Single and multiplayer game modes

[eisprinzessin]

Table of Contents

• Single player
• Multiplayer
  • Player vs. Player (PvP) and other multiplayer modes
  • Secure online play
  • Anti-cheating measures

Related aspects covered by other articles:

• Experience
• Pets, which heal players and allies
• Auto pickup for iron coins and potions
• Loot distribution in multiplayer
• System requirements (provisional)

[eisprinzessin]

Once you've downloaded Grim Dawn you can play the game single player offline. [1, 2] All content can be experienced when playing solo. [3]
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1. FAQ Jan 2010
2. Official Grim Dawn Kickstarter Thread Apr 2012
3. Is this a solo game with multiplayer or multiplayer game with solo... Jul 2012

[eisprinzessin]

You will be able to group up with family, friends and other players to take on the world of Grim Dawn. [1, 2] It hasn't been decided yet but in a multiplayer session can probably be up to 4 or 6 players for the normal campaign mode. [3] Some high-end content will be extremely challenging and fun to try to tackle in a group, however, in multiplayer difficulty increases, so that isn't necessarily an effective way to overcome difficulty. [4]

You will either connect via LAN or through online match-making services. It will probably be through Steam first and then maybe other services. [5] You will be able to play with your single-player characters in multiplayer, too. [6]

There is a lot of work that needs to be done to get multiplayer working. The overhaul of pathing, physics and various systems broke multiplayer and the work needed to get it working again is difficult and could be extensive. Crate could release the alpha without multiplayer and continue to work on it. [7]

The developers agree that a chat lobby is critical to forming a cohesive online community and supporting the multiplayer, so it is something they'd love to do as soon as they have the resources. Being on Steam gets Grim Dawn part-way there though. [6, 8] They don't know if they have time in their schedule but are definitely convinced it's a high-priority feature. [8] As there are already so many options for voice chat out there, the developers feel they could better spend their time working on other stuff. [9]
__________________

1. FAQ Jan 2010
2. Feature List Jan 2010
3. Few informations. Apr 2012
4. Is this a solo game with multiplayer or multiplayer game with solo... Jul 2012
5. Official Grim Dawn Kickstarter Thread Apr 2012
6. Questions about Grim Dawn and some friendly advice. :) Feb 2011
7. State of the Game Address Mar 2012
8. external Multiplayer FTW Nov 2009
9. GD with built-in VOIP?! Apr 2010

[eisprinzessin]

Grim Dawn will have PvP. Titan Quest had it also but it was a hidden feature. Crate will make it more obvious in Grim Dawn that people can host PvP enabled servers if they choose (clearly marked of course). [1]

If you host a PvP enabled game, then you'd essentially have friendly fire enabled. The developers wouldn't want to allow it to be toggled on / off during a game session as that would invite more potential for griefing other players. [2]

If Grim Dawn is a success, Crate would like to add other gameplay modes, like co-op survival and possibly a battle arena if they can build closed servers. [3]

For gameplay modes like a PvP arena, the developers would make the maximum of players larger than in normal campaign mode. [4]
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1. Official Grim Dawn Kickstarter Thread May 2012
2. Friendly Fire Toggle May 2012
3. external Reddit IAmA May 2012
4. Few informations. Apr 2012

[eisprinzessin]

If Grim Dawn will be successful enough, Crate might be able to set up secure servers in the future. The developers would definitely love to offer this and play on them. [1] Please note that secure online play is not mutually exclusive to offline single player or LAN. If Grim Dawn had secure multiplayer, Crate would continue to allow solo offline play and LAN. [2]

Secure multiplayer was originally not funded for the development of Titan Quest. The publisher decided that, based on their statistics, the additional sales they projected for the inclusion of secure multiplayer didn't justify the expense of developing it. Crate thinks that this was assessed from the standpoint of releasing one game.

The developers tend to think the value of secure multiplayer and really, of developing a robust online community in general, is keeping players around to buy future expansions and games much more than generating sales for the initial release. Maintaining player interest helps continue to generate new sales but it is difficult to say how that weighs against the cost of maintaining servers and paying for bandwidth over the years. But primarily they think "man, wouldn't it be cool to have secure multiplayer?!" [3]

As much as the developers realize some players find secure servers to be a critical component of an ARPG and lose interest without them, statistically, they're a minority of the total audience. There is a significant percentage of players who only play single player and a larger percentage who play multiplayer and either don't care about secure multiplayer or don't care enough that they won't play without it. [4] For most players, not having it isn't a deal-breaker as long as the game itself is good enough. [3]

Given that the developers would need to convert the game to run with a server-side architecture and build a multiplayer platform, it will be hugely expensive to build closed servers. [5] The game has to have its logic abstracted and run completely under the control of a separate server module. Any sensitive calculations taking place on a client machine are vulnerable. This would require significant re-architecture of several areas of the code. [6] Then there is all the infrastructure stuff like setting up servers, account management / login, data storage, etc. Finally, Crate would have to pay for hosting costs and someone to keep it all running. [2]

Crate consulted with a few different network programmers with experience in developing secure multiplayer. The cost estimates are based on their assessment of the task, what's invovled and how long it would take. [6] The developers don't want to try tackling secure multiplayer with less than $500k in additional money just budgeted for secure multiplayer development and really, they'd feel a lot more confident if that number were closer to $1m. If they had another $500k right now though, they'd much rather use it to expand development of the main game. If they somehow ended up with $2m to $3m, then they'd start thinking more about secure multiplayer. [2] Trying to add secure multiplayer without a large enough budget would be a much larger risk than not including it. [4]
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1. Secure servers & monthly fees May 2010
2. How much $$ would you need to provide DEDICATED SERVER? Jul 2012
3. How much $$ would you need to provide DEDICATED SERVER? Jul 2012
4. How much $$ would you need to provide DEDICATED SERVER? Jul 2012
5. external Reddit IAmA May 2012
6. How much $$ would you need to provide DEDICATED SERVER? Jul 2012

[eisprinzessin]

There is just no way to combat cheating without a staff of live people monitoring online play, finding cheats, figuring out how they work, and patching them on a regular basis. No static code or encryption is going to hold up very long against talented hackers. Even more so, this effort would be totally futile unless the game is running in a controlled environment. [1]

Even if you could push relevant character data to the cloud, you couldn't ensure that the data being pushed was created by a reliable client. [2] More importantly though, character-storage is only half the problem. [3] There wouldn't be much point in secure storage unless the game simulation was running on a secure server as well. Otherwise people can just use run-time cheats for modifying their character while the game is running and then save it off to the secure storage. [3, 4]

As far as mods and secure servers go, the server would have to be running the mod in question, and would have to require that all clients run the exact same version of that mod. There wouldn't be a situation where people with different mods could join the same game.

What it boils down to is this: The only realistic way to provide a secure environment is to have the server make all the decisions. Clients can never be trusted. [2] Again, secure servers and server-side architecture are way beyond what Crate can afford right now. [1]

It seems like a very cost-effective way to handle this could be dedicated servers that players run and police. [5] People could host dedicated servers and require other players to register before allowing their IP to connect. If people broke the host's rules, they could be banned.

Of course, this is a pretty small-scale solution and wouldn't allow anyone purchasing the game to easily connect to secure multiplayer. It does seem like a viable option for those really hardcore players that desperately want some form of secure multiplayer though. [6]
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1. dont know if this has been said Jul 2010
2. Online Jan 2010
3. Online Jan 2010
4. What will Crate do to prevent online cheating? Feb 2010
5. What will Crate do to prevent online cheating? Feb 2010
6. What will Crate do to prevent online cheating? Feb 2010