Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Suggestion for Couch Co-op: Shared Screen during Battles

Hi Dev,

Could you please make an option to enable shared screen during battles, just like in DOS2?

Shared screen makes it easy and fun for couch players to strategize together with the the big beautiful fullscreen.

Also, please consider an option to joining the screen during cut-scene / dialogue by default, if both players are reasonably close to one another.

Currently joining the screen requires a button (to listen), but the other partner sometimes is unaware of an ongoing dialogue and often misses the plot.

So an option to join screen by default will be awesome.

Thank you very much!

I think everyone fully expected this tbh. Was quite a few comments about this when it went live. It seriously impacts couch co-op, that's for sure.

Hi,

Agree with above comments. I kicked off some local co-op on the PS5 last night and found this was an issue compared to DOS1/2, where the screen merged in combat.

Not merging the screen definitely impacts the experience, so would love to see this added.

Hello,

I really hoped this was going to get added for the PS5 release. I bought the game anyway because me and my SO enjoy Larian games immensely but I really, really wish we could merge screens. Not only in combat but while exploring the world as well. Both Divinity games had this...

In combat, it helps making plans together when we can see the battlefield on fullscreen and coordinate our attacks properly. During exploration, it helps with immersion. The FOV limits of split screen are the enemy of immersion tbh but it was always saved by the merge function in the previous games that let us merge it every now and then and enjoy the view.

I know there is probably a technical reason why this well-received and popular function hasn't made a comeback in BG3 but a man can dream...

Dear Larian,

I'd really love to see this feature added, especially as many people will be buying this game to experience couch co-op on consoles. It was amazing in Div2 so if it could be added in a later patch it would really enhance the game for so many people. I'm personally using this game to introduce my non-gamer wife to the genre, to d+d, and to video games in general...so I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks!

Having a full screen combat option for couch co-op would definitely be a huge plus for console players. It was a great feature in DOS:2 and it will be great in BG3 too.

Great suggestion!

Hello everyone,

I loved the dynamic split screen feature in DOSII and was really disappointed when found it was removed from BGIII. Dear Larian, could you please fix this and re-add this function? It's almost impossible for us to play in co-op without the merging camera. Thanks!

I probably posted a similar post in a different thread, and I fully support this, all DOS1&2 fans expected the couch-coop experience to be as outstanding as it was in DOS1&2.
Here with this implementation, it is a major letdown, to me it is game-breaking as it ruins my gameplay completely, I cannot see anything, and constantly have to rotate left and right to see what's there, as there is just not enough view.

I agree, unified screen during combat could be a progress in the right direction, but why not make it exactly the same as in DOS1&2?
The system was very flexible and useful, it allowed couch coop players to utilize the whole screen, instead of just a half!

Another suggestion would be to get rid of the radial menus, or at least, if there is some kind of a console convention to implement the menus in that way, unknown to me, give the players a switch in the options section, to be able to switch between the PC-style UI, and colorful radial ui.

YES! I had to register here just so I can UP this thread.

I know it's problematic because in BG3 both players can do actions at the same time unlike in DoS2 but if you could just make an option for it, either keep splitscreen like it is with both players being able to do actions at the same time or put it in fullscreen during battle and just make my wife wait for her turn ok?

This would be such a big QoL thing for us, the splitscreen during combat feels too narrow even on my ultrawidescreen 3440x1440 monitor.

Thanks

Can we get any reaction to this?

Yes, that's a great idea ---- an option to go fullscreen plus waiting in turn; in fact, waiting in turn is preferred by my wife and me.

disadvantage of split screen and acting independently during combat:

- without constantly communicating, we might be splitting our attack on different enemies, or wasting duplicated effort on the same enemy, which are not optimal
- the view is just too narrow
- a lot of confusion caused by the above two

tldr: what Larian did in terms of shared/split screen in DOS2 is just perfect, we want that in BG3 too.

I agree. The silence from the devs on this issue has been killing me ever since the PC release. I bought the deluxe edition on PC and PS5 in anticipation. I thought they would address the screen merge issue for PS5 but nope. Due to the lack of dynamic split screen, I have severe reservations to play split screen with my wife. Also, I have the PC version, and my wife has the PS5 version. I'm not going to buy another laptop or another PS5 to be able to play this together with my wife. Please allow cross play or allow screen merge in couch co-op. Please

Add me among those who not only want fullscreen, but expected it.

Not sure why Larian, who created the Divinity games, forgot how that worked. Not only worked, but worked perfectly.

The ONLY time the screen should split is if you and your partner get separated. If you are near each other it should merge to one screen. And combat should ALWAYS be full screen.

I fully agree. Also expected it. The splitscreen in DOS 1/2 was awesome. One of my favorite features in those games. I love Baldurs Gate 3, but the decision to make splitscreen forced all the time is weird. Especially in combat it's not helpful and just confusing. Having it forced all time kinda ruins the "playing together" feeling. I hope the threads about this get big.

Just adding a bump to say what a great idea. Make it a toggle-able option (per player) to join a conversation automatically if one is being engaged - at least it's a choice still.

Yep being able to automatically join conversations would be a step in the right direction as well. Basically, let us experience the beauty of the game, let us merge the screens for exploration, combat and dialogues whenever we want. Coop should not offer an inferior experience. Cmon guys, DOS2 was perfection coop-wise!

With hotfixes coming quickly and one can assume a major patch (Patch #3) right around the corner, this topic should be one of the major considerations to be fixed.

Please Larian, you were able to make it work perfectly in both Divinity games, so please make it so split screen here ONLY happens if your party gets separated on the main map. Otherwise, if they are together exploring and ALWAYS during combat, it should be one screen for everyone.

Throwing my hat in here as well. We need shared screen for couch co-op in combat direly. The quality difference for couch co-op players, many of us whom have been waiting to play this on split screen with our partners specifically, is not comparable to the experience others are receiving. It is a very difficult playthrough, and I'm only at hour 7, and have not even started to address the bugs or game freezes.

In another thread about split screen (yes, there are more than one which shows the disappointment we have) another member posted this link.
Along with making sure to keep these threads up near the top so they are visible to Larian, please fill this out and send it to them directly. Also, make sure to choose Feedback and not Bug.

https://larian.com/support/baldur-s-gate-3#modal

Excellent tip, thanks! I just submitted a feedback regarding this split screen issue.