Favorite 4x online co-op games?

[CraigRT]

L4D2 rocks.. so much

 

[Red Storm]

ARMA2, the best co-op game out there. (Includes campaign). Just make sure its updated to 1.05 as it was broken at launch.
www.arma2.com

Playing it in MP is its focus. It's a FPS tactical military simulator so you gotta think before you act. Not so much a handicap game, you get popped in the leg once your done walking. Unlimited replayability, 250 available coop missions and quality new missions added everyday by users. New vehicles are also a regular occurrence, everyday you can expect 1-2 vehicles to be released for you to enjoy in the MP environment. This also includes regular submissions of entirely new environments that span miles across, so your never fighting in the same place twice.

$26.50 Ebay New Shipped.

There's many large scale co-op missions too, but allow for smaller squad sizes so you and your 3 buddies can work separately as a team and be apart of something even bigger.

How's the performance now? I remember trying it at launch and being completely underwhelmed that a quad core, 4GB of ram and a 4890 resulted in a lot of stuttering. I'm hoping that was just due to a buggy release.

 

[JoshGuru7]

I think Arma2 might be a little hardcore for the members of our group. Not being able to walk because you got shot is a problem for people who get shot a lot.

I'll definitely get both Borderlands and L4D2 eventually, I'd just rather wait for a few months until they come down in price and play something a little older in the meantime.

 

[BladeVenom]

There was the Conflict series, not the greatest, but they did have coop.

A bit older, Hidden & Dangerous 2 with Sabre Squadron expansion pack, was a good game.

There's the old classic Battlefield 1942. While not specifically a coop game, everyone can be on the same side, make the bot ration 10 to 1, and it's like coop. Plenty of mods and maps also.

Same thing with the Star Wars Battlefront games, 1 and 2.

 

[Magusigne]

Pax Imperia 2 *eyeshift*

 

[BladeVenom]

You could also play Quake Wars like coop, against bots.

Joint Operations was another one with coop.

Brothers in Arms series had coop, didn't it? I never got around to playing that one.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

If you already have UT99, there are several Unreal-style singleplayer campaigns for it, which can be played in co-op. The Galtanor's Invasion mod for UT3 is also worth checking out. I've spent a lot of time in co-op with both of these things in the past.

I can think of a few other games as well, although they are mostly older ones.

If they're at all interested in the UT Invasion-RPG game, then the game to get would not be UT3 (which has proven to be an abject failure) but rather UT 2004. (See if you can find the Unreal Anthology for $2 at a B&M Gamestop.)

UT 2004 Invasion is a fun, non-competitive, rather addicting shooting gallery-type of game that would be perfect for a group of friends on voice comm. You face off against waves of progressively harder and more deadly monsters. At the Clan Death Warrant server (the best server), the game has 16 waves with the 16th being a boss challenge wave. (Each wave takes about 3 minutes.) The game server keeps track of players' names and identities (IP or CD-Key), allowing it to become an RPG where you can level-up a character over time. You choose from one of three character types and begin at Level 25 with 250 stat points to allocate, which you can put into abilities such as increased health and weapon damage. You can also add other properties (and class-specific properties) such as health regeneration and magic weapon making. The game uses the standard UT 2004 weapons, but different types of magic give them special properties, such as the ability to heal other players or to freeze monsters. Players often share magic weapons types with one another, heal one one another, and make special weapons for each other, etc., so it would work out for a group of friends who want to stick together. The Death Warrant people keep the server fresh, adding new maps and improving their mod. Some people have been playing and leveling up the same characters there for years. Visit the Clan Death Warrant community to learn more. They call their servers "Death Warrant Monster Mash RPG". It has become so popular over time that they opened a second server and both are often packed.

I don't know much about the Galtanor mod for UT3, but I doubt that it compares to Invasion-RPG on the DW server. A huge variety of maps have been produced for UT 2004 Invasion and I doubt that nearly as many maps are available for UT3. Last I looked, you could get UT 2004 for $10 shipped at Newegg but it can probably be found cheaper on eBay and perhaps at other places. Also look for the Unreal Anthology.

 

[VooDooAddict]

There was the Conflict series, not the greatest, but they did have coop.

A bit older, Hidden & Dangerous 2 with Sabre Squadron expansion pack, was a good game.

There's the old classic Battlefield 1942. While not specifically a coop game, everyone can be on the same side, make the bot ration 10 to 1, and it's like coop. Plenty of mods and maps also.

Same thing with the Star Wars Battlefront games, 1 and 2.

Battlefield 1942 and Star Wars Battlefront 2 are amazing for Co-Op vs bots. I have logged a tremendous number of LAN gaming hours with them and a room full of friends.

The only problem I have with them these days ... I buy and only recommend digital distribution via Steam, Impulse, and occasionally Direct2Drive. IMHO on those services they are overpriced. If either were $10 or less on steam I'd say go for it! But $20 for SWBF2 is just a touch too much for me to pay when L4D2 and Borderlands are $35ish in the 4 pack.

Now if you play LAN that's a different story. TEMPORARILY CD swapping at a LAN with everyone in the same room can be some of the best gaming ever.



And to those of you who still play BF1942 or remember this...

DAMN YOU TERRANCE PICKLES!

 

[CP5670]

I don't know much about the Galtanor mod for UT3, but I have a hard time imagining that it would compare to Invasion-RPG on the Death Warrant server and I doubt that the huge variety of maps that are available for UT 2004's Invasion-RPG game would be available for UT3. Buying UT 2004 also allows people to play the excellent Onslaught game (which is much better than UT3's Warfare game).

Galtanor's Invasion is awesome. I like it better than the UT2004 version, especially as UT2004 uses the Unreal 1 monster models which look out of place in that game. There is an RPG mod (BattleRPG) and a turret mod (Sentinel) for it, and UT3 has plenty of very good custom maps as well.

UT3 as a stock game may have been a failure, but it has been redeemed by the various mods made for it, and is worth getting as just a platform for mods. Galtanor's Invasion is just one example.

 

[Darklife]

I would heartily recommend you Soldiers: Heroes of WW2. It's an RTS which puts you in control of a couple of soldiers with tanks and such, it's really tactical and much more realistic than most games in the genre. Plus you can take direct control of your pawns, so it plays like Third Person Shooter as well. If the graphics are too ugly for you there's always Men of War, which would be the sequel.

YOU REALLY SHOULD PLAY THIS, IT'S A BLOODY BLAST IN COOP.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Galtanor's Invasion is awesome. I like it better than the UT2004 version, especially as UT2004 uses the Unreal 1 monster models which look out of place in that game. There is an RPG mod (BattleRPG) and a turret mod (Sentinel) for it, and UT3 has plenty of very good custom maps as well.

UT3 as a stock game may have been a failure, but it has been redeemed by the various mods made for it, and is worth getting as just a platform for mods. Galtanor's Invasion is just one example.

Are people actually playing it online? If I download the mod and load up UT3, will I find populated servers for it? Any server recommendations?

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Favorite 4x online co-op games?

When you say 4x, what exactly do you mean? Do you mean 4x as in a 4x strategy game such as Civilization or Alpha Centauri?

If so, have you guys considered Sins of a Solar Empire? Sins is a 4x-RTS but it moves at a much more controllable pace than Starcraft and is not a clickfest. I think you can purchase it for about $18 now. The game is played with up to 10 players, so a group of four friends could form a team of 4 people and play against 6 computer AI. Also, games can be saved so that they can be resumed later. There are also custom mods and maps for the game and it's easy to design your own maps (using the Galaxy Forge editor) to suit your needs. I have seen many private groups of friends playing it online.

For the adventurous among you, it's also possible to play comp stomps that are open to anyone or to play people v. people when your friends aren't around. Here's a link to a You Tube review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY-NSNhgydY

 

[CP5670]

Are people actually playing it online? If I download the mod and load up UT3, will I find populated servers for it? Any server recommendations?

There are some servers but I'm not sure how populated they are. I played it a lot over the last two years, but it was usually over LAN with a few friends.

 

[GullyFoyle]

Combat Arms, a free online game has a game mode called Fireteam, which is a team of humans vs. bots. Might be worth checking out. It's pretty nifty, for free. I think anybody can start a game, and limit who can join. When I tried it out, it was pretty damn difficult, 4 might not be enough to finish it. But it could be fun trying.

If you can find it cheap, you might also consider Operation Flashpoint 2, it has up to four players co-op through the single player game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Flashpoint_2

 

[WhipperSnapper]

There are some servers but I'm not sure how populated they are. I played it a lot over the last two years, but it was usually over LAN with a few friends.

I'll check out the Galtnor mod which I just downloaded. The thing about the UT 2004 Invasion is that the servers are populated and have active communities, at least that Clan DW server does.

<Edit> I followed the instructions at Galtanor's website for adding a Config file in order to see the UT3 Invasion servers and I didn't see any listed.

 

[Zargon]

When you say 4x, what exactly do you mean? Do you mean 4x as in a 4x strategy game such as Civilization or Alpha Centauri?

If so, have you guys considered Sins of a Solar Empire? Sins is a 4x-RTS but it moves at a much more controllable pace than Starcraft and is not a clickfest. I think you can purchase it for about $18 now. The game is played with up to 10 players, so a group of four friends could form a team of 4 people and play against 6 computer AI. Also, games can be saved so that they can be resumed later. There are also custom mods and maps for the game and it's easy to design your own maps (using the Galaxy Forge editor) to suit your needs. I have seen many private groups of friends playing it online.

For the adventurous among you, it's also possible to play comp stomps that are open to anyone or to play people v. people when your friends aren't around. Here's a link to a You Tube review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY-NSNhgydY

I <3 SINS!!!!

More DLC is due out soon, too bad they are 10 bucks a pop, but I heard the first one is worth it

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I <3 SINS!!!!

More DLC is due out soon, too bad they are 10 bucks a pop, but I heard the first one is worth it

It might be debatable whether Entrenchment is good for single player (makes it too easy to beat the AI), but it's definitely very worthwhile for online multiplayer Sins and that's what most of the online regulars are playing.

 

[xCxStylex]

@OP - regarding limited cost... if you guys have warcraft III, DOTA is an option

the new dota clone "League of Legends" is 100&#37; FREE also and it's an amazing game that I'm addicted to as dota player. While it's supported by microtransactions, you can unlock new heros to use in as few as 3-4 games while some cost up to 60 games.

The heros that can be used for free are rotated weekly so everyone gets a chance to try every one out.

 

[JoshGuru7]

I just meant 4 player, not 4X in the RTS sense. I like SINS but not really in a co-op format.

I've added Galtanor's Invasion and League of Legends to the list for further consideration.

 

[BladeVenom]

If you can find it cheap, you might also consider Operation Flashpoint 2, it has up to four players co-op through the single player game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Flashpoint_2

If he doesn't mind outdated graphics, the original Operation Flashpoint was a good tactical shooter.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I just meant 4 player, not 4X in the RTS sense. I like SINS but not really in a co-op format.

Have you tried it online? Many people enjoy playing comp stomps with their friends. Others play against human opponents in games that average about 1.5 hours.

I've added Galtanor's Invasion and League of Legends to the list for further consideration.

I hope you will investigate this a little further before you buy UT3 for this purpose. As far as I know the Galtanor servers are empty but you can find action for UT 2004 Invasion Monster Mash RPG. I really think UT 2004 would serve you and your friends better than UT3.

 

[JoshGuru7]

Have you tried it online? Many people enjoy playing comp stomps with their friends. Others play against human opponents in games that average about 1.5 hours.

I've played Sins of a Solar Empire online maybe half a dozen times against human opponents and found it good but not great. In general, strategy co-op isn't as enjoyable for me as squad based co-op where your group is sticking tight and moving together. WiC is perhaps the exception as the focus is entirely on the unit management and not on the base building/resource gathering.

I hope you will investigate this a little further before you buy UT3 for this purpose. As far as I know the Galtanor servers are empty but you can find action for UT 2004 Invasion Monster Mash RPG.

I'll already own both so I'll definitely check into the UT2k Invasion mod as well. Server availability isn't an issue since I play with a static group and I'll add an update if either is a hit with the group.

 

[v8envy]

My suggestion: try some of the F2P korean grinder MMOs. They're just the perfect mix of mindless and multiplayer perfect for casual coop play.

I recommend Perfect World and ummmm something-something Sword of the New World.

 

[aclim]

L4D2 is the only one im playing right now. Love it. SOoooo much better than the first one. Mostly because of the level design.

Bought Torchlight, have not played it though. Would be nice to get co-op on it though. Maybe it will motivate me to finally install it.

 

[Gothgar]

Borderlands was great as fuck, but not too much replayability, that said I don't feel ripped off for around 30 for it.

Killing Floor I play every day probably, love the hell outta that game.