And it was absolutely a combination of the first time playing a game with atypical mechanics, no weapon choice, and no time to practice beforehand due to shitty overheating servers. :@
If you want proof, attend the next meat with a computer running your choice of Unreal Tournament, Firearms, or Counter-Strike 1.3 and I'll coat the floor with fragments of your shattered smile. :@
And yes, it was the original UT that had the option to feign death.
UT2003/4 were pants. The vehicle stuff is really a completely different game that, whilst it can be fun in its own right, just isn't as good as a decent foot-based fragfest.
In UT3 I favour the projectile weapons - RPG, flak, and bio - I find it satisfying to correctly infer where the victim is going to be. Got some community map packs that expand the rather meagre selection it comes with, so got both curated community-made ones and some ports of the originals, nice and nostalgic.