Multiplayer - Online and hopefully Async?

[Doc Mage]

I realize these forums have been a bit dormant as of late. I'm wondering if there is any reason to expect that online play will be coming, and if so in what time frame?

 

This is a major feature lacking in the game and the ability to run through this online with friends would really be a reason to bring this back into a regular play rotation.

 

I hope to see this. I understand why monetization is an important component to the success of the game, but you'd do a lot to promote that same long term health of the game if I could simply play with friends and fellow gamers and have a community of players exist.

[King_Momo]

Don't hold your breath. Obsidian is already having a hard time feigning financial interest in this game. It has been handled poorly with huge delays between updates, game-breaking bugs with almost every iteration and it is clear Obsidian did not put enough staff on this game. Should the game be so lucky as to actually have a Steam release, then perhaps there is some chance that they will implement multi-player after that. But as it stands now, the game is not selling well so chances are, Obsidian might scrap support for this game soon.

 

And speaking about multi-player, how do you think it's gonna work? If I played a 4 player game with 3 randoms online, how will it work? The game is turn-based but everyone can do stuff on any turn. Will there be a priority system? Will it be timed because I'd hate to be waiting for some slowpoke breaking the pace of a game. Also, what if someone disconnects? What happens to his character? Will that character be controlled by AI or someone else? Or will the whole game just be disbanded, becoming a huge waste of time for everyone else? I'm pretty sure Obsidian decided to remove multi-player as an option on the main menu because it simply had too many issues. Pathfinder Adventures, ironically, doesn't lend itself well to be played by more than one person online.

[Doc Mage]

I can't say that I disagree with you about the likelihood of multiplayer but then the devs can't know what their community hopes for unless we communicate with them.

 

I'm not sure multiplayer is so impossible. If you were working on something async, you could create a function where you could highlight cards that other players could elect to play. If you are open to them using a blessing of the Gods out of your hand, you indicate that card can be used at their discretion. I can see where it's not ideal if everyone must complete an encounter...

 

But so what. I have a friend the next state over that would like to play a Pathfinder game with me. To be successful in that case, the multiplayer really needs to be faster than no game at all, which seems doable.

[MHCD]

I'm not sure multiplayer is so impossible. If you were working on something async, you could create a function where you could highlight cards that other players could elect to play. If you are open to them using a blessing of the Gods out of your hand, you indicate that card can be used at their discretion. I can see where it's not ideal if everyone must complete an encounter...

 

But so what. I have a friend the next state over that would like to play a Pathfinder game with me. To be successful in that case, the multiplayer really needs to be faster than no game at all, which seems doable.

 

I second the suggestion.  The ability to communicate this would be incredibly helpful.  

 

Doc Mage is playing Kyra and is caught unprepared to deal with a Goblin Henchman.  Thankfully, several cards in multiple characters' hands are highlighted.  After a couple selections, "Doc Mage requests that Harsk play Blessing of the Gods" appears on King_Momo's screen, and "Doc Mage requests that Lem use Bardic Performance" appears on MHCD's screen.

 

A couple more selections are made, and Doc Mage sees a "Kyra plays Blessing of the Gods" notification, with the accompanying additional die appearing, followed by a "Lem declined the request to use Bardic Performance" prompt.  But MHCD isn't a jerk, and plays a blessing instead.

 

And I am in agreement that "faster than no game at all" seems plausible - for when they get to it.  There is a lot of potential to take the game in a lot of directions, and it's taking a lot of time...  At least the only "negative" thing I have to say about the devs is that I wish there were a lot more of them and that they had a lot more resources.

[Flounder]

We wish we had more resources too!

 

Funny thing is that just two days ago I brought up multiplayer again to the bosses.  It's on the list of things we should really really do if we want Pathfinder to have some legs.

 

Still, Async game play would be the bane of our Developer existence.  King_Momo brought up a lot of the big issues but there are quite a bit more.

 

Yes, we would need some kind of matchmaking, chat, leaderboards, game types (pure vs. treasure cards), etc.

 

Heck, we were even talking about making a tool that would allow users to make a scenario with a certain number of points and release it to community.  If you kill the party or they fail, you get rewards.  If they beat it they get rewards.

 

I know I would spent some serious in-game points to buy Level 1 Adventure deck and populate it with Shades, Spectres, and Harpies for easy points!

[MHCD]

We wish we had more resources too!

 

Funny thing is that just two days ago I brought up multiplayer again to the bosses.  It's on the list of things we should really really do if we want Pathfinder to have some legs.

 

Still, Async game play would be the bane of our Developer existence.  King_Momo brought up a lot of the big issues but there are quite a bit more.

 

Yes, we would need some kind of matchmaking, chat, leaderboards, game types (pure vs. treasure cards), etc.

 

Heck, we were even talking about making a tool that would allow users to make a scenario with a certain number of points and release it to community.  If you kill the party or they fail, you get rewards.  If they beat it they get rewards.

 

I know I would spent some serious in-game points to buy Level 1 Adventure deck and populate it with Shades, Spectres, and Harpies for easy points!

 

Those are some interesting ideas.  Some mysterious philanthropist needs to just drop a check off at Obsidian with a note that it's for Pathfinder Adventures multiplayer development.  Especially cross-platform.

[Potemkin]

please please! I would love some multiplayer! nothing left to do when you've completed the campaign on all difficulties.

[Hannibal_PJV]

True. Multiplayer would be nice. Quick online game with friends in the evening.

[bleedthefreak]

Will the PC/Steam version have multiplayer?

[Cainhu]

We wish we had more resources too!

 

Funny thing is that just two days ago I brought up multiplayer again to the bosses.  It's on the list of things we should really really do if we want Pathfinder to have some legs.

 

 

This. Pathfinder definitely needs multiplayer to have a bright future. (or a future at all) It's supposed to be a cooperative boardgame after all.

[Hannibal_PJV]

Will the PC/Steam version have multiplayer?

Not at this moment. There Are no funds or immediately plans of doing it. Only hopes from the devs and gamers. I think that devs promised a posibility if game sells millions in Steam.

... not likely but we can always hope.