Overview
How to play Split Screen Co-op with one or more gamepads/keyboards/mice and a simple mod
About the Mod
– Only one copy of the game is needed to play in split screen up to UNLIMITED players. Can be from Steam or GoG (haven’t tested GoG, but should work in theory)
– You can have up to 4 controllers, and an unlimited amount of keyboard+mice pairs
– Only works on Windows
– If you use the x360ce method, any controller will work, e.g. PS1 or even a driving wheel
How to install the mod
- Install SMAPI: www.smapi.io
- Install SplitScreen mod by downloading the SplitScreen.XXX.zip file here[github.com] or here[www.nexusmods.com] and unzip it to Stardew Valley/Mods
- Run the SplitScreenShortcutGenerator.exe inside of the mod folder. Create as many keyboard shortcuts as you want: they’re free. All the shortcuts (for running multiple instances of the game) will be created in the Stardew Valley folder
How to play (only multiple gamepads)
- Launch however many shortcuts you need (e.g. 3 for 3 players)
- Make sure each instance is in windowed mode. You can do this by clicking the square button in the top left corner of the title menu
- Resize each window however you like. Make sure there is no overlap
- On any instance, go to Co-op -> Host -> Host one of your worlds
- On all the other instances, go to Co-op -> Join LAN -> Leave IP box empty -> Ok -> Click the world
- Make sure the active window is NOT player index 2/3/4 (There will be a popup message if setup incorrectly)
- You can now control each instance with a different controller. Have fun!
How to play (multiple gamepads, keyboard or mice)
The instructions are a bit long, so I posted them here[github.com]
Setting up a Virtual Resolution
In Stardew Valley, resizing windows smaller than 1280×720 seems to completely glitch out. On a 1920×1080 monitor like mine, this means the windows won’t fit on the screen without overlapping. A workaround is to use a fake higher resolution scaled down. Most applications may look slightly blurry, but Stardew Valley looks sharp once you have set zoom in-game correctly
UPDATE: thatnzguy[www.nexusmods.com] has created a mod that allows you to resize windows without changing your resolution. Download it here[www.nexusmods.com]
If the UI is too large for the window, change your zoom level in-game
(if you would still like to see the instructions for Virtual Super Resolution, click here[github.com])
If the UI is too large for the window, change your zoom level in-game
(if you would still like to see the instructions for Virtual Super Resolution, click here[github.com])
(Optional) Useful tips
- Change zoom level in game options so you can see properly and make sure ‘controller style menus’ is checked aswell
- Don’t use Windows window snapping feature, it can break the game
- If you have one audio output, make sure only one instance has the music unmuted. If you are on windows 10, you can go to Settings -> System -> Sound -> App volume and sound preferences to setup different audio outputs for each window
- (This is redundant since SplitScreen will set it up automatically now) Since Stardew Valley is single threaded, all the instances will run on 1 core. This is a waste of potential and will result in low fps and stuttering. To set each instance to run on a different core:
- On each instance, press N to bring up the split screen menu. Change the CPU core by clicking on + or -. Ideally, each instance should be assigned to a different core.
- If you want to play with more than 4 players, install Unlimited Players mod[www.nexusmods.com]
(Optional) Setting up x360ce
- Download x360ce by download x360ce.zip from [link] (I am using 4.5.0.0 Alpha)
- Install x360ce by adding the x360ce.exe to your Stardew Valley installation folder
- Run x360ce.exe and set up your controllers by clicking the add button on each tab. Most controllers will have a mapping already in the database, but if not just manually add in each button mapping. Remember to Save afterwards (If you are unsure how to setup, look up a video tutorial online)
- Unbind LeftStick and RightStick (button when pressing on analog sticks), as these are used to open chat and performance dialog in debugging (which may be annoying when pressed accidentally)
- Close x360ce.exe and it will work magically on its own forever
Drawbacks/limitations/known bugs
- Only one mouse, so only one person can use menus smoothly at a time (This is because the Stardew Valley gamepad controls are actually just moving the OS mouse). Dialogue boxes and cutscenes should be unaffected FIXED IN 2.2.0
- The game will not start if you have Skip Intro installed aswell