Mutator Topics
This page is the topic page for Mutator related information. For a general look at mods and mutators, see Making Mods. (There's also an introduction into how mutators work at Mod Authoring/Making A Mutator, but bear in mind that it is a UT guide and is not fully applicable for UT2003.)
What is a mutator?
Mutators are a way to implement a modification, but they are not the only way. Mutators have to follow some important guidelines, which do not apply to new gametypes or total conversions (TCs), the other two types of mod in Unreal.
- Mutators should work with any gametype. (However, there are mutators which were written only for certain game types, e.g. the Jail Fight mutator for UT Jailbreak.)
- Mutators should work with each other, that means any other mutator that someone might make. (Of course, two arena mutators won't work together, but nobody would expect that.)
Roughly, mutators make a small difference to the game: they change settings such as speed or gravity, they add a weapon or a power-up and so on. The player should be able to set and configure mutators as if they were just extra game options.
UT
- Useful Mutator Functions – Making HUD mutators, destroying mutators, and functions for replacing items and giving weapons to players
- INT File – Syntax of the .INT file
UT2003
- Mutator Config GUI (UT2003) – Creating a config screen for your mutator
- INT File – Syntax of the .INT file
- Maintaining Compatibility
- Writing and Using an Embedded Mutator
UT2004
- Mutator Availability (UT2004) – Ensuring your mutator is available in the game's mutator lists
- Mutator Config GUI (UT2004) – Adding your mutator config to the default GUI window.
Related Topics
Discussion
HunterKiller:How can this page and Mutator can be merged ? They talk about the same thing. I dont feel safe to do it by myself...
Tarquin: This is a topic page, for overview & links. Mutator is a class spec page 
DJPaul: Rename this to [UT2003 Engine Overview/Mutator]??
Tarquin: I folded UT2003 Engine Overview into Unreal Engine. Or I was going to. I forget.
Ch3z But there are two topics called mutator. One is the class module; The other is a type of mod. This page is about the mod type, mutator. Not the class.
You don't always know that you're going to like a given mod, and you don't know that until you play it, and half of the time when you connect to a server these days it just starts sending you ten or so megs of bullshit that you may or may not appreciate. The practical upshot of this is that the community online is highly fractured. Virtually any server you connect to is packed to the gills with bots, and when you do find a server with people on it, they're probably playing some mod, mutator, or gametype that is distasteful to you. – [Tycho on Penny-Arcade]
Tarquin: curious what you guys think of the above.
Uncommon: This strays from the topic of mutators, but I think what should happen is when you try to connect to a server that will require you to download various files, it should give you a summary of what needs to be downloaded so you can decide if it's worth it. Otherwise you sit there downloading file after file, never knowing when it will end...
EntropicLqd: The problem is also excacerbated by the way in which the ServerPackages entries work. If something is listed there then you have to download it - even if it's not actually being used in the current game. I agree with Uncommon - it would be nice to see just how much crap you are going to have to download before you have to download it.
MadNad We have been told this will be fixed for ut2004
EntropicLqd: It kind of is. There is an "bAddToServerPackages" property than can be set on a mutator which means that it is only sent to game clients when the mutator itself is in use. I've no idea whether gametypes are handled in a similar way (although in UT you didn't need to add the new gametype packages to the ServerPackages list for it to be pushed to clients when running.
Stewart: This page does not do much to explain what the mutator is. Does not give much of a breakdown of mutator's. Nor does it list the necessary components involved in a mutator. For a wiki, it seems to be written with the lot of a assumed prior knowledge.
Tarquin: Add a link to UnrealScript Lessons somewhere. There are some simple mutator tutorials there.
