Multiplayer/Singleplayer popularity poll 2019/20

and please use the bulletin poll function.

Ticked "poll" box and clicked "Preview", nothing happened (no poll settings appeared), so assumed the poll feature is broken. Also, strawpoll has IP feature, which should result in a more exact voting.

A poll is not visible in the preview. I was fooled once too.

I think polls are better here, as you can vote within forum.

Also, strawpoll has IP feature, which should result in a more exact voting.

Here you can vote only when you log in and only once per account, so even better.

I am one of those that is 85% multiplayer and 15 % single player. This part has not changed for almost twenty years now with differnt games..

As many have said, these polls have been going on for years and although ED won't release exact numbers have stated that SP does have the higher player count.

It's simple to see actually. Go on the Steam stats page and you will see the number of DCS players.. compare it to MP server numbers and you will see more SP players than the total of MP (sometimes by several hundreds ). It actually reached over 900 players in game earlier in the day! It actually peaked at almost 2000 in game in July

this number represents a minority of DCS players as most play through the stand alone, so you can multiply it by 2-3 to get an approximate count at anytime. I'd love to know what this multiplier actually is, as maybe its even 5-10 times more.

Either way SP wins by far.

Now I play at least 90% MP with that time split 75/25 PvP/PvE. you sometimes need a break from the hordes of opfor CAP and just fly on your own for bit.

Will this change once the dynamic campaign gets here... I am sure it will tilt even more in favor of SP.

Dynamic campaign is not a driver for multiplayer I think.

From all these approx. 20% of MP users (as per current poll results) we could also discuss how many simulate full fidelity modules and adhere to real-life operational procedures vs. those who play so-called air quake.

As far as the simplicity, action and dynamics go, there are other MMO games that fit these purposes, the name I shall refrain from calling out here due to the forum rules.

In the not so distant future, we should see Modern Ait Combat game from ED, which will focus on the fun and simplicity, many will leave DCS Multiplayer to play MP in MAC.

Single player exclusively, don't like people very much. Didn't fill out the poll.

And if I look at how the extremely vocal MP community reacted when the Supercarrier was first announced, I don't even want to go online.

As being respectively new to DCS, I spend ~40% of time with expanding the simpit and configuration (... as well for VR ). Another 50% spending with studying the modules ( the variety of modules is fantastic and I mostly switch from one module to another to go on with study of FM, systems and functions ... a great thing is that for example learning to fly the MiG21, which is really challenging, whereas learning the weapons system of the MiG21 is easy - with the AV8B it´s the opposite: learning to fly the Harrier is easy, but it´s weapons system is challenging ).

Finally there is ~10% time on MP server, like Burning Sky, Cold War or STP, just for the fun of it and kind of bringing out my favorite planes. :)

Love every %, but studying the modules in SP is my core experience and fun.

Single player exclusively, don't like people very much. Didn't fill out the poll.

And if I look at how the extremely vocal MP community reacted when the Supercarrier was first announced, I don't even want to go online.

The MP group is the most vocal and they only care about features that directly affect their experience. I feel like ED gets a lot of pushback when they try to improve the sim and ask for money to do so because the MP group has a fit.

They pulled the exact same crap over the WW2 assets pack when it came out. Never mind the fact that ED took care of all the WW2 backers in the first place. “How dare they charge money for their work!” It’s unbelievable to me, you spend at least 2k dollars just for the rig, maybe another couple hundred for DCS but 10 bucks for art is where we draw the line :doh:

MP is not an issue for me and I'm not interested. I play 100% only SP.

“How dare they charge money for their work!” It’s unbelievable to me, you spend at least 2k dollars just for the rig, maybe another couple hundred for DCS but 10 bucks for art is where we draw the line :doh:

This, so much this! The sense of entitlement in a large portion of the online crowd is just unbelievable... the amount of utter nonsense a significant portion of people spew with regards to the carrier ("what are we paying for next, DCS clouds?") and the Ka-50 update ("Pay money for new systems for a 10 year old module where we get the gfx overhaul for free? UNACCEPTABLEEEEEEEEEE *reeeee*").

Utter insanity.

The MP group is the most vocal and they only care about features that directly affect their experience. I feel like ED gets a lot of pushback when they try to improve the sim and ask for money to do so because the MP group has a fit.

 

They pulled the exact same crap over the WW2 assets pack when it came out. Never mind the fact that ED took care of all the WW2 backers in the first place. “How dare they charge money for their work!” It’s unbelievable to me, you spend at least 2k dollars just for the rig, maybe another couple hundred for DCS but 10 bucks for art is where we draw the line :doh:

How dare you bring logic into an internet forum. Shame on you!

This poll is shocking to be quite honest.

Too many carebears. No wonder that MP has issues, if most don't even try it.

100% MP ... it's less intimidating as most people think.

Too many carebears. No wonder that MP has issues, if most don't even try it.

 

100% MP ... it's less intimidating as most people think.

It's less about intimidation as it is DCS online is more or less just like every other online game. The things people don't like about online play in other games applies to this community too:

Shitty attitudes (''carebearing'' doesn't really apply to this environment), rando bs behavior, unrealistic scenarios, sometimes cheating, joining a clan by nature requires commitment, etc. The 'vocal mp community' does a lot to undermine itself.

Aah, multiplayer votes slightly rising. Good, good.

It's less about intimidation as it is DCS online is more or less just like every other online game. The things people don't like about online play in other games applies to this community too:

 

Shitty attitudes (''carebearing'' doesn't really apply to this environment), rando bs behavior, unrealistic scenarios, sometimes cheating, joining a clan by nature requires commitment, etc. The 'vocal mp community' does a lot to undermine itself.

There is a point to that. Although I'd like to point out that the 'vocal community' you see isn't quite the entirety of the mp community either.

Over the years I have played both Multiplayer and Single player

I'm not sure that they are mutually exclusive, being part of a squadron that flies for example the harrier in multiplayer doesn't prevent me from flying the hornet in single player.

I have enjoyed "DCS massive multiplayer" when you have a red vs blue with real players on both sides.

If its us vs AI then I'm more focused on the mission that me and my wingman are doing so I prefer "DCS mini multiplayer" (2-4 players)

There is a point to that. Although I'd like to point out that the 'vocal community' you see isn't quite the entirety of the mp community either.

Yeah, of course not, but in ''open to public'' servers it's a crapshoot whether you are dealing with nice people, jerks, people screwing around, or hackers. Closed to public clan servers don't have that problem, but you all have to schedule time to play together and stick to it regularly.

As a result, people who want to avoid the more irritating aspects of online play and have a more 'sterile' calmer environment have two choices:

Offline

Clan

People who can swing the time commitment join clans. I wholeheartedly endorse clan play. However, the ones who can't (me *sadface*) end up playing offline. I like the IDEAL of multiplayer. The reality is sadly far from that ideal :p

Flying mostly single player for over a decade, recently started to fly with close friends in multiplayer on privately hosted server, not on public.

99.99% multiplayer with a little time in the mission editor for the sole purpose of testing things/strategies out to try in MP.

I understand that this is just me and my personal preferences, but I do not see how people can play exclusively SP for as long as they do. To me, it would just get boring doing the same thing over and over with the same missions. I like the dynamic nature of MP (especially in the "capture the map" servers with Combined Arms turned on) and the higher skill of the enemies that you face.

looks like i am one of these blood thrilling bad language pilots they everytime rough and punching others. 100% multiplayer. the only time of singleplayer is between spool up the pc and join the server.

and by the way. we're not so bad as it looks like. :smilewink:

[...]Why do only us singleplayer simmers have to give our reasons?

Because us MP players are convinced that MP is a very essential and human part of DCS (communication, teamwork, coordination, ...).

Pro MP: «Multiplayer is great because of people!»

Pro SP: «Multiplayer is horrible because of people!»

Quite frankly, it's hard to disprove that.

Like others... I fly both but sp is mostly test bed / practice for multiplayer. Without mp I doubt I would fly nearly as much. The past year seems to have brought in a much larger mp base and that is awesome to me. And I prefer the large public pvp servers. I like ground pounding and it’s both challenging and fun to sneak around / engage real people. They are much more difficult and dynamic than so could ever be.

But.... both sides are important. There is no right or wrong way to fly DCS ;) To each their own.

How are some people in MP "horrible" ? What have you experienced, @Kang (and others)?