• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

What are your hopes and/or expectations for SIE’s first AAA multiplayer title, Factions?

If you are looking forward to it of course,

They will most likely have a couple of service games out before then, like Helldivers 2, another MLB The Show, Destiny expansion, etc. but the big debut multiplayer game that im sure everyone will have their eyes on is The Last of Us Presents: Factions. Not only does it seem like Sony is investing a lot of money into it, it seems like this will be one of the first games where we see Bungie’s influence on SIE Studio games.

Here’s what we know:

  • Described as a "huge game" budget and scope similar to other Naughty Dog games
  • Comes with its own storyline
  • new cast of characters
  • Takes place in a different part of the US (San Francisco confirmed)
  • More information coming next year
  • Fortnite monetization developer working on it

There are a lot of ways this game can go. Do you want it to be a battle royal, a PVEVP, a Tarkov style game, something more similar to the division, straight up PVP death match?

Do you think it should be F2P, full priced with season passes, full priced but free on PS Plus, Packaged with something else?
FU1cmtbWIAAIsk0
 
Im not sure to be honest. Will be interesting to see. Most multiplayer is flashy and exaggerated for clarity which goes against the realism focus of the series. Classes? Long term base building and survival elements? Can't really imagine dance emotes being appropriate.

Story will definitely broaden the world and set it up for more franchise entries.
 

yurinka

Member
I think it will be open worldish and that the storyline will happen across a series of quests, some of them from the main story and some of them optional secondary missions.

Then you'll travel with some companion (like TLOU or GOWR but 2 or 3 companions) that could be CPU controlled or played by a friend as coop. I think there will be CPU controlled enemies specially in the story quest areas but other enemies will be players roaming around non-missions central part the world, more PvP.

And then special spots for raids and other special stuff.

Imagine a Destiny version of TLOU. Of if GoWR would be coop and in the non-main story secondary areas of each world in addition to PvE enemies there would be player controlled enemies.

I imagine its main story as long as a ND game but then with a lot of end game and PvP content plus many unlockables to customize character and weapons. There would be seasons with their expansion season/battle passes that woud expand the story.

Then time later, after they released enough season passes/DLC/IAP content and once the game no longer sells, it woul go F2P, as Destiny 2 did.

The "storyline" bit scares me a little. If we have to watch cutscenes in a multiplayer game, we're marching on Washington.
Games like CoD or Destiny have storylines and there's nothing wrong with them.
 
Last edited:

Salz01

Member
There is a big part of me that just wants more maps for TLOU Factions. Maybe some levels from TLOU2 Seattle , like the school, aquarium, the Park where Abby gets hung… etc.
 

EruditeHobo

Member
Can't wait to check it out but need to see more.

If it's just some reskinned version of the already many other battle royale games, I will not be playing. Couldn't care less about Fortnite with its bizarre gimmick & merchandise themed tie-ins. Don't give a toss.

If they put some interesting RPG/story elements grafted onto the game to make it more like The Division -- a game where it's fun to play/grind solo, it's fun to play co-op PvE, it's fun to play full blown PvP -- I will be playing for a long, long, long time.
 
Last edited:

CamHostage

Member
Crazy how Factions was all the talk for like two years as the mystery companion of TLoU2, then they actually talked about it that tiny bit and I don't think I've seen us talk about it since that June reveal. (It came to mind when we were posting about possibly graphical powerhouses of 2023, and then I forgot about it while posting...)

It's certainly got a lot of work ahead to get top of mind, plus this isn't Naughty Dog's strong suit plus TLoU MP & Uncharted MP never owned mindshare... but I think when they finally do ramp up first-looks and betas, it has a chance to pop on its unique merits. Maybe it's better that we're not spending another 18 months endlessly hyping ourselves over this game; instead, we got word of it and have an idea of what it is (and what it isn't, since it's clearly not the F2P or DLC tag-along MP mode that it seems was expected of it at first,) and that seems to have put the lid back on the pot. Get it out from the shadow for TLoU2 (whichever way you feel about that game, this needs a fresh start,) give it a proper promotional ramp-up, let the new characters and settings and play systems and whatever is different about this online experience speak for itself, and use all the time until then to make it look cool as fuck with the tech (and the budget) that Naught Dog wields.

...So, my hopes for this game right now are that we keep forgetting that it exists, and it keeps getting buried in Most Anticipated of 2023 lists and it's not brought up much at all while people are enjoying Starfield or Zelda TotK, and we keep forgetting about Factions until it reveals itself to be something unforgettable... hopefully.
 
Last edited:

vivftp

Member
Crazy how Factions was all the talk for like two years as the mystery companion of TLoU2, then they actually talked about it that tiny bit and I don't think I've seen us talk about it since that June reveal. (It came to mind when we were posting about possibly graphical powerhouses of 2023, and then I forgot about it while posting...)

It's certainly got a lot of work ahead to get top of mind, plus this isn't Naughty Dog's strong suit plus TLoU MP & Uncharted MP never owned mindshare... but I think when they finally do ramp up first-looks and betas, it has a chance to pop on its unique merits. Maybe it's better that we're not spending another 18 months endlessly hyping ourselves over this game; instead, we got word of it and have an idea of what it is (and what it isn't, since it's clearly not the F2P or DLC tag-along MP mode that it seems was expected of it at first,) and that seems to have put the lid back on the pot. Get it out from the shadow for TLoU2 (whichever way you feel about that game, this needs a fresh start,) give it a proper promotional ramp-up, let the new characters and settings and play systems and whatever is different about this online experience speak for itself, and use all the time until then to make it look cool as fuck with the tech (and the budget) that Naught Dog wields.

...So, my hopes for this game right now are that we keep forgetting that it exists, and it keeps getting buried in Most Anticipated of 2023 lists and it's not brought up much at all while people are enjoying Starfield or Zelda TotK, and we keep forgetting about Factions until it reveals itself to be something unforgettable... hopefully.

It hasn't had any ties to TLOU2 since long before TLOU2 launched. ND specifically announced that what began as the MP mode for TLOU2 continued to grow in size and ambition and they made the decision to spin it off into its own thing as it was well beyond just a tacked on MP mode. No one in good faith has talked about this game as being a companion to TLOU2 in about 3 years now.

Neil has said that we'll get more info on the game in 2023, presumably this will be at the PlayStation Showcase, whenever that occurs. We know from Jim Ryan that the plan for 2 unannounced live service games to launch before the end of this FY, so that leaves a bit over 4 months for 2 first party live services games to launch. Presumably Helldivers 2 will be one of them, and the only other one that seems like it could be ready to go is TLOU MP, so that's the next most likely one IMO. Being able to cross promote that along with the TLOU HBO show that launches in January will help push it even harder. I have no doubt that a simultaneous console/PC launch will occur, I'm just curious if they're gonna take it one step further and also launch it on mobile.
 

supernova8

Banned
Kinda feel like purist multiplayer died with the likes of Battlefield 2. Since then it's just been flashy bollocks.
 

vivftp

Member
I suspect that with at least some of their live services titles Sony will attempt to marry their highly successful blockbuster titles with a live service experience. Having Bungie and Destiny as guides to learn from might be the perfect way to learn to make that happen. We know TLOU MP will have a story, so it might wind up being one such game. I wouldn't mind if it had a nice PVE co-op experience I could share with friends.
 
It's not like I never ever play any MP, but I don't look forward to MP/GaaS/MMOs or whatever. If it comes with a good SP part, I get it for that and might check its MP out, but I think I have yet to buy a MP-only game. I think TF2 might be the only MP-only game I ever played and I got it because it was part of the Orange Box.
So generally not much delighted by Sony's, although certainly understandable, MP focus for many of their coming games.
 

bitbydeath

Member
Being called Factions, I think we would be working against multiple teams at once with each trying their best to survive.

Bandits/Smugglers/Fireflies etc.
 

elco

Member
No political agendas, and something to at least replace some of the mechanics that the original had. I loved the crafting system woven into a tactical tps like that.
 

SLB1904

Banned
Very low. Factions was one of my favourite mp ever. But I feel they will go overboard to impress with this new one and fuck it up. I hope I'm wrong
 

onesvenus

Member
Not only does it seem like Sony is investing a lot of money
Is that were AAA comes from?
Since you say "it seems like Sony is investing a lot of money", how do you know it has big production values?
As far as we know it can be something like Destruction All Stars. Would you say that's also an AAA multiplayer title?
 
I am hoping for a open world that has a good story where you can tackle the game on your own or coop. The ability to leave other players messages could work well. Story does not need to be cut scene heavy, could use audio recordings and environmental story telling.

Also hope for areas of the game that are very similar to Factions that could be where the PVP takes place.

If the whole game is PVP I can not see myself playing it more than a week.
 
If it has the same methodical and slow pace of tlou2 i'm probably gonna like it.
Same, but I do fear it's going to have all players rushing for a equipment drop.

Also hope cosmetic stuff works in the game world. The moment I see someone running round as Nathan Drake or Astro Bot I am out.
 
Last edited:
Cautiously optimistic. First one was legit one of the best MP experiences ever. So tactical and such deep gameplay, it was night and day different than the SP combat. But they ruined it with pay to win MTX and new content that literally changed the entire meta of the core game. It became just smoke bombs and shivs.

But I hope they learned.
 
I’m hoping it has a single player mode.
You’re hoping for single player in a multiplayer game? Not sure I follow here. If you mean a ‘solo’ mode then I’m sure you can go at it on your own in some game types.

The way they explain the game makes it sound similar to something like The Division to me.
 
Top Bottom