Tag: civilizations

What could possibly more fun than playing a PC game on your own? Why, cooperative gameplay mechanics of course! Every modern released game nowadays features at least one cooperative (co-op) game mode where you can play with your friends, mostly against the computer AI. Since this is part I, let’s talk about Strategy games on the PC and its coopeartive capabilities. I can’t possibly imagine a strategy game without multiplayer options available, even games from 1998 came with some (limited) multiplayer modes, mostly using the IPX protocol. What really separates a couple of games is the unique co-op mode. You can play with your friend, not against him.

The Games

Technically speaking, an average multiplayer death match mode can also be classed as co-op as long as you and your buddies are on the same side. So I should at least mention a dozen strategy games where you can play a quick skirmish among a random chosen map, with the computer AI and anyone who joins your created game isntance. Warcraft or Starcraft mostly play like this and are still overly popular. Sometimes, one side shares resources and you should work together more carefully. Mostly though your team mates are there in case your army fails and some backup is required or they can help you defend towns. Rise of Nations, among other well-known classic RTS games like Age of Empires, also feature a dozen multiplayer options where strictly speaking “co-op” is one of them. In most RTS games, this mode is disguised as a standard Multiplayer Game, where the creating player adjusts a set number of players slots (Open, Closed, AI or Reserved) and team allocations.

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