Poll: Would Skyrim benefit from a multiplayer?

[MahouSniper]

Now, before everyone starts yelling, let me say I'm happy Skyrim is single player. It's a testament that single player games can be successful in today's industry and that a game doesn't need a multiplayer to be good. I love Skyrim to death.

That said, I think a multiplayer function could be quite fun. I know there's a mod that does this, but I'd love to see an official version released. After seeing my friend play his sneaky dark elf archer, I started thinking that it would be a lot of fun if I could leap my tanky Nord into his game and go questing with him, à la Saints Row.

There's a great post on the First Person article "Skyrim is Soulless" that talks about how the soul of the game is supplied by the player, likening it to a tabletop game like Dungeons & Dragons. Another poster points out, however, that one of the main attractions of D&D is the other people in your party. Playing with a friend would really make my adventuring more engaging and it would allow for some interesting options, such as a high-level character helping out a low-level friend with a particularly difficult quest. Or maybe sponsoring new adventurers in return for rare items like Daedra hearts. Or getting revenge on those damn bears by paying people for every bear pelt they bring to you. Interactions with other adventurers could make for some very fun experiences. If balance is an issue, they could buff the enemies appropriately perhaps, or simply make the game treat you like you're several levels higher. And if it's not your thing, you can still play it solo.

Thoughts?

 

[TephlonPrice]

In the co-op sense, it could definitely work.

 

[Midgetface]

Co-op Skyrim would be godly, but enemies should scale properly... if two players are in a game, it should take their combined efforts to take down a dragon.

The problem with Skyrim and multiplayer is that there are little dungeons that warrant a whole team to face them. Enabling multiplayer would mean enabling huge fortresses that only a duo of players can tackle.

 

[oZode]

It could work, but would be tough to implement because skyrim is not designed for this type of stuff.

 

[Muspelheim]

No.

Skyrim is part of a dying breed, namely a game that doesn't have to skimp or compensate on its singleplayer content to accomodate a multiplayer. There are shelves full of games that's got a good multiplayer, we really don't need another excellent singleplayer-series getting multi'd for no good reason. It's a game built entirely for the individual experience in mind, and frankly, we need those games, too.

A multiplayer/co-op game has to be built with that in mind from the start if it's going to work out, not something you can crowbar in as an afterthought.

 

[Nouw]

As long as the Singleplayer isn't sacrificed, yes a Co-Op mode could work. I'd have to notch down the graphics though >.>.

 

[MahouSniper]

No.

Skyrim is part of a dying breed, namely a game that doesn't have to skimp or compensate on its singleplayer content to accomodate a multiplayer. There are shelves full of games that's got a good multiplayer, we really don't need another excellent singleplayer-series getting multi'd for no good reason. It's a game built entirely for the individual experience in mind, and frankly, we need those games, too.

A multiplayer/co-op game has to be built with that in mind from the start if it's going to work out, not something you can crowbar in as an afterthought.

A few things to consider:
1) How would adding in an expansion pack that included a co-op function be skimping on the game?
2) Do you disagree that playing co-op with a friend could be very fun?
3) Is an optional mode a bad thing just because the previous incarnations didn't include it?

I'm not suggesting it should remove content or skimp on the single player. Again, I compare it to Saints Row 2/3. That series has a very solid single player and was built around the single player experience. However, it's incredibly fun to jump into a friend's game and play with him too. I think having my friend join me and hunting some giants would be a lot of fun and extend the enjoyment of the game. It would also provide opportunity for some interesting DLC to be released, extending the game's lifespan.

I am not suggesting compromising the singleplayer to accommodate a multiplayer, I'm saying that adding one in now that the game is released in full could be a worthy addition.

 

[Schmittler]

No.

Skyrim is part of a dying breed, namely a game that doesn't have to skimp or compensate on its singleplayer content to accomodate a multiplayer. There are shelves full of games that's got a good multiplayer, we really don't need another excellent singleplayer-series getting multi'd for no good reason. It's a game built entirely for the individual experience in mind, and frankly, we need those games, too.

A multiplayer/co-op game has to be built with that in mind from the start if it's going to work out, not something you can crowbar in as an afterthought.

A few things to consider:
1) How would adding in an expansion pack that included a co-op function be skimping on the game?
2) Do you disagree that playing co-op with a friend could be very fun?
3) Is an optional mode a bad thing just because the previous incarnations didn't include it?

I'm not suggesting it should remove content or skimp on the single player. Again, I compare it to Saints Row 2/3. That series has a very solid single player and was built around the single player experience. However, it's incredibly fun to jump into a friend's game and play with him too. I think having my friend join me and hunting some giants would be a lot of fun and extend the enjoyment of the game. It would also provide opportunity for some interesting DLC to be released, extending the game's lifespan.

I am not suggesting compromising the singleplayer to accommodate a multiplayer, I'm saying that adding one in now that the game is released in full could be a worthy addition.

This is exactly what I would want for a Co-op feature in Skyrim. I don't see why not to be honest.

 

[ComradeJim270]

I think Skyrim would benefit much more from having better single-player.

 

[uhddh]

Skyrim is this position is similar to Mass Effect 3. The multiplayer is most certainly not necessary and if done incorrectly would receive huge amounts of backlash.

However, this is not to say it would not benefit at all

 

[Zen Toombs]

...It COULD work, but methinks that it is more likely to turn out poorly. However, it could also be a resounding success.

In short: if done very carefully, then yes.

 

[MahouSniper]

NO.

Well at least you provide a valid reason to back up your stance.

Skyrim is this position is similar to Mass Effect 3. The multiplayer is most certainly not necessary and if done incorrectly would receive huge amounts of backlash.

However, this is not to say it would not benefit at all

I agree with you, it's definitely not necessary and would need to be implemented properly, not just thrown in, but I think there is one main distinction. Mass Effect 3 is more story-focused, with an already established main character. Your story is necessarily about you and your actions. In Skyrim, your character is entirely made by you. What he does, what his motivations are, even race he is, is your choice. This sets up a perfect environment to have friends in, because exploring and questing don't have a large narrative behind them, you invent one. In tabletop games, this is done with a party of friends. I think it could be done similarly here.

 

[Muspelheim]

A few things to consider:
1) How would adding in an expansion pack that included a co-op function be skimping on the game?
2) Do you disagree that playing co-op with a friend could be very fun?
3) Is an optional mode a bad thing just because the previous incarnations didn't include it?

I'm not suggesting it should remove content or skimp on the single player. Again, I compare it to Saints Row 2/3. That series has a very solid single player and was built around the single player experience. However, it's incredibly fun to jump into a friend's game and play with him too. I think having my friend join me and hunting some giants would be a lot of fun and extend the enjoyment of the game. It would also provide opportunity for some interesting DLC to be released, extending the game's lifespan.

I am not suggesting compromising the singleplayer to accommodate a multiplayer, I'm saying that adding one in now that the game is released in full could be a worthy addition.

Well, if it could possibly work, for first. The engine being what it is, it's no secret Skyrim is struggling to keep functional even when there's just one player around. Also, the game is designed entirely with the single player in mind. For instance, the level-scaling. What would happen if two characters at different levels arrived? And if they both purchased the same property? And then there are the quests that are all written and scripted around one character, the PC.

If we were to cram in a co-op, we'd first need to make some massive changes to the game, while crossing our fingers that the engine will function under the extra strain. In short, it's unplausible at best, no matter how nice it would be.

I'm not saying that I'm against co-op period, or that it has no place in Elder Scrolls. It's just that it's not a very realistic prospect for Skyrim, since it's firstly constructed the way it is technically and because it's a singleplayer experience at heart. The studio chose to focus entirely on that, and I think that is an acceptable choice. If they do choose to have co-op in the next Elder Scrolls, I certainly hope it's optional and doesn't impact the individual experience too much.

Personally, I just think that not every single game requires a co-op feature, and I don't think it's some sort of perfect, no drawbacks improvement that all games should have. To illustrate I mean, I'll just remind you of all the dipshits who skips all the dialogue and runs past all NPCs and cutscenes in WoW-dungeons, and complain when you don't. Or Yatzhee's good example of two people reading the same book at the same time.
Again, I have nothing against multiplayer, I really like it when it's where it should be. It's just that in this landslide of online-titles, I think that at least one or two large singleplayer-experiences could be allowed to pass the net. I suppose the best way to sum up my view on the whole thing is "There is a time and place for everything".

 

[VoidWanderer]

Skyrim cannot benefit from Co-Op for one reason.

There is only one prophecised Dovahkin. Two Dovahkin would be as broken as a Death Star with no weak spots. For an Elder Scrolls game to properly support co-op, the character is NOT allowed to the victim of 'Prophecy Syndrome'.

 

[CAMDAWG]

Skyrim, as it is currently, I don't think would lend itself to multiplayer. You would need some huge balancing issues, particularly if you went for a pvp multiplayer. And even then, I don't think that skyrim's combat system would lend itself well to pvp, as melee is really just run in, strike, run back, rinse and repeat. As for co-op, in the fields of skyrim I think could work well, with some appropriate enemy scaling, but none of the dungeons are large enough in terms of width for two players to run around in comfortably. And again, I think for a multiplayer game you need incredibly tight and focussed gameplay, and that's why multiplayer works well for something like dark souls, which is nowhere near as open or large as skyrim.

If they took dark souls' mechanics, stuck it in skyrim's world, and skyrim's magic/item crafting systems, and had nice balanced multiplayer, with a similar vein to dark souls, then I doubt I would ever put that game down. But I doubt anyone has enough time or cash to get that done.

I would like to see perhaps two player co-op in an elder scrolls game in the future, but skyrim probably wasn't the best fit anyway, given how special dragonborns are supposed to be.

 

[MahouSniper]

Engine concerns could definitely be a problem, but this is more a theoretical discussion, since I highly doubt it will ever actually be implemented. Though that one mod does look really promising.

I again point you to Saints Row. I think that it could be done pretty much identically to that game. The world belongs to whoever hosts the game. The game is at that level, or perhaps a bit higher to compensate, the purchases and quest lines are at that progress point, and the host does the lion's share of the interacting, as it is his game. The friend is only along to fight, yell at you on Skype, and steal the loot you really wanted, the jerk. Fast Traveling would perhaps have to have both people agree, then they both travel. Same with resting.

Obviously Skyrim is a single player game and is built for that, so I'm not suggesting just dropping another player in the middle with no forethought or planning. I'm simply saying that it could be the type of game that could benefit from a simple co-op mode. In fact, the idea is popular enough for a mod to be in the works to do just this.

Skyrim cannot benefit from Co-Op for one reason.

There is only one prophecised Dovahkin. Two Dovahkin would be as broken as a Death Star with no weak spots. For an Elder Scrolls game to properly support co-op, the character is NOT allowed to the victim of 'Prophecy Syndrome'.

There's also only one Master Chief. And only one Boss of the Saints. Point?

 

[oshyer]

I don't need anyone else taking all my glory. Tamriel is my own little corner of fantasy, I don't want to share.
I take it slow, I read all the books, I delve into the lore. I don't need some douche going 'C'mon bro, you're boring bro, lets kill some things bro'.

 

[Rodney Jackson]

Perhaps for 6 they could try that that. A big appeal for me was in fact that it was only you on your adventure, but there did hit a point where having one or two of my buddies along side me to go raiding would have been great. Everyone is going to have their gripes about what's capable considering the flaws and glitches found in Skyrim but we forget that what ever comes next will be capable of much more than what Skyrim was. So I think it would be unfair to judge if multilayer could work based off what's out there today. The game would have to be designed form the ground up to allow this to be done the right way, but I'm willing to wait and see what they could do. ~So for 5 maybe, for 6 I say test it out.

 

[MahouSniper]

I don't need anyone else taking all my glory. Tamriel is my own little corner of fantasy, I don't want to share.
I take it slow, I read all the books, I delve into the lore. I don't need some douche going 'C'mon bro, you're boring bro, lets kill some things bro'.

Then don't go online. Why is it that people think it's a valid argument to say "I don't like it, therefore it shouldn't exist"?