What gives on Solo?

[Fraktal]

Game is meant to be played coop. Why the need/want for solo play? Bots have terrible AI too lol.

[Daiyus]

Because these games also work really well for a quick hop-on play a game, hop-off type approach. If I’m doing that I don’t always want to be dealing with a party, especially as I’m usually doing that because I don’t have the attention or energy to deal with a full blown RPG, or other story driven single player game, so definitely wouldn’t be any use to other people.

Sometimes I just want to take in the ambience, or explore the maps more slowly than a public party would want to, or experiment with builds without other people relying on me. These are all things we could do in V2, that we were promised for DT, and as yet can’t do. Sure, it’s not valuable to everyone, but for those of that did play that way a lot in V2 it’s incredibly frustrating to not be able to enjoy the 40k setting in a similar manner.

[Fle292]

There is a huge chance that people have kids. I can’t even count it how many times I needed to simply ALT+F4 a game during a fight because something happened. I bet the other players really enjoy it when someone simply drops out for any reason.

I really love how people always can come up with only this " This is meant to be played coop". Literally there are no other arguments againts solo play.

I bet a good chunk of the playerbase bought this game with coop/solo options like all the game before. Solo game option is also a game preservation options too.

[Fraktal]

First if you AltF4 during a match you screwed your team as the game holds your position.

Second, you can simply quit game legit and someone else will take your place. It’s rare I go a full game with all 4 from the lobby. I don’t mind leavers.

Third, the bots need crazy amounts of work. They are so lackluster it’s wild.

Fourth, I’d rather FS work on actual content, (maps missions weapons classes), than solo play.

[Daiyus]

Fraktal
Third, the bots need crazy amounts of work. They are so lackluster it’s wild. Fourth, I’d rather FS work on actual content, (maps missions weapons classes), than solo play.

Sure, the bots are a bit lacklustre at the moment, but I’m sure those of us that want a solo option would take them as they are to facilitate our preference of playstyle.

I respect you’d rather see maps/classes/weapons/etc over solo play, of course you would, it’s what you will see benefit from. I’d see more benefit from solo mode as it would allow me to get my friends on the game and play it to the same degree and way we did V2, and actually use the content that’s already there.

We have different priorities, and that’s always going to be the case with a large player base. In a perfect world we’d get both, but right now I will continue to advocate solo private mode, and if/when we get that I’ll be right there with you championing more content across the board.

[LVSpooky]

@Fraktal

Fourth, I’d rather FS work on actual content, (maps missions weapons classes), than solo play.

I think no one would be unhappy to have both. The issue people have is what should be prioritized. Personally I can’t understand why solo mode isn’t even out yet. How much work could simply enabling single-player be compared to making entire maps or other forms of new content? Solo mode is literally the same as a normal party with a few different switches flipped in the code.

The lack of solo mode is most likely not a case of development resources. It is either a direct choice by management, as incomprehensible as it is to the customers, or something is insanely screwed up in the pre-mission code that is turning a straight rope into a super knot.

[Fraktal]

Maybe it will come out when they revamp bot AI.

I mean how hard is it for a bot to grab a spare crate if all the PCs are full? Then when space is freed up it gifts it to the player.

[Eisenfaust]

@Fraktal

Why the need/want for solo play?

@Eisenfaust

For the record a non exhaustive list of reasons for having Solo in a 4P Coop game:

• goofing around with silly stuff (others may not like it when you do that)
• taking your time and slowly explore the map (others may not like it when you do that)
• Having full control over your strike team, striving for synergys in cross character loadouts
• Having the ability to NOT engage with other people after a stressfull day (Hello neurodivergence)
• No immersion breaking by other players (Yes immersion and atmosphere are why I play DT - I don’t care for challenge)
• Being able to play in spite of terrible internet infrastructure (Hello Germany)
• It’s industry standard! (Seriously - name three L4D clones that don’t feature solo mode!)

@Fraktal

Fourth, I’d rather FS work on actual content, (maps missions weapons classes), than solo play.

@Eisenfaust

You don’t have to want Solo yourself - but you should accept that many more people than you think want a solo mode. And that they have good reasons for it.

@Fraktal

Third, the bots need crazy amounts of work. They are so lackluster it’s wild.

I’d be pretty happy if they just enabled progression for the already existing Solo Mod in combination with the already existing Tertium 5.

@Fraktal

First if you AltF4 during a match you screwed your team as the game holds your position.

Do you have small children? Sometimes there is actually no time to press escape, select a menu point and acknowledge with Enter. Sometimes you Alt-F4 with a long left arm as you are already on the move.

[Fraktal]

Yes I have two kids under 6.

I guess mine are well behaved, they play together fine. I also take advantage of nap time to play.

[Eisenfaust]

Consider yourself lucky ^^

[JanZamoysky]

@Riku

they mentioned, that they want bots to be placeholders, not alternatives to players.

Read: “making bots usable is too work intensive, work no one on the team wants to do”.

No one expects bots to be as good as players, but there is a reason why one of the most popular sanctioned mods in Vermintide 2 were better bots.

[Schuetzenhaus]

the frustrating part is how there’s literally mods that:

1. lets you play solo instances of any map you want at any difficulty with any modifier
   1a) Side note, if we can do that, why can’t we do that with private games with friends? Cmon now

2. Have the bots play as your other characters, where they are actually quite competent

So like…it’s right there, why not just implement it? VT2 was notorious for Fatshark to just implement community mods into the official release, just do that here. Solo was promsied, and it’s to this day a still highly requested feature.

[Riku]

@Schuetzenhaus

VT2 was notorious for Fatshark to just implement community mods

they did it once to my knowledge, i know of indiedevs who add some mod feature every patch.

[Riku]

@JanZamoysky

No one expects bots to be as good as players

i literally seen plenty people who suggested/demanded just that. just saying.

@JanZamoysky

Read: “making bots usable is too work intensive, work no one on the team wants to do”.

whats that even supposed to mean, is that an article a thread or what? bit out there to just phrase something random.

anyway, read closely im not opposed to give bots a glowup im supporting it.
as even as a placeholder they are horrendously bad.

[Schuetzenhaus]

They did it a bunch, off the top of my head the block on chat/alt-tab and the better bots got incorporated, I believe there was more but I haven’t thought about it in a while

[bourrinopathe]

Just adding another voice here to express the need of the announced Solo Play.
The whys have already been discussed over and over. Check Eisenfaust’s solid summaries and other posts.

In addition:

• local games have no latency, making it the most efficient way to test and enjoy the game mechanics exactly as intended (not talking players interactions here - just mechanics, response times, etc.)

• already mentioned but yes: pausing/freezing/leaving the game, because: life happens and we shouldn’t have to impair others enjoyment because we have to attend to anything more important and unexpected.

Imo DT is much more enjoyable with other players. Bots can only be bland, if serviceable (not in their current implementation obviously - think V2 bots instead).
But still, as announced, Solo Play should be an option, including progression and other features (customizing bots (build, loadout, class, etc.), bots with commands, and let’s be crazy: bots that can throw grenades and ults, even in many chaotic and dumb ways).

And we need better bots in general, as placeholders for other players to join.