Dyack: "two players the right thing to do"

By Robert Purchese Published 4 June, 2008

Too Human boss explains co-op cut.

Silicon Knights boss Denis Dyack believes halving Too Human co-op from four players to two "was just the right thing to do".

His decision hit the headlines at the recent Microsoft showcase in San Francisco, prompting numerous suggestions that the ambitious and expensive game had bitten off more than it could chew.

"When it came to co-operative play, two players was just the right thing to do; it was the best gaming experience," Dyack told Gamerscoreblog.

"It's a very action-orientated game and having four players just moving around like crazy is actually really chaotic and we actually found people were having more fun [in pairs]. So we started focusing on what was the most fun thing we could do."

Despite all this, Dyack is confident that playing with a friend will still open up a "whole new realm" of gameplay options. He mentions a technique called "serving" where one of you smashes a hammer into the ground and knocks all of the enemies into the air, while the other either shoots them or jumps around chopping them into pieces.

Ideas like this came from developer testing and had a "profound effect" on the outcome of the title. Dyack describes these co-op combos as "the coolest thing ever" and something you could "never do in single-player".

Too Human is due out in Europe on 29th August, with a demo "absolutely planned"; hopefully before launch, although exact timing is yet to be clarified.

Head over to our hands-on with Too Human to see how it's shaping up.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 4 years ago

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  • Sevens #1 4 years ago

    "He mentions a technique called "serving" where one of you smashes a hammer into the ground and knocks all of the enemies into the air, while the other either shoots them or jumps around chopping them into pieces."

    'Dyack describes these co-op combos as "the coolest thing ever" and something you could "never do in single-player".'

    Coolest thing ever. Huh.

  • Wickerman #2 4 years ago

    Didn't Devil May Cry have the ability to knock someone up into the air and then proceed to shoot the shit out of them whilst they hung in the air? I'm sure I remembered doing this quite a lot when I played DMC3 briefly... And I know that was single player!

  • Eraysor #3 4 years ago

    "When it came to co-operative play, two players was just the right thing to do; it was the best gaming experience."

    Read as: The game engine imploded when we tried any more people.

    And I was about to suggest DMC already had the uppercut and shoot attack, but the above poster beat me to it >_<

    I'm still looking forward to this game, even if two-player is a bit dull compared to four.

  • Negotiator #4 4 years ago

    This game has got shit written all over it.

  • gallow #5 4 years ago

    I remember Wrestlemania 2000 or whatever it was called on the N64 had double team moves that could be done by two players. Also in Double Dragon one player could hold an enemy in a full nelson will the other beat them up. Now that was the coolest thing ever.

  • McBradders #6 4 years ago

    Dyack; stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking stop talking.

    Stop.

    Talking.

  • Raziel #7 4 years ago

    I really wanted to play this game.

    About 4 years ago...

  • MrXBob #8 4 years ago

    I love how you all form your own wild opinions on a game you've barely even seen let alone actually played - and yet the minute you read a bad review of a game you like, you spout childish crap about the writers not having a clue.

    You dont have any idea how hypocritical that is.

    edit: Also - to those bringing up DMC. Since when was DMC ever co-op? He's not saying this is the first game to let you throw people into the air and shoot/slice them while they're up there - he's saying how cool it is to do it in co-op, with one player throwing them in the air for the other.
    Edited by 1 at 04/06/08 @ 11:55

  • Wickerman #9 4 years ago

    He also says that they are something that could never be done in single player. I was pointing out that such a thing can be done in single player. Unless he is trying to say that co-op play can't be done in single player, which quite frankly is stating the obvious...

    Personally I hope the game is good - I'm making no judgements on the quality of it, just questioning his choice of words.

  • CreepinJesus #10 4 years ago

    Well, it is called "Too" Human.... sorry :(

  • MrXBob #11 4 years ago

    Sorry Wickerman, I wasnt directing that comment at you. Just the other people slagging the game off without having ever touched it. I'm pretty sure all we know is that its an action RPG based around a kind of futuristich version of Norse Mythology, and it has co-op. Hardly anything to base a judgement on...

  • NthSimulachum #12 4 years ago

    I quite liked that short film, made by a bunch of norwegians, that was part of one of Too Human's Dev Diaries.

    It would be nice if Too Human had a good narrative rather than another ponderous interpretation of the Monomyth.

  • Wickerman #13 4 years ago

    No worries MrXBob!

    I think basing judgements on little to no information is pretty much the in thing to do now days though, so in the interests of balancing everything out, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I think this will be the best action RPG ever!

    And I won't even bother to say 'not including Diablo and Diablo 2', just to give everyone something else to flame about ;)

  • Razorus #14 4 years ago

    He meant that you could never do the serving combo in the single player of THIS game, not any other single player game. And this is different from DMC, so stop comparing them. In that, you smack your enemies in the air and juggle them; very cool yes, but its not the same as smacking an enemy in the air and your friends blazes in and crushes them and several others in mid-air.

  • sneetch #15 4 years ago

    @Eraysor
    ""When it came to co-operative play, two players was just the right thing to do; it was the best gaming experience."

    Read as: The game engine imploded when we tried any more people. "

    That's my suspicion too; what happened to letting the players decide? I mean if two player really is better then people will play two player, it'd be nice to be able to make that decision for yourself though (people are generally smart enough to decide those kinda things). Sounds like spin.

    I'd like a few more 3-4 player co-op games myself (are there any?), I regularly play co-op games with a couple of my mates from Uni. At the moment it's LOTRO but with a few 3-4 player co-op games I might be able to convince them to buy a console of some sort (besides the obligatory, dust-covered Wiis-with-Wii-sports).

    PS GOD DAMMIT! I hate those roll-over & pop-up ads! I swear, Quake Wars has just been added to my never buy list.

  • Wickerman #16 4 years ago

    Sneetch - if you are looking for for a co-op Action RPG, give Marvel Ultimate Alliance a try. I've always found it a good laugh with a bunch of friends around (although I'm not sure its quite good enough to warrant buying a 360 for!)

    Was the same sort of thing I was looking for from Too Human, which has hit my enthusiasm for it a little bit (especially seeing as, from everything I've seen, two player co-op isn't split screen either).

  • legendmir #17 4 years ago

    I read co-op cut as cop out, hehe

  • muscleblade #18 4 years ago

    "I really wanted to play this game.
    About 4 years ago... "

    And i still do. GOTY potential.

  • AHiFi #19 4 years ago

    Have 2 player as the default, matchmade co-op and have four players possible via a private game. Surely that appeases all?

  • PlugMonkey #20 4 years ago

    That's my suspicion too; what happened to letting the players decide? I mean if two player really is better then people will play two player, it'd be nice to be able to make that decision for yourself though (people are generally smart enough to decide those kinda things). Sounds like spin.

    While I'm partially inclined to agree, I still don't think this statement is entirely true. It comes down to peoples' tendancy to believe in an 'infinite resources theory of game development' again. Yes, they could do two-, three- and four-player; but none of them would be as polished as two-player could be if they ditched the other two and focussed all their resources solely on that.

    I'd be very surprised if there wasn't a technical limitation element to the decision as well, but when I'm playing COD4 with friends we do tend to run in pairs as it's just easier to co-ordinate like that. If getting four players up and running is going to be a massive technical challenge, requiring a lot of resources, and the two-player game is the more accessible and fun to play anyway then I would say this is the right decision. Why compromise the two-player component (which is probably going to be played massively more anyway) to get a four-player version going that hardly anyone will bother with?

    Incidentally, this game is going to rock.

  • sneetch #21 4 years ago

    @PlugMonkey

    Good points and well made, I didn't really mean to "call them" over it (although that is what I did, I suppose). I am definitely interested in how this game pans out.

    @Wickerman

    Hmmm... that might just be the wedge that's needed; those two guys have rubber arms when it comes to purchasing tech. :)

  • Razorus #22 4 years ago

    Lot's of negative vibes here dude. Woah, totally awesome and rad etc etc.

    Seriously though, I don't think its an issue of "we couldn't make 4 players work". To be honest, I still think the animation is choppy and it looks quite messy, even with two people.

  • Calgon #23 4 years ago

    I noticed an improvement in the last footage they put out, so I wouldnt say it looks crap but its definately not showing enough to elevate it to must buy status so far. Perhaps they will prove everyone that has written the game off already wrong? Here's hoping and why not? Who cares who makes the games, if they are good play them!

  • The-Bodybuilder #24 4 years ago

    People need to think more diablo and phantasy star online, than NG2 and DMC.