Considering hardware limitations (sprite limit, extra patterns), having to add more rules, more powerups, more enemies. And above all, considering that we aren't kids anymore, not living at parents to play videogames with siblings, or visiting a schoolbuddy to play videogames (if you happen to have a boy/girlfriend that likes retro games, you're lucky ;p). Is it worth it for a current developer to add support for simultaneous 2 players to typical arcade type games?

I say no. Of course it can be challenging to the developer to add it to a game, but I think that time could be better spent at polishing their game on different parts.

+1

wipe the unneeded crap
polish the essentials

If you have a lot of spare time its always good with a two player mode. One of my favorite arcades, "Donkey Kong Country" has a great two player mode.

But yeah, whether its well spent time is another thing.

*EDIT* Donkey Kong Country also had quite revolutionary gfx when it came out so its a good example of both polish and game play.

Yes, worth it... because I can play simultaneosly with my san!

Ok, add guys that have a son that likes videogames to the lucky ones.
Donkey Kong Country was on the SNES, much more horsepower there. Imagine an MSX1 game with 2 players, each consisting of 2 colours per sprite, one enemy on the same horizontal position would already cause flickering... it's doable with vertical shooters, but platform games and such: nah.

If emulators start supporting network play It would be great.

I got no MSX friends around.

It's great tho have games with two players mode option, so you can play them with your friends on MSX meetings (another great reason to go to MSX meetings )

I've played F-1 Spirit with my brother a lot... LOADS of fun

The (MSX 2) Sweet Acorn sequel I'm making will at least support two kinds of 2-player modes; maybe even 3 or 4 players.

But developers should consider it for themselves, ofcourse.

In the case of a game like SA2, well, I think it's more than worth it. Double the fun!

BTW, when I have a party at my place and people start to get inebriated, they don't care on which platform we're gonna play some games.
Only thing that matters is that it's fun. So I just start up the MSX.

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Ok, add guys that have a son that likes videogames to the lucky ones. Donkey Kong Country was on the SNES, much more horsepower there. Imagine an MSX1 game with 2 players, each consisting of 2 colours per sprite, one enemy on the same horizontal position would already cause flickering... it's doable with vertical shooters, but platform games and such: nah.

Add daughters as well... Thought I don´t have daughter but son

Anyway, if we use two sprites to make a MSX-1 hero(ine), always remember it is NOT a must to put those both two hero(ine) sprites on a same row, as a designers you should know that you can use white sprite for legs and red for head/body. Of course hero(ine) will usually look neater and more colourful if both sprites are on same row, but if you make your hero(ine) this way: PUTSPRITE 0,(100,100),6,0: PUTSPRITE 1,(100,116),15,0 then you can easily have two hero(ine)s and two baddies on a same row! I know it can easily give "ancient game" feel, but if you need some example, PonyCa´s Fruit Panic

http://www.generation-msx.nl/msxdb/softwareinfo/298

will look more neater this way, if programmers just had used two sprites my way... one sprite for head and other sprite for legs.... and same applies for shoot-em-ups as well! but of course it´s a matter of taste...

But anyway, even I don´t have MSX friends, I hope developers will do two player games for MSX-1!!!! I really want to play them with my son!!!!! just waiting he grows a year or two to be more "ready" to play!!!

Yep! multi-player games are fun!
Time for some new 2 player games !

How about more than 2?

If you plug in 2 joysticks or joypads, the 3rd player can use the keyboard!

And if the game has simple controls, 1 player can use the arrow keys and the other one [Q], [W], [A] & [S] or something similar, so you got 4 players.

Also, a Dutch MSX group named MSX-Club West-Friesland once made games that had the possibility to be played two MSX computers at once, connected with some kind of "link-cable".

http://www.bas-ditta.info/msx/teksten/overige%20software.htm

Search for the word "linkkabel".

Bombaman has a 4 player mode, great fun at fairs on a beamer!

In general I'd say it depends on the game and the concept if a multi player mode is useful/needed. 2 player 'spot the pixel' sounds boring And in general, you should polish the game as much as possible, of course. A multi player mode is just some more extra polish.

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Bombaman has a 4 player mode, great fun at fairs on a beamer! In general I'd say it depends on the game and the concept if a multi player mode is useful/needed. 2 player 'spot the pixel' sounds boring And in general, you should polish the game as much as possible, of course. A multi player mode is just some more extra polish.

Actually, I still enjoy to play FindIt with a group of friends If only if it just makes it simpler ;p

Let's do a 4 player Bombaman run on the next fair!