Playing 2 instances of RVGL on one device with dual screens at the same time (local LAN)

[7wells]

Hello,

I extracted the latest https://distribute.re-volt.io/releases/ ... online.zip
to C:\Program Files\RVGL1\ and C:\Program Files\RVGL2\
to play two instances of RVGL at the same time (well, I tried - for more, see below). Yes, I am a little bit crazy.

Well, my laptop's screen is extended to a second screen (attached via HDMI), so I wondered what happens if "RVGL1" shows on the laptop's screen and "RVGL2" on the second screen (both have a resolution of 1920x1080 @60 Hz). So I started one after the other and hit the F11 key with focus on one after the other, so both run in windowed mode. I entered a player and settings for each of the 2 RVGL instances and did the same also for the controller settings. Of course both controllers are attached to the same laptop, but they are from different makers/of different models (one attached via USB cable, the other wireless via USB-BT dongle). So far, so good, except that the music was only coming from the laptop's speakers - from both RVGL instances, depending on where the focus was on. But that's just a minor side remark.

Now to the interesting part: I wanted to see whether I could play a multiplayer race on "local LAN" (not splitscreen), of course understanding that the IPs "RVGL1" and "RVGL2" are the same (same laptop). So I entered the IP on "player 2" ("RVGL2") and both appeared in the lobby on both screens. I could even start the race. However, only the screen/ window that has focus (can be changed by left-clicking on it) seems to refresh the content. I.e. either the cars are moving on "screen1" or on "screen2", as I cannot give both windows (one on each screen) focus at the same time.

Now if this seems boring to you, please accept my apologies. I simply wanted to play around with this a little bit more. However, if this triggers some further thoughts on some of you, even better. A use case (if it worked perfectly) could be to have 2 players racing against each other (with or without AI cars) on two screens without the need to share a screen in splitscreen mode. For this, you would only need one device (PC, laptop). My laptop has an Intel Core i3-7020U (7th Gen) CPU @ 2.30 GHz with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 IGP, i.e. not really a rocket but great to play even 2 instances of RVGL at the same time. As I have a spare screen here, I wanted to see if it was possible to play with the kids like this. The screen is not really large enough for splitscreen mode, and I do not want to carry my laptop into the living room and to connect it to the TV. May wife would not like it too much.

Any thoughts from you guys? Is it just dumb what I tried, or is it worth further looking into this? If the former, I will not be offended at all.

Cheers!

[DVark09]

You can just change the resolution to 3840x1080 on windowed mode in the config file so it fits on both of your screens. Set vertical split screen and you're pretty much good to go. If you want to get fullscreen though you might need to fiddle around with something like borderless gaming.

[7wells]

Oh, that is a much better idea and surely with less hassle. Thank you so much!

I will try this. Fullscreen is not so important when you hide the taskbar.

[Huki]

Hello,

I extracted the latest https://distribute.re-volt.io/releases/ ... online.zip
to C:\Program Files\RVGL1\ and C:\Program Files\RVGL2\
to play two instances of RVGL at the same time (well, I tried - for more, see below). Yes, I am a little bit crazy.

If you think that's crazy, check this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWXHbZH0VP4

It's possible to have multiple RVGL windows active at the same time by using the -nopause launch parameter. You can launch multiple instances from the same installation (no need to have RVGL1 and RVGL2). But I don't think it's useful in your situation because only the window that has focus can receive inputs.

To use DVark's solution, you run the game with -window 3840 1080.

[7wells]

Awesome! Thank you!

But who would use this in which situation if only one window can have focus?

Could all windows get focus and thus receive input from different controllers, or is that not possible on Windows in general?

Could all those windows be put into fullscreen (instead of windowed) mode on each screen/ monitor? Would that change the behaviour of focus?

I will have a closer look at the parameters, which seem to offer a multitude of possibilities:
https://yethiel.gitlab.io/RVDocs/#launch-parameters

As a side note: Will RVGL on Android eventually also get split screen mode?

[Huki]

But who would use this in which situation if only one window can have focus?

The other windows can have the player's car automatically manned by the AI. This helps test netplay on the same computer or local network (you can see that in the video), or host a session with a curated set of AI cars (the in-game option randomizes them).

Could all windows get focus and thus receive input from different controllers, or is that not possible on Windows in general?

It might be possible, but it sounds like too much of a hack. Windows in general doesn't like this, but it is technically possible.

Could all those windows be put into fullscreen (instead of windowed) mode on each screen/ monitor? Would that change the behaviour of focus?

This, on the other hand, is not possible at all. I guess we need a borderless windowed option, but there were some issues the last time I tried.

As a side note: Will RVGL on Android eventually also get split screen mode?

Yeah.

[7wells]

Hi Huki, may I ask about that status of split screen possibility on Android devices? Thanks for your feedback - and please accept my apologies for my impatience.