Not really feeling the Multiplayer component of the game...
- Thread starter watto33
- Start date
We'll have to see when everything else is in place. Personally I'm a bit worried that the technical issues with the networking will only improve a little bit -- all the waiting with hyperspace and supercruise is really irritating. Irritating enough for me probably not to bother with multiplayer unless the rewards are fairly obvious worth it.
I know it is a beta, and I think a lot of thing isn't implemented yet. But here is some small change that can help to see players IMO :
- different color for a player ship 'signal' on gravidar
- An easy to find / localise friend ship on the navigation map.
- possibilities to lock a friend from far distance. I spent 15minutes yesterday evening to find a friend on the same sector...
and some idea for a cooperative play :
- share missions or implement specific coop mission (example, escort mission, fight mission etc...)
- implement PVP mission (something like a battleground i suppose).
Otherwise I agree with the OPFor now, multiplayer is useless.
One of the problems I see with this is that it could be abused. I haven't added any friends to my list yet so this may be a moot point but, we don't want to be able to track other people easily. Hopefully, a player can only be added to a list if THAT PLAYER specifically allows it. Otherwise people can be putting 'friends' on their list for purposes other than being friendly.
I need to get in there and see how it works exactly.
Other than that, I was under the assumption that FD did not want us to be able to distinguish easily between player and NPC. We as players can work together if we want or against each other BUT, the feel of the game has always been one man in one ship against the universe.
If you were expecting to come into game and have only players to interact with mainly then you might need to rethink it. FD is re-creating the ENTIRE galaxy. As such, this galaxy belongs to FD or essentially it belongs to the NPC mechanics and AI that FD are working on for the galaxy. The galaxy will run along in it's simulation quite happily without us players. We can only impact the simulation noticeably if we work together. As individuals ... we wont see much change happening.
So basically what I am saying is that this game has one of the best multiplayer components of all time.
I think it is working but it is laggy as hell, so most of us just given up on "open" for now.
Solo lags lot less.
Perhaps people were tired of waiting for red multiplayer to go grey.
I believe plenty of people most likely fly solo for now.
Give it a week or two.
But again. you have to realize universe is big even now imagine how huge it will be when whole galaxy(or even 1/10) is unlocked. You will feel rather lonely.
But that is the beauty of it all when you finally meet someone it is more interesting. You can find great friend. Or enemy. Or wandering trader anything.
Awesome.....
Solo lags lot less.
Perhaps people were tired of waiting for red multiplayer to go grey.
I believe plenty of people most likely fly solo for now.
Give it a week or two.
But again. you have to realize universe is big even now imagine how huge it will be when whole galaxy(or even 1/10) is unlocked. You will feel rather lonely.
But that is the beauty of it all when you finally meet someone it is more interesting. You can find great friend. Or enemy. Or wandering trader anything.
Awesome.....
I am flying solo online for now to get into the controls and the way trading works. Right now I am beginning to pile up cash to get a new ship and trade even more.
Later multiplayer will be integral but I do prefer closed organised groups over mass multiplayer.
I have to say that this is one of the best multiplayer designs I have seen yet. We as a players have the choice and are not forced into it. Brilliant!
Cheers,
Dag
Later multiplayer will be integral but I do prefer closed organised groups over mass multiplayer.
I have to say that this is one of the best multiplayer designs I have seen yet. We as a players have the choice and are not forced into it. Brilliant!
Cheers,
Dag
ED have exactly same instance model as Star Citizen, only they use client/server model, will have regional servers (you won't meet people from US if you are in EU), and instances will be limited to 60 something.
Also ED don't have instances as you understand by classic MP games. It is a bubble around ship with about 5 - 10 km radius. If server sees you coming close to this radius, you are matched with this player, thus making you see lot of people.
You don't see lot of people atm because space is just HUGE. I mean there are 50 systems. In Premium beta it was already hard to meet someone.
Also ED don't have instances as you understand by classic MP games. It is a bubble around ship with about 5 - 10 km radius. If server sees you coming close to this radius, you are matched with this player, thus making you see lot of people.
You don't see lot of people atm because space is just HUGE. I mean there are 50 systems. In Premium beta it was already hard to meet someone.
OP I understand what you are saying but I was feeling the opposite last night.
I was flying around the starter system getting a feel for the game and during super cruise there where other players nipping around, overshooting, etc just like me. When I was docking there was a mix of NPC's and PC nipping around, it certainly "felt" busy.
As people have mentioned there are technical limits on how many people can share real time flight information with each other. The limit on this will increase over time as net code it optimised and the internet connections improve. To give an example EVE used to have a limit of few hundred players on grid back in 2007, it is now able to 'handle' a couple of thousand, albeit with time dilation.
I was flying around the starter system getting a feel for the game and during super cruise there where other players nipping around, overshooting, etc just like me. When I was docking there was a mix of NPC's and PC nipping around, it certainly "felt" busy.
As people have mentioned there are technical limits on how many people can share real time flight information with each other. The limit on this will increase over time as net code it optimised and the internet connections improve. To give an example EVE used to have a limit of few hundred players on grid back in 2007, it is now able to 'handle' a couple of thousand, albeit with time dilation.
I'm not sure it is just the space. I wouldn't be surprised if most people haven't gone too far from the starting systems. Plus we've got more people so I'd guess those systems near the start should be busier than PB. My guess would be it is just tuned to the conservative side of things because we have just started and it was a bit of a bumpy start. I'm sure as time goes on we'll start bumping into each other a bit more - in a good and bad way.
Absolutely unworried about anything because it was working beautifully in PB so no reason why it won't in Beta. Already stable today. Might have a newsletter tomorrow and I think it might include some hints that people haven't actually travelled far.
One think I hadn't considered during the Alphas and Betas is how 'immersion breaking' it is to see people ahead of you drop out of super-cruise in an obvious location, but when you drop out you don't necessarily end up in the same instance (at present).
Was practicing following one guy to Azeban last night and was constantly within 100-800 km of him in the last 2ls of the journey. We both drop out within a second of each other <1000km from the station - and he's nowhere to be seen. Do you need to lock the other ship to give a greater chance to exit in the same place?
Was practicing following one guy to Azeban last night and was constantly within 100-800 km of him in the last 2ls of the journey. We both drop out within a second of each other <1000km from the station - and he's nowhere to be seen. Do you need to lock the other ship to give a greater chance to exit in the same place?
SC will not have that, currently CIG are saying that their hypothetical instance size is 50-70.
They are? Again, the system at place workt like this.
Its like flying with a bubble around you. If two players with their Bubble touch each other they get to be put into one instance where they see each other.
Now a third one arrives at your location he will be added to that instance.
Its not in the end 32 palyer in the entire Galaxy.
Its about 32 player near you. The background simulation checks every player location. If player get near each other they see each other.
I traded a awhile in between remote system. I never saw a player there because there were never one. Today was the first time i saw one. We raced in Supercruise to the station and saw each other when we docked at the station.
I never "invited" him into a group, we were put together in a instance because we were at the same location.
And in the "core" systems i saw alot of people cruising around in supercruise beside me...atleast 5 or 6 blips did i saw.
I dont know what the limit is set to for the phasing of player together.
Part of why some people might find the game empty ( I don't), is that most backers of ED reside in and around Europe. So if your play time schedule does not meat up with their normal game hours, you will just not see that many people. This will change as more people purchase the game, and the game launches.
You do know that player ships are displayed with hollow pips on the scanner rather than the solid pips used for AI ships?
I think you are absolutely right. I don't think this logic is there at the moment but I'm sure it will be by release. There is all sorts of logic planned for the match making, weighting who you meet for different reasons.
At the moment I am assuming they all go to silent running as soon as they drop out in order to try and ambush me. Even the Haulers. But I'm just too smart for them.
other thing to remember is that Frontier themselves have said there are some 'issues' at the moment with the match making system etc. It's early beta and the first time this system's been unleashed for 'WIDE' testing.
Star Citizen has next to zero gameplay right now or any gameplay mechanics information. So I am not sure where your comparison is coming from.