Another multiplayer suggestion (very plausible)

[Sion]

A way to implement a multiplayer function is to let one player host a game that other players connect to (obviously) either by using a "server/client" or a "P2P" structure, but when the game starts it droops 2 groups (or more depending on connected players), each group consist of 3 colonist, all groups are neutral to each others, until provoked.

You can't control other players colonists unless you are allied with that player.
It's game over when you loose all of your colonists (when allied, all of both players colonist need to be lost for game over).
The Comms Console could be used to:
* Trade with other players, (and the usual AI traders).
* Ask to make Alliances, Neutrality or Hostility.
Hostility is automatically enabled if you shoot, capture or otherwise hurt another players colonists (problem with hunting and stray bullets, how to solve it? only when neutral? not when allied?)

The game behaves as usual, and it is up to the players to handle the situations and have as fun as possible.

[Halinder]

Being able to control other people's colonists when allied is an issue though. I mean, to be friends with someone you have to pretty much give them the ability to break you apart. When allied, instead, the comm console should offer the ability to merge colonies.

[Sion]

Being able to control other people's colonists when allied is an issue though. I mean, to be friends with someone you have to pretty much give them the ability to break you apart. When allied, instead, the comm console should offer the ability to merge colonies.

That is what I mean, each player can be either be: Enemy, Neutral or Allied.
Allied means pretty much that booth of you play in the same colony with shared colonists and resources.
If you don't want to be allied then use the Comms Console and set your "relation" as neutral (it could be that you only need to right click on the console, not bring a colonist to the console, to be able to break the alliance, if the other player takes control over the colonist and walks away with the colonist on purpose to prevent you from "breaking up").

Sure it could be some settings to be allied but not share control over the colonists, or not share resources with allied.

[Ink.]

Maybe just not called allied then. Allied could perhaps allow you to ask for military aid or what not. Then there just be a 4th option that says "Ask to Merge", and if accepted both players merge into one colony.

Then, you could be allied with another colony and trade with them and ask for military assistance from each other. If you merge, everything becomes one and you share control over colonists (except maybe the starting 3) and the resource pool is shared. Essentially being 1 colony with multiple owners. Just by leaving the 3 original colonists strictly under the original players control. That way say if James and Brandon were to merge, but Brandon wanted to go off and do his own thing. He can just announce to defect from the colony with whoever is left of his original 3 and go off and essentially restart.

[Sion]

What I mean with enemy/neutral/allied is like this:

Enemy: Uses the same behavior as colonists vs raiders.
Neutral: Uses the same behavior as colonists vs visitors.
Allied: Uses the same behavior as 2 colonists from the same colony.

All 3 behaviors are already implemented in the game already, there is nothing with it that needs to change, just use the already present behaviors.

Can we please move on and discuss anything else now?

[BetaSpectre]

A glaring issue is pausing, time speed. RT isn't that great

[Sion]

Hmmm... I see.... That is an issue... a very challenging issue...

The easy solution would be to remove the time controls and always have the game run in real time.

Another very hard and quirky solution, would be to let one player pause while the other "plays ahead" and later sync up the actions somehow, maybe this game could provide som inspiration: Acron,  but I don't think this solution would be plausible.

[iskillzi]

To be quite honest with you I really think multiplayer would ruin this game, I think the only way it could work is how Ink said and you could ask for help and possibly betray each other etc but this would mean Ty would have to add a lot more Comm events so if you call a human player they have a "Yes" or "No" option available when you ask for help for example. But this would add a lot more difficulty if you were to try and fight each other + the enemies so the AI would also need an option to be turned off for multiplayer.

Basically all in all this would take a very long time to add to the game so we'll be very unlikely to see this until at least beta or even release if he does make this..

[Sion]

That is not right, the whole point of this suggestion is that is is as little as possible that needs to be changed, almost all mechanics is already in the game, it would probably already be possible to make a mod that implements this kind of multilayer TODAY! If someone can work around the time controls, and make some kind of server/client or P2P thing.

The comms console isn't actually needed at all, but it would be nice to have.