{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/keyboard--family-multiplayer","type":"mechanic","id":"keyboard--family-multiplayer","lang":"en","title":"Cooperative and competitive play","summary":"Players receive separate areas of one keyboard. Overcooked! 2 supports splitting a computer keyboard between two local players.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/keyboard--family-multiplayer/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/keyboard--family-multiplayer.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/keyboard--family-multiplayer.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Physical keyboard interactions","Social rule"],"sourceIds":["source-7912c3939a369c5f","source-723fc17981719a00"],"sources":[{"id":"source-7912c3939a369c5f","title":"Overcooked! 2","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-723fc17981719a00","title":"Team17: local split keyboard","url":"https://www.team17.com/news/overcooked-2-faq","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"One surface or several devices are shared between participants."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n\n\n- Split keyboard. Action: Players get different non-overlapping areas of the same keyboard. Application: Local combat, race, cooperative puzzle. Conditions: Need to check general combinations and have enough space for hands. Equipment: Regular keyboard. \n- General character. Action: Different participants are responsible for different parts of the control of one entity. Application: One moves the robot, the other controls the gripper; crew of one ship. Conditions: The program checks commands from zones; the identity of the person pressing is usually unknown. Equipment: Regular keyboard. \n- Joint chord. Action: Participants simultaneously hold or press their keys for a common result. Application: Open a cooperative lock, create a common musical chord. Conditions: Without observation, it cannot be proven that the keys were pressed by different people. Equipment: Regular keyboard. \n- Input relay. Action: The right to enter commands is transferred in turn. Application: Joint story, rhythmic relay race, device repair in stages. Conditions: With one keyboard, the actual performer is determined by the agreement. Equipment: Regular keyboard. \n- Confrontation for a common goal. Action: Participants enter commands to one object; decides the order, time or application. Application: Dispute for the direction of the ship, auction for an action, capture of the general cursor. Conditions: Determine the arbitration of conflicting events. Equipment: Regular keyboard. \n- Musical or work ensemble. Action: Each zone performs an independent part in the overall composition. Application: Keyboard duet, multi-station assembly, synchronized crew operation. Conditions: Feedback should allow everyone to see their task. Equipment: Regular keyboard. \n- Two keypads with identification. Action: The same keys on different devices belong to different players. Application: Full local game, typing competition, individual musical parts. Conditions: An API that distinguishes devices is needed; the normal stream of browser events does not separate them. Hardware: System API. \n- Distributed keyboard. Action: Each participant enters part of the shared state on his device through the network. Application: Mass musical performance, collective control panel, remote cooperation. Conditions: This is a network mechanics; delays and assignment of participants must be taken into account. Equipment: Additional channel. "},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Author's working classification for designing games and interactions. Options can overlap and combine; the list is not a generally accepted standard or proven exhaustive list. Application examples are conditional unless a specific verifiable observation is indicated nearby. Sources support individual techniques and technical limitations."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"keyboard","id":"family-multiplayer","title":"Physical keyboard interactions","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/keyboard/#family-multiplayer","categoryIds":["section-8"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Cooperative and competitive play","description":"Players receive separate areas of one keyboard. Overcooked! 2 supports splitting a computer keyboard between two local players.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/strategy-overcooked2-08.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Overcooked! 2","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/728880/ss_a87a245229d8196f25301685d991467412e9fef8.1920x1080.jpg?t=1789548883","credit":"Ghost Town Games Ltd. / Team17 / Team17","rights":"© Ghost Town Games Ltd. / Team17 / Team17. All rights reserved.","caption":"Orders, workstations and a shared kitchen timer","alt":"Orders, workstations and a shared kitchen timer","markers":[{"x":13,"y":7,"label":"Orders show required dishes and ingredients"},{"x":48,"y":34,"label":"Stoves and plates form a preparation chain"}]},"tips":["Test combined inputs on ordinary keyboards and leave enough room for both players’ hands."],"examples":[{"title":"Overcooked! 2","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/"},{"title":"Team17: local split keyboard","url":"https://www.team17.com/news/overcooked-2-faq"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/keyboard"}}