Derek Andrews Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 How important is a two-player option for a homebrew game for a retro console? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 Depends on the game, I guess. Also depends on the targeted video game console. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 (edited) Pixelboy, what consoles are you thinking of that might have more demand for two player games? My initial thought is that it would be rare for someone who is enthusiastic about playing homebrew games for retro consoles would have someone that shares that enthusiasm to play with, but who knows. Edited March 18, 2020 by mr_me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 I'm going to assume that we're talking about pre-NES consoles. If you take any given city in North-America, and you manage to determine how many owners of a particular pre-NES console there are, you will likely find that they are separated by a good distance from one another, geographically. So in most cases, games played in two-player mode will be played within the same family unit. How many kids today play pre-NES consoles with their parents? I'm sure there are a few out there, but I would say that they form a small minority, as kids today prefer playing games on current consoles and modern devices. So that's why I don't see two-player modes as a big selling point, when trying to sell homebrew games. I could be wrong, but I picture most pre-NES consoles still in operation today to be played by single players, in one-player mode. If you're talking about NES and beyond, then there are more owners of those consoles out there, and so it's more likely that two people can meet up and play games together, in two-player mode. But again, it really depends on the game. Sports game can find an audience, since they often involve two players playing head-to-head. Some classic arcade titles like Wizard of Wor can also attract attention in that respect. But I believe a good one-player mode is always a better selling point than a good two-player mode, even if the two-player mode is lots of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 (edited) And I'd say that the number of those that play homebrews on their favourite retro console is a fraction of those that play the originals. But that fraction could be higher with some of the older retro consoles. Still not enough for multiplayer. Edited March 18, 2020 by mr_me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 I always love 2p modes, but find a single player option to be more important. Like already said, there's probably plenty of us old geezers out there that love pre nes consoles, but we're rather spread out. Not saying there's not some young blood out there that likes old stuff, but the same issue of being spread out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoshiChiri Posted March 19, 2020 Share Posted March 19, 2020 It's a nice option, but it's hardly a requirement- it's genuinely difficult force lot of retro players- myself included- to get others to even consider playing with them. Just the reality of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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