Dear Devs., Thank You But Multiplayer?

[Flushing]

Guys, thank you so much for AoW4 and a great year of content additions.

During development, I remember how you shared your position on game development.

That being, you really start from a blank slate, brainstorm, and get creative. Instead of simply starting where the last IP left off.

The only thing that I take issue with is the Multiplayer. I really wanted my longterm experience with AoW4 to be through multiplayer modes and had been begging for a dedicated X-Com, Tactical Battle Only Mode Forever (it's low hanging fruit guys).

However, by most player accounts, no multiplayer game can be completed without issue. And, when I got to the multiplayer lobby hosted games are allowed from absent players.

Yes, we've heard the excuse-ad infinitum-that for some reason random actions resolve differently for each player some of the time. Here's the thing, regardless of the excuse, I don't have time to play something that is guaranteed to crash. It's just such a tremendous let down knowing that your fun is just going to explode at some point and you won't be able to finish the game.

The result is that if you want to play multiplayer, you really need to do it with a close friend who is willing to take on multi-crashes with you. If you get a pickup game going, the game is over when it crashes.

I probably would have gotten AoW4 no matter what but having simultaneous turns in multiplayer was a huge selling point for me because I don't have the time to play classic turns in other 4x games (also why I would love a tactical battle mode).

I feel that the state of multiplayer was greatly misrepresented at release. It really should have been mentioned as a "Beta Addon". By most accounts, Multiplayer is still not in a ready for retail state.

[Apheirox]

It's really bad that multiplayer isn't working properly!

[TirAsleen]

To extend the MP expierence with some tactical combat only mode, would open the game up for those that have limited time and want to get a MP feeling of the game.

I'd say the most interesting aspect of PvP is tactical combat anyways and not that much how fast you can build up your eco, like research income.

I am just playing SW: Battlefront II(i know basicly FPS and real time is meh)and the devs added a lot of pvp modi how to play the game so there is something for everyone.

I would start adding some quick and fast paced pvp modi to the game so players get their feet wet a bit.
A small skirmish of 10-30 mins perhaps would make sense and of course larger ones for those that have more time.

I think TS should have rather done this with Planetfall,though its tactical combat is better suited for this.

Basicly just a brain storm idea, maybe next game the game needs to be faster paced overall.

[WorldSitar]

Agree. I hope multiplayer will be developed - cause now we should add alot of rules for interesting game. Some game systems (like justification of war) works nice - really interesting and influensed. But some systems looks bad - global spells in shared turns, lock of game with battles, e tc.
Some rules and desizions we used to play multiplayer withour a lot of problems:
We have to play with voice (so we cant play with ranomd players - just with friends) - a lot of moves we should share in voice - cause battle 1on 3 stacks cause of ping is sad (we speak about it and fights 3x3).
Global spells is really designed for consecutive moves. In parralel moves sysytem they should looks like siege or somehow like that (we choise spells on stack after we declear fight but before fight). But it needs some rebalance. We played most our multiplayer sessions without this spells - it sad but better than other ways)
Interesting way to play duel is RTA(heroes5) style. We begin to play in war but 30-40-50-X turns configure our stack and spells that on 30 turn we stop casting buffs and recruit units and go fight in mid of map 3x3. It is interesting way - i think "arena" mod-way to play should looks nice.
Point system. Another way to play interesting matches we develop - point system. We start in voice chat and plays usual game. But we have some "rewards" fo succesfull risky actions (like first antient wonder claim-2 points (silver 5, gold 8)), first lvl 8 hero, declaration of justified war (1 point per 10% of justification). Etc. So we creates some sysytem about how we like to play and we farm points. In that way if you take challenges but then loose war - you can still win) And it gives fun.
I am not sure what way to play are better - and in fact your game is very creative in alot of details. So i hope developers will find way to improve multiplayer experiance)

[Flushing]

Originally posted by WorldSitar:

Agree. I hope multiplayer will be developed - cause now we should add alot of rules for interesting game. Some game systems (like justification of war) works nice - really interesting and influensed. But some systems looks bad - global spells in shared turns, lock of game with battles, e tc.
Some rules and desizions we used to play multiplayer withour a lot of problems:
We have to play with voice (so we cant play with ranomd players - just with friends) - a lot of moves we should share in voice - cause battle 1on 3 stacks cause of ping is sad (we speak about it and fights 3x3).
Global spells is really designed for consecutive moves. In parralel moves sysytem they should looks like siege or somehow like that (we choise spells on stack after we declear fight but before fight). But it needs some rebalance. We played most our multiplayer sessions without this spells - it sad but better than other ways)
Interesting way to play duel is RTA(heroes5) style. We begin to play in war but 30-40-50-X turns configure our stack and spells that on 30 turn we stop casting buffs and recruit units and go fight in mid of map 3x3. It is interesting way - i think "arena" mod-way to play should looks nice.
Point system. Another way to play interesting matches we develop - point system. We start in voice chat and plays usual game. But we have some "rewards" fo succesfull risky actions (like first antient wonder claim-2 points (silver 5, gold 8)), first lvl 8 hero, declaration of justified war (1 point per 10% of justification). Etc. So we creates some sysytem about how we like to play and we farm points. In that way if you take challenges but then loose war - you can still win) And it gives fun.
I am not sure what way to play are better - and in fact your game is very creative in alot of details. So i hope developers will find way to improve multiplayer experiance)

There was Dev feedback on such a mode in livestream. It was dismissed because he said people would start preferencing some units over others. But, that's literally what happens in every game, even AoW4 as is. You end up with METAs. It's more of an excuse than anything else.

What it comes down to is they don't have the resources or manpower for the expenditure of time. So they cherry pick what is most important to them.

That's kinda why we have a lame duck multiplayer that they limped in with. As of now, they reliably get money from new DLCs. They kick the can with multiplayer.

Yes, I see in almost every series of patch notes that they are working on multiplayer. That's great to hear if it was functional at a baseline level, and we're talking about new content or balancing. But, it seems that the reality is (Dev said this on livestream) that every new DLC creates new multiplayer issues, and they play catchup on these new multiplayer bugs post DLC launch.

I feel like they take us for granted in that regard. At this point, I don't care if people are "working on it,". It's been a year since release, just fix it.

It just sounds so rediculous to be working on a mode, in excess of a year, that was marketed as complete for retail release.

For the sake of consumers, I wish they gave it an asterisk, and called it "multiplayer test mode" or "Multiplayer Beta." It wouldn't suprise me if only one person was working on it.

[Blanch Warren]

wELL, I guess they're finished with the the first season pass of dlc they promised to release.

[Oleander Hume]

Multiplayer is not working at all :(

[iFrame]

Multiplayer for Tactical Combat mode would be amazing for competitive PvP & streaming market. Devs should really consider it.

Like Total War Warhammer series have an army fund to pick units, ranks, enchantments, lords, heroes, items/gear, abilities, magic & casting points.
Maybe make the army fund support a 3 stack PvP as default. 1 stack battles are too short.
Even better have different modes. Capture and hold mode, siege battles as well as normal battles.

Only challenge is the balance, its whack in this game but that can honestly be circumvented by increasing costs for stuff that are OP.

[Flushing]

I'm very grateful that we have Age of Wonder 4, it's my favorite game in the series.

That's why I am so disappointed with the Multiplayer.

It's just not treated with the same seriousness as the rest of the content and it has been of such inexcusably poor quality since release.

The most important part of any feature in a video game is that you can actually play it, and AoW4's multiplayer has unplayable across the board, going on a year post release.

It's rediculous.

[Flushing]

Originally posted by iFrame:

Multiplayer for Tactical Combat mode would be amazing for competitive PvP & streaming market. Devs should really consider it.

Like Total War Warhammer series have an army fund to pick units, ranks, enchantments, lords, heroes, items/gear, abilities, magic & casting points.
Maybe make the army fund support a 3 stack PvP as default. 1 stack battles are too short.
Even better have different modes. Capture and hold mode, siege battles as well as normal battles.

Only challenge is the balance, its whack in this game but that can honestly be circumvented by increasing costs for stuff that are OP.

I have not idea why someone jestered you. I am endorsing you with 10,000 plus points.

[Ghost from warp]

Majority of the community is playing single player cosplay contest. We are not majority and our needs will be always neglected.

[Flushing]

Originally posted by Ghost from warp:

Majority of the community is playing single player cosplay contest. We are not majority and our needs will be always neglected.

But, if multiplayer was functional then a substantial part of the community would play it. We have countless threads posting on the broken state of multiplayer.

The interest is there.

[Ghost from warp]

Originally posted by Flushing:

Originally posted by Ghost from warp:

Majority of the community is playing single player cosplay contest. We are not majority and our needs will be always neglected.

But, if multiplayer was functional then a substantial part of the community would play it. We have countless threads posting on the broken state of multiplayer.

The interest is there.

Yes, as multiplayer enjoyer myself i beg for fixes. Fix desycns, change battle initiating (to make synchronous turns better and remove any possibility of speed clicking contest) and more.

But here is a bad news. Typical paradox game have life expectancy of one year. We will be lucky if game will receive more fixes, not even talking about content. And when choice wil be present between fix multiplayer or sell more content to singleplayer - choice will be in single.

[Gyson]

I was thinking of trying multiplayer with a friend. How likely are we to be able to finish a game if we play simultaneously? What if we used the taking-turns method instead?

[Oleander Hume]

Originally posted by Gyson:

I was thinking of trying multiplayer with a friend. How likely are we to be able to finish a game if we play simultaneously? What if we used the taking-turns method instead?

Very unlikely to finish (i never did anyway due to various bugs).
I dont want to play turn based. This is sooo 20ies and old fashion. Maybe someone tried and will tell.

[Ghost from warp]

Originally posted by Gyson:

I was thinking of trying multiplayer with a friend. How likely are we to be able to finish a game if we play simultaneously? What if we used the taking-turns method instead?

there are a trick we develope with friends. Step bystep below.

Host normal multiplayer game (no mods)
play as normal
At the start of turn 5 - everyone including host shall leave the game, and host must use Settingsd-revert turn from lobby menu.
After that - everyone returns to the game.
There are two possibilities:
Either your game is fine and you may continue, but remember to repaet procces every 20 ish tuerns
Or game will break down completely (states of everything will be wrong) and you will have to try again. Abbandon game and start a new.

It works.