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Overview

The subject of this article appeared in Unreal Tournament 2004.

Onslaught is a vehicle-based gametype first introduced in Unreal Tournament 2004 and developed by Psyonix.

Overview[]

"Onslaught is a large scale, team and vehicle based game mode in which players battle for control of huge exterior settings. Since these settings are so large one naturally needs a way to traverse these distances, hence there are a variety of vehicles that can be used in Onslaught. These vehicles are built to not only move but also destroy your foes.

Each team has their own vehicles and you cannot steal your foes vehicles unless they unlock them by first getting into them. If your enemy jumps into a tank and then leaps out to pick up ammo you can then hijack it and turn the tables on him!

The main objective in any Onslaught game is to destroy your enemies' "Power Core." This critical point is usually located in the heart of your opponent's base. Sounds simple, right? Here's the catch - a Power Core cannot be damaged unless your team has a link to it. How do you acquire a link? By controlling the smaller "Power Nodes" on the map and making a connection from your own Power Core to your opponents. Power Nodes begin as neutral points in the level and once they're touched they begin to build for your team. At this point the opposing team can attack and try to destroy the Node as it is being constructed. If they manage to destroy it it will go neutral again and can be re-claimed by either team. If they fail to destroy it the Node will be built for your own team and a link will be made to your own Power Core.

The next step in an Onslaught map involves proceeding to the next Node. Since the enemies Power Core can only be damaged if there is a link to your own Core you'll have to take over a number of Nodes in order to make this connection. It is extremely important to note that you can ONLY take over a Node if you control an adjacent Node. You must progress across the map, taking over point by point, in order to stage an assault on your enemies' Core. Since death comes quick in the Tournament it is also good to know that once your team controls a Node you can then choose to respawn at it. This allows a team to have an advancing presence on any given map."

The objective of the gametype is to capture a series of power nodes that connect your base to your opponents' base and to destroy their power core.

Key elements in an Onslaught game include the Power Cores, Power Nodes, and Power Links. Also frequently present in Onslaught games, though not unique to the gametype, are vehicles, turrets, and three additional weapons: the AVRiL, Grenade Launcher, and Mine Layer.

In Onslaught, each team has one Power Core, usually located somewhere within their base. The core can lose health either by enemy attacks or through draining during overtime. Power cores can only be attacked when a power node linked to the core is controlled by the enemy team. They cannot be healed by any means, so it is vital to protect them from enemy attacks at all times. The amount of health of a Power Core can be adjusted by the mapper; in all official ONS maps, the Power Core has 5000 health, except for ONS-Dria, where it has 9000.

Next are the Power Nodes and Power Links. Each map features one or more power nodes connected to the power cores via power links. At the beginning of the game, all nodes are neutral, meaning they are not controlled by either team. To take control of a neutral power node or attack an enemy node, it must be linked to either your power core or a power node controlled by your team. Unlike power cores, power nodes can be healed, and their construction can be accelerated by using the Link Gun's alternate fire. Most nodes have 2000 health, though this is not a strict rule.

Warfare is an evolved form of this gametype, serving as the successor to Onslaught.

Scoring[]

The scoring rules for Onslaught are as follows:

  • 2 points are awarded for destroying a core during regular time.
  • 1 point is awarded for destroying a core during overtime.

Configurable options[]

Unreal Tournament 2004[]

Configurable options
Item Type Default Description
Bots
Number of Bots Integer 0 Specify the number of bots that should join your match.
Bot Mode List Use Map Defaults Specify how the number of bots in the match is determined.
Bots Balance Teams Boolean Yes Bots will join or change teams to make sure they are even.
Bot Skill List Average Set the skill of your bot opponents.
Game
Weapons Stay Boolean Yes When enabled, weapons will always be available for pickup.
Goal Score Integer 3 The game ends when someone reaches this score.
Time Limit Integer 20 The game ends after this many minutes of play.
Enable Player Highlighting Boolean No At a distance, players have a team colored glow.
Random Link Setup After Reset Boolean No After a reset, a new link setup will be chosen at random.
Teams Swap Sides After Reset Boolean Yes After a reset, teams will switch sides so they are defending the PowerCore they were previously attacking.
Core Drain in Overtime Integer 20 In overtime, PowerCores lose a maximum of this much health every second.
Delay at End of Game Float 4.000000 How long to wait after the match ends before switching to the next map.
Friendly Fire Scale Float 0.00 Specifies how much damage players from the same team can do to each other.
Spawn Protection Time Float 3.00 Specifies how long players are invulnerable after they spawn (unless they fire).
Rules
Allow Weapon Throwing Boolean Yes When enabled, players can throw their current weapon out.
Weapons Shake View Boolean Yes When enabled, some weapons cause view shaking while firing.
Allow Taunts Boolean Yes Enables players to use the recorded taunts.

Maplists[]

Unreal Tournament 2004 Onslaught maps
ONS-ArcticStrongholdONS-CrossfireONS-DawnONS-DriaONS-FrostbiteONS-PrimevalONS-RedPlanetONS-SeveranceONS-Torlan
XP Bonus maps: ONS-AridoomONS-Ascendancy
ECE Bonus Pack maps: ONS-AdaraONS-IslandHopONS-TrickyONS-Urban
Semi-official maps: ONS-IcarusONS-Sidaro

Trivia[]

  • Within the files for Unreal Tournament 3, there are images suggesting that the original version of Onslaught was considered for the game before evolving into Warfare. Maps that eventually became Warfare maps bear filenames with the "ONS-" prefix.

Author's notes[]

"Onslaught is a large scale, team and vehicle based game mode in which players battle for control of huge exterior settings. Since these settings are so large, one naturally needs a way to traverse these distances, hence there are a variety of vehicles that can be used in Onslaught. These vehicles are built to not only move but also destroy your foes.

Each team has their own vehicles and you cannot steal your foes vehicles unless they unlock them by first getting into them. If your enemy jumps into a tank and then leaps out to pick up ammo you can then hijack it and turn the tables on him!

The main objective in any Onslaught game is to destroy your enemies' "Power Core." This critical point is usually located in the heart of your opponent's base. Sounds simple, right? Here's the catch - a Power Core cannot be damaged unless your team has a link to it.

How do you acquire a link? By controlling the smaller "Power Nodes" on the map and making a connection from your own Power Core to your opponents. Power Nodes begin as neutral points in the level and once they're touched they begin to build for your team. At this point the opposing team can attack and try to destroy the Node as it is being constructed. If they manage to destroy it it will go neutral again and can be re-claimed by either team. If they fail to destroy it the Node will be built for your own team and a link will be made to your own Power Core.

The next step in an Onslaught map involves proceeding to the next Node. Since the enemies Power Core can only be damaged if there is a link to your own Core you'll have to take over a number of Nodes in order to make this connection. It is extremely important to note that you can ONLY take over a Node if you control an adjacent Node. You must progress across the map, taking over point by point, in order to stage an assault on your enemies' Core.

Since death comes quick in the Tournament it is also good to know that once your team controls a Node you can then choose to respawn at it. This allows a team to have an advancing presence on any given map."
Mark Rein[2]

Preview notes[]

"More importantly, though, are the new gameplay modes. Assault, the perennial fan favorite is back, and an entirely new mode called Onslaught is already in place. Here, multiple control points separate two color-coordinated bases. There are lines between each control point or "node," and capturing a node changes the line's color to that of the capturing team. Players work their way across the map in an effort to connect all the nodes and change the connecting lines to their color, eventually having a node of their color connecting to the enemy base. Once this happens, the enemy's base becomes the main target. While each node along the way can be destroyed, repaired, and taken by either team at any point, the team bases cannot be repaired at all. Destroying the enemy base is how the match is won. However, if the node linking an enemy to your base is recaptured by your team or is destroyed, then your base can no longer be attacked. It sounds a little confusing, but in reality, it's quite simple and should lead to power struggles throughout the entire map.

As you may have guessed, maps like this are quite huge, and although you can respawn at any control point your team controls, walking for a few minutes to join the battle is not the way of UT. Therefore, something new had to be added. Something faster. Something more powerful. Something like a tank. Or a dune buggy. Or a fighter. Or a bomber."
Gamespy[3]
"The onslaught game mode is, according to Mark Rein, a lot like capture the flag in most respects--except that rather than capturing an object and returning it to your own base, you'll simply be attempting to destroy the object. There will be at least nine levels designed specifically for onslaught in UT2004, and if the level we were shown is an indication of what to expect, they'll be huge. The expansive exterior level we saw was more than a little reminiscent of one of Halo's multiplayer levels, only a lot bigger and with more-impressive base structures at either end. In addition to turret defenses, each base contained a number of parked vehicles that the guys from Epic couldn't wait to show off. First up was a skimmer that, like many of the things in onslaught, brought Halo multiplayer to mind. A one-man craft, the skimmer is a high-speed, lightly armored hovering vehicle that is complemented by a second, as-yet-unnamed flying attack craft that purportedly handles in much the same way as a helicopter. Other vehicles that we got to see in action included a tank, a three-man buggy with a fixed gun position in the back, and a one-man buggy in which you'll be able to shoot in any direction while driving."
Gamespot[4]
"The biggest portion of the new content is two game modes. One is Onslaught and essentially is UT with drivable vehicles. Polge showed us a few of the new Onslaught maps and they are huge with lots of outdoor terrain. The vehicles range from small one man hovercraft and jeeps to a three man jeep to a big and powerful tank. We also saw playable turrets mounted into the bases of the Onslaught maps. Two new hand held weapons were also seen; a grenade launcher that fires "sticky bombs" on targets and a spider bomb that moves toward their intended victim."
HomeLan Fed[5]


Gallery[]

External links and references[]

  1. Fragmaster, redef (Aug 21, 2003). "Unreal Tournament 2004 Trip Report". PlanetUnreal. Retrieved Oct 29, 2024.
  2. Rein, Mark (July 24, 2003). "Descriptions of UT2004's Assault and Onslaught Game Types". Atari Forums. Archived from the original on March 13, 2005. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  3. Rice, Kevin (August 7, 2003). "Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC) Preview". Gamespy. Archived from the original on December 3, 2003. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  4. Calvert, Justin (May 14, 2003). "Unreal Tournament 2004 Impressions". Gamespot. Archived from the original on January 16, 2005. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  5. Callaham, John (May 16, 2003). "Unreal Tournament 2004 Impressions". HomeLan Fed. Archived from the original on February 7, 2005. Retrieved July 11, 2020.

See also[]

Gametypes for Unreal Tournament 2004
Solo gamemodes
Single player
Multiplayer gamemodes
UT2003 gamemodes: DeathmatchTeam DeathmatchCapture the FlagBombing RunDouble DominationInvasionMutantLast Man Standing
New gamemodes: AssaultOnslaughtInstagib CTF
Semi-official mod gametypes
ECE Edition mods: Air BuccaneersAlien SwarmClone BanditsDeathballDomain 2049Frag.OpsJailbreak 2004Red OrchestraRocketeerUnWheel
Other
Vehicle CTF
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