Elemental Forums
Anyone have any idea how multiplayer games will work?
Will you need to finish the whole game in one sitting? Will there be a play by mail option?
With the attention span of most people, I can see 90% of these games just being an all out rush.
Most people, myself included, don't have 2 + hours to sit and play a turn based game.
If it's anything like Civ, you can save and resume the game later.
Actually most people do have 2 or more hours to play this game.
I do. But I'd hope they can match players who are equal in abilities and time frame. I hope there are some people who want to play for fun and not for ego.
Yes, you should be able to save and load games. Play-by-email is not supported; only the host can save and load the game.
Will the turns be simultantious or my turn everyone elses turn in order? Considering the reliance in the single player of seeing an enemy unit and moving at it to start a fight, if they are moving away at the same time this obviously can't work the same. But then waiting on up to 16 people to take a turn would be far more arduous?
I hope that it's simultaneous. It would basically suck to be the last person in line - you'd be at a horrible disadvantage.
How would tactical battle work?
For example, if myself and two others are in a game. The other two players attack either other while they take their turns and I'm still taking mine. Would my turn halt while they play out the tactical battle? Would they play out their battle and I wouldn't even know except to see the result on the map (if I have sight of the area)?
Just something that sprung up while imagining how simultaneous turns would work.
If I remember, tactical won't happen in MP. If that's true, the auto-resolve system needs to be a lot more robust.
Thats a point of contention I don't think is completly resolved, I think they have said tactical battles would be optional in multiplayer due to the outcries of alot of people.
Perfect! 
its my hope that it will show his leader and the other guys leader playing out some animations in loop(on the overland map) while you go about your business, and then when one wins it shows the winner give a finishing move to the loser. that would be sweet.
That would explain Brad's desire to make tactical spells longer term strategic variants.
All in all a simple solution but hopefully not the long term one or it implies the tactical system as it stands will be what we get long term in single player, tacked on though it feels.
I imagine that if all moves are simultaneous and battle occurs when two enemy units occupy the same space at the same time, the next turn would open for all players, those with fights opening on the fight leaving others to micromanage settlements as part of thier turn.
I'm guessing it's gonna be like the Civ games. Simultaneous turns, they end when everyone has clicked the end turn button, etc.
I'm not sure how the battles are gonna work out though. It'd be nice (or not) if the other players could spectate the battle while the 2 players fighting duke it out.
Tactical battles were removed from MP originally, but they're supposed to come back. I dunno how it's implemented in Elemental, but in other games like AoW:SM you'd stop and watch the other people when they go into tactical combat.
It's not as annoying as it sounds if you're playing with friends, and the alternative is using auto-resolve for everything which is even worse.
There are no tactical battles in MP you will be using autocalc winner takes all.
True, it's what I had in mind, and it's better than just autoresolving.
Only for the time being.
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