Back when Resident Evil 5 was originally released for PC, it was a blasted Games for Windows game. It’s now been updated and re-released, adding the extra content available to console players in Resident Evil 5: Gold. Games for Windows has been ripped, replaced with Steam as its primary DRM. It’s not the only thing that’s been ripped out though.
Resident Evil 5 on PC has never officially supported the local co-op mode that console gamers enjoyed, but the code was always there, enabled later by modders. In the newly updated version though, that code has been forcibly yanked out. It seems like Capcom hates the idea of two PC gamers sitting in a room together, as they did much the same thing with Resident Evil Revelations 2, before a storm-in-a-teacup consumer made them change their minds.
Here’s what Capcom has to say about the split-screen removal.
To clarify though, the split screen code that was ripped out from the PC build is from the console version.
As some of you may know, MT Framework is our multiplatform development tool/engine that is utilized across several platforms. The aforementioned split-screen code is an orphaned code base from the PS3/Xbox 360 SKU which simply does not work on a PC.
The crux of the issue is that the PC code base has no concept of multiple controllers. In other words, if you plugged in two Xbox controllers, RE5 has no way of figuring out which gamepad controls which character — or what happens if one player uses a KB+M versus a gamepad. It’s a difficult problem to solve since the original game’s logic wasn’t designed with multiple controller devices in mind.
Which all sounds like a reasonable reason to remove the code. Only one of the original modders who made the split screen function on the old versions of the game disagrees.
I don’t understand why you claim the code “simply does not work on a PC”. As I was one of the key people who worked on the split-screen mod that enabled it on the GFWL initial release version for PCs. I can confirm that all the code is FULLY functional and it worked flawlessly for the GFWL version. We did not add anything extra to the game at all, it was simply enabled. The only problem was that the keyboard would control both characters so it was forcibly disabled. The game has no problem at all distinguishing between two controllers. Evidently the game knows to assign PAD1 to Player1, PAD2 to Player2 vise (sic) versa. Otherwise no characters would have moved at all.
The whole thing seems a little disingenuous. I’m sure Capcom had very good reasons for ripping the code out, though I struggle to understand exactly what they might be. It was disabled by default, and only functioned after a mod was installed, so it wouldn’t affect most people’s experiences anyway.
Silly stuff, Capcom – and just another Japanese developer who seems to hate PC gamers.
Last Updated: March 31, 2015
Admiral Chief
March 31, 2015 at 08:33
RIPPED nogal
Blood Emperor Trevor
March 31, 2015 at 08:35
Hmmm this is looking good.
Stuff Ubi for a worthless collectors edition, stuff EA for timed DLC, stuff Capcom for disabling mods. Just need a stuff Square Enix & Activision and my bingo card will be complete today!
Pariah
March 31, 2015 at 08:50
Screw From Software for charging for graphic settings?
Blood Emperor Trevor
March 31, 2015 at 08:52
That was yesterday. Today is a brand new day & we get to start all over again with shitty industry practices!
Pariah
March 31, 2015 at 08:55
Fair point.
dra6o0n
April 6, 2015 at 11:41
Remove split screen. Resell on steam and force players to buy multiple copies (which are cheap given how old they are).
Kromas is drunk with power!
March 31, 2015 at 10:57
Stuff Activision for CoD.
Stuff Sqenix for never making a Final Fantasy where the definition for Final actually applies. 😛
Boris
March 31, 2015 at 12:58
‘Final’ does apply to some of the ff games as it’s the ‘final fantasy’ in some of the games universes stories and have never had sequels as most are entirely different worlds. I.E. 8 and 9 never had sequels and so it makes those the first and final part in those universes until a sequel is released.
Kromas is drunk with power!
March 31, 2015 at 21:48
I disagree as all FF games share things between them even though the universe differs. For exmaple the Golden Chickens of annoyance aka Chocobo.
Umar
March 31, 2015 at 08:41
Well, off topic, kind of. I really loved RE5. It’s was much more action orientated but this was some the most fun I had playing coop. I would take this over 6 anyday.
Hammersteyn
March 31, 2015 at 08:52
Last one I played. Was a decent game.
Kromas is drunk with power!
March 31, 2015 at 10:58
Broke my kb on all the silly QTE’s though.
Umar
March 31, 2015 at 11:31
Run run run run run run run run run run DODGE!!!
Greylingad
March 31, 2015 at 09:06
They don’t hate PC gamers… they despise them…how dare they only use one copy to have two people play? It’s preposterous! PC gamers are getting out of hand, if two people want to play, they have to buy two separate setups and two copies of the game…Stupid ridiculous gamers….
Galbedir
March 31, 2015 at 10:56
Answer is simple, if you can co-op split screen…there’s no reason to buy more then 1 copy to play with friends. Rip it out, now consumers have to get their friends to buy a copy. Bastards.
Kensei Seraph
March 31, 2015 at 11:53
I remember playing Serious Sam split-screen with my brother on my pc way back when using keyboard and mouse only.
The key was to plug the 2nd mouse in after starting the pc and then simply mapping player 2’s controls to mouse 2 and changing the keyboard mappings so that they don’t clash with that of player 1.
dra6o0n
April 6, 2015 at 11:04
Played Re5 on the PC before, could use KB+m and pad.
Mohsin
January 19, 2016 at 15:07
Can i play co op with a friend from other country?? Thanks