What is the expected maximum amount of players per game?

thefonz

<div class="IPBDescription">Are super huge maps a possibility? Multiple comms?</div>Like the title says, what is the expected maximum amount of players that NS2 will be able to support? The idea of super huge maps (think multiple veils) is really interesting. Maps so big that likely 1 commander won't be enough. Obviously these maps pose big problems for command, communication and coordination, but the idea is just awesome to me. I want to know what NS2 is expected to handle before I start getting giddy that someone will make something on that scale.

konata

You need two commanders per game at a MINIMUM.

NS1 was played as a 6v6 competitive. I think they're trying that out for NS2 with that NS2HD tournament right now.

We honestly really can't answer it properly until the game is actually a lot nearer being finished, feature wise most importantly and then performance wise. As gameplay isn't going to be like this in a years time.

Here's food for thought though..

This is where it gets "dynamic" or should I say, not well thought through at present..

The game supports multiple commanders, so you could have 2/3 running all game on either team, so if you maxed out capacity you'd probably have 5 commanders running in one game. Not knowing how many commanders a team will have as the game can change and points change will then affect the rest of the team. I think people have 16/20 servers max right now on the server list by the looks of things though. So you could be playing with 2 commanders and 14 outfield players on a 16 man or even 4 commanders and 14 outfield, you just don't know until you play!

Max

From a technical standpoint, we're shooting for 16v16 maximum. We still have a lot of optimization to do before we're ready for that though.

ScardyBob

<!--quoteo(post=1880700:date=Oct 19 2011, 11:19 AM:name=Max)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Max @ Oct 19 2011, 11:19 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1880700"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->From a technical standpoint, we're shooting for 16v16 maximum. We still have a lot of optimization to do before we're ready for that though.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I would still love to see an option for letting servers run at higher playercounts if they choose. For example, I suspect that some of the current high-powered servers (Inversion, Team156, Australia Pure, HBZ, etc) might be able to run up to 48 players or more once you have everything optimized for 32 players.

IeptBarakat

Pretty sure the servers can allow any number the want, as back in the alpha I believe I saw a 50 player server.

Kouji_San

Would be lovely if the game was scalable, but that is hard to balance...

konata

<!--quoteo(post=1880738:date=Oct 19 2011, 11:06 PM:name=Kouji_San)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kouji_San @ Oct 19 2011, 11:06 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1880738"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Would be lovely if the game was scalable, but that is hard to balance...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Easier with symmetry.

IeptBarakat

Scaling could work well if it was structure health and build times tied with 3 different levels that scale with to 8 max players, 16 max players, and 32 max players. 16 max being the current structure health level.

Level 1(8 player game)
25% lower structure health, 25% faster construction time.
Level 2(16 player game)
Default structure health and construction times.
Level 3(32 player game)
25% higher structure health, 25% slower construction time.

Would help with small games taking forever to gnaw through structures, and large games cutting through them like butter.