Unreal Tournament Update Adds Voice Chat, Performance Improvements

A new update for Unreal Tournament has been released. This month’s patch changes some significant stuff, adds new features and improves performance on low-end hardware. Most importantly, it adds voice chat support to the game. You can now yell at your teammates, because everything is their fault. It always was.

The changelog is quite long, so you’d better visit the official site if you want the full patch notes. Here’s an overview of the most important changes and additions:

• In-game voice support with dedicated servers, enabled by default
• Can choose input device in Audio Settings.
• Can choose between Push to Talk and Open Mic in Audio Settings.
• Can mute players in interactive scoreboard.
• Can also limit voice interactions using the communications filter in the System Settings General tab.

• New Bio Rifle mesh from KazeoHin
• Adjusted Bio Rifle low ammo threshold
• Fixed Lightning Rifle fully charged timer respecting fire rate multiplier (i.e. Berserk).
• Fixed Lightning Rifle primary fire causing damage to non characters.
• Fixed Lightning Rifle charged up in standalone fires projectile when 1 ammo left.
• Adjusted lightning projectile collision.
• Don’t chain lightning off of dead bodies.
• Reduced Redeemer collision free explosion radius 1200->1000.
• Radius is further reduced if Redeemer missile is shot down.
• Impact Hammer alt fire doesn’t push Redeemer missiles.
• Fixed grenades not coming to rest properly on sloped surfaces.
• Fixed friendly instigator check for sticky grenades.
• Rocket spread not affected by aim angle.
• Don’t attenuate Flak shard self damage below 1 pt.

It’s still early days for Unreal Tournament, but it should be a viable alternative to Quake Champions, a game we’ve tried and quite liked. With Lawbreakers around the corner, it’s once again a good time to be a fan of twitch shooters, after fifteen years of the industry giving us the cold shoulder.