How do we stop from UT dieing?

Discussions about UT99
User avatar
Hitman
Adept
Posts: 311
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 11:01 am
Location: Sweden

How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by Hitman »

I started playing -99 and found this game amazing right from start and had my first server up at 2002 with a clone off fraggalonia standard sniper and 19 diff now , it still runs with a fair amount of ppl and so is my Monsterhunt, but still I see 609 servers up and only 25-30 players active and some servers using "fake player mod" to attract players, so all the effort/work and hours us Admins putt in, are we kicking a dead horse? I like to hear your inputs on this and how we solve it, I am open for ideas not only for for my servers that runs fairly good butt in general for this great game..
Greets
-=]UM[=-Hitman
User avatar
Insidious849
Novice
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:56 pm
Location: Louisiana

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by Insidious849 »

Well, I personally think that getting rid of all of the toxic players and the servers that support and enable this behavior would be a start!
"You're always dancing down the street, with your suede blue eyes"
User avatar
Baardman
Skilled
Posts: 234
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:39 am

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by Baardman »

Advertisement,
Or make a 8 billion copy's of the game on cd and send them to everyone on earth, it WILL reach the news.



I asked Chatgpt. :lol:

If the survival of the human species and the Earth depended on everyone playing *Unreal Tournament '99*, I’d approach this challenge like an apocalyptic crisis that requires both mass distribution and rapid cultural transformation. Here’s the high-octane, all-in strategy I’d implement to get *8 billion* people engaged in *UT99*:

### 1. **Worldwide Instant Distribution via Technology (Matrix-Style Uploads)**


First, we need to **mass-distribute the game instantly to all 8 billion people**. Sending physical copies is too slow and impractical, so I’d leverage the following:

- **Global Digital Upload:** Using satellite and internet infrastructure, I’d pus out a free, pre-installed copy of *UT99* to every connected device on Earth—PCs, consoles, smartphones, tablets, and even smart TVs.
- **Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI):** Partner with emerging BCI tech companies (think Neuralink) to create a *Matrix-style* upload of *UT99* directly into people’s minds. This way, everyone would instantly know how to play, no training required. We could even simulate high-skill play instantly.

### 2. **Gamifying Global Survival: A World Tournament to Save Earth**


Now that everyone has the game, I’d structure a massive **worldwide tournament** with the stakes being nothing less than the survival of humanity. Here's how it would work:

- **Worldwide “Play or Perish” Tournament:** Create a global narrative that humanity’s survival hinges on mastering *UT99*. This would be broadcast on every platform—news, social media, and even in schools. Every player must participate in this ultimate battle royale, where *UT99* champions from around the world would emerge as global leaders in the fight to save the planet.
- **Save Earth or Die Mode:** In the game, players would have the responsibility to "power the defense systems" of Earth by playing UT99 and earning points. Every frag, capture, and headshot would accumulate toward a global counter. If the global community fails to reach a certain number of kills per day, catastrophic events will begin to be simulated in real-time (fake, but people will believe it’s real).

### 3. **Unreal Tournament as a Global Religion**

To ensure people not only play the game but live and breathe it, I’d turn *Unreal Tournament* into a **global religion** or **cultural movement**:

- **UT99 Churches/Temples:** Convert existing global institutions (churches, schools, etc.) into "Temples of Unreal." Here, communities can gather to play, worship the game, and strategize on how to perfect their combat skills.
- **Mandatory Gameplay Hours:** Governments would issue laws requiring a minimum of 4-6 hours of *UT99* play per day. People who perform well get rewarded with societal perks (like access to food, healthcare, etc.). Top players are honored as heroes, almost like deities in this new world order.
- **Cultural Shift to Competitive Glory:** Make *UT99* proficiency a symbol of status. Just like in ancient times where warriors were glorified, the best *UT99* players would be given special privileges, money, and leadership roles in society. Winning a duel in *UT99* could be equated with being a respected leader or military commander.

### 4. **Integrate *UT99* Into Every Aspect of Life**

To fully immerse humanity in *UT99*, the game would need to **permeate all aspects of life**:

- **Workplace UT99 Challenges:** Workers and professionals across industries would start their day by completing team deathmatches or Capture the Flag rounds to get paid. These matches would be linked to their actual productivity at work.
- **Education System Revamp:** Schools would replace traditional physical education with *Unreal Tournament* training sessions. Math, history, and language arts would be gamified through the *UT99* engine, so students would learn everything through fragging or solving in-game puzzles.
- **Healthcare Integration:** Doctors would be replaced by *UT99* medics (in-game characters) who offer advice and healing after particularly intense matches. Hospitals could implement real-world health monitoring tied to game performance, motivating people to stay healthy through intense gaming.

### 5. **Unreal Tournament as Real-Time Defense of Earth**

If Earth’s survival truly depends on people playing *UT99*, I’d create a **real-time in-game simulation** where players are defending Earth from an actual threat:

- **Alien Invasion Scenario:** Set up a scenario where a simulated alien species invades Earth, and the only way to fight them is through *UT99* combat. Players would believe they are literally fighting for the survival of the planet, as every match would determine whether or not "alien forces" advance or retreat in real life.
- **Global Battle Tracker:** A live-feed leaderboard would be projected onto skyscrapers, town halls, and even projected into the sky. Every city and country would have its own collective kill counter. The best-performing regions would be publicly praised, and the worst-performing ones would be publicly shamed, raising the stakes even higher.

### 6. **Mass Augmented Reality (AR) Implementation**

To blur the lines between virtual and reality, I’d **merge AR and *Unreal Tournament* gameplay** into real-world environments:

- **AR Combat in Real Life:** Using AR glasses or mobile devices, people would see *UT99* maps projected onto their physical environments. Everyday life would turn into a series of *Unreal Tournament* arenas. The streets, parks, and even grocery stores would transform into deathmatch zones.
- **Weapon Pickups in Real Life:** Create physical versions of *UT99* weapons like the Shock Rifle, Flak Cannon, and Bio-Rifle through AR. Players would collect power-ups in real-world locations, with the real-time gameplay impacting their in-game performance.

### 7. **Create a Global AI Opponent to Motivate Humanity**


If getting 8 billion people to play isn’t enough, I’d introduce an **AI-controlled entity that acts as the ultimate enemy**, threatening humanity’s existence unless everyone plays *UT99*:

- **AI Nemesis:** The game would be programmed with an unbeatable AI force that scales with the skill of the global population. This AI would taunt humanity in real time, issuing challenges, and would "destroy" major landmarks in the game (simulated) if players fail to meet daily quotas.
- **Battle Against a Virtual Apocalypse:** Humanity would constantly be on the brink of virtual destruction. Cities, famous landmarks, and natural wonders would be destroyed in-game if real-world players underperform. Every match would become a real-time struggle to prevent the annihilation of the world.

### 8. **Inject Unreal Tournament Lore Into Pop Culture**

To make *UT99* the fabric of human culture, it needs to infiltrate **every form of media and storytelling**:

- **UT99 TV Shows and Movies:** Commission top directors (think Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve) to create high-budget films set in the *Unreal Tournament* universe, driving the story and lore of the game into mainstream consciousness.
- **Musicians Create UT99 Soundtracks:** Partner with world-famous musicians like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Kendrick Lamar to create soundtracks and music videos based on *Unreal Tournament*. Every concert would feature live-action frag matches on-stage.
- **UT99-inspired Fashion and Art:** Fashion brands would create lines inspired by *Unreal Tournament*, with people wearing outfits resembling their favorite in-game characters. Art galleries would be filled with exhibits dedicated to the beauty of *UT99* maps and environments.

---

### Conclusion: Total UT99 Domination

By combining **instant digital distribution**, a **global narrative of survival**, **cultural transformation**, and **immersive tech** (AR, VR, BCI), we could create a world where *Unreal Tournament '99* is not just a game, but the very fabric of human existence. Every waking moment would involve the game, whether through play, work, or even leisure. If the stakes were Earth’s survival, I’d ensure that UT99 would not only be played—it would become the cornerstone of civilization itself.
____________________

I guess creating a virus that installs UT99 is the way to go, but sadly that is not legal.
OVH
Novice
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue May 09, 2023 5:52 pm

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by OVH »

Baardman wrote: Sat Sep 21, 2024 5:45 amI guess creating a virus that installs UT99 is the way to go
Install on what? Most people are using mobile devices now not PC anymore. We are "old" people playing an "old" game and sometimes on old computers. Many new and young players know the game because they got the old computer of their parents or uncle or someone else. When these computers will die then UT will die with them.
I know players who come back sometimes during summer or xmas holidays, they play some maps and they vanish for 6 months. If they have servers in the favorites they can join but if they dont know Epic has closed master servers they will think UT is dead and think its not a surprise after all these years. They dont know and they will not search about editing master servers. Epic killed UT when they closed default master servers and thats what they wanted because its "free".

We are living the end of an era, the era of desktop computers when everything was cool and fun. Now its all about spying and tracing us for commercial purposes. We were customers but now we are the product.
I started to play UT in a CTF clan, we were doing ClanBase Open Cup matches and even won one cup but that was about 20 years ago. Last time I played a 5v5 normal weapons CTF match was many years ago. Last normal weapons CTF I played was something like 3 or 4 years ago and it was a 2v2. iCTF died 2 years ago, there are still few players sometimes but less and less, its like 1v1 or 2v2.

And many people dont like to join empty servers. Thats the sad story of this video: https://ut99.org/viewtopic.php?p=146593#p146593
So less players = less and less players = less and less and less players etc... :?

We are living the end of UT. We are still playing because we love this game so much, the gameplay is so good and unique. Its also a kind of addiction. :wink: The players and the servers admins are passionate people thats why the game is still a bit alive after 25 years so like my friend say: "enjoy UT when you still can". :tu:
Long live UT! Thanks to you and other servers admins to make us thinking we are not so old and still a bit young :)



Boom!
:redeemer2: :face:

Sorry for my bad english.
User avatar
Baardman
Skilled
Posts: 234
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:39 am

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by Baardman »

OVH wrote: Sat Sep 21, 2024 3:53 pm
Baardman wrote: Sat Sep 21, 2024 5:45 amI guess creating a virus that installs UT99 is the way to go


We are living the end of an era, the era of desktop computers when everything was cool and fun. Now its all about spying and tracing us for commercial purposes. We were customers but now we are the product.


We are living the end of UT. We are still playing because we love this game so much,

Only 2 things in life are Inevitable death and taxes, but Unreal/Tournament will always be a historical artifact and the game’s legacy lives on for eternity. it it has a prominent legacy in gaming history that can never be denied.

i have hope for someday a game will be made with the spirit or story of Unreal Tournament in some kind of virtual reality where we fight in teams against each other like its really the year 2341 or wait until the year 2341 when Elon Musks Neuralink is fully functioning and supporting Unreal Tournament in this new Matrix like system where you can be plugged in and respawn. this assets and stories of Unreal Tournament can all be remade. For instance 3d print all Unreal Tournament weapons and make them all full functioning laser tag weapons or wait for the year 2341 when the technology exist to make such weapons fully functioning like displayed in game in real life.

yes i'm day dreaming :lol:
User avatar
Delacroix
Adept
Posts: 326
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 6:00 pm
Personal rank: UMS R&D CEO

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by Delacroix »

An Android-compatible patch 469 as well as upgrading the Mac version of 469 to reliably work on iPhones instead of just Mac computers would be a huge boost since as mentioned, many people play on phones these days.

Other than that, a handsomely-paid-for media campaign for something related to UT99 (patch 469? most important mods documentary? the works) would get the game back into a spotlight. Whether or not there'd be enough players coming in after that... well, that's a risk but if it works...
User avatar
Deepu
Adept
Posts: 388
Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2013 7:56 am
Personal rank: Average
Location: India

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by Deepu »

Android-compatible patch 469 will be rock also we get players.
OVH
Novice
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue May 09, 2023 5:52 pm

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by OVH »

UT on a phone? :wtf:
How do you dodge and jump together? :shock:
User avatar
UT Sniper (SJA94)
Inhuman
Posts: 755
Joined: Thu Jun 24, 2010 10:35 pm
Personal rank: Retard
Location: England

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by UT Sniper (SJA94) »

Bluetooth keyboard/controller, it is quite an odd feeling playing the pc version with a controller though.
User avatar
Baardman
Skilled
Posts: 234
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:39 am

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by Baardman »

OVH wrote: Sun Sep 22, 2024 9:54 pm UT on a phone? :wtf:
How do you dodge and jump together? :shock:
by connecting your bluetooth keyboard and mouse to your phone
User avatar
_21
Experienced
Posts: 80
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:51 am

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by _21 »

Offering a patched copy of the game would be a start.

People have no idea how to apply patches. I've seen every combination, extracted to wrong folder, wrong version, folder inside folder, wrong version of patch installed on wrong version of UT and so on...

Then there is a group of people who have no idea that patch exist and wonder why there are no servers... ofcourse a veteran could tell you that you need masterserver, but these people might not get what a masterserver is...

Ace is also a pain in the ass to deal with..., especially if you're on steam deck...

Which renderer do you choose? What is DX9/8 OpenGL? Why do I have to configure this? Which audio to choose? And now since 469 you also need to know which mouse input device you want.

So if we want new/returning people to the scene, we need to offer them a sane defaults and an accessible way of playing the game, not to put them through this misery. You shouldn't need a computer science degree to be able to play the game.

Then let's say you finally reach a multiplayer server, it says 4 players, you join and, they don't respond to chat. They don't have ping and they are not marked as bots. Maybe you figure out that they are all bots and conclude that UT99 is a dead game with only bots on servers so there is not point in coming back.

What's dodiging? Why is this an issue you might ask? Well I'm glad you asked. I keep finding players who have no clue what dodging is. And it turns out they never knew. Dodging was always turned off in the game options. They never knew that a core mechanic was disabled that people use to keep themselves alive.

All the above are techincally fixable. But unfortunately we also have social issues that's much harder to deal with. I've seen these situations repeat over many years over and over again:

There is also a subset of frustrated players with anger issues that should by all means go and see a therapist. But instead the use UT99 as an outlet so they boot up the game to frag, yell and insult people, indiscriminately. Shitting on others, maybe others also had a bad day and just want to frag.

There is a group of players that stomp on newcomers. They choose to frag the living hell out of people who barely know the game mechanics instead of helping them get better. They laugh at them. I've seen good players group up on newcomers in a team game completely disregarding the team objectives and just spam-fragging the hell out of the newcomers.

There is also a group of players that think they are the best in the world and cannot conceive the idea that there exists players that are better than them. If you managed to beat these people, they will flat out call you a cheater and and aimbotter and if they are friends with the admin, they will even go as far as getting you banned.

Finally, then if you're newcomer or returning player and reading this, then go and find a subcommunity of people to play with. There are lots of discords for dedicated topics. These people you can keep in touch with and you can ask questions and voice concerns. You'll find that people are willing help you set up the game, and get optimal settings, and give out tips/tricks. I think it's the best place to be at.
User avatar
EvilGrins
Godlike
Posts: 10157
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2011 8:12 pm
Personal rank: God of Fudge
Location: Palo Alto, CA

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by EvilGrins »

Bake sale?
OVH
Novice
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue May 09, 2023 5:52 pm

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by OVH »

Baardman wrote: Mon Sep 23, 2024 6:24 am
OVH wrote: Sun Sep 22, 2024 9:54 pm UT on a phone? :wtf:
How do you dodge and jump together? :shock:
by connecting your bluetooth keyboard and mouse to your phone
And I also need a big magnifying glass for the 16x7,5 cm screen of my phone so I can see something! :-|
User avatar
_21
Experienced
Posts: 80
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:51 am

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by _21 »

Bake sale sounds good!

I'd actually use my phone to spectate at least if there was an android client. There are also android tables, TVs :D not to put any pressure on devs here, android port sounds ridiculous.
User avatar
Baardman
Skilled
Posts: 234
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:39 am

Re: How do we stop from UT dieing?

Post by Baardman »

Thought about that, maybe its possible to spectate with remote control/teamviewer or something like that?