Unreal Tournament

This page has information re: Unreal Tournament 2004 on Linux.

Win vs. Linux
Ut2004 on GNU/Linux is virtually identical to on Windows, with a few graphical features ommited due to time constraints. The Unreal game engine was ported to GNU/Linux (and Mac) by icculus. All PC versions were released simultaneously, and can be found on the normal retail disc's. There is a small tux on the back of the box, but Linux does not appear in the system requirements because Atari does not officially support Linux.

A Linux port, rather than a build, was necessary because the original game was written using DirectX. This is in contrast to games such as Doom 3 in which OpenGL is used across all platforms and all versions can be built from the same code. On Linux the game is rendered with either OpenGL or software rendering, but the later will be very slow even on fast machines. At present the Linux version lacks dynamic shadows (it can do blobs) and render-to-texture by default, which is used to put license plates on some of the vehicles. However, there is an unofficial fix available to obtain both dynamic shadows and render-to-texture, the instructions of which are available here

Atari released several bonus maps for Windows XP users only, blocking other systems by distributing in a Windows binary file that refuses to install under earlier versions. Of course, Unreal maps are not OS dependent, and this release was Microsoft-sponsored. Presumably the intentional incompatibility was to encourage the use of XP for gaming. However, several websites quickly made the maps availiable in a format that can be used on any platform and playing them under Linux is trivial.

Ut2004 Linux binaries are compiled for i386 and amd64. Because the game is closed source, non-i386 users will not be able to compile the game themselves and can not play.

A dedicated server can be run on Linux, which may be downloaded without purchase. If you have a spare machine without 3D hardware it can be put to good use at a LAN party as the server. The Linux version is written to be compatible with Windows so network play is completely interoperable.

Questions
0. WHAT IS IT?

1. When will it be released ?
 * UT2004 has gone gold and is avaliable now!
 * News

2. Where to buy for the best price?
 * Best Buy has a pre-order for $40(US).
 * Tournament 2004 SE preorders for $40 shipped.
 * In the UK Amazon has the 6 CD version for £20.99. The DVD version is £5 more expensive and the only advantage is a quicker install. The box contains a £7.50 rebate voucher for if you already own ut2003, so the cost for upgraders is only really £13.49.

3. What is the best way to let Atari and Epic know that a Linux user bought their product?
 * According to a Slashdot post by an Epic Games staff member &quot;the best way to make
 * sure your copy is associated with Linux is to play the retail version online as
 * our master server keeps track of the last OS used to connect to it (per CD key).&quot;

4. Links
 * Unreal Tournament 2004: Special Edition
 * Unreal Tournament - news
 * Unreal Tournament 2004 Demo (Linux x86)
 * Unreal Tournament 2004 Demo (Linux x86_64)

5. Where is there good documentation?
 * Here is the only documentation I've found so far, not too good, but basic.
 * It comes in the demo download.
 * .../ut2004demo/Help/Manual.pdf

6. Where do I get the Linux version?
 * The Linux binary is included in the standard PC-version.

7. Where can I found out more about the Linux demo?
 * Unreal Tournament 2004 Demo (Linux x86)
 * Unreal Tournament 2004 Demo (Linux x86_64)

8. Previews?
 * From Game Spy (More links at end of article on page3)

Please add questions and/or answers as needed.

Installation
With the Loki installer you can install UT in native Linux from the original disks.

Official (but pre-release) updates are sometimes available here. Usually these are compressed files to replace unreal-bin and ucc-bin in (assuming default install location) /usr/local/ut2004/System/ - the latest seem to be ut2004-kintersect-fix2 for x86 and amd64. After installation it's a good idea to get these files, especially if you experience unexplained exits or other crashes.