Heya, Wanted to offer up a suggestion..

First off, I know that adding a multiplayer element offically would only make the devs cry from the complexity, so I am not asking for a supported or offical tool...just a somewhat open source unoffical unsupported easy tool set that allows a few things

1) The ability to start a server so people can connect to your source computer by direct IP connect
2) The ability to sync with the servers files...download any files that are different, and sort the load order of any mods to reflect the server
3) have up to X amount of people running around world with you..not a high number...but, enough to where you and your mates can join in and game...the server being little more than a tracker of where people are and let the end user deal with the real number crunching

Some things to consider:

-respawning of non-random npcs turned on or off after a certain amount of game days so your nutty friend whom went on a killing spree doesn't destroy ambiance forever.

-quest difficulty...if person 1 goes to (using fallout 3 as a guide) megaton and blows it up while your sitting in the bar...do you die? where do you "respawn" at, and should such game impacting stuff even be allowed without the full vote of all connected to the server (popup comes up...player 1 is attempting to detonate the atom bomb in megaton: Do you agree on his success? Yes/No may be a option...and if no, that person not allowed to try again for a day)

-Damage of enemies and health of NPCs = Base * x (x being number of people connected in world)...would potentially force either mutual cooperation, or recruiting a bunch of NPCs to counter the others goals...of say, becoming a roving raiders party)

-Something that should be in the game anyhow...chest paddles or some type of aid function to fallen companions, npcs, others...this may solve the respawning issue...someone dies, you got 10 real minutes to reach him to wake him back up sort of thing, else some consequence...kicked from the server perhaps? character dead and reroll? etc...(loot his body later for all your stuff, you got level - 5% starting on your new reroll)

-Server autosaves every 10 minutes, so should everyone get disconnected due to server out, at max, you only lost 10 minutes of gameplay and can continue where you left off tomorrow/next week, etc

-server multiplayer game has its own section, not to interfere with your original game, or any mods you have for that game only...(you may only have 3-4 mods in server mode, but you may have 250 mods installed in your single player game)

This is a hope that the devs of FOV finally allows some ease of functionality...there will be mods out for this if its not, and will then be reflected on the company even though its not of your doing...so, just do it..allow the little tool, put big disclamers everywhere saying its not supported, use at your own risk, etc...we will tweak it from there and use it...just allow for it to happen and help out the modders a bit to begin with by putting in some functionality...also, this is aimed at modders to start defining a end point for multiplayer functionality people would want.

So, if you can think of anything else that would be fairly easy for the devs to plug in while in design stage currently, toss a suggestion in this thread...or if you would suggest something advanced for a modder...say that also...and any drawbacks also (I would love to have a raider contingent of say, 20, out in the wastelands that has the high hopes of one day taking down town X or bumrush vault Y from one of my friends.)

It's never going to happen in any capacity that serves any kind of multi-player. It has been attempted in nearly all of Beth's games and failed miserably every time.

The impracticality of your suggestion aside... we do have an http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/976152-fallout-multiplayer-discussion-thread/. So use that one for now, thanks.