Stellaris Dev Diary #23 - Multiplayer

[Tzeentch_]

Let's start with the basics. Players are able to host games with 32 player designed empires and optionally, several extra randomized AI empires. If you have a new person who would like to join an ongoing campaign they can hotjoin into an already existing empire. This also allows the players to leave or take a break from the ongoing multiplayer campaign and leave their empire in the capable hands of the AI. The host may also choose to host a multiplayer game from a save game allowing players to play grand campaigns lasting several weeks.

As someone that's played an absurd amount of EU4 multiplayer:

 

[REDDQ]

I am more of a solo player but extra pictures are always nice =)

 

[Wizzington]

Wait, wasnt it confirmed Wiz started working on the AI only recently? theirs already going to be a dev diary about it?

I'm not the only person who has been working on Stellaris AI.

 

[Alexivan]

Since wargoals are chosen before the war starts, do we also have some kind of surrender rule?

Can the defender give up 100% of the wargoal and stop the war immediately?

Both sides of a war can surrender and end the war instantly by agreeing to all the demands of the opponent side.

I often play EU games with only one friend. Kind of SP experience mixed with skype talking and stuff. Will we have the possibility to force a start close to each other? Because you mentioned it is possible to not see the whole galaxy when the game ends I guess it would also be possible to have next to no interaction with some other empires and it would be sad if that is my friends empire ^^ Ok, 2 player Games might not be a high priority but 4-6 player games could be more common (if you like to play with non strangers that is) and in a vast galaxy that could still feel a little SP like. Of course you always could choose a smaller galaxy size but... just no! ^^

Good point, It's currently random, but we might add an option for clustering players together

 

[Jormungandur]

Is the MP testing all done between people in the same building, or have you been doing tests with players scattered around the country/continent/planet, with varying connection speeds as well? IIRC, the initial EU4 MP was planned to do what you describe, and did so in the dev MP games, but failed when players tried to do those sorts of big games and hotjoin over the open internet.

We've had some pretty large MP-games where we've mixed players from our office and people from outside Sweden/Europe, working fine.

 

[Zwirbaum]

Polish Translation in spoiler.

Spoiler: Polish Translation

Good news everyone!*

W dzisiejszym pamiętniku dewelopera zajmiemy się trybem wieloosobowym, I tym co sprawia że jest świetny w Stellaris.

Zacznijmy od podstaw. Gracze mogą zakładać gry z 32 imperiami stworzonymi przez nich samych i dodatkowo, kilka losowych imperiów sterowanych przez Sztuczną Inteligencję. Nowy gracz, który chciałby wskoczyć w trwającą już kampanię, może skorzystać z opcji hotjoin i zasiąść za sterami już istniejącego imperium. Pozwala to też graczom na opuszczanie lub robienie przerw od toczących się kampanii wieloosobowych i zostawić to w rękach sprawnej SI. Osoba zakładająca rozgrywkę, może też zakładać grę z zapisanego stanu gry, pozwalającego na rozegranie Wielkich Kampanii trwających tygodnie.

Jednym z problemów, które trapiły nasze rozgrywki wieloosobowe były desynchronizacje między klientami. Problem, który można było rozwiązać poprzez ‘rehostowanie’, rozwiązanie to było uciążliwe, a szczególnie w grach z 20+ osobami. Postanowiliśmy dać rozwiązaniu tej kwestii wyższy priorytet w Stellaris. Dzięki ciągłym testom, i łataniu out-of-sync (desynchronizacji) tak szybko jak tylko się pojawiały, udało się uczynić nam rozgrywkę wieloosobową w tej grze, jako najbardziej stabilną z wszystkich naszych dotychczasowych. Pozwala na prowadzenie stabilnych rozgrywek wieloosobowych do 32 graczy (jak nie więcej). Testujemy stabilność co tydzień, poprzez prowadzenie galaktycznych bojów, między deweloperami i beta-testerami. Czy musimy dodawać że zapewnia kupę frajdy?

Zaprojektowaliśmy Stellaris z paroma rzeczami, które wpływają na rozgrywkę wieloosobową.

Jedną z tych rzeczy jest to że imperia mają współczynnik relacji z innymi imperiami. Wartość ta jednak nie wpływa na opcje dyplomatyczne gracz jakie może wykonać, jedynie wpływa na odpowiedzi i reakcje w państwach controlowanych przez SI na Twoje żądania, propozycje czy prośby.

Inną rzeczą która wyróżnia Stellaris spośród naszych dotychczasowych gier strategicznych, jest symetryczny I losowy start, co sprawia że gracze powinni zaczynać na podobnych warunkach. To w naszym odczuciu, i z doświadczenia, sprawia że rozgrywka jest ciekawsza, zabawniejsza, oraz w większym stopniu konkurencyjna. Czy uda Ci się sprawić że Twoje roszczenia do bogatego w surowce systemu planetarnego staną się rzeczywistością, czy Twój sąsiad je zniweczy? Czy wstąpisz do sojuszu, żeby powstrzymać konkretnego sąsiada przed ekspansją w Twoim kierunku?

Jedną z rzeczy, które wpływają na doznania płynące z rozgrywki dla wielu graczy, w jej wczesnym etapie, jest to, że gracze są anonimowi dla siebie, dopóki nie nawiąże się komunikacji pomiędzy imperiami. Zapewnia to dozę niepewności czy pierwsze obce istoty, które gracz napotka, będą jego wiernym sojusznikiem czy najgorszym wrogiem.

Za tydzień zajmiemy się SI – Sztuczną Inteligencją

* Futurama anyone?

 

[Lichslayer]

 

[CheesySnake]

I think I preferred referring to Avian fleets as "Murder". Please tell me there's a crow-like Avian species.

I'm hoping I can have an owl-like species with a constitutional monarchy. A parliament within a parliament.

 

[Jormungandur]

two quick questions: One, is it always correct?
and two: Does it always determine the winner of a battle or is it just a suggestion?

There is no way for one number to be "correct". Say fleet A is rated 100 and fleet B is rated 80. Perhaps in most cases, fleet A is superior, but you can't rule out that fleet B was designed to take advantage of A's weaknesses. Like A has a lot of small craft with light weapons that have a hard time penetrating B's heavy armor. In Stellaris, every shot is simulated and shown in the graphics. It's not just a meaningless light show.

EntropyAvatar is pretty much spot on. Beyond the strengths/weaknesses between the fleets there's also a fair amount of random-rolls that go on (hits, misses, damage-rolls etc), plenty enough to make sure the "correct" fleet wins most of the time but if a few critical rolls miss the combat can sway to unexpected results.

 

[Wizzington]

I'm skeptical of this fixing out desynchronization. Sure you guys test it, but you guys are in an office where you develop the game and I assume logically that this is the same place where you test synchronization for multiplayer. But how do you know your solutions will actutally work when you got people from Europe, USA, Asia, etc all playing in one game with various internet connections as opposed to the testing in the office.

The betas we test with are all over the world.

 

[Jormungandur]

Will it be possible to play as part of a federation with more than one human? Imagine the plotting possibilities.

And if you lose a war and become a vassal, you can remain in the game as long as you're not annexed, I guess?

Yes, and yes.

 

[TheDungen]

Sounds nice, I may even try multiplayer one day.

And yes thta was a friendly reminder that most people play single player and prefer the game to be balanced for that primarily.

 

[Jormungandur]

@Jormungandur Since you are here, is it possible for 2 (or more) players to manage the same nation, like in EU4?

Can't wait to play multiplayer now.

It is not, no.

Is the fire icon next to fleet number/cap means firepower points or something? How would the game measure it? The one in distant worlds don't work at all, as their "firepower" based on weapon type are far from real dps.

It's the estimated power-value of the fleet, yes. It uses some pretty arcane math, taking in to account both defensive and offensive stats.

 

[Yenzen]

Not a fan of multiplayer in general in these sorts of games, but even less of a fan of how this seems to be affecting the design of the proper game. For example the symmetrical starts which were obviously added in for Multiplayer, are now part of the single player game as well. I personally think multiplayer should be a separate add-on akin to a DLC so it's less likely to affect design decisions in the future.

Symmetrical starts are a norm in most 4X games, which Stellaris is Paradox's take on. Since they are not tied to historical fact, there is furthermore nothing to stop them from doing it and if it was just for MP, they could simply have made it a part only in MP.

It was not designed this way because of MP. The majority of paradox players don't even participate in it!

 

[Boodas]

leave their empire in the capable hands of the AI

 

[Sellt]

Please record one of these game sessions and make it available to watch

 

[Yenzen]

I hope the 1,000 who play MP will be thankful I helped finance what that took resources away from the single player experience.

Kind of disappointing with this and next weeks diary not having gameplay system explained.Good A.I is vital but it not as interesting as hearing about ground combat,ect.

Again with the "Paradox is fundamentally shaping their game for MP first and foremost and the overall design is suffering from it". Do we have any official statement that MP is the focus for Stellaris? That anything significant would be different if MP was disabled?

It is a 4X. They traditionally have synchronous starts. It is not EU4 or CK2 in space, though they have Grand Strategy elements. This is ONE DD dedicated to MP...

How much of the actual work designing this game is centered around making MP work, now that they use Steam?

 

[Koopatin]

I often play EU games with only one friend. Kind of SP experience mixed with skype talking and stuff. Will we have the possibility to force a start close to each other? Because you mentioned it is possible to not see the whole galaxy when the game ends I guess it would also be possible to have next to no interaction with some other empires and it would be sad if that is my friends empire ^^ Ok, 2 player Games might not be a high priority but 4-6 player games could be more common (if you like to play with non strangers that is) and in a vast galaxy that could still feel a little SP like. Of course you always could choose a smaller galaxy size but... just no! ^^

 

[Mrop]

I hope the problems with using different OS will be fixed.
It sux that I can play EU4 with only half of my friends.

When we play in the office, there are about 2-3 Linux players and I think 1 Mac player. Linux/Mac usually have the same OOS issues due to being compiled by the same compiler.