Multiplayer isn't always the answer

[Solver]

Ahh the days of Age of Kings... it was very fun while I was extremely involved in the community. I do still drop by some AoK sites now and then, but generally seems that my real involvement in the scene is over.

[yin26]

Actually, I should note, Solver, that I technically didn't stop the clan once I got kids. My last day on the clan came when that kid --whom I was supposed to be watching-- managed to pour grape juice in the VCR! So, I should clarify: Having kids is no problem. Actually having to take care of and watch them, though, slows MP gaming up a bit.

[Solver]

Which is why you buy them an old 486 and turn them into Civ1 addicts so you don't have to watch them .

[bonscott]

I'll just add that nowhere did I say that MP people were losers. Far from it. I personally don't get into the MP games and one reason is I know it would suck away my life. I avoid Evercrack and Suckmylifeaway Warcraft just for that reason. I have other priorities like taking a 20 mile bike ride on a nice evening, landscaping the yard or going camping with the familiy every other weekend until fall. I'm no longer 22 and in college with nothing but time on my hands to play games when I'm not drinking. Certainly nothing wrong with that but it's just not me anymore.

Guys my age that are addicted to these MP games have problems at home with their family because they spend no time with them. That is something I avoid thus I choose to not do MP.

And yea, Morrowind is still going strong by the way. As is Civ 2 which still has games of the month ladders more then a decade later.

[DaviddesJ]

Originally posted by 99ranch

How many times can you play Civ4 SP before you have exhausted the fun of it? The answer for me was around 5 times.

That's 4 1/2 more than it took for me to exhaust the fun of Civ4 MP. Playing a whole game of Civ4 carefully and well takes me 20+ hours, and it's just not practical to play a 20+ hour game online. So you have to rush and/or strip away much of the game.

[Colonâ„¢]

Originally posted by 99ranch
How many times can you play Civ4 SP before you have exhausted the fun of it? The answer for me was around 5 times. If your answer is "unlimited", you are easily amused, and I have a classic game for you to play. It's called "Key-Jingler 3: Extreme Jingling".

I think this a bizarre statement to make. For ages, it was perfectly normal to be "easily amused" by SP-games. The only thing gamers did was to spend hours on games like Civilization, Sim City, Prince Of Persia or Myst on their own. You make it seem as if everyone who bought Civilization must have been a simpleton, because there was no way a sane person could play it for more than a couple of days.

I'm in no way against MP, I constantly play MP games in Call Of Duty for instance. The MP games I've played with TBS games have usually been frustrating to me though. The only reason I tried it out was because I was looking for a more intelligent opponent than the game's AI. Hence, if you ask me, I'd rather have redoubled efforts to improve the AI, than I'd have them invest any efforts in MP capability.

[Solver]

I've actually played more Civ4 MP than I played all other Civ MP together, but I still find myself unable to fully enjoy that MP. One thing is that most games are aggressive and tend to war,instead of diplomacy/building. Another reason is that they're very fast. I can't stand playing anything faster than Epic in SP, and MP games are Quick. Of course, they have to be, or else they would indeed take like 20 hours.

I appreciate what Civ4 did with MP, and I think it's actually quite playable, but I can't get over feeling that MP just doesn't fit too well in the core design of what Civ is.

[ElConejo]

Originally posted by Colonâ„¢


I think this a bizarre statement to make. For ages, it was perfectly normal to be "easily amused" by SP-games. The only thing gamers did was to spend hours on games like Civilization, Sim City, Prince Of Persia or Myst on their own. You make it seem as if everyone who bought Civilization must have been a simpleton, because there was no way a sane person could play it for more than a couple of days.

I'm in no way against MP, I constantly play MP games in Call Of Duty for instance. The MP games I've played with TBS games have usually been frustrating to me though. The only reason I tried it out was because I was looking for a more intelligent opponent than the game's AI. Hence, if you ask me, I'd rather have redoubled efforts to improve the AI, than I'd have them invest any efforts in MP capability.

I have to agree with this completely. Allow me to say that I do not (as of this posting) own GalCiv2 but I am becoming very interested in it. I read that "this game does not support multiplayer" I originally was like: 'well why not?' but after reading all of the information I have to say that I agree.

I have only played 2-3 multiplayer games with Civ3, because those I got into took too long and would generally die before anything interesting would happen. I have played an obsene amount of SP games of Civ3, and like you I only tried MP because I was looking for a challenge without the cheating.

I am very interested in buying GalCiv2 (once I get the hardware for it) and getting involved in the SP experience they have built there for it. I'd rather have an interesting and strong AI than sacrifice alot of cool gameplay for the off chance of me finishing a MP game.

[Brizey]

For me (married with a six week old kid, a general management job that gives me the responsibility to keep about 30 families fed and a house in the burbs), SP is all about a few stolen moments of escape. I have all the interaction with other people I can handle. I cannot fathom having more than two or three hours strung together with nothing to do. I want to be able to play completely on my own terms.

My life has not always been thus. At one time I could have participated in LAN games and online play, but that was years ago. There are plenty of good MP games out there. Let us SP fans have a few now and then, too.

And also, calling people names is pretty low. If I was Solver I would have banned a few people by now. Please keep it civil, folks.