the standard TCP/IP protocol, and LAN play via AppleTalk. If you have an Internet connection, you should be ready to go!

Dedicated Network Servers

Explanation:

For optimal network play performance, you can launch a dedicated copy of the Unreal server on a computer. This improves performance compared to using a non-dedicated server but, of course, it ties up a Mac.

Launching:

You can launch a dedicated server by starting up Unreal with the option key held down, and entering "-server" into the command line dialog.

General performance guidelines:

We find that a G3 can usually handle about 16 players with decent performance. The performance varies with level complexity and other machine speed factors, so your mileage may differ. Note that there is no absolute maximum player limit in Unreal; performance simply degrades as the number of players grows huge.

The Unreal server uses up at least 28.8Kbits per second of outgoing bandwidth per player (on Internet), so if you run the server on a machine connected by a 28.8K modem, you'll only be able to support one client with decent performance. Dedicated servers that support many players generally require the outgoing bandwidth of a T1 line or better.

Master Server Uplink:

The uplink feature is currently being redesigned for both the Mac and PC, so currently the Mac does not support server uplinks. A Mac patch will be released as soon as the new uplink system is finished for the PC.

You feel ready ? Here are some more tips:

You will first have to modify the Unreal.ini file like shown below :

Edit it to include the levels you want. For example :

[UnrealI.DMmaplist]
Maps[0]=Dmtundra.unr
Maps[1]=DMwicked.unr
Maps[2]=DMDeck16.unr
Maps[3]=DmXlr8yourmac.unr
Maps[4]=DmFrank.unr
Maps[5]=DMMike.unr
Maps[6]=DMvoodoo2.unr
Maps[7]=DMBanshee.unr
etc...
MapNum=3

Mapnum indicates which map in the rotation Unreal is currently on.

Now, startup your server with a command line that starts with one of the levels in your rotation.

Example: hold Option and start Unreal. Then type the following in the command window :

DMBellToll.unr?game=unreali.kingofthehill -server

Get the idea?

LAN Problem Workaround: Nathaniel Begeman sent info (from http://unreal.epicgames.com/ news of 10/3) on a workaround for the problems connecting to local servers when playing over a LAN (seeing the server but never being able to connect). A fix is to change the the following lines in the server's /unreal/system/unreal.ini file:

Change FROM:

ServerActors[1]=IpServer.UdpServerUplink
ServerActors[2]=IpServer.UdpServerQuery

TO:

ServerActors[1]=
ServerActors[2]=
(Removing their parameters)

The downside of this change is that the server will no longer be visible to GameSpy. A later patch promises to fix this problem.

Unreal Key Binding

Unreal Weapons Zoom Tip: Wandering how to zoom in Unreal with any weapons ? Here is how :

Just type FOV # (0-90) in console for various zooms. You can't get as tight as the rifle. I mainly use it for multiplayer. If you want to go on a high..just type FOV 359 :)

It is also possible to use setdesiredfov # . This latest command is awesome since it can get even tighter than the rifle with any weapon... :)

Cool Sniper key binding solution :

"here's a fun little binding for those snipers out there, like myself:

Aliases[23]=(Command="Toggle bDuck",Alias=DuckToggle)

Then assign a button to DuckToggle. This will make you stay crouched
until you press the button again, making you a harder target to hit when
you find that nice ledge to sit on and snipe from (like DMDeck16's rifle
spot). ;) "

Zooming:

"On to aliases, many thanks, due to your examples of binding etc, try
these out.
bind "a key to" switchweapon 5 | fire |altfire
Now you can fire those 8balls in the tight cluster with 1 key press.

Make an alias (Command="setdesiredfov 45 | OnRelease setdesiredfov90",Alias=ZoomIn1)

Bind "a key to" ZoomIn1 | switchweapon 7 | altfire
Now guide those razorblades to your target with accuracy .
Works well with the automag as well.

DeathMatch Weapons key binding:

For the press a key to zoom in and zoom out on release use the following
under the advanced/aliases setup:
(Command="setdesiredfov 45 | OnRelease setdesiredfov 90",Alias=ZoomIn)
and then under the bind setup bind a key to ZoomIn ie. ctrl=ZoomIn

For my best non-explosive weapon I have the following set up in the bind
section to the particular key (I use the 'e' key in this example):
(E=SwitchWeapon 1 | SwitchWeapon 2 | SwitchWeapon 3 | SwitchWeapon 4 |
SwitchWeapon 7 | SwitchWeapon 0 | SwitchWeapon 8 | SwitchWeapon 9)

The above will select the greatest weapon reading backwards from weapon9
that you posess, and pressing the e key again will toggle between the best
and second best weapons. (You can change the order if you prefer)

And finally, this bind is used to toggle between my flak cannon and the
eightball on keypress bind Q=SwitchWeapon 5 | SwitchWeapon 6

Misc Tips

Serpentine weapons tips

Serpentine Workaround: Several readers wrote me saying that the Serpentine weapon modification patch was not working. I tried to install it myself and I had the same problem. Last night, I decided to give another shot at it, and this time I am pleased to say that it works !

here is how:
Install Serpentine as described in the readme that comes with the Sbeta6.zip file. Make the proper modifications to the unreal.ini file as described.

Now, start Unreal by holding the option key. This will bring up a command window. Just type the following :

vortex2.unr?class=serpentine.su_malethree and press return.

From now on, Unreal will use the Serpentine weapons in the game..and those are really cool ! If you are a nostalgic of the shotgun..this is for you ;-)

When you want to play a botmatch using the Serpentine weapons, start the game without entering the special command I posted. Everything will be fine if you select "serpentine DM" in the botmatch configuration screen. When you want to play in solo mode, enter the command at startup.

Many completely dark areas in the Unreal require the use of Flares, Flashlights, or Searchlights to illuminate. However, if you find yourself in the dark without any of those helpful items, shoot your Dispersion Pistol to createa short burst of light. Firing in the dark also helps defend you against enemies you don't see coming.

Enter "summon quadshot" at the console to see a cool weapon that was originally planned but left out by Epic.

Other Site Unreal Info:

Unreal Tips and Tricks (Daily news, Map reviews, benchmark reports and more!)
Game Wizard Preview pages - framerate comparisons, screenshots and more
For screenshots at 1024x768 mode (SLI) on a PC, see my Obsidian X24 Review page.
Unreal Timedemo Results
Unreal Tips, Tricks and Feedback

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