Brad Wardell's views about technology, politics, religion, world affairs, and all sorts of politically incorrect topics.

As some people know, the initial release for Fallen Enchantress will not have multiplayer enabled. It was decided early on that 100% of the design and development focus for Fallen Enchantress would be on delivering a world class single player experience.

But after release, lots of things become possible.  Advocates of multiplayer tend to be vocal. To gauge genuine interest, how many Fallen Enchantress players would be willing to pay a dollar to support the development time for a multiplayer mode (Internet cooperative / competitive).

To vote, go to:

https://www.elementalgame.com/journals

Please only vote if you are actually in the beta (the admin poll will display what % of users are actually registered users).

Result: 60% would not pay $1 for MP DLC. 40% would.


Comments (Page 12)
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on May 19, 2012

I'm sad that I missed my chance to vote in this poll.

I had played Fall From Heaven for years on multiplayer with my wife.  I heard that the crew from that mod had started their own venture and I was excited.  I checked back recently and saw it was in beta and went ahead and preordered. 

 

Imagine.... my.... disappointment with no multiplayer

 

Please add multiplayer. I don't understand why the forever alone brigade is so against it.

on May 19, 2012

I'm sad that I missed my chance to vote in this poll.

I had played Fall From Heaven for years on multiplayer with my wife.  I heard that the crew from that mod had started their own venture and I was excited.  I checked back recently and saw it was in beta and went ahead and preordered. 

 

Imagine.... my.... disappointment with no multiplayer

 

Please add multiplayer. I don't understand why the forever alone brigade is so against it.

 

The reasoning is that adding MP , which only about 2-3% of players ever use, takes away development resources that could be used to make SP better, which is what 100% of players use.  It's not hatred of MP as much as it is thinking enhancing SP is more efficient.

 

The mechanics of this game aren't exactly MP friendly either.

on May 19, 2012

I'd say it's because of the bad multiplayer experience they've had when playing other games.

Fair enough, the quality of multiplayer is sometimes, no offence intended, a bit crap.  It's why jumping into a game with a bunch of random players is rarely going to be much fun - you don't know if they're going to be reliable, mature, or even have a clue how to play.

In my opinion, if multiplayer were to be implemented, the social aspect of it really needs to be considered at some length and not wrapped up and sold off for a dollar at some point in the future.  Some of the best multiplayer experiences I've had have been on a whitelist Minecraft server.  You never really know what the other guys are going to do - I remember one time I logged in and there was an enormous tree looming over the town - but you have some assurance that there won't be any griefing, because a lot of the time people only get whitelisted if they're known to the host.

With a mutliplayer TBS your expectations are obviously different, but when some random player falls way short of those expectations traditionally there isn't a lot you can do except kick them.  Then they go crash some other server and do the same thing again.  That's where (to my mind at least) the resistance to multiplayer starts, because of that foo' who keeps messing up games.  There is a tendency to play alone rather than have your time wasted by someone who doesn't know how to play, or deliberately sets out to annoy other players.

on May 21, 2012

Damn, When I bought elemental War of Magic, it was for the multiplayer, I even bought two more copies to offer to friends so we can play together

Ok, MP was crap compared to SP, but it's not a reason to cancel it completely!

A good MP experience is based on having the same possibilities as SP

Like a few others here, I came from AoW 1/2/SM and expected a game to replace it

Now, I'm still playing AoW instead of elemental because of the lack of multiplayer

In fact I barely touched elemental and fallen enchantress because of this (sorry I'm not that active of a beta tester)

After like 3 games, it becomes boring once you searched every single nook and crany in it and saw everything there was to see

You know the items, monsters, buildings, spells, there's nothing more to discover

Same goes for AoW

Adding new content will benefit 100% of the players, sure, but I personally will play 2 more games and be bored again

The fact that I still enjoy Age of Wonders is entirely based on the multiplayer experience, even if a game can take us a week to complete

The fact that you can compete against others or cooperate against computers change the way you play, and renew your experience of the game every single time, which is just not possible in SP, thus enhancing SP will NEVER EVER be as efficient as adding/enhancing multiplayer, even if less players benefit from it

 

Like most of the other multiplayer advocates, I'd probably pay 10 or 20 bucks for multiplayer support, as long as it's the same as in AoW / Civ4 / Fall From Heaven :

-No restrictions compared to single player AT ALL, it must be strictly the same, except with players instead of AI

-Simultaneous turns, A MUST, you can't play without it, the games are already long enough and I don't mind it, but without it, it'd take years

-Add a multiplayer campaign potentially, though with a good map editor, the community could take care of it themselves

-Add a MAP EDITOR!

 

WE DON T NEED A SINGLE PLAYER EXPANSION

Singleplayer will get you two more weeks of playing out of a DLC

Multiplayer will get you years of playing the game with friends

Just look at the AoW community, still active and kicking 12 years after the first game!

And if you don't have friends, then just go and make some, you lonely bastards, you!

 

Just because the multiplayer was crappy in war of magic doesn't mean it has to be the same in fallen enchantress

I think it's the point of this poll, offering development time for multiplayer so it can be a true experience!

And that's it for me

 

tl;dr

To make elemental a great game, just make it like Age of Wonders :

Multiplayer without cutting content, via Internet/LAN/PBM

Possibility to choose our own restrictions at the start of a game (disabling certain items/quests/monsters/buildings, allowing tactical battles, etc...)

Possibility to make our own maps/scenarios

Heck, let us even make our own monsters/buildings/events if it can shut up the Singleplayer community

And I'd gladly open my wallet for this day to happen

on May 21, 2012

I'm sad that I missed my chance to vote in this poll.

I had played Fall From Heaven for years on multiplayer with my wife.  I heard that the crew from that mod had started their own venture and I was excited.  I checked back recently and saw it was in beta and went ahead and preordered. 

 

Imagine.... my.... disappointment with no multiplayer

 

Please add multiplayer. I don't understand why the forever alone brigade is so against it.

They are against it because someone beat them at a multiplayer game some time in thier lives and mocked them which hurt thier feelings. So they oppose any type of MP no matter how it is implemented. They assume that they know how much resources and Dev time it will take (because to hear them chat you would think that they are apart of the DEV team) to add this feature and of coarse oppose it. But if it is a feature they want then it is a must have.

 

on May 21, 2012

MarvinKosh
I'd say it's because of the bad multiplayer experience they've had when playing other games.

Fair enough, the quality of multiplayer is sometimes, no offence intended, a bit crap.  It's why jumping into a game with a bunch of random players is rarely going to be much fun - you don't know if they're going to be reliable, mature, or even have a clue how to play.

In my opinion, if multiplayer were to be implemented, the social aspect of it really needs to be considered at some length and not wrapped up and sold off for a dollar at some point in the future.  Some of the best multiplayer experiences I've had have been on a whitelist Minecraft server.  You never really know what the other guys are going to do - I remember one time I logged in and there was an enormous tree looming over the town - but you have some assurance that there won't be any griefing, because a lot of the time people only get whitelisted if they're known to the host.

With a mutliplayer TBS your expectations are obviously different, but when some random player falls way short of those expectations traditionally there isn't a lot you can do except kick them.  Then they go crash some other server and do the same thing again.  That's where (to my mind at least) the resistance to multiplayer starts, because of that foo' who keeps messing up games.  There is a tendency to play alone rather than have your time wasted by someone who doesn't know how to play, or deliberately sets out to annoy other players.

For TBS games I usally don't play Random (well except for Shogun 2) I either play TCP/IP with friends or Hotseat with Friends or Solo but using more than one team/nation/faction. And sometimes even LAN play. This is the type of MP I perfer. I don't do the ladder thing or anything like that. Which is why I have always said that I want the full SP expereance in MP and to hell with how long it takes just as long as I can save the games. I don't need any more balancing that is not already in the SP version of the game. The only other things I ask for is the ability to see my empire while others are in Tactical Combat and/or waiting for them to complete thier turn.  Also would not mind an option to witness other players and AI's TC.  Also a turn timer would be good. Not that I would use it that much but for really slow players it does come in handy.

on May 21, 2012

Well actually, one thing that might help with that is if you can have two or more pairs of hands/eyes per faction.  It would mean you don't have one player laboriously cycling through available units and trying to do everything else.  The best way I can put it across in a nutshell is, imagine a way more sophisticated version of them old days of playing XCom with a friend, letting them control their own squad (and letting them get killed, sometimes, heh).

Instead of having to share a mouse and keyboard though, you could play as a team online.  With other players playing the bad guys.

I know I have probably mentioned this idea before and one of the downsides is you need a lot more players to fill up a game.  But if the AI in FE is any good, then maybe you can fill up a game more easily.

on May 21, 2012

No. Not that it'll be bad or anything, but...I just don't play a lot of multiplayer strategy games.

on May 21, 2012

MarvinKosh
Well actually, one thing that might help with that is if you can have two or more pairs of hands/eyes per faction.  It would mean you don't have one player laboriously cycling through available units and trying to do everything else.  The best way I can put it across in a nutshell is, imagine a way more sophisticated version of them old days of playing XCom with a friend, letting them control their own squad (and letting them get killed, sometimes, heh).

Instead of having to share a mouse and keyboard though, you could play as a team online.  With other players playing the bad guys.

I know I have probably mentioned this idea before and one of the downsides is you need a lot more players to fill up a game.  But if the AI in FE is any good, then maybe you can fill up a game more easily.

Now that would be a cool MP option to.

on May 21, 2012

Yeah and the other thing is, I can see it making for great Let's Play Fallen Enchantress videos if you have a couple of guys bickering over military strategy like a married couple.

on May 21, 2012

I would pay a $10 for a DLC that had flying units. I would not pay $1 for mulltiplayer.

on May 21, 2012

I would probably buy the game twice more, (or rather I would gift it to my brother and my flatmate), so that we could play multiplayer. So yes I would also pay 1$ for MP support.

on May 24, 2012

Honestly I bought Elemental because I liked what I saw from the gameplay and it was supposed to have multiplayer.  I love coop games with friends.  I play Civ5 all the time with friends but I only play it when I have someone to play with.  The same was true about Elemental.  I quickly get bored playing alone but can sit all day playing a coop game.  My friends and I honestly don't plan to really bother with this game after our experience with the first iteration until we see a polished game.  The addition of a full multiplayer instead of the chopped down version from the previous game will play a big part in our purchase.  Honestly I understood multiplayer was going to be part of the release when it was first announced.  The only reason I keep checking back here was to see the game progress and I had my fingers crossed for a good game to play with my friends.  Multiplayer not being added at all is news to me and incredibly disappointing. 

on Jun 09, 2012

I would pay 1$ for internet MP. Id buiy another copy for local LAN. Hotseat should be maybe incorporated?

on Jun 10, 2012

Hell yes that would be worth it, once FE finally gets playable without latter game crashing.

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