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How important is Local Multiplayer important to you?
- Thread starter thomasmahler
- Start date
Splitscreen is very uninteresting to me.
On the other hand, decent shared screen local cooperative gameplay (and for the main campaign, not some tacked-on "modes") increases the likelihood that I'll buy a game by at least 500%. Probably more than that.
Edit:
Actually, certainly more than that, looking at the makeup of my Steam library compared to the overall ratio of shared screen cooperative games on the platform.
On the other hand, decent shared screen local cooperative gameplay (and for the main campaign, not some tacked-on "modes") increases the likelihood that I'll buy a game by at least 500%. Probably more than that.
Edit:
Actually, certainly more than that, looking at the makeup of my Steam library compared to the overall ratio of shared screen cooperative games on the platform.
Wyndstryker
Member
Depends on the game but it's a big factor since my friends will find a way to schedule a game night
suavelicious
Member
Very important. I just don't like to play online, i like to directly interact with the people I'm playing with, see their faces and their reactions.
Unfortunately most games don't even have a lan mode anymore.
Unfortunately most games don't even have a lan mode anymore.
Has been important to me my entire life due to growing up with brothers. A game we could all play together was valued far more in the household over a single player experience. (During the NES the youngest brother was just naive enough to think that a third controller plugged into the dresser let him play as the bad guys.)
I dated a girl for a few years who was obsessed with video games and as result I ended up buying almost every local co-op game imaginable. Diablo 3, Dungeon Siege 3, Fuse, War in the North, Hunted: Demon Forge...even Star Trek.
It's sad to see local co-op cast aside as I think there's an added level of fun in playing a game with someone who is sitting right next to you. But I totally understand it being due to budgets. If you told me 95% of gamers play with no one else in the room I would believe it.
I dated a girl for a few years who was obsessed with video games and as result I ended up buying almost every local co-op game imaginable. Diablo 3, Dungeon Siege 3, Fuse, War in the North, Hunted: Demon Forge...even Star Trek.
It's sad to see local co-op cast aside as I think there's an added level of fun in playing a game with someone who is sitting right next to you. But I totally understand it being due to budgets. If you told me 95% of gamers play with no one else in the room I would believe it.
Donniewahlberg
Banned
Mmm I was trying to figure out the wording for this in my own response when considering games not on portable haha. We play plenty of splitscreen games but if it's on TV or monitor, I do prefer a shared screen experience oppose to split.
Hispanic! At the Disco
Member
Extremely important. I have family and friends over to play games very often. Its one of the only things I have in common with my in laws so we play halo 4, mario kart, or Jack Party Box very often. They also visit one another very often and refuse to but halo 5 as splitscreen multiplayer is one of the only reasons they play halo.
I recently bought a second xbox one so I could play overwatch with my wife. Will use it for halo 6 as I imagine it will not have splitscreen either.
I recently bought a second xbox one so I could play overwatch with my wife. Will use it for halo 6 as I imagine it will not have splitscreen either.
hardcastlemccormick
Banned
I'm right here with this. Though competitive splitscreen or co-op can do it for me as well. As play many, many games together and there's just not enough to satiate the need.
Any good local co-op games get my attention.
Donniewahlberg
Banned
Haha I've been on the verge of this a few times with the Wii U and Splatoon, buying another home console to make local multi out of the online, so we could turf war together. Never quite got that far. Had they released an animal crossing on it, it would have been a lock.
Don't you think that local mp could help with that?
Having a bi-weekly or monthly gaming session at someones house could bring you closer again. Adding themes and new games helps to stop it getting stale. Once a month isn't a big ask but you'll be amazed at how some games you only play once for an hour or so can give you memories that are priceless.
darkazcura
Member
Incredibly important. I rarely play online multiplayer. It's too impersonal for me..might as well be playing bots, heh.
The 8-Bit Raider
Member
Extremely important when I was a child and could play with my friends and family members. Zero importance once I was married during my 20's since finding free time to be with friends was impossible. Extremely important in my 30's as it allows me to play with my kids.
Donniewahlberg
Banned
Very much my experience. Really great opportunity to spend time with your kids, bond and create some memories. Now none of my actual friends play games at all really so all the time I spent in my early 20s online playing halo, gears etc with them has been replaced with local multi player with the fam. It's a real full circle experience, and something I hope imparts on my kid when he's older with kids, provided these kind of experiences survive.
John Paul v2
Neo Member
Some of my favourite memories from childhood and adolescence are of bundling around someone's house and playing 2-4 player Time Splitters 2, Mario Kart, Smash Bros etc. I don't have much opportunity to play with friends these days so online multiplayer suites us better.
The thought of kids having to substitute these social experiences for ones separated by internet cables and headsets, however, is a little bit sad.
That being said. I still buy many games that I would otherwise have no interest in if they have local coop, in order to play with my fiance.
The thought of kids having to substitute these social experiences for ones separated by internet cables and headsets, however, is a little bit sad.
That being said. I still buy many games that I would otherwise have no interest in if they have local coop, in order to play with my fiance.
I'm ultra big into local multiplayer, I host gaming meetups and stuff. I appreciate any effort.
Though, I'm a bit confused you point out how small the statistic of people who use the local feature is but think multiple people having their own Switch, and the same game is promising. Like, they show 8 player wireless Mario Kart, but I'm at a loss of how I'd ever be able to do that - you'd need 8 people as dedicated as me at bringing their stuff to play. I'm hoping for the most efficient feature of 8-players between 2 Switches but it seems like Devs don't usually focus on that efficiency for LAN.
RPGs are different at least, like with Pokemon, in that the people who play those are usually more dedicated and invested gamers, and RPGs require that investment, but still. I've had to get multiple DSs over the years to play stuff with people because I can't rely on others. But being I do gaming meetups with lots of randoms of different skill levels maybe that perspective is skewed, yeah.
Though, I'm a bit confused you point out how small the statistic of people who use the local feature is but think multiple people having their own Switch, and the same game is promising. Like, they show 8 player wireless Mario Kart, but I'm at a loss of how I'd ever be able to do that - you'd need 8 people as dedicated as me at bringing their stuff to play. I'm hoping for the most efficient feature of 8-players between 2 Switches but it seems like Devs don't usually focus on that efficiency for LAN.
RPGs are different at least, like with Pokemon, in that the people who play those are usually more dedicated and invested gamers, and RPGs require that investment, but still. I've had to get multiple DSs over the years to play stuff with people because I can't rely on others. But being I do gaming meetups with lots of randoms of different skill levels maybe that perspective is skewed, yeah.
killatopak
Member
Lowest on the list.
For the longest time this was the main selling point of any console for me. Sure it could be done on PC but the setup was always the issue. The space needed, configuration all of this involved lots of planning beforehand.
Nowadays the lines between platforms blurred. But the relevance stayed the same. Nothing beats playing with friends in the same room. Lots of small talk, lots of laughs. Time well spent in my book. Online multiplayer doesn't come close when it comes to human interaction.
Nowadays the lines between platforms blurred. But the relevance stayed the same. Nothing beats playing with friends in the same room. Lots of small talk, lots of laughs. Time well spent in my book. Online multiplayer doesn't come close when it comes to human interaction.
Nose Master
Member
Not very. A decent co-op campaign is nice, but I'd rather do it online with a local friend than shitty splitscreen.
Steam indie stuff like speedrunners is the exception, but that's kinda their whole jam.
Steam indie stuff like speedrunners is the exception, but that's kinda their whole jam.
Since we're currently adding local multiplayer / splitscreen to our RPG project here at Moon, I wanna ask a question here... every time you see a developer cutting local multiplayer / splitscreen, there's a bit of an outcry from gamers. Halo 5 was the last popular example where it was announced that splitscreen would be cut and gamers frowned upon that decision.
...that said, the numbers just don't add up: Splitscreen usually gets cut or becomes a lower priority in development simply based on numbers. Only 5% of folks who played Halo 4 actually played in splitscreen? Well, then we should probably spend our resources elsewhere...
So among GAF, how often do you play games that support Local Multiplayer? Is Local Multiplayer important to you at all? Would you not buy a game if it only supports Online Multiplayer? How about your friends, are they all only using Online Multiplayer these days?
I think since the numbers show that most gamers just don't care about it anymore, local multiplayer / splitscreen is a feature that mostly gets boxed through by developers who grew up with that stuff and loved it and want to see that in the games they're making: Even if it's financially a dumb thing to do and even if only a small, small percentage of your player-base is actually going to use that feature.
Personally, I'm hoping that Local Multiplayer gets a bit of a boost again thanks to Nintendo's Switch. It's going to be MUCH less of a pain in the ass to support it if you don't have to render 4 cameras on the same device, make UIs work if they're only using 1/4th of the screen, etc. It also finally solves the problem of you seeing where everyone else is and what everyone else is doing on the same screen, since everyone now just has their own screen.
I feel like there's just something cool about having everyone on the couch, actually sharing the experience, instead of everyone being separated in their own places. Diablo 3 on consoles in Local Multi was more fun to me than playing it online. But how do you folks feel? Are you still on the lookout for games that support Splitscreen Multi or is Splitscreen a thing of the past for you?
Edit: Beautiful typo in the title... geez, why can't you edit titles on GAF?
It's good, but also include online multiplayer. So many excellent local multiplayer games fall by the wayside because of being solely that.
franklyshankly
Member
Same. Local mp was awesome as a kid and teen and even up through college living with roommates. As an adult none of my friends who play games live anywhere near me and even if they did life schedules make meeting up to play games much more difficult.
RichiRamjag
Member
Nintendo gets me to purchase consoles solely for local multiplayer, so it's pretty important to me.
Good point. Same here.
Good point. Same here.
What did he mean by this?
Member
Me and all my siblings have moved out, but I still make most game buying choices based off the game having local multiplayer. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Seasonal Breaks, good enough for me!
Nevermind friends. Im that dude wit the Gamecube and the Draco in the dorm. All hail me
Nevermind friends. Im that dude wit the Gamecube and the Draco in the dorm. All hail me
Subtervotion
Member
Big fan of Ori here.
Local multiplayer is super fun, but it has in inherent problem. Getting people in the same room at the same time. And I think that's why it isn't as popular as online multiplayer. Online is just far more convenient and frequent.
Over the last year I've tried to have local multiplayer parties. I've only managed to have 3. But I've had countless online multiplayer sessions.
So I would say personally that I think local multi is always more fun than online, if every player has their own screen (no screen cheating) or the camera in game is shared. But online is just more practical in every way.
So I would only try to include local multi if you have ample resources to do so. It's not worth spending precious resources on, especially if it hurts online multiplayer which should take priority.
With having kids, local MP is important.
Thats really the only time it gets used in our home. Or I wanna play with my kids, they want me to play with them.
I would like to see it more. Now I realize it was kind of a missed opportunity when we had a Wii U. This solidifies me getting a Switch now.
Thats really the only time it gets used in our home. Or I wanna play with my kids, they want me to play with them.
I would like to see it more. Now I realize it was kind of a missed opportunity when we had a Wii U. This solidifies me getting a Switch now.
Donniewahlberg
Banned
Definitely! Not to go off track but my kid had just turned 5 when the Wii U came out, and we very much presented it to him as his first console, despite us being super excited too. I know people say it was a rough console and the figures don't lie, but he's 9 now and I can't count the experience we've had on it together locally, me and the boy or all three of us together. All the lego games, stuff like Skylanders and Disney Infinity. Then of course Mario Kart, Splatoon, Smash, Nintendo Land (which had some really great local multi experiences with some u issue stuff between the main screen and pad), Mario 3d world. Even something like AC amiibo festival which was way too sparse in content, still super charming and a fun experience between you and the kids and so on.
Local multiplayer can really bring a game to life and change your perspective on it.
TannerDemoz
Member
Very important.
I've got a Sega Megadrive, SNES and N64 upstairs for when I have mates over, and Rocket League is an absolute blessing on the PS4.
I spent my childhood playing games like TimeSplitters 2, Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing, Conkers Bad Fur Day, Perfect Dark + many more with my best mates (who are still best friends now) so I've got a strong attachment to it.
It's a shame Nintendo are one of the only devs who make an active effort supporting it.
I've got a Sega Megadrive, SNES and N64 upstairs for when I have mates over, and Rocket League is an absolute blessing on the PS4.
I spent my childhood playing games like TimeSplitters 2, Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing, Conkers Bad Fur Day, Perfect Dark + many more with my best mates (who are still best friends now) so I've got a strong attachment to it.
It's a shame Nintendo are one of the only devs who make an active effort supporting it.
Dead Man Typing
Member
A million times more important than online multiplayer.
GiantBreadbug
Member
Very. It's pretty much an integral part of experiencing videogames. I see online and local multiplayer as equally important. Hopefully Nintendo continues to spotlight it on their systems.
Suburban Thug
Member
Not important at all. I'm happy to play online and throw on a headset or use the playstation camera to chat. Sometimes I'll go to the local arcade for some co-op action though.
Vital Tundra
Member
Very. I got family.
Donniewahlberg
Banned
Hmm. I'm not sure I'd say they are inherently more social than local Mp, I think it's just another way to having fun together and creating emotions and situations you might not just through chatting. Definitely a big plus for boardgames though, we love doing stuff like Munchkin etc
BareKnuckle
Member
I play local multiplayer as much if not more than single player, don't touch online much.
Chaos2Frozen
Member
Not many people play the games that I play.... That said, Helldivers was an amazing experience that by some miracle I've convinced my 'casual' gamer friends to play so there is some value in local I guess.
pretty done
Member
It's not. I don't have the time to gather with people to play games and even if I did I hate split screen with a passion. Online multi is much more important to me.
Local was the shit back in the N64 days, but niggas got jobs and shit now.
Local was the shit back in the N64 days, but niggas got jobs and shit now.