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[obleo]

Have you ever considered providing basic LAN (multi-player) support using DirectPlay or something like that?
Really all you would need is a way to create sessions and send messages back and fourth.

Me and my son have been playing some LAN games at home and it got me to thinking.  Just a thought.

[Jerrot]

hey obleo!

Have you ever considered providing basic LAN (multi-player) support using DirectPlay or something like that?

do you already have something in mind, what to do with it ?

i just can't find any examples for its sense in an adventure/click'n'point game. hmm... no!

tell me your idea and open my mind.  

[obleo]

Well, I have several ideas.  The first and most ambitious would be a twist on the point&click adventure where say 2 people connected via a LAN could each control an actor in the "game environment".  It would require some serious rethinking on the typical linear, 1 player approach to adventure games.  Honestly, I haven't thought it through very far.

The other idea I had was to write simpler types of multi-player games... board games and stuff like that.  I know that WME is not specifically designed for that but it seems to have enough fuctionality to do it.

[Banbury]

Hi,
I'm recommending GameMaker again (no - they don't pay me ). It's the easiest way to create board games or scrolling shooters. And it has Multiplayer support.
I've posted the link in another thread.

Greetings

Banbury

[Mnemonic]

Well, I have several ideas.  The first and most ambitious would be a twist on the point&click adventure where say 2 people connected via a LAN could each control an actor in the "game environment".  It would require some serious rethinking on the typical linear, 1 player approach to adventure games.  Honestly, I haven't thought it through very far.

Yeah, I was toying with this idea too. Although I'm not really sure how would that work. Let's say, WME script would be able to query variable values from another WME game session (via the network), so that one game would be the "server", holding scene states and stuff; I can imagine this. But things would get complicated when two (or more) actors were in the same scene. You'd have to synchronize actor movement, animations, talking etc.
Still, I like this idea quite a lot

[Scarpia]

This has been discussed a lot on the AGS forums too, and I think I'll restate my point: Al Lowe (who created the Larry Laffer series) spent several years with a team of the best pro adventure developers trying to figure out how one could make a multiplayer adventure game, but they finally had to drop the project after realising it couldn't be done. There were too many problems that couldn't be solved, like:

* player A picks up an object that is vital to the overall plot, and then logs off, never to return.

* player A picks up a vital object but doesn't realise it.

* player A and player B each picks up one of two objects that need to be combined

Ultimately, the problems could all be solved, sure, but the game would no longer be an adventure game - it would be an RPG.

You can read the full story at allowe.com, he firmly believes it can't be done, and honestly - who are we to argue with that kind of experience?


Scarpia

[Mnemonic]

I certainly wouldn't dare to argue with Al Lowe Still, I believe the network support has a great potential.

Al Lowe (who created the Larry Laffer series) spent several years with a team of the best pro adventure developers trying to figure out how one could make a multiplayer adventure game

True, but things have changed since then. There was (almost) no internet back then, no MMORPGs, no DirectPlay etc.

Ultimately, the problems could all be solved, sure, but the game would no longer be an adventure game - it would be an RPG.

Sure, but it doesn't sound like a problem to me. Actually, the "now-dead" Afterglow project was planned to include some RPG elements and mainly a "persistent world". That's something don't usually see in a classical adventure game, but I don't see a reason why it shouldn't work. And it would be a great environment for the networked adventuring. Two games come to my mind when I think of it: Bloodnet (with its "world" and RPG elements) and System Shock 2 (with the cooperative multiplayer).

[OldCoder]

Multiplayer is an essential (in my view) to make this a very interesting engine.
Adding FTP DirectPlay TCP UDP would bring thousands of new features into the adventure worlds. You are not restricted on 2 or 3 predesigned actions for each actor you meet - each actor acts unpredictable - to mention only one aspect - because there are real persons behind most avatars.
You can put your main view on the design of the Adventure Worlds and Items. The Game is brought forward by the Actors themselves after you present an environment where the actions happen.
I admit, that's not the classic adventure game - but it makes RPG programming much easier.

[Mnemonic]

Although I don't think multiplayer is essential for an adventure game engine, I agree with you it has a great potential. But indeed it wouldn't be a classical adventure game anymore, because those are usually driven by a strong story, which is hard enforce in a multiplayer environment.

[Brassfire]

It could definitely be done in a story sense if there was a limit to the number of player-characters. Like, NOT a MMOG, just a few buddies getting together to play, with one computer acting as server.

Maybe the characters could explore different areas and have "radios" to communicate... maybe they could be in the same area and watch each other's back in combat situations. Maybe there could be a race to solve a puzzle and the characters can act together for it or try to beat each other to the solution...

Or more like a playstation thing where you plug in controller2... etc.

[Jeroen]

Another technical thing to look for in multiplayer adventuregames is client/server side prediction. (IMHO it instantly becomes more like a RPG since you need to change concepts)

I did some tests with this using C++ and Blitz, and found out that instead of checking the players positions every game update isn't ideal: e.g do it one out of ten times. This way it doesnt consume bandwidth as much.
To avoid the lag because of this, I tried out using "cubic splines".

The idea is that you take the current player's position, and take the old player's position (one check before current one). Using this information PLUS the velocity (how fast/slow the changes are) you can use cubic splines to predict where the player WILL be, and adjust its coordinates every cycle.

Find all about it here, I'm not very good at explaining things often
http://www.gamedev.net/reference/programming/features/cubicsplines/page2.asp

[VenomX]

Hello, I know this is a very very old Thread. But before I start completely new , I'll pull this one.

Actually I am in discussion, about innovative Features in Adventure Games. We now talk about Multiplayer Games.
Not in a Style an RPG or MMOG, handles it.
So I ask again: Something changed or some new Information, on making Multiplayer Games using WM?

[Mnemonic]

Sadly, no news on this front. One could probably make a plugin to add some basic networking support, but there's no native functionality.

[odnorf]

I just want to add that there is an on-going project that uses some home-made plug in that adds internet functionality (stats, score, irc  ). I guess something more complex can be created also.

[VenomX]

I hope someone will do something in that Direction.
Would be great, to play a Game in "The day of the Tentacle" Style. Three Charakters, three Player.
Could be a good Feature