[Roddy]

Official Multiplayer Thread

The issue of multiplayer has been a hot one on the forums since they were created. It tends to draw a lot of frustration and, unfortunately, flaming. In an effort to help keep things civil on the forums, we have decided to restrict the discussion of multiplayer (or topics pertaining to multiplayer) in the Oblivion/TES General forums to this one thread. When this thread hits 200 posts, it will be locked and a new thread opened to continue the discussion. Any new multiplayer threads created in this forum, or old multiplayer threads brought back to the top, will be locked and directed here ? this includes polls!

A few reminders:

• All of the forum rules still apply; flaming will not be tolerated, nor will insults directed toward specific users. This does not mean that you have to agree with everyone's opinion, but you must still respect them and their opinions enough to respond civilly.
  
• This thread is in Oblivion General, and while it may make sense to bring up or discuss TES III (and other TES games) let us try and keep this discussion mostly focused on TES IV and future titles.
  
• Multiplayer comes in many shapes and sizes: MMORPGs, arena-style combat, cooperative, etc. and it can be very helpful to be specific if you do not intend to discuss multiplayer simply in abstract terms. This obviously isn't a requirement; it is simply a suggestion to help limit confusion and misunderstanding.
  
• If someone does post or bump a multiplayer thread in Oblivion General, simply direct them here and report the thread to the moderators. And please, do this civilly, yelling and insulting people (especially new users) because they do not know about this thread serves no constructive purpose, and will likely result in a warning.
  
• The moderators are not privy to information that hasn't been released to the public.

Also, please realize that adding multiplayer at this time is simply not feasible. Oblivion has been streamlined for single-player and adding multiplayer would require re-writing large portions of the engine. The devs would much rather spend their time and energy expanding on what they already have, a great single-player RPG, rather than re-doing what they've already finished.

So please, no requests to have multiplayer added with an expansion. Or at least if you're going to discuss this realize that it is not an option.

Finally, multiplayer code requires a ton of effort. For example, it took two people several months to add multiplayer to Soldier of Fortune 2, a game made with an engine specifically designed for multiplayer (Quake 3). Many people seem to feel that a developer can purchase some network code and slap it on with a week's worth of work, but this just isn't the case.



http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1036432

[Gavin boyce]

Re-post from the prior thread:

This may already have been referenced but it is worth repeating. Here is a http://bethblog.com/index.php/2009/08/17/clarifying-about-next-elder-scrolls-game-mmo-etc/ from Pete Hines - seems to be somewhat qualified to talk about what Zenimax and Bethesda Softworks might or might not be working on. That was posted in August.

Worth noting, from the article

To be clear, Todd and his team do not make MMOs, for any franchise, at all. We have another division ? ZeniMax Online Studios ? which is lead by Matt Firor, and they are working on an MMO. They have not said anything about what game they are making. When ZeniMax Online is ready to show what they are up to, we'll let everyone know. Until then we aren't going to provide hints or speculate on what they're doing either.

[Veronica Flores]

To be clear, Todd and his team do not make MMOs

But they might push TESV back or work on something different, if Zenimax releases a TES MMO.

[lilmissparty]

But they might push TESV back or work on something different, if Zenimax releases a TES MMO.

That doesn't make any sense. The MMO and the single player RPG will not complete with each other, they attract different gamers, and besides, the profits from both games will go to the same company, Zenimax. And if they use it to work on something else, so what? They've done it before with Fallout, and they can do it again.

[Dj Matty P]

That doesn't make any sense. The MMO and the single player RPG will not complete with each other, they attract different gamers, and besides, the profits from both games will go to the same company, Zenimax.

I'm not saying they will compete with each other.

And if they use it to work on something else, so what? They've done it before with Fallout, and they can do it again.

Then that makes me an unhappy camper...

[Glu Glu]

I'm not saying they will compete with each other.

You aren't? Then why do you think they'll push back TESV? For [censored]s and giggles?

[Lori Joe]

Then why do you think they'll push back TESV? For [censored]s and giggles?

If thats what the MMO ends up being...

But seriously, it might be an opporunity to take even more time to optimize the engine and work on those precious animations Todd was talking about.

That is, if they are really making TESV, which they might not be.

[i grind hard]

And give them an excuse to put off TESV till azura knows when...

Again, why would they continue to put it off when interest in the world would be at it's proverbial peak?
Release it while it's popular; ie: While people are still playing the MMO.

Elder Scrolls isn't like Warcraft. Warcraft was crazy popular prior to the release of WoW because the prior games had a multiplayer function and the cummunity was, in effect, largely established before the MMO even came out.

Elder Scrolls, not so much. The commuity which does exist is much smaller because the vast majority of the people who play the games are used to single player and aside from asking a question about the occasional mod, have little desire or reason to interact with other players. An MMO release would alter that completely and interest in the game(s) would increase wildly (assuming of course the MMO wasn't crap) because it would attract a whole new demographic to the world of Mundus.

[Emma Louise Adams]

Again, why would they continue to put it off when interest in the world would be at it's proverbial peak?
Release it while it's popular; ie: While people are still playing the MMO.

Elder Scrolls isn't like Warcraft. Warcraft was crazy popular prior to the release of WoW because the prior games had a multiplayer function and the cummunity was, in effect, largely established before the MMO even came out.

Elder Scrolls, not so much. The commuity which does exist is much smaller because the vast majority of the people who play the games are used to single player and aside from asking a question about the occasional mod, have little desire or reason to interact with other players. An MMO release would alter that completely and interest in the game(s) would increase wildly (assuming of course the MMO wasn't crap) because it would attract a whole new demographic to the world of Mundus.

You bring up some good points. :thumbsup:

Well then, I stand corrected and hope you're right.

[Nicole Elocin]

Well then, I stand corrected and hope you're right.

Me too.

[dell]

anyone with strong google foo stumble across any more gossip about this oh so hot topic?

[Paul Rice]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2010/01/21/bethesda-working-on-mmo-similar-to-warcraft/1

Rumors????


Well, the multiplaying crowd gets their wish. Those of us who have been happy with single playerdom though, have probably lost a franchise we love to the "Me too! Generation" of gamers.

[Kayleigh Williams]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2010/01/21/bethesda-working-on-mmo-similar-to-warcraft/1

Rumors????


Well, the multiplaying crowd gets their wish. Those of us who have been happy with single playerdom though, have probably lost a franchise we love to the "Me too! Generation" of gamers.

I certainly hope a single player ES V game isn't derailed by an ES MMO. I've been waiting patiently for years (like everyone else). Until a concrete announcement by Bethesda I'll remain hopeful. If it is the case, they've lost a loyal customer.

[Deon Knight]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2010/01/21/bethesda-working-on-mmo-similar-to-warcraft/1

Rumors????


Well, the multiplaying crowd gets their wish. Those of us who have been happy with single playerdom though, have probably lost a franchise we love to the "Me too! Generation" of gamers.

Can you imagine a TES game where it's not about detailed and deep storylines, interesting characters and complex AI but about grinding, levelling, loot, bookkeeping and button bashing.

*Shudders at the thought

[N3T4]

I thought back to what Martin said as an epilogue after the Oblivion main quest was finished. He says the Third Age has ended and a new age dawns. "When the next Elder Scrolls is written, you will be its scribe." "The shape of the future, the fate of the Empire. These things now belong to you".

Just reeks of an intro to an MMO.

[Zach Hunter]

Making a TES Multiplayer game does not work in any way, The game is designed to be single player. It is not made for hours of grinding and buying gold off a website. And Imagine if you just finished a Quest, And the other guy just takes the same quest you finish, you'll feel you didn't change anything. I'm hope, and REALLY hope they don't make a multiplayer game.

[[ becca ]]

I do believe an Elder Scrolls MMO could work and be a truly unique and engaging experience if done correctly. Now most people loathe MMO quests, myself included, so how could it be done any differently? Well remember the first Thieves Guild quest in Oblivion where you competed with other prospective members. Now imagine this with one hundred people all going for the same item. It should be a player driven MMO with players, not NPCs taking the highest level positions in the guilds and passing them along to other members of the guild. Of course there would have to be a way for such a mission creation system to work although I believe that Star Wars Galaxies has some form of this. They would also have to create a way to constantly make players move positions so that one player is not always the Arch-mage and so on. Players should control the economy, crafting, repairing. Farms and houses could be player owned allowing players to grow crops with could be used in their own alchemy or sold to other players while using another few players to guard the crops from being stolen. Honestly I believe the possibilities are endless in an Elder Scrolls MMO since the series has such a deep history.

[Monika Krzyzak]

I do believe an Elder Scrolls MMO could work and be a truly unique and engaging experience if done correctly. Now most people loathe MMO quests, myself included, so how could it be done any differently? Well remember the first Thieves Guild quest in Oblivion where you competed with other prospective members. Now imagine this with one hundred people all going for the same item. It should be a player driven MMO with players, not NPCs taking the highest level positions in the guilds and passing them along to other members of the guild. Of course there would have to be a way for such a mission creation system to work although I believe that Star Wars Galaxies has some form of this. They would also have to create a way to constantly make players move positions so that one player is not always the Arch-mage and so on. Players should control the economy, crafting, repairing. Farms and houses could be player owned allowing players to grow crops with could be used in their own alchemy or sold to other players while using another few players to guard the crops from being stolen. Honestly I believe the possibilities are endless in an Elder Scrolls MMO since the series has such a deep history.

I like your Ideas specially the thieves quest one, could work with alot of other quests too Assassination targets, Exploration finding some lost artifact. PVP needs to play a big part in the game and I would go on to say make it full loot for players and NPCS death needs to mean something. Full-Loot gives a sense of danger to a player and as long as gear isnt too hard to get im sure people would like this feature.

[DeeD]

I like your Ideas specially the thieves quest one, could work with alot of other quests too Assassination targets, Exploration finding some lost artifact. PVP needs to play a big part in the game and I would go on to say make it full loot for players and NPCS death needs to mean something. Full-Loot gives a sense of danger to a player and as long as gear isnt too hard to get im sure people would like this feature.

I honestly would have no issue with the idea of theivery, and PvP in a game -if- the also included the proper channels of enforcing the "laws of the land." Like make active guards that will arrest, fine, or even imprison a character (for an actual duration ofreal-time days) if they break laws. Maybe even an "Alert" command a character could use to get a guard's attention and lead them back to a crime in progress, so you could in effect report someone you saw breaking into a house, or picking poskets, or even a bar-room brawl.

Additionally, as you noted, I'd be a lot more willing to accept theivery as a game mechanic if I knew that said theif is not only actually taking a risk living game life as a law-breaker, but also that my equipment isn't impossible or even necessarily difficult to replace. Much like the other Elder Scrolls games, potions and scrolls, weapons and armor should all be fairly readily available from merchants and such at reasonable rates.

[Gen Daley]

WoW style mmo is the exact opposite of what I wanted, I'd even take a first person mmo with the same mechanics as Oblivion, but a WoW style mmo would kill the Elder Scrolls for me, even if it doesn't affect TESV

I'm praying for three things:
1. Rumors are false
2. It's actually a fallout mmo
3. It fails horribly

[Ebou Suso]

3. It fails horribly

Seems like an odd way to think.

These are just rumors. I won't worry until I hear it from the horse's mouth.

[Jennifer May]

Wow I can't believe I'm just now hearing about this. Hearing this kinda made me wanna put in Morrowind and simultaneously cry in the corner.

It just has the whole BioWare Old Republic instead of KOTOR 3 thing written all over it. Before anyone says anything, I'M NOT SAYING BETHESDA, OR BIOWARE FOR THAT MATTER ARE INDEED PUTTING OFF THEIR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED SEQUELS FOR AN MMO.

No. I'm not saying that at all. What I am saying, is that both companies are more than likely putting off said sequels (TESV and KOTOR 3) in order to do an MMO right now. Cash grab. This has cash grab written all over it. If it has a monthly subscription, I'm saying this right now, I WILL NOT be buying this game. I've never bought a monthly subscription game in my life. Waste of money IMHO. And just plain despicable by the Developer to charge 50$ for the game, and then monthly fee's just to play it. Especially if it becomes as popular as.... say WoW. You'd think Blizzard would perhaps have enough money to maybe NOT charge people to play. Or maybe not as much. Idk. I just now that I will not buy any game that has a fee to play per month. Never happened. Never will happen for me.

But, yes. I realize it's all speculation. More than likely, Bethesda and its "partners" or whatever are developing three games simultaneously. Fallout 4. TES V. And this MMO. That would be awesome if that is what is really going down. And then sometime this year, we get informed of TESV. Bethesda would indeed take over the gaming world! :chaos:

[Dona BlackHeart]

Well I do remember some one saying in an interview that they want to be making 4 games per year. To me that says "Yay another TES game", and another thing that brings to mind is "What? 4 crappy hollow games instead of 1 semi decent one." So they could very well be making a TES MMO, TES V, and Fallout 4.

[Peter P Canning]

http://pc.ign.com/articles/106/1063081p1.html

*dies a bit inside*

I personally would love to be able to create a Daedric character and do battle with the Akaviri in the middle of a Tamrielic province.

No. Just... no.

[P PoLlo]

WoW style mmo is the exact opposite of what I wanted, I'd even take a first person mmo with the same mechanics as Oblivion, but a WoW style mmo would kill the Elder Scrolls for me, even if it doesn't affect TESV

I'm praying for three things:
1. Rumors are false
2. It's actually a fallout mmo
3. It fails horribly

i know how you feel, it would completely ruin Elder scrolls, unless they keep the game play the same instead of a click and auto attack MMO style. And if this MMO comes out it will probably require a monthly fee saying that i would give it a shot but doubt it would be any good. I'm also a console user so if they do make an MMO i'm sure that it will be PC only.