As fun as it was, the serious decision was that the multiplayer work will need grenade single player sooner than I needed it, so it went in, and they are great fun.
Today I have been trimming down the entity properties choices, and making the ones that remain work fully. This has been wanting for some time and I am glad to finally get around to it. Just have to do sound and sound set, plus rocket ammo quantity, and then I should be done.
Meeting all day Tuesday where progress will be discussed and next plans, and will include the imminent release of V1.009 which I know is now much anticipated. My goal over the next week will be to ensure the installer I build is solid and does not break anything currently working in V1.0085. There have been a LOT of feature additions since the last public build so will be spending plenty of time with our internal alpha testers.
Excellent! From the weekly news I can see you've made huge advances. I'm just waiting for the ConKit then I can start work on my new blockbuster!
ReplyDeleteThat grenade box looks really sexy. I'm *REALLY* looking forward to 1.009, if for no other reason than the speed increases.
ReplyDeleteCan I just say incredible work Lee, I'm really looking forward to v1.009.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do find it a little alarming that you are pushing for multiplayer so soon. I understand that you aren't focusing on it (it was somebody else, was it ravey?) but I still think there is a multitude of elements, mechanics and improvements that need to be made in singelplayer. Perhaps there is something that I am missing or dont understand, but shouldn't as much work and effort be poured into singleplayer before any efforts at all turn to multiplayer?
Interested to hear any thoughts.
Totally 100% agree with you. It is worrying that they're pushing so early on for multiplayer when singleplayer barely works. I can't really comment until I get my hands on 1.009 and see how far SP has come :)
DeleteI feel like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting to open my toys.
ReplyDeleteWell I just played with our internal build and I can say it's a ton of fun making a con kit building, place some enemies in to it and then throwing a couple of grenades in with them! The ragdoll reactions are a joy to watch, one guy was blown out of the bunker I had placed him into. I can see we need to do a bit of clean up over the next week or so then it could be ready for everyone to enjoy. FUN!
ReplyDeleteRe Multi-player, it is Ravey who is on it all the time and that also is a lot of fun. It's probably the single most important feature we're adding to help the product go mainstream.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Your biggest market (which I presume to be average-Joe gamers) these days wants multiplayer-multiplayer-multiplayer, so it makes sense to give them what they want.
DeleteAlso, by "give them what they want", I mean "do what makes most sense financially" because you're on a pretty tight budget as I understand it. In the long run I'm hoping the MP addition will give you the funds to give us better SP.
DeleteI just hope that when mainstream mp does not become the full focus and no time for water and weather systems. And brush us off with cheap versions of the promised product parts. Ie work around by forum guys.that are not perfect due to limitations or store products that should be in the original and are not. That would be short changing everyone. I just need a promise that you will give swimming night and day weather etc. And that it will be added before dec 2015
ReplyDeleteI agree that singleplayer does need to be completed (at least ensuring the core elements are there to the community can expand them). However I think the earlier they can get multiplayer started the better and it sounded like this can be developed as a separate module so it shouldn't impact Reloaded development unless everything gets handed over to Lee again!
DeleteI agree with Rick if TGC get multiplayer right it could actually be the feature with makes Reloaded stand above the crowd. When it comes to game making software, multiplayer is usually a nightmare regardless of how expensive the tools are. Now Lee has the graphics to a more than acceptable standard a well integrated and easy to setup online system could really make a huge difference.
If the AI is being moved to a scripted solution the community can largely work on this providing the LUA commands are there and all the basic waypoint systems in place like going up / down levels and inside buildings etc. Multiplayer would essentially get rid of this problem completely and allow people just to focus on amazing maps.
I honestly didn't expect to hear multiplayer getting worked on for years into develop. So was a bit taken back to hear its been worked on while the single player aspects arn't all complete. I haven't attempted to make a serious game in FPSC Reloaded yet because its just not possible yet. I'd much rather have the ability to have multiple threaded levels/maps before a multiplayer feature. Also more indoor support. Glad to hear the Conkit has made some advancements.
DeleteI think you make a good point that having multiplayer in development earlier is better for it, and I didn't consider what impact multiplayer will have on FPSCR's mainstream success, but I still feel that a singleplayer focus will have a better benefit to the product as a whole.
DeleteDevelopments in singleplayer will undoubtedly benefit multiplayer, as these benefits can translate over to the multiplayer system (I presume),performance, weather, terrain, AI, graphics, everything. However, I'm not sure what benefits multiplayer would bring to singleplayer except for the fact that it is multiplayer, which is cool.
If FPSCR achieves a very easy to use multiplayer, it does not need to be flash but functional, then this could be an extremely appealing feature. Which leaves me unsure and in two mindsets; should more effort be put into single player and multiplayer delayed (3 months, 6 months, any time is better) or should multiplayer be developed this early in the game?
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ReplyDeleteMultiplayer is a good idea to get off the ground now, but please fix AI. I ask just for three things: AI should always find cover, and not follow The player all the time. AI should have option to stay in one cover area, and move around only there. AI should be able to shoot at player from long distances. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteAgree agree and agree! Reloaded's AI currently is quite rudimentary. They call it AI; A, yes, but not I.
Deletei have no problems with multi player besides the fact it is one guy who could of in this time made water better ai better system started the character creator and all the extras to finally give the makers a good working tool. i think multi player is important agreed for cash and funding, but, all the little chumps will start demanding this and that and they will outweigh your original core crew, and they may keep you busy or keep one of your guys or 2 busy forever. it is a situation where you are looking for more funds, i love progress and not even mind waiting a bit for swimming rain or snow, efx like what was in original creator, the sickness blur was awesome, even the graphics are much better and appear to be more crisp alas you seem to love flourescent grass, why?.... anyway soon as con-kit is done i would suggest stick him/her onto character creator, and as soon as m.p. is done get that guy onto swimming and weather efx etc. and you carry on with speed ups third pillar stuff. that works, but i aint you guys, and i know you read these, probably with sighs and giggles, but yes add the m.p. just dont let it rule. we the single players have been 2 years patient and have waited while occulus rift and multi-player has been crowbarred in. so don't forget the guys who stuck by you to get this going.
ReplyDeletecheers s.b
"sighs and giggles" I like that :P
DeleteIf multiplayer is needed or not depends on the gaming audience we are building the game for.
ReplyDeleteImportant is to know your audience before starting to build a game.
I am making a mid-core game. Mid-core gamers, are hardcore gamers who have grown up, and don't have a lot of time to play, but still love playing.
This means they have family and jobs. This means they have money to buy games. This also means they will not play multiplayer unless they can do it with just family members so thier spouses will agree as this is family time.
Mid core is a new, huge emerging market. Mid core is single player based. The most important feature is realtime game saves, which works automatically beacuse mid core gamers play 10 to 20 minutes max at a time, and are always on the run, and can not wait for the check point save to come up. They want to pick up the game where they left off...
Levels need to be short. Each 10 to 20 minute session needs to have the player feel like he your she has accomplished somthing. There must be lots of easy rewards, no cut scenes, and amazing AI!!!! It is the complexity of the AI, and the new patterns of attack the AI presents as a challenge in each map section that makes the player relate to his or hers hardcore past.
All I'm saying is know who you are building games for.
For my audience, which is proving to be one of the most profitable one in gaming history, does not need complex multiplayer. Cheers!
I disagree with this analysis. Multiplayer is exactly the type of game your audience wants to play. Jump in, play a couple of matches, get some xp and upgrades then do something else. Do you honestly think anyone is going to complete a game like skyrim in 10-20 minute bursts. I think you need to shoot your marketing department if that's what your information is telling you. If Reloaded multiplayer is done really well it will be a much bigger selling point than single player as a good easy to use online FPS game maker doesn't exist right now. TGC would be wise to take advantage of this gap in the market place. If anything games are trending towards multiplayer focus and single player is more of a niche area though each has its strengths.
DeleteLook up mid-core gaming. Its real. It is a new opportuinty. A lot of mid core is played on smart phones, but can be played on PC too. With mid core its not about completing an entire game in 10 minutes, its about grabbing a 10 to 20 minute game fix. I agree that reloaded should have MP, and is a great selling point. But for my purposes its not that essential right now, that's all. I also realize that there will be different styles of games created with reloaded. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI think that MP is important, but NOT NOW. Consider this... if people get into MP, and the engine is barely adequate, then it won't be long before they lose interest. I would argue that you will only get the one chance to get it right. You release things before they are ready and you won't get them back.
ReplyDelete+0.5 (mostly agree)
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