Oke so i have been working on a co-op RPG game for quite some time now. And i must say it has come to a point where i need some ideas or some advice. It is a co-op RPG game set in the medeivel area. It has a huge open world, randomly generated dungeon, crafting and material gethering, quests, random loot and skills ofcours. So really i have all the basics of an RPG. But whats next? What would be the top 3-5 features you would like to see in a co-op RPG. And what is the most important part of an RPG game to you?
Part of my answer depends on how co-op is implemented. Is it a persistance multiplayer world, where you run around and meet other players? (MMO, but not as âmassiveâ)
Is it a solo world that you can invite a couple friends/strangers to for a dungeon run?
Do we have a central hub of many players, who run off into separate instances of the world with their co-op buddies?
I think at the very least, solid combat and world design are critical to a good co-op RPG. The rest rise and fall in importance depending on how you plan on interacting with other players.
You have these features already? If youâve got a huge world, random dungeons, crafting, quests, loot, and skills ⌠then you need to SHIP that puppy and start generating fans.
Gigi
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Whatâs the core gameplay theme â or what Jesse Schell in The Art of Game Design might call the âessential experienceâ?
Coordinating co-op combat?
Building things (crafting items, furnishing houses) with friends?
Sharing a deep story?
Anyone-can-do-anything sandbox?
A good game isnât just features, itâs an experience. Your game might have all of the features listed above, but whatâs the single, primary core idea?
The multiplayer is similar to Borderlands if you know that game. The game is designed more or less like a singleplayer game but say you have a hard quest, you can invite your buddy to help you and since there is no real story in the game and the quests are random there is no real issue with spoilers and stuff.
The core idea is that you are NOT the hero that was predicted to rise when the dragons returned infact you start out as a thief with nothing but 10copper. Amd that really is the only stroy there is to the game you make your own adventure with your friends. The world is open and free and there are no player/enemy level so you can go any where and time if you have the gear to support your wild plans since some enemy in some areas are stronger then others and there are weapon stats but aslong as you dont go into any dungeons or avoid areas with danger signs you can go anywhere for gameplay minute 1. And make your own story. the NPC will have plenty to do for you.
Haha nono its is long from âshipâ ready as the world is mostly done only 1/4 of it is play ready meaning that is has quests items to collect and recources NPC. As far as the dungeon generator goes it is still a little buggy as sometimes it creates a dead end or the boss is unreachable. Also we only have 1 dungeon theme at the moment. Combat is far from done aswell we only have about 15 skills but they are all templates sort or less so we can create a ton more very fast. Iâm also still waiting on the 3d artist to create more weapons and at the moment we still have very little armor. Multiplayer needs more testing and i would like to switch to photon. These are just a few things that need to be done. Iâm still working on a karma system and NPC AI and lots more stuff i want to add. Now you might say âThen why are you asking for more feature ideasâ Well i just would like to hear some ideas for when i need them. I hope for a public alpha in 6months but i still go to school so weâll have to see.
Would you say then that the single, primary âessential experienceâ is completing difficult, randomized quests? Or is it building up your characterâs stats to be able to tackle those quests? Or is it building your characterâs story through a string of quests? Or something else?
I would say a bit of a combination it is more building your characters personality and stats aswell. There are really difficult quests but it is not a primary goal in the game to complete those. Itâs more about getting a good house and getting NPC to like you. It is different from anything you have played before you dont NEED to do anything really. Its more about having fun with your friends and making a name for your self.
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Sounds like fun to me! 
Sounds like you are listing which aspects of your RPG are most important to focus on
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Yepp but i would really like to hear some of your thoughts because now we have most of our core features done. And i really like to know what things deffinetly should be added later on so i can plan for them now and see where they fit in in what we already have.
Sounds that way to me, too.
Features are a dime a dozen. As players, weâre looking for experiences â things you tell stories about later with your friends, like âRemember in that game, when you built that crazy castle on the edge of the cliff?â or âRemember in that game, when you made all the ladies in that village fall in love with you, and you had to fight their boyfriends?â
You canât manufacture emergent experiences, but you can help them along by providing a consistent core. Minecraft is about creative building. Borderlands is about looting cool gear. Fallout is about wandering the wastes as a badass. You can do lots of other things in these games, but those are the core experiences that make them memorable.
From what youâre saying, it sounds like this would be a good building game, where the fun is in building your character and its house. All other activities can support that. For example, quests could involve clearing monsters off land to build your house, or earning money to buy a house in town, or defending your home against invaders, or questing for that perfect ornament to go above your fireplace mantel.
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As unhelpful as this may sound - focus on the aspects of RPGs that you are trying to emphasize. Housing, character development, NPC interaction. Make them really good. If you try to do everything (especially on an indie budget), you will end up with a hodgepodge of mediocre features that doesnât really have lasting power. Its always tempting to dream out into the future and think about adding every feature imaginable to your game, but you have to be tedious and really polish your core experience to stand out as a memorable RPG, in my mind.
PS: I should really follow my own advice sometimes. Iâm currently scope creeping the heck out of my RPG. Time to refocus on the coreâŚ
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[quote=âZaladur, post:14, topic: 562642, username:Zaladurâ]
As unhelpful as this may sound - focus on the aspects of RPGs that you are trying to emphasize.
[/quote] That actually is really helpful and i am doing that. I have stop working on to many games because i took to much at once iâm taking it real easy now. And so far its working great. But i still hope for some great ideas just to know what i could do if i see fit. But really tx for the advice.
Yupp thats the plan. And me and my friends already have stories like that but they go like this:âRemember that time when we it took us an hour to clear that dungeon because there was a bug that kept spawning mobs and everyone was going all crazy or later on when you got stuck and your character glitched out.â It already is fun to play and i love working on it.
How about play-tests? Building more features might be less productive than extensive play tests. Play testing will expose 90% of what you need to focus on next - which, might be something like, âSimplerâ or âFunnerâ.
Gigi
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The voice of reason.
I approve.
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Where do I sign up for playtesting? grins
Joking aside, that might just be the bit of boost you need if you already have the âcoreâ in place. It might be easier for folks to give you constructive input if you can show what you have created and then give them the opportunity to give you some feedback on what works well and what does not, along with ideas for new elements/improvements.
Unique Weapons and Attributes. Upgradeable. Oh and some kind of treasure chests. Enemies would be great too. And a beautiful sunrise and sunset. That right there can make or break the game and is how you get a reviewer to mention âit is now midnight and I just witnessed the most glorious sunrise everâ.