My statement about my friends was clearly anecdotal, as was yours. I wasn't saying it was anything else, but just showing that in my personal experience a far larger number of gamers I know who would have bought the game if it was multiplayer. Your personal and subjective experience was different. If you know 100 people that bought the game because solo play was more important than multiplayer, then you know 100 odd people in my opinion, (and probably hit 'confirm' on facebook too easily) since they go out of their way to find games which try to limit multiplayer rather than just look for good solo play games.

However, if you meant that they were only interested in solo play, then fine; but so what? That doesn't mean that the other market doesn't exist. I agree that mose publishers tack on multiplayer, but I had an extended point beyond that.

Using capitals for the word 'PROVEN' and using the word 'websearch' does not count as a valid research methodology or any sort of viable source of information.

But I agree that the multiplayer game shouldn't damage the single player game. That's counter-productive. (Although the game should really be balanced properly for each faciton anyway, unless the AI isn't written very well and the computer just gets resourse boosts to balance it.) I just think that there are opportunities to make multiplayer games, and it shouldn't need to be a focal point for an argument. If games are designed well from the off, then they should be able to manage both and reach a wider audience (and also be more profitable).

I can argue against that statement. Heroes of might and magic IV did not contain any multi-player options at all when it first came out. The uproar was so loud that they added it to the very first expansion. Not all muti-Player gamers play online. I personally love hotseat games. Me and a few friends get together and make a day of taking turns playing the game. Unfortunately this game chose not to even allow that and so I play it by myself and my other friends have no interest. Adding hotseat capability would be a huge asset to this game in my personal opinion. However since hot seat is considered still to be a single player mode for many games and not tracked on line, the players do not get counted in the statistics.

A minor point: Multiplayer was intended for the initial game, but because it was underfunded, this was planned long before release for addition in the first expansion.  It wasn't a response to an "uproar."

I'm sympathetic, but forums tend to generate an isolationist view as though the majority of those hundred or less taking part somehow are all of the tens or hundreds of thousands who buy a game.  They aren't; I'm sure my disgust with how diplomacy doesn't work isn't reflected by the majority of people who bought FE, for example.  Customer outrage from heavily bugged, heavily sold releases (Sword of the Stars II) are one thing; companies do pay a lot of attention to that.  But most developers lay their plans long in advance.  They have to, in order to prepare code for additions to be made down the line.  Multiplayer is a bitch to add, especially for a game where it wasn't intended in the first place.  I suspect Stardock might be convinced to make a different game based on FE that had this, but it would take a lot of time and resources from a moderately sized company. 

It's been a year, seems like MP is cut forever. Any official word if MP is ever planned for the future?

I understand your point, and sort of agree. (And agree about diplomacy too)
But Elemental was meant to include multiplayer. That's why I bought it. I know the FE is a different game, but it's based on the same game, which was meant to be multiplayer and so (you would have assumed) was designed with it in mind. I still haven't got the game I originally thought I had bought, even though I got FE free. (Not that I really expect to now.)

Devs, if you can read this, please answer our question.

Will Fallen enchantress have multiplayer?

It has been too long since you last shed the light on the subject when you stated if the game did well, you might consider.

/beg

In your latest survey Frogboy I hit develop FE gameplay. I meant by that adding hotseat.

It's already been answered by them.

Some people just don't like that answer.

They stated they wouldn't have it by launch, and would consider adding it afterwards.

Unless there is a newer post on the subject that I;m not aware of, if so, please enlighten me.

This is a case of a previous thread (one of several) on multiplayer.  I'm sure I saw Derek or Brad respond directly to this point--I think it was Brad--that there would be no multiplayer in this game.  But if you've ever tried the search mechanism in this forum, you'll find it's inadequate to pinpoint much of anything.  So think what you will; and so will I.

It's looking increasingly unlikely.

We only have 1 network engineer and he's on a different project.  We ARE hiring so if you know anyone who's looking to make multiplayer games, send in a resume.  I have a situation where I have the budget to add MP but I don't have the people.

Hmmm, with those priorities that other project has to be GalCiv3. The first GalCiv with MP. Would be awesome. 

Well, hope you'll find some good network engineers Frog. FE would be perfect fun in MP, for us who play grand strategy MP.

Thank you for your reply.

I too wish you guys find someone who could do this, because, while the AI in the game is good, it is predictable, boring, and unresponsive (dialog).

it would be utterly sad to see this game without multiplayer, just like GalCiv2.

Although, the networking aspect of the game shouldn't be that difficult to accomplish. Look at the Elderscrolls modders, they have created from scratch, a working multiplayer platform, with limitations only by what the engine could offer.

That's a shame, I don't even bother playing games I can't play with friends these days. Even massive games like Skyrim get boring fast when you could be playing with a friend. I guess some people like playing alone for hours but that just seems really unhealthy on many levels.

Some people are almost forced to play alone, or something similar to alone...
Other people enjoy it more.

I prefer playing with my friends too, but find games wanting, and life an obstacle .
(Lets get rid of this idea of jobs and having to work, and just put every single human in a basement and play games.... xD)

~ Kongdej

Sounds like a hell of a party! Either that or the dorm of a university during a LoL tournament

I still vote no against any sort of multiplayer that hasn't been in the design since the beginning.  Resource division and the need to balance would be drawbacks in my book.   If it was there from the start and all decisions for the past 2 years had been made with MP in mind I would be more enthusiastic.  

for a MP feature, you don't need to rebalance the game to some other form, if nothing else thats why players can modify these kind of numbers.

The only part of MP that would take time from the developers is the developping of a stable multiplayer platform that also supports mods or at least detects them to some extent and yells up.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

and that platform was mostly done for WoM. the only part that needs rewriting is tactical battles.

but they need to be rewritten anyway (as they are too shallow), which I hope some future expansion will address.

hmm, why not unlock the hot seat option which is possible immediately?

I think theyll add it in a DLC later on.

But, not many people play such games in MP. They be long......

It is not possible "immediately", you still need to work with tactical combats, and also just plain develop the hot-seat coding.

~ K

Would the same thing apply if we were to ask for social networking integration?  Send screenies to Twitter from in-game, for example?

Am I the only one getting annoyed at these things, connecting to facebook and twitter and whatever? I would be delighted if I could turn them off in the options though
I know how to copy a screenshot and post it on FB manually if the need ever arises. (I really never post gaming stuff on my fb... I actually rarely use fb for anything but planning events.
I might just be a sad old man though

Edit: Clarified.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

I don't know what you find annoying, personally I get a little vexed that I have to use GIMP (or Paint) and my web browser (or Trillian) each time I want to post a screenshot of what I'm doing.  And if I want to upload a high-quality screenshot to my own web space, then I just have to throw an FTP client in there.

It's a smegging screenshot, why do I need so many programs to get it out there?

Clarified it for you, (and for future readers).

Its mostly because I have fat fingers though, if there is a button, I am sure to click it by mistake .
So as I said, feel free to add these things, just give me the options to remove said buttons too, there is no reason for me to post this nonsense on FB for all to ignore.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej