Multiplayer comment

[johnny_boy]

Hi

A Lurker delurks.......

Just a quick note about the comments being made about the multiplayer ( or lack off! )

I used to work in the games industry ( so I have some experience with writing computer games ) and I have to tell you that writing multiplayer code is the most frustrating thing in the world. The worst problem in that of synchronization of the separate PCs, and trying to find those bugs eats time and people like nothing else ( which is probably why the development of the scenario editor slipped! ).

Bugs can only appear when you've got 7 pcs linked up and the third PC hiccups throwing the other six out of wack. And that was with an action orientated game. God only knows what it was like for a much slower game like civ.

Also you'll probably find that Firaxis had nothing to do with releasing the game early - that would probably be Infogrames who had their marketing monolith ready to roll. When Firaxis reported they had multiplayer problems, Infogrames probably told them to cut the multiplayer for the time being and get the thing out the door like yesterday dammit!

I know from bitter experience that the pressure that the publisher exerts during the last couple of months of development and testing is phenomenal.

Its an unfortunate truth that until the games industry grows up and stops the culture of 20 hours days and 7 day weeks for the last 3 months of development, games will be released with bugs in them - most of them put in during this crunch period, when people are suffering from exhaustion and pizza overdoses! ( it takes a month just to get rid of the taste ! )

Just my two pennies......now back to lurking........

[Alexander's Horse]

Thanks for that - pretty much what we thought happened.

The multiplayer experience is so much richer than SP. Its social for a start.

[DanS]

I think it's common knowledge that this happens, so why do we get the marketing line "Civ has always been a single player experience at heart", which is most obviously total BS to MPers? Infogrames didn't put out that line, Firaxis did!

People who play MP on a regular basis are well acquainted with the challenges of putting out an TBS with MP dealt with satisfactorily--many here have spent thousands of hours playing Civ 2 MPG, and have even come up with a new "diplogame" genre. Firaxis should have said "we thought it important to do MP right, so we decided to wait until we could devote the resources to doing it right." We would have been disappointed, but at least we wouldn't have been insulted with something that just ain't true.

Lastly, if there will never be the kind of resources available to do this right, Firaxis should publish a Multiplayer API and let other people (who do have the ready resources to link 7 people and test) do the work.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your experiences. You should lurk less, post more.

[KoalaBear33]

Multiplayer is tough but it shouldn't be that hard for TBS (turn-based strategy) games. With TBS games, synchronization and issues related to lag aren't as abig of a problem...

KoalaBear33

[Wittlich]

Originally posted by KoalaBear33
With TBS games, synchronization and issues related to lag aren't as abig of a problem...
KoalaBear33

Especially when you're dealing with a LAN game.