Topic: Multiplayer ags games

[Construed]

What do people think of them,
Would you want multiplayer in your game?
Bad idea, good idea and why?

[Technocrat]

I've had ideas of things one could do with them, and while there are whole new puzzles that can be made with the added dimension of another person, it's quite a headache scripting-wise!

[Victor6]

It's not just the scripting, it's the testing too which could drive you mad.

Out of hand, I'd reject the idea, because I feel it would consume too much time and effort for a reward only experienced by a few. The time would be better spent improving the single player elements, which everyone can enjoy.

I'll admit I've been tempted to take a crack at recreating something like bloodwych in ags. Maybe splitting the controls so player 1 is on mouse, player 2 on keys, so that it could theoretically be played by a single player.

[icey games]

I think if you can script a not so much crazy online game and if you have a mind where you can test somethings in your head then you should be good. Also I would like to include that one could open the game twice or more times on their PC at once and test the multiplayer alone.

[Construed]

Ah, I see.
When im done with GrimQuest I might release the source with the multiplayer code.
It basically uses wyz's agsirc plugin, and i've done alot of modifications to change player views, speed and some other things through the server as well as enhanced the chatbox.

[Construed]

It's not just the scripting, it's the testing too which could drive you mad.

Out of hand, I'd reject the idea, because I feel it would consume too much time and effort for a reward only experienced by a few. The time would be better spent improving the single player elements, which everyone can enjoy.

I'll admit I've been tempted to take a crack at recreating something like bloodwych in ags. Maybe splitting the controls so player 1 is on mouse, player 2 on keys, so that it could theoretically be played by a single player.

Oh victor, I meant mmo. sry for the confusion.

[Peder Johnsen+]

I have an awesome idea for a 2 player game.
And will do a small test game sometime in the near future hopefully..

Just too busy with other stuff atm.

[icey games]

I would gladly beta test it if you ever start to work on it.

[Scavenger]

Oh victor, I meant mmo. sry for the confusion.

Bad, bad idea. Too much effort for not enough payoff, you need a player base to keep it sustained (which you won't get with an amateur MMO made in an engine not suited for MMOs), and AGS doesn't handle simultaineous action from more than one source very well, because it's an adventure game engine. Not to mention it'd cost you money to keep the server up and manhours maintaining the server and the skill to create a server that can handle the workload of a MMO in a clean, efficient way.

2 Player Co-Op, done cleverly (where events from one game can effect objects in the other), I can see. Adding MMO stuff to adventure games is just a decadent, pointless idea and I don't know why people keep bringing it up. MMOs wither on the vine even if they're made by competent programmers for the genre they're meant for in engines that can handle it.

[Anian]

You should check out the new game called Journey, check out the review http://www.gamespot.com/journey/videos/journey-video-review-6363922/
It has very interesting gameplay plus multiplayer is pretty unusual, yet very cool and it kind of works more on a 2 player concept thus it maybe easier for adventure games. It actually makes the other player make the world (like an mmo does) but it's not about fighting or that much about puzzle solving (though in an adv. game this may be used more) but about being stronger (you can recharge each other) and being company in an otherwise pretty desolate world.

MMOs usually are about fighting, but in adventure games you might use other players to be astounded by the wrold as you are and maybe play jokes on you (like getting you caught by an npc), you can solve puzzles (the basic principle).
Again you can do many cool coop stuff, like a player has it's character put a hand in a hole and then the other player guides his hand to find and item in a minigame of some sort. Also players can join in a bar and just be random guests in a bar you visit (like MMOs do and like the multiplayer thing (I really cant remember the name right now) did as a test a year or so ago).

ANY multiplayer game is based around what players do by themselves and not what is actually there, but you as a developer must make such a playground. FPS match 12vs 12 for example will never play out the same or to put it in a stripped version, Minecraft doesn't really have anything more than a playground and the players still absorb and use the world to craft, and set challenges and it never repeats. You kind of have to prepeare the world and the tools and leave the rest up to the players.
Try Uru Online for interesting adventuregame/mmo mash up.

[.M.M.]

Ah, I see.
WhenI'm done with GrimQuest I might release the source with the multiplayer code.
It basically uses wyz's agsirc plugin, and i've done alot of modifications to change player views, speed and some other things through the server as well as enhanced the chatbox.

I am really interested in the code and I'll be happy if you post it - I tried something myself, but I'm just not able to create the connection system myself. Creating MMO is, in my opinion, both impossible and meaningless, but multiplayer would be great for example as cooperative or arena RPG - so every one could play the singleplayer and then save their characters and compete against each other.

[Paul Franzen]

I'd love to see something like a co-op Day of the Tentacle, where multiple players are controlling each of the characters--each player simultaneously solving his or her own puzzles, while also providing the means for other players to solve their puzzles.

And, if you don't have any friends, you can just switch between the characters as normal, so singleton players wouldn't be left out. Win-win! ...Except for the person who has to code it, anyway.

[Paul Franzen]

Edit: I should note that this would probably make a LOT more sense for a game played online, where each person has their own screen, rather than on one screen :p

[Construed]

You should check out the new game called Journey, check out the review http://www.gamespot.com/journey/videos/journey-video-review-6363922/
It has very interesting gameplay plus multiplayer is pretty unusual, yet very cool and it kind of works more on a 2 player concept thus it maybe easier for adventure games. It actually makes the other player make the world (like an mmo does) but it's not about fighting or that much about puzzle solving (though in an adv. game this may be used more) but about being stronger (you can recharge each other) and being company in an otherwise pretty desolate world.

MMOs usually are about fighting, but in adventure games you might use other players to be astounded by the wrold as you are and maybe play jokes on you (like getting you caught by an npc), you can solve puzzles (the basic principle).
Again you can do many cool coop stuff, like a player has it's character put a hand in a hole and then the other player guides his hand to find and item in a minigame of some sort. Also players can join in a bar and just be random guests in a bar you visit (like MMOs do and like the multiplayer thing (I really cant remember the name right now) did as a test a year or so ago).

ANY multiplayer game is based around what players do by themselves and not what is actually there, but you as a developer must make such a playground. FPS match 12vs 12 for example will never play out the same or to put it in a stripped version, Minecraft doesn't really have anything more than a playground and the players still absorb and use the world to craft, and set challenges and it never repeats. You kind of have to prepeare the world and the tools and leave the rest up to the players.
Try Uru Online for interesting adventuregame/mmo mash up.

aye, funny you mention the bar me and my friends had a great time at the qfg bar last nite,
Thats me sitting on the table lol!

And my buddy the hacker on top of the bar where he shouldnt be ><

[void]

Hello there,

after years of read-only access to this board, this thread has finally convinced me to register :-)

It's kind of a remarkable coincidence that you asked for multiplayer adventures at that very instant, because I just got addressed with this topic regarding AGS as well! I was toying around with the plugin API for the past few days and I guess I'm making quite some progress here. Being a network developer (and I hesitate to say I'm involved in some MMO programming) I instantly began to discover the possibilities of implementing some multiplayer code in my plugin and I'm quite amazed seeing it working pretty well. I didn't plan to make it a serious matter yet, but at all, playing around with it just made me think of the possibilities. Imagine a Fate of Atlantis offering multiplayer experience in a coop fashioned way -- that would be absolutely awesome I think.

Let me know if you got any interest in that. As I said, I was actually just toying around, but if you're interested, I guess I could put some more effort in this!

So long!

[blueskirt]

Imagine a Fate of Atlantis offering multiplayer experience in a coop fashioned way -- that would be absolutely awesome I think.

Which is exactly how multiplayer adventure games should be implemented if you ask me. Playing Portal 2's coop campaign only strengthened my belief. And there's been many indie adventure games released recently that featured more than one player character, or that gave the player character a partner to follow him around. Blackwell, Gemini Rue, Ben and Dan, Da New Guys... I'm not saying these particular series should go multiplayer, but anyone who's considering making a short freeware adventure game with more than one player character should seriously consider the opportunity of being the first or at least one of the first multiplayer adventure game out there because there's really just a tiny step to take to reach that level.

And contrary to the original poster's belief, there is a market for multiplayer adventure games, I never got the feel that we are some sort of single player adventure games only elitist community, we've had a lot of discussions about this in the past and there's a lot of people here who'd like to play such game. It just so happen that most people have been all talk and no action on that subject.

And like Scavenger said, MMO are not the solution. If you ignore the fact they suck balls at telling stories with the whole "there is no ending, everything is reseted every hour, nothing you ever do has any meaning, now go kill me ten wolves" gig, but adventure games aren't about combat, minigames and chatroom, they're about stories and solving puzzles, a successful multiplayer adventure game would be one where more than one player cooperate to solve puzzles and make story decisions, sometimes maybe even conflictual story decisions, why not?

So yeah,
Short game length
+ chatroom to throw ideas around
+ puzzle focused
+ linear, room/level structure
+ two player characters coop mode
+ timed and coop puzzles, maybe even character exclusive abilities puzzles
- obligatory Portal 2 plot rip off
- Quest For Glory overambitious MMO combat, AI stuff and minigames
= Maybe the first ever point and click multiplayer adventure game?

[Pyke]

[void]

Good news everyone!

I made a first preview version of my plugin. I just wanted to publish it in the Plugins section of the forums, but it seems like I haven't got any rights to post there. So in the meantime I'm posting it right in this thread, I hope you don't mind.

You can get the binary version of the plugin here:
http://www.file-upload.net/download-4254549/agsnet.zip.html

Please note the readme file, everything you need to know regarding the usage can be found there.

[void]

And some more updates. I've spent the last hours on implementing the game state synchronization stuff. Basically this means that every object visible to the player will be synchronized with the server's current game state. I've made a quick video of the actual progress (using some crappy FoA sprites;-). As you can see there're currently some issues regarding the correct character positioning. This happend somewhere in the progress of updating certain code in my plugin, I'm sure it will be fixed soon.

http://www.vidup.de/v/C1oEG/

Actually the video has some quite funky colors at the beginning, not sure where it came from, but sorry for that :-)

[Paul Franzen]

Wow--thank you for doing this! I can't wait to see what comes of it.