Game Design: Cooperative Arcade Game

After my previous post about cooperative games, it made me think about what would be the ideal game to play in a four-player arcade cabinet? My 1st game is still far from completion, but it was designed very intentionally as a single-player experience. However, it made me think about how I could create an ideal cooperative multiplayer game. From the genre of "fighting" games, there is the spectrum of casual PvE beat-'em-ups and the competitive PvP fighting games. In the beginning, they were considered the same category, but advancements in game design had led them to diverge into different worlds. 

As mentioned, the beat-'em-up genre is very simple and repetitive, since it's designed to consume quarters. Players just need to mash the "Attack" button feed enough credits in to beat hordes of predictable computer-controlled enemies. This power-trip gameplay had evolved into the "hack and slash" genre, which allowed players to slaying countless waves of enemies. Due to the emphasis the games have on flashy abilities and free movement, the screen was designed to only follow a single-player for readability. It's not to say PvE games are void of skill; the Dark Soul series are known for the highly refined combat system, which is based on reading enemy movements and reacting optimally. Emphasis is placed on timing attack and defense precisely, rather than mashing buttons. 

To contrast, competitive fighting games against another human player requires a high level of skill and strategy. A human opponent is constantly adapting and learning, which allows for a limitless skill-ceiling. Fighting games had evolved around the competitive community, so developers add in the numerous options to the game mechanics. Character abilities like special-cancelling, super-armor, parrying, etc. are built-in mechanics that expand the options that players have to trade against their opponents. Other than strategy, there is the mechanical skill and reaction speed needed to land optimal combo strings. What's interesting to me is how the characters have the same capabilities when played by professionals and novices alike, but their utilization is worlds apart. 

Proposal

So with that, I'd plan on game that combines the cooperative gameplay of beat-'em-up genre with the complexity of a fighting game. A game I hold dearly is Ragnarok Battle Offline, both for its charming aesthetic and gameplay. The game featured combos and specialties unique to each class, and allowed up to three players simultaneously. The combo system allowed for players to coordinate juggling enemies. The enemy attacks felt fair and broadcasted, and there was a great challenge since extra lives were shared among players.

To make the game more interesting, I would've preferred further distinction between the player classes, since they were ultimately all damage-dealers. To better incorporate the multiplayer aspect, this would require the same philosophy for my first project: class-based roles. Having the players function within separate roles forces them to play as a team, rather than mindlessly beating up any enemy.

A team works well when each member has their own specialty, so they can divide and conquer. The trinity of tank-damage-healer would be used again, but with many roles blurred. This would likely be another fantasy-inspired game, so it'd involve roles like:

• Warrior: Strong at melee and durability, but weak in mobility and range
• Hunter: Strong at range and mobility but weak in melee and durability
• Rogue: Strong at melee and mobility, but weak in durability and range
• Etc. 

Such strengths and weaknesses would then require special enemies that would challenge particular classes. There should any be in-combat interactions between the classes as well, which would highly reward players who can coordinate their attacks together. An example could be that only Warriors have launching attacks, while Hunters deal bonus damage to airborne enemies. 

Designing everything around 4 players might not be wise since not every game would have that many players. A workaround would be providing a static amount of gold/experience for character progression, regardless whether it's 4 players or even single player. Thus, a smaller party can compensate missing members by being stronger individually.

The 2D sprites from Maplestory would be a good resource to conceptualize 

I'd have the following design inputs:

1. Classic beat-'em-up camera angle
2. Control inputs function like fighting games (dashes, specials, combo strings, etc.)
3. Unique player classes designed for different roles
4. Variety of enemy types designed to counter particular classes
5. Minimize screen noise and clutter to promote readability

Based on the arcade layout, the controls might look something like this: 

The only game I can reference that'd be similar would be Dungeon Fighter Online, which is an MMO game inspired by classic beat 'em ups and fighting games. However visually it is quite busy and the chaotic with too many players. Within the arcade-style design, the gameplay seemed too reliant on grinding for gear and experience.