The Ion Painter is a weapon appearing in Unreal Championship (under the name T.A.G. Rifle), Unreal Tournament 2003 and Unreal Tournament 2004.
Overview[]
The Ion Painter delivers a delayed but extremely powerful blast which appears to come out of the sky. Set a target or area up for a blast from above, pinpoint a target and use the ion painter’s primary fire to emit a low-power laser beam at the target. (The laser beam isn’t the weapon) After a few seconds, ion cannons from far above bombard the area with ionized plasma causing major area effect damage.
In Unreal Championship and Unreal Tournament 2003, the Ion Painter can usually be found in maps containing the Ion Cannon satellite. When attempting to mark a location, make sure the satellite has a line of sight to it. This isn't the case with Unreal Tournament 2004, where there must be a free line of sight upwards from the target location. Also, as a purely visual effect, there are up to three ion beams firing at the target location. The actual number of beams depends on the line of sight for the individual beams, but doesn't affect the damage output.
Tips and tricks[]
- The Ion Painter's strategic use is normally confined to blowing up objectives or crowds of unheeding opponents.
Unreal Championship[]
It takes a while to lock on, however, and occasionally loses its lock when an enemy crosses the path. Be careful not to get caught in the blast yourself. You usually only get one shot.
The primary fire is a thin laser beam that, locked on to a spot on the ground, calls in a massive ion strike from a satellite overhead. Don’t aim at people or vertical surfaces. Find a good horizontal spot and try to lead your opponents so they’ll be hit as they cross the blast area.
The secondary trigger zooms your view to see faraway distances, allowing you to find a hiding place and target your enemy from relative safety. This is especially useful in very large maps. Don’t waste this feature by trying to rush shots from close range.
This weapon is most effective used from a considerable distance. You do the most damage if the enemy cannot see you or get to you in time.
The satellite cannot lock on to your TAG rifle beam through a roof, so don’t even bother trying this weapon indoors. You usually won’t find a TAG rifle in indoor environments, and couldn’t use it if you did.
Take into account the delay between the lock-on start and the ion burst, and aim at a well-traveled area rather than the place where your enemy is at the moment you pull the trigger."
Unreal Tournament 2004[]
- It is also useful in clearing out defenders from a power node in Onslaught. It is also effective when used on an unshielded power core.
Trivia[]
- In early Unreal Championship beta builds it fired rapid projectile laser bursts instead of the single hitscan targeting beam for the Ion Cannon.
- T.A.G. in Unreal Championship stands for Target Acquisition and Guidance.
- According to an interview with Juan Pancho 'XceptOne' Eekels, the weapon was still called T.A.G. Rifle until the very late stages of UT2003 development.[1]
- The Ion Painter was originally planned to replace the Redeemer for Unreal Tournament 2003. However, the Redeemer still made a return.
Developer notes[]
Preview Notes[]
Unreal Tournament 2003[]
Gallery[]
External links and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 RaptoR (May 15, 2002). "Pancho Eekels Interview". BeyondUnreal. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ↑ StealthDP (May 26, 2002). "E3 Report". Unreal Playground. Archived from the original on October 11, 2002. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ↑ Parker, Sam (May 22, 2002). "E3 2002: Unreal Tournament 2003 impressions". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 9, 2002. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ↑ Blevins, Tal (May 23, 2002). "E3 2002: Unreal Tournament 2003". IGN. Archived from the original on December 5, 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
See also[]
Unreal Championship weapons |
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Shield Gun • Assault Rifle • Bio Rifle • Shock Rifle • Link Gun • Minigun • Flak Cannon • Rocket Launcher • Lightning Gun |
Special weapons: Translocator • Ball Launcher • Super Shock Rifle |
Superweapons: T.A.G. Rifle |
Unreal Tournament 2003 weapons |
---|
Shield Gun • Assault Rifle • Bio Rifle • Shock Rifle • Link Gun • Minigun • Flak Cannon • Rocket Launcher • Lightning Gun |
Special weapons: Translocator • Ball Launcher • Super Shock Rifle |
Superweapons: Ion Painter • Redeemer |
Unreal Tournament 2004 weapons |
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Shield Gun • Assault Rifle • Bio Rifle • Mine Layer • Shock Rifle • Link Gun • Minigun • Flak Cannon • Grenade Launcher • Rocket Launcher • AVRiL • Lightning Gun • Sniper Rifle |
Special weapons: Translocator • Ball Launcher • Super Shock Rifle |
Superweapons: Ion Painter • Redeemer • Target Painter |