Is multiplayer better now?

[turingmachine]

I will never understand multiplayer strategy game players who want AI bots as opponents.

It's not about MP players using bots.

-If someone cant play the game anymore and you want to continue on, it's better to have the SP level AI take over its slot than the bran dead AI that doesn't do anything that currently takes over the slot in MP.

-They purposefully gutted the systems because of the AI in MP, so you don't get the full experience with things such as Intrigue, etc.

-Some people like to play in teams against the AI, or play a mixed Human/AI game. Why? Maybe it's a small group of friends that want to play together on a 22 civ map without other people. It doesn't matter. It's how they like the play, and the AI was fully functional in Civ IV during MP so the lack of it in Civ V is nothing but a step backwards.

The point is, they included the use of AI slots in MP so they should be fully functional, otherwise they shouldn't have given the option.

 

[anandus]

[...] but a good MP game will not have disconnects, lag [...]

I see sooo many people complaining about this, but I never have this issue. I've played literally hundreds of hours of multiplayer (and soon over a thousand) and after release it was buggy, but since a few patches it was rock solid. Me and my friends never having any disconnect issues or lag. We (2 to 6 men) play on a near daily basis (from 2 to 12 hours).
It might be that we're just lucky, but I can't think and wonder that the people complaining about disconnects and lag just haven't played multiplayer in the last few years or so?
I'm not saying this is the case, but it's just very very strange that we don't have the issues other people are complaining about.

 

[Mustakrakish]

I played with two friends with top notch connection, rest AI and it all went pretty good if not for two things.

1. AI is completely brain dead. We played prince since my friends are relatively beginners. There was more problems from barbs than from AI civs. When I discovered the coast of AI on another continent, their only two cities had zero improvements, I repeat, ZERO. The year is 1300 something AD, I have ships of the line roaming their coast and they have nothing, absolutely nothing. I took their cities in 2 turns with nearby exploring 3 ships of the line and 1 caravel.

2. I attacked my friend and took a city (we had a disagreement, he apparently thought that he could steal tech from me without consequences and I should just shut up about it), I could simply destroy him, but I offered peace. And what do you know, he modified the deal to his liking and accepted it himself, I wasn't even asked. What?! After talking about what just happened, we tried it once more and yep, he just took all my cities by accepting a deal he modified, on my behalf.

It's madness.

 

[Foffaren]

I see sooo many people complaining about this, but I never have this issue. I've played literally hundreds of hours of multiplayer (and soon over a thousand) and after release it was buggy, but since a few patches it was rock solid. Me and my friends never having any disconnect issues or lag. We (2 to 6 men) play on a near daily basis (from 2 to 12 hours).
It might be that we're just lucky, but I can't think and wonder that the people complaining about disconnects and lag just haven't played multiplayer in the last few years or so?
I'm not saying this is the case, but it's just very very strange that we don't have the issues other people are complaining about.

I mostly play GMR where the problem doesnt exist, but the live games I do play very seldom has these problems. I was merely conveying what I hear (and so do you it seems) every day.

And like I said earlier, work arounds. We fix this problem by reloading. Takes a min or 2, nothing more. Shouldn't have to, but we all deal with it because we must.

 

[Finnagain]

I played with two friends with top notch connection, rest AI and it all went pretty good if not for two things.

1. AI is completely brain dead. We played prince since my friends are relatively beginners. There was more problems from barbs than from AI civs. When I discovered the coast of AI on another continent, their only two cities had zero improvements, I repeat, ZERO. The year is 1300 something AD, I have ships of the line roaming their coast and they have nothing, absolutely nothing. I took their cities in 2 turns with nearby exploring 3 ships of the line and 1 caravel.

2. I attacked my friend and took a city (we had a disagreement, he apparently thought that he could steal tech from me without consequences and I should just shut up about it), I could simply destroy him, but I offered peace. And what do you know, he modified the deal to his liking and accepted it himself, I wasn't even asked. What?! After talking about what just happened, we tried it once more and yep, he just took all my cities by accepting a deal he modified, on my behalf.

It's madness.

Not trying to be snarky, but honestly I don't think that guy was your friend..

 

[Mustakrakish]

Not my friend by exposing ridiculous exploit?

 

[anandus]

At least it's bad sportmanship.
Even though the bug exists, doesn't mean that people should exploit it.

 

[Mustakrakish]

He is an ass. Though I don't consider it bad sportmanship, uncovering the bug. He nor me knew of it at the time. We started anew and never used the bug again.
Now him voting for marble being banned and against world fair just because I proposed one and asked to vote against the ban, saying it's politics, that I consider bad sportmanship. He is a bad loser, and he knows it, but will never admit it.

Now why does this bug exist? I would have thought that such a big one would be fixed ASAP?

And what about the braindead AI?

 

[civjou]

He is an ass. Though I don't consider it bad sportmanship, uncovering the bug. He nor me knew of it at the time. We started anew and never used the bug again.
Now him voting for marble being banned and against world fair just because I proposed one and asked to vote against the ban, saying it's politics, that I consider bad sportmanship. He is a bad loser, and he knows it, but will never admit it.

Now why does this bug exist? I would have thought that such a big one would be fixed ASAP?

And what about the braindead AI?

Eh he uncovered nothing, the trade exploit is well known about and is banned in any reasonable game. That is grounds for being insta banned on NQ for example.

 

[CraigMak]

Still very buggy, I believe this game was at its very best right before BNW came out. At the end of G&K this game was pretty stable. BNW shot that to hell and very little was ever done to rectify the new issues such as the host freezing bug, lobbies bugging out, the game freezing as usual when some one quits etc.. etc.. etc..

 

[anandus]

Still very buggy, I believe this game was at its very best right before BNW came out. At the end of G&K this game was pretty stable. BNW shot that to hell and very little was ever done to rectify the new issues such as the host freezing bug, lobbies bugging out, the game freezing as usual when some one quits etc.. etc.. etc..

I'm curious. Have you ever noticed any of these problems for yourself or are you just repeating what you've been reading elsewhere?
(I'm asking as I play multiplayer on almost a daily basis and never have those problems).

 

[Patty14]

I'm curious. Have you ever noticed any of these problems for yourself or are you just repeating what you've been reading elsewhere?
(I'm asking as I play multiplayer on almost a daily basis and never have those problems).

I agree, I've been playing some multiplayer games recently and haven't had any problems besides some very minor lag, and having to rehost every once in a while.

 

[Mustakrakish]

Can anyone comment anything on brain deadness of AI in multiplayer, or should it simply be one or two difficulty levels higher than SP?

 

[Arcaian]

Can anyone comment anything on brain deadness of AI in multiplayer, or should it simply be one or two difficulty levels higher than SP?

They play with the AI of Prince, as far as I know. Get the bonuses as if you were on Prince. Your difficulty level affects happiness and social policies, as far as I can tell.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=518874

This is very nice for getting basic mods to work, including one called Active AI Diplomacy which makes the AI in MP actually propose trades.

 

[CraigMak]

I'm curious. Have you ever noticed any of these problems for yourself or are you just repeating what you've been reading elsewhere?
(I'm asking as I play multiplayer on almost a daily basis and never have those problems).

I personally started experiencing the host freeze bug right when BNW came out. Before then I hosted 100% of the time and never had problems because my computers is very good. After BNW, every game freezes up randomly for no reason when I host or become host. It's a much different freeze than you will ever experience without the bug so I know it's the bug.

For the other problems I personally experience them every time I play with about 4,800 hours in multiplayer under my belt. I can say that out of 10 games maybe 2 will actually come to some conclusion without locking up or crashing for various reasons.

 

[Tabarnak]

I personally started experiencing the host freeze bug right when BNW came out. Before then I hosted 100% of the time and never had problems because my computers is very good. After BNW, every game freezes up randomly for no reason when I host or become host. It's a much different freeze than you will ever experience without the bug so I know it's the bug.

The problem come from the barb processing between turns. No barbs solve the host bug.

 

[anandus]

[...] For the other problems I personally experience them every time I play with about 4,800 hours in multiplayer under my belt. [...]

Wow, 4800 hours!
I've only got about a 1000 hours of multiplayer in.

But I guess we must be lucky, not having any issues. Apart from people not wanting to finish a game we never experience any lockups or anything.

 

[Mustakrakish]

They play with the AI of Prince, as far as I know. Get the bonuses as if you were on Prince. Your difficulty level affects happiness and social policies, as far as I can tell.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=518874

This is very nice for getting basic mods to work, including one called Active AI Diplomacy which makes the AI in MP actually propose trades.

Wait, you can play MP with mods?

 

[CraigMak]

The problem come from the barb processing between turns. No barbs solve the host bug.

This actually makes a lot of sense because I did notice that for some reason I rarely get the host freezing bug in teamers. I wasn't sure why the teamer games were more stable for me. I suppose that could be the reason, because teamers are almost always played without barbs.

What about CS and AI movements? Wouldn't those cause the hosting bug as well?

 

[CraigMak]

Wow, 4800 hours!
I've only got about a 1000 hours of multiplayer in.

But I guess we must be lucky, not having any issues. Apart from people not wanting to finish a game we never experience any lockups or anything.

I think your games are more stable because you play with people that you know. I usually play pick up games with completely random people. Having various random computers and internet connections thrown into the mix seems to have a huge detrimental effect on game stability.

Also, the game's stability goes down hill very quickly once some one leaves. A person leaving because they didn't get GL can freeze up the whole game for everyone.