Creating Forum for multiplayer

[nulio]

Hi!

I thought that it could be interesting having a forum where members could only talk about multiplayer and where we could talk about starting new games.

For example, I could ask if there's portuguese players interested to start a game or we could actively post screenshots of multiplayer games or arrange between known users of the forum to test a particular nightly or patch.

What do you think?

[KeikyuFan]

Hi!

I thought that it could be interesting having a forum where members could only talk about multiplayer and where we could talk about starting new games.

For example, I could ask if there's portuguese players interested to start a game or we could actively post screenshots of multiplayer games or arrange between known users of the forum to test a particular nightly or patch.

What do you think?

I second the motion. A dedicated forum could serve several purposes, not only for getting groups of like-minded people together, but for polling people on what they would like to see in a multiplayer game. I don't want to pick on most of the people running servers, but the vast majority of the indistinguishable from each other: bread-and-butter scenarios using small maps, flat terrain, and the default graphic sets. Having said that, hats off to servers like #n-ice.org's Deutsche Bahn scenario (DB set XL), !Kurt's Hard Goal (quick "campaign" game with ranking/scoring for players), Bart's big 2048x2048 maps, and people working with the ECS GRF's.

I'm hoping to make my own contribution, and have been working on some "realistic" large custom heightmaps/scenarios with an emphasis on rough terrain to complement Arctic/Alpine sets, suitable for locales such as North America, Northern Europe. Alaska, and Hokkaido, Japan. High mountains, wide rivers/fjords, rough shorelines, and terrain featuring rugged mountains, tundra/marshland, and glacial moraines (see attached sample). I'm developing more of an interest in the topography: everyone else is doing super work with trainsets, vehicles, and structures, so I'm working on my own niche, to see if I can come up with something different for my humble contribution to the OTTD universe.

[athief]

I'll bump this one. I think a separate multiplayer forum could be good for organizing and all that; there is a dearth of newgrfs in use online.

[Dave]

I'll bump this one. I think a separate multiplayer forum could be good for organizing and all that; there is a dearth of newgrfs in use online.

Please explain this comment.

[KeikyuFan]

I'll bump this one. I think a separate multiplayer forum could be good for organizing and all that; there is a dearth of newgrfs in use online.

Please explain this comment.

I'll clarify it for you, Dave. There's a dearth of newgrfs used in online multiplayer games (note subject line) - at least the ones that are open to all comers. Most of the servers using newgrfs such as the ECS vectors appear to be "invite only" and not open to the rest of us lumpen proletariat. A multiplayer group would let those of us interested in particular themes (ECS, specific time periods or locales) meet up, communicate with each other, and coordinate servers and playing times. A quite reasonable request as far as I'm concerned...

[athief]

[quote="KeikyuFan"] This.

Pretty much exactly this, actually. Thanks, Keikyu.

[KeikyuFan]

This.

Pretty much exactly this, actually. Thanks, Keikyu.

You're welcome...

[jonty-comp]

dearth (plural dearths)

• A period or condition when food is rare and hence expensive; famine.
• (by extension) Scarcity; a lack or short supply.

Just in case anyone was wondering. I was.

[Dave]

dearth (plural dearths)

• A period or condition when food is rare and hence expensive; famine.
• (by extension) Scarcity; a lack or short supply.

Just in case anyone was wondering. I was.

I knew what it meant, but it was written very oddly.

"There's a dearth of grfs in use online" suggested to me that very few people use grfs in their games, which really the way it is.

How it was clarified was, however, better.

[lobster]

back on the subject, i do feel there's good grounds for a special multiplayer section. if there's, for instance, an idea to do a 1850 to 2000+ online cooperative game using NARS2 and a bunch of additional GRFS without actually starting up an entire server just for that sole purpose, it's truly ideal to simply put up a topic in a multiplayer section and see if there's anyone joining in.

[XeryusTC]

You could as easily create a single thread for it in the OTTD general section and see how much respons it gets. If it is really busy you can ask for a seperate forum, but until that time it isn't really needed. Maybe the new forum will get almost no action.

[nulio]

You could as easily create a single thread for it in the OTTD general section and see how much respons it gets. If it is really busy you can ask for a seperate forum, but until that time it isn't really needed. Maybe the new forum will get almost no action.

Perhaps with topics with some tag, [multi-player] for example, that could work.

[JamieLei]

The problem I can forsee is that then everybody will want to advertise their game, especially kids who spam the boards, complain when noone joins after 2 minutes, then end the server cause their mums call them to go to bed. Hence loads of redundant topics. Another problem would be that the topics last forever, although games only last for a short while.

However it would seem a great idea if say, a bunch of well-known players would like to get together and do a cargodest game for instance. It's just trying to acheive a fine balance between the two and spam.

I very very rarely check the OpenTTD section, but I might be more inclined to check a multiplayer forum...

[KeikyuFan]

FWIW, I posted a poll in the General OTTD form, asking multiplayer players what type of features they prefer to see in a game server:
http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=41557

[Bad Hair Day]

A bit of a bump, sorry, but this idea has been in my mind recently.

I personally wouldl ike to see a multiplayer forum as I love playing TT in multiplayer, but I'd rather not be jumping into games with people I don't know. It would be nice if there were a section here on the TT-Forums were you could organise games with other board members so that you could discuss what sort of map to play, sets, teams, rules and the like before starting.

I myself intend to make a challenge server (frequently running server with a different challenge for each game, with free for all, 2 man companies and 4 man companies) but so far I've chosen not to start because the only place I can really have the organising thread is General OpenTTD. Not everyone really pokes their head in there. I tend to only have a look every couple of weeks myself. A section dedicated to player however would be far more suitable. If someone fancies a bit of multiplayer then they can drop in and see what's availible.

[quote=JamieLei]The problem I can forsee is that then everybody will want to advertise their game, especially kids who spam the boards, complain when noone joins after 2 minutes, then end the server cause their mums call them to go to bed. Hence loads of redundant topics. Another problem would be that the topics last forever, although games only last for a short while.[/quote]

If there were a tab system for topic titles like that in the Screenshots forum (With [Active], [Offline] and [Closed] instead of [OTTD] and [TTDP]) then atleast a user can distinguish between active, dormant and dead servers. (assuming the host updates their thread)

[Dave]

I think there are a number of long running games that this could really benefit, including supplying links to grfs, etc.

[JamieLei]

The problem I can forsee is that then everybody will want to advertise their game, especially kids who spam the boards, complain when noone joins after 2 minutes, then end the server cause their mums call them to go to bed. Hence loads of redundant topics. Another problem would be that the topics last forever, although games only last for a short while.

If there were a tab system for topic titles like that in the Screenshots forum (With [Active], [Offline] and [Closed] instead of [OTTD] and [TTDP]) then atleast a user can distinguish between active, dormant and dead servers. (assuming the host updates their thread)

Sorry when I said that I'd completely forgotten about the servers which restart when a certain objective/date is completed which could definitely benefit. I still think there'll be spam however...

[Dave]

It'd need someone to strictly control it and monitor the use of OTTD's multiplayer system and update stuff accordingly.

Maybe we could enforce rules that say you can't post a new thread more than once in the sub-forum - if you want to advertise your game, you have to update your previous one.

[Bad Hair Day]

Sorry when I said that I'd completely forgotten about the servers which restart when a certain objective/date is completed which could definitely benefit. I still think there'll be spam however...

I agree with you, there will be spam, but if there were a moderator in charge of the forum as Dave said, dead and duplicate threads could be removed. One thread per user would keep things clearer and easier to navigate.