Please Invent Multiplayer

[Derouin]

I have put off purchasing TLD soley because of the frustration with multiplayer.

It is 2009. I am fed up with having to use a third party program to play multiplayer with these matrix games. Battle HQ, Hamachi, Gamespy, whatever. They are all frustrating-- I'm a 34 year old man who has way too many damn passwords, IDs and third party programs etc etc etc to keep track of. I know I am not alone.

Here is an idea that should have been done a long time ago:

Develop a GUI self contained multiplayer function within the damn game. Just like every other damn game that has been released since what? 2001?

[Tejszd]

There is nothing forcing you, at least for the CC games, to use those programs.

When I play multiplayer the most common way is to use an Instant Messaging program, example Windows Live Messenger, to see someone I know is online and I ask for their IP and give them mine depending on who is hosting. Then I go start the game select host or join (I join I enter the IP I was given and hit search)....

[Derouin]

Tejszd, I respectfully think that your proposal for multiplayer is ridiculous in 2009.

If I want to play multiplayer, I should be able to click on an icon within the game and select from 'rooms' available-- just like all modern first person shooter games in existence. I have done what you suggested and have used Hamachi, battle HQ, even gamespy in the past with older CC titles. All a complete waste of time and frustrating with "ok, what is your IP?" "ok, I'll e-mail you with a good time to play" "ok, I'll meet you at such and such time".

[Tejszd]

True, definitely not as slick as the new games but if the goal is to avoid having to install the other programs using IM works. 

[Derouin]

OK. I think I may do the unthinkable-- purchase this game and try and get things going through IM then. *Sigh* I'd rather muck about with IM than with Hamachi, etc etc etc.

So just IM, get each other's IP addys, fire up the game, and voila eh?

Fair enough.

[Andrew Williams]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/sega- ... ds-servers

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_i ... tory=22654

http://kotaku.com/5129121/age-of-conan- ... last-rites



http://gamerblips.dailyradar.com/story/ ... s_closing/


Now, If CC had 300,000 players we'd probably be looking at creating dedicated server software.

Seeing as that's the point when everyone else closes theirs do you really think it's practical?

[FatFlint]

It took me about 2 or 3 days to find an opponent.  I posted in the forums and found someone who wanted to play at a good pace, we had a great campaign with The Longest Day and now we've moved on to the Grand Campaign in Wacht am Rhine.  Turns out that the guy is super cool and we have played other games together, Sturmovich and Red Orchestra for example.
 
If you post in the Opponents Wanted section you should be able to find someone to play against in a few days. 
 
Flint
 
 

[Derouin]

That was a very good post, Andrew. That is a reality I was totally ignorant of. Fair enough!