One thing I'll never understand... (PC Split Screen)

[PleaseHoldOn]

One thing I'll never understand about developers and PC gaming, is why they intentionally remove split-screen from PC ports.

 

Three of the bigger examples being Resident Evil 5, all of the Borderlands games and Left 4 Dead 1/2.  (All of which have had mods/workarounds to get it working again.)

 

For the purposes of this post, I'll focus on Resident Evil 5.  I've always known that they took split screen out of the PC release, but I only recently realized that there's a split-screen mod out there that taps into the disabled code and re-enables it.  It still boggles my mind why they would offer this functionality on console, then disable it on PC... but let's just say it's for business reasons, not worth the resources to get it up and running, not enough people would use it, whatever.  I can't tell you how many people (other than me) would invite friends over to sit around a 24" monitor in cramped computer chairs...

 

It's not ideal, but a mod that re-enables this logic is a tolerable workaround.  That is, of course, until the game transitioned from Games For Windows Live to Steamworks, where instead of acknowledging the mod and peoples interest in the feature... THEY ACTUALLY REMOVED THE DISABLED CODE SO THE MOD WOULDN'T WORK ANYMORE!

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-04-02-resident-evil-5-steam-edition-ripped-out-code-needed-for-split-screen-mod

 

I love the Resident Evil games, and I will side with developers 99.99999% of the time in consumer disputes because the gaming community is just awful... but Capcom is wearing at my nerves.  This is about as close to a slap in the face as you can get.

 

Anyways... whatever.  Just needed to vent.   As a primarily console gaming community, what do you guys think?

 

 

EDIT: And for what it's worth, Capcom have stumbled over their own feet time and time again on this issue.  Originally they said it was disabled because "the PC can't handle multiple controllers well"... which modders proved was a load of bunk by simply enabling the previously disabled split-screen code and proving the game picked up PAD1 and PAD2 and assigned to the correct player without issues.  Now they're saying the disabled code was ripped out due to DLC incompatibility... it's just exhausting.

 

I guess they tried something similar with Revelations 2 and didn't offer local co-op on PC originally, but once modders AGAIN enabled the logic, they decided to officially implement it.  I just don't get it.

Edited October 14, 2015 by PleaseHoldOn

[StrickenBiged]

If it's a game where you've taken the time to develop the feature for the console crowd, and then don't include it in the PC release, then I think that's pretty crappy. 

 

But, having said that, I gather that coding for PC games is a lot more complicated because you have to anticipate the vast variety of different rigs people could have. It could be that coding split-screen while taking account of multiple graphics cards, CPU capabilities, etc etc, is actually quite resource heavy and therefore not a worthwhile effort considering the numbers who would use it. 

 

TL;DR - if it's easy to do I can't see why you wouldn't keep it in there. If it's hard to do, then there may be a good reason. 

[Remilia Scarlet]

Capcom is full of crap. This shouldn't be a surprise to you at all.

If it's a game where you've taken the time to develop the feature for the console crowd, and then don't include it in the PC release, then I think that's pretty crappy. 

 

But, having said that, I gather that coding for PC games is a lot more complicated because you have to anticipate the vast variety of different rigs people could have. It could be that coding split-screen while taking account of multiple graphics cards, CPU capabilities, etc etc, is actually quite resource heavy and therefore not a worthwhile effort considering the numbers who would use it. 

 

TL;DR - if it's easy to do I can't see why you wouldn't keep it in there. If it's hard to do, then there may be a good reason.

Also, this.

[PleaseHoldOn]

If it's a game where you've taken the time to develop the feature for the console crowd, and then don't include it in the PC release, then I think that's pretty crappy. 

 

But, having said that, I gather that coding for PC games is a lot more complicated because you have to anticipate the vast variety of different rigs people could have. It could be that coding split-screen while taking account of multiple graphics cards, CPU capabilities, etc etc, is actually quite resource heavy and therefore not a worthwhile effort considering the numbers who would use it. 

 

TL;DR - if it's easy to do I can't see why you wouldn't keep it in there. If it's hard to do, then there may be a good reason. 

 

Keeping in mind, getting split-screen working in RE5 and Revelations 2 was simply a matter of re-enabling some disabled code/logic.  Left 4 Dead was a matter of inputting some console commands.

 

The logic is there, and it works.  I don't get what these developers are doing. 

Edited October 14, 2015 by PleaseHoldOn

[MMDE]

May want to sell an extra copy of the game.

[StrickenBiged]

Keeping in mind, getting split-screen working in RE5 and Revelations 2 was simply a matter of re-enabling some disabled code/logic.  Left 4 Dead was a matter of inputting some console commands.

 

The logic is there, and it works.  I don't get what these developers are doing. 

 

In that case, I dunno. Maybe the situation will change once the Steam box becomes more popular and the perception that "PC" players are sitting on the couch to play is out there. 

[DaivRules]

Profit. You know it, I know it. They'll never admit it. 

[PleaseHoldOn]

Profit. You know it, I know it. They'll never admit it.

Why offer it on console then?

[DaivRules]

Why offer it on console then?

 

Piracy rates on console versions are a fraction of the PC versions. It all comes down to profit.

[PleaseHoldOn]

Piracy rates on console versions are a fraction of the PC versions. It all comes down to profit.

 

Then what "profit" are you referring to exactly.  I assumed you meant in terms of sales (because local coop doesn't require multiple copies)... but then they shouldn't include it on the console versions either.

[DaivRules]

Then what "profit" are you referring to exactly.  I assumed you meant in terms of sales (because local coop doesn't require multiple copies)... but then they shouldn't include it on the console versions either.

 

A console version of the game will have low piracy so they can code in the split screen and know that when it sells, they're getting their money. Profit margin on this sku is predictable.

 

A PC version of the game needs to make money anyway it can because piracy rates are astronomical. By not having a split screen option in the PC version, they potentially get more paying consumers to buy the games when they want to play together. Profit margin on this one is technically the predictable, but there will be way more people pirating it that will never pay for it, so they count it as lost sales.

 

As far as practical reasons I can understand, I'd wager that most console gamers have their consoles hooked up to large-ish tvs, where split screens make sense. All the heavily-invested gamers I know have monitors around 24", where split screen is less practical.