About Coop - Part 1

I'm the kind of player who would like every game to be coop :)
But this being said, beyond the technical challenge, cooperation in video games is more work than just adding multiplayer and a friendly spawn point ^^

As usual in this blog, the goal isn't to write the most complete article on coop.
I mostly want to highlight the basics and help our brain to start working with good references.

Today, the topic is more about Game Design than Level Design, but hey...as I like to say, GD and LD are just 2 sides of a same coin, so it's better to understand one to better do the other (and vice versa ;) )


HIGH LEVEL COOP CONCEPTS
...or why do you need others? Why would you cooperate?
(beyond the pleasure of sharing the same experience)

More people = More power

• More guns, more fire power
• More strength to move heavy objects around
• More hands to carry supplies
• More friends to resurrect you if you fall
• More eyes to search / scout an area
• etc.

You get it...basically, it's the idea that even with the exact same characteristics, the more people together, the stronger they are.

It's pretty much the classic Left for Dead experience :)

Positive : lighter dependency on special coop game systems  // everyone is equal

Negative : less opportunities to make each player "shine" in his role // Chaotic in nature

We are different

• I have the light, you have the gun
• I can heal, you can kill
• I'm armoured and slow, you are weak and agile
• I can scan the enemy, you can aim for its weak point
• etc.

We are talking about the notion of personality and complementarity.

It's your traditional MMORPG group experience :)

Positive :  powerful and strong coop concept // we like being different from each other // naturally organized based on each player's characteristics // you are the specialist and the star of the group in your field of competence

Negative : problem if there's a role nobody wants to play (or everyone wants the same role)  // more work to make sure the gameplay is interesting for everyone // heavy dependency on GD specific coop mechanics 

Situational Gameplay

• I'll hold the door open while you pass through
• Climb on my shoulders to reach higher heights
• Defend me from bad guys while I fix the truck
• I'll deal with enemies comming from the right while you cover our left flank
• etc.

It's all about situations where players stands in various locations, doing different activities or watching different directions to progress together.

It's mostly LD related and can be build indifferently based on the 2 previous concepts.

It's the core of the Portal 2 coop gameplay :)

Positive : lighter dependency on specific coop systems // You still have clear roles where each player can shine

Negative : risk of more scripted / pre-defined situations // Situation specific = make sure the players understand what they have to do

Of course, it's not one OR the other and the 3 concepts can (should?) be merged together for a better and more diverse experience.

Don't miss the next post >> in "About Coop - Part 2" we'll get emotional...