Hi there, just wanted to let you guys know that I have a new poll up on Kemp's Jedi Knight II mod center (
http://www.rogerkemp.net/jedi).
Vote now to let the mod community know if you want a multi player or single player mod!
Thanks!
Personally, I think that multiplayer mods have been given too much attention. Sure they are fun, but not everybody has the fast internet connection needed to really enjoy them. Besides, there are so many incredible stories that can be told through single player mods. And Star Wars has always been about story more than combat. Battles add flavor to the story but are not the end-all and be-all of it.
In Jedi Knight, not every NPC encountered was a hostile. And there were consequences (though understated) for killing them.
Personally, I hope that JK2 will bring more of a roleplaying feel than its predecessor, making it easier to get immersed in the world of the game.
All I have is a 56K dial-up connection to the internet, and because of my location, I doubt that I'll have access to anything faster for a while. So I'll be doing the single-player scene mainly.
If NPC AI is good enough, with strategic level design, single player mods will be quite challenging... We'll just have to see, now won't we?
I agree that single player mods set in the Star Wars galaxy would be great fun. I suspect that one reason mp mods are more popular (from the developer standpoint) is that backstory development really isn't required. Nor is the array of scripted events typically expected in a single player game.
In any case, a 56k dialup connection really shouldn't be an obstacle to decent online play in the q3 engine. Especially now that the new network data compression is in place.
Moreover, there are steps the enduser can take to improve online gameplay. Software tweaking (such as adjusting the transfer rate) and selection of a server that is nearby and has fewer hops between the client and server really helps the online gaming experience for modem players. Competetive q3 modem players have been able earn prize money despite the 'handicap' of 56k.
Of course if one has a noisy 56k line that usually connects at 28.8, no online FPS gaming experience will be that enjoyable. That is not a problem unique to q3 tech.
[ July 06, 2001: Message edited by: Wilhuf ]