25 replies to this topic

[Mendon]

I thought THIS ARTICLE was a very interesting read. I'm primarily a solo player, and have had similar thoughts as those expressed in this article that the solo game may soon be a very minor and secondary part of any new release.

I love the solo gameplay of Oblivion and Fallout; I love the solo gameplay of Uncharted; I love the solo gameplay of games like classic Medal of Honor, Bioshock, Mass Effect, the first Halo, and many others. But over the last 18 months or so, I've noticed that solo play is getting shorter and shorter and shorter as online play becomes the driving motivation of new game development. As the article states, even Nintendo is getting into the act with the upcoming Mario release.

Online gaming can really be a blast and I've enjoyed many online sessions with friends. But I also don't want to see solo gameplay become a $60 - 5 hour event such as in Halo ODST.

Can developers strike a balanced compromise between solo and online gaming or is the future going to be mainly online? Any thoughts?



Mendon

[keilbaca]

Its just much more time consuming and just plain more expensive, to make a good AI and to make a long story line. Its easier to make an FPS engine, and make the people be the difficulty. Its been a trend for a while, and its a damn shame.

I can also blame the people due to them complaining of a lack of good AI. So, the companies in return, decide to make it an online fps.

Its partially the gamer community, partially company lazyness, and lack of creativity.

[GrizzLee]

Mendon, on Thu Oct 8, 2009 6:57 AM, said:

I thought THIS ARTICLE was a very interesting read. I'm primarily a solo player, and have had similar thoughts as those expressed in this article that the solo game may soon be a very minor and secondary part of any new release.

I love the solo gameplay of Oblivion and Fallout; I love the solo gameplay of Uncharted; I love the solo gameplay of games like classic Medal of Honor, Bioshock, Mass Effect, the first Halo, and many others. But over the last 18 months or so, I've noticed that solo play is getting shorter and shorter and shorter as online play becomes the driving motivation of new game development. As the article states, even Nintendo is getting into the act with the upcoming Mario release.

Online gaming can really be a blast and I've enjoyed many online sessions with friends. But I also don't want to see solo gameplay become a $60 - 5 hour event such as in Halo ODST.

Can developers strike a balanced compromise between solo and online gaming or is the future going to be mainly online? Any thoughts?



Mendon

I concur.

In many cases, it can be a real pain to find a good group of on-line gamers to hang out with. Also the on-line experience has a hard time capturing presenting a good story and creating the ambience seen in the solo play experience.

Some games are better as a solo experience. I am hoping that they don't change the formula that made Fallout and Bioshock soo good.

-Lee

Edited by Lee Krueger, Thu Oct 8, 2009 11:15 AM.

[xg4bx]

i'm bored with online gaming. how many deathmatches can one fight before you puke in boredom?

unfortunately we have a whole generation coming up that thinks games without online play deserve to be relegated to the rent/pirate pile. i blame the xbox generation for this because it was never an issue until they came along. i think im the only person who gets excited for the single player campaign in games like call of duty.

[xg4bx]

[quote name='xg4bx' date='Thu Oct 8, 2009 12:39 PM' timestamp='1255027181' post='1856408']
i'm bored with online gaming. how many deathmatches can one fight before you puke in boredom?

unfortunately we have a whole generation coming up that thinks games without online play deserve to be relegated to the rent/pirate pile. i blame the xbox generation for this because it was never an issue until they came along.i can't get excited for the $60 5 hour experience that most of their games provide.

that, to me, is the biggest difference between the consoles this gen. wii is all about rl group play, the 360 includes a token story but its all about online play and ps3 leans more towards providing an in depth single player experience. even their upcoming games that include a large online play component like uncharted 2, ALSO include a 12-15 hour single player campaign. nothing suffers.

i think im the only person who gets excited for the single player campaign in games like call of duty.

[DaytonaUSA]

It's something that was nifty, and cool and then was exploited to the point it's useless. The only game that I can think of that NEEDS online play is Warhawk. THAT'S online play to me. Everyone always says "omg, call of duty is amazing" and I've skipped out on it for years. I bought the last one, and I realized I plowed through the story mode in 5 hours and was left with a hallow, annoying, buggy multiplayer for the rest of the game. I sold it a week later.

I'm sick of online, and I wish it didn't have the force it does to drive sales up. It's a good thing to have on the side, but it shouldn't be the REASON you buy it in the first place.

The most I'll do is play with a friend in the same room. Because honestly, most people online aren't fun to play with anyway, so what's the fucking point. It's the reason why I think the PS3 is my console of choice. The 360 to me was too online oriented, and really pushed the whole headset shit.. and I just couldn't get into that scene at all. At least with the very few online oriented PS3 games, like Warhawk, most people don't even have a headset to blabber on.

Edited by DaytonaUSA, Thu Oct 8, 2009 1:29 PM.

[Random Terrain]

I just want to play at my own speed, on my own timetable. Solo gaming for me.

Edited by Random Terrain, Thu Oct 8, 2009 1:30 PM.

[DaytonaUSA]

xg4bx, on Thu Oct 8, 2009 12:39 PM, said:

i'm bored with online gaming. how many deathmatches can one fight before you puke in boredom?

unfortunately we have a whole generation coming up that thinks games without online play deserve to be relegated to the rent/pirate pile. i blame the xbox generation for this because it was never an issue until they came along. i think im the only person who gets excited for the single player campaign in games like call of duty.

No you're not the only one, though if more people were online like you, I might actually enjoy playing multiplayer haha.

[HammR25]

I hate playing online mainly because I just end up dying a lot or getting last in a race all the time.....etc because of all the kids who play that have nothing better to do than play that particular game all day.

[Red 5]

I think Solo Gaming is doing fine.

Arkham Assylum was a multi platform smash hit.

Assassin's Creed 2, Mass Effect 2 and Bioshock 2 are hugely anticipated games as is God of War 3.
Huge franchises like GTA are doing just fine too.

There's no denying that online play is huge, but solo play is a pretty big market.

[DaytonaUSA]

therealred5, on Thu Oct 8, 2009 1:57 PM, said:

I think Solo Gaming is doing fine.

Arkham Assylum was a multi platform smash hit.

Assassin's Creed 2, Mass Effect 2 and Bioshock 2 are hugely anticipated games as is God of War 3.
Huge franchises like GTA are doing just fine too.

There's no denying that online play is huge, but solo play is a pretty big market.

It's pretty big I guess, but honestly.. it's not common. When you hear about a game that is online multiplayer, you sayd "eh..". When you hear of a game with a grand story or great single player experience it almost catches you off guard.

I think people WANT good single player games, which is why games like Batman and Bioshock did so well sales wise. But unfortunately, everyone tries to get into the "Halo" game, and produce the same online deathmatch over and over and over, because it's less of a risk. If it has the same gameplay and better graphics, it'll sell. I can think of countless games that follow this strategy. Sometimes it feels like the games are the same but just with character swaps.

[Starscream]

DaytonaUSA, on Thu Oct 8, 2009 2:24 PM, said:

therealred5, on Thu Oct 8, 2009 1:57 PM, said:

I think Solo Gaming is doing fine.

Arkham Assylum was a multi platform smash hit.

Assassin's Creed 2, Mass Effect 2 and Bioshock 2 are hugely anticipated games as is God of War 3.
Huge franchises like GTA are doing just fine too.

There's no denying that online play is huge, but solo play is a pretty big market.

It's pretty big I guess, but honestly.. it's not common. When you hear about a game that is online multiplayer, you sayd "eh..". When you hear of a game with a grand story or great single player experience it almost catches you off guard.

I think people WANT good single player games, which is why games like Batman and Bioshock did so well sales wise. But unfortunately, everyone tries to get into the "Halo" game, and produce the same online deathmatch over and over and over, because it's less of a risk. If it has the same gameplay and better graphics, it'll sell. I can think of countless games that follow this strategy. Sometimes it feels like the games are the same but just with character swaps.

But you are hung up on Deathmatch. Online gaming is way, way more than Deathmatch. And being you used Halo as an example, Halo 3 and ODST not only can be played solo, you can also play 4 played thru the story. I'm sure Moycon will hop in and tell you that we have had tons of fun playing thru the Halo games. I mean, it's not exactly easy for him or Breakpack to come sit on my couch or vice-versa. We're old, friends aren't in the same neighborhood anymore, or same town, or in my case, the same state. Online gives me ample opprotunity to really have fun. Both Gears of War games are excellent examples also. OTOH, Resistance 2 had no story mode co-op, online or off, and that totally made me NOT even bother with the game. LBP is great fun offline with friends/family and would probably good online as well if the PSNetwork wasn't such a clusterf***. Look at Warcraft. The human element MAKES that game.

AI has really been an issue for a few generations now and there really is no better AI than another human. Again, the Halo series has always had formidible AI opponents as well as allies and that is a rarity. MK2 back in the arcade days was a joke on the hardest difficulty against the "AI" but human opponents could give me a challenge.

I kinda think along the lines of therealred5, solo games are the majority and there's no issue here.....there's enough room for both.

[moycon]

Halo ODST is a GREAT example of an kick ass online game...and I haven't even played any Deathmatch with it.
BioShock was indeed fun, but it would have been better with twice as many enemies, and the ability to play through with a pal (or 2...or 3!) I think it's just hard to pull off. There aren't very many really kick ass online co-op games and none I can think of on any systems other than the 360 which is only one of the reasons it's my favorite console this generation.

Edited by moycon, Thu Oct 8, 2009 6:12 PM.

[DaytonaUSA]

Btw, Demon's Souls is a perfect single player game. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Been playing for 7 hours straight now.. geez, time for bed.

[Paul Humbug]

HammR25, on Thu Oct 8, 2009 1:43 PM, said:

I hate playing online mainly because I just end up dying a lot or getting last in a race all the time.....etc because of all the kids who play that have nothing better to do than play that particular game all day.

Yep, or they log off the race when you manage to be first

Happened to me a lot on Forza 2.

While online gaming for sure can be intriguing, I still have to find a game where no one cheats, etc.

[BydoEmpire]

I'm mostly a solo player although I've gotten hooked on a few online games, most notably Phantasy Star Online. I think the big draw there was that it was purely co-op and my fun wasn't really dependent on anyone else. I also really enjoyed the game, and put in almost as many offline hours as online. I've gotten into a few shooters for a while, but after a couple weeks everyone else is so much better than me it's not fun anymore. Playing with friends list people rarely works for me because I'm busy, and my gaming time is erratic and often interrupted (new baby). It's hard for me to commit to online gaming right now, or be able to play when friends are online. I actually cancelled my Gold membership last year due to lack of use. With a solo game I can pause whenever I want, save whenever I want, and play on my schedule, without depending on other people for my fun. I do like online leaderboards, though, and I wish all arcadey games had them.

[JamesD]

Paul Humbug, on Fri Oct 9, 2009 6:14 AM, said:

HammR25, on Thu Oct 8, 2009 1:43 PM, said:

I hate playing online mainly because I just end up dying a lot or getting last in a race all the time.....etc because of all the kids who play that have nothing better to do than play that particular game all day.

Yep, or they log off the race when you manage to be first

Happened to me a lot on Forza 2.

While online gaming for sure can be intriguing, I still have to find a game where no one cheats, etc.

That sort of thing happens in all online games. I was playing a guy backgammon online and it looked like he was winning at first, but he didn't know I was setting him up. Once I started absolutely kicking his butt he quit before the game could end.
Same goes for several other games I've played online.
What annoys me the worst is when you agree to a coop game and then they shoot you in the back.

[Random Terrain]

JamesD, on Fri Oct 9, 2009 7:47 AM, said:

What annoys me the worst is when you agree to a coop game and then they shoot you in the back.

Before my Gold membership expired, I played a demo (don't remember the name) and I wasn't sure if I was playing by myself or if I was online. I also couldn't tell what team I was supposed to be on, so I just shot at everybody. Seems like a lot of these demos have no single player option and I only find out after I go to play. "Sorry, you can't play this demo. Get a Gold membership, you loser." How about telling me that before I download the stupid demo?

[Red 5]

Adding to my list of great (or greatly anticipated) solo games coming out in the next few months is Brutal Legend.
This games has been publicized to death with Jack Black plugging the hell out of it everywhere. No online lovin' there. Purely a solo campaign and a long one at that from what I here.

[hex65000]

I did my share of online multiplayer back in the days of Unreal Tournament and Quake 3... I suspect the one reason my 360 languishes so much over here is that the huge focus on multiplayer really means that there's not much for me to really pick from the library. Remove other genres like FPS shooters, and realistic racers and that list shrinks once again.

What's really sad is that when friends do come over, I'm typically at a loss as to what we should play that is multiplayer. This trend plus the digital download only trend will probably get me completely out of the modern gaming scene more than anything else.

Or my hands are crushed in a freak accident. That would get me out of gaming.

Hex.
[ The cat is finally content with her warm spot. I can't feel my arm. Help! ]

[Video]

Wezell, I am a solo gamer, I do enjoy CoOp, but it's getting to where you have to have multiple systems and online for even that now. ODST was great, and it doesn't require online to play multiplayered. CoOp is AWESOME!! (though the game is very short) At least this time, they did have a oneplayer/ish deathmatch thingy (firefight) All the other Halos', unless you had online, or could get all the friends together all at once (uber rare) then you're stuck with a pretty dull experience unless you play coop. I'd rather play something like Unreal, yeah the bots won't be as good as the best human players, but you know what/ I'm not the bestt human players. I have a life, I work, got other priorities besides video games, so I don't get uber leet or whatever in video games. So most online games are really lopsided, either I'll be with a schitload of people who suck, or a schitload of people who have no lives and play the game all the time. This is back in the early live days, this day in age, Idon't bother with it, it's not fun, not worth it, so really, fuck it.

One thing that really gets me though, is when you read a review, they have become almost completely useless this day in age. If its' a game like Bioshock, it barely makes a blip on the radar,and takes forever to find out anythign about it, if it's a game like halo, it's "this game is the friggin bomb, it's the ultimate game ever the wholy grail of video gamez and you HAVE to HAVE it....oh...I guess there's a solo game and a coop, but THE REAL GAMEis the online bullshit with billions of lamers, flamers, and loozers with no life that'll kick your ass cause they get to play for 16+ hours a day, it's great, now if they would just get rid of the dumb solo shit and concentrate on the real game." Which just leaves me going uh...so....what about the solo game....anybody?

Honestly, I love solo play, CoOp is a blast (and unless your needlessly maxing the graphics out or something, there's really no reason most games can't do it) but all this crap that requires online to even boot the ame? Hell no, that and DD will kill gaming for me (and I'm sure a LOT of other people) Hopefully, there will continue to be a nich market where we can get our gaming fix, if not, there's plenty of really old stuff out there we can play.

[iswitt]

moycon, on Thu Oct 8, 2009 6:11 PM, said:

Halo ODST is a GREAT example of an kick ass online game...and I haven't even played any Deathmatch with it.
BioShock was indeed fun, but it would have been better with twice as many enemies, and the ability to play through with a pal (or 2...or 3!) I think it's just hard to pull off. There aren't very many really kick ass online co-op games and none I can think of on any systems other than the 360 which is only one of the reasons it's my favorite console this generation.

You haven't played any death match in ODST because there isn't any. It's a neat story, but it only took me about 5 hours to beat alone on Legendary. There is no matchmaking system for Firefight, you can't have more than 2 people on a console at once and there is no other playlist besides firefight. It does come with a second disc that has all the Halo 3 stuff, but if you already had that game and downloaded all the content, you're basically buying it all again just so you can play a short campaign.

Lame.

[liveinabin]

I can't be bothered with online gaming. I played a but of PSO on the Dreamcast but that was still when it was a novelty, and the co-operative nature of the game made it a good social tool.

That aside, though, when I play a game, I'm wanting to escape into it's world for a few minutes - like a good book - and other people just break that illusion.

[NE146]

I dunno.. but oddly enough I consider the bazillion hours I spend playing an FPS like Call of Duty 4 online to be primarily a solo player experience.

I mean, who do I interact with? From my perspective, I turn on my machine and start playing. I may be playing against other humans, but I don't see them. I don't talk to them. And I don't hear them. So for all intents and purposes, it's a solo experience.

(...albeit with a constantly varied and changing difficulty level which is great)

Edited by NE146, Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:37 PM.

[moycon]

iswitt, on Sun Oct 11, 2009 10:19 PM, said:

You haven't played any death match in ODST because there isn't any.

My copy came with 3 new multiplayer maps (Heretic, Citadel and Longshore). I didn't think I got any special edition but maybe I did. Sorry you didn't receive yours.