Over DSL, my ping never crept higher than 20 unless it was a very slow server. If you do play over the net, you can also choose to have your playing stats recorded so you can see how you compare to other players on a given server. If you're going to play against bots, don't expect it to be easy. Epic's bot code in Unreal was good, in Unreal Tournament it is better. The bots themselves don't have all that much personality, but they definitely have distinct playing styles.
Some bots gravitate toward camping, other towards a more frontal approach.
More importantly, they do go for each other as much as they go for you. In team play modes like Assault or Domination, they also work together very effectively. So far the game sounds good, but it is they way that Epic ended up putting the whole package together that makes Unreal Tournament more than the sum of its parts. The graphics, although not cutting edge, look great. Sound design is also top notch.