First lets look at cooperative computer games historically.

I can't name all the small puzzle games – most of the cooperative try resemble sobokan or boulder dash but take coordination between the players to solve a puzzle. This genre I think is worth some looking at. I think gauntlet and gauntlet II fall into this category with each player having strengths that help with the puzzle.

Then there are the diplomacy variants – where you have perhaps 5-10 players and they manipulate each other into teams. I don't think this is what we are looking at – both from a size perspective, and a goal perspective.

The next genre makes me think of Battlefield 1942 where one player drives a vehicle the other works as a gunner the task is complex enough that adding a second player to control part of it makes things easier. The genre is also worth some thought although I don't think it is what people are looking for.

Next comes the rock paper scissors style of game. The premise simple a can easily beat b, b cab easily beat c, and c can easily beat a.

For example in the pen and paper RPG I created – three of the main types of super characters were the tank (physically strong, tough, very hard to kill), a martial artists (lots of attack , not as strong, hard to hit), and the gadeteer (in a battlesuits, thick armor – high end electronics to aid accuracy).

Gadeteers did well against martial artist - because the martial artists attacks were rapid but could barely penetrate the amour around the gadeteer. When it came the the gadeteers turn to attack high end targeting computers made the martial artist easy to hit.

Martial artists did well against tanks, they could take the very rare blow the tank could land on them, and while the tank was hard to kill – there blows would wear him down.

Tanks did well against gadeteers – they could survive the punishment the gadeteers would hand out and hit hard enough to penetrate the amour and seriously damage the character underneath.

To take this analogy to one stop further. If we use this to build a cooperative game and the experienced player has a martial artists, the new one a tank. Here is how game play goes

Against a tank – martial artist mops him up, tank works on his fight skills against a similar styled opponent

Against a martial artists, the martial artists uses his experience to win a fight with a similar style opponent, and the tank works on his survival skills.

Against a gadeteer – the tank takes the front line, the martial artists being experienced lays low and keep himself around for opponents more geared for him.

I think the game rampage falls into this category

The pen and paper game car wars, and battle tech do.

Another common aspect in any cooperative fighting game is a large number of smaller opponents and fewer boss type fights, that way each player can have their own kills and battles to fight.

we are also sort of using the rock-paper-scissor concept,but much more subtle. Paper can still beat scissors, it'd just be harder. but, yeah.

cooperative games here on CCN is a great idea. I hope you can draw up a team for your idea.

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"Patience, my good citizen, patience. It's bad enough to rob a man of his dream"
-Sydney Carton, Tale of Two Cities
Soterion Studios

I think it was the classic two-players-on-the-same-screen that fostered real cooperative play. or even 3d play, but in a relatively small area, or else its just multiplayer... sharing the mission, but pretty much everyone doing their own thing.

I think a great coop game is one that forces the players, through game restrictions, to interact with other players to proceed in the game.

I think having handicap characters are a plus to allow more inexperienced players to play.

Idea: dynamically weigh the game play so that the weakest player is needed the most for the team to succeed. (Give little brothers and dads a real part in the game )

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penny --Is. 64

but yeah, the game we're working on will also use cooperative strategies.

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"Patience, my good citizen, patience. It's bad enough to rob a man of his dream"
-Sydney Carton, Tale of Two Cities
Soterion Studios

quote:

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Originally posted by ArchAngel:
interestingly enough, a couple guys here(Cheese, Max, Goop, Kiwee...) and I are working on a forum-based mythology mmorpg.
(teaser - mini-smilie battle game coming up. look out for it)

we are also sort of using the rock-paper-scissor concept,but much more subtle. Paper can still beat scissors, it'd just be harder. but, yeah.

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Sounds interesting Arch. Why haven't I heard anything about this before?
(Except for a cryptic reference or two on The Tribunal)

Lazarus

anyhow, this smilie battle should be fun, the last two we had here were a blast.

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"Patience, my good citizen, patience. It's bad enough to rob a man of his dream"
-Sydney Carton, Tale of Two Cities
Soterion Studios

Hidden forums? Aggh! I can't stand secrets!

Lazarus

I have been working on a co-op remake of the old Hero-quest board game which will be playable via www/lan when complete. Still a WIP, but most of the game mechanics are done, just lots and lots of gfx to do. http://home.exetel.com.au/j_brown/heroquest.html

I also started a website dedicated to PC co-op gaming last year though I haven't kept it updated this year http://home.exetel.com.au/j_brown/two-play/quicklist.html

Cheers,
Jas.

Your game looks *great*! It's exactly the kind of cooperative dungeon-crawling adventure that I've been looking for.

I'm seriously interested in testing/playing your game. Any room for beta testers?

--clint

I PM'd you :P we've goto chat on MSN, that is if you have MSN

That makes 3 aussies now :P You, David Lancaster and me not to break away from this thread, but anyone else??

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www.auran.com

PLZ PM me or just post a topic when its done. Must try.

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that post was really cool ^
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[|=D) <---|| me

very nice.

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"Patience, my good citizen, patience. It's bad enough to rob a man of his dream"
-Sydney Carton, Tale of Two Cities
Soterion Studios

Will try and be a bit more active around here too