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Red Dead Redemption 2 is the much-awaited prequel of the Red Dead Redemption. I have already explained why Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the best Open-World games of all time. Last time I shed some lights on others aspects of the game. However, this time I’m writing about the graphical brilliance. I do think the development team deserves one shout out for their amazing job. Why? Read further and obviously play the game to find out.
Today we will be focusing more on the physics, animation, environment, emergent game-play and atmospheric.
#1 Physics and Animation:
Physics- Character Physics has always been a strong point for Rockstar gamer. Rockstar took the unusual step of integrating euphoria physics middleware into the rage engine in Grand Theft Auto 4. Rage and it’s resultant Physics interaction elevated sandbox gameplay in GTA from the expected running and gunning into something more. At times appallingly realistic simulation of violence. Euphoria was toned down a bit in the next iteration.
Well, I’m glad to let you all know that euphoria is definitely making a comeback in Red Dead Redemption 2. Red Dead Redemption 2’s more refined implementation of euphoria is easy to see at the 2 minutes and 3-second mark in the second gameplay trailer. Arthur shoots a bounty hunter on the horseback and as the bounty hunter falls he actually extends his hand to try to cling to the horse for a moment.
Euphoria uses a biomechanical simulation of characters tied to their musculoskeletal and nervous systems. This results in emergent animations or characters behave as they might in real life. Knock a dude off his horse and he will most likely scramble to hold on to it for a moment longer.
Animation
It does not make much sense to talk about Red Dead Redemption 2’s animation as Red Dead Redemption 2 with euphoria does not have the canned animation you would expect it to have. Instead each physical interaction of a character or characters in informed by an approximation of what they do in that situation in real life.
At the 3 min and 15-second mark in the second gameplay trailer Euphoria adds additional impact to the rough and tumble of a brawl. A part of character animation improvements to the physics engine is evidenced elsewhere. For starters, there is hair physics now. As seen at the 4 minutes and an 8-second mark of the first game-play trailer the long-haired bandit’s hair flows as he falls.
While hair works may get some flacks for being a proprietary platform but the effects have done much for the in-game hair rendering. Gone are the days of hair helmets and purposefully short haircuts of last gen. Instead, we now have realistic and animated tresses of hair across a variety of titles.
Environmental physics has also received a significant upgrade in Red Dead Redemption 2. As mentioned by Rockstar in an IGN interview, You will have the ability to burn structures down in the game. This was evident in the trailers where the fire appears to propagate over a small area. Moreover, at 2 min 22 seconds into the second gameplay trailer we see Arthur taking on a Stagecoach which is then lit on fire.
Vehicular destruction has been a part of Rockstar game projects since the earliest 3D era games. Vehicular destruction and Rockstar games, a better love story than Twilight. Since Red Dead Redemption 2 brings you the 19th-century Stagecoaches, I am confident you will be able to do some vehicular mayhem.
#2 Environment and Emergent Gameplay:
Rockstar is one the very first studios to introduce emergent 3D sandbox gameplay to a wider audience. Later GTA series and the Red Dead Redemption have done a lot to turn their sandboxes into laboratories for emergent gameplay. Free of the shackles of previous generation gameplay hardware, Red Dead Redemption 2 clearly aims to take this several steps further.
#3 Wildlife:
The hunting system seen at the 5 minute and 4 seconds mark of the first gameplay trailer or wildlife, in general, are cases in point. Rockstar has themselves stated that wildlife in Red Dead Redemption 2 will function within the bounds of the food chain and act accordingly towards humans and other animals. Scavengers will quickly pick up on carrots and birds will fly in formation among other details.
A large amount of wildlife and going off the beaten track means the characters will have a very emergent gameplay possibility as the characters interact with the wildlife in every stage of the game. The details of the game offer you a huge possibility of role-playing if you want to play outside the well-routed plot of the game. Hunting and selling dead animals, even their meat or other parts is possible in the game.
#4 Atmospherics:
Time and period of the day play a key role in both the atmospherics and the gameplay in Red Dead Redemption 2. Game-play in both trailers shows that actions taking place at the daytime and at the night time. Stealth is also likely to play a role as seen in 1 minute 51 seconds where Arthur hides behind a log cabin as a lawman passes by on horseback. GTA5 has already featured stealth takedowns.
Considering the amount of gameplay lavished on nighttime sequences in Red Dead Redemption 2 trailers, we expect stealth to play a large role this time around. Either it would be a stealth-based mission or as an actual viable game-play. Another key atmospheric highlight is Red Dead Redemption 2’s treatment of snow. We’ve seen snow deformation far back in 2012 in Assassin’s Creed 3 where it was a novelty on PC.
Current generation hardware, however, has caught up to the point where snow and chilly environments react realistically to people and animals with prints left on the snow as the character pass. Red Dead Redemption 2 also has a great implementation of snow deformation. You can see the snow forming and deforming as Arthur works through the snow in the second gameplay Video.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming out tomorrow. Let us know how excited are you and which expansion you bought in the comments. If you have not checked out on the special editions yet here is all the information you need to know about the different editions of the game.
