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I'm guessing that plenty of has had played (or are still playing) in local multiplayer mode, with split-screen. What personally annoys me though, is the fact that in most of the games I had played, screen is always divided on "up and down", without possibility to change it on "left and right".

Why is that even a thing? It's rather obvious that people are sitting next to each other (no matter if playing on PC or console), so more natural would be rather splitting screen on left and right side.

I could understand it in such games like Hunter Hunted or Sonic 2/3, since those are 2D platform games and in such games your most "important" thing is to see things on the right and on the left (even if there is a lot of jumping on higher and lower parts of level).

But all those 3D racing games (such as Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing/Sonic Racing Transformed) or "action" games? Since you need more to see what's in front of you, making "right" and "left" section of the screen would be even more logical. And yet, it's rare. It wouldn't be so bad if we only had choice, but it's not the case for most of games with split-screen.

Any thoughts/comments about this topic?
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MartiusR: Why is that even a thing? It's rather obvious that people are sitting next to each other (no matter if playing on PC or console), so more natural would be rather splitting screen on left and right side.
I think it might be a width issue. Horizontal captures whole width, Vertical halves it.
For me it's the exact opposite, when I play split screen with my sister, these games always give you left/right split with no choice. The tunnel vision is frustrating.
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Post edited February 09, 2019 by swsoboleski89
Vertical split is nice when you want to hide one's screen with a little makeshift curtain.

Apart from that, no ssue with horizontal split. Bloodwych worked well enough.
I made a Quake 2D sidescroller game back in 2012 and you can toggle horizontal and vertical splitscreen in realtime using F9. It was a trivial thing to program. There is no excuse.
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MartiusR: Why is that even a thing? It's rather obvious that people are sitting next to each other (no matter if playing on PC or console), so more natural would be rather splitting screen on left and right side.
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lumengloriosum: I think it might be a width issue. Horizontal captures whole width, Vertical halves it.
This...
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Telika: Vertical split is nice when you want to hide one's screen with a little makeshift curtain.

Apart from that, no ssue with horizontal split. Bloodwych worked well enough.
Oh, one who knows Bloodwych? Geil!
Post edited February 09, 2019 by Maxvorstadt
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antrad88: I made a Quake 2D sidescroller game back in 2012 and you can toggle horizontal and vertical splitscreen in realtime using F9. It was a trivial thing to program. There is no excuse.
you still got it?
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MartiusR: But all those 3D racing games?
Since you need more to see what's in front of you, making "right" and "left" section of the screen would be even more logical.
Nope.

Especially in racing games I want to see what's coming ahead of me.
And with "ahead of me" I mean "left, right and center ahead of me".

And I'm talking about driving in cockpit- and/or hood-view, of course.

With my viewpoint being "realistically" low in this perspective, the ahead view comes automatically.

And I really don't need to see the sky above me, or choppers that fly by, or billboards, etc.
That's all non-essential info.

But a view that is cut back at the sides, takes necessary information away from me.

In winter (in real life), if I only defrost a 10" horizontal view-slit from the left side of the iced windshield to the right side of the iced windshield, I can see much more of what is happening in front of my car, than I would by clearing the windshield completely from top to bottom - but only on my (=the driver's) side.

(not that I would recommend or even just condone such a behaviour in real life - seriously, always defrost your whole windshield...and the rear window...and the side windows)
Post edited February 09, 2019 by BreOl72
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antrad88: I made a Quake 2D sidescroller game back in 2012 and you can toggle horizontal and vertical splitscreen in realtime using F9. It was a trivial thing to program. There is no excuse.
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swsoboleski89: you still got it?
You can get it here: http://antonior-software.blogspot.com/p/if-quake-2-was-2d.html
Eh, I admit that for me anything below is distracting. Having the "bottom side" of split-screen is slightly better, but I still feel it disorienting, comparing to horizontal split-screen.

I admit that I see big plus of it for 3D racing/action games - bigger amount of road ahead of you. "Sky" is usually visible in smaller amount in such games (depending on the camera angle), and for racing game - true, you also need to see what's on the left and right, but not so much as what's ahead of you (one of reasons is, that racers are usually ahead or behind, but only shortly on the "sides".

I know we're all writing basing on our personal experience, but still - it annoys me that almost never I can have vertical split screen, even as an option. We're sitting next to each other, if we're playing on the same keyboard (now rarely, but in the past I've played a lot with my siblings in that way), we're "splitting" it on left side and right side. And yet we can't have adequate split-screen mode, even as an option.
Would any of you be okay with diagonal split-screen in a game?
Not when I'm drunk. XD
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antrad88: I made a Quake 2D sidescroller game back in 2012 and you can toggle horizontal and vertical splitscreen in realtime using F9. It was a trivial thing to program. There is no excuse.
If only there was a list of shit lazy game developers (don't) do... and the corresponding excuses you'll get from fans when you voice your dissatisfaction. *sigh*
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Blaster_Master: Would any of you be okay with diagonal split-screen in a game?
Check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by8GnqRpbrA&feature=youtu.be&t=886

When characters are close it is fullscreen, but when they move away the screen would split and rotate depending on the position of the player.