Co-Op Idea For Next Souls Game?

so i had an idea this afternoon while pondering life as i'm sitting here at my desk in the office and waiting for the weekend to start…oh gawd why won't this day end!

what if the next Souls game included a co-op mechanic that allowed a real life, warm blooded person to sit on the couch next to you and pick up a controller to join your demon slaying exploits? could be a split-screen option or you could only stray so far from each other or something. maybe it would only work while playing off-line? you could both pick up loot, open doors, summon NPCs and the like. fog doors wouldn't have to block your path and you wouldn't get sent away after beating a boss, you'd just continue together through the entirety of the game in joly co-op fun.

i didn't say it was a good idea, but what do you fellow hollows think?

I wouldn't use it, since I don't know anyone nearby who plays, but I still think it's a great idea. Might be something to help sell the game to people who are convinced it's too hard for them.

Would be nice if summons/host got the option to carry on with one another after trashing
the boss.
If that makes sense?

co-op to make the game easier? bah!

the game should get harder the more help the host has with them. if the host has help, make the current mobs tougher and add more enemies i say!

No need to make the game harder, I like the idea of split screen coop, though I bet the game engine would not be able to handle it!

Also there should be an easy mode for people just looking for fun to!

if they can figure out how to make 4 player spit screen work on the SNES…i'm pretty sure the PS3 should be able to handle it, the PS4 definitely will.

EDIT: it doesn't even need to be spit screen really, it could work even if each player could only stray so far from each other, so split screen wouldn't be absolutely necessary.

If they implemented easy mode in the next game, I'd be going back to Monster Hunter before you could say humani...

Hopefully no easy mode!
We already get a yearly easy mode game from Activision.

yeah lets not throw easy mode into this, I love the co op idea because my friend likes playing dark souls at my house. If he had/ could afford an Xbox im sure he would buy dark souls. split screen would also introduce the game to my friends how are on the fence about buying it.

Nybbles wrote:if they can figure out how to make 4 player spit screen work on the SNES…i'm pretty sure the PS3 should be able to handle it, the PS4 definitely will.

EDIT: it doesn't even need to be spit screen really, it could work even if each player could only stray so far from each other, so split screen wouldn't be absolutely necessary.

True but given how badly the game chugs at times, adding more to it just seems like it would chug worse!

edit: Also I have also wondered why people are so adverse to adding an option to allow more people to play the game? With all the complaints about how small the community is and how From is splitting it more by letting people play by putting the game on PC. Why do the hardcore fans not want From to make as much money as humanly possible? I want them to have enough money to keep making Souls games for years to come, rather then sticking to the odd one now and then when they can afford to!

No split screen please, it ruins the feel of the game. The Souls series is not like most FPS or other rpgs.

yeah split screens may kill some of the game play and the stay not so far away could also kill it since u can't see that far ahead because it has to be an overview so that both players can see/control there own characters. So if they put in a local co op option i would say split may be better. It would take some getting used too but i think it would be manageable.

I don't understand why people are adverse to features being added to the game that they personally won't use?

Don't like easy mode? Then play Hard mode.

Don't like split screen Coop/ On screen Coop? Then just use a second Xbox for your coop.

Just because some people ask for features that will improve their play experience does not mean it will affect your play experience in any way... unless you actually use those options!

Not sure about the split screen idea for PvE. But I reckon it would be a good addition to play with your buddy in the stoic arena.

At least that way you could get a quick match up.. with no need to split screen.

aprilmanha wrote:I don't understand why people are adverse to features being added to the game that they personally won't use?

Don't like easy mode? Then play Hard mode.

Don't like split screen Coop/ On screen Coop? Then just use a second Xbox for your coop.

Just because some people ask for features that will improve their play experience does not mean it will affect your play experience in any way... unless you actually use those options!

It's the principle of easy mode , it ruins the feel of the game (everyone playing one difficulty reinforces the feeling of community and general struggles united together.)

The principles and ideals of the game are to remove the conventional way games are made. Difficulty is an integral part of the game, not just an extra challenge..

Back on topic though, having coop as it is now is part of the feel of the game. The fact you can't talk to your helped is emphasising the loneliness of the in game world and the fact your helpers are merely phantoms.

Serious_Much wrote:The principles and ideals of the game are to remove the conventional way games are made. Difficulty is an integral part of the game, not just an extra challenge..

Back on topic though, having coop as it is now is part of the feel of the game. The fact you can't talk to your helped is emphasising the loneliness of the in game world and the fact your helpers are merely phantoms.

This.^
Also worry that people are saying easy difficulty/split screen/make more dlc ect on the official forums, I hope From doesn't forget what their principles are because of ill thought out fan demands and what Bandai says.

Easy mode would ruin the experience, even if you don't use it. Knowing that you can easily tilt the odds in your favor is too tempting, and knowing that the game is willing to accomodate your lack of spirit takes away from its mystique. There really is something special about knowing that the game will not relent, and that no matter what the only way for you to advance is to improve your skills. I call it integrity. DKS has it, others don't.

DKS is what it is. There are a thousand other titles out there for a relaxed, chill-time type of gameplay. The moment DKS tries to appeal to "a wider audience" it will have lost what made it special, that is its identity. Once you have played through the game ten times or so the PVE is a pretty chill game anyways, although not the mindless type.

On topic, I say no to split screen, and two players on one screen would have to have some serious camera changes. Right now it wouldn't work at all with the current camera system.

Onion Knight wrote:

Serious_Much wrote:The principles and ideals of the game are to remove the conventional way games are made. Difficulty is an integral part of the game, not just an extra challenge..

Back on topic though, having coop as it is now is part of the feel of the game. The fact you can't talk to your helped is emphasising the loneliness of the in game world and the fact your helpers are merely phantoms.

This.^
Also worry that people are saying easy difficulty/split screen/make more dlc ect on the official forums, I hope From doesn't forget what their principles are because of ill thought out fan demands and what Bandai says.

The most fun I have had playing the game is when me and my housemate sat in our rooms and shouted across the house to each other instructions on what to do. It made the entire game that much more enjoyable and exciting. It did kinda emphasize how small the game is though.

aprilmanha wrote:I don't understand why people are adverse to features being added to the game that they personally won't use?

Don't like easy mode? Then play Hard mode.

Don't like split screen Coop/ On screen Coop? Then just use a second Xbox for your coop.

Just because some people ask for features that will improve their play experience does not mean it will affect your play experience in any way... unless you actually use those options!

The irony in all this is that, in essence, Demon's Souls had a hard and easy mode. It was called World Tendency. Granted, it wasn't something that would turn off and on, and had to be manipulated, but it did make the drops better if you played in Pure Black (hardest). EDIT: And just to be clear, Pure white wasn't exactly an "easy" mode. It's just that Pure Black was a "harder" mode.

My guess is, one of the biggest arguments people would make against an easy mode is that it would simplify the game for people who just wanted to smoke through it, upgrade everything, then grief others. If the drops were the same in both modes, then it would represent an unfair playing field. I suppose you could design it in such a way that on easy mode you get very few, or no drops, or perhaps certain treasures wouldn't exist (i.e. Havel's Ring would never be available if you play on easy). But this game has a legacy of being punishing and difficult. A lot of vets would argue that if any of that is taken away, it loses its unique essence.

I think a split screen co op would be a great idea:

They just make the summon limit 1 phantom, because there are two people already there.

Only player 1 can summon, so only he needs to be human, and player 2 can be hollow.

If this would be to easy, then make bosses have about double hit points during split screen.

Also, both can pick up stuff, because player 2 isn't a phantom.

When they defeat a boss, it is killed in both of their games, and both get the soul.

i support local co op/pvp but i don't support easy mode, think it would split the game's community in half and easy mode takes away the feeling of victory after a difficult part. also the game is supposed to be hard that is what its known for.