So, no Multiplayer? (I'm new here)

from GalCiv2 Forums
Hi everyone,

First of all, I'd just like to get some disclaimers out of the way:

1. I'm very new here, just registered on the site.
2. The post is related to multiplayer, which I worry has probably been beaten to death in years past. Sorry if that's the case.
3. I love 4x games, and TBS in general.
4. What keeps games interesting for me in the long run is multiplayer, hence my post.

Now, if I remember way back when to when I heard GalCiv was released, I think there was an interview where it was stated that they had to pick and choose what features they wanted to focus on, and since a lot of TBS players only played single player, they opted to leave out multiplayer. Perfectly understandable.

I have to admit, however, that I was very disappointed to hear that GalCiv2 also did not incorporate multiplayer. I have a group of 4-5 friends who enjoy playing epic games of Civilization 4, Age of Wonders 2, and other TBS games via multiplayer. Playing with a live human being just gives such a great random dynamic that can't be found in AI.

I did look at the poll that was taken about what features the playerbase would like to see in an expansion/sequel, and I think only 9% stated multiplayer. The thing is, I think that might be a bit skewed considering that those taking the poll are already established fans... i.e. that didn't want to play Multiplayer to begin with. I think the inclusion of a Multiplayer feature might expand the fan base even more.. I know it would with people I know, in any case (and yes, that's completely anecdotal )

Now, the point of the post isn't to gripe about the lack of multiplayer. I understand business and design decisions necessitate features be left out. My question is, with the popularity of "simultaneous turn" multiplayer that Age of Wonders brought to the genre (and was used very successfully in Civ4), are there any plans to implement something like this in a future release? I did purchase the original GalCiv, but quickly lost interest as I tend to do when fighting only against the AI. I guess I have become too much of a social gamer, and like to play with (either competitively or cooperatively) my friends. I would love to pick up GalCiv2, as the game sounds great, but the lack of multiplayer makes me wary of losing interest again quickly.

So, any plans for multiplayer (simultaneous turn) down the road, or is this horse long dead and beaten and should I move along to something more to my personal tastes?
10,426 views 16 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
They are a small company. They like to make updates for there games. They wouldn't be able to put out the kind of massive updates for the single player game if they had to keep catering to fix multiplayer issues.

I say they should implment it on the LAN side, but have no support for it. It's just the game isn't built for multiplayer. It would need rule changes and all the mass.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The dead horse has been beaten harder than the one in the "Jared Has Aides" ep of Southpark.

GCIII will probably have multiplayer, by the sound of things.
TouchTasks - Access tasks with ease on Windows touchscreens.
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The poor horse carcass is only bleached bone anymore and yet some still insist on beating it.


Cheers,
Reaver
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I wouldn't be too sure. Every poll involving it has shown too little interest in MP to be plausible.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I have to say I prefer the tone of this post to other pro-multiplayer posts I've read. Kudos to you, goodgimp, for putting your case in a pleasant to read manner.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Welcome to the forum. Yea MP is a pretty tired subject around here. But, those that want it seem to really want it where those that don't really care, well, don't really care. The polls only indicate where people would *rather* see Stardock put their resources, not really whether people are "for" or "against" it. Most people would rather get improvements in game content. I'm in that majority myself. Stardock is not necessarily anti-MP so we may see it in a future release or expansion pack. However, as a consolation, the AI is quite developed in GC2 so you may find they're worthy competitors at least.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thanks for filling me in on the MP status, guys! I'll keep my fingers crossed for a multiplayer version sometime in the future and who knows, maybe I'll break down and buy it as-is

Again, thanks for taking the time to respond.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Dem bonez dem bonez them dry bonez.

Small company
Limited resources
Debut as a single player game
No guarantee of payback for development time
Multiplayer needs lots of development time to work
Announced plans for expansion with no multiplayer
Want to tweak and improve single player experience
Multiplayer fanboys have been very vocal and abusive
Polls on limited support by existing players for multiplayer
Multiplayer nice but most players bought for single player experience
Concentration on having rich singleplayer experience with competent AI
Developers love multiplayer but not convinced the effort to create it would pay off

Dem bonez dem bonez them dry bonez.  
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
If you really want MP TBS MOO2 was a ton of fun for the people who would come to the gaming store I managed. We only had 4 comps set up in a Lan, but it was more than enough to keep them filled after hours playing games.

Brother Angelon
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
2. The post is related to multiplayer, which I worry has probably been beaten to death in years past. Sorry if that's the case.

Oh yes, very. When I saw the topic I thought to myself, "Oh no. Not another person complaining about a lack of multiplayer and thus accusing the game of being stupid, childish, and a bunch of other undeserving insults.And the worst part is he's knew and thus hasn't played the game. This should be interesting to read."
Fortunately, I was incorrect in my thinking.   

Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top


I think that sums up the MP discussion.
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
Better watch out - PETA may start after you....   

And to the OP - nicely put.
Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Gimp -- Fear not...there is almost no chance in hell that SD WONT create a multiplayer version of this game in the future. Just a matter of time. If you want a rockin' multiplayer 4x game, try Space Empires IV. It is this game that GalCiv2 will be competing with for years to come, and if SD doesn't eventually implement multiplayer, then it will unfortunately suffer in sales and replayability. Personally I'm happy that SD is working on the AI before the MP though, as even in MP, we need decent AI opponents to fill in the gaps in let's say a 4 human player game but with 9 races total. So go ahead and buy GalCiv2 and start practicing. The smart money is that multiplayer will come to us, if not quite soon enough.
Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Sorry, no MP.

Still waiting to get decent Hotseat MP, after old Master of Orion II...


P.S.
You don't even need simultanious turns or anything similar to get Hotseat & PBEM working. Just few interface screens and that's it.

P.P.S.
Now my oppinion is that if MP was worked from scratch that game would have better AI then now. Something to think for GalCiv3, worked very well when making Civ4...
Reply #16 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Um, actually, multiplayer is a wholely different set of problems.

Okay, let's take a look at a small company that specializes in getting multiplayer to work: Blizzard. To get an idea, they made their games, tested them, worked out the kinks of single player, and released them. With most one of them, it's taken years of effort to actually get multiplayer to work properly. With one game (Diablo 2), they actually gave up on it. In fact, they never intended to release another patch after 1.10, but did so to fix the few remaining bugs they were willing to fix before pretty much dropping the game and moving on. And, yes, they have and had the same AI problems as GalCiv 2 does, and many of these problems are not noticed due to the fact they simply don't put as much effort into the games. They're pretty much "kill everything not on your side" games. The actual players provide most of the depth and challenge. The AI we have here is probably much farther advanced, simply because of what it has to keep track of. They're still trying to fix the bugs in Warcraft 3, and it's a Pent 2 game that requires DirectX 8.1. It's a game where the recommended setup for RAM is the same as the minimum requirement for GalCiv 2.

To be honest, I don't think Stardock wants to spend three or four years working on balancing out a game just for multiplayer. Plus, it's a field that has already been conquered so many times and has so many companies in it that pure one-player games of this type are considered a novelty (which is part of the success of GalCiv 2).