Won't/don't do MP?

[Tjay]

I'm curious as to why some people - particularly old hands - are unwilling to participate in Multiplayer sessions. This is strictly out of curiosity - I promise not to come back with any counter arguments as to why you should. :clin:

[Koen]

I'm curious as to why some people - particularly old hands - are unwilling to participate in Multiplayer sessions. This is strictly out of curiosity - I promise not to come back with any counter arguments as to why you should. :clin:

* Lack of time.

* Love tinkering with battle plans in planning phase.

* And playing mainly from the map, which I presume doesn't suit well with MP.

But I can imagine how exciting MP can be.

[Gibsonm]

* Lack of time.

* Love tinkering with battle plans in planning phase.

* And playing mainly from the map, which I presume doesn't suit well with MP.

But I can imagine how exciting MP can be.

Well lack of time still applies but you can do the other parts in MP, you just tend to have human subordinates rather than AI.

But that's not an attempt to say MP is better than SP.

Edited October 31, 2015 by Gibsonm
Added disclaimer to avoid suggesting that MP is "better". :)

[Brun]

Playing from map does not suite well for MP? News to Me.

[Tjay]

Aha. Although I promised not to turn this into an evangalistic 'MP is superior to SP' rant, obviously I can't control what other people might have to say. But it would be best, IMHO, if it didn't turn out like that as that might inhibit SP players from participating. :clin:

[Tacbat]

Could be the time of day that the MP session is being played. Might be the mission type, or specific vehicles being used that don't appeal to the players. Could also be that some players don't want to play alongside certain other players.

[12Alfa]

Playing from map does not suite well for MP? News to Me.

SB has a map?:gun:

[Tjay]

Thanks for your input Tac. But MP offers all sorts of different missions, different vehicles and various time zones. One can even avoid those with whom you don't wish to associate. I just get the impression that some folks are anti MP in principle and wonder why.

[Tacbat]

Agree or not, it's fact.

If any players do not feel they should play along side certain other players then they should take charge and make It known at the start, or put a cork in it.

Or they just don't play to begin with.

[Captain_Colossus]

Lack of time.

I don't doubt that MP play should be quite fun, given that human players are always more fun than computer units.

[MDF]

* Lack of time.

* Love tinkering with battle plans in planning phase.

* And playing mainly from the map, which I presume doesn't suit well with MP.

But I can imagine how exciting MP can be.

Actually, if you CO a multiplayer mission, you will spend most of your time in the map screen. And depending on the group (for example, TGIF), you will have the mission in advance so you can pre-plan to your heart's content.

[MDF]

Could be the time of day that the MP session is being played. Might be the mission type, or specific vehicles being used that don't appeal to the players. Could also be that some players don't want to play alongside certain other players.

As far as people situated in North America, one would think that the TGIF time slot would be perhaps the ideal one for many or most people. The vehicle choices also seem to be the most popular ones. Of course, you can never please everyone, but I'm surprised (based on what I assume, perhaps incorrectly, are sales of at least several thousand copies of SB Pro PE) that there aren't more attendees.

Like Tjay, I'm interested in knowing why people would prefer SP to online play.

[MDF]

I cannot agree with that. You show up and follow orders, and that is that. If any players do not feel they should play along side certain other players then they should take charge and make It known at the start, or put a cork in it.

Also, as far people who are new to the multiplayer community, it's hard to believe that some of the (few) ongoing personality conflicts would be known to them, let alone salient to their decision to join in.

[D u k e]

Servus,

Lack of time.

I don't doubt that MP play should be quite fun, given that human players are always more fun than computer units.

fun, if you ever play as CO, you will get grey hairs and more gray hairs.

You say move left, your human player move right, you say stay hidden, they move forward and die, always the same, and more grey hairs.:c:

cheers

D u k e

[ashdivay]

I cannot agree with that. You show up and follow orders, and that is that. If any players do not feel they should play along side certain other players then they should take charge and make It known at the start, or put a cork in it.

I think if i don't like someone i would rather not play with them in a MP session hosted by them.

But during SB.com hosted events i don't care who i play with, i just avoid being on the same team with the person i don't like. But if i have to interact with this person , i will do so in a civilized manner and just keep the interaction to whats required for the mission.

[Lt DeFault]

I enjoy both MP and SP, and I can certainly understand why someone would want to stick to SP. Don't get me wrong, I've absolutely enjoyed every second of every MP mission I've ever played. But SP gives one a lot more...freedom to do things their own way, and at their own pace.

For example, you can pause a SP mission anytime you want and go take care of other business. (Or even save a mission and come back to it later.) Of course MP can be paused, too, but not whenever each player wishes or every five minutes without causing an uproar. Then there's the ability to 'start over'. If I'm playing SP and I can see things aren't going the way I want them to, I can restart the mission with a new plan or instantly implement the lessons I've learned about what not to do. In MP missions, there have been many times that I've gotten my platoon killed and then either had to ask for more units with my tail between my legs or sit and watch the rest from the 'sidelines'. (But getting more units is usually no problem.)

There's also the freedom to jump into the gunner's seat of any friendly vehicle in a SP mission. While that's also possible in MP, it's usually not considered good manners to go around 'hijacking' other people's units, willy-nilly. (It's usually no problem if you ask first, though.) Some may also feel pressured to perform in a MP mission in which a lot of people are playing, whether or not that pressure actually exists. Some may just be plain shy about speaking to even a small group of people on TS.

NB: None of this is meant to dissuade anyone from joining a MP mission or to say that one type is in any way superior to the other. I always highly recommend that people join the fun online. It's really not as intimidating as it may seem to a newb or an introvert. I have never felt unwelcome or unwanted, no matter how green I was or how ineptly I performed. This community is top-notch when it comes to that. Of course, it does help to have a good sense of humor and not to take anything too seriously. Including one's self. But that applies to pretty much any social situation. There's also the added benefit of sometimes being able to claim a victory, even if you really didn't have much to do with it, personally.

[mpow66m]

I dont like people.:c::bangin::clin:

[Captain_Colossus]

fun, if you ever play as CO, you will get grey hairs and more gray hairs.

You say move left, your human player move right, you say stay hidden, they move forward and die, always the same, and more grey hairs.:c:

Large, complex SP games can also start to fix the player to the map screen. They tend to feel less tense than small (but well made) SP missions because a lot of the time is spent managing everything rather than the feel of being the individual vehicle or unit. Smaller unit scenarios can give you more tension because you're spending more time 'in the moment' rather than removed from everything from the map screen. So from what I'm getting from the sense that MP play can sound rather detached because spending so much time from the map screen usually correlates to having a lot going to split your attention away from yourself or rather than simpler or smaller objectives.

[Gibsonm]

Large, complex SP games can also start to fix the player to the map screen. They tend to feel less tense than small (but well made) SP missions because a lot of the time is spent managing everything rather than the feel of being the individual vehicle or unit. Smaller unit scenarios can give you more tension because you're spending more time 'in the moment' rather than removed from everything from the map screen. So from what I'm getting from the sense that MP play can sound rather detached because spending so much time from the map screen usually correlates to having a lot going to split your attention away from yourself or rather than simpler or smaller objectives.

Well that all depends on what the individual player is after.

Some want the first person, gunnery duels (so your argument applies).

Others want the still dramatic, but larger scale approach that requires increased use of the map, in which case your argument doesn't apply.

Horses for courses.

[Captain_Colossus]

You just repeated what I just said.

[Jara4]

Could be the time of day that the MP session is being played.

+1

Due to RL limitation I am not able to take a part in sessions past 22:00 local time (CET). Weekend days are out of limit either. :icon_frown:

[desertsaint101]

My case is lack of time or Internet connection and when i do get time or internet connection it usually falls on a night where i have to be up early, in the morning , and I can also kinda speak for the introvert shy side of the community where most probably feel either inadequate with their skill level or about performing in the hole bigger team situation, and also talking to new people to start off with. good job I fell in with a good group of guys to start off with (here's looking at you UK armour :luxhello: ) .

And sometime it comes across like that you have to "BE" a member of a VU to be able to join a MP match, there's no sort of notice to say "HEY GUYS/GALS THERE'S A TGIF MATCH ON SUCH AND SUCH A DATE EVERYONE IS WELCOME"

(that last part is not meant to be an attack on any of the host/organisers of these events just what come across from my own personal view when i look through the forums)

DS

[Tjay]

good job I fell in with a good group of guys to start off with (here's looking at you UK armour :luxhello: ) .

And sometime it comes across like that you have to "BE" a member of a VU to be able to join a MP match, there's no sort of notice to say "HEY GUYS/GALS THERE'S A TGIF MATCH ON SUCH AND SUCH A DATE EVERYONE IS WELCOME"

(that last part is not meant to be an attack on any of the host/organisers of these events just what come across from my own personal view when i look through the forums)

DS

Hi DS

Thanks for the compliment. We'd love to see you back at UKA's Sunday evening sessions. On the membership issue, we used to do that, but no longer. Basically, Crusty and/or I host a session which anyone can attend. The time slot was designed specifically to attract those in the circa GMT time zones on the west coast of Europe, but so far the Scandinavians, Dutch, French etc are consipicuous by their absence.

[Tjay]

Many thanks to all those who have taken the trouble to reply so far simply to satisfy my personal curiosity. I think Sean has highlighted the best aspects of SP: the fact that you can pause it to make a cuppa, stop a mission and start again if it goes Tango Uniform, and can even save it for another day.

[MDF]

My case is lack of time or Internet connection and when i do get time or internet connection it usually falls on a night where i have to be up early, in the morning , and I can also kinda speak for the introvert shy side of the community where most probably feel either inadequate with their skill level or about performing in the hole bigger team situation, and also talking to new people to start off with. good job I fell in with a good group of guys to start off with (here's looking at you UK armour :luxhello: ) .

Lack of internet connection or awkward scheduling can't be helped. But I have wondered whether the other thing you noted -- shyness/introversion -- causes a significant number of people to opt out of online play. Or, I might add, prior bad experience with the soul-crushing inanity on public servers for many other online games.

That would be a shame. The SB online community is generally very mature and welcoming of new players. It's too bad that Rotar (apparently) took down all of his TGIF videos. They were a great way for people to get a feel for the online experience.

The same is true for skill level. Especially in the TGIF game, but also to a considerable extent in the VUs, skill level among players varies considerably, and I don't think I have ever seen a new player being criticized for lack of skill. Just make sure that you alert the CO for your side about your experience level, and he will make sure to task you with something appropriate.

And sometime it comes across like that you have to "BE" a member of a VU to be able to join a MP match, there's no sort of notice to say "HEY GUYS/GALS THERE'S A TGIF MATCH ON SUCH AND SUCH A DATE EVERYONE IS WELCOME"

(that last part is not meant to be an attack on any of the host/organisers of these events just what come across from my own personal view when i look through the forums)

DS

I do have to quibble with you here. I don't see how the weekly TGIF game could be interpreted as a members-only event.

Likewise, it seems to me that whenever the various VU's post here about their events, they usually indicate that new players are welcome.

And when I organized a weekly mission last year, my opening post stated: "All skill levels welcome, except that prior completion of all tutorials for at least one vehicle is a prerequisite.".

Maybe people are influenced by preconceptions stemming from VUs for other sims? I dunno. But in my experience, Steel Beasts VUs are typically happy to have new players, even ones who don't want to "join" the VU, per se. (It seems that most SB VUs have very fluid notions of membership anyway).

Well, I'm glad you finally dipped your toe in the water with UKA!