Why is multiplayer still being forced?

[Little Gray]

Its simple really. A lot of people really like multiplayer and often times this "forced" multiplayer is often really good.

And half the time it ends up being bad and detracts from the game besides not every game needs multiplayer.Single player games can be successful if done right and having tacked on multiplayer can and does ruin some of them.

So are you saying that because it could potentially not work out they shouldnt even try? If we go with that logic why even make games at all because hey some of them could suck and not make money.

Just because trying something different does not always work out does not mean they should not keep trying. If we had it your way we would never have had awesome multiplayer modes like in Assassins Creed and Uncharted.

 

[Stryc9]

Because imagine this exchange that used to happen between a former friend of mine and I happening millions of times.

Me: Hey! Check out this new game I got, it's pretty good [list of features that make it a good game].
Him: Does it have multiplayer\deathmatch?
Me: No, it's a story driven single player game.
Him: Oh, well that suck, I'm not that interested unless it's got multiplayer.

I'm not saying that this is the rule for EVER GAME EVER, but that conversation happened more times than I care to remember during the time I hung out with that guy. If a game didn't have some method for him to be competitive and wave his e-peen around he just wasn't interested in it. We always talked about how we were looking for a space sim that fit a rather picky set of criteria we were looking for, I eventually found that game in X3: Reunion. He lost interest in it after a couple of days not because it wasn't stroking that one spot that was itching, but because of a lack of multiplayer.

The bottom line is that there was a time when people thought that all they wanted games for was the multiplayer and that gave us games like Unreal Tournament and Quake III. Then there was a shift away from that and back to story driven games but the multiplayer element still needed to be there for those people that were still demanding it. Now they almost do out simply out of habit even though in the end it can damage the single player game. It's unfortunate and maybe it'll eventually go away but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[WanderingFool]

So why multiplayer, why!!?

You already answered the question...

... because CoD has one...

Seriously, thats the reason. There is no trade secret, not formula, no nothing, its because COD has mulitplayer and COD sells like hotcakes whenever a new one comes out.

Nobody has garnered enough brains to realize multiplayer works in COD because multiplayer works in COD.

 

[Little Gray]

Hey first of all I love Assasin's Creed multiplayer,I've played all of them.Second I'm not saying games can't try something different just that they need to do it right instead of slapping it in there and calling it a day.Third I actually love multiplayer I regular play Cod and Assasin's Creed's multiplayer so if I gave you the impression that I hate multiplayer in games I don't,I just think it needs to be done right instead of being tacked onto games.

The thing is you do not know if it will be a hit or not until after it is released and its never just tossed in there. A lot of time and effort goes into the multiplayer modes of these games and just because you dont like it or its not very good does not mean its just tacked on.

I also really hate when people say a multiplayer was just slapped/tacked on. Not saying you were but its a phrase most often used by ignorant fools who have no idea what they are talking about or just dont like something. Assassins Creed Brotherhood was hated on for a long time before it came out because Ubisoft was slapping multiplayer on it.

 

[BanicRhys]

My belief is that a multiplayer mode stops a lot of people from immediately trading the game in at Gamestop etc once they complete the campaign.

As someone who has absofuckinglutely no interest in multiplayer of any kind, this is why I'm happy to see used games die, because publishers might stop pressuring their devs to include a tacked on multiplayer mode at the expense of the single player just a little bit.

And a multi-player mode being developed doesn't necessarily take away from the quality of the single-player game.

Except when the single player mode feels like the devs ran out of time/money, eg. Mass Effect 3.

 

[HigherTomorrow]

Yeah! After all, it's not like multiplayer games sell! Or multiplayer in games rarely actually subtracts from the experience! Or people simply like playing with friends! Or if you wanted to ignore multiplayer, you could!

Oh wait

 

[Snotnarok]

Well let's run down the benefits list:
- online pass
- excuse for more DRM
- excuse for forced service-shops (Steam, Origin, Uplay)
- excuse for always-online
- a player that keeps grinding the multi will buy all your DLC
- excuse to remove mods or even ban people for them, so they have no other options for content
- and ultimately excuse to govern the games lifespan, a game heavily dependent on servers can be killed with their removal at the opportune moment

Of course none of those are benefits for consumers, but who the hell cares about you...

I was about to say you covered it all, but you missed out one more thing

-So you try to get your friends to play multiplayer with you/they get the game too.

 

[Zealous]

It attracts a wider audience that will continue to play the game for longer and thus generates additional revenue in both the short term and long term. Sure, some of the people may go back to the more mainstream titles after a while, but that still an extra buck. Also online passes and tons of overpriced lacklustre DLC offer even more money and the DLC can extend the life of the game beyond what it would have normally been.

I do agree with you though, the world would be a better place without hamfisted multiplayer sapping a great singleplayer game.

 

[Auron]

Max Payne 3 came out great and functional Max Payne 1 and 2 had none far as I remember, I see no problem at all with it.

 

[Jennacide]

...because a lot of people ASK/BEG for multiplayer. The companies are only responding to that.

Really? never saw annoying begging god multiplayer In the new tomb raided or mass effect, no one complained dishonoured or druz ex didn't have multiplayer

Then you weren't paying attention, because LOADS of people were asking for multiplayer in Mass Effect, although in the form of a quasi MMO, and not the horde mode we got. (Which I'll admit, isn't awful, but still nothing I wanted) And yes, there are people that did complain that Dishonored and Deus Ex lacked a multiplayer mode.

The issue is that these same people asking for multiplayer modes are hoping they'd be modes that still encapsulate the game they are playing. It has happened, look at Spy vs Merc in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory/Pandora Tommorow. Nobody thought multiplayer in Splinter Cell was a good idea at first, and it was OUTSTANDING. The hope is always for a multiplayer mode that does the game justice, but these days it's usually just a shitty third person shooter, horde mode, or tower defense; sometimes mix and match. (Amusingly, Dungeon Defenders is all three, and somehow turned out good)

 

[Vault101]

Then you weren't paying attention, because LOADS of people were asking for multiplayer in Mass Effect, although in the form of a quasi MMO, and not the horde mode we got.

mass effect and MMO in the same sentence?
[img/]http://media.tumblr.com/50681a805561cd8fd0e0391a9de24467/tumblr_inline_mi2as0f3ua1qz4rgp.gif[/img]

[quote/] And yes, there are people that did complain that Dishonored and Deus Ex lacked a multiplayer mode.[/quote]
again, not in the online spaces I was freaquenting...but then unless we are dealing with more solid evidence this is kind of pointless

eather way just because they want it doesnt mean the developer should or s obligated do it (especially at the cost of single player)

the thing is, multiplyer isnt bad..the reason many people like myself are (addmitidly) so volitile towards it is this "idea" that is a nessecity..that it has to be be there its furstratign because the industry as a whole does not seem to get it in their thick heads that single player and multiplayer are compeltly and utterly different, and NOT interchangable (but then I dont belive they dont know that....like people have said mutliplayer has its benefits for the money people)

now weather or not multiplayer negativly affects single player is somthing near impossible to measure, but I like to work on the logic that if a game is purley single player then THAT it where my $60 goes, if the game is bad or short then the multiplayer cant be an excuse

 

[bug_of_war]

And a multi-player mode being developed doesn't necessarily take away from the quality of the single-player game.

Except when the single player mode feels like the devs ran out of time/money, eg. Mass Effect 3.

Except Mass Effect 3 ran out of neither time or money...seriously, it got it's released date extended by an extra couple of months so that they could polish up the single player and add in the multiplayer. Lets not turn this into an ME3 debate, but if you're gonna use something as an example use something tht fits better than ME3.

OT:

Multiplayer isn't bad, I don't get why people who don't play multiplayer have a gripe with it. You don't play it, so how does it effect you? You say it takes away from the single player game yet there seems to be no examples that suppourt this theory. You say the tacked on multiplayer is bad, then don't play it and enjoy the single player. Who cares if the game in question doesn't seem to need multiplayer, Assassins Creed doesn't need multiplayer, but it turned out to be good and added to the story. Mass Effect 3's multiplayer also connects to the single player, and while it isn't spectacular, it's not bad.

Multiplayer is just a bonus feature, and it gives longevity to games that have short single players, and I personally would prefer shelling out 90 dollars for a 10 hour game with multiplayer then just a 10 hour single player, regardless of how good the single player may be.

 

[infohippie]

Multiplayer is just a bonus feature, and it gives longevity to games that have short single players, and I personally would prefer shelling out 90 dollars for a 10 hour game with multiplayer then just a 10 hour single player, regardless of how good the single player may be.

This is exactly why I don't like seeing multiplayer added to games so often, it becomes a cheap way to pad out the length. I buy a game solely for the single player experience, and if I am paying full price for it I expect a good twenty or thirty hours of single player story at the least. I don't rush through games like many people do, I take my time and enjoy the story, so I got around twenty hours out of Dishonored, but if a game feels short or incomplete yet has a tacked-on multiplayer you can bet I'm going to get pissy about the wasted time the devs could have used to add to the single-player story.

 

[Elijin]

No one's forcing the multiplayer. If you dont wish to engage in it, you dont have to. Its just there for those who do.

Putting the MP there is the start, you cant have your next sensational hit unless you try. Saying not to bother because your MP wont be the next big thing is just ridiculous.

Oh and the development thing. MP development doesnt draw from SP development. Its pretty much always a dedicated MP team, which means the SP dev team isnt having their workload spread, and SP missing out, as you say.

But yeah in the end, variety isnt a bad thing. You dont have to engage in it, but others can be super pleased at MP in their favourite titles.

 

[Vault101]

Multiplayer is just a bonus feature, and it gives longevity to games that have short single players, and I personally would prefer shelling out 90 dollars for a 10 hour game with multiplayer then just a 10 hour single player, regardless of how good the single player may be.

thats the thing....its easyer to have a short single player and tack on a multiplayer than it is to add more tot he single player