[Update] Dark Souls 2: Seamless Co-op - PvP implementation

Hi everyone

It has been a few weeks since my last update post on Dark Souls II seamless. Rest assured however, I have been hard at work on the mod still in the background.

In this post I'll be discussing PvP implementation in the mod.

Dueling arenas

Ever since the addition of invasions in Elden Ring seamless co-op, adding invasions / PvP mechanics into the seamless co-op mods has become an expected standard.

As much as I enjoy adding more multiplayer features, PvP can be a very difficult thing to approach as people are very opinionated on it and certain balancing choices that I am not at all qualified to make.

Implementation

That being said, I decided to take PvP one step further in Dark Souls II seamless, and that comes with the addition of adding the dueling arenas to the base mod.

On release, the mod will include both the Blue Sentinel and Brotherhood of Blood dueling arenas, where players can compete with another player in certain arenas.

I wanted to include this in the mod because, in addition to it being an interesting reverse engineering challenge, it adds another dimension to the mod over pure PvE and PvP invasions.

Mod mechanics

Similar to other multiplayer features of seamless co-op, dueling arenas are managed via Steam Matchmaking and do not use a central matchmaking server.

Players queue up at the statue in the desired covenant area, and if there is an available session within that player's matchmaking range (TBD) then they will be connected to them.

In the event that there are no sessions available, the mod will automatically create one and wait for an opponent to connect.

Upon winning, the winner will receive a reward and disconnect.

In the current state, the blue / red arenas function identically to the arenas in the vanilla server.

If people so desire, it would be fairly straightforward to add additional mechanics to these arenas since they are running on code that I have written as opposed to relying on the matchmaking servers.

Invasions

As mentioned in a previous post, invasions have been present in the mod since I first started working on it. Building the mod with invasions in mind helps a lot with multiplayer design as I'm forced to consider the randomness of invasions and how they actually require a lot of the mechanics that I remove for seamless online play (e.g. disconnections, respawning, etc.)

After invading another player, the session will by default be on a cool-down for 10 minutes where no other invaders can join. This is unless the host has opened themselves up for invasions with the dried finger -- in which case this cool-down becomes 10 seconds.

As an invader, you must clear the entire session before your mission is completed. Hunting down and defeating all of the players in a world can be challenging but it makes for a more engaging experience than just rushing for the host.

As a wanderer, bonfires are disabled. If you die then you will spectate your fellow co-operators until they either clear the session of invaders or die themselves.

Unlike Dark Souls II invasions, healing via Estus Flasks is allowed for both wanderers and invaders. The use of life gems and other healing items is restricted.

Further roadmap for PvP

Dark Souls II has many unique PvP interactions. I want to preserve as many as possible, however some covenants go entirely against what I am able to implement in the mod. For example the Rat Covenant works on the basis that players are forcibly teleported into another player's world whilst they are in certain areas.

This is not possible with Seamless Co-op, as the movement of a group of players into another's world is not feasible and would require disbanding the primary session which would be incredibly frustrating for users of the mod who are playing with their friends.

If people have questions regarding more aspects of PvP, let me know and I'll consider them and get back to you.

Once the PvP element of the mod is done, I will start work on the asynchranous multiplayer features (e.g. ghosts, bloodstains, and messages) to make the multiplayer world feel more alive.

As always - thank you for your patience and a huge thank you to all of my supporters <3

Take care,

Yui