X4 Multiplayer?

[CBJ]

if I wanted to ask a scripting question which forum should I head to...and will you be there to answer the question / s?

You would head over to the Scripts and Modding forum. No, I won't be there to answer your questions, but you should probably view that as a positive thing. I have no experience of actually writing scripts and wouldn't be very useful to you, whereas there are lots of very clever scripters over there who would be in a much better position to help.

[Cycrow]

BTW -- Do you think it would be possible to write a script that will Output Sector Data from a running game to file? And is The_Abyss always that grumpy?

Yes, you could write a script to do something like that. I'm not sure to what extent it would help to create some form of semi-connected mode of play for several players but it certainly wouldn't be fast enough for a real multi-player mode.

with enough time and effort form a modder, u could create something that will attempt to sync the universe, so when a player in one game builds a station, it is also places in all the other games.

however, this would be very limited, you defiantlly wouldn't be able to do any kind of player v player fights, it simply wouldn't be fast enough.

but i cant really see of much use for jsut having all the stations built in each game, it wouldn't really be like a multiplayer game anyways

[brianwillis]

I voted NO multiplayer for several reasons.

1. Local multiplayer - Finding another fanatic who will play the game for months on end is highly remote.

2. Online multiplayer - Generally sucks big time. I refuse to buy any game requiring internet connection.

3. Possible inability to mod the game. This is a big one for me since I love modding X3.

Check out www.lancersreactor.com There are more mods for freelancer both online, and offline than any other game I have seen.

[brianwillis]

Let me see : you want to form a cooperative space strategy game, with options to dominate the online universe with your fellow gamers. To make it even vaguely viable, the idea of factories would have to be toned down significantly, as would capital ships. Put bluntly, you would have to make them extraodinarily expensive so that only big, powerful, multi-player cartels could afford them, so the servers wouldnt get swamped with too much infrastructure.

How about applying to the server operator for planning permission to buy/place a factory/base in a system. You could limit battleships to a certain number per clan.

These gameplay problems are very easily overcome, it'll be the code and game design that would be harder to sort out.

[Cycrow]

yeah but adding these limits to the game goes against everything that X is

[brianwillis]

What I mean is, you keep the normal options for stand alone play, but restrict them for online play.

For instance, at home on your stand alone save you have the normal X universe. But when you click on your opening screen manu to play online these options are restricted.

The thing with online play is the option to cooperativley battle both AI and other players. So with the permission of the server operator you could still build your own universe, but with the help of other players. As in Freelancer (oh no he's using Freelancer again!!), especially the server I use, we will soon have the option to "buy" defence systems and place them around the Jumpgates so that members from rival factions get battered before we have to contact them. We will also be able to buy new bases and put stations on some of the as yet unpopulated planets.

The only Real problem I can see with this is that the amount of bases and battleships will only be limited by the size of the server.

[fiksal]

the idea of factories would have to be toned down significantly, as would capital ships. Put bluntly, you would have to make them extraodinarily expensive so that only big, powerful, multi-player cartels could afford them, so the servers wouldnt get swamped with too much infrastructure.

I disagree. In my opinion that would be an MMO, which I wouldnt play.
I am more interested in LAN Multiplayer. That feature wouldnt need special rules to make sure everything is fair. The game can have same dynamics and rules as X3.

Multiplayer in X3 won't make the game look like Eve. And as far as X-OU goes - who knows.

...why persist with a site that potentially won't see it's realisation for many many more years? If at all?...

No updates - simply means nothing that we care about is going on
X-OU is dead, or more like in a deep sleep, it seems.
And domain is still useful, as eventually something may come out of this - why let it go and let someone else have it then?

My only concern with multiplayer is how SETA would be addressed. Other than that I think it would be ok but play very differently to X2/X3.

All in all I think X2/3 does well as a single player game and I think it should stay that way.

Well, that certainly is a matter of preference.
But there are ways to go around SETA. Adding a short distance turbo/warp/whatever drive, for example.

I voted NO multiplayer for several reasons.

1. Local multiplayer - Finding another fanatic who will play the game for months on end is highly remote.

Here's something new in this thread
Unfortunately that's true, the multiplayer won't be worth anything if there's no-one to play.
But would you be interested if there would be? (I didnt mean for months though, as I dont think it should work that way)

2. Online multiplayer - Generally sucks big time. I refuse to buy any game requiring internet connection.

Agree.

3. Possible inability to mod the game. This is a big one for me since I love modding X3.

I think X should stay mod-friendly. Just let users pick if mods are allowed or not.

[The_Abyss]

And is The_Abyss always that grumpy?

That was positively cheerful for me

[Player.]

Thats so true

[nailz45]

a multiplayer feature would be so awesome in X3. i could just imagine piloting my centaur or dragon into a cluster of enemys and having your freind back you up in one of the turets. or maybe your freind would be flying wingman covering your butt with missles. or maybe you could take your annoying freind down with a hammerhead in an intense deathmatch arena.

Of course if you had a human piloting the turrets you wouldnt get so much freindly fire on stations(it makes me mad when your AI in the turret shoots at a station an you can no longer trade with that station ).

[Skeeter]

I have said this in other similar threads.

I dont want a payed per month mmo but rather just a simple skirmish battle mp mode where ppl can choose a ship with set amount of starting credits and then go blow up the other players. You earn money by killing so more you kill more you can upgrade or trade up to a better ship. No trading whatsoever in x3.5 mp game and no more than 5-10 sectors to mess about in.

A skirmish mp mode wouldnt be as hard to do as you dont have to think about economy etc just sync the ships and the few sectors and the other nessacary stuff.

[pjknibbs]

But there are already games that provide stuff like that--Freelancer, for example. If you take all the economy and stuff out of an X game you're not left with much!

[Skeeter]

So what. I want to play x3 in skirmish not the others. Mainly due to the gfx engine and the sectors etc. And of course the ships to fight each other in.

[pjknibbs]

OK, then, are you going to finance this? Or are you going to guarantee that enough people want to "skirmish" in a neutered version of X that Egosoft and their publishers will recoup the development costs?

[rally078]

I would much rather see an option to be able to enter another player's universe.

See it as an alternative universe, another dimension if you like. The Gate to that universe should be randomly placed and activated through a specific mission. It would not be Multiplayer, but more a continuence to the game where when you have reached such a point when you are indestructable and can conquer anything, it's time for a huge battle against someone with equal strength.

This doesn'r, of course, have to rule multiplaying out.

[Stevious Maximus]

HI All,

totaly new to X and i'm only just installing it as i write this. From what i've seen and heard so far though it looks like i should be in for some fun!


I'm a big FreeLancer fan and have played on a few different servers and with different mods.

The big draw for people is the sense of community that you get and... well... fame to be honest! If you are good, you become famous!

I have also tried EVE but it was soooooo unstable, you have to accept that you need to fully turn off your comp every 2-3 hrs or after each time you use it. At least thats how it was when i tried it.

The trouble with FreeLancer online, is that it can be very limited in what you can actualy do and is very relaint on people being online to play with.

EVE on the other hand seems like a giant over grown monster, that doesn't work properly and takes forever to do anything.


If X could find away to get it self to some where in between those 2 massively popular games i'm sure it would be the next massive hit that people will play for years to come!

[mwarrior84]

The multi player would not be able to take the form of the single player, coz of the depth of the game and issues surrounding what what happen to your empire when you were off line. But what i thought would be cool was if in multiplayer you and some of your mates ( 4 - 8 ) could band together and form a pirate group and pray upon the universe. egosoft could even include some specifc multiplayer missions revolved around this. on the flip side you could take on the role of say argon police or military or something along those lines. that way you could provide oposition for eachother, and you could bring in tactical elements others were talking about, having AI using the bulletain boards to post events like when the pirates have struck etc.

I think this has a lot of scope.

[CBJ]

Yes, LAN play has been mentioned several times already, not least earlier in this thread. And so have the reasons why it is extremely unlikely to happen.

[fiksal]

Yes, LAN play has been mentioned several times already, not least earlier in this thread. And so have the reasons why it is extremely unlikely to happen.

Yep, X-OU is probably more likely to happen than X++ with LAN multiplayer. But I still voted Yes, as I'd like to see it anyway
I know I'd buy X++ with that feature, but I am not so sure if I'd buy X-OU...

[THE_BIG_FISH:Leo]

actualy since people have just managed to mod in an economy like the X games on freelancer its worth looking about for some of those mods, now there not yet up to the level that the x games are and most are still in beta but its a big step forward for that old game