Multiplayer (LAN)

[GravenSerhelm]

I think the game would become more awesome if you involved a multiplayer option, like Lan.
You dont have to go big on the multiplayer so start off with lan and work things out from there.
Because it wont just make the game more fun, but also increase the ratings of the game.
You guys will also be probably the first rogue like to introduce a multiplayer function.
Not only the first, but the first roguelike with good story for co op.

[SageAcrin]

I believe this is on the "DarkGod would like to do it, but the flexible, modular nature of T-Engine makes it nightmarishly hard" list.

[Crim, The Red Thunder]

Coop game with turn based over a network? Nightmarishly difficult, especially when computers move at different speeds. I can't even imagine how complex it would be to try and coordinate trying to do this. Not EVEN counting the entire addon situation, or various differences between versions. (Would the different OS builds be compatible with each other, even?)

Just be happy when DG gets around to doing multiplayer-by-proxy, allowing us to download someone else's character dump, and fight it (controlled by the AI.) Assuming that ever gets done. *crosses fingers*

Also,l there's already a roguelike that tried to do a multiplayer route, IIRC. I believe it was called ToMEnet. And was nightmarishly complex to deal with.

[Raelik]

I play TomeNET, and it's not that it's nightmarishly hard to implement. It just doesn't operate on the same turn-based premise that other roguelikes do. Technically, it's still turn-based, but those turns happen whether you're actually doing anything or not, so it has more in common with a "real-time" action RPG than it does with a roguelike, except for the basic appearance and mechanics of the game.

[IvenGray]

What about Multiplayer on one computer?

[The Revanchist]

What about Multiplayer on one computer?

I think the biggest thing there is the limited amount of people it affects.

For someone who has multiple people that love ToME in their household/immediate area, it'd be great. For those that don't... it's less useful.

It would be interesting as a "which build is stronger" simulator, regardless, I suppose.

[IvenGray]

For someone who has multiple people that love ToME in their household/immediate area, it'd be great. For those that don't... it's less useful.

Can we make it a quick mode that inexperienced players can enjoy as well, make it a mode that people can invite friends who previously didn't know much about ToME to have fun with.
For example. a Multiplayer Arena Mode, in which players fight against each other, with the following features:
-Default builds to choose from, so people can start quickly;
-Different levels of strength of the builds to choose from(e.g., lvl.25 ~ lvl.35), to serve as handicaps.
-Custom builds also enabled, of course.
-Some mechanics to appropriately lengthen the battles:
(1). Double or triple Life maximum/regeneration, for being one-shoted is not fun.
(2). Killed character would be instantly respawn somewhere else in the arena, player with a number of total killings win.

[The Revanchist]

That's what I thought of at first. It's not like it'd be out of place in-universe. They're just playingin the Derth Arena, after all.

It'd be a lot simpler, I think, than adding (and balancing ) a cooperative mode.

[PowerWyrm]

You guys will also be probably the first rogue like to introduce a multiplayer function.
Not only the first, but the first roguelike with good story for co op.

*cough* *cough* MAngband... exists for like 15 years now. Although, with all its variants, it keeps the multiplayer part really simple: one set of artifacts per server, one set of uniques per player which can be generated only once, one goal (kill Morgoth). With ToME4, you'd have to introduce a more complex system, probably in the vein of the Diablo series, just like what I did for my Land of Darkness roguelike: one set of items/monsters per game, multiple games per server, actions/quests limited on each game depending on plot advancement of each character. For example, a character who already killed the Master would have to join a game where no player has killed him yet, and killing him would make Dreadfell unavailable for anyone else that didn't kill him yet. Managing unique items would be hard too: you find an artifact, do you prevent anyone else in the universe from finding it? only in the current game? not at all?

[Zonk]

In addition to Mangband, I think there's also a multiplayer version of the OLD (Tolkienan) ToME called ToMEnet or something like that.

As for a simple arena for fighting other online chars - I think that may have been seriously considered by DG, although the 'summoned' other characters might just use the tactical AI rather than being controlled by another player. So basically more like a 'test my build vs another online build w/items' than true multiplayer, but still fun.