We booted up Dead Island last night having had it delivered in a timely fashion by the excellent ShopTo, however we were immediately disappointed by the game as it lacks any local co-op options what so ever! After all the hours of fun we’ve had playing the likes of Borderlands, Gears of War and Left4Dead split screen, whilst also joining up with others online this came as somewhat of a shock. The only other game to let us down in this way in recent years was Red Dead, however given that’s more of a single player game with added multiplayer modes it was less offensive.

I’ve taken the step of emailing DeepSilver over the matter but I’m doubting we’ll get much of a response. Here is the contents of that mail:

Hello, my wife and I have been looking forward to playing Dead Island together since seeing the trailer, and have had the game on pre-order for some time. Well it arrived last night to our home and we booted it up expecting to find the same sort of co-op fun we’ve enjoyed over countless hours in other largely multi player games like Borderlands, Left4Dead 1&2, Gears of War, the Halo series, and so on. We were immediately let down by the fact that the was absolutely no split-screen option! Whilst we have come across this before in other games, most recently Red Dead Redemption, they have always been largely single player games and so we can forgive them somewhat. But in a game squarely focused on multi player it seems an absurd oversight! 

We booted up Dead Island last night having had it delivered in a timely fashion by the excellent ShopTo, however we were immediately disappointed by the game as it lacks any local co-op options what so ever! After all the hours of fun we’ve had playing the likes of Borderlands, Gears of War and Left4Dead split screen, whilst also joining up with others online this came as somewhat of a shock. The only other game to let us down in this way in recent years was Red Dead, however given that’s more of a single player game with added multiplayer modes it was less offensive.

I’ve taken the step of emailing DeepSilver over the matter but I’m doubting we’ll get much of a response. Here is the contents of that mail:

Hello, my wife and I have been looking forward to playing Dead Island together since seeing the trailer, and have had the game on pre-order for some time. Well it arrived last night to our home and we booted it up expecting to find the same sort of co-op fun we’ve enjoyed over countless hours in other largely multi player games like Borderlands, Left4Dead 1&2, Gears of War, the Halo series, and so on. We were immediately let down by the fact that the was absolutely no split-screen option! Whilst we have come across this before in other games, most recently Red Dead Redemption, they have always been largely single player games and so we can forgive them somewhat. But in a game squarely focused on multi player it seems an absurd oversight! 

Shoulda' done yer research, buddy.  
 
http://www.co-optimus.com

Sure, however just because it is so doesn't exist mean I don't have the right to complain that that choice was made. Plus in the world of pre-orders often that information isn't available at the time thus adding to the sting. Or to enquire why it was overlooked.

Are you kidding me?  
 
Herp derp all devs need to do is toggle a drop-down menu for splitscreen
 
HERP DERP

Your own fault for not looking into the game. If you have not noticed, Very few games have split screen anymore. If you want to play with your significant other then get 2 of the game then join one anothers game like everyone else.

Your own fault for not looking into the game. If you have not noticed, Very few games have split screen anymore. If you want to play with your significant other then get 2 of the game then join one anothers game like everyone else.

Split-screen is something that is dying in this generation. You can't expect every single game that has multiplayer to feature it. You really need to find out beforehand if a game does or not, otherwise you're wasting your time.

With that said, system link is also something that is dying out. A number of games recently have required you to be online if you want to play multiplayer, not even allowing you to do system link. Its a damn shame.

That's why I listed several current gen modern games that DO have split screen. And I don't see why I can't expect a feature that so many others include as standard. AS I say, a Single player game that has multiplayer modes is one thing, but for a game designed with co-op play.. that is something else.

there maybe be a few reasons for this  
 
maybe it was development time or cost restrictions.
maybe the engine couldn't cope with rendering the second players window. 
 
or maybe they just didn't to piss you off. 

there maybe be a few reasons for this   maybe it was development time or cost restrictions.maybe the engine couldn't cope with rendering the second players window.  or maybe they just didn't to piss you off. 

@countstex: <sarcasm> As a designer of software I cannot express enough how much I appreciate user communications like this. It brings me great joy to receive user requests for a major revamping of what we have created, merely to fit their own niche wishes. Changes which would require massive amounts of development time and balancing but only end up pleasing 1% of the customer base.

I especially enjoy the line where you pretty much declare them idiots "which to be honest only adds to the surprise that it wasn’t considered earlier in the development cycle.". Stuff like that really warms a dev team's heart. </sarcasm>

Next time, assume they've actually done their job properly and ask what led them to the decision without hinting at them being idiots for not realizing how awesome your idea is.

The developers/publishers/Microsoft/Sony/Valve never made any mention of this game supporting local co-op.
You bought a game without local co-op, so that's why you can't play the game with local co-op.
 
It's complete shit fuck, yes. But I didn't buy Railworks 2 on Steam expecting it to be like Smash TV.

You actually emailed a developer about them not packing in Split Screen when it was never even advertised? To what goal? I highly doubt they'd patch it in no matter how many emails they got considering the time and money that would have to be spent modifying their entire code to make it work

Oh I agree it's not going to make any difference this time, but I feel they should know that there is a desire for such a feature, a feature which is nothing new and so, one would assume, a well practised techique.  And yeah a) I should have checked first and b) none of their previous games on the engine had it either. Hey ho.. expect support get beaten down, usual internet stuff :D

@countstex: <sarcasm> As a designer of software I cannot express enough how much I appreciate user communications like this. It brings me great joy to receive user requests for a major revamping of what we have created, merely to fit their own niche wishes. Changes which would require massive amounts of development time and balancing but only end up pleasing 1% of the customer base.

I especially enjoy the line where you pretty much declare them idiots "which to be honest only adds to the surprise that it wasn’t considered earlier in the development cycle.". Stuff like that really warms a dev team's heart. </sarcasm>

Next time, assume they've actually done their job properly and ask what led them to the decision without hinting at them being idiots for not realizing how awesome your idea is.

You though Red Dead has splitscreen? Are you fucking crazy?

You though Red Dead has splitscreen? Are you fucking crazy?

Split screen just sucks, that's a fact you have to deal with. It sucks and it's harder and harder to do, and nobody wants to play a game on half a screen. I did, in the Gears of War games, the Halo games, and in Borderlands and it suuuuuucked. 
 
And yeah, buying another 46 inch TV and a surround system is totally necessary for you to play the game. Wait, what?

Split screen just sucks, that's a fact you have to deal with. It sucks and it's harder and harder to do, and nobody wants to play a game on half a screen. I did, in the Gears of War games, the Halo games, and in Borderlands and it suuuuuucked.  And yeah, buying another 46 inch TV and a surround system is totally necessary for you to play the game. Wait, what?

@Titus said:

Split screen just sucks, that's a fact you have to deal with. It sucks and it's harder and harder to do, and nobody wants to play a game on half a screen. I did, in the Gears of War games, the Halo games, and in Borderlands and it suuuuuucked.  And yeah, buying another 46 inch TV and a surround system is totally necessary for you to play the game. Wait, what?

 Is split screen as satisfying to play as full screen? No of course not, but it works, and it has worked since we had blocky old games. Yes they have to tone down the effects on current gen consoles to pull it of, but is that really that difficult to pull off? Seems many manage to achieve it.  As for the second system.. why should one of us have to have a lesser experience just because we both want to play the same game together?  Think of it like this. When you buy Monopoly or Cluedo, do you expect to have to buy a copy of it for every person who wants to play? Why should that be different here? Especially when so many other have shown it is possible to do? 

If split-screen Co-op is really important to you and your wife then you probably should of looked to see if it's in the game you're buying. That's like wanting an automatic transmission car and then just buying one without even checking and just hoping it is.

@jetsetwillie said:

there maybe be a few reasons for this maybe it was development time or cost restrictions.maybe the engine couldn't cope with rendering the second players window. or maybe they just didn't to piss you off.

I choose to believe the last point

@countstex said:

@Titus said:

Split screen just sucks, that's a fact you have to deal with. It sucks and it's harder and harder to do, and nobody wants to play a game on half a screen. I did, in the Gears of War games, the Halo games, and in Borderlands and it suuuuuucked.  And yeah, buying another 46 inch TV and a surround system is totally necessary for you to play the game. Wait, what?

 Is split screen as satisfying to play as full screen? No of course not, but it works, and it has worked since we had blocky old games. Yes they have to tone down the effects on current gen consoles to pull it of, but is that really that difficult to pull off? Seems many manage to achieve it.  As for the second system.. why should one of us have to have a lesser experience just because we both want to play the same game together?  Think of it like this. When you buy Monopoly or Cluedo, do you expect to have to buy a copy of it for every person who wants to play? Why should that be different here? Especially when so many other have shown it is possible to do? 

Oh man, when me and my friend want to play Starcraft 2, we both have to buy the game, what's up with that? Why can't Blizzard implement a co-op feature that splits the screen in half so we can play against each other!? 
 
Jokes aside, split screen is the very bane of my existance, I have loathed it since I tried it for the first time. The reason why one of you should have a lesser experience is because it's expensive to buy two identical sets. Look at it like this, buying a thirty inch screenand playing on it without a surround system will lessen the experience less than a split screen function will. 

If split-screen Co-op is really important to you and your wife then you probably should of looked to see if it's in the game you're buying. That's like wanting an automatic transmission car and then just buying one without even checking and just hoping it is.

@countstex: Well, I suppose there are other reasons for not buying Dead Island on day one, you know mainly because it's very buggy. JOKES ON YOU.

@Titus said:

@countstex: Well, I suppose there are other reasons for not buying Dead Island on day one, you know mainly because it's very buggy. JOKES ON YOU.

LOL. Funnily enough in the brief bit of play I did, maybe an hour or so,  it was perfect, even without the day one patch. I could have been one of the few singing it's praises..

@countstex said:

@Vodun said:

@countstex: <sarcasm> As a designer of software I cannot express enough how much I appreciate user communications like this. It brings me great joy to receive user requests for a major revamping of what we have created, merely to fit their own niche wishes. Changes which would require massive amounts of development time and balancing but only end up pleasing 1% of the customer base.

I especially enjoy the line where you pretty much declare them idiots "which to be honest only adds to the surprise that it wasn’t considered earlier in the development cycle.". Stuff like that really warms a dev team's heart. </sarcasm>

Next time, assume they've actually done their job properly and ask what led them to the decision without hinting at them being idiots for not realizing how awesome your idea is.

Hmm, I'm unhappy it reads that way, I wasn't trying to suggest they are idiots for not doing it, just that I was genuinely surprised. The theory being they must have thought about it and decided against it, and it's that decision that interests me.

It's a valid point you bring up, it's just that you come off as a bit douchey. And it makes it too easy for someone like me to write it off as "stupid user request".

Dead Island having split-screen co op, would have been a nice feature. I don't like that it's dying. Have companies forgotten that multiple people in one household may want to play a game together?

@countstex said:

@McShank said:

Your own fault for not looking into the game. If you have not noticed, Very few games have split screen anymore. If you want to play with your significant other then get 2 of the game then join one anothers game like everyone else.

Add on the cost of a second XBOX and 46" LCD and Surround sound system to the price of the game then? Gets quite expensive that if you hadn't noticed ;) And I agree less games have it, but on a game DESIGNED for multiplayer it seems a very strange choice indeed.

Your take on multiplayer seems firmly rooted in the middle of the last decade.

Of all the complaints I've heard about DI, this one is the least valid.

As others have already mentioned: you can't just assume a game has splitscreen coop. There are significant technical hurdles to overcome in order to implement scplitscreen coop - especially if it's an open rpg-ish game with a high degree of graphical fidelity. Yes Borderlands offered splitscreen coop but it also had way less demanding graphics.

Bottom line: if you only want to buy a game for splitscreen coop, you should do some research before buying.

Doesn't it say on most online retailers whether the game will have split screen or not? I dont mean to be a jerk, but you probably should have read up on the game first.

@countstex said:

@SeriouslyNow: I agree that things have moved to more online only solutions, which made sense as those of us who grew up with gaming moved out of our childhood homes and were more likely to play our friends remotely, and I love that that is the case. But I believe same room multiplayer, in particular co-op multiplayer is on the rise again as gaming becomes more accepted. Hell didn't the Wii succeed purely on this point? It was that which sold those consoles, not the wavey davey controls. Odd that the other two copied the 'alternative control' part and not the actual reason the Wii sold so well. Hmm, maybe I should have waited for Dead Island Kinect Dance Party!? ;)

People socialise online these days, it's where the big money is and really that whole rant was pointless, filled with misconceptions and far too long as a response to a simple statement.

                    @Scooper said:

                    If split-screen Co-op is really important to you and your wife then you probably should of looked to see if it's in the game you're buying. That's like wanting an automatic transmission car and then just buying one without even checking and just hoping it is.

                   

               

Hard to argue that point, and I'll be sure to avoid their future games. Think that's what they planned for?? ;)

                   

               

Even with all the shit you are getting from other people in this thread, I do agree that this game should have split screen.

If Borderlands can manage it, so could this. The decline split screen gaming has seen over recent years, really makes me sad. No matter what anybody says, split screen gaming is 10x more fun than online gaming. You can banter with the people around you, and have a much more sociable & fun experience. WITHOUT HAVING TO BUY ANOTHER COPY!

Nothing beats 4 player local multiplayer. Get the beers & pizza in and have a blast.

But, yes, you should have done some research on what you were buying before you did. Shopto doesn't force you to put any money down until the week of release, so the information would have been available to you.

As I've admitted, yes my mistake for making an assumption about a game based on a feature that most other developers of games with heavy co-op game play have included.  
 
I still maintain I have a right to make them aware that such a feature does have some demand in the community, or is at least worthy of investigation into inclusion in future works. 
 
(Edit: That response was based of the few before Creamypies)

People socialise online these days, it's where the big money is and really that whole rant was pointless, filled with misconceptions and far too long as a response to a simple statement.

That sucks, I guess.

What sucks even more is the amount of dicks in this thread. The man's just disappointed that the game didn't have a certain feature, and none of you can say you've never felt that way.

On the PC, nothing is ever split screen co-op, even when it's the same game! Like, all Valve games! Neither L4D nor Portal 2 had split screen on the PC! And when I rage about it, people don't care. Sadly nobody gives a shit about split screen anymore. Siiigh.

Christ, some of the replies in here are unnecessarily harsh. Yes, countstex should have checked whether the game supported split-screen co-op before buying it, but he already admitted that was his bad and it still doesn't make his complaint invalid. The comment about the consideration of split-screen in the dev cycle is a little misinformed, yes, the devs may have actually considered adding split-screen early in the dev cycle but it didn't make it in for whatever reason, however, at least he actually went to the effort of contacting the developer with his complaint when he had a problem with a game. It seems to me that we could all have a potentially larger impact on the games we play if we used that kind of mentality.

@GunslingerPanda said:

That sucks, I guess.

What sucks even more is the amount of dicks in this thread. The man's just disappointed that the game didn't have a certain feature, and none of you can say you've never felt that way.

Being disappointed is one thing, making it sound like the devs tricked him into buying the game another. He should've just looked up some info about the game before buying. Splitscreen is not a feature as common as he obviously thinks it is.

@GunslingerPanda said:

That sucks, I guess.

What sucks even more is the amount of dicks in this thread. The man's just disappointed that the game didn't have a certain feature, and none of you can say you've never felt that way.

Being disappointed is one thing, making it sound like the devs tricked him into buying the game another. He should've just looked up some info about the game before buying. Splitscreen is not a feature as common as he obviously thinks it is.

@CptBedlam said:

@GunslingerPanda said:

That sucks, I guess.

What sucks even more is the amount of dicks in this thread. The man's just disappointed that the game didn't have a certain feature, and none of you can say you've never felt that way.

Being disappointed is one thing, making it sound like the devs tricked him into buying the game another. He should've just looked up some info about the game before buying. Splitscreen is not a feature as common as he obviously thinks it is.

Except he never made it sound like "trickery," you and the rest of the tits in here are just being needlessly confrontational and combatitive, making mountains out of mole hills in order to gang up on someone making a slight complaint about a game that's well loved by GB because of the disgusting bubble you all live in.

@countstex said:

@CptBedlam said:

@GunslingerPanda said:

That sucks, I guess.

What sucks even more is the amount of dicks in this thread. The man's just disappointed that the game didn't have a certain feature, and none of you can say you've never felt that way.

Being disappointed is one thing, making it sound like the devs tricked him into buying the game another. He should've just looked up some info about the game before buying. Splitscreen is not a feature as common as he obviously thinks it is.

Yeah, I guess I've just been lucky in the games I've chosen to play so far, thus leading me to have the expectation for such games. I still bought the game, and it will still get played. If anything if I thought the game was terrible I would';t really care either way but looks like a game we could have had a lot of fun playing together on the sofa. Shame.

I'm with you there. Every game with some kind of MP mode should include a splitscreen option. Sadly it's not always possible for various reasons (sometimes it's a very limited production budget, other times it's technical stuff).

I have added an edit to the end of the blog post which I hope takes onboard the majority of the opinions given in response to my post. Thank you all for your feedback so far.

Pretty pointless for you to mail them that letter.

At risk of being redundant (and sounding like a dick), there is nothing quite as funny as someone bellyaching to have a feature that was never included in a product.

@countstex:

I don't know if anyone has recommended this even though it may be a little expensive. Have you ever thought to have separate Xbox's? I know you'd have to then have separate TV's, an extra LIVE account, and buy 2 games, but at least you wouldn't run into this problem anymore. If you guys really love playing together it might be a worthwhile investment.