Is anyone playing this game?

Hypostatic · 2014-02-25 05:15:14

Not to sound rude or anything, this is an honest question.

I booted up my old copy of Descent 3 today and loaded up the multiplayer... and there were only 4 people playing the game. And they said the server was CROWDED today.

So, I'm looking for a game that has some more players for multiplayer. I also heard of another game called Retrovirus that is built around 6 degrees of freedom.... but the review lead me to this game lol.

So, some honest feedback from some players (and even devs) would be nice.

sdfgeoff · 2014-02-25 10:30:35

Not in my timezone or country, so I tend to play single against bots. But it is a lot more fun with other people than with bots.

Interestingly descent 1 and 2 are mpre active than d3. Head over to descentrangers.com or dxx-rebirth.com

Aga · 2014-02-25 13:41:44

Some players are active in Germany - but I think, in the moment there must be done a sked to have fun. Playing against bots is boring but ok for check the game.

I stopped playing it and have to do more for the garden, my wife and ...

Splotchie · 2014-02-25 16:22:59

I check the servers at least once a day and if there's somebody online I'll play. There hasn't been lately .
Descent 1 and 2 need more multiplayer options than just the Rangers, TBH. There were a few reasons I quit the rangers (none of them personal) but if you decide scored games with extra rules aren't for you there's really nothing left unless you're lucky enough to know some people in real life who'll play against you.

Last edited by Splotchie (2014-02-25 16:28:05)

Hypostatic · 2014-02-26 03:07:54

Sorry, I was asking specifically about the talon multiplayer. Like, is there any way to see the player activity on the servers?

sdfgeoff · 2014-02-26 07:09:11

As far as I know, you can only see the current players.

chilli · 2014-02-26 15:41:20

I have not had much chance to get on in the last week or two, but before that I rarely saw anybody on the servers, but logged into them anyway.

Quite often, within a few minutes others joined the game when they saw someone was on

My problem then is that they were usually way better than me lol

So I would just recommend joining a game even if empty, that way more people are likely to log on, at least till we get the momentum going

Personally, I do not have much time at the moment, but will try and log on even briefly for a quick game and if I see anyone on I will say Hello!

Splotchie · 2014-02-26 19:36:04

The IRC chat might also be a good place to hang out.
At least this thread is generating some forum activity, lol.

chilli · 2014-02-28 21:41:52

OK, My Tuppence worth...

Many of the people playing currently are ex-Descent, so these whinges do not apply but whenever I have shown this game enthusiastically to anyone new, there are two factors that seem to put people off and I am trying to think of us opening up the game to a wider audience, many of which will never have experienced a similar (6DoF) game before

1) It is far too difficult....

Now I know that there are all sorts of bot settings etc that can help this, but for a player to be playing multiplayer for the first time ever and just get blasted by a bot or another player say 5 of times in a row - just makes them go 'OK Game over' and stop & hand back, so its all about the learning curve and engagement if we want them to not only stay, but come back...

2) Cloaking

OK, I know that this is part of the strategy and tactics in a game, but
personally, I do not like it and think that it is often used far too much, perhaps to personal advantage but to the disadvantage of the momentum of the game, perhaps a server option to allow/disallow

Splotchie · 2014-02-28 22:59:13

Whaaat? I love the cloak.
It adds another layer of depth to the gameplay.

Last edited by Splotchie (2014-02-28 23:03:23)

Smaragdadler · 2014-03-01 08:59:55

Descent Multiplayer is for sure e-sport evolved to the max and Talon goes even further. To seriously get new players there has to be an interesting single player mode like in Descent that gives people the time and motivation to learn 6DoF. To just jump in Talon multiplayer matches as a newbie must feel like learning to swim at the Olympic freestyle swimming competition.

Last edited by Smaragdadler (2014-03-01 09:05:05)

chilli · 2014-03-01 12:59:26

I knew the cloak would be controversial lol and I agree with Smaragdadler about the single player mission that would certainly help the learning curve

VEX-Munk · 2014-03-01 15:22:21

Singleplayer missions are highly speculative. It takes *hugh* efforts in creation, certainly more than a single man can do in his whole livetime. And it doesn't mean you will sell more copies of the game. Even if you would start making singleplayer missions, they won't be available for a significant amount of time.

For a project of the (rather small) size of Talon, focussing on singleplayer missions will almost surely kill it completely. Scotts time and efforts could be spent way better than this. That is, unless you volunteer.... (how desperate are you ?)

BTW, Quake 3 Arena also only featured bots, and it was a *huge* success. Maybe Talon could profit from some kind of mimicing competition setting, but certainly not from well-designed and scripted singleplayer missions.

Splotchie · 2014-03-02 00:34:26

VEX-Munk wrote:

Singleplayer missions are highly speculative. It takes *hugh* efforts in creation, certainly more than a single man can do in his whole livetime...

Unless that man is Hugh?

Definitely, an entire singleplayer campaign built for for the sole purpose of training the players for multiplayer would be too much effort for too small a payoff, and just a horrible idea in general. Although I think you've somewhat overestimated the amount of effort that actually goes into a good singleplayer game, Munk.

I agree that Talon as it is now wouldn't profit from a singleplayer campaign, because of the miniscule team and lack of resources. But when Talon hopefully becomes a success (and I still think it can) I think a singleplayer expansion or sequel that nicely fleshes out the game's world and tells an interesting story would be great, and I'd even be willing to help create it (as Scott knows). I'm a big fan of well-designed singleplayer games. But singleplayer needs to be designed for its own sake.
You'd be free to not play it if you don't like singleplayer games though .

Last edited by Splotchie (2014-03-02 00:40:06)

VEX-Munk · 2014-03-02 03:49:36

Splotchie wrote:

Unless that man is Hugh? :D

If you don't like my english, we can certainly switch to german or any other second or third language of yours :D

Not sure how much efforts it takes to make singleplayer campains. But if I look at the Descent3 singleplayer campaings, each mission for itself is incredible detailed, with a large pool of textures, scripting, voicerecordings and story. With an estimate on how long it takes for multiplayer arenas (and their limited details), it would certainly take a mans-year for just a few singleplayer missions.

I still find these most expensive with respect to time and limited potential. Unless there is a clever way to program some simple mission generator (a generated labyrinth is rather easy, but can be boring fast).....

Last edited by VEX-Munk (2014-03-02 03:49:55)

Splotchie · 2014-03-02 04:20:54

If you don't like my english, we can certainly switch to german or any other second or third language of yours

Apologies. I was just making a joke, I didn't mean it to offend. Living my whole life in a bilingual country where I don't speak the other language very well (and from other online communities that are mostly french, which is that language I don't speak well), I know at least a little bit of what it's like.

I think the fallacy most people fall into when estimating how long it takes to build a singleplayer campaign is that their experience is as gamers and maybe modders, which basically means they're doing this in the spare time. When you're working professionally as a level designer you're working eight-hour days at nothing but level designing and it's surprising how fast it goes, even if you're the only level designer on the team. Level design is actually one of the smallest departments in most of the studios I've worked with (although that's not a big number, honestly). And this is why so many talented designers are still modders and not professionals, which is why we have this impression to begin with.
I think it would be like working as an architect designing blueprints, except not quite as complicated (since building safety codes usually don't enter the picture ).

Last edited by Splotchie (2014-03-02 04:26:40)

Announcement

#1 2014-02-25 05:15:14

Is anyone playing this game?

#2 2014-02-25 10:30:35

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#3 2014-02-25 13:41:44

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#4 2014-02-25 16:22:59

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#5 2014-02-26 03:07:54

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#6 2014-02-26 07:09:11

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#7 2014-02-26 15:41:20

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#8 2014-02-26 19:36:04

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#9 2014-02-28 21:41:52

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#10 2014-02-28 22:59:13

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#11 2014-03-01 08:59:55

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#12 2014-03-01 12:59:26

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#13 2014-03-01 15:22:21

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#14 2014-03-02 00:34:26

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#15 2014-03-02 03:49:36

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

#16 2014-03-02 04:20:54

Re: Is anyone playing this game?

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