[POLL] Is non-MMO Online Multiplayer PC Gaming Dead?

[WhipperSnapper]

Much to my chagrin, it seems like 99% of the people who purchased the game Sins of a Solar Empire only play it in single multiplayer even though it's an excellent game and great for online multiplayer. Is it just me, or does it seem like online multiplayer non-MMO PC gaming is dying? Is it dying for RTS only and not FPS or RPG?

If you don't play your games in online multiplayer, why not?

Nov. 23 Update

Is Dragon Age's lack of online multiplayer support a sign that developers are disdaining PC online multiplayer?

Is Arena style online multiplayer FPS dead?

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

I haven't played a non-MMO PC game online since Warcraft 3 back in like 2003.

 

[Glitchny]

well part of the problem with sins of a Solar Empire is that games can take a very long time.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: Glitchny
well part of the problem with sins of a Solar Empire is that games can take a very long time.

That's part of the problem, but most online Sins games, at least the locked teams games on single star maps, don't last more than 2 hours. It's possible that most single player people just aren't aware of that, which is sad because the game is so much more challenging and interesting when you have real human opponents and allies (and not the silly AI). I would agree that overall, Sins has a number of problems in the online multiplayer area (no auto-download for custom maps and mods, stability of Ironclad Online, desyncs, minidumps, some jerkwads, etc.). However, still you'd think such a great game could sustain having 1000 people online during North American prime time. (Instead it's only about 120.)

Are pathetically low player counts only a problem for Sins or is it the same with other online multiplayer RTS games? Didn't Age of Empires die out as well?

 

[darkrisen2003]

I play both online and offline games. It really just depends on what I am in the mood for. My biggest concern is that my Genre's are dieing off slowly but surely. Im one for RPG's, Strategy, Tactics, Action Adventure Style games. Seems like now a days the only games being made are shooters and the occasional sports game ( Outside of the MMO's which I play. )

 

[zagood]

Games like Sins of a Solar Empire didn't get good enough reviews or publicity to make people buy it...so they torrent it...and only play SP since they can't authenticate (just assuming, I don't own the game). That being said, there are large communities that pop up whenever a decent game comes around, then people lose interest. I'm seeing that with L4D with a lot of players coming back to CS:S.

 

[MikeyLSU]

I played L4D a ton, played an absolute ton of TF2 before that. Now I'm playing a bunch of original Starcraft with friends which is a lot of fun, bunch of 2v2 and 3v3 with people you know is greatness. You may just be picking games with small followings.

 

[Abel007]

Team Fortress 2 nightly. Also Civ4 once a week or so.

 

[OCGuy]

L4D, COD4, CoH, ARMA 2. Will be playing L4D2 and MW:2 as well.


There is never a lack of people online to play with.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: zagood
Games like Sins of a Solar Empire didn't get good enough reviews or publicity to make people buy it...so they torrent it...and only play SP since they can't authenticate (just assuming, I don't own the game).

The last sales number I heard about almost a year ago was 600,000 copies. I would imagine that they're up to 1 million by now. Even if it only sold 600,000 copies, you could think that 1 of 600 of the purchasers would play it in online multiplayer during North American prime time and not 1 of 6000.

 

[JoshGuru7]

It's very genre specific and title specific. Online FPS games have huge followings generally but then there are a few there as well that never really took off (UT3). I bought Sins and liked it but haven't played it in probably 6 months - all of my strategy gaming goes into Anno 1404, E:TW and Civ4 these days.

I think the impact of MMO gaming is real but usually overstated. A lot of the MMO gamers who were gamers before MMOs existed still play those other games off and on, while a lot of the first time gamers that MMOs attracted wouldn't be playing a game like Sins anyway. Consoles and Halo/Xbox Live have had a much bigger impact on PC gaming IMO, especially the multiplayer components. Sad but true anecdote for you - I have quite a few friends who now feel like they are wasting their time when they play PC games because they don't earn achievements like it would if they were playing the Xbox version.

 

[coloumb]

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper

Originally posted by: Glitchny
well part of the problem with sins of a Solar Empire is that games can take a very long time.

That's part of the problem, but most online Sins games, at least the locked teams games on single star maps, don't last more than 2 hours.

There's the reason why - most gamers don't want to or can't spend 2+ hours of dedicated time to play.

"L4D, COD4, CoH, ARMA 2. Will be playing L4D2 and MW:2 as well" - these are quick fix type games - get in, kill what you need, get out - the ideal multiplayer game for the modern gamer.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

Originally posted by: coloumb

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper

Originally posted by: Glitchny
well part of the problem with sins of a Solar Empire is that games can take a very long time.

That's part of the problem, but most online Sins games, at least the locked teams games on single star maps, don't last more than 2 hours.

There's the reason why - most gamers don't want to or can't spend 2+ hours of dedicated time to play.

"L4D, COD4, CoH, ARMA 2. Will be playing L4D2 and MW:2 as well" - these are quick fix type games - get in, kill what you need, get out - the ideal multiplayer game for the modern gamer.

There you go... 2 hours is still a big time commitment. I mean, even Supreme Commander/Forged Alliance games dont usually take more than an hour (most take ~20-30 minutes for a 1v1 match).

 

[Arglebargle]

I don't play online (except MMO) for a couple of reasons.

I don't like being unable to choose the gaming group. The gankola syndrome does not appeal to me. That seriously effects the RTS and FPS experiance. Now I played Squad Leader extensively in my youth, but I could avoid the yahoos in ftf play. Not so online, far too often.

Scheduling. Try to play at off hours and not much will be happening. My limited attention span for these things doesn't help either.

Bad balance. Games with 'perfect builds' or game design loopholes that become accepted playstyles.

 

[Schadenfroh]

My WoW years were amazing, but I was burnt out by 2006. If I could go back in time to the years of my college buddies and I playing that game, I would. Excellent game!

Ever since 2006, I mostly just play player made modules for Neverwinter Nights 1. I bought a PS3 for a Blu-ray player. I attempted to get into console gaming, even played RFOM through to completion in COOP with one of my buddies, but I found nothing appealing among the other 4 games I tried on it (each played only a couple of hours). I have probably not played a game on my PS3 in over a year. But, it is a great media hub!

 

[frozentundra123456]

I play COD4 and Company of Heroes online. My friend plays TF2 a lot. We both used to play Battle for Middle Earth 2 online a lot also. I like to play COD4 (same for TF2) in that you can play however long you want and jump in and out of the game at will. That is one reason I don't play MMOs. Dont want to commit to the time or have to arrange parties, do endless quests, etc.

 

[arkcom]

I don't play anything online. I suck too bad, it's no fun if you never win.

 

[CurseTheSky]

I usually play through single player in FPS games once, possibly twice if it was really good. Generally the multiplayer is what I end up playing more than anything else. The exceptions to this are the FPS games that have an RPG element, like the Half-Life series. COD4's single player also impressed me for some reason (though I didn't enjoy COD: WAW's single player).

RTS's are an even greater extreme for me. Once I play online for a few weeks and learn the ropes, I can't go back to single player. After playing against humans, whether they're good or bad, the computer seems far too predictable and easy to trick. Send in a small, disposable, "tanking" force half way across the map to draw their attention, then move into their base with fast moving, high-damage units and blow everything up. Perhaps I just need to find an RTS with really good AI. Blizzard's RTS's and some of the Command & Conquer series are unparallelled for online game play, but their computer opponent AI is laughable at best.

The only games I really enjoy for single player are RPGs. Then again, I still prefer a well-done MMORPG over a single player RPG.

 

[chalmers]

Stupid MMO's like World of Warcraft and console games are killing most other PC multiplayer. Everyone I know who plays WoW..that is pretty much all they play. I couldn't imagine playing one game.

 

[imaheadcase]

I don't buy a game unless it is just multiplayer anymore. The last actual game i bought that was single player was Half Life 2. I've bought single player games with awesome mulitplayer, like Company of Heroes, but only played it online.

 

[CottonRabbit]

Sins of a Solar Empire is a terrible game to use as a gauge to the popularity of online multiplayer PC gaming. Popular online multiplayer RTS's generally have average game lengths of around 30 minutes or less.

 

[paperfist]

Originally posted by: BlueAcolyte

Originally posted by: coloumb

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper

Originally posted by: Glitchny
well part of the problem with sins of a Solar Empire is that games can take a very long time.

That's part of the problem, but most online Sins games, at least the locked teams games on single star maps, don't last more than 2 hours.

There's the reason why - most gamers don't want to or can't spend 2+ hours of dedicated time to play.

"L4D, COD4, CoH, ARMA 2. Will be playing L4D2 and MW:2 as well" - these are quick fix type games - get in, kill what you need, get out - the ideal multiplayer game for the modern gamer.

There you go... 2 hours is still a big time commitment. I mean, even Supreme Commander/Forged Alliance games dont usually take more than an hour (most take ~20-30 minutes for a 1v1 match).

The funny thing about that is MMO players shatter that play time investment.

I don't play MMOs anymore, too trying for me so all of my gaming is either single player or online with shooters mostly.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: CottonRabbit
Sins of a Solar Empire is a terrible game to use as a gauge to the popularity of online multiplayer PC gaming. Popular online multiplayer RTS's generally have average game lengths of around 30 minutes or less.

Apparently this is a huge issue. I'm really struck by just how big of an issue it is, though. Surely there must be tons of gamers out there who play games for hours at a time straight.

 

[SunnyD]

MMO's have the advantage of a built-in community where people don't have to spend any time in a server browser to find other people to play with. It's instant gratification in a sense.

The hybridization is getting ridiculous though, with a dearth of "Hybrid Lobby MMO's" coming out (Huxley. Crimecraft, Global Agenda, etc.) that are trying to blur the lines between MMO and multi-player. Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with MMOs in nearly all sense of the game, but the last one to do that was Planetside, and there has been nothing as ambitious ever since.

And for companies, MMO = subscription income to them. It's a much more lucrative potential source of continuous income. All of the business decisions point to this as a number one motivator over one-time sales.

 

[Maximilian]

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper

Originally posted by: CottonRabbit
Sins of a Solar Empire is a terrible game to use as a gauge to the popularity of online multiplayer PC gaming. Popular online multiplayer RTS's generally have average game lengths of around 30 minutes or less.

Apparently this is a huge issue. I'm really struck by just how big of an issue it is, though. Surely there must be tons of gamers out there who play games for hours at a time straight.

Well its a real kick to the balls to play for more than 30 mins just to come to the realization that either you have no hope of winning or your opponent has no hope and just quits, its anti climatic.

Whereas in games like CoH the winning/losing thing sways quickly between players, so much so that even if a player quits because theyve got no hope you've usually had your fun with them anyways because its a fast paced game and they dont know theyre hopelessly overwhelmed until like the last 4-5 minutes.

People like to blow shit up and win, very few people are ok with playing a game for 30+ minutes and then losing, or winning without getting to trash their opponent.