Gamasutra Interviewed HarvesteR about Multiplayer and More

[SQUAD]

<p><a href="http://ubm.io/1jb0oY4"><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/d65e855a3a99c87bdfa13a066647911c/tumblr_inline_n5hb67eRBf1rr2wit.png"/></a></p>

<p><strong>Gamasutra</strong> recently spoke to <strong>HarvesteR</strong> about the state of early access. the road to KSP 1.0 and the future implementation of multiplayer. If you want a feel for how things are going and where they’re headed next, click <strong><a href="http://ubm.io/1jb0oY4" target="_blank">HERE</a></strong>.</p>

[tntristan12]

I posted this response on the article itself but it seems just as relevant here, so...

Eh. I still have a very difficult time imagining KSP as a multiplayer game. Especially since I don't like to play KSP with the input of other people; I like to solve my own problems and build my own solutions. If I want other peoples' input, that's why I come on these forums... I'd much rather see content for KSP cover more high-concept science fiction like interstellar travel, planetary colonization, high efficiency propulsion, et. cetera. Just my opinion though.

...but this has been discussed to death. Squad will do what it will and it is too late to turn back. I'm sure they won't neglect the other areas of the game that are absolutely begging for improvement, so as far as multiplayer is concerned all I can really do is cross my fingers and hope that I am pleasantly surprised.

[TeeGee]

Can you imagine this game with multiplayer? The community will be building entire societies on other worlds!!! It will be like a persistent universe where everyone involved has their own garage to launch their spacecraft from and chill out with other players in the void. I can't wait.

[DVS314]

Can you imagine this game with multiplayer? The community will be building entire societies on other worlds!!! It will be like a persistent universe where everyone involved has their own garage to launch their spacecraft from and chill out with other players in the void. I can't wait.

I would love that, however they'd really have to focus on the lag bugs/glitches. I couldnt imagine having so many ships/people on a server at the rate the game glitches right now. We'll just have to wait and see. I'd only imagine having another player warp or something and if it glitches it'd effect everyone on the server.

[softweir]

I suspect it will be more like Team Fortress 2, or another limited-server model. It's a lot easier that way - game development is somewhat easier when assuming small numbers of players, and it means we can set up our own servers and have our own little worlds, rather than depending on Squad to set up the possibly hugely expensive server systems needed to handle large numbers of players.

[736]

I feel trolls with ICBM's and Newbies trying to dock to stations... and crashing... and complaining... and lots of blaming.

[Endersmens]

I feel trolls with ICBM's and Newbies trying to dock to stations... and crashing... and complaining... and lots of blaming.

I feel servers with passwords to prevent this...

[KerbMav]

Will there even be public servers?

[tntristan12]

I suspect it will be more like Team Fortress 2, or another limited-server model. It's a lot easier that way - game development is somewhat easier when assuming small numbers of players, and it means we can set up our own servers and have our own little worlds, rather than depending on Squad to set up the possibly hugely expensive server systems needed to handle large numbers of players.

Being able to set up a server with a friend or two is probably the only reason I'd support multiplayer. When you put it that way, it sounds kind of like Minecraft: You don't need to rely on servers set up by Mojang, and so as long as you have the hardware to run it and the people willing to join you it's entirely self contained. This is the idea I can get behind! Whenever somebody says "multiplayer" I instantly get lousy flashbacks to getting tea-bagged in CoD.

[softweir]

I feel servers with passwords to prevent this...

Or, indeed, "stock only" and "selected mods only" servers. Password protection only works until a griefer learns the password and passes it on to his friends!

There is a deep problem with mods and MP: How does my KSP install reder your mod-mad craft if I don't have the relevant mods? How do servers report heavily-modded craft properly if they aren't mod aware?

The simplest solution would be to force MP to run stock-only, or only with approved mods distributed with the MP code. That way, all MP players have the same mods.

A more complex solution would be for servers to be set up with a list of approved mods (including version numbers!). The server can refuse connection to players who don't have the relevant mods, or could download the missing mods to a player. Players could search for servers that allowed their favourite mods.

[Rainbowtrout]

I believe that there should be an option to protect servers with passwords, and maybe a player limit. But, a large community server does sound like fun, but a bit chaotic.

[Sandworm]

Harvester is spending too much time with interviewers and convention people. This departure towards muliplayer seems driven more by indi trends and than anything else. KSP was an early-access indi game when being so was cool. Now all of the top games on steam are "early-access" and "indi". So Harvester adopts multiplayer ... and suddenly KSP looks cool again. The interviewers have new questions and Harvester can leak tidbits to keep them interested. That's much more fun than discussing new engines, new planets or mathematical bug squashing. The reality is that neither KSP nor Squad are suited for multiplayer development. This is going to be a long uphill battle, ending in a cluster of griefer-managment issues.

But perhaps problems are the real goal of muliplayer. The downside of the indi development cycle is that eventually you have to finish projects. Not the entire game, but you have to eventually say that this or that aspect is actually done. That is a scary time for developers. Just look at what happened to Persson (Notch) as Minecraft became feature-complete (the war of words with Yogscast at 2011 minecon). Taking on new, huge tasks like muliplayer buys time. It will allow squad to continue the "it's alpha" act for another year. That might be a good thing if it keeps Squad motivated, but can be a very bad thing if it means that KSP languishes under multi-month or even year-long waits for incremental improvements.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Sandworm

[Michaelo90]

Multiplayer could be really fun if server admins get proper tools to keep griefers and other unwanted players out, but that's not even close to being the biggest problem.

The real problem is time warp. The game depends on it, and how would you implement it on a server? If one player wants to do an interplanetary transfer and one player wants to land somewhere at the same time, one of them will be unhappy.

[Albert VDS]

There is no departure of anything, Squad hired to handle the mp part.

The next updates will be like the previous ones:

-New game mechanics

-New content

-Fixes

And now with the addition the base for mp and adding upon it every updater after that.

[HafCoJoe]

The way its done in KMP with time warp is very well done. I see their form of separate time zones and syncing with other players as the only way to work.

[Tribel]

Or, indeed, "stock only" and "selected mods only" servers. Password protection only works until a griefer learns the password and passes it on to his friends!

There is a deep problem with mods and MP: How does my KSP install reder your mod-mad craft if I don't have the relevant mods? How do servers report heavily-modded craft properly if they aren't mod aware?

The simplest solution would be to force MP to run stock-only, or only with approved mods distributed with the MP code. That way, all MP players have the same mods.

A more complex solution would be for servers to be set up with a list of approved mods (including version numbers!). The server can refuse connection to players who don't have the relevant mods, or could download the missing mods to a player. Players could search for servers that allowed their favourite mods.

The way mods work in the DarkMultiplayer mod for KSP is it won't let you add any modded in parts to your craft unless they are on the server mod part list.

[DVS314]

I suspect it will be more like Team Fortress 2, or another limited-server model. It's a lot easier that way - game development is somewhat easier when assuming small numbers of players, and it means we can set up our own servers and have our own little worlds, rather than depending on Squad to set up the possibly hugely expensive server systems needed to handle large numbers of players.

That makes more sense honestly.

[KerbMav]

I suspect it will be more like Team Fortress 2, or another limited-server model. It's a lot easier that way - game development is somewhat easier when assuming small numbers of players, and it means we can set up our own servers and have our own little worlds, rather than depending on Squad to set up the possibly hugely expensive server systems needed to handle large numbers of players.

Yup, often missed the option to play "online at home" with other games - the complete lack of LAN support for some is also strange.