High Round Co-Op Strategy - 'Doing Shifts' ?

[iFQ]

I've heard from a few people that they sometimes take it in turns playing solo in a co-op game so that their partner can have a break or go to sleep, and then they swap over. How effective is this strategy and have you ever used it yourself?

There is obviously high risk involved because if you make a mistake and get downed you have nobody to revive you, but it allows you to progress much higher if you can pull it off. However, in terms of speed, would you say it's a quicker method overall?

[Tom852]

The speed would probably be pretty much the same. Normally, you have anyway only one active guy, and the other one hiding. That would be no diff to a solo play. Or, you make a gather up and merge strategy, which is probably more or less at the same speed like solo play. However, you can gain few seconds with a 2ppl merging strat in certain spots on certain maps. In the end, the question is if it really matters, if you are 5% (e.g. 28s vs 30s per wave) faster or slower.

With a good 2ppl strategy, it will look like a solo strategy and the speed will be pretty much equal, no matter what you do.

The point is just the safety... You always die from time to time. It's just sad, when the 2nd player could revive easily, but is afk and already passed out a long time ago.

Taking turns is on the other hand also necessary for insane high rounds, say 80 or maybe 100+.

Overall, I'd say have both players in the game, whatever strategy you use. Just for reviving. And if you go for a 20+h game, you anyway have no other choice then taking turns.

[iFQ]

I've also heard of people that save a crawler at the end of the round and then take turns 'looking after it' while the other person sleeps. I believe I remember hearing TheRelaxingEnd say that himself and ChristianR87 did this on their Ascension and Call of the Dead world records from back in the day.

Obviously this method would be much safer, but I can't imagine how tedious it must be if you had to do this for much longer than an hour each. :shock:

[Tom852]

Yeah That's real hard work :geek: Not sure if I could bring up that patience.

[Superhands]

I think this is the most effective option, I know myself & Tom have gone off long zombie co-op runs a bit but maybe at some point we could utilise this:

[5and5]

I think the best way of taking breaks in high rounds would be to let the last runner die out and respawn then hold him in a window. Then find the sweet spot so you can rebuild with out ever getting hit. From here you can just tape down your x button and break for days

But if your partner only need a few hour break then playing solo could be the better option.

[selectyeti89]

You dont "have" to take turns soloing it. I have been to 80+ more than ten times and never took turns and also never got a zombie behind the window to go to sleep.

[Rissole25]

Yeti, most people don't have the time, nor the strength to continue without breaks. I would rather have a rest, and come back with a refreshed state of mind to think clearly, than stay up, have boredom set in and stick to the same pattern non-stop, with a mind that is clouded and aches for rest.

[Chopper]

I understand why people want to get to high rounds in co-op.

IMO 60 is a nice number. It can be done within a reasonable amount of time and proves all that needs to be proved. It shows you can handle long rounds, rounds where you need to recycle the wonder or use traps.

I do admire those that get high, like Yeti, but it's just not for me.

[selectyeti89]

I understand why people want to get to high rounds in co-op.

IMO 60 is a nice number. It can be done within a reasonable amount of time and proves all that needs to be proved. It shows you can handle long rounds, rounds where you need to recycle the wonder or use traps.

I do admire those that get high, like Yeti, but it's just not for me.

I would say that to about 75. There hasnt been any long rounds by 60. I guess to some people 8-10 minutes is a long round but I have been in rounds for longer than 2 hours on COTD and ascension. On cotd we were recycling the v-r11 and the round itself takes 30 minutes with no recycles but it took me 2 hours to recycle it. On ascension I had a hour long recycle and completely ran out of points and the round still takes 30 minutes to play through. Every round 90+ on ascenion takes about 35 minutes for a fast round, on COTD it would take over an hour for a round in the 80s.