Co-op?

[Metruzero]

I had an idea while playing Fallout 3, the game could get boring just playing by myself so maybe there can be a mod that allows 2 (or more) people to play over a LAN so they could play, maybe even make a special save file that can be saved to both computers so that the two friends can pick it up later, I'm not sure if this is possible but it would be nice, to make the game more fun.

[Tony the Wookie]

I really doubt it would be anywhere near possible without completly remakeing most of the game engine...

[mecaguy03]

I think that bethesda is working on it, and i don't think it is impossible, rendering could be clientside, (mods would cause a problem though) and since fallout 3 already is able to keep track of NPC's moving through the cells, it could most likely track another player moving through the cells. Actually, now that i think about it, not only would it be possible, it would probably be relatively easy, the PC (player character) would be a controlled NPC, and the game engine would easily keep track of the changing objects and NPC's. Now i said relatively easy, there would be some problems that would need some time to fix, but finding the main problems isn't really a challenge. Since the PC isn't ever referred to my name in fallout 3, quest and NPC dialog would not need to be changed much (a couple things here and there though). Though there would need to be some limits, the fallout 3 engine is much more versatile and powerful than you think, but it DOES have its limits.

[Tony the Wookie]

I think that bethesda is working on it, and i don't think it is impossible, rendering could be clientside, (mods would cause a problem though) and since fallout 3 already is able to keep track of NPC's moving through the cells, it could most likely track another player moving through the cells. Actually, now that i think about it, not only would it be possible, it would probably be relatively easy, the PC (player character) would be a controlled NPC, and the game engine would easily keep track of the changing objects and NPC's. Now i said relatively easy, there would be some problems that would need some time to fix, but finding the main problems isn't really a challenge. Since the PC isn't ever referred to my name in fallout 3, quest and NPC dialog would not need to be changed much (a couple things here and there though). Though there would need to be some limits, the fallout 3 engine is much more versatile and powerful than you think, but it DOES have its limits.

 

it would deffinatly be possible for Bethesda to do it

 

just near immpossible for modders to do it

[Brianide]

I think that bethesda is working on it, and i don't think it is impossible, rendering could be clientside, (mods would cause a problem though) and since fallout 3 already is able to keep track of NPC's moving through the cells, it could most likely track another player moving through the cells. Actually, now that i think about it, not only would it be possible, it would probably be relatively easy, the PC (player character) would be a controlled NPC, and the game engine would easily keep track of the changing objects and NPC's. Now i said relatively easy, there would be some problems that would need some time to fix, but finding the main problems isn't really a challenge. Since the PC isn't ever referred to my name in fallout 3, quest and NPC dialog would not need to be changed much (a couple things here and there though). Though there would need to be some limits, the fallout 3 engine is much more versatile and powerful than you think, but it DOES have its limits.

Don't take this the wrong; I'd love to see Fallout 3 co-op as much as anyone else, but it wouldn't be relatively easy. It's not a simple matter of syncing the position of an NPC on Player A's client with the position of Player B on his client. You'd still have to sync their animations and inventories, and figure out some way to make the NPC aim and fire exactly like the player character. Furthermore, all of the NPCs, random encounters, and clutter on Player B's client would have to be synced to those on Player A's. Lots and lots of scripts wouldn't function properly for one or both players. There's plenty of other issues, as well.

 

I think the only way Fallout 3 co-op could ever happen without being a buggy mess would be if you had co-op "missions" of some sort. That is, you'd go to some sort of starting point, you'd connect to another player (or players, ideally) via IP, and you'd do stuff within completely controlled cells (no random spawns, etc.) designed to be played cooperatively. Even then, though, I'm sure there'd be plenty of headaches.

 

You're probably better off just buying Borderlands to get your cooperative post-apocalyptic fix.

[mecaguy03]

When I mean relatively easy I meant in the scope of how long bethesda took to make fallout 3. And for the syncing of clutter, animations, and other such things, I am positive that it is not much of a task to get that data transferred (and any clutter that is not a physics object does not need to be synced). You see, there is this game called garrys mod that has servers that can keep track of hundreds of physics objects, this game is be based off of a FPS (its so similar to the original that it is called garrys mod for a reason), and it also happens to be with the havok physics engine. and I have never encountered a time where that many physics objects are present. And animation syncing is no problem, think of all those online games, and neither is inventory syncing, again, look at all those online games that have inventory, and position syncing is not a problem either, fallout 3 has a coordinate system in place. And if your saying "but most of those online games have big heavy duty servers!", well those servers are handling thousands of players. If you scale that down to 10 or so players, it is not much to handle. As for the controlled NPC thing, that is probably completely unnecessary to use a NPC system for player movement.

 

SO, I think that bethesda is going to pull it off sooner or later, but it will probably not be free.

[Tony the Wookie]

I don't know if Bethesda is even interested though

 

they have show no signs of it thus far, with any of their games, so I have no reason to beleive they are changeing their minds anytime soon

 

 

 

though it would be completly awesome, haveing a companion that is actually someone you know, that has brought over their player character to your world.

 

 

 

But this doesn't really belong in the request section, since no modder could possibly ever get it to work

[Brianide]

When I mean relatively easy I meant in the scope of how long bethesda took to make fallout 3. And for the syncing of clutter, animations, and other such things, I am positive that it is not much of a task to get that data transferred (and any clutter that is not a physics object does not need to be synced). You see, there is this game called garrys mod that has servers that can keep track of hundreds of physics objects, this game is be based off of a FPS (its so similar to the original that it is called garrys mod for a reason), and it also happens to be with the havok physics engine. and I have never encountered a time where that many physics objects are present. And animation syncing is no problem, think of all those online games, and neither is inventory syncing, again, look at all those online games that have inventory, and position syncing is not a problem either, fallout 3 has a coordinate system in place. And if your saying "but most of those online games have big heavy duty servers!", well those servers are handling thousands of players. If you scale that down to 10 or so players, it is not much to handle. As for the controlled NPC thing, that is probably completely unnecessary to use a NPC system for player movement.

 

SO, I think that bethesda is going to pull it off sooner or later, but it will probably not be free.

I'm not questioning whether Bethesda is capable of adding co-op to the game. They have access to the source code; they can do whatever they want to it. Considering, though, that they apparently have no plans to resolve any of the issues still in the game (or those introduced by their own patches), I wouldn't get my hopes up for this coming from them.

 

I'm saying that modders (since this is in the Modification Requests forum) doing all of this syncing via scripts would either be impossible or close to it.

[eleglas]

I play Garrys Mod too, great game BTW.

 

But having a co-op is just not in the game egines abilities, alot of mods are pushing the boundries of what the engine can do to extremes and that is why alot of mods CANNOT be made.

 

It took Garry Newman nearly 5 years to make Garrys Mod. Garrys mod is run off the Counter-Strike engine which has co-op abilitie.

 

Sorry but it is nigh-impossible any one or group of moders could do this.

 

Chance of getting this done: 0/10 Impossible

[mecaguy03]

Actually, it is a known fact that bethesda is working on an online fallout for xbox 360. (game informer, and they have never been wrong so far) it sucks that its for xbox 360 ;_;