Editing the 227 features/Direct X snafus on 227

[Hellektronic]

I've read several places that many of the added features for 227 are "optional", but I've never really seen anybody go into detail about what this means or how to alter the installation. I only use 226b (Unreal Gold) for this reason. For the sake of simplicity, I'll forgo the multi-paragraph saga of why I dislike the patch, and get straight to the point:

Is there a way to undo some of the very "extra" additions like the textured monster skins or water splashes without breaking the functionality?

I'd like the 227 compatibility without the zany additions, and after years of suffering in silence I've decided to register here and ask for some tangible information about this. I'd like to be able to play in servers that use 227 items and/or features, but with a very oldschool vanilla look that isn't offensive to my purist tastes.




It also wouldn't hurt to ask while I'm here: why does Direct X 7, 8 , 9 ran through 227 (default setup) destroy itself on my computer when 226b works fine? I can't seem to figure this out either. My computer is an oldschool gaming compatibility powerhouse that uses Windows 10 and can run Unreal Tournament 3 full graphics smoothly, just as an indicator. I have DirectDraw turned on, Direct X updated, every Visual C++ for both 64 and 32 versions, have a DEP exception for the game, hell I even use a Direct X compatibility wrapper just to run 226b, even though I don't strictly need it.

And yet... 227 doesn't run right on most of the options. Not even Open GL. I don't get it. I get missing textures, most notably the light you're looking up at during the beginning of Vortex Rikers... it looks smooth. I also think the dangling electric wire in the med lab fails to render. Am I missing something here?

[Hellektronic]

Ok, so it seems the 227 defaults for Direct X were set to "detail textures: off" for some ridiculously nonsensical reason. Furthermore they don't work right at all on modern Nvidia cards, not even sure why, but that's above my paygrade. Might want to take a modern look at 227 i, j, k, etc. Looks a bit like compatibility might've went to hell with the passing of time and updating of tech.

226b however, works fine on default Direct X. It's just a little dodgy on the mouse input for lack of direct input.

Currently testing 227j on regular OpenGL, seems to be working. But XOpenGL runs like hell on my computer for no reason that I understand.

[Hellektronic]

Currently testing 227j on regular OpenGL, seems to be working. But XOpenGL runs like hell on my computer for no reason that I understand.

XOpenGL seems to run ok on the 64 bit version of Unreal, but there's no particularly good information about this included with 227. Most people would probably have a hard time making this connection, because even knowing how to use these things I had a lot of issues getting it to work.

Regular OpenGL seems to be the most accessible option for most users, especially 32 bit users, and should probably be highlighted by default and recommended openly to new users. It should be double-checked, in fact triple checked, that ALL the default options in the Advanced Options are pre-set for quality and accessibility. This entire menu goes over my head as a relatively advanced user, so woe be to anyone who accidentally edits it.

You might want to make an updated, simple install guide for new users. A lot of "higher end" users somewhat blindly and snobbishly recommend the 227 patch for any troubleshooting issue people have with Unreal these days. But I'm gonna say most people have not the slightest idea what... well, anything you have in the menus means. Or why it should be set to X or Y, you know? It's a pretty brutally sharp learning curve for the everyman and the commoner just trying to get Unreal to run in the 21st century.

[Hellektronic]

Is there a way to undo some of the very "extra" additions like the textured monster skins or water splashes without breaking the functionality?

Let me address this question in more detail- I've noticed that in the 227 patch monster textures have an additional texture over top, a kind of "skin" texture for some of the monsters. Very noticeable on brutes.

I'm mostly wondering if there's a way to turn these additional textures off. Is this considered multitexturing? Or is it some edit made to the models themselves?

[Hellektronic]

Well, looks like it's 226b for now anyway.

I do think this engine could be mutually beneficial to newbies, purists and modders alike. But the whole compatibility thing between 226b and 227 is my primary concern, could be a valid issue in some servers.