Multiplayer Support

[Coovargo]

So I'm probably beating a topic that's been beaten to death, but hear me out. If this game had a completed multiplayer, I'm not joking, I would spend 400 dollars minimum on giving all my friends copies so we could play together, even if the expansion were 60 dollars. I am 100% about supporting this game and any content it puts out. This game is essentially about story generating, and when you're all playing together on multiplayer, you're not just experiencing the game's story-telling, you're all writing your own together.  I have found it extremely fun and fulfilling in the short time testing the multiplayer available on Zetrith's Multiplayer mod.

So why don't I just play Zetrith's mod? Well, let me explain. Zetrith's multiplayer has a LOT of issues with it, primarily being desync, because it relies entirely on user actions synced to tick cycles. Basically, every single user, including the host, is trying to run the exact same events, and if there's any deviation, they are disconnected into a desync state. Regardless of what you do, during actual gameplay, the worlds become unplayable using this setup after about 4-6 hours. To properly implement this, only the map state would need to be initially synced, and then after, cell and actor state updates, and actions, would need to be synced as needed directly from the host, and could be implemented with error tolerance if there were a checks system underlying, being an action table that updated the map to the most recent time as needed. A 'simple' netcode, you know, basically like every RTS game ever implements multiplayer. The community has done an INCREDIBLE job with such little control over the source code, but if properly implemented by Ludeon Studios into a fully functional netcode, it could be flawless.

How did my friends and I play multiplayer, what made it enjoyable you might ask? Well each of us started on one map, and we took our colonists, formed a caravan, and went and made our own settlements, then the 3 of us just played our own characters in our areas, trading back and forth and helping eachother on raids if we needed it. We could just look over at eachother when things went on and discuss strategies. We could visit eachothers colonies. We could see eachothers artworks. Drop in, assist with defense. Going to someone's settlement and being able to experience it with that person is a whole different experience than seeing it in screenshots. It was a blast really, a lot of fun, and I would really love for this style of gameplay to be implemented so everyone could experience something similar. Yeah, times were asynchronous, meaning players could manage their own time state on the same map, but that's a necessary evil so players don't lose their mind. It turned out to not be as big of a deal as I thought when we were playing it.

Anyways Ludeon/Tynan, I sincerely hope this is something you're looking into, because just trying it has renewed the original passion I had for initially experiencing this game. While it may not be in line with your original vision, it is something that is fully within the capabilities of the engine itself. I have had just over a thousand hours of gameplay into this game and could have thousands more if multiplayer were implemented because of the dynamics and experiences that other people bring to the table. 

Thank you for everything that you all do and creating this incredible experience. I just want to ask for us to be able to experience it together. If you have anything you want to add to this topic, constructive or not, please say it below. There are over 16,000 members of the multiplayer community who only want to see this game prosper.

[vinicius3232]