What Is a PUG?

What is the difference between playing a game on public server and playing in a PUG? PUG stands for "Pick Up Game," which is a more organized way of playing. Players are generally of a higher skill level than those found on regular public servers although players of all skill levels are encouraged to join. PUGs are arranged through IRC via a bot (PUGbot), teams are selected by captains, and voice-communication is used to achieve better team co-ordination. These clan-style matches involve the same regulars, week after week, and the community aspect of PUG'ing with friends really adds to the fun factor of a match.

PUGs typically feature more balanced game-play than public servers where folks are randomly assigned teams. PUGs are about the quality of a match, and the point is to have fair games where possible. If it turns out that teams are not similarly capable then players are shuffled to achieve a better balance.

If you're curious what these pick up games are like you, can check out some videos of people playing below. The first video is of m3ss playing in a CTF PUG that serves to illustrate good communication. The second is of cafe playing in a hard fought Assault PUG. The third is m3ss spectating and providing a caster style play-by-play of a match on Azcanize. You'll be able to observe what team communication sounds like, the rhythm of a PUG match, and it should give you a good idea how team based roles modify, and arguably improve, the UT4 experience.

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m3ss playing a CTF PUG.

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cafe playing an Assault PUG.

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m3ss casting a CTF PUG.

These matches are definitely more difficult than the public games you've experienced up unntil now. There are a lot of UT veterans here and the competition is fierce. The high point of getting your butt kicked in a PUG is that you adapt to playing with folks of a higher skill level than you. Your own skill will improve much faster than normal as you pick up new insights, strategies, and habits. If, and when you return to play in those public matches you will see a noticeable difference in how games are played. If you've ever wanted to become a better UT player, this is an extremely accessible and fun way to do it.

Note: If you'd like to see a wider variety of PUG videos, scroll down to the Its Hard Out There! How Can I Improve My UT4 and PUG Skills? section near the end of this guide.

What Do I Need To Play?


What Is IRC?

IRC is a network of chat rooms where each individual chat room is called a channel. Channels are hosted on servers, and each server maintains its own network of channels. Using an IRC client, you can connect to a server and join the channels on that server. By doing so you’ll be able to chat with other users who have connected to the same channels. This is the place where the UT PUG community gathers to organize their matches.

Should I Use mIRC or a web-client?

The web-client is run directly in your web browser. It is easy to use and requires zero configuration. It is great for testing the waters but if you plan on sticking around long term, installing mIRC makes more sense. The primary benefit of doing so is that you have control over how IRC looks, functions, and you gain access to options galore, including "Perform," which allows you to specify a series of commands you want the program to execute upon startup.

So just by launching mIRC the program can join a server, join specified channels, register your nickname, and do anything else you desire. On a modern PC it literally (not literally) has zero resource consumption. You can leave it running all day, and you won't notice the slightest blip in your computer's performance. Another thing to consider is that many people close their browsers and other resource hungry applications before starting up UT4. In which case, a web-client user would lose access to IRC. Having a connection to the channel during a match is not necessary, but can be helpful in certain situations; like finding a substitute player mid game.

IRC Clients
Platform
Windows
Windows
Windows
Linux
Macintosh
All
Program
mIRC
Quassel
HexChat
KVIrc
Colloquy
Web-Client
Price
Free 30-day Trial. Usable after trial expiry.
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Link
Client Website
Client Website
Client Website
Client Website
Client Website
Client Website

Note: For the purposes of this guide I am using mIRC which is a Windows based IRC client. It comes with a 30-day free trial and when the trial runs out, you’ll still be able to use the program. Any IRC client will work and should have similar functionality. A quick Google search should help you find an OS specific alternative in no time.

  1. Download and install mIRC.
     
  2. Open mIRC and enter the Options window (Tools -> Options | or press Alt + O)
    • Connect -> Nickname: Enter the nickname you want other players on IRC to know you by.
       
    • Options -> Perform:
      • Tick the Enable perform on connect checkbox.
         
      • Change the Network to Other Networks.
         
      • Click on Add, select GlobalGamers from the list, and click OK.
         
      • Now select GlobalGamers under Network.
         
      • In the Perform commands area, enter /join #ut4pugs,#UT4.eu,#UT4.ig,#utaunz and click OK, to exit the Perform window.
        Note: Whatever you enter here will be executed each time IRC starts. If you want to add more than one channel, simply separate them with commas. Example: /join #Chan1,#Chan2.
       
    • Click OK or the X in the top right corner, to close the mIRC Options window.
     
  3. It is time to connect to the GlobalGamers network; type /server -m irc.globalgamers.net -j #ut4pugs,#UT4.eu,#UT4.ig,#utaunz
     
  4. The next thing you should do, though it is not required to participate in PUGs, is register a NickServ account. This allows you to own the nickname you selected previously. Without this step, anyone can use or your nickname anytime you aren't logged into IRC with it. It also holds all of your channel access and fakehost information. If someone else registers your nickname, you will no longer be able to use it.
     
    • Make sure the Status window is selected. It will be the only non-channel IRC window open. To select the Status window using the keyboard, press Alt + 1. When selected, the IRC Window title will begin with "mIRC - [Status: Your_Nickname".
       
    • To register your nickname with Nickserv, type: /ns register nickname password emailaddress. Make sure you replace nickname, password, and emailaddress with your information.
       
    • NickServ will now send an email to the address used to register your nickname. It will contain a verification code, called a cookie, that you can use to verify your new account; type, /ns cookie nickname emailcookie to finish registering with NickServ. Make sure to replace nickname with your info and emailcookie with the code from the email.
       
    • To authenticate/login to your NickServ account, type: /ns auth nickname password. You will need to do this each time you login to IRC in order to use your nickname.
      Note: If you add the authenticate line to your Perform settings, you can automatically authenticate your nickname each time you start mIRC. Make sure to replace nickname and password with your info.
       
    • To hide your IP/host from other users, type: /ns set autohide on. Hiding this information will shield you against several types of attacks possible on IRC. When others try to /whois or /dns you, they won't be able to get your IP or hostmask. Be aware that taking part in a DCC chat or file transfer will reveal your IP address though.
     
  5. If you've completed all of the above steps you should be able to close mIRC, open it back up, and have it automatically connect to the GlobalGamers network, login/authenticate to Nickserv, and join the #ut4pugs, #UT4.eu, #UT4.ig, and #utaunz PUG channels. In case you're curious, other non-PUG IRC channels exist for UT4 that may be of interest to you. Since this list is always changing I will not attempt to list them here. If you would like to see what else is out there, type /list ut anywhere in mIRC and a new window will open that lists all channels with UT in their name.
Note: In case you're curious, other non-PUG IRC channels exist for UT4 that may be of interest to you. Since this list is always changing and not PUG specific, I will not attempt to list them here. However, this thread includes a small listing. If you would like to see what else is out there, type /list ut anywhere in mIRC and a new window will open that lists all channels with UT in their name.
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  1. Download and install TeamSpeak 3.
     
  2. Open TeamSpeak. After agreeing to the License Agreement a setup wizard will start that will guide you through setting up your microphone. When it completes there will be a screen with three checkboxes. Make sure all are unticked and click Finish.
     
  3. Time to add Epic's TS server. Click on the dropdown menu Bookmarks and then Manage Bookmarks or, alternatively, simply press Ctrl+B.
     
  4. Click on Add Bookmark in the upper left corner, click on More in the bottom left corner, enter the information below, and click Ok:

    (Download). This is used to communicate with your team, via voice chat, while playing the PUG.
    • Label: Whatever you want (Example: EPIC's TS Server)
       
    • Address: 45.63.14.217:9474
       
    • Nickname: The TS Username you desire (Example: Mulsiphix)
       
    • Server Password: utcommunity
       
    • Connect on Startup: This is an optional step. If you would like TS to join the server when the program starts, tick this box.
     
  5. To join the server click on the dropdown menu Bookmarks and then the server you just created.
     
  6. This will place you in the lobby of the server. TeamSpeak is divided up into channels. To hear or talk to others on the server, you must be in their channel. Once you login, just look for where others in the PUG have gathered. To join a channel, double left-click on its name or right-click and select Switch to Channel . If you are unsure who is in the PUG you are in, type !list [game type] in the IRC channel you joined the PUG in. Example: I type !list CTF in the #ut4pugs IRC channel.
Note: You can manually adjust settings for your Speakers in Settings -> Options -> Playback, as well as for your Microphone in Settings -> Options -> Capture. If you have any trouble getting TS to work properly, you can find help in the TS Knowledge Base or on the official TS Forums.