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Red Dead Redemption 2’s Camera Is Impeccable

April 11, 2019

If you know me, you know my obsessions with the world of Red Dead Redemption 2. I feel like a part of it, and it always welcomes me back in with open arms and a fresh plate of chocolate chip cookies. This cowboy sim is exactly what I wanted after Red Dead 1, a more in-depth characterization of the lawless Wild West coming to an abrupt end around me. I take the reigns as Arthur Morgan, a tall, dark, and handsome outlaw that is always on the run from something. He and his posse (the Dutch van Der Linde gang) travel from stunning location in the middle of nowhere to other gorgeous location next to a lake. Each of the gang’s change of address is accompanied by an in-tune melody and engaging scenery, so each one of these requires a steady, panning camera that soaks in all of the lighting and color palettes. This camera system has pushed the boundaries of what we thought an in-game camera could do. It is smart, magical, and polished into a fine addition to this masterpiece’s mechanics. Let’s talk about Red Dead Redemption 2’s impeccable camera.

The most obvious innovation is what the game calls “Cinematic Mode”. By clicking in and holding down on the touch pad on a PS4 controller (I assume it would just be the back button on an Xbox controller), the game removes all HUD information and the screen shape shifts into a cinematic camera, complete with black bars and all. This camera is designed to allow the player some breathing and healing time, all while always keeping the player within an engaging shot of the world. Be it within the rule of thirds, a point of reference of color, or if an object (like the occasional tree or shrub) covers most of the player, the camera will dynamically cut to a better angle that fulfills these requirements. I can’t tell you what percentage of my 80 hours playing Red Dead have been lost to setting a random marker on the map, letting my white Arabian named Roach (shout out to The Witcher: Wild Hunt) jaunt herself there, and watching Arthur steer her in Cinematic Mode. With a game this beautiful, it’s no surprise this feature was necessary. It’s the best form of fast travel I’ve seen in a game, because it still feels like I’m a part of the world, even if it is just one big loading bar…

Impressively, the camera seems to always keep Arthur in the rule of thirds of the camera’s angle at all times. As the player spins the camera either left or right, it will always keep Arthur between the left and right side’s rule of thirds. It’s a small touch, but a fine one nonetheless.

An obvious addition for this version of the world was to add in camera mode. You know, the one that lets you put your characters in goofy poses and silly faces all to break the fourth wall and capture one decent selfie that you’ll never see again for the rest of your life? Well Red Dead 2 does it better.

How? It gives Arthur Morgan a semi-accurate camera for the historical setting, sepia tone and all. By treating this camera as a tool at Arthur’s disposal, players can easily whip out the device, snap a few pics to add to their Rockstar Club wall, then put it away in a breeze and get back to the lawlessness of (cow)boyhood.

For cut scenes, Rockstar has fine-tuned the camera to double as an Oscar-worthy cinematographer. During certain points in missions, the game takes control to create immaculate imagery on-screen. With so many great shots in my collection, I decided to prove my point with two of my most recent screenshots (shown above) taken just one main story mission apart from each other.

If I had to pick a gripe, I would want the ability to eliminate certain camera fields of view from my camera’s system entirely. In total, the following 4 views are available to the player: first-person, over the shoulder, full body, and zoomed out. Between opting for first-person view in my campsite and full body for everything else, I never end up using over-the-shoulder or zoomed out for anything. Having the ability to only switch between my favorite two views would minimize my annoyance at tapping frantically to get back to full body from first person in certain situations. That being said, the ability to auto-remove first-person while on horseback is a nice touch in the options menu. 10/10 would use this camera system again and again to stare into Roach’s eyes before we wreak havoc together in the Wild, Wild West.

First image borrowed from Gamespot. All other images captured in-game on PS4 Pro.

Single Player Games Are Here To Stay

March 28, 2019

I have been playing a ton of both Apex Legends and Red Dead Redemption 2. Both of these games are at the top of their respective genres. Apex is the most played online multiplayer shooter right now, and Red Dead is one of the bestselling single player games of all time. In my (strong) opinion, the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 lives and breathes. Its characters complete tasks with or without you and its environment responds to your every action. The closest online multiplayer games have come to this amount of character exist in Overwatch and Apex Legends, both of which have shied away from character customization in an effort to inject story into their playable characters. But these characters can only interact with each other and their worlds so much. Their unique ability to bring together people online will always be profitable. Loads of people like me play Apex with their friends halfway across the country, but even more just want to take the reigns as Arthur Morgan, a man with the innate ability to fight for the ones he loves. Arthur Morgan loves over a dozen characters, each of which has a different relationship with him. The difference between Red Dead 2 and Apex is that when a character in Arthur’s world is in danger, I care for that character. When a character in Apex is in danger, I don’t yell, “Lifeline noooooo, I’ll protect youuuuuu!” I yell, “JAKE (my friend’s name), I’M COMING FOR YOU STAY ALIVE!”. The difference here is not minimal. I don’t love the world of Apex Legends. I love interacting with the world of Apex with my friends. Single player games let me experience a world how I want, when I want, with interesting characters that I care about. Single player games are here to live, breath, and die for players.

[2] Arthur Morgan’s beard grows with or without you in Red Dead 2. — [2] Arthur Morgan’s beard grows with or without you in *Red Dead 2*.

[3] Lifeline’s intricate detailing and character design shines bright… but does it even matter?

A great example of a character that has died for players is Ezio from Assassins Creed (AC) 2, AC: Brotherhood. And AC: Revelations. In AC 2, players literally taught Ezio how to move in one game, helped him avenge his family for his entire life in another, and then ceremoniously watched him die in his final game. Players were given a character to learn and grow with, whereas in games like Apex, players are introduced to characters near the middle of their lives, given access to them for a handful of minutes, watched them die, then rinses and repeats until the break of dawn. The next night, the characters are exactly the same and in perfect health. You see, these characters aren’t living without the input of players. My inclination for single players never going away lies in the fact that players like seeing evolution. If in Apex Legends 2 (TBA) these characters are older and more skilled, I think most players would be okay with it. We as humans and storytellers want progression, we want characters to change (for better or worse), and we want characters to learn from each other.

[4] Ellie was a scared little girl back then…

My most anticipated games right now are The Last of Us Part II and God of War 2 (TBA). I’m not only excited about the new mechanics and challenges that the devs will throw at me, but because I know that these characters will be older, wiser, and more badass than I ever knew they could be. Ellie will not rely on Joel anymore and (let’s be real here) Kratos will probably die sacrificing himself for his son. We were shown as players that Kratos could become a better father by the end of the game, and now, after almost 20 years of guiding this character’s growth, we will ball our eyes out saying goodbye to him.

To put it bluntly, I don’t see very many Twitch streamers crying when they see Bloodhound die in Apex…

Sources:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Viva Piñata Taught Me How To Let Go Of My Pets

February 21, 2019

One of my favorite games of all time is the Rare cult-classic Viva Piñata. From its unique economy systems to its incredible art direction, Rare put out a game unlike any other I had ever played when it first released in 2006. But this blog isn’t a review of Viva Piñata, this blog is intended to dive deeper into the more impactful moments I had within the game, and how games can teach you about purposeful choice for a greater good.

It starts out easy: Having soil in your garden attracts cute little Whirlms (VP’s version of a Worm). You’re taught how to convince a piñata to stay in your garden through love, taught how to romance two piñatas, are treated to a delightful minigame and cutscene of the two piñatas dancing together, and finally receive an egg of a new baby piñata you helped conceive. It’s all a lot cuter than it sounds, trust me.

Once you’ve got a healthy, thriving family of worms living in your garden, you begin to attract Sparrowmints. These sparrow lookalikes will only visit your garden if you’ve got worms as residents. But in order for you to begin to romance these birds together, you must have a family of worms, and each Sparrowmint must eat one whirlm.

Let me remind you that in November 2006, when Viva Piñata launched, little Julian was a 10 year old. My experience with animals was quite different from a normal 10 year old. By the age of 10, my parents had donated two dogs (RIP Wrinkles, RIP Coby) that were starting to get old. That was it. The only “problem” with our beloved pets in my parent’s eyes was their age. My parents wouldn’t consult my sister or I, we would just wake up one day and realize that our dog was gone. In both cases, they took us to eat breakfast at a restaurant and explained to us that they didn’t want us to remember our pets as sick or in pain, so they donated them to families they knew could help handle the stress of a sick animal when the inevitable happened with age. By the age of 10, I had yet to experience a death, let alone the death of an animal I had loved.

So, when a game asked me to kill a newfound pet I was caring for (a fucking adorable one at that), I took a second to think about it.

“There has to be another way for me to romance this Sparrowmint,” I thought to myself. I tried waiting it out, and kept romancing my Whirlms in an effort to convince the sparrows that the worms would go nowhere, and that seeing a buffet of worms would get their bodies all hot and bothered enough to just want to romance anyways. They had an evil look in their eyes, and it was no surprise. Rare knew exactly what these Sparrowmints were for… teaching children about the harsh realities of animal husbandry.

No luck.

I didn’t know the word for pacifism at age 10, but by-golly I was desperate for some in this game. I wasn’t ready to see one of my pets die. I walked around my garden and looked for clues to a secret way of romancing sparrows when I suddenly heard the cheers of children coming from within the game. I looked back at where the noise came from and saw one of my sparrows eating candy off the grass. It then received a pink heart over its head (the universal sign for “I’m all hot and bothered now”). It was ready to romance. I wondered where that magical candy on the ground came from, then looked over at my second Sparrow. It was crouched over, and looked like it was going to attack one of my Whirlms. “Here it comes,” I thought to myself. Rare must’ve had a hunch that some players wouldn’t find killing their pets as easy as others, so they implemented a system where the piñatas begin to fulfill their own requirements for themselves if the player take too long to complete the deed.

The first death of a pet I experienced was in a game. After the death of the cute little Whirlm, kids cheered, candy fell out, and my other pet Sparrowmint ate his candy guts.

And yet, I wasn’t traumatized. The family of piñata Whirlms I spent the last hour raising and caring for went on about their wiggling business, and the two Sparrows went in to their house to romance. I was again treated to a cutscene of two sparrows flying around each other, and an egg landed in my garden with a soon-to-be-hatched Sparrowmint inside.

I expected to be hurt, but Rare’s masterpiece was so good at easing me into death that I felt progress instead of pain. I quickly readjusted to my newfound population, and began to worry about how to attract a nearby Fudgehog that was lurking in the background in all its colorless goodness.

By the end of my prime Viva Piñata days, I was literally begging new visitor piñatas (which you can’t forcibly control) to eat my pet piñatas in hopes of increasing the diversity rate in my garden.

It all got better from there when I realized that these deaths weren’t the end of the world. These deaths were simply codas leading to new beginnings, cuter piñatas, and gardens full of more bustling critters than I could have ever dreamed of as a 10 year old.

Growing up, my parents were quick to trade in old for new. We never had a car for longer than 5 years, and we always got rid of pets that were too old for us. Now that I’m older, I have Rare’s timely cult classic to thank for my ability to say goodbye to those I’ve cared for. I now realize that my parents were only trying to prevent us from seeing our cute pups in a pitiful manner. They were protecting us from the harsh realities of life, whereas Rare was quick to shed light on those truths. Viva Piñata taught me how to kill that which I worked so hard to achieve for the bettering of my world. Sure, its ways of animal husbandry are gruesome, but what in life isn’t?

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