Promotion Of Multi Player

[BarryNoDachi]

i have seen lots of topics in the past talking about the decline of the multi player community. i myself have been playing online since the end of january and enjoy it thoroughly. i understand that there are over 2000 members of the org now i also understand that the majority of these ppl probably haven't posted that much. i am interested in the reasons that ppl dont play online whether you have grown tired of the game, just never got round to playing online or maybe online play is intimidating, let me know plz http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif maybe the org can help in the future by blatantly advertising to encourage online play, tera http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif i am really interested as i see many names here that i never see in the foyer
thanks for your time Barry http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

SOLUTION TO NAME REGISTERING PROBLEM PLZ READ

i am able to register names online with no problems. i am trustworthy (obviously only my oppinion) but you guys got nothing to loose if you mail me at garrybibson@hotmail.com with details of
Username :between 6-12 characters
Password :at least 6 characters
Japanese Family Name : if your not sure pick one of the following

date
li
ito
so
kono
mori
ota

Clan Name : your own fictional clan
Clan Password :at least 6 characters

i'll be happy to register you a name asap and send the details back to you http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif


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Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka)

[This message has been edited by BarryNoDachi (edited 07-04-2002).]

[Mithrandir]

I'm known as

Dreadknight Li

been only only a few times, got kicked really bad a few times (100% of the games)
the games are too short and the talking too long for me to enjoy it.

[tootee]

"'cos I keep losing."


?

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tootee the goldfish,
headmaster of Shogun-Academy (http://shogun-academy.tripod.com)
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[Cazbol]

I have never been in this so called foyer and have never played multiplayer. This is mainly because I only got the game less than a month ago and I wanted to complete a campaign before trying multiplayer.

Since then I've once tried to play multiplayer (STW), got a message saying "Logging on" ...... and that was all I got. I guess I'll make a greater effort and try again.

Cazbol

It is a factor of boredom probably. Few like to play the same game for years. Some games like Counter-Strike and Diablo are still very popular and will continue to be - the developers are very close to the community and new things, patches, official tournaments with money prizes, add-ons, mods etc. are being released continously. Such things keep the game fresh and attract new people.

Probably STW without the MI add-on would have died out already. And MI without the 1.02 patch and the over 300 custom maps would have demised too. Very very poor support from the developers.

I hope this changes with M:TW and the developers take the example of CS/Diablo/StarCraft makers...

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Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka)
evil is within us... http://www.totalwar.org/site/emomalta.gif

[This message has been edited by Terazawa Tokugawa (edited 06-21-2002).]

[BarryNoDachi]

Quote Originally posted by Mithrandir:
I'm known as

Dreadknight Li

been only only a few times, got kicked really bad a few times (100% of the games)
the games are too short and the talking too long for me to enjoy it.[/QUOTE]

thank you for replying so quick guys http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif i was new to online play not that long ago all i can say is dont let losing get to you. there are plenty of ppl that will be glad to help you out m8, as they did me and you will find that you will improve much quicker than you think with a few tips http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif then playing 3v3+ can be so much fun and much longer than normal 1v1s

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Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka)

[BarryNoDachi]

Cazbol, good idea with the SP campaign is fun trying to win for the first time http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif
if you have Warlords Edition or the extension pack Mongul Invasion i would advise trying to play these online as the standard and the numbers are higher http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif although stw is still fun http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif



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Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka)

[Puzz3D]

There are a tremendous number of obstacles to getting a fun and rewarding online experience with this game. For people who can put in enough time and effort to climb the steep learning curve and wade through all the technical and social problems associated with online play, there is a rewarding experience with a great group of talented players in the online game. You have to be competetive enough to keep trying even though you may loose a lot, and even after you have achieved a high level of skill you'll still often loose. That's how difficult the game is to play. I can understand that a lot of people don't have the time or are not inclined to tolerate all of the difficulties associated with online play. If it's only a sense of intimidation holding you back, I would say go for it. Co-operative team play really adds a great dimension to this game.

MizuYuuki ~~~
Clan Takiyama ~~~

[Celtiberos Shimazu]

I don´t play now, because i have an important exam to pass.
I want to play. I like Shogun!!. I am playing since August'2000, I want to still playing to Totalwar Systems and medieval.
That´s right, when I pass the dammed exam.

I feel with a lot of friends from around the world, and I feel very inside of Shogun Comunity. I am desiring to find to old friends with Medieval release. And you??

[FasT]

*Jumps up and down*FasT luv's Shogun and all his m8's...
Best game ever....Waitin for MTW http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gifshould be even better.......

[Cazbol]

Here's a thing which isn't helping the online community grow. I tried to register on EA and after going through almost all the steps I get some seriously disappointing script error. This happens every time.

Unless som helpful genius in this forum knows of a workaround I'll just have to forget about the multiplayer part and stick to the campaigns.

Cazbol

[Puzz3D]

Cazbol,

How about this for an idea? Install the game on a different machine just for the purpose of creating the online nickname. Then uninstall it, and go back and try to use that nickname from your regular machine to play online. I've never seen your particular problem with the forms on the registration page posted before.

MizuYuuki ~~~

[Cazbol]

I'll try that. Thank you.

Cazbol

[aeglos]

I feel slightly intimidated by on-line play I have never played a on-line game before and you all sound so good at the game and I am not that good at it. I would like to play more on line games but not sure about it.

[Wavesword]

If you're really worried then just try a few custom battles vs AI (on normal) without the pause key- practice gruping and such

[Trousermonkey]

I'm with Cazbol and Puzz3d in this one. I've tried on 8 seperate occasions to check out multiplayer shogun but have failed to get through EA's twisted registration maze to play online. A few times I quit in disgust when I realized the hoops I was expected to jump through. A couple other times, I ran into errors that stopped the registration, and the rest of the time I happened to try when the servers were down. I still enjoy the single player game -at least I don't need EA's permission for that (beyond the cd in the drive -another thing I'm not happy with)

I would say the main problem with the stagnant online community are these roadblocks put up by EA. The casual player (much like myself) can't just wander online and check out the MP aspect of the game. They have to be highly interested in playing MP or just extra persistent.

This, incidentally, was my main reason for insisting on direct IP to IP connection for MTW. It looks like I won't get my wish hopefully MP though Gamespy will make the process a little easier...

[TenkiSoratoti]

i am probebly the worst speller and most pecimistic player in the community, that maybe due to my immature age.
play friendly all the time, when you win you will satisfy 10 losses.
it is very satisfying to win on shogun.
actually get to a score you like i.e 110 and stay there with it and play friendlys for the rest of the time.
i only learned (5 weeks online) that there are people out there with children and have office jobs, woooooooooooooooooh i think to mself.
i never feel intimidated while playing online,its pointless, plus everyones nice to me hopefully.

[Orda Khan]

As in all walks of life we are bound to come across those who are impatient and/or intolerant. That said there are far more 'nice' ppl online so please do not feel intimidated. The online experience is one to be enjoyed and there is something for everyone - Competitive battles, friendlies, 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, Mongol, Sengoku....not to mention the different koku levels. Add to this the opportunity to 'meet' so many ppl it is very rewarding.
My list of fiends now spans the world and that just has to be a good thing. I think it's such a shame there are a lot who seem unable to even get the chance to join in but with MTW looming perhaps this will be solved there.
To those itching to take that step into MP I say jump in with both feet. Join a 'big' game, tell them you are new and you will be 'looked after'.
Aeglos I can assure you that you will do OK, and it won't take you long before you start to win. Sometimes it is just as much fun when you lose, especially if the battle was an hour plus epic 4v4. The chance to watch and admire the tactics of others is a very rewarding experience itself.
As to the agespan of Shogun?
My kids are 15 and 13. I have fought battles with people as young as this and I know of at least two who are 60!!
Some agespan eh?
Hat's off to the Community - great ppl!!
Log in, join battle, hack off heads and laugh about it later
...........Orda

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" Send us your ambassadors and thus we shall judge whether you wish to be at peace with us or at war..if you make war on us the Everlasting God, who makes easy what was difficult and makes near what was far, knows that we know what our power is."

[Cheetah]

Don't worry, be happy http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

What shall you do to raise your skill/confidence?

1, As Orda said, first join big 3v3 or 4v4 friendly battles.

2, Ask the others what army to pick, where to deploy etc.

3, Watch the others, how they move, how they attack, etc.

4, Practice grouping and manouvering. The best thing to do is to play some custom battles. Visit the Shogun Academy, you can find many useful information about this (see totee's post for the link).

5, Install a logfilebrowser. You can download one from the ORG. With this you can survey the army selection of the others and the performace of your troops (kill/loss ratio). Very interesting and useful info.

6, Don't forget that you can buy/sell honor for your troops. Don't buy an all H2 army.

[MiniKiller]

I've had this game since its orignal release and played it for ages, took a break came back got the mongol add on pack played it heavily and took anotehr break, when I came back I found it covered with dishonurable people swaring and calling people names so I left, it also appears my name was deleted from this database...

[Magnetron]

I recently bought shogun warlord ed. I think the game is great. If I could I would play online, but I can't register online due to this registration script error. I'm pretty sure there are quite a few other people out there who would like to play online but can't register. EA support seems to be doing nothing about. If new players cannot join the multiplayer community, promotion really does nothing as the community size can only decrease.

[Puzz3D]

This problem is Microsoft doing their incompatibility tap dance again. It's seems to be some compatibility issue in WinXP which is an operating system not supported by the game.

MizuYuuki ~~~

[This message has been edited by Puzz3D (edited 07-02-2002).]

[Major Robert Dump]

First, you want to let your allies (only your allies) know that u are a newbie.

Second, dont be offended if u are talking to them during unit picking and they dont respond. Often, people are too caught up in the picking process to notice the chat, and the shrunken chat window doesnt help. Don't take it personally if they dont answer you.

third, expect to get some critiicism. There will almost always be an ally barking orders, and if they die before you do they will only talk more trash about what you could and could not have done. Don't be discouraged, because this is one of the many ways to learn.

there are a few genuine buttholes out there, but for the most part we are all nice ppl willing to give straight-talk advice if needed. I get it all the time, and I give it all the time. Its a constant learning situation. And believe me, after 1000+ online games, I still have a lot to learn....like don't rout thru Jun's troops, for god's sake, and dont tell him how to use his archers LOL

good luck 2 u

[BarryNoDachi]

ok, i get the picture it seems a lot of ppl cant register names (is this because of XP) all those having trouble have they got XP, this right Yuuki? if so, i got a solution as i am able to register names online with no problems. i am trustworthy (obviously only my oppinion) but you guys got nothing to loose if you mail me at garrybibson@hotmail.com with details of

Username :between 6-12 characters
Password :at least 6 characters
Japanese Family Name : if your not sure pick one of the following

date
li
ito
so
kono
mori
ota

Clan Name : your own fictional clan
Clan Password :at least 6 characters

i'll be happy to register you a name asap and send the details back to you http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

------------------
Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka)

[Puzz3D]

It seems EA may be addressing the scripting problem with registration. Check this out: http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000984.html

MizuYuuki ~~~

[Magnetron]

As far as operating systems go, I don't believe it is a compatibility issue. Registration does not seem to work for people with WinXP as well as people with Win98 (i have win98se). EA says that people with netscape should be able to register but that does not appear to be true. EA support said that the problem should be fixed by today, but I don't believe it is. i still can't register and haven't heard of anyone who has had any luck with it. hopefully one day i will be able to play online with you guys.

[Puzz3D]

Magnetron,

Well TosaInu and I just registered online names without any trouble. We both use Win98 and Internet Explorer. I'm using IE 5.0 which is old now. He has MI and I have WE. This problem isn't affecting everybody. It is a compatibility issue.

MizuYuuki ~~~

[BarryNoDachi]

magnetron i registered your requested name for you so check your mail and lemme know if it worked?



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Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka)

[Kocmoc]

i play since the game was released ....phew 2 years now http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

i saved my logfiles 2 months ago, it was over 11.000 logs....i think 1 or 2000 was dropes.... http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif


i play egularly, just in last time i had much work and less time to play, so i dont play in afternoon, just at night and late evening for 3 or 4 hours, i wont become rosty... its like a sport...u have to train all the time or u will loose the skill...

i saw many friends left...some come back and the most guys i realy like are raly seen...

the onlinebehavior changed much, many kids with very bad manners come .... http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/frown.gif

anyway, this game is the best game ever ...it open the "real" tactic... u can do and u always have a chance, i thank god for this game! (and CA ofcourse)

imo, EA is the big prob, they doont puplish MTW and do a shit for STW, just the contracts dont allow them to close the server.

when i see the totalwar.com i have to say its a good job there, online kid...news...demos....

if they would give us the chance and the support to organise tourneys..... or do it themself it would be atractiv....

well, i hope i see all the guys from the beginning again....

koc

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Grey Wolves (http://www.totalwar.club.tip.nl/)

[Cazbol]

Since people are getting different results with the same OS and browsers, couldn't the problem be caused by different settings? Different levels of browser security disable certain functions, including script functions, so the problem could lie there. Unfortunately there's such an abundance of options in the browser that I don´t know where to begin. Any ideas?

Cazbol

[Vanya]

Quote Originally posted by Kocmoc:
...i saved my logfiles 2 months ago, it was over 11.000 logs....i think 1 or 2000 was dropes.... http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif
...[/QUOTE]

HOLY COW!!!!

You played 11,000 MP games?!?

GAH! Double-GAH!

As somebody who also has played since the original Shoggy release, I can say I have not mustered even 2000 MP games! 11,000?!?

http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/eek.gif http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/eek.gif http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/eek.gif
http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/eek.gif http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/eek.gif http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/eek.gif

I guess that explains why the "wolves" have sharp teeth... all that gnishing!

[BarryNoDachi]

11,000 games that is quite a few http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif i reckon you must of trained countless ppl aswell http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

well i think the problem is with the ea accounts as i can log on with mine and register names. however (from my offer above), when someone emailed me there account name and pass i tried to register a name with their account i got this
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80040e14'

[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][SQL Server]INSERT statement conflicted with COLUMN FOREIGN KEY constraint 'FK_CustomerGame_CustomerID'. The conflict occurred in database 'EAGame2', table 'Customer', column 'ID'.

/mi/register/createplayer.asp, line 130

is this the page all you others get if so it must be your accounts that are the problem!
try making new ones maybe?

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Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka)

[Vanya]

Quote Originally posted by BarryNoDachi:
11,000 games that is quite a few http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif i reckon you must of trained countless ppl aswell http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

well i think the problem is with the ea accounts as i can log on with mine and register names. however (from my offer above), when someone emailed me there account name and pass i tried to register a name with their account i got this
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80040e14'

[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][SQL Server]INSERT statement conflicted with COLUMN FOREIGN KEY constraint 'FK_CustomerGame_CustomerID'. The conflict occurred in database 'EAGame2', table 'Customer', column 'ID'.

/mi/register/createplayer.asp, line 130

is this the page all you others get if so it must be your accounts that are the problem!
try making new ones maybe?

[/QUOTE]

ROFLMAO

I know exactly what that error is. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

Too bad I can't fix it.

If I had a copy if createplayer.asp and the EAGame2 database, it would probably be one of those 2-minute fixes...

[Erado San]

I think this might be an Internet Explorer 6 incompatibility issue. Try internet Explorer 5 or Netscape.

I sent mail to CA about this, maybe they can coax EA into action.

[Magnetron]

I still get the problem with Netscape. Thanks for all your help Barry!

[sasasaizo]

After reading the above posts, which encourage new players to play online, I will endeavour with the registration fiasco.


To answer one of the original questions above I have followed Shogun Totalwar since the first article in Zone magazine 2 or 3 years back. Since then no strategy game has come close to it.
I have three Shogun Totalwar games the Mongal expansion pack and the Warlords Edition and I cannot register any of them. I have tried using various releases of Internet Explorer and Netscape.

I usually have several campaign games on the go at any time.
Why has it taken so long to play online? The usual I think, time i.e. work getting in the way, a money pit of a house needing repairs, and possibly the feeling that I am too old to admit to be playing games.
I have visited the org site weekly for updates, maps and links (great site).
The translation of Sun Tzu Art of War has been in my bookcase for many years, I am currently reading about medieval military history (I wonder why).
I have studied the articles on the Shogun Academy site. Practised, tried and tested the suggested strategies. Disagreed with some developed my own which if I ever get registered I will try out.
I have downloaded and watched battle files and observed from these other players preferences in unit selection and strategies.

I would love the chance to loose an online battle.

Thank you Barry for the link to this post

Ever hopeful

sasasaizo

[Kocmoc]

i saw already posts about this, but we can help u and crreate accounts for u, the names u like....

here are trustworthy players wich wont use ur name!

maby tera can create a link, for register a player name for they guys who cant register on theyr own....

koc

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Grey Wolves (http://www.totalwar.club.tip.nl/)

[Puzz3D]

Well, I stand corrected. It is an EA registration problem rather than a player name creation problem. Now why would EA change their registraion code? I wonder if this has been intentionally broken by EA to prevent new players getting online to slowly kill online Shogun. It's a two minute fix, and EA can't be bothered?

[BarryNoDachi]

my suspicions exactly

sasasaizo give me a mail at garrybibson@hotmail.com and i'll be happy to register a name for you http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif
i already done a couple as it goes http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

see my above post for details



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Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka)