DEV Diary - First Net MP Test

[JohnD]

This thread discusses the Content article: DEV Diary - First Net MP Test

I'm still trying to process today's online multiplayer experience so bear with me. Bottom line up front? It...is...ALIVE! And there is a good chance I will never see my wife and kids again when this hits the street. Maybe a cot set up next to the computer is in order at this point...I don't want to miss anything. Good job Norb! B)

Though we could have, we weren't playing for blood, braggin' rights, or any other traditional on-line smack-talk goals. No, we were just...umm...rocket surgeons...trying to break stuff on purpose and failing miserably (that we failed is a good thing). Here are some initial impressions:

a) First and foremost, the game pace is just about right. This is not a click-fest by any stretch. I think there is just enough time to observe, orient, decide, coordinate, and act. Folks who like team play are going to like the pace...especially after Norb does all that UDT frogman erm ju-ju coder stuff to get it back to the \"normal pace\" found in single play.

b) The friendly AI is still there to either cover yer butt--or bare it. Though we weren't playing for blood, our AI peers were (well some of them anyway...there always seems to be that shirker/pensive thinker who always finds himself at the decisive point of action). While I was trying to break stuff, the AI was working hard to keep me from getting trashed. Same for Norb's side. There were only two humans in the testing equation, but it felt like there were a whole lot more influencing the soup. Likes it alot and the thought of it...even with only two players, there seemed to be more playing at it--with and against you. Nice.

c) Having seen this little drill today, the imagination runs wild on the realizable game potential that Norb has created. There's a ton of fun play time ahead.

Other than that, it wuz just another ho-hum day in Kansas.

[norb]

Got the RakNet code in and working tonight. I just have to come up with a scheme for when there is complete packet loss.

[chris merchant]

Norb, being in the ISP game I can tell you there are a lot of badly configured/overloaded/bandwidth starved core routers out there and all will not think twice before dropping UDP packets in preference to TCP packets.

So can I suggest looking at adding a regularly timed game saving mechanism every few minutes for each machine so that if the game goes out of synch it can easily be resumed by all.

And I suspect the packet loss issue will be compounded considerably when you mix more than 2 players, ie all are going to have different ISP's, bandwidth, client machine specs...you name it!

Cheers chris

[norb]

Thanks Chris. I'll keep these issues in mind.

[Vonviper]

JohnD wrote:
b) The friendly AI is still there to either cover yer butt--or bare it. Though we weren't playing for blood, our AI peers were

sounds outstanding, this part i like AI..

Quick ? any co - op plans

sry i know its early stages lol MP wow much impressed..

[JohnD]

What is a co-op plan?

[Vonviper]

Cooperation play

two or more players against the AI.

[norb]

My goal is to allow that as well as allow more than two players.

[JohnD]

Vonviper wrote:

Cooperation play

two or more players against the AI.

Ah-so. Thanks. I like the idea of this cuz it's all about \"us\" against \"them\"...and though the \"them\" may not be human, \"us\" can have a good time goin' after \"them\"--together. Nice. B)

Of course, smackin' the last full measure of justice all over an opposing human team does have its merits.

[cliometrician]

I can't tell you how much I like this great news about the first MP test. MP = Nirvana.

I'm chomping at the bit for MP with friends. Thank you all once again for the tremendous effort and dedication all of you have put into this system.

Good luck, and I'll be first in line to buy whatever you guys come up with!