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Game Developers hate Offline Multiplayer [Stop whining about the title]
Katholic
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I own a PS3 with four fully functional controllers, but I can't find any games to play multiplayer with. Why are game developers removing offline splitscreen. To me that has always been the best part of videogames, but hits like Resistance 2 and Killzone 2 both have no offline multiplayer. It fucking blows. So, G&T why have game developers forsaken the best part about videogames?
edit:I get it, xbox 360 get screwed too.
edit:I get it, xbox 360 get screwed too.
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Personally I think some of it has to do with the complications of providing two viewports of the same ongoing game, which really does require a large increase in processing. If you want it done right you essentially have to run the full game twice simultaneously on the same console, which isn't an easy feat. Otherwise they can limit the distance that players can travel from each other to reduce the textures/geometry loaded in memory, or some games simply cut down on the pretty visuals which is largely counter productive to what many companies are trying to accomplish.
EDIT: Isn't the thread title a bit misleading? Xbox 360 owners suffer this too.
The hundreds of hours I spent in co-op Halo 1/sixteen player (four per xbox) LANs disagrees good sir.
Anyway I googled this briefly and I'm seeing Wipeout and Tony Hawk as two modern PS3 examples.
Ok fair enough, I should probably make myself a bit clearer. The games can still be fun, Motorstorm for example, but the implementation is almost always wrong.
RE5 with its bizarre split screen being a good recent example.
There are a few games out there with Split Screen co-op, and quite a few games with same-screen co-op for the PS3. LittleBigPlanet and Pixeljunk games (Eden and Monsters) are recent examples of same-screen co-op. Doesn't Call of Duty: World at War have split-screen Co-op?
To be honest, I only liked splitscreen co-op on the N64 shooters and Time Splitters, and even then, it was because the options for online/LAN multiplayer were quite limited at the time. Not to mention that squinting at a tiny portion of a small TV was no picnic.
EDIT: Also, HAZE, Army of Two, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 might have split-screen co-op.
I think it is more a technology development that has made multiplayer more accessible.
Previously for a four player game you needed a multitap, four controllers and a game. Now all you need is an internet connection and you can play with up to 16 or more people at the same time.
As such, I can see why developers would decide to take the route of programming a online multiplayer portion of a game as opposed to a local splitscreen. What they lose out on in the extra controllers purchase, they will more than make up for with the fact that they now sell
4 consoles instead of one
4 copies of the game instead of one
Added peripherals (Headset, wireless adapter if Xbox)
And they have more than recouped their costs. It isn't all bad for us gamers either, as I can yell at my buddy when he shoots me from my own couch, with a full screen just for me to play in.
I will however concede that I don't want to see local split screen die. There is something fun about having 3/4 people playing in the same room, same as I used to do with my buddies on Goldeneye or Timesplitters, and hearing the instant reaction to a devious tactic or accusations of screen-watching. An old game winning tactic is to unplug their controller and hide it whilst you score that winning goal
Playing Resident Evil 5 split screen co-op, despite the reduction in quality of the smaller screen has been great fun for me recently and much more convenient than trying to organise an online game. It still makes me crack up with laughter when I can look over at my buddies screen and watch him running for his life, desperately flailing at his controls.
I think you could have an interesting discussion on this topic - however you really need to tidy up the inflammatory comments from your Original Post and Title.- rather than harass PS3 developers why don't you make it a thread about the benefits of local co-operative play?
This, especially when it comes to fancy shader effects and physics.
You could also chalk it up to the increasingly singular ownership thing. I feel like the whole concept of having your own Live profile sort of segues people into being comfortable with the idea of owning their own 360. Sure, the system handles multiple players and profiles seamlessly, but the majority of the time my friends and I would rather set up for a lan party than do things split screen.
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However local coop has been pretty good for non fps especially when it comes to psn/xbla games. PJ Monsters, Eden, Wipeout HD, Bionic commando rearmed, flock! and the upcoming Trine etc etc.
Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....
That said, Epic managed it all with Gears of War 2 and therefore it is possible and should be standard. Gears 2 remains my favourite game thus far because of this extra effort. Especially for co-op.
I remember back when the N64 came out, and everyone was exclaiming: "Finally! Consoles are getting powerful enough that we can have viable 3D games running in 4-way split screen for 4-player local multi!" Sadly, each subsequent generation since then has seen a progressive retracting of 4 player or even 2 player split screen multiplayer. Despite the processing and RAM advantages, despite the resolution advantages.
I love online multi and thankfully it's getting better all the time.
But don't forsake splitscreen, especially now that we have HD systems to support 4 quadrants of reasonably resolute split screens.
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It's absolute bullshit for anyone lacking an internet connection.
Even I think the thread title might be going too far.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Also, they're obviously doing it to sell more units. Xbox has the same problem, other than Halo and Gears, there aren't very many must-have, or even enjoyable, split screen titles.
Apparently I'm the only one that thinks this way.
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Mario Strikers is another brilliant one if you have enough Wii-motes and are willing to push through the learning curve.
I got about halfway through the single player and realized that multiplayer is about all the game is good for.
Fortunately it also has a quite good online mode (with leaderboards and everything IIRC)...good luck finding people to play with though.
This sums up my feelings on the matter entirely.
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The things you say, as far as I can see, only really apply to first person shooters. Additionally, you should keep in mind that a rather absurd amount of shelf space is taken up by rockband and guitar hero, perhaps 50% in some retail outlets, so I am kind of befuddled at your assertion that there are no four player games.
I guess you mean there aren't very many good four player games that use standard controllers for the playstation 3 or xbox 360, which likely just means you don't know about them. I don't own a playstation 3 myself, but there is a catalogue of games for 360 in xbla that allow offline multiplayer including Castle Crashers and N+, and even without an internet connection you still have gems like Tales of Vesperia.
There are just no four player games for ps3?
However, the ring will never leave your finger, and you will be unable to ever describe to another living person what you see.
Sitting in the same room with someone will always be preferable. I can cope if a game has a proper text chat system (such as MMOs), but otherwise online games can't hold my attention for more than a week or two at a time. Recently I've been playing some King of Fighters '98 UM with my best friend, and compared to these sessions, random matches in CoD 4 or even in cooperative games like Left 4 Dead are about as interesting to me as a 12-hour Oprah marathon.
Local multiplayer 4 lyfe.
I'm not sure how to explain that frame of mind.
e: Cherrn, what is it about voice chat that throws you off? I chat for hours on Live or vent with friends sometimes, even when I'm not playing anything.
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I completely agree. Of course I make an exception for cool people I know playing online, like so I don't have to drive down the road to my friend's house and can just call him and jump in. Or like playing with PA guys.
But local is still the most fun.