Hi I registerred to these boards eight months ago. i've lurked these forums for some time now and I think the time has come for my very first post :O Eight months ago I came up with this brilliant idea for a game. I wont post the whole game idea for I am quite paranoid and Im afraid my ideas will get stolen :O:O :P Anyway Ive got it all figured out and am currently dotting the i-s on the "game document" (named: project "side scroll" :O:O) and the engine im planning to work on is almost finished (due to be launched in april). There's one thing that I need your help with.. I need more co-op puzzles, puzzles were a couple of players will have to work together in order to beat them. The game'll be a 2d side scrolling game (like (early) mario) so the puzzles need to be "flat". Its not that its very important in this stage of the game development, hell, itll probably be months before i start adding these puzzles to the game but its nice to have some good ideas already. Heres an example of a possible puzzle. Player 1 and player 2 want to reach a higher platform. In order to get there player 1 must stand on a lifting platform (A) controlled by another platform (B) on wich player 2 must stand to raise platform A (were player 1 is standing on).. When player 1 is lifted he has to raise player 2 by standing on another platform (C) This is just a simple puzzle (wich does involve trust.. what if player 1 chooses not to raise player 2 and instead chooses to keep the higher platform, probably filled with goodies, for himself). I need more of these puzzles, loads more. If you happen to know fun ones just post m here :) thanks Kevin Bowey

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Original post by TheRealMcenzy I wont post the whole game idea for I am quite paranoid and Im afraid my ideas will get stolen

You sure you've lurked here? If you had, you'd have noticed that people aren't really interested in stealing ideas.

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I need more of these puzzles, loads more. If you happen to know fun ones just post m here

Sounds a bit like "Heads I win, Tails you lose". Won't share your ideas, but ask us to donate our ideas? [rolleyes]

*shrug* whatever, here's what I got (note, I'm picturing this as both on the same view, like multiplayer Contra (ah... old school [cool])):

1) Vehicles. Pilot and gunner. Simple and high quality.

2) Split Level. One on the top part of the screen, the other on the bottom. Switch for door on top(bottom) is on bottom(top). Maybe one is a utility cooridor with traps and the other is the main part with monsters. Switches to turn off monster generators and turn on lights are in the utility cooridor, but the items you're collecting are in the main part. That sort of thing.

3) Friendly Fire. Not really a puzzle, but if he steals all the goods, at least you can still kick him where the sun don't shine [evil][razz][grin][wink] (or [embarrass][wow][sick][flaming], if you were on the receiving end)

4) Locks typically don't require a key from the other side. Heave your buddy over the barrier so he can open the door.

5) Pits. Throw down some rope and pull him out.

6) Many variations on your switch problem. Don't be afraid to use the same puzzle over, but maybe dress it up a little different. Maybe one of you stomps the evil guy's toe so he screams and your buddy chucks a grenade down the evil guy's gullet. Basically, just place the switch and the thing being switched far enough apart that one person can't run over in time.

There are alot of idea's you can use for co-op puzzles, and yes people don't generally steal idea's here, at least not without asking. ;D

There are alot of games you could probably gather idea's from like The Lost Vikings, Out Of This World (aka: Another World) and its sequel Heart Of The Alien. (all 3 can be found at The Underdogs).

Puzzles could range from everything to having one guy in a control room, and opening/guiding the other player through a maze, to being all over the place in a complex in something like Mars Gothic, or Project Eden (both 3D, but the puzzles are pretty much universal).

Not really any new ideas, but I second the games suggested already (especially The Lost Vikings), and I also recommend Head Over Heels and Zelda: Four Swords. All of these games include many inventive cooperative puzzles.

I think you should try combo moves. Piggybacking, boosted jumps, or any kind of two-man operation could make puzzles a lot more interesting.

Maybe you could have binoculars (in a side-scroller, this might just "zoom out" or move the "camera" a little to one side) and a mortar launcher. Since you can't use both simultaneously, one player could "spot" for the other.

The Lost Vikings is a superb example of how specialization can lead to terrific co-op. The Commandos games did this especially well. A stealth guy and a heavy fighter could team up. Send in the ninja to unlock all the doors and disarm all the traps, and then send the tank to mop up with impunity.

Let one player handle surveillance and monitoring while the other navigates a dangerous area. Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow for the GameCube might not be the best stealth game on the market, but the GameBoy Advance support allows one player to use a mini-map and "scanner" to help the other get through puzzles, traps and guards. It's neat. Wind Waker uses the same technology to aid with navigation and some fighting. Take a look.