One Step Guide to get "UT2k4 mode" for UT3

[ekay]

Here is one simple .ini tweak that can completely change the way your UT3 looks.

It removes the red hit effects, tunnel vision, desaturation, depth of field (distance blur), blue toning and colour post-processing. And generally makes it a lot more simpler, crisper and cleaner - more akin to UT2k4 (but with all the benefits of highly detailed textures and models of UT3).

Open - /my documents/my games/unreal tournament 3/utgame/config/utengine.ini

Under [Engine.GameEngine], replace:
DefaultPostProcessName = FX_HitEffects.UTPostProcess
with:
DefaultPostProcessName = EngineMaterials.DefaultThumbnailPostProcess

And that's it.
I have actually added the new line underneath it and put a ; before the original to disable it, and switch between modes when taking screenshots/testing maps. But in general play, I always use the ThumbnailPostProcess.

VCTF-Suspense
Before


After


DM-Deck
Before


After


As this basically disables the 'scene effect' which is a setting inside each map. The effects can vary from map to map, depending how much post-processing the mapper had done (but in most cases, it looks better).
I prefer this method of tweaking as you can set the in-game settings all to max (or default) and then this setting will sort out the rest. Minimal effort, maximum result.
And if your thinking 'will this make the game perform better?'. Well I can't be sure of that, although it does disable some effects that would otherwise take some CPU cycles to render, so might help, but you probably won't notice any difference in fps.

[Psyqwix]

You said it affects the distance blur, does this mean that you can see further on some maps?

[ekay]

It depends on the map really, if we are talking stock maps and [good] custom maps, then no. All the things that this tweak changes (blur distance, etc) are all settings you can change separately anyway, either from in-game UI or through heavy .ini tweaking.

Maps are built with this in mind, so they don't use post-processing to stop you from seeing parts of the map (ie, use distance blur to stop you seeing really far). They just use post-processing to make the map look pretty/give atmosphere.

This tweak does nothing you couldn't do the normal way, it's just a lot more simpler/quicker to do.

[Zofo]

These tweaks certainly help with aim, u can see a lot more with them

[azurescorch]

Will give it a try. But personally it just looks like it would with Bloom disabled and Post Effects muted.