UT2004:XMP mod stuff...

w00t, UT2004 XMP news! I mentioned this to Elihu the other day on the phone when he told me he'd started playing Unreal 2 (at least one year after receiving it as a present from a friend).

Please keep us updated on this wonderful project, Shagz, sir.
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Quick note: don't know if any of you tried to install those skins I linked above, but they were zipped up weird. XP natively could browse inside the ZIP files, but I couldn't extract anything. Anybody else get the same problem?

As for keep ya'll informed, I certainly will. The XMP mod makes a nice contrast to Onslaught and will compliment UT2004's many game modes well.

For those who never played it, there's a good run down here. Combines many elements from other game modes, with the end result being a class-based double-flag CTF/Domination hybrid with a Tribes-like feel.

While Onslaught is straight up brainless action ("go go go!"), XMP is a little more cerebral, with everybody having to play a specific role and play to a team strategy (which I think happens in any class-based game).

It's still played today, but if you want to find a server you'll need Gamespy or All-Seeing Eye and the master server no longer exists. (The makers of XMP, Legend, got dropped by Atari and they closed their doors soon after XMP was released)
 
Winzip done just fine with the zipped up skins. I have them installed just fine. I noticed one thing is the readme put one of the animation files into the texture folder. I caught it because i knew that particular file went into animation folder and not texture folder. Also you'll have to unzip another file that is called needed files. You only have to install this one time even though all the zipped skins come with it. CS
 
Hey I tried to use the new xmp skin on the toj server and it wouldn't let me in until I changed to a regular skin. Reckon we could get the xmp skins installed into the server?
 
re: XMP skins....hmmmm...you shouldn't have to, unless the XMP skins are special (which they probably are). I'm using a custom skin right now, and while I can see it just fine on my computer, I'm sure everybody else seems me as some default female or male skin. (Maybe? You tell me)

Anyways, I'm guessing there's some special scripting or something with those skins that won't allow 'em to be used online. Have you tried connecting to any other server's with them?

On an XMP note, check out these hot new screenshots just posted. I'm going to have to sit down and find an U2:XMP server this week, I'm eager to play the original again.

UPDATE: Check out the Promotional Vid on this page, it's a fantastic overview of the mod, showing off gameplay, vehicles, sentry guns, "hacking" (used for taking over power generators and in some cases access doors), the character classes, land mines, sniper rifling, and the new UT2004 visual effects that are a neat improvement over the U2 versions (force walls sort've "fade in" now rather than just appear out of thin air) while not so neat in others (the "spawn" effect looks unfinished, prefer the original)

Unfortunately, I didn't see any "sprinting" or jet pack action going on, which is the really good stuff.
 
Them are cool screenies. What's the deal with this project? Why is everyone so excited? I don't remember U2:XMP getting such a big fuss! Either way, this looks like something that will get a cease and desist thing from epic.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (dudedude7000 @ Nov. 07 2004,10:46)]Either way, this looks like something that will get a cease and desist thing from epic.
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Epic is supporting the project. UT2004:XMP will help them sell even MORE copies of UT2004 and U2:XMP was a fantastic but underappreciated mod (maybe because Unreal 2 was a bit weak, overall), so it stands to reason.
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re: cease and desist....actually, Epic isn't involved other than it's there engine and game being used for the mod, and they support all modders. Unreal 2 was developed by the now-defunct Legend Entertainment. Some of the guys working on this mod also developed the U2:XMP Bonus Pack Maps and, from what I gather, are working very closely with the original members of the team at Legend that developed the XMP expansion for U2. They received permission from Legend to use all the XMP assets in the making of their UT2004 version.

One part I don't understand is that Atari, the publisher of U2, hasn't lowered the boom, but they probably don't care because the game gets used in UT2004 which they get a piece of anyways. If it sells more copies of UT2004, I'm sure it doesn't matter to them. And it's not like U2 is selling like hotcakes these days.

As for "why all the fuss", XMP has a small but zealous community (cult?) following. It didn't really catch on so much over here, but from what I gather, the game is still pretty big in Europe (strange, because the same thing happened to another class-based team mod, Quake 3 Fortress. Hmmmmmm....)

Anyways, a lot of these fans felt cheated by Atari 'cuz they (Atari) didn't really support the product (UT2004 was making all the cash) and when they canned Legend, they canned support for XMP. (The game doesn't even have a master server anymore, you have to use Gamespy or All-Seeing Eye to find servers).

With XMP being ported to UT2004, these fans (Tek and myself included) will get a chance to play XMP on a much better engine (XMP's vehicle physics left *much* to be desired) as well as tap into a larger installed player base to support the mod.

There's also the gameplay itself. I strange hybrid of domination and capture the flag w/ vehicles, plus the different classes, the game mode pulls in influences and game mechanics from a number of different places (Tribes, Team Fortress, Halo, UT) and combines them into a fresh and unique game. And you can't deny the pleasure of jump jets.
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Unfortunately, it just got over looked because U2 was so widely critically panned as a single-player game by players and press alike, and no advertising dollars went into promoting the new multiplayer expansion (although they did re-release U2 as a "deluxe edition" which had XMP packaged along with the original game).

So there you go....
 
w00t! Much <3 to Free Monkey for introducing female player models (especially with reasonable proportions), a feature rarely seen these days.

I'll be preparing to move to a new apartment after December 9, but I'll try to steal a few hours to give it a whirl.
 
re: female player models...I KNOW!!!! It's not like we can actually see our own player models and skins, but having a little variety beyond just a bunch of male soldiers on your team would be great. I'm all for equal opportunity in the video game realm. It's not even an eye candy thing; for me, it's just a "realistic" thing. Women have been fighting alongside men in the armed forces for years, and in war in general for centuries. It also helps to make the video game less male-centric, *especially* if the models are done right with realistic proportions as you stated Tek.

In some of the promo art for Call of Duty (I think it's Call of Duty) I've been seeing female characters, snipers I believe. I don't know if they ever made it into the game, but still, I thought "finally, we're making some progress".

My only complaint about that XMP scout model though is that you can see her face. It's the one that doesn't fit, because all the male models have helmets on (yes, you can see the scouts "eyes", but his nose and mouth are still covered).
 
ok i was like U2? XMP? yeah whatever...never played U2. then i see the beta is out and i go check out the website. now i am excited. i like the classes, the deployables, etc. reminds me of tribes 2.
 
Yeah I'll be downloading for days. It says 19 hours. I started last night and I have to pause it so I can surf the web. I've gotten 53% so far. Maybe I'll have it sometime tomorrow evening.
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