Game of the Month #41 (June 2018) - Unreal Gold

A super-charged compilation of Unreal (voted the Action Game of the Year by the Software Publisher's Association) and the Unreal Mission Pack. The game begins when your prison starship crash-lands on a remote planet. Freed from your cell and armed only with a salvaged pistol, it is up to you to unravel the mystery of this strange place--and survive its vicious inhabitants.

Awesome. I was worried with the vote controversy stuff this game might not make it through. I'll move this up to next playing after I finish up Saints Row 3. Look forward to seeing what it has in store and how it measures up against Quake etc.

Only played a little bit so far but the biggest thing which has stuck out to me so far as how well the atmosphere holds up. Really enjoyed some other older shooters so it'll be interesting to see how this goes.

I bought Unreal Tournament on G2A a few months back, thinking it'd be the same thing, only with an extra tournament mode. The lazy got ahead of me and obviously got the wrong game. Also it's 2018 and Unreal is still banned on Steam in Germany, luckily I could get a hold of a GOG copy. Heard that singleplayer is pretty long so this should be exciting.

I'd been meaning to get around to this game since I bought the Unreal games in some Steam sale.

I'm using the OldUnreal 227i patch to make it look pretty. Any must have mods for visuals/controls/bugs/QoL that I'm missing?

So when are we playing Deathmatch?

Just started it. I'm not sure how far I'm going to be able to make it, but the atmosphere in it is really nice and spooky. I've literally just left the prison ship.

Unfortunately, the game required a LOT of tweaking to make it not run like piss and also happens to make me incredibly sick when playing... so I really don't think I'll be able to finish it. But it was a nice refreshing experience, despite that.

Going from the podcast i think it'll be best to give a running commentary of my experience of the game. So far i'm enjoying it but there tidbits which i'm finding annoying.

One thing i'm really enjoying is that different enemies are weak to different weapons so it's important to be switch weapons throughout fights to make sure you utilize the best weapons the same outcomes. Another I like is that projectiles are slow and can be dodged which again forces you to be constantly moving so you aren't a sitting target.

The things I don't like is the lack of auto save. Guess i'm entitled now since i'm so use to it but it can be annoying remembering to save after a difficult area. The other thing i'm not enjoying are the more non-linear levels in which you have to turn back on yourself. The game is just not that well set up for these puzzle designs as the translator does not take a front stage and can be quiet small to read and usually the messages are irrelevant t what the objective is. Still i don't have any problems with the more linear levels.

I also had difficult at start with performance of the game. Fortunately for me it was easy to fix and all i needed to do was repair the game from the GoG platform.

For those who want to know where I am I've currently had a hectic and fun romp through a sewage plant and reached the second temple

Just started it. I'm not sure how far I'm going to be able to make it, but the atmosphere in it is really nice and spooky. I've literally just left the prison ship.

Unfortunately, the game required a LOT of tweaking to make it not run like piss and also happens to make me incredibly sick when playing... so I really don't think I'll be able to finish it. But it was a nice refreshing experience, despite that.

What did you have to do to fix it? I found that in my case installing the patch I posted fixed evarything and is now running great.

As for the feeling sick while playing I do find some stuff useful. The biggest problem for me is Field of View, especially when it is too low. It makes it look like you are wearing horse blinders. But it may vary depending on the size of the monitor, aspect ratio and distance you are playing at, so set it as you feel is best.
Obviouslly the framerate keep it as high as your monitor supports, low framerates tend to make me feel pretty sick too.
And remember that there is a walk button. It may not be an option in combat; but cruising the maze-like levels at full speed can be nauseating.
Also lowering the mouse aim speed, will make you play a bit worse, but slower camera movements can help with not feeling sick.

As my actual thoughts on the game: I am enjoying it a lot so far.There is not too much enemy variety, but they do feel really different from one another. The same way that the weapons feel really different. Also the enemies actually trying to avoid your shots is something that we don't see much even in newer games. I'm currently aproaching the middle of tha game, and have enjoyed most of the levels thus far. I got lost in a couple of them, but I am shit at navigation and was expecting that.

EDIT @knalb You can change the translator size in the options menu. The default size is far too small if you are playing it even below 1080p

Really excited to be starting in on my first GotM with HLTB!! Never played this before, nor really heard of it, but I am very excited to give it a try and give my thoughts!

What did you have to do to fix it? I found that in my case installing the patch I posted fixed evarything and is now running great.

As for the feeling sick while playing I do find some stuff useful. The biggest problem for me is Field of View, especially when it is too low. It makes it look like you are wearing horse blinders. But it may vary depending on the size of the monitor, aspect ratio and distance you are playing at, so set it as you feel is best.
Obviouslly the framerate keep it as high as your monitor supports, low framerates tend to make me feel pretty sick too.
And remember that there is a walk button. It may not be an option in combat; but cruising the maze-like levels at full speed can be nauseating.
Also lowering the mouse aim speed, will make you play a bit worse, but slower camera movements can help with not feeling sick.

As my actual thoughts on the game: I am enjoying it a lot so far.There is not too much enemy variety, but they do feel really different from one another. The same way that the weapons feel really different. Also the enemies actually trying to avoid your shots is something that we don't see much even in newer games. I'm currently aproaching the middle of tha game, and have enjoyed most of the levels thus far. I got lost in a couple of them, but I am shit at navigation and was expecting that.

EDIT @knalb You can change the translator size in the options menu. The default size is far too small if you are playing it even below 1080p

It sounds silly and kind of obvious, but I had to upscale literally everything to get it to run... the problem with that, though, was it would crash every time I changed a single setting, so it took, like, twelve restarts to get it up to snuff.

I didn't apply the patch, either, but things are still running well now.

Yeah, the field-of-vision is certainly a contributing factor to the agony.

It sounds silly and kind of obvious, but I had to upscale literally everything to get it to run... the problem with that, though, was it would crash every time I changed a single setting, so it took, like, twelve restarts to get it up to snuff.

I didn't apply the patch, either, but things are still running well now.

Yeah, the field-of-vision is certainly a contributing factor to the agony.

What I learned playing older shooters is to never even bother with the vanilla version. Specially in the likes of Doom, wolfenstein and quake. Source ports just run better, play better and look better.

In this case there is no source port but the patch adds support for lot of modern stuff. For starters you can choose a modern renderer for the game (like OpenGL) making the game run waaay beter. It also lets you play no problem with modern resolution and aspect ratios. I'm playing in the native resolution on my monitor(1080p) with no issue and it even has support to scale the UI for resolutions way higher that the ones originally intended. Some shooters were designed for 4:3 square monitors, which require lower field of view. I'm not sure if vanilla Unreal let's you change that, but the patch adds proper widescreen support and configuration.

What I learned playing older shooters is to never even bother with the vanilla version. Specially in the likes of Doom, wolfenstein and quake. Source ports just run better, play better and look better.

In this case there is no source port but the patch adds support for lot of modern stuff. For starters you can choose a modern renderer for the game (like OpenGL) making the game run waaay beter. It also lets you play no problem with modern resolution and aspect ratios. I'm playing in the native resolution on my monitor(1080p) with no issue and it even has support to scale the UI for resolutions way higher that the ones originally intended. Some shooters were designed for 4:3 square monitors, which require lower field of view. I'm not sure if vanilla Unreal let's you change that, but the patch adds proper widescreen support and configuration.

I like vanilla glQuake. I remember spending time to make music work, but after that game run flawlessly.
Problem with most source ports is that they don't just fix problems or add native screen resolution, they add idiotic graphical changes etc. I couldn't find any source port for Quake with original graphics. Every single one changed lighting, added dynamic shadows, improved particles etc and made these cool old Quake animations smooth, yuck. Best mods are ones which just fixes bugs and add compatibility. Sure, I'm in super minority.

Started this today. Only 2 or 3 stages in but so far it has me surprised, wasn't expecting it to be this kind of FPS, which is a good thing. I was expecting more Quake 1 than Quake 2 but I'm also getting hints of Half Life and Deus Ex in there as well which is pretty neat, but mostly Quake 2. Music seems pretty awesome as well. (not suggesting they influenced each other, just that it's evidently that style of game)

Started this today. Only 2 or 3 stages in but so far it has me surprised, wasn't expecting it to be this kind of FPS, which is a good thing. I was expecting more Quake 1 than Quake 2 but I'm also getting hints of Half Life and Deus Ex in there as well which is pretty neat, but mostly Quake 2. Music seems pretty awesome as well. (not suggesting they influenced each other, just that it's evidently that style of game)

That's interesting. I'm really enjoying Half-Life and Unreal but I found Quake 1 a bit bland to be honest (especially in comparison to Doom, which I loved). Do you reckon I should give Quake 2 a shot eventually?

Btw, I'm a bit further in Unreal and I'm really liking the dodge button. It's one of those things that you'd never imagine being in a shooter, but it works and it can be pretty fun.

That's interesting. I'm really enjoying Half-Life and Unreal but I found Quake 1 a bit bland to be honest (especially in comparison to Doom, which I loved). Do you reckon I should give Quake 2 a shot eventually?

Btw, I'm a bit further in Unreal and I'm really liking the dodge button. It's one of those things that you'd never imagine being in a shooter, but it works and it can be pretty fun.

Couldn't hurt to give it a try, has that distinctive quality of being a precursor to these kinds of games and a kind of mid step between the Doom / Quake level designs and the more "linear", story focused games that came after. Weaker in some areas because of it, but fascinating nonetheless.

I like vanilla glQuake. I remember spending time to make music work, but after that game run flawlessly.
Problem with most source ports is that they don't just fix problems or add native screen resolution, they add idiotic graphical changes etc. I couldn't find any source port for Quake with original graphics. Every single one changed lighting, added dynamic shadows, improved particles etc and made these cool old Quake animations smooth, yuck. Best mods are ones which just fixes bugs and add compatibility. Sure, I'm in super minority.

You are now my hero. 100% agree with you.

As for the game, I'm 2 hours in, just got the stick of 6 fires. Not entirely feeling it. There's nothing bad really, maybe my issue is that there's nothing to love? Everything's alright. It does seem like the weird middle ground between Quake 1 and Half-Life but where nothing is as good as either of those. Visually it's Revelations 2012 by way of Serious Sam. Hoping for a change of scenery.

EoW update: Just got to the top of the sunspire. Some of the areas i'm finding are too dark and i still prefer the more linear levels. The game also never gives me enough flak shells. That weapons is my favorite

EoW update: Just got to the top of the sunspire. Some of the areas i'm finding are too dark and i still prefer the more linear levels. The game also never gives me enough flak shells. That weapons is my favorite

Been making slow progress, just due to real life distractions and E3, only just finished the Temple of Vandora, so far the biggest thing I'm struggling with is the weapons, on the highest base difficulty (Very Hard on patch 227i), nothing feels that useful. The flak cannon by default feels the best because it seems to be the only weapon with any kind of immediate stopping power that even the faster, more agile enemies won't dodge. Everything else feels really weak or ineffective at a given task, like the shotgun effects are too spread out to rely on, or fire rates too slow to depend on etc.

@RealHero I mostly agree with you. I just want higher resolutions and framerates and the convenience of source ports. So I'll try to find a nice compromise and play whatever source port is closer to the original.

@Chronoja 100% on the flak cannon. But some of the other weapons can be fun too. I liked using the rocket launcher against dodging enemies, as it is quite different than fighting other enemies with it. "Baiting" the enemies to do an early dodge just to get hit by a rocket as their animation is ending is just so satisfying. Just not viable in closer spaces.

I managed to finish both the base game and the expansion on normal mode and enjoyed them both very much. Backtracking in some of the levels can be a bit too obtuse, but most of the levels were super fun. The bossfights were really bland, but the combat really shined with the more regular enemies. Both graphics and music were neat and I enjoyed a lot the environmental storytelling that set the mood nicely.

Just finished the Unreal campaign, 15.9h, 0.6 of which were set up and patching etc. It was alright, I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. The lacklustre weapons and bothersome enemies stay pretty consistent throughout the entire game, starts to become a real chore to deal with the same enemies over and over again, especially if they are tanking like 4+ rockets or flak shells sometimes. Lots of variety in level design but it's dragged down by a lack of variety in enemy design. Overall it feels like a strange game, like it's a mod for something else, not that that's a bad thing, just that it has that quality about it at times. Other times it feels more like a tech demo than an actual game.

I'll move onto the expansion tomorrow probably, it's tough to really say how I feel about it, I enjoyed the game enough that I want to keep playing but not enough that I'm actively looking forward to it. Probably would have been better on a lower difficulty to be quite honest, just to lower the tedium a bit.

Right i missed my EoW (end of week) update so this times it's going to be the SoW (start of week) update.

I've just blown up the mothership and making my way through the darkened bowels of the ship.

The game feels like it's starting to outstay it's welcome and I'm in agreement of Chronoja that there is a lack of variety in the enemies and another I'd like to add is that they feel rather bullet spongy and alot of them can take alot of hits to kill in normal. I am enjoying the game but I'm not actively looking forward to playing it as other games

Right i missed my EoW (end of week) update so this times it's going to be the SoW (start of week) update.

I've just blown up the mothership and making my way through the darkened bowels of the ship.

The game feels like it's starting to outstay it's welcome and I'm in agreement of Chronoja that there is a lack of variety in the enemies and another I'd like to add is that they feel rather bullet spongy and alot of them can take alot of hits to kill in normal. I am enjoying the game but I'm not actively looking forward to playing it as other games

Glad to see I wasn't the only one feeling that way. It's without a doubt a good game but just little elements like that hold it back from being a great game.

Return to Na Pali was about on par. When they give you a new weapon right off the bat I was really hoping it was going to smooth out those rough edges but that optimism didn't last long. It's too weak and consumes too much ammo, and like the other new weapons, it's just a variant of something we already had. Most of the levels are decent though, no obviously new enemies but they managed to be a bit more diverse in how they used them this time around, or so it felt. More brutes and big enemies, levels with Titans etc. The pacing is strange though, there's some levels that drag on for ages, and a few that consist of a single area, then the expansion just ends without any kind of climax. Not really complaining, it's just noteworthy.

The overall high point of these games though remains the music. I think if the music hadn't been so awesome that the more annoying parts might have been enough to drag the game down but comparing it to a game like The Binding of Isaac, different genres for sure, but good music in those instances can help lessen the impact of those frustrating parts.

I will be playing the rest of the series in the near future, putting it into my rotation, so while I wasn't super hot for this game, I am very interested to see how it evolved. Unreal Tournament especially since I've been playing Quake Champions with it going "free" for E3, and those were the two big juggernauts of the arena shooter genre. Right now it looks like Quake won the battle but I have vague memories of Unreal Tournament being great. Unreal Engine is used for everything these days though, so they definitely won the war in a sense.

Unreal gold is a decent FPS with some great music and weapons variety held back by its lack of variety in it’s enemies and some rather lackluster level design.

One of the best aspect of the game is the weapon variety. Each weapon used has it own setup and way of acting. Including an 8 barreled rocket launcher, a crystal firing minigun, a shotgun with a large spread, a bio firing sludge gun and a razor firing gun. Each of these weapons are also used by the enemy which puts you on the on the same playing field. Luckily most of the weapons have slow projectiles meaning they can be dodged.

Continuing on with the projectiles as they are slow and easily dodgeable means that the game tries and gets you to keep moving about when playing the game. This is means that you should be constantly moving and it works well in trying to get you from staying still.

Unfortunately due to a lack of variety in the enemies the game slowly peters out at the end as you are constantly fighting the same variety of enemy. It also doesn’t help that the enemies are all rather bullet spongey on normal mode and it feels like it takes too long to take them down.

The level design also could be better designed at times. The more linear level work quite well in the game as you slowly move towards to the end of the level. The less linear level can be confusing and have way too much backtracking with nothing new changed in the level. In the end those levels feel like there's far too much padding to be interesting.

Unreal gold also include the expansion pack for the unreal, return to na pali. It’s ultimately a rather lazy expansion. There is the introduction of 3 new weapons all things available in other games (machine gun, rocket launcher and grenade launcher) and I rarely used them and 3 new enemies types (spider, lizard and human solider) again things which are easily found in other games. It did introduce more voicing but only at the end of of a level. It ultimately is more Unreal and at that point I was done with the game.

Overall Unreal gold is a really fun FPS which encourages constantly moving but is let down by a lack of enemy variety and too much backtracking in some of the levels.

7/10

Since we're heading into the next GoTM soon, I'll just say I agree with the general consensus as well. I really liked it at first, but I don't know... the more I went in, the more I felt like it lacked something. I'll finish it eventually, so hopefully I should be able to articulate what it is by then.