Proof of future Multiplayer?

[Source]

Hey all,

If you open the jackal.txt file in your Civilization III folder, you'll see text like this:

#NETCONNECT_CREATE
#xs 320
#caption Host Multiplayer Game
#editbox
#itemlist
Enter game name:
Enter your name:
##Optional password:

#NETCONNECT_JOIN
#xs 320
#caption Join Multiplayer Game
#itemlist
Enter your name:

#NETCONNECT_NEED_SESSION
#xs 320
#caption NOTICE
^^Game name required. Please try again.

#NETCONNECT_NEED_PLAYER
#xs 320
#caption NOTICE
^^Player name required. Please try again.

#NETCONNECT_MAX_PLAYERS
#xs 200
#caption Create Multiplayer Game
^^Choose number of players allowed

This must be proof of future multiplayer capabilities, right? Or it at least shows that they've been thinking about/working on it.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

This news is 4 months old dude.

 

[Dirk Aurel]

Afraid it is old news,still makes one wonder though why it was taken out...so what´s new in the addon...

 

[Source]

Ah sorry guys.

I've only had this game two days.

 

[Guardian]

The initial release of Civ II also shipped with no multiplayer capabilities whatsoever, but with "hooks" for it already embedded in the code.

Then later on, they released a "Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition"...


It's definitely coming, guys! The question is how and when...

 

[chiefpaco]

Anyone seen games that had a free multiplayer patch come out for it before? I think it must be pretty rare. I do have 1 old game, Blood Bowl, where they came out with a free patch that included multiplayer. However, MP was a promised feature, included in the manual and on the box, but didn't include it when the game came out! The patch was released only a couple weeks later & I soon got the floppy in the mail (it was probably 6-7 years ago).

I don't see multiplayer included in any official manner from firaxis which leads me to think it's only our speculation. Anyone seen other games released with mulitplayer patches?

 

[Dirk Aurel]

Have a headache so can´t say for sure which games really had a free mp patch coming later,but I could name you some games that came out with mp implemented and that at the same price.

 

[etj4Eagle]

Many games have hooks in them embedded for future possible features. Sometimes they become features other times they do not. Heck even SMAC had hooks in the rules file to allow different types of weapons and armor (ie like ray weapons and projectiles), in which case the AD numbers would not be everything.

In some cases these are features that they were trying to add and they just did not work out, or get polished in time. Other times they are in anticipation of an item to be added in the future (eg MP here). And other cases it is just developers giving themselves room to work to make future additions easy.

 

[pompeynunn]

It isn't a multiplayer add-on, but Firefly Studios have just released a free 'Stronghold' supplement, and are therefore getting lots of plaudits from the games magazines for their after sales support.

Quote from PC Gamer:

"The newly released Excalibur Pack, a free Stronghold supplement featuring plenty of new citadels, is an object lesson in attentive after-sales care."

Can you see Firaxis doing something like this? No, didn't think so. (Go on, prove me wrong!)