How easy do you expect multiplayer to be?

[garric]

In Civ 3 as it stands, it's a pain in the butt to set up and play multiplayer. Besides being full of bugs, it takes too long, if you have too many people playing some people are liable to drop or just leave. Playing by email may take a WHOLE year to finish a game.

Civ 4 promises to have an easier, more streamlined multiplayer. Frankly, I'm quite the pessimist and I think that multiplayer won't be worth it, just like last time was. But what do y'all think?

 

[Phoenix_56721]

Multiplayer is my favorite part of any PC game I usually won’t buy a game unless it has a multiplayer! I know in Civ3 Mp was a after thought (PTW) and so it really never worked very well until Conquests, and even then it had problems. But I still play online with one friend and our games run pretty good, granted there are only 2 people and 7-8 computer civs. But it’s still a lot of fun! In Civ4 they focused on Mp right away and even came up with a new Mp mode (Pitboss) I’m hoping that this is a good sign for Mp in Civ4!

 

[garric]

Multiplayer is my favorite part of any PC game I usually won’t buy a game unless it has a multiplayer! I know in Civ3 Mp was a after thought (PTW) and so it really never worked very well until Conquests, and even then it had problems. But I still play online with one friend and our games run pretty good, granted there are only 2 people and 7-8 computer civs. But it’s still a lot of fun! In Civ4 they focused on Mp right away and even came up with a new Mp mode (Pitboss) I’m hoping that this is a good sign for Mp in Civ4!

But the thing is.. it won't be the whole civ experience. I don't like starting to play a civ game with your whole country built for you. The whole fun is setting up your civilization and building roads and stuff. Combat isn't really that exciting in Civ, but these game modes seem to be based entirely on it.

 

[Phoenix_56721]

I havent heard that you have to start with a Developed country in Civ4 Mp, if this is the case I would be very disappointed. I always start from the begining its my Favorite time in the game!

 

[vbraun]

If you could start as a developed country it would be an option, not mandatory.

I think what garric was referring to was being able to join into an on-going game as one of the AI players.

 

[Averdris]

Multiplayer is the best part of every game except for Half Life2 it sucks. I hope its totally different from Civ3 for getting into a game, It takes so long to get people in a room and most of the time when you launch it just cancels... or you cant connect into a game, but for some reason you can connect to every other game you own. FIX THAT.

 

[Robi D]

But the thing is.. it won't be the whole civ experience. I don't like starting to play a civ game with your whole country built for you. The whole fun is setting up your civilization and building roads and stuff. Combat isn't really that exciting in Civ, but these game modes seem to be based entirely on it.

I don't know where you heard that? Mp games start with a settler and a worker just like sp games, no difference except your playing against other humans.

 

[Mrdie]

I expect MP to be...about the same as Civ IV singleplayer, but when you talk about how easy it is to play against OTHERS..well..yeah...now that will be hard...

 

[TerraHero]

i must agree with pheonix where he said that MP was something added as a lil extra in some expansion and this time it being made from the very base of the game.

Naturaly this gives more time and effort into teh development of MP games. And i hope they really do a good job.

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

Whats really great is that, because they have had MP up and running from the get-go, they have been using player behaviour in these MP games as the basis for their development of the AI which will, in turn, lead to possible improvements in the SP game as well .

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

 

[SonicX]

Multi-Player will be too easy, I'm affraid the intelligence of the opponents will yet again be far inferior and unsufficient

 

[Leprechaune]

Multiplayer will be better this time around. And I'm hoping a good MP community sprouts from this.

 

[warpstorm]

Multi-Player will be too easy, I'm affraid the intelligence of the opponents will yet again be far inferior and unsufficient

You never played Civ3 against Fried then.

 

[Sullla]

They said they've been playing and testing MP games for months now...

Either Firaxis is lying or Civ4's Multi-Player will blow Civ3's out of the water.

 

[garric]

Multi-Player will be too easy, I'm affraid the intelligence of the opponents will yet again be far inferior and unsufficient

I was actually talking about the ease of setting it up.

 

[nicae]

Multiplayer is the best part of every game except for Half Life2 it sucks.

are you nuts?!
HL2 (and HL1) singleplayer sucks! multiplayer is where they excel! ok, CS and CS:S are dumb.. but did you ever play day of defeat? my best game for the past 2-3 years! above any other singleplayer or multiplayer game ive gotten my hands on!

 

[Supa]

I loved HL1 solo part. Didn't it come only with DM MP ? CTF wasn't there at the beginning and the goods mods either. HL1 MP out of the box is no better than Duke3D MP or even Doom MP.
I've finished HL2 one hour ago btw. Good action, good ambiance, poor story, very bad ending.

 

[nicae]

I loved HL1 solo part. Didn't it come only with DM MP ? CTF wasn't there at the beginning and the goods mods either. HL1 MP out of the box is no better than Duke3D MP or even Doom MP.
I've finished HL2 one hour ago btw. Good action, good ambiance, poor story, very bad ending.

yeah, but CS and DOD are free mods (less than 200mb download), and later were bought by valve and distributed via retail as well. (still free download!)
in HL2, they are made available with the game, altough DOD:S will come only with their silver and gold packages.
i didnt have patience to finish HL2 solo yet..

 

[Supa]

Yes, but my point is : It's not Valve's works. Even if I like HL very much, I can't say they made a good MP mode. Perhaps the netcode was particulary good, but they didn't do anything with it.

 

[SonicX]

You never played Civ3 against Fried then.

I was just kidding though ... hoping to aggravate/teast some forummers in manner you won't get warned about

Probably I'll lose a LOT online.

On Topic : I think setting it up will be fairly easy, with the central server with saving capability, woohoo