Offline Multiplayer on a PC

So me and my friend were discussing consoles vs pc gaming.

Now we BOTH AGREED on the same facts. Here they are:
- PC gaming has better quality
- PC's are cheaper and better bang for the buck
- PC's have cheaper games and better games
- Cons with the pc's are basically no offline multi player

Pro's for consoles
- Off line Multiplayer, meaning you can own your friends sitting next to you
- Simple, for people that are can't figure it out
- Universal

So what we decided was this:

If PC games starting coming out with an "off line multiplayer" mode, a mode you could stick a bunch of gamepads in and play against 3 other friends, that PC gaming would become a lot popular. It'd also make pc gaming a lot more social. Wouldn't that be great? I think that's what pc gaming needs, especially with games like COD4 and MSG4.


Guys, this is not a CONSOLE VS PC GAMING thread. This is for people who think this is a good idea!

I will report anyone that starts ranting about console vs pc gaming. Just say if you would like the option of an offline multiplayer mode on games and lets discuss.

 

I have thought about this idea as well. I think it would be really neat to be able to do this. Mostly I think the reason pc game developers dont include something like that is because they assume the majority of the computer world population have monitors too small to accomodate 'offline multiplayer' games. However, if you could plug in multiple monitors as well, that would put a really neat twist on the whole idea dont u think?


~Poseign

 

Unreal Tournament has Offline multiplayer for those who still LAN. But the thing is my xbox will last ~4-5 years while my PC will only game for ~2-3 and cost 3 times as much.

 

Yeah, that's what i thought.

I mean, the majority of gamers have really nice GPU's, many with a dual card setup in SLI or Xfire.
What if you plugged in a monitor for every player? That's what i hate about gaming on the same screen with 3 other peeps, you can see where they are....

But even that, most of us have 20" or more. That's enough imo.

 

but in thos e 4-5 years there will be 2 or 3 new xbox.. mb xbox 720? who knows

 

That's LAN, not the same thing.
And please don't go on about the whole console vs pc gaming.

 

Probably, then you have to buy new games. Pc games last for everythign.

but off of that. What do you guys think of my suggestion?

 

But isnt that exactly what the thread is all about? I mean you are comparing the pros and cons of both. Besides I'm neither a PC or a console elitist, I play both and enjoy them equally.

 

Read the original post one more time.

 

Does anyone remember the days of LAN parties before the internet and "online gaming' existed?

Starcraft LAN party FTW!

I'm not sure how excited I would be about a PC turning into a console style of play, to me that would be a sell out. I don't have a problem with my PC just being a single player machine. Most online games allow for LAN play so I could always grab my laptop and head over to my friends house (if I had friends of course).

 

I apologize as that was not my intention.

Anyhow to be on topic this sounds like a great idea, but the issue Id see is certain computers having issues playing in single player mode let alone rendering for more then one person. I'm assuming this would be a gaming desktop doing the task?

 

Two words: LAN party.

Some more words: cyber/gaming cafes.

 

Synic, please read the thread properly.

Im talking about gaming on ONE pc (gaming of course) with 4 people.

 

Many people have read your thread, and all the responses have been LAN.

Just because you aren't getting the responses you're fishing for doesn't mean we're all illiterate.

 

I actually have had some good responses, maybe you should read again? lol

 

Meh, I doubt many people want to do that, since we have LAN. Most houses have multiple computers with wireless networking, making LAN so easy, that you wouldn't want to do the multi-pad idea.

 

Heres a conflict about gaming on the same pc, are you're okay with splitting a 15'4 inch screen into 4 smaller screens?

 

and playing on lan isnt the same as playing on console at all, multiplayer on pc will continue to be a player isolating experience.

 

Serious gamers don't game on a 15'4 inch screen.

 

okay whatevers, a 17 inch screen split down to 4 will still give you a pretty small picture.

 

As a person who has been going to and hosting LAN parties for a LONG time, I disagree. You are all in the same room able to communicate, and trash talk just as if you were on a console. Granted you aren't looking at the same screen, but you're the same distance away making it basically the same situation.

Although I agree that most dont, but if you really wanna say this then youll say serious gamers dont game on LCDs. But that aside with the quality of LCDs has gone up alot and a 15.4 in LCD at 1920x1200 is not too bad (I prefer 17in). Granted the bigger the better in most cases, but a lot of times I prefer to use my internal LCD over my 24in external. But then again thats personal preference. If I could get a 12in with a strong card I wouldn't mind playing on that compared to my 24in.

 

I'm saying most gamers have a big screen so that playing with another person on that monitor wouldn't be a big issue. I played COD 4 with 3 others on a 17inch TV and it was fine.

 

Like I said before I could see this being possible on a strong HTPC that's hooked up to your TV, but being as though the majority of the PC market wouldn't really work I don't see it happening. Although its a nice touch, most devs wont see the profit in order to implement it. At least that's my opinion.

 

Hmm, i think there's a market, small as it is, for it. It'd be nice to have that 360 experience on my pc, but i'm probably being too hopeful.

PC gaming FTW!

 

Actually consoles are cheaper. The 360 is about a 7900 Go; with all the optimization done for games as per its console, you will get a longer life expectancy from a console.

 

Sharing a screen no matter what the size just means I can watch myself dodge his snipes in his corner of the screen.

 

Split screen being driven by a PC doesn't interest me (but neither does online gaming...too many in the anonymous, immature crowd who would get the beating of their lives if they did/said some of what they do/say in front of another living, breathing human being)...

I'm a huge fan of LAN parties, and they are social...maybe not quite as social as Guitar Hero on the PS2, but just as social as Super Mario Strikers or whatever it's called...

Even on consoles, split screen suffers a reduction in graphics quality...I can play split-screen Ratchet and Clank (2-player), but 4-player is barely legible to me and I play with a 92" projector...granted, modern consoles and PCs can drive higher resolutions so 4-player might be palatable...but you still have fewer pixels per independent image along with the graphics/CPU processing power (4) high quality independent images would require....

That's why I have little interest in splitting my PC screen into halves or quarters...friends bring over their laptops, and we fire up Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, Call of Duty 2, or Unreal Tournament 2004...hours of fun...and as mentioned, no cheating by looking at someone else's screen...

Most of the EA Sports games already play that way...they're just like the consoles...split screen play calling in football...everyone on the screen for FIFA or NHL...even split screen homerun derby back when EA was still doing MVP Baseball...and as far as FPSs, sure you could drive (4) screens like a console, but there's still only one mouse/keyboard and I refuse to play an FPS with a gamepad...you may think you're precise with that gamepad, but a mouse/keyboard combo wins every time...so you'll also need to come up with four independent input schemes that allow some of us gamepad haters to play...

But it's your idea...you've done some market research...go get your loan and your trademark and your patent, and be a millionaire...

PS. And I guess I'll get reported, but I've never understood the PC vs console argument (or the 360 vs PS3)...I play PC games...I play console games...now that the 360 has dropped in price again, and Microsoft assures me, because of a mountain of feedback from all the technophiles who bought their system in the first year, that I'll get an optical drive that doesn't shake the house and a system that doesn't fry bacon, and with Rock Band 2 and a few other 360 exclusives, I'm off to Best Buy when I get my next paycheck...why choose? As far as I know, no law has been passed preventing someone from, dare I say it, having a PS3 and a 360 and a PC...it's a good reason to do well in school, brown-nose a lot and get a decent paying job...you send the husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/significant pet ( changed after realizing what a blatant stereotype was being used) shopping for clothes and you buy PC games and console games and live in a small, tidy house...and shoot, if you really do well in school, you may even have a boat and some jet skiis...and a private jet to boot...

 

actually,the idea of 1 PC and 2 or more gamepads should be most suitable with the games that don't require splitscreen like Ultimate Tank (Battle city clone - can't think of others).
Now with just 2 laptops, you can sit near each other and do an Adhoc Lan gaming just like the way me and my girlfriend play Serious Sam with each other
And I agree the combo of mouse and keyboard for FPS is the best. (if you don't count the Wii controller )