A Poll to Get People Interested

[GN1996]

Hello,

Recently, the number of people interested in multiplayer has been decreasing, and finding people to enjoy the feature with is getting progressively more difficult. I have started this thread to get people back into MP.

Having said that, what would get you interested in joining a multiplayer game? Would you like to interact with other humans rather than the sometimes-pesky AI? Maybe you would like to step up the realism and run a railroad with other people rather than just yourself? Maybe you want to switch cars at industries but do not want to run mainline trains. You could then have others bring you the empty cars while you shunt to your heart's content.

Perhaps the multiplayer sessions currently available are not what you are looking for. They might be in a desert but you want to run trains in the mountains. Maybe you want to drive a passenger train but the route does not support that type of operation.

Leave your suggestion below for what you want in multiplayer or what you want to see incorporated into an MP session. I will go out of my way to create a route that is as close as possible to what EVERYBODY wants in a multiplayer game. If somebody wants a large city with a metro system, I will include it. If somebody wants mountains, I will make sure that they appear on the route.



My only problem with MP right now is that there are not many people in a session. I feel that this can be solved if people get involved and we all have a route/session we can be happy with.

I hope to hear from you!

Cheers!



I know that you're thinking, "Why didn't you post this in the MP section GN?" Well, that's because I put it here so more people could see it, thus creating a higher chance of more people getting interested.

 

[oknotsen]

I personally think the main problem with MP right now is the amount of hassle you have to go through to actually be able to play MP.

People who install the game expect to be able to play MP right away and I think that is completely understandable from a new player's point of view.
Then they discover they have to first spend a few hours patching the game to the latest "build" (a word at least half of the players has never heard of to begin with) and then spend a few ages downloading asset updates. By then you have lost 80% of your potential players.

For the sake of MP I hope the new players (new game buyers) can download a complete pre-patched and pre-asset-updated install if they currently buy a digital download, but I doubt that (anyone who can confirm?).
I think having a ready game immediately after download and install would get a lot more people interested in joining, but that is out of our control.

I am doing my part by explaining how MP works (or how you can get it to work) in chat every day I happen to be online; I like the whole concept and am happy to see promotional topics like these . Hope you get some input, GN1996, and get some more MP activity going.

 

[shaneturner12]

Another area where MP can be a problem is when third-party (non-DLS) assets are involved, or modified assets.

Regarding patching, apart from SP1 and the two hotfixes, this can be done automatically simply by adding your Planet Auran details into the Trainz Options box, then clicking Yes when prompted.

Shane

 

[matruck]

Never even tried MP but i would like to try it maybe if it were a bit easier to set up. So yeah i think you have a great idea here and i wish you well with it.
Cheers Mick.

 

[philskene]

In the early days of multiplayer I really enjoyed the sessions on small and compact routes like "IntenCity". It was great fun because there was a lot of activity that required a high degree of discussion and coordination between the participants.

Then everyone seemed to bugger off to the large sprawling routes where you might see another player every half hour instead of every half minute. I got bored and quit.

Phil

 

[KenRuof]

I have a hard time getting people to respond to me for even iPortal session no less MP. At present MP is a pain in the behind quarters until they improve it I will stick with iPortal session.

 

[jhuravitch]

I also believe that the problem might be that SP1 being released has split the multiplayer community. Some of us have patched to 57898 while some are still running 49922. With all the flak SP1 has received on forums, a lot of people who I visited with on itrainz chat about joining a multiplayer session are now not sure they want to patch their game. So far Hotfix 2 has been great with no problems that I can find. I've uploaded my route to the DLS and with the help of Zec Murphy and the Trainz Team, the multiplayer session now works with the build number 3.7 and no longer has the error "Unknown Location" appear for the route.

 

[jacksonbarno]

Third-party content should definitely be compatible with MP.

 

[GN1996]

Great feedback everybody! There needs to be one route that makes everybody happy and I have been trying to build one.
The route will include:
1) An area in which people can switch cars and not have to make lengthy runs.
2) Commuter services such as metro system, an interurban line, and street cars.
3) Local freight train runs that are about 15 miles long.
4) Long-distance freight runs that will be 100 miles long.
5) Long-distance passenger runs that will be 100 miles long.
6) Narrow gauge lines with the potential to transfer loads with standard gauge.

Optional Features
1) A hump yard.



I will add more stuff to the above lists as I think of them.

If anybody has any more suggestions, I will definitely include them.

 

[jfriedrich]

I'm still very much interested in multiplayer but a few things have held me back:

1. Not having team speak which some route/session operators use for their sessions.
2. Not having adequate experience to play with the more experienced users, don't want to upset the works by making a simple mistake.
3. Not being updated yet with the current service pack and hot fixes, I'm by no means a computer whiz and i prefer not to open a can of worms if i can help it.
4. Running Trainz on a laptop - unlike most of the users here with there desktops that perform better than my current laptop.

Having to look for 3rd party content doesn't upset me when it comes to downloading new routes/sessions. But if everything was available in one shot from the DLS that would make things really simple.

I love the idea of having a multi-faceted multi railroad type road, sounds like it would work really well with multiplayer.

Regards,
Jordan