From QuakeC Coder to Lead Designer

The Unreal Tournament series is known for having some of the best bot AI in the business, and the bots in Unreal Tournament 3 are no different. Steve Polge, who cut his chops coding the Reaper Bot for Quake, has graduated from programmer and co-designer to lead designer (and, of course, lead programmer). Now that Cliff Bleszinski has settled in to work on Gears of War sequels until his dying days, Polge has been handed the reigns to Unreal Tournament. Judging by the demo, the game doesn't suffer a bit for the change in leadership. Most importantly, neither has the bot AI; the same skilled bots are available as opponents and as teammates.

Even at the lowest and highest of the multiple bot difficulty settings, bots behave in a manner that's believable and unpredictable (though the most difficult settings are unforgiving to the point of insanity). Bots are refined enough to act as competent teammates during the vehicle CTF matches, and didn't appear to have any problems navigating the various flying vehicles through tight quarters. As always, though, bots are single-minded creatures, so don't expect the most advanced team tactics from a group of AI-controlled players.

Will the bot escape with his virtual life? Stay tuned!

"What's Up?" "Oh, not much. Just rollin' - in my dark walker"

Epic: All Grown Up Now

I had the better part of a weekend with the Unreal Tournament 3 demo, and even in its beta state, I had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Sure, there were some issues: a couple of crashes to the desktop, inconsistencies with online rankings and the server browser, and some sudden disconnects during multiplayer matches. Then again, there are games sitting on store shelves that have more serious issues, and this speaks volumes for the position Epic is now as a proven, reliable developer. With some bug fixes and trademark Tim Sweeney graphics optimization, the game looks set to shine at release. And to think - the company that gave us ZZT and Jazz Jackrabbit are now sitting on huge piles of cash and some of the most lucrative shooter franchises in contemporary video gaming. It's enough to make your eyes water, except real men don't cry - they rack up killing sprees in Unreal Tournament 3.