I decided to try UT3 again last night for some reason and found a TAM server that was actually quite fun. Game seems to run a bit better with the last couple patches and it looks like the mother of all patches is on the way to improve a host of things. My biggest complaint is the console type browser you have to go through to play, add friends and servers etc. Looks like they are addressing some of this.
From beyondunreal:
Epic Games has been quietly working behind the scenes on a M-M-MASSIVE update for Unreal Tournament 3. However, the most exciting news may just be that this is only the beginning - a very small part - of what they have in store...
SUMMARY OF MAJOR FEATURES:
Major enhancements to Server Browser
Visual and menu flow overhaul for improved useability of user interface.
Significant AI improvements, especially in vehicle gametypes.
Client-side demo recording support
Improved networking performance.
Midgame map, game type, and mutator voting support
Award system using Steam Achievements
Improved mod support
Improved Steam integration
Steam Achievement support for Steam installations of UT3.
Integrated Steam Authentication support.
57 achievements mark your progress and mastery of UT.
Progress screen shows which awards you have earned, and completion progress on all awards.
Server Browser:
Server Browser updates, expanded query filtering, clientside filters and a new UI option list.
Added mutator filtering to the server browser (filter by installed mutators, mutator classes and mutator names)
Now displays each servers IP in the server details box
Added 'Join IP' and 'Spectate IP' buttons to the join game menu
Added an 'Add IP' button to the favourites menu
Modified the main menu to return to the server browser after disconnecting
Added a new button to the midgame menu 'Add Favorite', and a new console command: AddServerToFavorites
Updated server browser code, so that custom gametypes are properly filtered.
Added a 'List All Game Modes' selection to the server filter menu.
Added more information to the server browser player list.
Fixed servers not being added to history, when following a friend to a server
You can now attempt to directly connect to offline servers in History and Favorites (even during master server downtimes).
Show "+" for player counts that are populated by bots.
UI:
Major visual and menu flow overhaul for improved useability.
Made the instant-action and host-game menus keep their settings.
Scoreboard double click functionality for kicking, messages to specific players.
Enabled gamepad stick sensitivity setting in UI.
Improved gamepad support on PC.
Added support for a whole mess of options on Advanced video settings page.
Easier to click buttons by fixing cases where mouse went just past them.
Max player counts always fit on all scoreboards.
Modifier cards should take display priority in toasts over character unlocks.
Improved voice command menu positioning and offsets.
Fixed showing as teleport destinations on map nodes which could not be teleported to.
Added tooltip while deployed in stealth vehicles to show drop deployable button.
Bot count UI changed from "Number of opponents" to "Number of combatants" to be less confusing.
Added support for showing top weapon user in end of match scoreboard. This shows which player got the most kills with a particular weapon. If a player was the leader with more than one weapon, it picks the weapon he or she got the most kills with.
Show beacon with name of enemies in DM if they are close enough.
Fixed ammo number on HUD pulsing on armor pick up instead of ammo pick up.
Third position for powernode beacon, when just looking at base.
Added speaking icon to player beacons.
Portraits shown for player speaking with VOIP.
Fixed onslaught teleporter tooltip not always displayed correctly.
fixed toasts that don't shut down properly popping up later unexpectedly
More delay before going back to ambient music from action.
Fixed text being obscured after removing a friend from the friends list
Fixed showing proper weapon icon on weapon bar for selected weapon when two weapons are in same slot.
Fixed issue where playercard and friend message screens were disappearing.
Reduced chat log spam.
Fixed rules for showing "change team" button.
Vehicles:
Increased radius/volume of Manta, Raptor, and Viper engines.
Fixed scavenger legs disappearing in kill volumes.
Force occupied manta to rise if underwater.
Added sound effect and recharge bar to SPMA to indicate when the weapon is ready to fire
Increased water damage taken by vehicles.
Increased Goliath health.
Fixed nightshade beam weapon accuracy.
Fixed spidermines confused about nightshade that switches teams.
Tank shell is always relevant, so you'll see it if it kills you from a hidden tank.
Leviathan shield doesn't stay around after death.
Fixed leviathan passenger beacon positioning.
Fixed hoverboard rooster tail positioning when traveling over shallow water.
Fixed flag positioning on tracked turrets.
Fixed flying Manta exploit.
Fixed boost exploit with Fury vehicle
Weapons:
Added burn trail for link gun beam.
Weapon pickups now disappear for the player who picked it up, until it can be picked up again (now works like weapon lockers).
Weapon throwing always enabled.
Improved force feedback for various weapon and pickup actions.
Simpler crosshair for instagib rifle.
Third person translocate sound.
Stinger now higher priority than flak cannon by default.
Back splatter decals for hits with sniper rifle, stinger, and enforcer.
Improved spidermine aiming help on console with hitscan weapons (enforcer, stinger, sniper).
Fixed enforcer anim problems when become dual during initial loading.
No ammo display for instagib rifle.
Improved spidermine herding with Avrils.
Improved redeemer blast screen shake.
Spidermines work properly in deathmatch.
Fixed translocator discs being able to get embedded in geometry with zero extent collision on but box collision off.
Fixed deployable exploit (run over deployable while firing weapon, get in vehicle while still firing, and never switch to deployable).
Fixed trans discs getting stuck on instigator's head.
AI:
Added Drop Flag/Orb command (accessible through voice menu) to get bot teammates to drop the flag they are carrying.
Improved bot handling of navigation failures, don't stay stuck.
Bots understand ducking under obstacles with the Darkwalker.
Bots understand getting off hoverboard to use a lift.
Adjusted bot new enemy acquistion speed.
Low skill bots don't slow down if carrying flag.
Bots understand how to effectively use Orbs in Warfare much better.
Bots use the hoverboard more effectively.
Improved bot AI for using Translocator.
Improved AI for picking best weapon to use.
Improved AI for Leviathan, including aiming with the leviathan, and navigating the Leviathan.
Improved AI for using the Hellfire SPMA.
Improved Scorpion AI for trying to run over enemy foot soldiers and self destruct into big vehicles. TTP #103637.
Improved Manta/Viper AI for trying to run over enemy foot soldiers.
Improved stealth vehicle deployment AI.
Improved bots yelling "same team" when player is actually trying to hit nearby enemy.
Fixed bots not able to get in Darkwalker secondary turret in some cases.
Fixed bot AI issues in secondary turrets.
Bots go after countdown nodes if core can't be attacked.
Fixed bots grabbing orb without getting all the way to orb spawner.
Improved AI for bots deciding whether to get out of vehicles and continue on foot.
Automatic fix for not letting bots in vehicles try to go into areas that are blocked for vehicles by turnaroundvolumes.
Bots are move aggressive about driving vehicles without slowing down too much for slight turns.
Bots fully understand kismet disabled nodes.
Improved bot AI for fighting enemies in Slow Fields.
Improved bot understanding of targeting occluded powernodes.
Demo Recording:
Added support for clientside demo recording.
Demo playback is now delayed until precaching completes.
Networking:
Fixed localization of certain networking messages received from different language server.
Improved dynamic netspeed system based on player counts.
Improved hoverboard smoothness in net games.
Friend following now attempts to place friends on the same team.
Added team balancing between matches.
Fixed reachspecs occasionally keeping level references across seamless travel, causing levels not to be properly unloaded.
Increased net priority of movers with viewer based on them. Reduces mover popping in large playercount games.
Networking bandwidth use optimizations.
Improved prioritization of actor replication.
Improved network pawn position update smoothing using mesh translation.
Tweaked finding floors for simulated falling pawns.
Yaw and pitch change smoothing for other players on clients.
Fixed character mesh not getting onto hoverboard right away in high player count games.
Improved turret replication in high player count games.
Fixed remaining cases where team color skins weren't being properly set.
Fixed clients auto-switching to better weapon when they stop firing.
Don't dynamically adjust listen server client netspeed above max client has requested (for modem clients).
Make sure all audio components get cleaned up on seamless travel.
Fixed various exploits.
Server Administration:
Removed download speed limitations, when hosting LAN servers.
Implemented auto-reconnect code for Gamespy uplink and advertising. Servers now continuously try to advertise to the master server upon failure.
Fixed buggy URL parsing function, which was breaking mutator advertising
Added code to recreate serveractors after seamless travel
Fixed case insensitivity issue with admin and game passwords
Added session banning, with the command: AdminSessionBan
Security fixes.
Added config variable 'SpawnProtectionTime' to UTGame.ini.
Optimized stats sending bandwidth.
Support `n as \n in MOTD.
Much more here: http://forums.beyondunreal.com/showthread.php?t=183180
