Hello, my name is Gabriel Franceschini, today I’m going to talk about something that we always need to discuss at the beginning of a game development project.
A multiplayer game is a video game in which two or more players play together over a computer network. The players may be all be in the same room, or they may be geographically separated. Multiplayer games can be played in real-time (meaning that the players take turns at the same time) o turn-based (meaning that the players take turns one after the other). Some popular multiplayer games include Nintendo’s Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. There are big differences between making a single-player and a multiplayer game. The decision to create a multiplayer game needs the support of experienced developers to avoid a lot of issues. In this article, I’ll show you the three main challenges around this issue.
The first multiplayer game
The first ever multiplayer video game was “Spacewar!”, created in 1962. It was a two-player game where each player controlled a spaceship and tried to destroy the other player’s ship. “Spacewar!” was played on a computer, not a gaming console, and it was not until the 1970s that multiplayer games became popular on consoles. Today, multiplayer gaming is one of the most popular genres of video games, with millions of people playing online multiplayer games every day.
It’s simple to understand why is hard
It is a very complex task to develop a game for multiple people. Developers need to know how to program a multiplayer game and such knowledge and experience are only gained after hours of studying and developing single-player games and mechanics.
All information created by the game needs to be communicated between players. So, knowledge of servers and backend programming is required.
1 – More design for more results
You will need a lot of time to develop the game’s architecture, this time will be spent on technology and design. Developing a multiplayer game is not just about coming up with a cool idea or turning an interesting single-player game into a multiplayer project.
Game designers need to know which mechanics work best in a multiplayer game and how those mechanics can be integrated into the selected project.
2 – There is not enough content
Typically, you need more content in a multiplayer game. Whether players are playing with their friends or random people. Each of them will want to build their own character and custom their characteristics.
As well, as having different game styles to play, more content is needed to engage and increase game length and playtime.
3 – Look! There are problems ahead
More problems are coming! – We already understand how much a multiplayer game adds to development time and increased complexity. Also, something that is fully connected is the number of problems that the project can go through due to its increased scope. Bugs that didn’t exist, now need more testing time to find and even more development time to fix. And whenever we mention “Time” in development, we’re talking about schedule, budget, and return on investment.
How hard is it to make a multiplayer mobile game?
Multiplayer mobile games are becoming increasingly popular, but they can be quite difficult to develop. There are many things to consider, such as game mechanics, server infrastructure, and networking code. In addition, designing for a mobile platform can be challenging, as the screen size and input methods are very different from traditional gaming platforms.Making a multiplayer mobile game is not an easy task, but it can be very rewarding. Seeing players interact and enjoy your game is a great feeling, and knowing that you created something that people will play for years to come is an even better one.
Which engine to use to make a multiplayer game?
There are many different engines that can be used to develop a multiplayer game. It really depends on what kind of game you want to create and what features you need. Some popular engines for multiplayer games include Unreal Engine 4, Unity, and GameMaker. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to do your research before deciding which one to use.
Keep a positive mindset
Creating games is always a challenge. Add multiplayer for your project it’s possible with the right resources and planning. Allow users to play together should be a wonderful experience and also it’s meant to increase the time we spent together with people we like and develop strong bonds with unforgettable experiences.
With this kind of mindset that multiplayer games should be created.
In the future, we will talk about Multiplayer types and their impacts on the development and budget of these projects.
