MP strat??? HOW????

[shokaku76]

Hmmm... how do we actually implement MP strategy game? I mean... as it stands now, it takes hours and hours of gameplay to finish a single player game. Only way I could think of, outside of playing 10 hours straight is to implemnt a save-game feature. But it is extremely difficult to make time to continue the saved game...
I think someone mentioned RedAlert system, where winning/losing a province is based on the overall win/loss ration of that single day. That, in my opinion, is attainable. Hopefully, lamers won't mess up the conquest...

Regardless, I am extremely satisfied with the game. Good work CA!

[ToranagaSama]

By keeping it as simple as possible!!!!

1) Limit play to just 2 Human players; and the regular number of computer players.

2) Implement an adjustable Timer. Players could agree on the length a turn s/take.

LOTS of re-coding to do here, and re-balancing. Cause EVERYTHING will need to be SCALABLE!

This is going to be a PITA ad infinitum!!! Not because the code will be so difficult, BUT because balancing will be a trial and error affair all the way!

This will make play a lot different than the present SP.

2) Automation (micromanagement): with STW you'll need this less, but with MTW a virtual necessity. Players agree which items to automate. The degree of Automation s/b Scalable as well. Perhaps because there's SOOO much micromanagement, features could be grouped for balancing purposes.

Is this going to be a PITA? Yup, Scaling and the Time Limit make it so. Is it doable? YUP!

3) Battles: a) Computer vs Computer battles could be auto-resolved AND done in the *background* as much as possible. Good bit of coding to accomplish, but less grunt work. Very doable!

Ex.: Say the Byzzes (computer) and the Turks (computer) are going at it somewhere in the Easter Med, what's that go to do with the Brits (human) and Danes (human) way up in the North Sea area --- da nada!

Probably a couple of issues to resolve, but...ahhh...Stop the Whinning and get it done!

b) Only battles including BOTH Human players s/b Real Time.

Or, ALL battles could be auto-resolved (better than nothing).

4) The "Win" conditions will need to somewhat different as well. The need to conquer *ALL* of Europe and/or Japan might be a bit much. In STW, 60% plus holding Kyoto (The Emporer) should be enough to be declared Shogun. In MTW, perhaps a combo of Economics, Land and Sea holdings, and technological developments.

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I'm going to simply stop here, because the REAL issue ain't if its doable. Simply (well, maybe not so simple), that's NOT the issue. What's the issue??

ROI - Return On Investment!!!

That's IT!! Three parties to be considered here, the front-money control type Producers, Dreamtime, the marketing/distrubtion types over at Activision, and the arty/creative types at CA.

In other words are enough of you going to buy the MP Campaign (which may even be higher priced than the regular game) to justify their investment and provide them an acceptable ROI.

Therein lies the problem, all three parties need to come to agreement. Let's just say the arty/creative types at CA want to do it; what are the suit types at Activision and the money guys at Dreamtime gonna say:

Where's the research that says this thing's going to sell?? I've got the facts to show that TW3(Romans) is gonna sell like hotcakes!! But, this MP Campaign thing, gimme a break!! There's money on the line, lets go with the sure thing, TW3 Romans.

[Repeat for TW4, TW5, TW6 and so on and so on....]

Gotta remember, of these marketing/distributor types ONLY 2 of them are making any money. Sierra is King, and I don't recall if Activision is the other. Nope, I think that's EA!

Dudes, this is about office Politics. Why else do you think they're so *QUIET* about the subject. If its all about the tech and the mechanics, then this is a Forum isn't it? CA is a great bunch of guys willing to talk and listen, right? Then why no Talkie about MP Campaignie??

[Red Inquisition]

Why not do it like Civ3? With Civ all you had to do was e-mail the savegame back and forth after each turn. This takes a long time but you can do it with a rival clan or a friend that lives in a different timezone and cannot be on during the same hours you are.

[Yoko Kono]

hmm
a method similar to the old fanmade civ2 multiplayer mod could work
at the end of a turn player in charge of faction A would have his edited savegame edited so he was now in charge of faction B
after faction B completes his moves the savegame is edited to make the player in charge of faction A once more
while this method may work with stw or mtw battles would have to be auto resolved

[ToranagaSama]

Note, this thread's going to die and not a single "official" word will be uttered. Why is that? http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/mad.gif

I really want this so just put me down as the offical PITA on this subject! http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/tongue.gif

Why am I the only one NOT accepting that it can't be done?

Why am I the only one who thinks this would be greatest thing since sliced bread?

Is it gonna take the Americans (again) to do it? Opps, I think you got their attention Ollie... http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/eek.gif

[Kraellin]

toranaga,

your bait and badger technique is wasted. you're very late in the chain on this discussion. it was answered quite a while back in other threads.

the answer is no, there will not be a multi campaign for mtw.

and to shokaku, no, there was never a multiplayer campaign in any of the earlier TW games.

K.


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The only absolute is that there are no absolutes.

[NARF]

ohh K, whyd you have to ruin their fun?

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What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know.