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Multiplayer bit & pieces


WARLOCK
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I've just been thinking about the implication of saving games in multiplayer games. As I see it (and forgive me if this has already been discussed/decided) this is only an issue with LAN games. The reason I say this is that any 'dedicated server' could save out the game world state on exit (assuming it ever exits smile.gif ) so the players PC's only need to save their current stats and positions, which would be uploaded to the dedicated server on re-entry. However on a LAN game (or 'hosted' internet game) there would be no dedicated server to store the game world information, the only way I can think of around this is to have the 'host' PC store the game world info (and how big is that likely to be Derek? smile.gif ).

Hopefully the multiplayer pack will include simple-to-use support for IPX and IP (piggy backing installed protocols like Quake did) with no need to mess around with frame type or address rubbish, or perhaps it could just use DirectX's direct play feature (trust in Uncle Bill shall we?)

Any plans to allow you to loan/give equipment/supplier/personnel/credits! to other players.

The only other things I'd like to see are a choice of different cruisers (with obvious strengths and weeknesses) so you can form cohesive fleets with other players, and different classes of support vehicles that are interchangable regardless of what starting cruiser you have (what that cruiser is supplied with however is another matter smile.gif ). How about being able to capture disabled (or perhaps not!) enemy craft to repair (if needed) and add them to your complement "Marines to docking bay, capture operation in progress", you could opt to change the IFF signal to mark it as a friendly, or leave it as is to infiltrate enemy positions. I think it would be necessary to allow tractored craft to still rotate and fire to avoid exploitation of this tactic, but then I think that feature should be implimented anyway (how many times have I tractored a ship that was too fast for me to easily destroy smile.gif to imobilise it it).

All I can say is it cant come soon enough

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To loan equipment and stuff to other players in multiplayer can be done by dropping the desired cargo into space in a container and letting the other player pick it up. Personnel and credit transfers I dont know about that smile.gif.

So far, the only thing I'd love to have increased would be the range of the tractor beam. A range of 3 klicks would be nice (heck, you have to drop your shields to use a tractor beam, thats dangerous enough..and a 1 clik range with a captured ship that may repair and shoot you that close is not a nice thought).

For MP, It would be nice to allow players to be play as IC pilots on other player-controlled ships... wouldnt it be great? :-).

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Time for more mad ramblings...

How about the option to command a starbase or station? you would still have the freedom to explore with your utility craft and interceptors, and you could control all docking and trading the occured. When a station player left the game his settings could be saved and the station could return to AI mode. Kinda like a DS9 role (although I do hate using star trek comparisons)

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