Hi all,
today, I am very happy to announce the first available BETA version of ONLINE MULTIPLAYER !
Please note though, that adding online multiplayer to a high paced arcade game such as Natural Soccer is a very tough task - and it actually is the first time for me to ever try to do so ;-)
So this is a very first test if online multiplayer in Natural Soccer is even feasible and doable by me :-) - worst case, it may very well show that that's not the case, so I would love to get your feedback on this VERY EARLY version of online multiplayer to see if it makes any sense to pursue the idea or not.
Please note that online multiplayer in Natural Soccer is highly dependend on a stable connection with a decent ping. So your experience may vary greatly depending on who you play against. So try to match up with your friends close to you geographically, if possible (listed close to the top of the player list).
Adding online multiplayer requires a lot of code changes and additions. That means, even existing modes might now suffer from new bugs!
In worst case, you may even loose your settings/savegames when switching to the online branch! So please only take part in the test if it's okay for you to probably loose your league progess or having to re-install the game altogether if things go wrong.
And also be prepared to restart the game quite a lot (use ALT+F4 to quit) as there is no PAUSE or in-game menu in online mode yet (see below).
The online beta still is very rough around the edges. Match making is very rudimentary, there is no PAUSE in online matches, no radar and more...
When running an online match, the game is preset with default settings - that is, most of your options (match duration,...) are being ignored and set to some presets for both you and your online opponent.
That is, you are always playing the same teams (set to all players having the very same skills for maximum fairness), fixed duration, no radar, preset camera settings and so on and so forth.
Online matches are always one on one for now - and you have to use a controller to play (no keyboard support!).
Of course, if online multiplayer proves solid & fun enough to become part of the official release, those things will be added in the future so that you may choose your own teams and settings for your online matches etc.
Having said this, you can try it now by switching to the branch "online" in your STEAM client.
That is, you go to Natural Soccer's properties in the STEAM client, then choose the "BETAS" tab and switch to the "online" channel.
Please note that, for optimum performance, the usual rules for online play apply:
As mentioned before, match making still is very rudimentary. So, for the time being, please use other means such as phone, whatsapp, teamspeak, chat or mail to arrange an online match with your friend.
Once you select PLAY => ONLINE in Natural Soccer, the match making screen is shown.
On the left hand side, you will see all available players (or "Waiting for players..." if there are no other players yet.)
Wait for your friend to come online (by choosing PLAY => ONLINE like you just did) and appear in the list.
Click on his/her name once it shows up in the list to challenge him/her.
Your friend will be notified of this as your name appears in his/her "Challengers" list on the right hand side. He/she can then accept the challenge to immediately start the match.
If, on the other hand, you get challenged by your friend, you will see him/her on the right hand side.
Click on him/her in the right hand "Challengers" list to start a match.
Note: the one accepting the challenge will be hosting the game, the other will be the client. So it's best for the player with the weaker hardware to challenge the one with the more powerful computer.
Please share your online experience in the forums so that I can see if it makes any sense for me to keep on working on online multiplayer or if it's just not (yet) good enough.
Thanks for your support!
Enjoy Natural Soccer!
~ Thorsten