I have been playing 5v5 for the last week.  The problem is less about the game as it is finding 10 people who can get together and are willing to try a 5v5.

Really you can constistently get into 5v5?  We never have a lack of people it just seems that when the last one or two people join the pings start going yellow (even if the connection list says they are connected) so it doesn't let us start the game.  The annoying thing is all of the exactly same people can work fine in 4v4, so it's not like these people can't connect to eachother.

A 5v5 with ai doesnt count. The importance of 5v5's is fluking your way through lobby hell and getting everyone actually into the game.

You can play 5 on 5 online pretty readly IF you can find 10 people who have good connections and high end systems.

But when you're relying on connecting to a bunch of strangers, things get a lot more complex.

Ah, I see your point. Then no, I've never been in a "true" 5v5. The matchmaking system doesn't seem to be capable of making a game above 2v2 without all but 2 of the players being AI. The largest, all human player game I've ever had was a 3v3 in custom.

Don't pick pantheon.  You will not get more than 2v2 in pantheon.  Maybe they will fix pantheon soon.

Pick custom games, custom games will only be humans and you can get a 4v4+ game going if you forward your ports.

I'm curious, so the game is poor because the network library used for the game couldn't handle thousands and thousands of people with very different types of route and ISP setups? A system that worked quite well during the extended beta for the game I might add.

How many games have you developed?  While I agree it is a total debacle that a major game be released with multiplayer matchmaking problems, I think you forget that until recently, most games did not include it at all, they either bundled GameSpy Arcade or sent users off to use programs like Microsoft's Zone.  

Simply put, the game was well developed.  Gas Powered Games, the developer believed the game was done.  We ran the game through our own QA process along with our beta testers and we (Stardock) believed the game was ready as well and so it was released.

There are a lot of factors that are virtually impossible to test for.  Besides the lack of scaleability in the library we used, there is also the almost unlimited combinations of user ISPs, routers, OSes, etc.  If we had a time machine, we would have done a large open multiplayer beta to the public.  Then we would have learned, for example, how some ISPs in Brazil packet shape peer-to-peer traffic.  

As frustrated as I am personally with the difficulties of the Demigod launch, I think some people fail to realize just how much more complicated getting multiplayer connectivity to work today in games that don't have dedicated servers (i.e. strategy games).  I see people comparing Demigod to Battle.net.  But when Starcraft came out, people didn't have routers at all let alone people with internet sniffing security programs, anti-virus internet monitors, personal firewalls, ISPs blocking ports to reduce bit-torrent traffic, etc.. etc.. Battle.net and other systems have had years to adapt to that as those things have come up. And it's not like we can license Battle.net.  

With the benefit of hindsight, Stardock and Gas Powered Games made a mistake in treating network connectivity the same way one treats licensing a sound library or a 3D library or a video library. We believed (quite obviously wrongly) that you could just plug it in and have the game call Game->ConnectPlayers(a,b,c,d,e,f,g) and voila. And because it worked well in beta, we felt confident to release the game. 

Once it became obvious that that wasn't the case, we have spent the last 2 weeks developing a new system ourselves.

On the console, I might point out, developers don't have to mess with any of this.  Microsoft and Sony provide this already.

I might also point out that Stardock provides a 100% refund to those who can't get multiplayer connectivity to work. So if you really think we're such a bad company, I recommend getting a refund.

Frogboy, while I do have the utmost respect for Stardock's attempts to fix the game, the fact that it needs to be fixed at launch, let alone remaining in an unplayable state a month after launch, is simply bad. I do not know of another major game release that has had this many problems in recent history. Mind you, the gameplay of demigod? Epic. The problem is, if I want to play with other people, I have to spend 3-4 times as long in the lobby as in game. Good luck fixing it, I'll just practice against the AI and lurk on the forums. /tiphat

Gears of War 2 though isn't mainly a mp game.  The mp problems with demigod wouldn't be a problem if there was a real sp game of some kind(endless games vs ai does not count).

look its been a month and it has gotten better but people have the right to be dissapointed at the state of the game ATM.

Think about it you build a car but it does not run.

Now sure any company needs understanding and a little patience. Well IMO a month is enough. From my perspective yes they got it better but am i satisfied in the legnth of time to get it at this point? No I am not. IMO this is how the game should have shipped as is now.

Too many companies push their product out for pc gamers but they take their time in consoles. Why is this? Well in pc gaming you can throw out a patch to fix issues on consoles you can not. We as gamers and i fall into the catigory buy pc games knowen dam well there will be bugs. Not 1 pc game i have bought in the last yr shipped without its share of bugs.

This game is great and specially frog has kept us in the loop of whats going on. Name one company that actually steps to the plate and says the game is broke. Most companies would not do what frog has been doing nor admit to anythen being wrong wth the game. So we need to give credit where it is meritted.

So yea they deserve a little patience from us due to them being honost with us.

There is also the fact the consoles actually provide online services while stardock have to do it all themselves

LOLOL

http://forums.demigodthegame.com/352201 That is Jdubs post. He shows tons of "understanding". Don't talk about bad service he says. This isn't bad service....

He just took away your ability to have and opinon. This is another example of his understand. I think this community could use less Jdub.

Carwash, bbq, and hot sexy boots.......

That is what we need