Multiplayer....can it do more harm than good?

[Vault101]

I dont hate multiplayer I see the apeal

how ever I do think there is EVERYTHING wrong with shoehorning multiplayer into any game and then not putting effort into the single player

Becuase multiplayer seriously effects a games lifespan..Id wager a guess that portal would be just as enjoyable many years from now (assuming any modern gamers of the time could get past the dated graphics)

but what about homefront? or even COD...anyone going to bother with those in the future?

I guess you could day its beside the point, gaming is like that anyway you move onto the next big thing

but really I dont like the Idea that they create somthing that...one you take away the multiplayer is simply half fininshed and/or not worth bothering with

of coarse if multiplayer is your focus thats good then....but putting it where it doesnt belong just hurts everyone

 

[ultrachicken]

I don't think I can quite understand what you're saying, because you avoid punctuation like the plague, and use "..." instead of periods.

Anyways, laziness/sloppiness in developing games, no matter the reason, is bad. Regardless of whether or not multiplayer is involved.

 

[umadbro]

I agree, but I am one of the millions of people who contribute to this problem. I buy a game because my friends are like, "Hey dude get this game so we can spank some noobs!" So what do I do? I go out and buy the game. Sure the story only has a few hours of gameplay and zero replayability, but the funny memories made on multiplayer make it worth it.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Yeah, I think there are way too many games that have online multiplayer nowadays and way too many gamers that play multiplayer. Just go to GFaqs on the PS3 board and half the people don't know what to do with themselves with PSN down, truly sad.

I'm very picky when it comes to competitive multiplayer because if a game is not balanced properly, I just won't bother with it no matter how many friends play it. Everybody online will use any cheap/broken tactic and/or overpowered gun/weapon to get the most points/kills so when there is an unbalanced element, that's the only thing everybody uses and that's the opposite of fun to me. The only online games I've really loved this gen are Warhawk and Metal Gear Online (I've been playing weekly survival for nearly 3 years now).

Co-op is a bit of a different beast and is more of an extension of single player than anything. I've played a lot more Uncharted 2 co-op than competitive multiplayer.

Lastly, single player games have the potential to be better games than multiplayer games. There's several gameplay mechanics that just don't work in the online environment like anything to do with time manipulation and animation canceling. And, of course, you really can't have much character building because you don't want veteran players to have a huge advantage over beginners.

 

[Vault101]

Multiplayer games can be a LOT of fun, especially when playing with a friend or group of people on the same screen/ in the same room. But it doesn't belong in every game. Metroid wouldn't be better with multiplayer, and neither would a traditional RPG. If the multiplayer fits in organically though, why not?

thats the thing though it seems apealing to devs to shove multiplayer when it just doesnt belong *coughdeadspace2cough*

however if can have multiplayer without the detriemnt of single player (saits row 2) then yeah sure

I don't think I can quite understand what you're saying, because you avoid punctuation like the plague, and use "..." instead of periods.

Anyways, laziness/sloppiness in developing games, no matter the reason, is bad. Regardless of whether or not multiplayer is involved.

well....for me an example of doing things RIGHT is with assasns creed they actually made assasins creed brotherhood, where the mutiplayer was the main focus and done well as popased to just shoving it into assasins creed 2 (which is the kind of thing Im completley against)

 

[random_bars]

I kind of agree with you. To be honest though I think it's really a case of choosing the lesser of two evils. On the singleplayer side you have the fact that once you've played it through once, you're rarely going to want to again unless it's a few years later when you've forgotten what happens. Multiplayer games don't have this problem, they are essentially endlessly replayable... Until the point where they don't have anyone playing them anymore, or their servers are simply shut down, and then they become impossible to play at all.

So it's really a choice between a shorter, limited amount of fun which be had at any time, or an unlimited amount of fun with an expiry date.

 

[Vault101]

Yeah, I think there are way too many games that have online multiplayer nowadays and way too many gamers that play multiplayer. Just go to GFaqs on the PS3 board and half the people don't know what to do with themselves with PSN down, truly sad.

.

what?...they dont realise they have singe player games for the PS3? *facepalm* this is worrying

 

[Vault101]

I kind of agree with you. To be honest though I think it's really a case of choosing the lesser of two evils. On the singleplayer side you have the fact that once you've played it through once, you're rarely going to want to again unless it's a few years later when you've forgotten what happens. Multiplayer games don't have this problem, they are essentially endlessly replayable... Until the point where they don't have anyone playing them anymore, or their servers are simply shut down, and then they become impossible to play at all.

So it's really a choice between a shorter, limited amount of fun which be had at any time, or an unlimited amount of fun with an expiry date.

while I do find multiplayer fun the novelty tends to wear off pretty quick (granted I havnt played that many games focused on multiplayer except for left 4 dead)

anyway it does depend on the induvidual but the single player experiece I feel is always a little more rewarding, plus I supose I would replay a game like watching a favorite movie

and sometimes you get that rare game that you can just play over and over and over again (Mass effect)

I mean I wouldnt mind it so much if they put thir energy into one

anyway in the future I think they are going to become a little more...well less seperate, with new games like Brink and vavles "single player+" Idea

my only worry is that it might not be so fun if you DONT have other people playing (but hopefully by then Ill have better internet)

 

[de5gravity]

We had a discussion on multiplayer on a podcast we made http://www.thepodcast.co.cc
I don't think that multiplayer games are a bad thing necessarily, but when a game is advertised as having a great single player mode, but ends up with a 6 hour campaign and everything focused on the multiplayer (ie Homefront), I feel like that's when it's not acceptable.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Yeah, I think there are way too many games that have online multiplayer nowadays and way too many gamers that play multiplayer. Just go to GFaqs on the PS3 board and half the people don't know what to do with themselves with PSN down, truly sad.

.

what?...they dont realise they have singe player games for the PS3? *facepalm* this is worrying

LOL, I even saw a thread where someone was requesting that Sony should give away the new SOCOM game for free.

 

[Vault101]

We had a discussion on multiplayer on a podcast we made http://www.thepodcast.co.cc
I don't think that multiplayer games are a bad thing necessarily, but when a game is advertised as having a great single player mode, but ends up with a 6 hour campaign and everything focused on the multiplayer (ie Homefront), I feel like that's when it's not acceptable.

ahhh homefront...that whole situation was hilarious

"hey guys! we got this awsome new game! its gonna be like Real[/I] deep and shit! that guy whote red dawn made the story!"

"yeah?....hey I hear the campgn is life 5 hours..wtf?"

"what? no no no no...see it really depends on the skill level of the player Im sure that-"

"so what your saying is I just have to die over and over gain to get my moneys worth?"

"uhhh well...no....uh...hey! did I meantion how awsome the multiplayer is?"

"I dont want your fucking multiplayer....oh look a 76.."

"76???!!! what? thats rediculous! you cannto judge art with numbers!...they guy from red dawn wrote the story!!!"