Lack of split screen goes against what Nintendo represents

[BlurB]

What I wouldn't give to get local split screen working in Splatoon. I want to also be able to have my buddy over to play online on a single wii u.

Why do you think local split screen wasn't implemented like they did with smash and Mario kart? Do you think it was because they wanted to promote the gamepad, and a wii u is unable to sync with multiple gamepads?

Or do you think that the hardware isn't strong enough to hold a solid frame rate if 4 people are playing split screen on the same console?

Tell me your thoughts and how badly you want local multiplayer to show the game off to your friends when they come over.

 

[NWPlayer123]

It's mostly just system requirements. They already had to bump down resolution to 720p60, and that combined with syncing online, having to relay and process multiple gamepads, and handle physics for all players just isn't possible without some kind of hit.

 

[Cobbs]

They keep saying their hardware won't affect anything negatively, and then countless games this generation have removed features due to hardware limitations which are their fault. Nintendo's not famous for looking forward and planning ahead.

 

[E-Liter Elite]

I haven't used it but I thought the Battle Dojo was split screen 1v1s?

Is that not true?

 

[NWPlayer123]

I haven't used it but I thought the Battle Dojo was split screen 1v1s?

Is that not true?

No, one player uses the gamepad and one uses the TV with an alternate controller that's less process-heavy then a gamepad so it's actually possible.

 

[E-Liter Elite]

No, one player uses the gamepad and one uses the TV with an alternate controller that's less process-heavy then a gamepad so it's actually possible.

Odd. And it's not the FIRST Nintendo game that doesn't have split screen (iirc Galaxy doesn't) but it is weird that there's almost no co-op. Though really Splatoon seems to be in a different vein than most Nintendo games, focusing on a single player rather than a party setting.

 

[1o2]

I also found it weird that this game didn't have split screen co-op. Nintendo was trying to cater to what people have been constantly asking for-intense online play. Most people don't go over to each other's houses and play shooters, they simply play online together while having natural voice communication through parties (which oddly enough Splatoon doesn't have.. yet). Although it's funny because I am pretty sure CoD and Halo have split screen support for at least 2 players. I don't actually play CoD, so I'm not sure if you can play online co-op, but there is definitely campaign/bots co-op.

 

[RespawningJesus]

I also found it weird that this game didn't have split screen co-op. Nintendo was trying to cater to what people have been constantly asking for-intense online play. Most people don't go over to each other's houses and play shooters, they simply play online together while having natural voice communication through parties (which oddly enough Splatoon doesn't have.. yet). Although it's funny because I am pretty sure CoD and Halo have split screen support for at least 2 players. I don't actually play CoD, so I'm not sure if you can play online co-op, but there is definitely campaign/bots co-op.

Even games like Halo are omitting split screen play.

As for the OP, it is mostly due to hardware limitations for the lack of split screen. Hell, a lot of games are omitting split screen for hard ware limitations, since more and more devs are trying to get to 1080p/60 FPS. Mostly the 60 FPS is the most important aspect, but 1080p is also a big deal.

 

[aviynw]

It's really sad. If I'm playing by myself I'd rather play on my computer. The beauty, well I guess past beauty, of consoles is how easy it was play with friends locally. I don't know why developers have a abandoned this. Its hardly hardware limitations. It shouldn't be that hard to lower the quality to accommodate some extra calculations. You don't need to even draw extra pixels.

 

[RespawningJesus]

It's really sad. If I'm playing by myself I'd rather play on my computer. The beauty, well I guess past beauty, of consoles is how easy it was play with friends locally. I don't know why developers have a abandoned this. Its hardly hardware limitations. It shouldn't be that hard to lower the quality to accommodate some extra calculations. You don't need to even draw extra pixels.

It is actually hardware limitations. Games are becoming bigger, and developers are pushing the hardware as hard as they can to achieve this. Split screen is becoming less viable as a result of this. Usually nowadays when you can have split screen, this usually means that the game had to sacrifice something to make it run smoothly with two players. Having 3 or more players means that the game has to sacrifice more as well.

Mario Kart 8 is proof that split screen is becoming more difficult for devs to implement. When Mario Kart 8 is running two players, there is an obvious sacrifice to how the game looks. When you start running 3 or more players on that game, then it looks even worse than with 2 players. Now, graphics may not mean as much to people like you and me, but to most consumers, it does matter. Producers need to make money, so it may not be a viable option for them to sacrifice the overall quality of the game if they don't want to sacrifice quality for the sake of making money, which isn't a bad thing, because that is business for you. Gotta pay the bills and whatnot.

And it is also sometimes not viable to do splitscreen with some games due to the way they are designed. The way some games work is that they render only the portion of the map you are currently able to see. When you turn to look in another direction, that part renders, and the other part stops rendering. When you have multiple people, this meas that the processor needs to work harder since it is rendering more of the map than normal. When you have more than 2, then it becomes an even bigger load for the machine to handle, so it just becomes impossible for whatever game to handle splitscreen, because the hardware cannot handle it, or the sacrifice in quality (whether this is frame rate or graphics) is too great to include split screen in that only a minority of users will use.

 

[jason1637]

They do have co op and idk y people dont bother with it it much because its really god co op.

 

[RespawningJesus]

They do have co op and idk y people dont bother with it it much because its really god co op.

I think the problem is that 1v1s are rather boring, and while the split screen is rather fun, people would rather play things such as Turf War and whatnot with their friends.

 

[aviynw]

It is actually hardware limitations. Games are becoming bigger, and developers are pushing the hardware as hard as they can to achieve this. Split screen is becoming less viable as a result of this. Usually nowadays when you can have split screen, this usually means that the game had to sacrifice something to make it run smoothly with two players. Having 3 or more players means that the game has to sacrifice more as well.

Mario Kart 8 is proof that split screen is becoming more difficult for devs to implement. When Mario Kart 8 is running two players, there is an obvious sacrifice to how the game looks. When you start running 3 or more players on that game, then it looks even worse than with 2 players. Now, graphics may not mean as much to people like you and me, but to most consumers, it does matter. Producers need to make money, so it may not be a viable option for them to sacrifice the overall quality of the game if they don't want to sacrifice quality for the sake of making money, which isn't a bad thing, because that is business for you. Gotta pay the bills and whatnot.

And it is also sometimes not viable to do splitscreen with some games due to the way they are designed. The way some games work is that they render only the portion of the map you are currently able to see. When you turn to look in another direction, that part renders, and the other part stops rendering. When you have multiple people, this meas that the processor needs to work harder since it is rendering more of the map than normal. When you have more than 2, then it becomes an even bigger load for the machine to handle, so it just becomes impossible for whatever game to handle splitscreen, because the hardware cannot handle it, or the sacrifice in quality (whether this is frame rate or graphics) is too great to include split screen in that only a minority of users will use.

Its devs not giving a damn. What exactly makes it harder now to implement split screen than in the n64 days? Game are better looking? The hardware is also 20x better! Its just a matter of where they want to put their resources.

I think the problem is that 1v1s are rather boring, and while the split screen is rather fun, people would rather play things such as Turf War and whatnot with their friends.

Ever heard of online splitscreen? Like bringing a local friend with you into an online match? That's the best

 

[Pivi]

Its devs not giving a damn. What exactly makes it harder now to implement split screen than in the n64 days? Game are better looking? The hardware is also 20x better! Its just a matter of where they want to put their resources.

I didn't know we had an accomplished developer who knows the ins and outs of every console among us :V

Anyway, do you even remember playing Split Screen Mario Kart 64? There couldn't even be music in the background because the game was already pushing the console to its limits. Smash doesn't really count since all the action takes place on one screen, but it should be noted Smash 3DS puts the console through hell.
Consoles are only so powerful, and can only take so much. As NWP and others ITT have said, it really is a matter of hardware, which is already going through leaps and bounds to keep up with 7 other players online.
Also I would personally much rather have private lobbies where I can play with likeminded friends whenever I want over playing splitscreen with my 12 year old cousin when they visit for thanksgiving. Good online doesn't totally remove the 'need' for splitscreen, but it sure makes it a lot more of a nonissue.

 

[RespawningJesus]

Ever heard of online splitscreen? Like bringing a local friend with you into an online match? That's the best

The post I was responding to was talking about the Battle Dojo mode in Splatoon, which is the only local play option that the game has. Splatoon is not capable of running splitscreen online due to the fact that only one GamePad can be synced with the Wii U at a time, due to hardware limitations, since the Wii U's processor would have difficulty rendering on multiple GamePads as well as the TV.

Also, do not double post, there is an Edit button there for a reason.

 

[DonkaFjord]

I also found it weird that this game didn't have split screen co-op. Nintendo was trying to cater to what people have been constantly asking for-intense online play. Most people don't go over to each other's houses and play shooters, they simply play online together while having natural voice communication through parties (which oddly enough Splatoon doesn't have.. yet). Although it's funny because I am pretty sure CoD and Halo have split screen support for at least 2 players. I don't actually play CoD, so I'm not sure if you can play online co-op, but there is definitely campaign/bots co-op.

Not just that- they were trying to make the gamepad shine in this game. Super jumping and the ability to see how ink colors move across the map, where your team is, where to place ink strikes, pings, etc. are supposed to help you communicate and strategize on the fly without voice chat. Also the gyro is so good on the gamepad. Like you said- this game was trying to give consumers what they were asking for as well as attract a new crowd to Nintendo and this genre in general (shooters aren't big sellers in Japan.)

 

[aviynw]

Also, do not double post, there is an Edit button there for a reason.

OH NO!!! DID I DOUBLE POST!?!?!!? OMG! I FEEL TERRIBLE! Get a life.

 

[DonkaFjord]

OH NO!!! DID I DOUBLE POST!?!?!!? OMG! I FEEL TERRIBLE! Get a life.

I think it was just a friendly reminder because some people, particularly those new to a forum, might not know how to edit posts or create spoiler tags, etc. Either way it is still a forum rule so they weren't nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking.

Let's get back on topic though.
Wasn't there rumors that the Wii U could use multiple gamepads as controllers at one point? Obviously having to render more than two screens would be a tremendous task on the Wii U on a game like Splatoon or Mario Kart 8.

 

[RespawningJesus]

I think it was just a friendly reminder because some people, particularly those new to a forum, might not know how to edit posts or create spoiler tags, etc. Either way it is still a forum rule so they weren't nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking.

Let's get back on topic though.
Wasn't there rumors that the Wii U could use multiple gamepads as controllers at one point? Obviously having to render more than two screens would be a tremendous task on the Wii U on a game like Splatoon or Mario Kart 8.

I thought this rumor was debunked early on in the Wii U's lifespan, especially since no games utilize it. In theory, I guess it could work, but it would most likely hinder what you could do with the console to the point that it may not even be worth it.

 

[DonkaFjord]

I thought this rumor was debunked early on in the Wii U's lifespan, especially since no games utilize it. In theory, I guess it could work, but it would most likely hinder what you could do with the console to the point that it may not even be worth it.

Interesting- I always thought it was the other way around. Since no games utilized it and the fact that people thought the Wii U gamepad was just a new controller for the original Wii, they decided not to sell the gamepad separately or go down that route. I do agree it would have to be optimized, down scaled, or the gamepad screens would just be menus etc. if they ever did do a game with multiple gamepads due to the workload on the console. I think it is pretty amazing how many games they got to run at 60 fps on the console, but they had to make some adjustments. I feel bad because I am one of the few people who don't really notice 60 fps too much, but I know some people love the smoothness.