Ideas for different Online Gameplay

[PantherX]

Hello Everyone!

Do you all have any ideas on how to make the game better for online play?

I am not with TM or any other SW house, just curious as to what other people think about online gaming in the City Builder games.
What would make it more fun for you?

I envision something like the C4 Empire game but on a real world level and not so much about population.

I do not mean PVP combat for land (like Risk) but imagine that you could trade with other players. Ask/pay/trade other online players for troops to help in a battle.

(long term)
I really see a world where different simulation type games can interact.. Imagine playing a game like Civ4 building a country.. But you could jump down and manage one of the cities similar to SimCity (building infrastructure) or C4/TM (building housing/production) type builders, then even another level where you could go into a house and play The Sims style. I suppose you could also go out another level to a space sim.

Ideas?;)
________
GR650 (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Suzuki_GR650)

[Gizza]

What I would like is something a bit like the Caesar's Challenge that is already there but a head-to-head version. This could even be done over LAN or TCP/IP. For instance I would create a game (either on a LAN, or in the net) and my friend can then join that game.

We would both play the exact same scenario with and Rome Requests etc happening to each other at the exact time, and the goal would simply be to finish the scenario before the other person. Of course there would be chat too so you can taunt the other play while u play.

This could probably even support an infinite amount of concurrent users. The players wouldn't need to be sending much data to each other beyond the chat, and perhaps their ratings (so you can see when a player is getting close to victory and the tension will build). Or at the very least you can see who is currently the closest to victory.

This would be a great way to just casually play with some friends and chat at the same time as well. Some times im in the mood to play Caesar 4, but im too busy chatting online with some friends. Caesar 4 is a game thats not too fast or hectic so you can easily have time to chat while playing.

Gizza

PS. Also that game you describe down the bottom sounds a lot like what Spore is going to be like.

[Aussie Fran]

imagine that you could trade with other players. Ask/pay/trade other online players for troops to help in a battle.

I like this idea - particularly if players are provided with different commodities (resources and luxury items), meaning that they would have to trade in order to accomplish some feats. This would also enable chatting, as Gizza pointed out.:)

And what a fabulous way to teach new players...

Cheers,

Fran...

[Gizza]

I like this idea - particularly if players are provided with different commodities (resources and luxury items), meaning that they would have to trade in order to accomplish some feats.

I like the idea of playing almost a single player game, except that every city on the empire map is actually a city being played by someone else. This will enable chatting, trading amongst each other and even seeing how the neighboring cities are doing.

The potential in this game game for casual or non-competitive online play is really good.

[BRE III]

Reading your post on this subject I noticed most of you want player vs player and trading between players, possibley better graphics, less lag, different goals to shoot for on multi player online play. how about better control of you troops, even controling your ships. War or no war. It all on how you set up your goals. lots of trade routes to set up.... ya .. C4 your way behind the times. This game already exsist... well if your up for a more intense game that gose way deeper than C4... then try 1701AD.

oh yea there is even a demo avalible.

It may seem a little hard at first but if you get the game play the senerios it will teach you and they are quite fun as well. If you like C4 you will love 1701AD. Let me know what ya all think...

[Aussie Fran]

Ummm..... Correct me if I am wrong everyone, but I think that the very fact that this game is NOT war focused, i.e. controling of troups where the opponent is other players, is actually the strength of this game. I would assert that this game is actually AHEAD of the times for this reason. If you want troops and war and action, perhaps you need to look at the more mainstream games - there are literally hundreds of games that fit this category (in fact it's a little like trying to find the gold amongst a planet of rubble). I don't think COTN is actually attemping to slot into that type of game.

Cheers,

Fran...

[BRE III]

What i mean by "no war or war " is the fact you can turn this option on or off. 1701AD plays alot like C4, but is gose much deeper. In other words if C4 was going to come out with Caesar 5, it would probley be much like 1701AD. because it has everything that C4 is lacking.

[PantherX]

I tried the demo for 1701AD and although it looks cool, it is nothing like C4. It is a different type of city building and I am sure it can be fun in it's own way. Choosing warfare or no warfare, thats cool. I am a no warfare person ;)

Spore looks like it will be fun, I hope it lives up to all the expectations. :)
________
Kawasaki ZX600M (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Kawasaki_ZX600M)

[Gizza]

I too tried the 1701 AD Demo for a bit, and while it looks like a good game it really is not much like C4 at all. The most obvious fact being that the roman empire wasn't around in 1701 AD.