On Multiplayer

[RottingAwesome]

Finally it is explained!
I understand and respect your opinion on competitive multiplayer, however (and I believe I was quoted for saying something similar in one of your columns), you said that you've played and loved TF2 until they started releasing the class updates.

So wouldn't that mean that you at least have SOME love for competitive multiplayer? That with something as charming as TF2 (as it was when it first came out anyway) you are possibly able to enjoy competitive multiplayer?

EDIT: ah, yes, here it is http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/extra-punctuation/7170-Extra-Punctuation-Goth-Mercenaries.2
coincidentally you were also talking about WoW and multiplayer in general

 

[Facade-Intention]

"...me, a very slightly famous person..."

But a very modest person, it seems.

 

[baba44713]

I get the "half of the competitive streak" part.

One of my currently most played games is Starcraft 2, I enjoy the mechanics and design and gameplay, but when it comes to playing ladder winning makes me meh and losing makes me incredibly frustrated. It's amazing, I couldn't care less about the all-important W/L ratio, or which league symbol I'm sporting in my profile, or the rewards, or the shiny messages that I've been promoted, but losing a match makes me lose my cool completely.

I guess it has something to do with knowing that an actual person beat you, but not knowing anything about that person, so brain automatically switches to a worst-case scenario. I can almost see a nerdy pimply bad-breathed head getting in my face and smirking at my noobness..

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

Finally I have a way to describe why I dislike PvP. This was a great article, thank you again Yahtzee, this time for helping me now tell people who harass me to join arenas why it isn't "where it's at" for me.

 

[Lord_Gremlin]

Normally I hate competitive multiplayer too. Sometimes, however, when a new game comes out I can spend some time in it and have fun. Until usual jerks flood it.

 

[Beertaster]

About the woes of Competitive multilayer. I've never though competition was worth my time in FPS, I usually jump on kill people, feel better, and jump off. However, now my favorite game, Team Fortress 2, has put competition in another sense. With the addition of trading for items, If I wanted a rare hat, (which I do) I well, can't have it. Most players who have, A. spent money on more items, and B. spent money on more accounts. Have been able to pay to horde the rarest of Items, and use them as currency between other players who have done the same. This has made their prices skyrocket, to a point that I as many others can't see how to have fun with the trading system.

My basic point is that the greed of players to get ahead of other players is the motive of competition, but can really get in the way of everyone's fun.

 

[KiKiweaky]

I used to be the same then I played war, which while you could only partake in pve.... its rather poor. The pvp is incredible and very competitive on my server. On release day I grudgingly took my rank 8 bright wizzard into the pvp area and have pretty much never looked back since. Its not for everyone though and if you dont like it fair enough

 

[Lawnmooer]

Interesting read. Made me think about the 1000+ Hours I've dropped into competitive multiplayer and realise why I like it, I don't particualarly care about winning nor losing, I just like having a good match with someone who is equally skilled and geared.

Though it is hard for me to find that because A) There is a crappy gear system that makes it so that people who have played longer get better/different stuff causing an imbalance in their favour. B) There is a huge difference between skilled and new players and the matchmaker sucks. C) One side has more people. D) All of the above.

I remember when I used to PvP in WoW, I always cursed at "Twinks" because they would be able to solo the entire enemy team in one go, so I made my own and only fought other twinks I occasionally had fun (Most of the time they would run away because they only wanted easy kills)

When I played Warhammer Online PvP ended up in "Who has the most people" in ORVR (World PvP for those who haven't played it) and "Who has the most healers/AoE glass cannons" in Scenarios.

LOTRO PvP Consisted of fights between the 2 bow users since they had the longest range.

TF2 did entertain me for a while, until I got bored of the classes (The fact they all had a weakness meant I ran into situations where I could not win just because)

L4D2 is severerly imbalanced towards the survivors and only becomes even if the infected are decent and the survivors are terrible.

That's all I can remember... Though it does appear that the main flaw (In my eyes) is the stuff games have in to make people work towards to play longer (Gear and upgrades)

If they removed all of the "Level up and get better stuff" from multiplayer it would probably be alot funner for most people since alot of the annoying people in CoD multiplayer only really play because they like to be the "Best" and win all the time so use the better stuff they unlock. Removing better stuff might reduce the amount annoying players and increase the number of people who want to play to have a good time.

 

[klausaidon]

This is why I like being on a unpopulated server, in a guild that is half casual, and half progression. I of course never actually have to wait in a line to get on the server. And while my guild does raid, its on a scale where I still keep my identity. In a five man, I'm the gay rogue that makes gay jokes about myself in vent. In raids, usually 10 man... I'm the gay rogue that makes gay jokes about myself in vent. And in 10 mans, its still small enough scale wherein I'm most likely the only rogue. Always several pallys though.

 

[frans909]

Hey Yatz. I understand now why you will not review Starcraft.

 

[frans909]

Hey Yatz. I understand now why you will not review Starcraft.

Its probably because there's nothing to review, Its a shiny version of the original. Its impossible to make jokes or either positive or negative points about.

It's very different from the original. You are not as well informed as you think you are.

 

[frans909]

Get a post, get a captcha error. Type the captcha, get a double post. Nice going.

 

[Jfswift]

I stopped playing TF2 because of all the whiners that jumped me during a game. It just wasn't relaxing or fun anymore.. and it's not like I'm even that bad either.

 

[Traun]

These days single player games just aren't for me.

I would prefer to either play co-op (Dynasty Warriors) or versus (Starcraft 2). I am more interested in having a great game than winning or loosing. Personally I don't see the challenge in single player games anymore, so I go mano-e-mano versus someone, not a big fan of team battles. Co-op...it's just hell of a fun with games (example - Dynasty Warriors).

 

[frans909]

Hey Yatz. I understand now why you will not review Starcraft.

Its probably because there's nothing to review, Its a shiny version of the original. Its impossible to make jokes or either positive or negative points about.

It's very different from the original. You are not as well informed as you think you are.

ok this is an example of things that are very different
<spoiler=very different>http://www.passionforbalance.co.uk/userimages/apple.jpghttp://blog.rongeorge.com/wp-content/uploads/craftsman-chainsaw-35020.jpg

and this is an example of something with simmilar levels of difference between sc1 and 2
<spoiler=not so different>http://www.lafsco.com/413tophat.jpghttp://robinheyden.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/top-hat.jpg
anyway serious face on now. I have played both, and whilst there are changes they aren't massive or that interesting, which is why the koreans won't pick it up (that and the increase in spec, drm bla bla bla). But just for clarification i don't dislike the game, theres just not much to say about it. Its like comparing any dynasty warriors game to another one.

Wow, you know how the Koreans think? Maybe you should try to get a job at the CIA.

 

[MpSai]

I liked the Red Dead multiplayer cause my friends and I could just run around doing things cooperatively, clearing out bandit bases, accidentally killing our horses, finding out we could ride shotgun in a stage coach etc. But there was always one cuntbucket who had to turn the free roaming multiplayer into PVP, and it was usually one who had spammed their character up to a ridiculously high level in the first week the game was out.

So I supposed I don't much mind multiplayer, I just hate PVP, which is what the majority of popular multiplayer boils down to.

 

[Grahav]

For me, to like competitive I need two things:

1 - To have real chances of winning. It sucks only to lose.

2 - If I lose, the winner can't be a douche.

I enjoyed a lot of Soul Calibur because of this.

But cooperative is very cool. Final Fight; Streets of Rage... All much more enjoyable with team work.

 

[robandall]

Glad to know I'm not mentally deficient for having that outlook on getting involved in competitive anything. More co-op games please.

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

I only like multiplayer when I'm good at it, which makes me wonder how I'm still good at it. If everyone was like me, then everyone I owned would just quit.

 

[jackelbeaver]

Actually raids are restricted now to 10 or 20 man for the reasons yahtzee said. so yeah you can still have identity in a "current" raid group.