Multiplayer.

[repeating integers]

After all the differing opinions on multiplayer on this site, I decided I may as well create a thread for you all to express your views on it.

Personally, I find it can be very fun, especially when you're with friends. But even without friends and with everyone else muted, it can be crazy fun sometimes - almost by definition, the same things rarely happen twice. There can be annoying episodes with people on your team quitting or whatever, but you learn to handle that. Hell, today I was playing a game on Reach (Crazy King) where my entire team quit - so the other team spent the game randomly shooting anything they could find, including each other, and disregarded the hill, letting me win. Now that's what I call sporting .

I've heard some people hate on multiplayer, and to be honest I can't really figure out why, because no real reason is ever provided. I'm hoping to actually discover why some people dislike it in this thread, because right now I'm being forced to assume it's because Yahtzee doesn't like it, being so utterly cynical (forget "glass half empty", he's "glass reduced to dust and the world destroyed by nuclear apocalypse").

So. Multiplayer in general, be it FPS, RTS, fighting game or whatever. What are your thoughts, Escapists?

(And I would appreciate it if you tried to avoid flamewar...)

 

[Baby Tea]

Multiplayer is fantastic when you learn (Rather, remember) that it's only a game.
After that, it's a blast. I couldn't care less about my win/loss ratio, or my kill/death ratio. As long as I'm having fun, I'm playing the game. As soon as I'm not, I pop it out and play something else!

Those who take it too seriously, and actually get angry over it, are just silly.
It's a game. I used to be silly, now I just have fun. It's a burden I'm glad to be rid of.

 

[7moreDead_v1legacy]

I myself love MP in any format really, there is something awesome about pewpewing real people then they rage - RAWR!
*Ahem*
Yeah, if it's done well its fantastic.

 

[Fawcks]

I dislike multiplayer generally because it usually involves:

1) Team Work (Which I am TERRIBLE at, not that I'm not social or anything, but I have a very hard time shifting my playstyle around with other people to take them into account; I'd prefer to use the strategy I have always used, and not incorporate them, AT ALL).

2) The sheer level of involvement you need to become good enough to be noted as exceptional in one-on-one multiplayer. Some players get discouraged from multiplayer because honestly, it can have a very steep learning curve. Your skills that got you through normal or hard mode games before will do you no good, it's like fighting a whole new enemy. Your old tactics won't work. This is another personal failure I am comfortable with, I am very skilled when it comes to efficient strategies and playing styles, but adapting to new conditions takes me a little while, and I generally get bored before it's worth the effort.

 

[Drakmeire]

I prefer multiplayer in which you are on a crowded couch with your friends, not play against some foul-mouthed homophobes half a nation away.
That's why Scott Pilgrim the game will always be more fun than Call of Duty (beside maybe the local multiplayer, I'm not even 100% sure it's four-player).

 

[Maveron]

In my experience, all fps players are 12 or have played it for infinity hours. it's like some wierd law that I must play people able to kill everything without pausing to do anything so crass as watch, or who scream 'omfg joo are teh suxxor111!!!!' down the damn mike at me. I prefer people on multiplayer RTS as they tend to be less asshole-ish

 

[Fawcks]

In my experience, all fps players are 12 or have played it for infinity hours. it's like some wierd law that I must play people able to kill everything without pausing to do anything so crass as watch, or who scream 'omfg joo are teh suxxor111!!!!' down the damn mike at me. I prefer people on multiplayer RTS as they tend to be less asshole-ish

I guess my problem is I primarily play FPSes online and quickly tire of it, generally because my team is a detriment to me (Partially because I am forced to handicap myself to accommodate them, or vice versa) or I am a detriment to the team.

 

[j0frenzy]

I love multiplayer, but I do have one gripe. Why is there so little split-screen multiplayer these days. Especially with games like Left4Dead and Borderlands that is centered around a 4 player concept and is on systems that can handle 4 players and yet refuse to let me and my three friends play together with 2 360s, 2 TVs and a network cable. It really grinds my gears. Some of us gamers still like to be around people and play with them.

 

[rokkolpo]

I hate RTS multiplayer.
I NEVER WIN!
But when it comes to fighting games, I suddenly kick major ass.

With friends it's guaranteed fun, even with my friend who is just as much a competitive fighter as me.
The fights we've had man. Goku has nothing on us.

 

[Fawcks]

Star Fox Assault had GREAT multiplayer put to waste due to lack of online support and bots.

I would gladly pay 50$ for Nintendo to port that game to Wii with online multiplayer and bots, keep everything else the same.

 

[EightGaugeHippo]

MP is great once you have completed the story to a game, it keeps the experince fresh and makes games worth that £40-50 you spent.

Should not be played to execess or fits of rage may occur.

 

[RSGstyle]

I can understand if some titles forget the Singleplayer/ Campaign experience and skip right to the multiplayer where they put all their effort in. Some believe a game needs to put the same experience into Single player and create a story; I disagree. It helps, but not needed for a game. I wasn't born into console gaming or PC adventures. Growing up, I couldn't afford or wasn't allowed to own a system. The next best thing? Arcade gaming. Every one of my favorite arcade games growing up were multiplayer; whether I was constantly moving to right of the screen shooting baddies with another fellow, or spamming down+right+fierce and wailing on the same fellow.

 

[Hosker]

If you have the time to invest into multiplayer in order to get good at it, then it can be brilliant. Getting there takes a while and can be very frustrating; especially with RTSs.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I like multilayer but I feel it's being tacked onto too many games unnecessarily these days at the expense of the campaign.

Look at Assassin's Creed Brotherhood for example, the story was about half the length of Assassin's Creed 2, presumably because the devs were busy making a multiplayer mode which I have not even tried and never will.

If Mass Effect 3 has multiplayer I'll cry.

 

[Jasper Jeffs]

I only play most games for multiplayer, the community of some games can be hit or miss. I, personally, don't care either way. It's fun to play with people who are just normal and play for a laugh, but it can be just as equally fun to kill the fuck out of racist little shits. I usually unplug my mic when I play on my own, unless I'm singing in which case it's definitely getting plugged in. I love multiplayer though, whether it be on my own or with my friends, obviously some games benefit from playing with friends such as Left 4 Dead, Garry's Mod, Minecraft, MMOs etc, but in general I just love multiplayer. It's fun to play with other people, if not for the lulz then for the post-match hatemail. That always cheers me up.

 

[JemothSkarii]

I've been turned off of online multiplayer; it started out with years of blocking from my mother into doing it, and when I first started I found it unappealing. I love local multiplayer, especially co-op stuff like RE5, as you can slap the person next to you when they screw up and have a slightly homoerotic hug after victory (well, if there are no girls present)

 

[hawkeye52]

In my experience, all fps players are 12 or have played it for infinity hours. it's like some wierd law that I must play people able to kill everything without pausing to do anything so crass as watch, or who scream 'omfg joo are teh suxxor111!!!!' down the damn mike at me. I prefer people on multiplayer RTS as they tend to be less asshole-ish

rts people can be just as bad just they are more grown up about it and point out why they are annoyed. its just trolls of a different kind. DOTA is one example but there was also quite a few dicks on CoH. however you are right the more mainstream multiplayer FPS's tend to be worse since they have most annoying kind of trolls. i.e 12 year olds who wont stfu

 

[RSGstyle]

If Mass Effect 3 has multiplayer I'll cry.

Please explain. I wondered if Mass Effect could benefit from an online mmorpg style co-op, but I keep thinking it wouldn't work since many people who played Mass Effect thought the gameplay wasn't smooth enough and had many flaws, but incidentally the story immersion makes up for those flaws.

 

[repeating integers]

In my experience, all fps players are 12 or have played it for infinity hours. it's like some wierd law that I must play people able to kill everything without pausing to do anything so crass as watch, or who scream 'omfg joo are teh suxxor111!!!!' down the damn mike at me. I prefer people on multiplayer RTS as they tend to be less asshole-ish

rts people can be just as bad just they are more grown up about it and point out why they are annoyed. its just trolls of a different kind. DOTA is one example but there was also quite a few dicks on CoH. however you are right the more mainstream multiplayer FPS's tend to be worse since they have most annoying kind of trolls. i.e 12 year olds who wont stfu

There is a very, very simple way of combatting this.

MUTE EVERYONE

AHAHAHAHAHA

Ahem.

It's what I do on Halo, and it works like a charm. Sure you catch the odd teabagger, and let me tell you, it's more fun than anybody can imagine to assassinate them mid-Teabag.