Multiplayer gaming - convince me.....

wunkley

wunkley

wunkley

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Yancashire
I've been a gamer since day one back when it all started. I've owned almost every console and been PC gaming since the late 90s, and now would say I'm predominantly a PC gamer.

I love single player games, preferably with an engaging story or narrative, but these seem few and far between these days.

Multiplayer to me ended when I used to play the odd game with a few mates or my other half - physically there in the room! - back in the N64 days.

I have never properly played a PC game online.

There I said it. I just don't get it. It all seems too confusing and I've just never had the will to give it a proper go. I experimented with need for speed rivals on PS4 recently but all I could hear was a Glaswegian youth drawling incoherently about how his PS4 had a vertical stand. It made me feel mentally ill.

Is this how it is? Please convince me that it can be great, and possibly recommend the best way, and games, that might help enlighten me....
 
It seems less so on PC - I got bored of 12 year old kids with gamertags like
"iixi OpTiC iXXXIXXiiiXXXX" telling me how many times they think they've slept with my mum, so I tried playing CoD on PC instead and it's completely different. Much less fannying around with wannabe noscopers and the like.

Of course if you mean MMOs, you're missing out on a whole world of fun. Nothing beats the teamwork and camaraderie of a 25 man raid in WoW for me!
 
The last multiplayer game I played and really enjoyed was Mass Effect 3 MP. Might give it another go actually.

I used to love MW4, RTCW, Op Flashpoint and more recently L4D and used to play a few MMOs but in all honesty, on the rare occasion where I get time to relax and game these days, I don't like having to deal with other people much so MP doesn't appeal to me like it used to.

Sadly the fun days of multiplayer with my RL mates are long gone - their wives/girlfriends/kids make sure they don't get any gaming time at all. Playing with strangers isn't really as much fun and I find it much harder these days to get into a "clan" type thing. It was easy to make new friends and find regular teams years back on the MSN Gaming Zone. :(
 
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I've done consoles and PC... and I find console multi-player horrific for the very reasons you listed.

They are easy access so you get a lot of kids with said gamertags just spouting crap out about how useless you are at XYZ and how fat your mum is. Obviously, this doesn't happen 100% of the time, there are occasions where you find some good players and nice guys/girls that will be in the games too.

On PC, its much more fun. you generally don't have to listen to other peoples microphones unless you specifically wish to. so that cancels the annoying children out. Depending on the game, you can choose to go it solo as well as teaming up. its a nice option to have.

The general feel is much more mature. but needless to say, you get the occasional idiot in any walk of life :)

Like Varwen said. The best multiplayer experiences for me have been 40-man/25-man raid groups using incredible amounts of teamwork with one goal in mind.
 
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Elder Scrolls Online looks promising.
Game is difficult, challenging, interesting.
Great lore.
Not so demanding on graphics, at least for entry level, but if you have a high end GPU visuals are breathtaking.
Endgame looks awesome so far.
Release date is 4th April, if you pre-order then you can get 5 days early access and some goodies.
A lot of people moan because game costs 50£ + subscription, but from what I have seen it is well worth it.
 
if you want a mp you can pop in and out for ten minutes or so to just to give it a try then have a look at World of Tanks its free to play.
 
Try some 'arena' games (a bunch of players thrown in 2 teams in a fixed map) - LoL, Dota 2, Battlefield 3/4, Team Fortress 2, World of Tanks.
Try a MMORPG (WoW, Eve Online, Guild Wards 2 are the best but here are decent free options).
You should also try co-op games (Borderlands 2, Left 4 Dead 2).
Sandbox survival games are growing nowadays too. Try Minecraft and Dayz.

If you don't like anything in this list, you might as well stick to single player.
 
I wont' recommend any game in particular but just say that it does have pockets of bad players, typically you want to try to get into a group, play on a server and then you'll expend your group/friends. Minecraft for me has probably been the best community of recent years, plenty of good servers with decent moderators and rule sets to play by. Most FPS shooters tend to be poor, MMOs are a mixed bag although typically you can ignore most idiots as you'll have separate voice comms from them anyway.

Personally going on feedback from friends regarding Elder Scrolls.. get in beta if you can and see if you like it, it's a bit marmite in that you'll love it or hate it. I've got friends who are almost wet-panting every evening over it and others who expected to love it who are very "meh" about it. Same could be said for just about every game though, at least with beta you get a chance to try.

However as Bart's posted - that does mean you've got a mate who plays it, as on OCUK we're all mates! :)
 
Seems like I'm not alone then in some ways;-)

I might consider giving Elder Scrolls online a go, as I love Skyrim, but I'm just not sure how it would work in multiplayer. A lot of what I love about Skyrim is how it takes you away into your 'own world'. It's absorbing, like a great book is in many ways.

I think the only game/ series I can see working for me and might give a proper go is more sim type stuff like Arma 2/ Arma 3. I can imagine that being great.
 
Good one.
Like you, I had never tried multiplayer. Always played campaigns on all the big ones and thought that MP was a different world that I wouldn't get into. Needed something to do while waiting for Thief 4 to arrive so 2 weeks ago I tried BF3, for a laugh. Didn't think I would last more than 1 session. Have now put 24 hours into it and am level 13 Sergeant Pesttt. I love it!
Once you get used to the maps, and there are only about 5 that seem to be everyones favourite, it suddenly makes sense. The fact that you don't play against AI means each time is very different and the style changes you can adopt are perfect. I don't have any online mates to play with but you soon hook up with regulars.
I am now wondering if I will actually bother with Thief 4 when it lands!
 
Online gaming is awesome. For some games it's by no means necessary but with others... there's no doubt that you're missing out by not trying it.
 
See i have been around since the start of internet gaming, playing duke3d on wireplay dialup when i got my first pc..after coming from a spectrum > nes > snes > ps1.

I have basically never played a single player since then, as i just find single player to be boring now, i like to compete against other players, especially in fps games and such where a players skill can really shine through. I especially love to play against my friends so that we can smack talk and have a laugh.

If i want a story, i read a book (something i do a lot of) or watch a film.

This is not to say what you play is wrong or the way i play is right, just interesting that we have completely the opposite idea of gaming :P

As for your experience, consoles are for kids in general and pc is likely much better. However as a long time pc online gamer i can tell you that nearly all gaming communities are trash now, since e-sports has come into the mix every game is full of elitism and bad attitudes.

I miss the days of barrysworld and jolt.co.uk lol.
 
I think you would really like Borderlands 2 with some mates. It has a cohesive campaign storyline but can also be played multiplayer co-op and is good fun. Voice comms essential though!
 
MissChief said:
I think you would really like Borderlands 2 with some mates. It has a cohesive campaign storyline but can also be played multiplayer co-op and is good fun. Voice comms essential though!
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See that's the other thing that puts me off multiplayer - The idea of wearing a headset and talking with complete strangers in a game fills me with horror. I'm an admitted gaming geek but it all sounds a bit sad. And I think my wife would divorce me if she saw/ heard me doing it! :)
 
wunkley said:
See that's the other thing that puts me off multiplayer - The idea of wearing a headset and talking with complete strangers in a game fills me with horror. I'm an admitted gaming geek but it all sounds a bit sad. And I think my wife would divorce me if she saw/ heard me doing it! :)
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In fairness mate that's a perception straight from 10+ years ago :p

I've met plenty of people from playing online, quite a few are now 'real' friends who I meet up with on occasion for a beer or just general going out. The actual amount of people who come across as your typical geek types is actually pretty rare believe it or not.
 
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