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This week I have been playing some My Colony 1 and Antiquitas online, and it started giving me second thoughts about the way multiplayer in MC2 should work.

My original though was to have large infinite worlds that multiple players could build on, with decentralized servers. After playing the two original games some more though, I am no longer sure that is the best option.

Wondering what everybody thinks on this? Maybe MC2 should in fact be more similar to MC1 (and Antiquitas) with a centralized server for resource trading and multiplayer. I suppose there really is no reason to reinvent the wheel, and the more I think of it, being able to play your online game should not have to depend on the host actually being online.

Would two or more players building on the same map actually add anything to the game? It probably isn't even necessary.

What do you all think about MC2 multiplayer? Totally redo it? Or improve on what works with MC1?

I think taking a new look at the old is a good idea: Instead of having a large trade network with all colonies, you could make it so that embassies act as a direct trade link, and you could have this to the Galactic Stockpile! Cutting taxes, and making trading for cheaper and less "time consuming"

I still am in favour of the unlimited map size or at least the ability for two people to be on the same map. Now this may not exactly reflect in intial gameplay, but I guess modding community might want to explore this and who knows what they would come up with. Who knows if they will start wars in game?

Keeping that aside, collaborating builds and neighborhoods together as well helps us explore each other's techniques and much more interactive than just the chat.

Apart from that, just being able to see everything you made as whole and not through the regional view gives a huge sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

I hope you find the views helpful ^o^

MC1 don't have a solid, big player base. A completely decentralized game, with many different versions (theoretically, each player could have a different versions), completely player-server dependent.. I'm not sure if will work.

I love the possibility of (almost) complete customization, and the possibility to have a personal server. Even for easy play in different support. I could use a pc server, and play in my LAN in every smartphone/tablet/ecc, without big problem.

For the multiplayer, with the server/client decentralized we won't have classic multiplayer, just many server. Maybe few player will be play in "multiplayer", but.. for almost all players, they will be alone isolated on their server. Maybe will help few friend to play together.


But.. a central server (like MC1) for resources and trade don't have much sense with complete customization system. The economy in MC1 is already a disaster, a global trade system can't live in a game where player can make a building able to produce trillion and cost 1 ore.

I don't think player need to play the same map at the same time, sure.. will be a nice touch, but is crazy for server requisite and heavy depended to internet.

I prefer solid interaction outside the map (a solid economy system, a complete trade structure, from resources to bot, tech..), to a solid interaction inside the map.

Ok going off of some of the above thoughts, consider this. What if MC2 does not need to have all of the planned customization and everybody is playing the same game on the same server? The modding does sound awesome of course, but it does somewhat break the ability to have a global server. Additionally, all of the customization may just turn this game into something it's not, if that makes sense.

@Invincible said he is still in favor of the infinite map sizes, and so am I. Now an infinite map size does not necessarily have to be a multiplayer server. For instance, MC2 could simply do away with the Region concept and make all maps (planets) infinite in size (or at least, super large), and you would never run out of building space, and your entire civilization is still right there on one screen.

Now obviously with an infinite map, it would be easy to get "lost." I think there will need to be a way to "bookmark" locations on the map that you can easily snap back to.

@Luker124 hints at ways to change up trade, possibly requiring embassies or other ideas, and as @Ansom correctly points out, the economy in MC1 is a bit out of whack. That all said, I have been considering that the game is still fun to have a global connection, and I think the in-game chat does add a lot to it. However, some things need to change.

For example, if MC2 goes global instead of decentralized, I am not sure that chat-based resource gifting should even be a part of the game. It's not realistic at all. However, trading resources over the GBT instantly really isn't realistic either. Here are some possible solutions I have.

• A year or so ago, I brought up the idea of actually using Star Ships to build trade networks between colonies. I never implemented this, because with gifting and GBT it would be largely pointless. Maybe in MC2, Star Ships are the only real way to export/import/trade resources off of your planet. It makes logical sense. You build Star Ships and you can either then trade with Earth for rip-off prices bases on your starship cargo capacity, or you can set up networks with other players.
• I do not think that the GBT as it is really makes sense, however the concept is enjoyed by a lot of players who like the trading aspect of the game. Maybe this could be a compromise. Remember a few months ago when I was thinking that, instead of being a part of a government (UE/LIS/etc) you are a corporation trying to profit with a space colony? Perhaps that is the concept, and there is a global stock exchange in the game, where you can issue shares in your "company" to raise revenues, people can trade your stock, and you can issue cash dividends to your "shareholders" when your colony if profitable? There would need to be an in-game way to pull up all of the stats on a colony so traders know if they are a good buy or not, but it could serve as both a way to make money, and a side game that still has the trading aspects of the GBT. And it doesn't jack with resource prices. Of course, I could see the need for a resource based commodities market, but perhaps it would have a requirement that you need to load all of the goods onto a starship first, but I would also be fine with no resource based trading market.
• I had a thought for Embassies that still sort of keeps the "multiple players in one server" thing, but in a much reduced role. For Embassies in MC2, what if you grant another player a "patch" of land, like a 10x10 square or something, and they can build whatever they want there as their embassy, or maybe out of a certain sub-selection of decorative structures. So each embassy area would be unique, and when you establish an embassy in a new city, you get to design it how you want, make it look pretty, and depending on what buildings you put on it would decide what kind of capabilities the embassy had? This is just an initial thought, something to flesh out more later.
• Buildings that just generate resources out of nothing probably shouldn't exist in MC2.
• The modding is fancy, but it might really not be that necessary and might be more of a hassle than it is worth. Realistically I do not know how many people would actually take advantage of it, and it would eliminate that colony's ability to play online. Well I could go either way on this really.

Anyway, think about what I wrote and let me know your thoughts. MC2 is still in it's infancy so we can still throw ideas around and see what sticks. Possibly if you take MC1, tweak it with the ideas above, make it 3d, etc, that would be a pretty good new game too. On the other hand, I do like the idea of the decentralized servers and complete customization, but perhaps that is an idea for another game that isn't called My Colony 2?

A bit sad to hear the modding is less likely to happen in MC2 ʕTᴥTʔ

Maybe? Not necessarily. Really just looking for feedback/ discussion at this point!

I agree with most, except the "global stock exchange".

But... If the heavy modding part is inside the creative mode? With the possibility to export or import anything (structure, not, tech... Ecc). Player will be able to create new stuff, hopping for a future integration inside the game, or fix broken structure, or easy beta test.

I am having a thought.
What if players can design their own embassies.

bastecklein said:
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Remember a few months ago when I was thinking that, instead of being a part of a government (UE/LIS/etc) you are a corporation trying to profit with a space colony?
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My further thoughts would be, what if players customizes their colony by selecting boosts or unique buildings at the beginning, instead of having everything provided by factions?

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Perhaps there is a global stock exchange in the game, where you can issue shares in your "company" to raise revenues, people can trade your stock, and you can issue cash dividends to your "shareholders" when your colony if profitable?
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I was also thinking of something similar (Sponsors) lol