# Multiplayer online gaming: sell it to me, plz



## mrs quoad (Nov 17, 2011)

I was brought up on the BBC Basic and NES, with a bit of later SNES progressing to amphetamine-fuelled N64 Super Mariokart action at university.

Like, the principle of those games was that you complete the single player campaign, and then you complete it again, and then you complete it again. And then you complete it lots more times.

Maybe, with some games, like Mariokart / Goldfinger, you progressed to playing with a handful of friends. In the same room. Probably equally mashed.

I get all that.

What I really struggle to get is more recent online games. Like, I tried with Borderlands. Having got a suitably leveled-up and appropriately useful character, on several occasions I tried joining Gamespy (?) efforts. And found the experience pretty horrible. In those games I tried, after some difficulties with lobbies and logging in and connections and allsorts, I kinda found that I was confronted by swarms of discourteous and ill-mannered loot-grabbers. The whole experience seemed to lack any conviviality or bonhomie, and (in the small selection of games I tried) seemed to be dominated by rather surly youths interested in little more than the development of their own character at all costs.

The 'chat' function proved rather monosyllabic, uncommunicative, and generally directed towards uncharitable character slurs.

Is this typical?! If so, what is multiplayer online meant to add to single player? 'BETTER LOOT' seems to be the answer in Borderlands. But better loot at the cost of being ransacked by a gaggle of obnoxious scrotes.

I am guessing this is where clans come in? *sigh*


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## Kanda (Nov 17, 2011)

I used to play Everquest 40 hours a week.. and have a full time job... and a relationship (live in girlfriend)... how the fuck??!!

Steer clear


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## Crispy (Nov 17, 2011)

Unless you do it with people you already know, it's shit.


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## ohmyliver (Nov 17, 2011)

depends on the game really.

But it's mostly more fun playing against human intelligence (or with in the case of the excellent Left 4 Dead series) than programmed A.I.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Nov 17, 2011)

that being said i have had great fun with it  BUT only as LAN party style gaming


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## Shippou-Sensei (Nov 17, 2011)

see also


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## Pingu (Nov 18, 2011)

you get to shout noob and other insults at people from all over the world.

what sort of games do you like?


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 19, 2011)

Crispy said:


> Unless you do it with people you already know, it's shit.



True to an extent although Battlefield tends to be the exception that proves the rule. That said Halo online is just a massive fragfest and it makes no difference to the gaming experience if you know anyone or not...


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## Riklet (Nov 19, 2011)

I dunno, i came of age running around shooting people in the head lots with AKs on Counter Strike.  Rather sadly I think I clocked up 1500 hours in 3 years.  Which is a lot.... christ.   Then again I can still navigate around a fair few maps with my eyes closed and cause geeks on the other side of the world to scream with anguish and rage through my 1337 headshot skillz.  Totes worth it...

You checked out Eve Online? Now that still holds a few of my friends in its firm grip.  Games like that are like some long, drawn out middle of the night speed fuelled fiddle session, where you can't stop pressing buttons, prodding and twiddling away, even though you know you should just put your broken portable radio down and head to bed...


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 19, 2011)

1500 hours in 3 years isn't that much...


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## grit (Nov 19, 2011)

Crispy said:


> Unless you do it with people you already know, it's shit.



Thats very game dependent, it doesn't apply to starcraft 2 at all, one of the biggest multiplayer games.


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## grit (Nov 19, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> 1500 hours in 3 years isn't that much...


wow I only have 200 on my most played game


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 20, 2011)

I did 500 odd on Battlefield Bad Company 2 over the course of 18 months...


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## Monkeygrinder's Organ (Nov 20, 2011)

I've never bothered to try it tbh. I get the impression it mostly involves getting killed a lot and called a 'fag' or something similar by teenagers.


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## smmudge (Nov 20, 2011)

Playing mariokart online on the wii is good fun though, especially since you can't actually talk to anyone. People always choose rainbow road trying to look really clever but they're shit at it really, I always win that one. Try to play when Japan is alseep though because they're scarily good at it.


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## FridgeMagnet (Nov 20, 2011)

It can be quite fun for some things, but it's massively overrated in general. Some people just can't cope with the idea of a game without it - people criticised Portal and Fallout 3 for not having online multiplayer ffs - and it gets used to excuse games from having any sort of decent single-player mode.


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## Bernie Gunther (Nov 21, 2011)

If you're going to be an obnoxious scrote, do it properly I say ...


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## Mumbles274 (Nov 22, 2011)

smmudge said:


> Playing mariokart online on the wii is good fun though, especially since you can't actually talk to anyone. People always choose rainbow road trying to look really clever but they're shit at it really, I always win that one. Try to play when Japan is alseep though because they're scarily good at it.


have you seen any of those vids with people doing mental times on rainbow road? scarily good and know all the little boost tricks and shortcuts you wouldn't even think of


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## fractionMan (Nov 22, 2011)

If you're gonna put in all those hours and effort mastering a game then I'd recommend you put em into poker.


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## smmudge (Nov 23, 2011)

Mumbles274 said:


> have you seen any of those vids with people doing mental times on rainbow road? scarily good and know all the little boost tricks and shortcuts you wouldn't even think of



Heh no I've not seen any of those...I don't think I could manage any shortcuts on rainbow road, navigating the main track is confusing enough!


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## TitanSound (Nov 23, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> 1500 hours in 3 years isn't that much...



Over the past 10 years I've clocked up around 3000 hours just on Battlefield games. I dread to think the total of all the others I was addicted to


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## Chz (Nov 23, 2011)

I just came in to post the exact same picture as Shippy. That's my experience of online games.


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## fractionMan (Nov 23, 2011)

I have no idea how many hours it takes to clock up half a million hands of poker, but that's about the size of it for me.


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## rubbershoes (Nov 23, 2011)

Playing online can make you a better player. I'm on left 4 dead 2 atm The bots are a bit shit. They never innovate and so you won't develop as a player. But playing with and against real people gives you new ideas and a chance to try out new tactics.

A lot of people online act as moronically  but plenty don't.The old counterstrike clan had a lot going for it


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## no-no (Nov 23, 2011)

Multiplayer can be great fun but if you don't have time to keep up with the perks/upgrades or just keep your skills in check you're going to get pissed off with your death count.

Coop is the way to go, more and more games are adding coop modes too, a very good thing indeed. Deathmatch is ok for a bit but  like the story modes, the end of level bosses, puzzles etc of the single player experience.

Having said that there aren't many things as satisfying as stabbing some little shit who's been mouthing off in battlefield.


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## wtfftw (Nov 23, 2011)

Who's up for some mario kart then?


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## Corax (Nov 23, 2011)

I'm just not competitive enough when it comes to games.  I want to chill out and have fun, and I don't give a tiny hoot if I'm crap.  The impression I get of online gaming is that it has too much misplaced testosterone for my liking.  And think other players would get a bit pissed off at my inept antics as well tbh!


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## geminisnake (Nov 23, 2011)

smmudge said:


> Heh no I've not seen any of those...I don't think I could manage any shortcuts on rainbow road, navigating the main track is confusing enough!



I don't know this particular game but sometimes the shortcuts can be easier.


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## smmudge (Nov 23, 2011)

geminisnake said:


> I don't know this particular game but sometimes the shortcuts can be easier.



ahhh.. I bet that's how those pesky japanese get round so fast!


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## FridgeMagnet (Nov 23, 2011)

wtfftw said:


> Who's up for some mario kart then?


I used to do quite a lot of mario kart DS multiplayer, but as soon as the time came to the point where the pacific rim started to wake up, I'd change from "hey I'm not bad at this" to "I think I might cry now".


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## wtfftw (Nov 23, 2011)

FridgeMagnet said:


> I used to do quite a lot of mario kart DS multiplayer, but as soon as the time came to the point where the pacific rim started to wake up, I'd change from "hey I'm not bad at this" to "I think I might cry now".


I play Wii Mario Kart online and you're shoved in a room with people of the same sort of ranking. 
I noticed someone cheating the other day tho, had a star all the way through. I don't understand that. It's not proper winning if you cheat.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Nov 23, 2011)

wtfftw said:


> It's not proper winning if you cheat.



i'm sorry i can't hear you over the sound of my roid rage


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## wtfftw (Nov 23, 2011)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> i'm sorry i can't hear you over the sound of my roid rage


Oh. Well, you could beat me in several senses of the word but it won't make you happy.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Nov 23, 2011)

hulk smash


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## FridgeMagnet (Nov 23, 2011)

You _are_ a big cheat though.


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## FridgeMagnet (Nov 23, 2011)

In a nice way of course.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Nov 23, 2011)

only to myself


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