How To Play Local, Split-Screen Multiplayer (VS. and COOP)

Play local split-screen for Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Thank you to everyone who has given an award and left a rating!

Credit

If you like the coop mod, you can donate to the authors!

• Patreon[www.patreon.com]

Nucleus Coop Links:

• Reddit
  
• Discord[discord.gg]
  
• Curator
  
• Steam Group
  
• Guides
  
• Curator
  

2 METHODS

There are two methods to get split-screen. I recommend you try both, or read the pros and cons below to decide which one is best for you.

	Pros	Cons
Method 1 ( AlphaRing Mod [github.com] )	Easy setup (just like the good old days). Supports online 8 player co-op campiagn, or up to 16 players in Reach and ODST. But, only 4 player local split-screen for everything. ( This video explains it well, if you're still confused.) Works with Steam Deck. (I don't own a Steam Deck. Correct me if I'm wrong in the comments.)	Can NOT be used with easy anti-cheat. You will have to uninstall the mod, if you want to play online multiplayer. Can NOT change graphics settings or customize controls. No multi-monitor support.
Method 2 ( Nucleus Co-Op [github.com] )	Can be used with easy anti-cheat. Can change graphics settings or customize controls. Multi-monitor support. Up to 16 player split-screen support, outside of campaign.	Takes longer to setup (only the first time). Only 4 player co-op campaign. Halo 1 and Halo 2 are limited to only 2 player co-op campaign. But, outside of campaign, you can do up to 16 local multiplayer split-screen. Works with Steam Deck, just only on Windows OS, no Steam OS.

Besides the above, the two methods are the same. They both support mods, support all modes, are free open-source mods, are chick magnets, etc...

METHOD 1

• Download the latest version of AlphaRing[drive.google.com]
  
• Extract and place the file in your Halo .exe folder (located at "your game directory"/MCC/Binaries/Win64/MCC-Win64-Shipping.exe).
  
• For running on Steam Deck/Linux, add the following command in the Steam Game Launch Options:
  

  WINEDLLOVERRIDES="WTSAPI32=n,b" %command%

• In-game, press "F4" on the keyboard or "Select" + "Start", on controller, to access the menu. On controller, use "RB" to click. Start all your controllers and assign them in the menus.

METHOD 2: Video Tutorial (Not Mine)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up9GdBN7cAY

METHOD 2: Prerequisites

Step	Screenshot
1.) If you are using a PS4 or PS5 controller, you have to use the DS4Windows Program. [github.com] In order to set that up, go to the settings tab in DS4Windows, "Controller/Driver Setup", click "Install ViGEmBus Driver", then restart your computer.
2.) Download the latest Nucleus Coop Program [github.com] to play split-screen. Password is "nucleus" . (OPTIONAL: Use the 7zip [www.7-zip.org] program to extract, if needed.)
3.) Extract and place the NucleusCoop folder you downloaded anywhere. (I placed mine on my desktop.)
4.) Place the NucleusCoop folder into the root of your hard drive.
5.) Make sure Halo the Master Chief collection is located on the same hard drive as the "Nucleus Coop" folder (in this example, it is C:/). If not, put them on the same hard drive. But do not put the "Nucleus Coop" folder into your Master Chief collection directory.
6.) This step is optional. Right click on the program, "NucleusCoop.exe", go to properties, go to the "compatibility" section at the top, check the box marked "Run this program as an administrator". Press "OK".

METHOD 2: How to

Step	Screenshot
1.) Do the prerequisites.
2.) To use workshop mods, create a "ModManifest.txt" file in "C:\Users<Your Username>\AppData\LocalLow\MCC\Config", in it; paste the full workshop directory (usually is in the same drive where the game is installed, "steam\steamapps\workshop\976730").
3.) Start "NucleusCoop.exe".
4.) Click on the "Download Game Handler" button in the top middle.
5.) Search for Halo. Find Halo the Master Chief Collection. Click on it, then click "Download".
6.) It will finish, then pop up with a dialogue. Click yes, then find your Halo executable located in "your game directory"/MCC/Binaries/Win64/MCC-Win64-Shipping.exe. (You can find "your game directory" by right clicking on the game, then going to manage, then click on browse local files.)
7.) Set up your controllers by clicking on the small box below the keyboard icon. Drag your controllers into your set up configuration. If you have a multi-monitor setup, you can also setup each screen for split-screen here!
8.) Hit the right arrow button in the top right, below "Mod version", then the "Play" button.
9.) Lastly, to connect the instances, go to the Settings, in the Network tab swap from Xbox Live to LAN on all instances, save the changes and go back to the menu, open the roster by pressing X or hovering over it and join with each instance to Player 1's lobby.
10.) (OPTIONAL STEP: This will reduce startup time ) Exit the Nucleus Coop application. Inside the "Nucleus Coop" folder, go into "handlers", right click on "Halo The Master Chief Collection", click "edit", do ctrl+F, find 35, change 30 to 3, and save and exit. Reopen the Nucleus Coop application.
11.) (OPTIONAL STEP: To further reduce startup time ) Download the skip intro mod [www.nexusmods.com] , and place it in Halo The Master Chief Collection\MCC\Content\Movies, and replace the old file.

METHOD 2: Possible Errors & Troubleshooting

Error	Fix
"Could not find a part of the path 'f\....common\halo the master chief collection\halo1\original\build\shaders'. " .	Go to your "Nucleus Coop" folder, then the handlers folder inside that folder, Right click on the "Halo the Master Chief Collection" Javascript file Click open with "Notepad". Edit the "Game.DirSymlinkCopyInstead" line to "Game.DirSymlinkCopyInstead = ["halo2\\prebuild\\shaders_2_cache\\prebuild"];" Save and exit.
"Halo fatal error" or "Halo error static" .	Verify the integrity of the game And delete and reinstall Nucleus Coop First, delete the old handler completely by: right clicking "Halo: The Master Chief Collection" in the Nucleus Coop app, then clicking "Remove game from list". Then, go to the "Nucleus Coop" folder, within the "Content" folder, delete the "Halo MCC" folder, if it is not already deleted. Then, go to "Nucleus Coop"\"Handlers" and delete "Halo The Master Chief Collection.js", if it is not already deleted. Right click on your game within Steam. Click on "Properties", then the "Local Files" tab, then "Verify Integrity of Game Files". A dialogue will pop up, click yes. Finally, download the "Halo: The Master Chief Collection" handler in the Nucleus Coop app again. The bug was fixed on 05/22/2020.
[Type] DirectoryNotFoundException [Message] Could not find a part of the path 'Y:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Halo The Master Chief Collection\NucleusCoop\content\Halo MCC\Instance0\NucleusCoop\handlers\Halo The Master Chief Collection\steam_appid.txt'.	First, verify the integrity of your game file. Make sure your game is on the same hard drive as your Nucleus Coop folder. If those two things didn't work, try moving your game to your C: hard drive.
"Could not find a part of the path...'shaders_2_cache\prebuild'."	Open Nucleus and select MCC on the left side. Click game options at the top and press open game handler. Search this file for Game.DirSymlinkCopyInstead. Written here you should have one of 2 options. The correct DLC must be installed depending on which option you have or it'll crash. Make sure its written exactly as shown without any typos. if it says: Game.DirSymlinkCopyInstead = ["halo1\\original\\build\\shaders"]; Install the Halo CE Campaign If it says: Game.DirSymlinkCopyInstead = ["halo2\\prebuild\\shaders_2_cache\\prebuild"]; Install the Halo 2 Campaign If these campaigns are already installed, verify your game files. (Thanks to GarchaMayne for this solution)
"Missing Content" error.	1) Download the latest version of the Halo the Master Chief Collection handler. 2) Then If you are still experiencing the missing content with this latest version, set these lines to false in the handler: Game.UseNucleusEnvironment = Game.GoldbergNoLocalSave =
"Error encountered while signing into Xbox Live"	Reinstall the handler by deleting the Halo handler and redownloading it. And verify the integrity of your game.
Nucleus Coop log: [Message] Unknown error code (-1073741275): The given process does not exist. (Code: 87) [Stacktrace] at EasyHook.NativeAPI.Force(Int32 InErrorCode)...	Reddit Solution
Frozen on "Hardlinking games files..."	Make sure that you are on a computer with all admin privileges (thanks to TeeWin for this fix).
You can not invite another person. When you try to invite someone, the mouse is stuck in a steam overlay window	Reddit Solution
One controller controls multiple people or one controller does not function properly.	Reinstall the latest handler and verify the integrity of your game. Also, exit Steam, and play without Steam.
Frozen on the "Pausing for 30 seconds" window or the "Creating raw input" window.	Put the "Nucleus Coop" folder you created into a different location, such as C:/Program Files (x86). Also disable the "Show Status Window" in Nucleus Settings. This is a new feature introduced in the last version but is causing issues for some users.
Pop window that says "ERROR: Exception in ResetWindows for..." .	Go to the "Halo The Master Chief Collection" handler, and increase the pause time from 3 to 4, 5, 6, etc. Also disable the "Show Status Window" in Nucleus Settings. This is a new feature introduced in the last version but is causing issues for some users.
Can not find the other player in roster	Are you on LAN in the in-game, network settings? Do you have VPN. If so, turn that off.
Keyboard or mouse is not working	Did you select both the mouse AND keyboard, when selecting controllers in the Nucleus Co-op menu? You need to press a button on the keyboard and mouse you want to use for them to show up. Also, try HOLDING End and moving the mouse once prompted.
Your computer freezes in the middle of while you are playing.

METHOD 2: Frequently Asked Questions

Can the start up time be reduced?
• Yes, see step 9 and 10 in the "How to" section.
  
  Does this work with the Microsoft Store version or a non-steam version?
  
• No, this only works with the Steam version.
  
  Can I play long-distance multiplayer/matchmaking?
  
• You can play with other players via Xbox Live if you select the Online and multiple users option on after hitting the right arrow (read the script's UI notes on how to set it up), it uses the non-easy-anti-cheat version of Halo, so all modes that require EAC don't work here, Matchmaking requires EAC, hence it doesn't work through this method.
  
  Can I still unlock achievements?
  
• No, achievements are not allowed for the non-easy-anti-cheat version.
  
  Does this work with multi-monitor?
  
• Yes, it should set up automatically.
  
  Does this script support multiple mouses and keyboards?
  
• For this script, only one M&K user is supported.
  
  How do I change teams?
  
• Go to roster, click on your name, then change teams.
  
  How do I play with three players without having an empty space?
  
• Right click on a section of the split-screen layout.

For any more questions and answers, see the F.A.Q.

NEW MOD:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3322036870

This is a new co-op mod on the workshop; it should work with either split-screen method.

[Adgad]

Yeah ! AlphaRing is back ! Actually fonctional with Halo 1
Thank you so much ! :)

[Bmb92]

New AlphaRing update to fix Halo 4 and ODST:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h5wFYcy7cR08X5-uDKRcAXmpyNU_5La7/view?usp=sharing

[Adgad]

Hi, do you have a direct link for the working mod ? Thanks

[Bmb92]

It has been fixed. Thanks for the comment. I forgot to update this. It is linked above, where it says download. Let me know if it doesn't work for you.

[Elwen527]

mind me asking if the alpharing mod has been fixed yet?

[Bmb92]

AlphaRing mod is not working currently. You can either rollback to a previous version of Halo:
https://github.com/WinterSquire/AlphaRing/issues/103
or use Nucleus Co-Op.

[RuggedMuffinMan]

Did the latest update break split screen?

[Engoni]

This is gonna be great at my next gaming party, 4vs4 with two different TVs and rooms, one team on PC and one team on Xbox

[Bmb92]

I think you can, but I never tried it.

[Montague]

I have a question, can you pair Nucleus Coop with Alpha Ring on both instances of MCC to technically have 8 player split screen running on 1 PC?

I'm assuming it could work since Nucleus basically duplicates the initial game files to create a 2nd instance, and if there's alpha ring in both game files, in theory it should enable 4 player split screen on both instances.