About Coop - Part 3

COOP DYNAMIC = PING PONG
As always in level design, pacing is a critical part, and on top of the standard action curve + attention to contrast + following the blueprint, you'll want to pay some special attention to the coop dynamic.

• Ping Pong
  Think of coop missions as a ping-pong game where players are constantly sending the ball to each other. Each player must be the key progression element on a short regular basis.
  i.e. "One pulls the lever to keep the door open, the other steps in, and moves a crate to prevent the door to shut down completely, and so on and so forth..."
  The last thing you want is one player constantly being the centre piece to any action.

• Breaking the team......temporarily ;)
  It can be interesting to setup "one time" single player traps to spice up the action.
  As one player is struggling with the trap, the other can help and save the day >> good for the team emotional bond.
  i.e. first player falls through the floor. The other has to help him while he is being attack + throw down a rope to help him out.
• Track Archetype vs World interactions How each player / archetype can interact with the world and make the mission progress, where are specific ammo/resources placed. Unless intentional, you don't want one player/archetype to get all the fun and attention.

• Player Exchanges
  if your game allows for direct player interaction (sharing ammo, reviving or healing friends, Skills synergy, etc) try to build situations highlighting them. They build up the team feeling.

COOP PATHS = I SEE YOU

• Together
  80% of the time if not more, players should share the same space / action.
  Then, you'll sometimes want to destabilize your players by forcing them away from each other.  If you've created an efficient coop setup this separation should be lived as a moment of stress (remember players should feel that they can't make it alone)

• Parallel

• Playing together in the same space doesn't mean you have to step on each others toes.
  I strongly suggest you open up some space by building parallel paths where each player can see each other.
  i.e. facades/rooftops on each side of a street, cliff paths separated by a torrent, etc.
  This way...
• Players aren't stuck on the same rail
• They still follow each other / see each other
• Clear mapping / good control of "who does what" (if you are on path A, you'll deal with actions related to it)
• Opportunities to provide different view angles on the situation >> reinforcing player communication

OPEN SITUATIONS

Opening the playground in coop action means you must pay some special attention to a few points.
You don't want players to just feel like they are "in the same world", you want them to be part of the same team.

• Don't break the unity
  One of the risk is to break the team momentum by having 2 players aiming for 2 different goals. i.e. While player A needs player B to solve his current pb, B on his side is waiting for A to progress. Who should move and join the other?
  Try to avoid that ;)
• Strong accessibility needed As soon as people aren't together, you must make sure it's easy for them to catch up, with strong landmarks and clear paths.
  Nothing worse than having 1 player waiting for the other because he lost his way :-/

• Make it a dangerous place
  One way to solve the problem is to have a place too dangerous to be explored alone. Players have the freedom...as a team.

• Coop Gates
  Another solution is to use Coop Gates : player can explore and move around solo, but they'll soon find a "coop gate" requiring the team to be passed.
• i.e. Objective = Find X batteries to power the door system.
  Both player can spread and gather the batteries, but they'll soon have to regroup to 1) grabb some batteries they can't reach alone 2) complete the objective as 1 player protect the other while he links the batteries.
• Game Design needed = Communicate + Interact
  Being physically together is not the only solution :)
  What's important to the coop feeling is player interaction + feeling like you are part of a team.
  With the right systems + rules allowing player to both communicate + Interact, Game Design can help building a strong coop experience fitting in a true open world.
  i.e. Player A in the corridors needs player B in the control room to hack the door so he can progress, while Player C triggers orbital strikes to protect and help his friends.
  Just make sure the roles are clearly defined.

COOP TACTICS

• Win or Loose together
  As much as possible, try to build your levels so understanding tactics and coop actions > pure skill.
  This is to limit the cases where one player would blame the other for inefficiency, or carry the game because he is too strong and the other one feels useless.
  Ultimately, you want the team to figure out the solution together, and to win together, rather than pointing the finger at one particular player.

OUR DEAR STREAMING FRIEND :)

• Careful with streaming : usually, for the sake of simplicity, you'll want both players in the same loaded area. >> Use a simultaneous coop action + cut scene to synch all players
  i.e. Everyone must push the truck...and when the bridge falls under its weight, a short cut scene makes all players stand on the same side of the broken bridge with no way to backtrack.

ROLE SETUP MUST BE SUPER CLEAR

• If there are any key position / role to be filled in your setup, it must be highlighted and super visible to the player that there's conceptually a Seat A and a Seat B.
  It helps organize things naturally between players + everyone has a key role.(I feel special!)
  Use lighting, colors, animated elements, UI, etc. Anything to put emphasis on the key roles / positions.

COMBAT TIPS

• Enemies Facing = front
  I know, one would think that 2 players can easily cover 2 different sides, but it's never easy in a video game (lack of communication, you don't understand what your friend is doing, etc), and this should be reserved to special setups.
  After all, you'll never feel more in a coop game than if you see enemies you haven't shot fall in front of you :)

• Enemies facing = Larger
  If being attacked in the back isn't recommended, enlarging the battle front compared to single player is a good idea so both players aren't shooting the exact same spot.
  Try to make it so each danger zone is visible to the side of the other player field of view.
  Vertical depth is especially good as the result of what happens above can fall down and be naturally visible below.

• Short Delayed Threat = Simple Team Communication Opportunities
  Any situation where a player can warn the other (about some threat or opportunity) is good to strengthen the bond and create a connection between players. i.e. "Grenade!"
  Just make sure that the delay is long enough : it's more a matter of making players communicate than forcing them to react in a millisecond.

• Not everyone doing the same thing (people love being special)
  Think of tactical setups requiring different player roles
• Snipe + Melee
• Above + Down
• 1 player lures the bad guy, the other shoot him in the back.
• One must do something while the other covers him
• Present the setup once without enemy (learning) before introducing enemies.
  i.e. Doors are locked and must be hacked. One player will hack the door, the other will defend.
  The concept of "I must hack the door" should be presented and completed once right before the combat aspect jump into it.

PUZZLE = STEP BY STEP & SIMPLE

Don't forget that coop puzzle require some intense communication between players (voice, laser pointers, UI, etc) and although 2 brains are better than 1 to solve a problem, there's a serious risk that only one of the players finds the solution and have fun, leaving the other one behind and a bit frustrated.

• Step by Step
  By building a step by step puzzle progression is important. This way, you make sure that both players are working on the same problem at the same time. (part of a team)
• Parrallel paths and Visibility as a coop tool
  Work on visibility to make the solution easier to find for the player on the path not directly related to it.
  Again, it's not as much about personal skill and more about team cooperation.

• Archetypes abilities as Puzzle Keys
  It's always better if players can use their specificities as key to unlock the puzzle gates.
  It naturally organize things and highlight players specificities.

Oops!
I just realize this took much longer than expected, and I only mentioned a few key points and pitfalls to  be avoided. At least I hope it helps starting in the right direction :)