Turing back to co-operative gaming, during a previous post I had written a bit about how teamwork is essentially the key feature of co-op gaming. Its clear that these two terms aren't synonymous as there are many games which permit co-op playing but have little to no teamwork.
Today I'd like to address some elements which help to foster teamwork in games. Specifically here I'll discuss difficulty. So, all other elements aside, how does difficult build teamwork in a game and where is it used most successfully?
I'll begin with games in the military simulation genre for lack of better term. Games like GRAW, SOCOM and Operation Flashpoint etc. This genre introduces difficulty in how they (more or less) seek to model realism. Player characters are vulnerable to dangers and are also subject to the laws of physics when it comes to movement, weight etc. The environment, sounds, time, and enemy characters all contribute to the challenge as well.
The overall goal is that by being more realistic, the challenge is elevated. For the right player, the reward is greater too since it feels like more of an accomplishment to achieve the goal having been given a more "everyman" type character. In a co-op environment, teamwork is fostered by players having to play cautiously, communicate well and pool resources to accomplish tasks. Teams need to cover each other, call out enemies, support one another's actions in order for success to be achieved. These usually aren't built in commands, but tactics the team must bring themselves. The simulation nature of the game allows them the freedom to develop their own ideas. The punishment for failure is harsh however, as "dead" players need to sit out for long periods of time while the team moves on.
Personally, I really enjoy the teamwork found in these games. They call for deeper strategy, and more measured play and strong teamwork definitely elevates the experience for all participants. For my friends, its hit and miss - playing an hour long mission and then getting the team wiped out because of 5 minutes of poor planning can be a motivator to some, but to others its a drag. These types of game remain niche games for us and we pull them out sometimes, but rarely stay with them.
These types of games always walk a fine line: become too much of a simulation and the audience becomes smaller, go too general and you loose what distinguishes your game from the rest of the mainstream. Let's turning now to look at a particular mainstream success - Gears of War 2, Horde mode and see how it achieves teamwork through difficulty.
In this game, up to five players compete in fending off waves of enemies. There's regenerating health, ridiculous weapons and death is usually only a minor inconvenience. There are 50 ways and many difficulty settings but in any long game the players will eventually get to a point where they need to rely on each other to survive and continue. There are no classes, but I find that in my games, players naturally take on roles within the team - some ferry heavy weapons around, others focus on front line defense and others take to sniping or overwatch roles to protect the team. Additionally, some of the level designs really support these concepts - giving spaces with changing heights, multiple entry points which are natural redoubts. Items are also spread thin, encouraging players to conserve and specialize. This is an excellent example of how a mainstream game can stay accessible, but still be deep enough to support and reward high level team play
Finally, Xbox gives a great example of game difficulty and teamwork breaking down - Left 4 Dead 2 on the console appears oddly unbalanced compared to its PC equivalent. During the end of each story the four co-op players face a challenging finale section which can be incredibly difficult to all survive even on low settings. I'm aware that one of the mechanics of the game is weighing the risks of trying to save a team mate vs. getting overwhelmed yourself. However here we typically found that team death game too quickly and there was little to no opportunity to act together. We would just reach a point were everyone realized that the team was a complete loss and they'd run for the escape hoping that at least one person would be saved. We tried this game many times, but the difficulty always reached a point was such that it rendered any compelling team play impossible. This issue for me us was limited to the finale portions, but it affects the entire game and eventually we just decided that our time was better spent elsewhere.
So, what the final thought? Difficulty can be used to foster team play in a co-op environment, but not exclusively. It must be balanced with pacing and the design of the play experience. Simply pounding on the co-op players won't make them work as a team together (Left 4 Dead 2). The difficulty must be ramped up, in the right environments to allow these tactics to naturally come out (Gears) or the game must be structured to allow the players to control the environment and pacing themselves (GRAW) and develop their own teamwork.
J
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