It's dangerous to go alone: Our vision for Co-op in Outward
As gamers ourselves we know cooperative multiplayer is a very sought after feature for epic sized role-playing games, especially on consoles. Many of the features that sets Outward apart from the rest also have interesting applications in multiplayer, pushing these new concepts even further.
Intervention from multiple players in a single action
The concept of breaking down the actions of the players in multiple steps uncovered a wonderful multiplayer opportunity. Rather than cooperating by doing different actions for a shared goal, the players can now work together on the same action. For example, two players could work together to complete a ritual faster, or set up a camp by having one person on the campfire and the other one on the tent.
Furthermore, this leads to multiple stages or components used differently by both players. For example, one player sets up a fire sigil in order to throw fireballs. However, the other player could use the same fire sigil to enchant his spear with flames. The steps taken to create actions can thus be split into multiple subsequent actions, creating a lot of emergent gameplay through combinations.
Cooperative management of inventory
Having a backpack is the only way to transport a lot of items at once, and it comes at the cost of mobility. However, not all players need to have a backpack to have access to an inventory space. When a player drops his backpack to the floor, everyone has access to its content. This means that the players may share a single backpack, changing turns on who is wearing it or letting whoever is more fit for the role of carrying the items. This role of carrier brings new dynamics between players, adding importance to trust and sharing.
Cooperative lighting
Darkness in Outward is definitely an obstacle, and holding a lantern is cumbersome, especially when you would rather hold a shield. When playing in co-op, you can decide to have only one player handling a lantern, liberating the other player. Meanwhile, it is possible to attach a lantern to your backpack, so a group could have someone holding a lantern to illuminate the front while someone else with the lantern on his backpack illuminating behind them.
