Why is there no multi-player feature in Skyrim?

[Deleted5770650User]

I would like to see this, but not an online version. I would like to see it for LAN. However I don't see this happening without ruining the single player experience that many like the series for.

[Hyacathusarullistad]

I would probably refuse to buy TESVI if it came with a multi-player option that wasn't completely distinct and separate from the main game. I loathe forced multi-player. Even ME3's style of multi-player was too much for me - if you didn't participate in multiplayer games, you were handicapped in single player when it came to the climax. Someone devoted to a SP playthrough was forced to work harder for the same result as someone interested in multiplayer. That isn't cool. Multi-player should be all or nothing - either a core element to the game (an element that can stay the hell out of Elder Scrolls, thanks) or tacked on as an afterthought, like playing with a vanilla follower who happens to be controlled by a friend. Anything else, and I'll pass entirely thanks.

[AmysDragon]

That is what we are talking about here, two completely separate copies of Skyrim, one with and one without so that nobody has a ruined experience. I don't see how it could be construed as bad if they are separated.

[deRusett]

@Hyacathusarullistad I sit in the same boat as you. I most certainly don't want to see MP/Coop play have any influence on SP play. The Game is SP Play first and foremost. MY desire and what I believe the OP's desire was as well was an other world for MP play. Basically it is fully removed from the SP game except that you can export your player out of SP into MP and back again should you choose. the MP could be played off like an alternate dimension you've passed into if you want to feed some sort of Lore reason why you can be imported back into SP mode with your improved skills.

 

But in no way should SP play be restricted or ever need any coop or MP play. I don't want a hosted Online world like MMO's have but locally hosted worlds like in Multiplayer RTS games

[AmysDragon]

Yep, that about covers it :)

[bben46]

Simple answer - The Gambryo engine used for TES V Skyrim dos NOT support multiple players and never has. This was a choice made by Bethsoft years ago for the TES series. They have already said they are not going to offer a Multiplayer version. And the Bethesda TES series will remain single player for the foreseeable future.

 

The TES On Line is NOT by Bethesda, but by Zenimax Online Studios. It is not Skyrim but is in the TES world.

[calfurius]

No thanks. If somebody wants a TES game online, they can play TESO. That's why that game was made in the first place. I believe the main franchise should stay Singleplayer.

[notmyhome]

Well, for offline multiplayer gaming we've got Skyrim Coop Mod.

[Lachdonin]

That is what we are talking about here, two completely separate copies of Skyrim, one with and one without so that nobody has a ruined experience. I don't see how it could be construed as bad if they are separated.

Time. Multiplayer functions are not just something you tack on as an after thought. The code has to be integrated basically from day one. Designing two versions of the exact same game would require basically double the time, at least in the early phases.

[deRusett]

 

That is what we are talking about here, two completely separate copies of Skyrim, one with and one without so that nobody has a ruined experience. I don't see how it could be construed as bad if they are separated.

Time. Multiplayer functions are not just something you tack on as an after thought. The code has to be integrated basically from day one. Designing two versions of the exact same game would require basically double the time, at least in the early phases.

 

 

Multiplayer functions certainly can be tacked on for a Lan MP/co op mode. because the world is served up in cells 2 players can exist in the same cell or even independent cells with cross communication between cells for quests and such, The Challenge in existing skyrim is memory addressing because obviously you'd need to beable to retain the information for double the cells if cross talk was going to happen so if Player one killed a mammoth in one cell and player 2 comes into that cell he sees the mammoth dead, And can interact with it not it just missing.

 

Building it as a MMO world you would be right it can't be tacked on as an after thought, because you'd need to beable to run the world independently from the players.

 

Skyrim wouldn't be easy to make MP as we saw from the coop mod that was being developed for a while but it certainly can be addressed with the current Skyrim design as an after thought. Your double the time prediction is a huge exaggeration, if the orginial development team was on it and not coders trying to build it 3rd party I suspect the add on would be very small in the overall development of the game, No new meshes would need creating, alterations to Animal and NPC AI would be minimal to allow them to address multiplayers and have quests be either group or individual. The most difficult part would be compressing the communication between players and compressing it for fast low latency play.