Epic has ended Master Server Support for all Unreal Tournament Titles - How to play Online

[Gustavo6046]

Even after their soft-cancellation years ago, UT4 was a quite playable and enjoyable game. It's sad that they are doing the medically-assisted suicide thing on it (maybe we should blame Canada haha), and it seems unnecessary. I guess they are fed of it being in a limbo status but also see no future for it? Still quite a way to throw community effort right into the garbage bin without allowing any silver lining whatsoever. Maybe they should allow the project to thrive on an even more community oriented manner, like in an open source way. I'm not sure how exactly the UT4 development model worked, but if it gave Epic too much control and non-disclosive propriety, that may have been what caused its development to halt, otherwise I'm sure the community would have passed the torch onwards, as we always do with all the things we love.

And on that concluding note, let the torch of Unreal Tournament burn bright and free! In our hearts it is eternal and inextinguishable!

[Shrimp]

They're now leaving GOG too:

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/delis ... tion/page1

[Feralidragon]

Might as well remove the links to Steam and GOG from the portal page at this point.

[papercoffee]

Might as well remove the links to Steam and GOG from the portal page at this point.

The Steam link is now deleted ...the GOG link will be gone when UT is not any longer buyable. That would be 23.12.2022.

[Shrimp]

We should make a graphics and texture pack for the 25th Anniversary which replaces all the Epic logos and credits with OldUnreal and UT99.org, like they did with GT Interactive

[vastvet]

That is a disgrace of Epic Games that they are shutting down the (master) servers! so many people over the last 14 maby 15 years buyed all of those games played it many years payed many efforts into the community support and making servers for the people!i played UT series for over 13years thats calculated to 24/7 makes total of 6 years of 24/7 efforts to UT! beside that i buyed all UT mostly at their stores, many people are affected financially and emotionally by this! it kept people off the streets and it gave relaxation and entertainment for young and old!
*I did many ut mp servers online for the public, and many people with me did as ut-admin!
Am not gonna lie i was really hit by hearing this news of Epic Games! I really hope they will reconsider this and keep atleast the UT Series master server en services online!

it brought back so many memories of both the game UT and my now deceased parents etc that I was completely upset and cried for a day!

Greets -=V@STV$T=-

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Re: Epic is turning off online services and servers for UT99

I wonder if Epic will let me host the official master server.

Hi Skillz thanks for ur offer! however u need alot of money to keep the servers going...i think u/ ut community need a big sponsor to keep it going!have u all thought about contacting Midway? or Activision atleast some of the big players in the gaming? maby this helps? its just an idea, ofcours we can all consider donating for it!

But i think it is impossible for one person to finance $this!

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Some company or sponsors wurth consider to asking to host the master servers for the long run!
-Midway
-Steam
-Activision
-Atari
Bethesda Game Studios
BioWare
Blizzard Entertainment
Capcom
-Electronic Arts
*Epic Games*end of services!
Frontier Developments
Guerrilla Games
-id Software
Konami
-Microsoft
Mojang
Naughty Dog
Namco
Nintendo
Rare Ltd.
Rockstar Games
Sega
0Sierra Entertainment
-Sony
Square Enix
Sunsoft
Taito
Take-Two Interactive
Tencent Games
-Ubisoft
-Valve
Zynga

with - infront of name are wurth to try contacting about hosting the head master server servers for UT and ut community!

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I've already said this in Discord, and I am also going to say it here.

We all know that the only game that they will keep supporting, as in having master servers, online services and being available in all store fronts (including EGS) is UT3.
Not only that, but UT3 will actually become UT3X, a free version of UT3, which might or not have more than just have the new Epic back end integrated.

What this coincides with is with the scheduled release of Creative 2.0 of Fortnite, which is apparently scheduled for next month (January 2023), as in late in that month, which is exactly around the time when they will shut down the master servers for the UT series.

For those unaware, Creative 2.0 is in fact a new version of the Unreal Engine 5 editor with all the Fortnite assets, in order to create content for Fortnite itself.
Among the many features that should come with it, the main ones are:

• a new scripting language, called Verse (they dropped UScript in UE4 in favor of C++ and Blueprint, but it seems that now in UE5 they intend to have a scripting language again beyond those 2 options);
• the ability to cooperate with other players (creators, developers) in real time from the editor, being able to start, pause and stop a real game at any point and perform any changes live;
• the ability to upload all created assets to a cloud storage in Epic, and then the direct ability to use them in-game and share with other players.

In other words, it's as if Epic is setting up Fortnite to be the next platform for modding, like UT once was, however due to the age bracket the game is more popular with, in the end is basically Roblox in UE5 (you can already see that if you enter Fortnite and see all the custom community game modes).

What does this have to do with UT3X?

It seems to me that they've decided bring down the master servers at that point in time because they intend to go all in with the new back end needed to support Creative 2.0, and thus they decided to just drop all the old back ends which cannot be migrated over, opening a new chapter for them, while trying to close the chapter on us.

UT3X will be free, and I've read somewhere that it might be released on March 2023 (unverified).

No one knows what exactly it will bring, but it seems to me that them removing all the other UT versions from all the stores, along with shutting down the master servers, is an attempt from Epic to have just a single UT game available, and make it so that it's a new experience, especially for those who never experienced UT at all before.

Given that they will release it on Steam, GOG and EGS, replacing all the UT games they had, by removing the other ones they ensure that players do not get confused and all converge to this "new" UT version they're about to release.
Meaning that if, by then, someone searches for "UT" or "Unreal Tournament" or other, the one they will always find for thereon is UT3X, maximizing the effect of the release and potential sustainability of the game.

In other words, they're removing the UT games that would otherwise compete directly with UT3X, and which they consider to be already "obsolete".

I believe they're hopeful that existing and old UT players will try it out and converge into that single game, however what they're really mostly betting on is getting NEW players to experience the game for the first time, with no bias whatsoever from the other UT games, players that will go in with low expectations, meaning that these players may in fact like the game, given that UT3 is not a bad game by itself, it's just a bad sequel to the UT we already came to know and love.

And it's also a way to test the market at a very low cost, using the latest UT game, a game that unlike UT4 is fairly stable and is complete, and test whether or not players are still interested in arena games like UT, which may dictate the future of this franchise for the next years.

Should they migrate the game to UE5 as well, either now or later, it also grants UT modders the same tools ("Creative 2.0") that Fortnite players will get, which may give birth to the development of UT maps and mods again.

I could be dead wrong on this, but at this time we can only speculate until we see what actually happens.

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Having that said, I want to be very clear: while the master server shutdown was an eventual inevitability, I don't like the fact that they're removing the games from the stores, especially since thus far they made no attempts to contact OldUnreal for a possible way to provide the game for free (maybe already patched).

So, regardless of what they intend to do with UT3X, it seems to me that they're being very shortsighted and disrespectful when it comes to the existing community, which are the greatest fans of UT as a series, by removing these games from the stores with no other alternatives to get them.

It seems to me that it would be a much smarter move to, at the very least, allow these old games to sit with the community, in the sense that they would be allowed to provide the full game for free, but only in places like OldUnreal for example, as it would still make the game available somewhere, in a semi-official capacity, while ensuring that the search engines would still return UT3X as the first results, towards Steam, GOG and EGS.

If they did so, I think existing UT fans would be a bit more sympathetic to the idea of UT3X and Epic in general, and would be willing to give it a try, while still being able to play and download the classic ones at any time.

Therefore, if what I described above is their end game, then their actions are actually understandable, but that doesn't mean that they're correct.

Fortnite i see more as lego on steroids the way i see it, it is more a game for the new generation, i never played it and never will! their was only one game for me and that was UT, no game can even step in its shadows! UT was far ahead of its time, their is no comparing with any game posible, everybody who played UT knows this!if u look only on how many maps, mods and mutators UT has no game can take on the competition even close! UT Forever!

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Epic Games made UT and they knew when they finished it that they had a big responsebility with it because UT is very addictive, it has gotten towards a large of public of people and gamers,and it is the people esspecially the UT Community and players/ gamers that made it big!So Epic Games must consider going on with support for UT or atleast find a party like Midway or Atari for excample to take over UT and services which they are stopping!That is how i see it!Epic knows very well they cant do this to the people!Like FeralliDragon mentioned they earned millions of dollars from it, so why they cant go on with supporting UT! it makes no sense to me sorry!am very dissapointed!

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have a proposal for Epic Games, the UT community makes and develops the new UT4 itself further in open source, 50% of the proceeds go to Epic, the rest is for the UT Community to further develop UT, Epic retains the Engine rights, but UT is not allowed to terminate as long as the UT Community and UT developers are working on it, only if they stop completely themselves then Epic can do that too! In exchange for this, Epic Games must keep the UT master servers online and the services of cd- keep keys etc intact!

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That way Epic Games still earn money from it in different ways and the UT Community can happy make UT4 or even UT5 and the UT Community and people can still enjoy UT online multiplay!

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The second proposal is that Epic Games has to make the UT Engine opensource so the Community can go on if at some point Epic Games stops with it! We get the Opensource engine and Epic keeps their original engine, that i find fair enough! also for the UT Community!

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However if the opensource engine is at the UT Community every body must have acces to it, but noone can or may use it for commercial business! thats the deal!

[Leo(T.C.K.)]

The opensource or other variants thing will most likely not happen anymore.

It was however planned but some idiots and the success of fortnite etc made a stop to those plans.

Tim Sweeney said in a public post that he plans to release a cleaned up version of the UE1 stuff for everybody to use. But...that's now almost a decade ago or something.

He was completely silent on the issue after the success of Fortnite...

so there you go. Bet you didn't know this.

[TankBeef]

Vastet!!! Get down from the clouds, man!!!
Seriously? Bethesda? Blizzard? EA? And most of all...Zynga??? This is exactly the point in time when gaming turned into casino. And you want to trust the master servers with them?
Let 333networks do their thing for now, we will see later. But please keep that poison away.

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Also...those insisting on open source...check out Xonotic...and see how "great" they are doing...

(Saying this as the other game I like...)

[_21]

Hi Skillz thanks for ur offer! however u need alot of money to keep the servers going...i think u/ ut community need a big sponsor to keep it going!have u all thought about contacting Midway? or Activision atleast some of the big players in the gaming? maby this helps? its just an idea, ofcours we can all consider donating for it!

Let me help you with calculating the server costs!

The master server is a server that maintains a list of gameservers in memory. So you can probably run it off a potato. Yep it would cost about 1 potato per day. If you have an old PC you can probably set it up in a corner and leave it running for the next 10 years. Though I recommend a more recent low power laptop to save on those power bills.

[Leo(T.C.K.)]

Speaking of EA. Did you guys know that Epic seriously considered going with them before the gt interactive deal was struck for Unreal? Imagine Unreal and UT originally published by EA.

Just picture yourself in an alternate reality where that's the case. I mean even the old unreal alpha help file (from late 1995) says it will be published by EA.

Let me take you to that alternate reality muhahaha. How would it all pan out if it was the case?

[papercoffee]

Speaking of EA. Did you guys know that Epic seriously considered going with them before the gt interactive deal was struck for Unreal? Imagine Unreal and UT originally published by EA.

Just picture yourself in an alternate reality where that's the case. I mean even the old unreal alpha help file (from late 1995) says it will be published by EA.

Let me take you to that alternate reality muhahaha. How would it all pan out if it was the case?

You tell the best horror stories ....please stop, my goosebumps got goosebumps.

[OjitroC]

There are 2 key points which seem to be overlooked in this debate :

1) Epic have not singled out UT99 nor, indeed, the UT series of games for delisting or ceasing to provide masterserver services - the key phrase in their statement in this respect is 'many older games' - a number of other games are to suffer the same fate as UT99;

2) the statement says " we will begin turning off out-of-date online services and servers for many older games in the Epic family as we move to solely support Epic Online Services with its unified friends system, voice chat features, parental controls, and parental verification features".

Recently Epic have agreed a 520m USD settlement with the FTC in relation to a number of actions over violations of COPPA. In part the allegations concern the potential for children playing Fortnite to be exposed to online abuse.

None of the games listed for 'removal' are able to provide parental control or verification, which would help to address the issues raised in the COPPA actions, and this, I think, is possibly key to the decisions regarding their 'future'. This may be merely speculation but a close reading of the Epic statement set out at the start of this thread and of their statement in responce to the FTC suggests that this may be the case.

In essence they are ceasing selling and/or supporting online services for those game not already part of, or not capable of being integrated into, Epic Online Services - thus removing the possibility of any further actions in relation to their older games. Note that the revamped UT3 will be integrated into EOS.

[noccer]

Maybe we can be good that Epic stops the master instead of making an "update" to it.....

[Feralidragon]

Recently Epic have agreed a 520m USD settlement with the FTC in relation to a number of actions over violations of COPPA. In part the allegations concern the potential for children playing Fortnite to be exposed to online abuse.

None of the games listed for 'removal' are able to provide parental control or verification, which would help to address the issues raised in the COPPA actions, and this, I think, is possibly key to the decisions regarding their 'future'. This may be merely speculation but a close reading of the Epic statement set out at the start of this thread and of their statement in responce to the FTC suggests that this may be the case.

In essence they are ceasing selling and/or supporting online services for those game not already part of, or not capable of being integrated into, Epic Online Services - thus removing the possibility of any further actions in relation to their older games. Note that the revamped UT3 will be integrated into EOS.

Yeah, I heard about this yesterday (I was unaware of this before), however for games like UT99 that still doesn't make sense from a legal perspective, because it simply does NOT apply.

COPPA is only about privacy concerns of children of 13 years of age or younger, and UT99 (along with the other UT games) is rated Mature (16-17 years old and above).
Considering that these games were still sold, and not once were they legally free, it means that access was effectively restricted to people of that age bracket by the store fronts themselves (or at least they should be).

Therefore, that's not a valid argument for them to remove the games, even if they are using it as an excuse to shut them down.
Because, if Epic really wanted to keep these games, they could, they don't need to address anything in their online services for games that are sold outside of the EGS and which are properly age restricted already.

They could even have the games available for free, as long as the store fronts performed age verification (like Steam at least does).

Therefore, it's not that Epic can't, they simply don't want to. Period.

[OjitroC]

Yeah, I heard about this yesterday (I was unaware of this before), however for games like UT99 that still doesn't make sense from a legal perspective, because it simply does NOT apply.

COPPA is only about privacy concerns of children of 13 years of age or younger, and UT99 (along with the other UT games) is rated Mature (16-17 years old and above).
Considering that these games were still sold, and not once were they legally free, it means that access was effectively restricted to people of that age bracket by the store fronts themselves (or at least they should be).

You may well be right - I'm just speculating.

However the FTC ruling and Epic's response recognises that, irrespective of the rating of a game, it may be accessed by children under the age of 13 - I quote from Epic's statement on the Agreement "Developers who create a teen-rated or mature-rated game can no longer assume that it won't be deemed to be directed to children, according to the United States Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Younger players who are interested in higher-rated games can find ways to access them". What I have read of statements from FTC would seem to back this up by reference to the need to protect children under the age of 13 from online abuse.

All I'm saying is that there is possibly a link between the FTC Agreement and Epic's actions with regard to their 'older games'. It could just be a coincidence of course, but their decision to no longer want to sell or provide on-line services for a number of older games comes at more or less the same time as the announcement of the Agreement.