{The List-} Multiplayer

[Paddy]

Originally posted by Rasputin
ok, that true, but perhaps by time Civ4 is released you will have cable or DSL connection, i think the vast majority of internet will be Broadband connection within 3 years and that will free up phone line and enable better MP games.....

Ok good point here.

I was originally going to ask for multiplayer functions for us who only have dialup internet access, thus not able to multi play, but you have raised a very valid point.

Thanks

[pg]

how about dedicated servers ala fps games? also it'd be nice to have observers and be able to have multiple players enter and leave the game just like in fps games.

[Rasputin]

The problem with most peoples attempts at Pumltiplayer civ appear to me to be based on their desire to finish the game in one sitting. The relaity is , a good game of civ always takes a while to finish. Many sessions will be needed. To make a MP version of civ4 that caters for the quick finsih people will destroy the essence of civ . The MP community from Civ 2 is the strongest section of Multipalyers around and most didnt get into civ3. To make civ4 work, we need their input and what makes civ2 work but didnt wokr in civ 3.

Civ 4 MP players should relaise it will take many sessions possibly even months to finish a good game, direct connection via IP address is waht works best in civ2 MP. Whilst a server may be good to allow a lobby of palyers to join. Using a forum like poly is the best wat to find players at your level of play.

[POTUS]

Being a Civ 2 mutiplayer, how does mutiplayer work in Civ 3?
As an aside, my best game of mutiplayer took almost two years.

[Rasputin]

civ3 MP no where near as enjoyable as civ2MP IMHO...

it may be the type of players i played against but i jsut felt it was like playing a very slow version of SP civ 3.... MP games need to be more deep, with more diplomatic interaction. With so many people choosing Simultaneosu moves for Civ3 MP you miss the oppurtuinty to negoptiate with others, cause you to busy movuing all your piecs at the same time. Turn Based is the only way to allow a civ game multipalyer to play well , giving all the people whos turn it isnt the time to negotiate and micromanage their citys, during your own turn , you should jsut move your pieces.

Dont try to speed up civ 4 MP by forcing Simul moves, it was tryyed in civ 2 MP and most now gone back to turn based.


Probably need to adjust things like trade route checking , which is what appears to take most of the time between turns.

[wrylachlan]

I don't know if C3C already does this, but I'd like the ability to shift between game modes. Start a game as hotseat, or over a LAN or the internet, and then when you start getting into the middle and late game where the time for each turn goes up I'd like to be able to switch to PBEM.

[Rasputin]

id like to see them go through all the reasons why the game is slow (mostly trade links checking I beleive) and eliminate these reasons.

By time Civ 4 Comes out Broadband connections should be far more avialable and civ 4 MP swhould state broadband as minimum requirements for game...

[atawa]

Sim should be an option but one that can be turned off at will, going back to the colour sequence.

[Rasputin]

Originally posted by atawa
Sim should be an option but one that can be turned off at will, going back to the colour sequence.

Never seen the advantag eof sim over turn based, excpet for the slow turns issues, so if the slowness goes, wont need tunrless or simul turns

[Zero]

Hybrid of PBEM/LAN/Hotseat alone would help SOOOOOOO much.

Right now you can PBEM/hotseat by hitting continue game but I'd also like a LAN game with detect mode to check whether next player is logged on in the game or not. If not, game will ask to be saved or wait for the player to connect. In that way you can play LAN whenever your teammates are active and you wanna play turns as fast as possible, but resort to PBEM when things slow down and you want more time to think about things.

Also, if you wanna be just there while opponent is doing their move and you wanna see the action of the enemy moves (that you're allowed to see ofcourse) you can choose to be there.

[Rasputin]

if it on a lan arnet you nea rthe person anywway, usually same building ??

[Rasputin]

time to summarize this one too..

[Hot Mustard]

The 2.0 point could be expanded dramatically to provide support for Democracy games:

-have a game admistrator position (game account/password), with powers to change anything in game for any civ (player,team)
-have a civ leader position with powers to create sub-leaders with various powers, including: control of only unit movement (military, non-military); city management; trade (FAM)
-civ leader also sets general password for view only access to their civ - this allows the masses to view the game without risk of them changing anything accidentally or purposefully (cheating)
-each sub leader can open save either in view only mode or with access to their permitted areas only

This is just off the top of my head - I am sure others could expand this concept much further.

[DarkCloud]

Thanks for summarizing!

[BlueWaldo]

I, and those who play with me at college, only play Civ multiplayer, never single player. We will only be buying the game if it includes good multiplayer suport.