RPG Multiplayer Ideas.

[Kamsko]

Disclaimer: Not a suggestion! Discussion instead!

This is mostly so I can get a lot of the ideas I have been having about multiplayer out into written form. These stem from what is currently in the game now and on what is generally planned to be in eventually. I have gone in a more RPG with HEAVY emphasis on the RP path. But first a few things to make note of before all of this. There shall be NO time warp in multiplayer. I know no one has the time to sit and stare into empty space for 7 hours during a Mun transfer but this isn't about that. I'll go into more detail about that later. I was focusing more on things the groups of players can do together, or against each other. My intent was to come up with a way that a large player base could get on one server and expect to work on the ultimate goal of going to space.

The most important part of this ENTIRE machine is you, the player. So here is what you can expect as a player on my fictional server.

*players control only one single kerbal, much as if this character was you in kerbal form in first person perspective only. (RP bro)

-Can either be hired onto existing space program, or with cash start a new competing one.

-Can hire NPC kerbals to do simple crewman tasks on ships, or maintain a space station.

-Able to specialize in roles aboard what ever craft people can dream up. I'm talking Pilot, Engineer, EVA specialist, Captain or flight commander. Things more interesting than being the space janitor, of course I don't want to stop you from living a Kerbal SS13 fantasy.

-Players all have persistent inventory of items including but not limited to. Cash, snacks, various forms of EVA suits, other personal belongings useful or not. most of which can be stored aboard the ship/station/ground base, you serve on in your personal quarters.

-Players have relation status similar to that of X3AP for all Space program/corps, all freelance players are neutral. (Argon enemy, Confirmed friend, Trusted Adviser.)

-Players make the laws of space, it can be a rough and tough country or it can be all sunshine and bubblegum.

Before this becomes some long over drawn out wall of useless text I'm going to list up things I think players would enjoy doing together in space.

This list could get quite long, but I wanted you guys to fill in the gaps and add what you think would be fun to do together in space. So I will only write down what I have already came up with before starting this thread. Order is not important.

*Organizing a rather large group of fellow Kerbals to get a massive station built in a few hours.

-In game voice system only that works off of existing in game coms satalites or ship board coms for communications to ANY one not with in ear shot. So people not on your ship.

-Designate areas of your station for visitors and locked secure areas for employees/other trusted peoples to work at your station from.

-Bulletin terminals for posting bounties, cargo hauling contracts, missions, what ever silly sticky note you feel like leaving.

*Make a home for your self in space

-Lock up your valuable goods in your quarters. The safest place for your things.

-Player quarters can be looted, but must be broken into first, nothing of ship/station importance may be hidden there. (like the matter/anti-matter reactor for instance, Geordi La-Kerman needs a girl friend)

-Player quarters act as a safe haven for players, allowing a "safer" logout place. Can't really put you back in that room if it gets blown up while your offline.

-Cash credit bank terminal in quarters, allowing you to put money in a place it cant get looted off of you, and where your next of Kin will get inheritance money from his/her most recently diseased family member. ei you when you died last.

-On death you will get a new name, a new life to walk.

*Competing with other player made and ran space programs.

*Explore far and wide to find resource deposits that will greatly help your program, or the entire Kerbol system.

-Screens inside of ships and bases can offer external 3rd person views

*hoard your exploited extra-kerbal resources, or trade them to other programs or space corps at a cost.

*get fed up with taking orders and go freelancer or start a Space Corp, all you need is your own ship.

-Players can only pilot space craft either owned or permitted to operate.

-Most ships and stations will be the collective property of the Space programs or corps, and permissions can be edited by officers with that ability.

*Be an airline pilot that transfers other fellow astronauts all around Kerbin, or Laythe.

-Or take them on a bus tour of New Kerbin City! Imagine a KSP car wreck!

*engage in free trade of goods, resources, parts, mining or base building claims

-Feel like a Freelancer or X pilot all over again, but in a bigger game word.

*Colonize worlds for the Kerbol empire, or succeed and claim the world for your own Empire.

-Empire consists of 1 or more Space Programs

-A space program consists of 1 or more space corporations that own some way of building and launching ships. VAB/SPH/OCB(Orbital Construction Bay)/Mun base space port.

*Have space/air/and land armed conflicts. (Because who wants to play a multiplayer space game as good as this and NOT blow some one else up)

-Legal consequences for blowing up ships not "At War" or ships of freelance pilots that initiated engagement

-Other players, perhaps part of an orbital security agency, can hunt these war criminals/pirates/scum bags down and either bring them in or end them as per the crime demands.

-harsher penalties for causing the death of another kerbal

-ability to build prisons or holding cells inside any construct.

-Combat EVA suits. Would come with more armor, a gun of some kind, HUD with FoF and limited target tracking. (Can target other EVA kerbals only)

*Be a Bounty hunter, less restricted by red tape and may freely engage wanted criminals with what ever force is necessary or demanded. Such as a reward only being valid for live players

*Be a space pirate! Loot lonesome vessels, strand the crew in the unforgiving black, sell the goods at a piracy friendly station, or try your luck not getting called out at a KSP or other Program funded station.

*Smuggle Illegal cargo to places. http://www.x3wiki.com/index.php/Space_Weed

*Be a debris hauler of justice! Make space safe! Fire up Toybox and go collect some trash!

-Salvage drifting hulks, explore the insides if they still exist. Find out what happened to the crew. Salvage what you can.

-Salvage EVA suits. Comes with hooks and wire for securing salvage to your ship, or generally making your EVA time a little safer.

*Take part in the wild and fast paced world of breath taking science and industry!

-Research new parts in what is hopefully a stupid massive tech tree

-Craft parts on kerbin for standard cost/quality/efficiency of materials, plus you got to get it to orbit too.

-Craft parts in orbit, on the Mun, or where ever else you can manage to put a foundry capable of making parts for your space ship. Quality/cost/efficiency of materials, dependent on designer skill for blue prints, crafter skill for the forging, and over all factory quality/state of repair.

-Technician/Normal EVA suit. The current EVA suit but it comes with more tools than you would normally get with current EVA, able to fix a wider variety of things than rover wheels that the other suits can't cover.

-Final-FINAL-the very last few things on the tech tree might be FTL tech level. Because it's been said that more stars eventually, but multiplayer has no time warp, so good luck being a purist on that voyage. and I mean these are so far down it would take an Eve level of dedication to nothing but science to achieve before a year or two passes IRL.

I could go on but with how freely you can design your space craft the possibilities are near endless. Of course I would like to avoid any sort of system that would put undue constraints on a player. However I know that saying, "KSP as it is going to be at launch and every one should listen to these rule" would result in certain anger and frustration.

On the other hand I do not have any problem with people blowing my stuff up as long as it was for a better reason than ol becasue I fet like it, or you killed my last kerbal, unless of course there is RP cause for a revenge story, might be cool.

Thoughts? Comments? No posting about how you don't want multiplayer or any thing else I mentioned, this isn't a suggestion, just an idea thread. So please only add your ideas to this discussion.

[Ryu Gemini]

I admit to not reading the entire thing very thoroughly, but multiplayer isn't really viable outside of that "pseudo-multiplayer" mod that lets you simply see where other people are at the moment and chat with them. So you'd either have to use that for your RP thing, or find a way to use a system like that thread where people pass around the same save file.

Actually, I take that back. There is ONE means to which it MIGHT be viable, if Squad were to try and implement it. Basically, they would have to set it up Minecraft style.

That is to say, one computer sets itself as the server, and would handle physics calculations for uncontrolled ships. Any player online (after connecting via an old-fashioned IP address entering) would have their ships physics be dealt with by their own computers (thats the only way a server could realistically handle this). Time warp would have to be disabled while two player-controlled vessels are within X distance from each other, for at least those two players. The only way to make it viable to actually enjoy the system though would be to allow players far enough away from each other to do any time warp they feel like.

This sort of system MIGHT make it possible for multiplayer KSP to be a reality. Emphasis on the might. At the least, it would naturally tend to be low population clusters of players spread out among player-hosted servers, such that Squad wouldn't have to worry about maintaining a server themselves.

Its the only realistic option I can think of for how to make multiplayer actually work in this game. Ships not in use don't require much resources given a player can have a hundred things in orbit, yet its only when their computer has to have two things in orbit NEXT TO EACH OTHER, and one of them is being controlled, that it suddenly has issues (i.e. most objects only have their basic orbital whatnot calculated for them as a whole, and its only the player ship and that giant station they are trying to dock with that gets all the physics calculated for in their entirety).

[Kamsko]

I realize Squad isn't going to pick this up and bother to set up and maintain a server. At most I expect a minecraft style server in a box .exe. At the very least I expect nothing to be done about this, especially since I include weapons in my op. However I care not for implementation at this time for trying to maintain such an effort would be foolish and time consuming so early in development.

I do however see this as a mod effort once the game is released and not updating regularly. In this effect I only care about exploring the possibilities as a well thought out multiplayer experience would increase this games shelf lilfe exponentially, and even a third party hosted multiplayer server might increase sales after release because of people who want in on the MP action.

[GROOV3ST3R]

I'm not trying to rain on your parade but...

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/26375-Multiplayer?highlight=timewarp+multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/22053-Multiplayer-personal-server?highlight=timewarp+multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/16451-Suggestion-Muliplayer?highlight=timewarp+multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/23240-Come-Fly-With-Me?highlight=timewarp+multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/28209-Multiplayer-in-KSP?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/27907-the-greatest-multiplayer-idea-ever!!!!!?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/27138-I-m-making-a-multiplayer-Mod-and-would-like-to-discuss-some-possible-implementations?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/27493-Addon-make-your-own-system-and-add-ur-own-missions-that-others-can-play?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/26691-Simple-form-of-multiplayer-some-development-questions?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/24926-0-19-Kerbal-LiveFeed-Passive-Multiplayer-Plugin-Client-Server-v0-6-1?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/26626-KSP-Pass-the-save-file-website?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/26775-Online-multiplayer?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/19785-0-16-WIN-mac-Kermageddon-Multiplayer-0-1-Community-Feedback-Alpha?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/8610-0-14-0-16-Kessler-asynchronous-shared-world-multiplayer-%28-save-editor%29?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/22701-Why-does-multi-player-have-to-be-hard?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/17033-Multi-Co-op-Play?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/21126-Multiplayer?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/20870-A-way-to-impliment-multiplayer?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/20820-Multiplayer?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/16253-Revive-the-multiplayer-project?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/8736-The-Multiplayer-Project?highlight=multiplayer+project

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/20670-Multiplayer-but-hear-me-out-please?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/18317-Possible-Start-to-KSP-Multiplayer-Community-Project?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/18415-MultiPlayer?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/18324-Multiplayer-Idea-For-V-17-Or-possibly-V-18?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/15804-Multiplayer-Idea-0-17?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/15727-Will-there-be-multiplayer?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/15160-5-Quick-Ideas-for-Multiplayer-to-Consider-%28and-Single-player%29?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/12700-Server-Side-Multi-Player?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/13270-Multiplayer-networking-using-Raknet?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/12586-Is-an-online-mode-possible?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/9463-Some-ideas-for-solving-the-logistics-issues-for-multiplayer?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/11562-Fans-of-KSP-wishing-for-a-multiplayer-space-combat-experience-unite!?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/10611-Idea-Multiplayer-Space-Conquest!?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/9134-Multiplayer-sever?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/9354-Multiplay-%28YAMT%29?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/7921-Multiplayer?highlight=multiplayer

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/71-%28pedido%29modo-multiplayer?highlight=multiplayer

forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/28079-Not-your-average-multiplayer-discussion

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/17168-What-not-to-suggest

and now http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/34725-RPG-Multiplayer-Ideas

[Kamsko]

I'm not trying to rain on your parade but...

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/17168-What-not-to-suggest

and now http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/34725-RPG-Multiplayer-Ideas

Line 1

Disclaimer: Not Suggestion! discussion instead!

Final line

No posting about how you don't want multiplayer or any thing else I mentioned, this isn't a suggestion, just an idea thread. So please only add your ideas to this discussion.

[OdinYggd]

This is still suggesting some type of multiplayer, even though as somebody else demonstrates there have been tons of other threads about it.

At this point pretty much every common take on the idea has been discussed to death. There isn't a whole lot of wiggle room.

Not only that, but should multilayer come into existence it will first appear as a plugin. Stock multiplayer is not going to be added any time soon, the current development roadmap just plain has no room for it.

You also have a rather ambitious set of requirements and extra features that would have to be implemented to make this work the way you envision it. I daresay it is the most complex multiplayer suggestion to date.

[Fel]

X Universe != KSP

XD

X Universe != KSP

XD

Mind you, I hate X Universe physics because I see right through them... but KSP Physics would make dog fighting nearly impossible. Let alone the lack of any aliens, colonizations... space life...

Did you suggest this on X-Universe forums, because you REALLY seem to be talking about X-Universe and not KSP. (Oh, and I remember them as extremely closed group [with some E.V.E. hate, I believe] so they might have been... yeah...)

Reading back over a bit... you are mostly talking about X-Universe but you're blending it a little with KSP... but practically only in name, the generas are so different that you really... well...

Edited June 8, 2013 by Fel

[Kamsko]

X Universe != KSP

XD

X Universe != KSP

XD

Mind you, I hate X Universe physics because I see right through them... but KSP Physics would make dog fighting nearly impossible. Let alone the lack of any aliens, colonizations... space life...

Did you suggest this on X-Universe forums, because you REALLY seem to be talking about X-Universe and not KSP. (Oh, and I remember them as extremely closed group [with some E.V.E. hate, I believe] so they might have been... yeah...)

Reading back over a bit... you are mostly talking about X-Universe but you're blending it a little with KSP... but practically only in name, the generas are so different that you really... well...

I do like the X series yes. However the reason you see those over tones is because i like the idea of a free trade economy to encourage player interaction and team work, or the exact opposite in some cases. Freelancer and the X series did this very well. As for dog fights in space... it's entirely possible, but fully unnecessary. In fact fighter craft really have no place in space combat at all.

As for alien life and what not, that's what other players in other corps will do for you. Don't like flying the trade lanes? Don't trade then, there are plenty of other occupations you could take up

in this version of KSPMP. I for one would probably take up debris salvaging, or Orbital Security Agency EVA specialist.

[Sleipnir]

No, simply no.

Imagine the griefing in MP......no MOAR MP ideas!

[Kamsko]

No, simply no.

Imagine the griefing in MP......no MOAR MP ideas!

Ya didn't read did you.

[Lewin225]

I admit to not reading the entire thing very thoroughly, but multiplayer isn't really viable outside of that "pseudo-multiplayer" mod that lets you simply see where other people are at the moment and chat with them. So you'd either have to use that for your RP thing, or find a way to use a system like that thread where people pass around the same save file.

Actually, I take that back. There is ONE means to which it MIGHT be viable, if Squad were to try and implement it. Basically, they would have to set it up Minecraft style.

That is to say, one computer sets itself as the server, and would handle physics calculations for uncontrolled ships. Any player online (after connecting via an old-fashioned IP address entering) would have their ships physics be dealt with by their own computers (thats the only way a server could realistically handle this). Time warp would have to be disabled while two player-controlled vessels are within X distance from each other, for at least those two players. The only way to make it viable to actually enjoy the system though would be to allow players far enough away from each other to do any time warp they feel like.

This sort of system MIGHT make it possible for multiplayer KSP to be a reality. Emphasis on the might. At the least, it would naturally tend to be low population clusters of players spread out among player-hosted servers, such that Squad wouldn't have to worry about maintaining a server themselves.

Its the only realistic option I can think of for how to make multiplayer actually work in this game. Ships not in use don't require much resources given a player can have a hundred things in orbit, yet its only when their computer has to have two things in orbit NEXT TO EACH OTHER, and one of them is being controlled, that it suddenly has issues (i.e. most objects only have their basic orbital whatnot calculated for them as a whole, and its only the player ship and that giant station they are trying to dock with that gets all the physics calculated for in their entirety).

You are all so negative, this aint how things get done, im going to go learn unity and make Ryu's idea, To hell with what is taboo to discuss, this will be made

[sytaline]

You are all so negative, this aint how things get done, im going to go learn unity and make Ryu's idea, To hell with what is taboo to discuss, this will be made

Yay, I hope he has a hidden talent for Unity!

[Beeman]

I had an idea similar to this but less...needlessly complex.

My idea for multiplayer was just EVA/IVA shenanigans. Basically what we're already going to be able to do, but with other people. Of course, being as it'll be a multiplayer experience, there can be no time-warp thus no controllable vehicles with rockets. Maybe RCS-boosted rovers or maybe you can't pilot/drive vehicles unless they have a rover seat and no rocket engines. Or somethin' like that, anyways.

You don't need elaborate, complicated systems of RP nonsense to have a fulfilling multiplayer experience that fits within the scope of KSP. You don't even need to be piloting rockets. Though you'd maybe need to use a kind of shuttle or ferry to /teleport/ between bases. Hell, you don't even need that, you could just end the coop session and host a new one at a different base/station. For land bases, it could be like Moonbase Alpha.

I appreciate RP-themed ideas and stuff but yours is a bit too complex for the scope of KSP.

[Kamsko]

You are all so negative, this aint how things get done, im going to go learn unity and make Ryu's idea, To hell with what is taboo to discuss, this will be made

Woah you necroed my thread. You also have my full support in your efforts there.

Back when I posted this it was all about ideas of how MP might work out but back then we didn't know as much as we do now about the resource system and astronaut complex, and the hint hint wink winks about Kerbals being able to take on tasks them selves.

My ideas and hopes aside, I believe the end product of this game would be pretty close if not better than what ever it is I was talking about if there were a multiplayer side to this, third party or otherwise.

Is there a no bump feature? I feel sort of bad keeping this on the front page for now as I think crafting a multiplayer any thing would be sort of a useless effort until the game is closer to completion. Regardless hats off to you on this. If I had the time to learn my self I would help but I can offer my services as a tester down the road.