Post 01 Mar 2013, 06:26 by Lewin
Basically it's not decided, we haven't planned it yet.
We don't want them to consume player slots so you can have them in 8 player games too (and probably have more than one)
I don't think spectators will be allowed to join in the middle of a game, unless the host clicks the planned "back to lobby" button to let them join then resumes the game. Firstly it's technically challenging to start speculating in the middle of a game while the game is running live, and secondly it could allow cheating if you get your friend to join and they tell you what the enemy is doing.
Spectators might as well be able to chat because if you wanted to cheat you could talk to them in Skype or something. Letting someone spectate your game probably won't be something you do lightly, since a random person could actually be a friend of one of the other players. I see the main use being for stuff like tournaments, games between friends where the spectator is a trusted friend, or live streaming games (e.g. somebody like To could live stream and commentate KaM on a service like Twitch.tv)
So everyone will see the spectators in the player list in the lobby, and accept the fact that they will be watching. The host can ask them to leave or kick them if they are unwanted.
Please note, none of this is decided, it's just my thoughts on the matter at the moment.