Co-operative Play: Are we ready for it?

[Mr.Petey]

The chance to play with other people in an arcade game from the days of yore was a lot of fun I can recall. Teenager Mutant Hero Tutles especially was a firm favourite where players would actively help out to put the boot onto a Foot Clan soldier's face (pun intended)

However there are still a lot of other games who proclaim loudly "You're our only/last hope" and I feel this has somewhat clouded the judgement of some gamers who brazenly enter into a co-op hoping to either lead the way and show everyone else how it's done and it doesn't become a team effort any more.

From people in Lost Planet 2 dashing off to activate all the data posts on their own without a care to their fellow non-AI soldier to the various co-op modes in Resident Evil 5 where some will insist on yelling "Come on!" to either keep up the pace/score/combo rolling.

Ok finally down to my point. Does anybody else see this abuse of what could have been a well-executed mission/level turn sourly into a race against time to pick up ammo/items before the others do? Or perhaps you've had an almost perfectly synchronised co-op that puts the aforementioned people's stupidity into a minority.

 

[Pandalisk]

Hmm, your points are interesting.

I suppose they do deteriate into that, but maybe trust or lack of faith in unknown others are at the core of this.

I play with friends, and they play like a team, i know my friends, be they Online or In real life and i trust them and i know how they play, and they know how i play. Theres more of a co-op vibe than with someone you dont know, in which case it becomes every person for themself.

"Every person for themself" Concept seems to be heavy whenever people join together in quick matches and dont have mikes, because even the mike can build a bridge toward better co-op

In short, just play with friends.

If anything i cant wait until Co-op becomes even more widespread, i love team work.

 

[BlindMessiah94]

Online play is the worst usually. XBL can be a headache to play on.

If you have friends, play with them.
I don't, and I miss the days of Bots.

I ask you all:


Where have all the bots gone?!!

 

[Plurralbles]

Hmm, your points are interesting.

I suppose they do deteriate into that, but maybe trust or lack of faith in unknown others are at the core of this.

I play with friends, and they play like a team, i know my friends, be they Online or In real life and i trust them and i know how they play, and they know how i play. Theres more of a co-op vibe than with someone you dont know, in which case it becomes every person for themself.

"Every person for themself" Concept seems to be heavy whenever people join together in quick matches and dont have mikes, because even the mike can build a bridge toward better co-op

In short, just play with friends.

If anything i cant wait until Co-op becomes even more widespread, i love team work.

I think you made the more interesting point than the OP did. If a company doesn't make it easy to only play with friends, or if the community doesn't create the right environment so noobies quickly learn the ropes and become good team players no matter who they play with, then Co-op deteriorates into a shit salad.

 

[TheRocketeer]

Back in the day, there were a good group of people that came to the arcade to play DDR. Some of them would happily just wait their turn, but most people were glad to get on the pad and play with you.

Playing with better players is one of the easiest ways to get better at it, too, so I was always eager both to play with better players and to play with less skilled players to help them along. We had a good community going.

 

[Mr.Petey]

I think you made the more interesting point than the OP did. If a company doesn't make it easy to only play with friends, or if the community doesn't create the right environment so noobies quickly learn the ropes and become good team players no matter who they play with, then Co-op deteriorates into a shit salad.

Thanks I don't agree with your last point however as in a co-op group, people should be (even though they usually aren't) tolerate of new folk getting used to levels, especially if the level is set on either easy/normal as you're bound to encounter people who are playing the level on a first run-through.
From my personal experience, it can be (but not always) those who've played the game dozens of times before and tend to forget, or simply ignore what it was like when they started out...leading to a certain level of complacency within the team.
I could be wrong but it's just how I feel when it comes to those who'll blame the "noobies"

 

[Plurralbles]

I think you made the more interesting point than the OP did. If a company doesn't make it easy to only play with friends, or if the community doesn't create the right environment so noobies quickly learn the ropes and become good team players no matter who they play with, then Co-op deteriorates into a shit salad.

Thanks I don't agree with your last point however as in a co-op group, people should be (even though they usually aren't) tolerate of new folk getting used to levels, especially if the level is set on either easy/normal as you're bound to encounter people who are playing the level on a first run-through.
From my personal experience, it can be (but not always) those who've played the game dozens of times before and tend to forget, or simply ignore what it was like when they started out...leading to a certain level of complacency within the team.
I could be wrong but it's just how I feel when it comes to those who'll blame the "noobies"

fair enough. I forgot that the blame for rushing through levels and being a jerk to everyone else and yelling for them to keep up would definitely fall on the older players more likely. It's logical to think that happens more. Of course, if they were taught when they were noobies by the community to always be a team player then they wouldn't have grown to be like that I think.

 

[Pandalisk]

I think you made the more interesting point than the OP did. If a company doesn't make it easy to only play with friends, or if the community doesn't create the right environment so noobies quickly learn the ropes and become good team players no matter who they play with, then Co-op deteriorates into a shit salad.

Thanks I don't agree with your last point however as in a co-op group, people should be (even though they usually aren't) tolerate of new folk getting used to levels, especially if the level is set on either easy/normal as you're bound to encounter people who are playing the level on a first run-through.
From my personal experience, it can be (but not always) those who've played the game dozens of times before and tend to forget, or simply ignore what it was like when they started out...leading to a certain level of complacency within the team.
I could be wrong but it's just how I feel when it comes to those who'll blame the "noobies"

Well does that not reinforce the point that Anonymity creates jerks?
How do you expect strangers to feel compasion or understanding more than companions or people you consider "In your group"?

This may be more to do with the community you play with, what game do you play? the higher player count or the type of game can influence the Community that plays it.

I think the frustration of losing is more to blame with them claiming your a "noob" than an actual bias against new players.

 

[Hattman]

I ask you all:


Where have all the bots gone?!!

They have gone to the big bunker/field/forest/any type of terrain that FPSes roam in the sky. :'c