Dev Video: Working Local Co-op
Despite not actively working on this area of the game for a couple of years, we decided to give it a peek and see how things are holding up with local co-op support.
We try to maintain our code with multiplayer and other Stuffies in mind, but only as a way to prevent extra work for our future selves. We hadn't realized until now just how good a job we've (apparently) been doing with this!
As you can see, it's possible to spawn a local Stuffy by connecting a second controller. They can run around, have their own outfit data, and do all the basic stuff you'd expect. They even support checkpoint respawning already!
It's fascinating how you can play as a second Stuffy while someone is building a level in realtime, too. This could be fun for testing scenes as they're being made, or just playing around in the level as a physics sandbox.
We don't support placing extra players in the level editor yet, so we had to manually enable the hidden player through the engine just to get this working:
There are still issues with local co-op, though. Most noticeably, through just half an hour of testing, there are errors across the game's UI and features. Not all inputs and UI actions account for other players locally. This means jumping as a second player can play a select sound effect because the game thinks UI is being selected with the same input.
There are also incomplete features and missing UX/UI. For example, the Wardrobe doesn't support spawning or customizing a second Stuffy yet. We also don't have some co-op-based features, like showing an indicator when a local Stuffy runs out of view.
Stuffies can also bump into each other, causing the physics to work awkwardly. We'll need to get them phased through one another instead.
Another problem in the list? Emotes are synced between all players and need to be fixed:
Overall, this is still exciting! Seeing two Stuffies run around and just work after all this time is super promising. It means we have potentially less work to do when we get back to local co-op with full focus. It also means online multiplayer can use the same system for hosting multiple Stuffy instances in a scene, and it gives us a good idea of how much work and time it'll take to polish it up.
We know it's never good to show things too early, but we think you'll also enjoy seeing this!
Comments (19)
So glad this is being done. Very, very important feature for this kind of game!
I bet this is an exhilarating feeling! I know that I am *thrilled* to be playing this with friends. I genuinely hope you guys will be able to launch the game with working multiplayer - even if it's only locally supported on launch.
Cannot wait to play this with my brother
Really hopeful to you guys fleshing this out! Would really love to play this with my wife
Yes Finally why did u guys hide this from us🤣
Being that this is the first time I've actually seen multiple stuffies in one scene together, it has promoted a question for me: While editing your appearance in your wardrobe, will players be able to see each other making changes? E.g. Maybe when more than one Stuffy is in the wardrobe room, you can see other players in the background or beside you making changes to their appearance as well.
Outside of that, amazing work as always! Fantastic dev team.
Additionally, if possible, I'd appreciate it if you could ensure that players can still enjoy the game offline, including story mode. Thank you for considering this. Now n days every game is sadly online strictly so once it’s offline it’s not even playable one bit.
Of course! Online play will be optional, and connecting with friends is just a bonus.
"Emotes are synced between all players and need to be fixed" I don't see the problem here 😏
Looking wonderful so far 💙
Maybe player collisions could be an option? Disabled by default, but if looked into further could provide cool level interactions for both Co-op and PvP. I know you're trying to do *less* work for multiplayer, but it could be interesting.
We’ll still let Stuffies slash each other and interact, but we’ll make sure you don’t bump and glide each other around by accident 🤞
i wonder how the craftbook would work with multiple players on local coop
The level editor is mainly mouse and keyboard exclusive, so controllers won’t control it there. In the Wardrobe, players will share the same Craftbook but we’ll let you switch between active Stuffies.
This project has already come so far since I first started following it. To see local multiplayer already in a (semi) functional state is nuts- keep up the good work!
Thank you! 💕🫡
Very nice
🤠 yeehaw