Sandrock Director Answers Multiplayer Open Beta Questions From Community
Howdy Builders, Happy Chinese New Year!
We extend our sincerest appreciation for your participation in our open test and for sharing your insightful feedback and questions with us. While the test version still requires further adjustments during future development, we welcome any additional thoughts you may have. If you would like to provide more detailed feedback, please click HERE to take our survey or leave a review on Steam.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Table of Content[/h2]
1. Why is the Multiplayer mode not part of the single-player story?
2. Why not support P to P?
3. What's the future plan/schedule for MP?
4. Will the Multiplayer support players' marriage?
5. Why didn't we experience much story content in the Multiplayer mode during Open Beta?
6. Players want to relax, so why implement a leaderboard?
7. Final notes
[h3]1. Why is the Multiplayer mode not part of the single player story? Why make it a separate world?[/h3]
The development of a Multiplayer mode is a complex task that involves a significant investment of time, resources, and manpower. We began working on the Singleplayer mode in the early stages of Spring 2019, prior to planning and announcing the Multiplayer mode. The decision to create a Multiplayer mode was made after the success of our Kickstarter campaign. As a result, the Singleplayer mode was not designed with Multiplayer functionality in mind from the beginning. Sandrock uses a tool called "Story Editor" to structure its core story including missions and quests, however, incorporating a Multiplayer component into an existing Singleplayer game necessitates a complete overhaul of not just the tools but also the NPCs, story, quests, and combat mechanics to effectively create a new game. This includes considerations such as how to progress single player quests in a multiplayer setting, who can trigger them, how to handle players who are not currently online, and how to handle single characters fighting in CG scenes, among many other complexities at the design level.
Unfortunately, we currently lack the necessary resources and staff to undertake such a task. Starting a new separate Multiplayer team to create an additional free mode from scratch is a more viable option for us. As a result, the Multiplayer mode was developed as a single-player free add-on, with relatively less story and features than the Singleplayer mode but with a lot of new content, features and much more.
Additionally, we wanted to tell the story of Sandrock's past, so we decided to write the Multiplayer story as a background to the current Singleplayer story. However, the scripts are still in the process of being developed. We aim to reveal what happened before Howletts went away and by using an AI setting for the Multiplayer mode, it also helped us re-use some assets from the Singleplayer. Ultimately, the player will experience two plots and find connections between them.
[h3]2. Why not support P to P?[/h3]
The decision to introduce a server was made in order to provide a more stable and reliable connection for players. When players connect to other players, there may be network or internet issues that cannot be resolved in a timely manner, resulting in delays for players. The server allows us to better serve our players by addressing these potential issues. This decision was also influenced by in-depth research of other games that have previously struggled to support P to P. Unfortunately, we are unable to have both, so we had to implement the most efficient and stable connection for our players. Additionally, players may want to engage and meet new people, providing an opportunity to make new friends.
If during the test, you experience any issues with the connection to the server, please leave a comment below and let us know your location. We will work to improve server connections in the future. For those who may have concerns about privacy, we have implemented a data protection agreement in-game, and all data will be kept confidential and used solely for the provision of improving game services.
[h3]3. What's the future plan/schedule for MP[/h3]
We will be wrapping up the public test on the 20th and taking a brief break for the Lunar New Year holiday week. Upon our return, we will review all aspects of the test and make decisions regarding the Early Access content and set a launch date, which may take up to a month or two. At this time, we anticipate launching the Multiplayer Early Access in late spring or early summer. Following that, we will continue to add more content and features to the Multiplayer mode (further details will be provided in an in-depth announcement at a later stage), with the goal of releasing the full version, including both Singleplayer and Multiplayer, later this year.
[h3]4. Will the Multiplayer support marriage between players?[/h3]
We can confirm that we will add a marriage function between the player and NPC. We are also currently considering the possibility of adding a marriage function to the full version, which would allow players to marry other players. However, there may be some awkward issues to consider, such as the limitation of having only a double bed for a couple and the possibility of other players sleeping in the same bed as the couple. Owing to the limitation of having only a double bed in the game, maybe...it's better to ask...before you lay in your friends' couple bed.
[h3]5. Why didn't we experience much story content in the Multiplayer mode during the Open beta? Any plans to add the story to the mode in the future?[/h3]
In our design, the free Multiplayer mode will feature approximately 20 hours of game story, including both main quests and side quests. It is important to note that the primary focus of the Multiplayer is on co-op commerce guild simulation rather than a story-driven experience. While we plan to include additional stories, they will not be as extensive as those in the Singleplayer mode. The Multiplayer mode will not include all the features and functions of the Singleplayer mode, but it will have its own unique features and stories, such as side quests for new NPCs. We will continue to explore new possibilities and add more content as the game progresses. Additionally, Logan will be present in the Multiplayer mode, although his storyline and role will be different from the Singleplayer mode. This can be explained with the "metaverse" universe generated by QI. We hope players will enjoy experiencing his story in both modes.
[h3]6. Players want to relax, so why implementing a leaderboard? Will there be more adjustments or cancellations in the future?[/h3]
The leaderboard feature reflects the game world background and gameplay settings. In the game, Alliances own their commerce organizations, and the Multiplayer leaderboards rank players based on their performance in guilds. We understand that some players may enjoy this feature while others may not. In the future, we plan to make adjustments to allow players to opt-in and participate in the leaderboards. This way, casual players who do not wish to participate in the leaderboards will not have to log in to view them and will still be able to earn certain rewards.
[h3]7. Final notes[/h3]
Upon our return, we will review all aspects of the test and make decisions regarding the Early Access content and set a launch date, which may take up to a month or two. At this time, we anticipate launching the Multiplayer Early Access in late spring or early summer. Following that, we will continue to add more content and features to the Multiplayer mode (further details will be provided in an in-depth announcement later), with the goal of releasing the full version, including both Singleplayer and Multiplayer, later this year.
Lastly, we will be making further adjustments and optimizations based on your feedback, such as the restriction on nicknames. Currently, players can search for friends using nicknames, but we understand that this may be confusing if there are too many players with similar nicknames like "Max" or "Lucy". We will work on optimizing and revising this feature to make it more user-friendly.
Again, we really value all your feedback and suggestions, and the Multiplayer Co-op Open Test is still available until 12 AM Jan 20th PT | 3 AM Jan 20th ET | 9 AM Jan 20th CET. If you haven't tried it, we hope you can try it out while you have time, don't forget to fill in the Survey or leave a review on Steam, so we can learn more about your experiences.
Catch up with us around the web for more Sandrock information:
Subscribe to Youtube Join our Discord Sandrock Instagram Sandrock Twitter Sandrock Facebook Sandrock Official Website
We extend our sincerest appreciation for your participation in our open test and for sharing your insightful feedback and questions with us. While the test version still requires further adjustments during future development, we welcome any additional thoughts you may have. If you would like to provide more detailed feedback, please click HERE to take our survey or leave a review on Steam.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Table of Content[/h2]
1. Why is the Multiplayer mode not part of the single-player story?
2. Why not support P to P?
3. What's the future plan/schedule for MP?
4. Will the Multiplayer support players' marriage?
5. Why didn't we experience much story content in the Multiplayer mode during Open Beta?
6. Players want to relax, so why implement a leaderboard?
7. Final notes
[h3]1. Why is the Multiplayer mode not part of the single player story? Why make it a separate world?[/h3]
The development of a Multiplayer mode is a complex task that involves a significant investment of time, resources, and manpower. We began working on the Singleplayer mode in the early stages of Spring 2019, prior to planning and announcing the Multiplayer mode. The decision to create a Multiplayer mode was made after the success of our Kickstarter campaign. As a result, the Singleplayer mode was not designed with Multiplayer functionality in mind from the beginning. Sandrock uses a tool called "Story Editor" to structure its core story including missions and quests, however, incorporating a Multiplayer component into an existing Singleplayer game necessitates a complete overhaul of not just the tools but also the NPCs, story, quests, and combat mechanics to effectively create a new game. This includes considerations such as how to progress single player quests in a multiplayer setting, who can trigger them, how to handle players who are not currently online, and how to handle single characters fighting in CG scenes, among many other complexities at the design level.
Unfortunately, we currently lack the necessary resources and staff to undertake such a task. Starting a new separate Multiplayer team to create an additional free mode from scratch is a more viable option for us. As a result, the Multiplayer mode was developed as a single-player free add-on, with relatively less story and features than the Singleplayer mode but with a lot of new content, features and much more.
Additionally, we wanted to tell the story of Sandrock's past, so we decided to write the Multiplayer story as a background to the current Singleplayer story. However, the scripts are still in the process of being developed. We aim to reveal what happened before Howletts went away and by using an AI setting for the Multiplayer mode, it also helped us re-use some assets from the Singleplayer. Ultimately, the player will experience two plots and find connections between them.
[h3]2. Why not support P to P?[/h3]
The decision to introduce a server was made in order to provide a more stable and reliable connection for players. When players connect to other players, there may be network or internet issues that cannot be resolved in a timely manner, resulting in delays for players. The server allows us to better serve our players by addressing these potential issues. This decision was also influenced by in-depth research of other games that have previously struggled to support P to P. Unfortunately, we are unable to have both, so we had to implement the most efficient and stable connection for our players. Additionally, players may want to engage and meet new people, providing an opportunity to make new friends.
If during the test, you experience any issues with the connection to the server, please leave a comment below and let us know your location. We will work to improve server connections in the future. For those who may have concerns about privacy, we have implemented a data protection agreement in-game, and all data will be kept confidential and used solely for the provision of improving game services.
[h3]3. What's the future plan/schedule for MP[/h3]
We will be wrapping up the public test on the 20th and taking a brief break for the Lunar New Year holiday week. Upon our return, we will review all aspects of the test and make decisions regarding the Early Access content and set a launch date, which may take up to a month or two. At this time, we anticipate launching the Multiplayer Early Access in late spring or early summer. Following that, we will continue to add more content and features to the Multiplayer mode (further details will be provided in an in-depth announcement at a later stage), with the goal of releasing the full version, including both Singleplayer and Multiplayer, later this year.
[h3]4. Will the Multiplayer support marriage between players?[/h3]
We can confirm that we will add a marriage function between the player and NPC. We are also currently considering the possibility of adding a marriage function to the full version, which would allow players to marry other players. However, there may be some awkward issues to consider, such as the limitation of having only a double bed for a couple and the possibility of other players sleeping in the same bed as the couple. Owing to the limitation of having only a double bed in the game, maybe...it's better to ask...before you lay in your friends' couple bed.
[h3]5. Why didn't we experience much story content in the Multiplayer mode during the Open beta? Any plans to add the story to the mode in the future?[/h3]
In our design, the free Multiplayer mode will feature approximately 20 hours of game story, including both main quests and side quests. It is important to note that the primary focus of the Multiplayer is on co-op commerce guild simulation rather than a story-driven experience. While we plan to include additional stories, they will not be as extensive as those in the Singleplayer mode. The Multiplayer mode will not include all the features and functions of the Singleplayer mode, but it will have its own unique features and stories, such as side quests for new NPCs. We will continue to explore new possibilities and add more content as the game progresses. Additionally, Logan will be present in the Multiplayer mode, although his storyline and role will be different from the Singleplayer mode. This can be explained with the "metaverse" universe generated by QI. We hope players will enjoy experiencing his story in both modes.
[h3]6. Players want to relax, so why implementing a leaderboard? Will there be more adjustments or cancellations in the future?[/h3]
The leaderboard feature reflects the game world background and gameplay settings. In the game, Alliances own their commerce organizations, and the Multiplayer leaderboards rank players based on their performance in guilds. We understand that some players may enjoy this feature while others may not. In the future, we plan to make adjustments to allow players to opt-in and participate in the leaderboards. This way, casual players who do not wish to participate in the leaderboards will not have to log in to view them and will still be able to earn certain rewards.
[h3]7. Final notes[/h3]
Upon our return, we will review all aspects of the test and make decisions regarding the Early Access content and set a launch date, which may take up to a month or two. At this time, we anticipate launching the Multiplayer Early Access in late spring or early summer. Following that, we will continue to add more content and features to the Multiplayer mode (further details will be provided in an in-depth announcement later), with the goal of releasing the full version, including both Singleplayer and Multiplayer, later this year.
Lastly, we will be making further adjustments and optimizations based on your feedback, such as the restriction on nicknames. Currently, players can search for friends using nicknames, but we understand that this may be confusing if there are too many players with similar nicknames like "Max" or "Lucy". We will work on optimizing and revising this feature to make it more user-friendly.
Again, we really value all your feedback and suggestions, and the Multiplayer Co-op Open Test is still available until 12 AM Jan 20th PT | 3 AM Jan 20th ET | 9 AM Jan 20th CET. If you haven't tried it, we hope you can try it out while you have time, don't forget to fill in the Survey or leave a review on Steam, so we can learn more about your experiences.
Catch up with us around the web for more Sandrock information:
Subscribe to Youtube Join our Discord Sandrock Instagram Sandrock Twitter Sandrock Facebook Sandrock Official Website