Even Monkeys Fall From Trees
I’m going to make a somewhat controversial statement and say that The Last of Us: Part 2 is as close to perfect as a game has ever come. Sure, it’s not for everyone, but personally? I don’t think I’ve ever been that engaged in a game, or in that much awe of a game on a purely mechanical level. Sure, the game arguably had fewer standout setpieces than the original, but that’s just how things go when you raise the bar so high.
Don’t know what everyone’s up in arms about. We added doors in combat to TLOU2, took like a day. Just gotta have good talent I gues… LOL JK IT WAS THE THING THAT TOOK THE LONGEST TO GET RIGHT WHAT WERE WE THINKING 1/100 https://t.co/oUmdRFmiGJ
— Kurt Margenau (@kurtmargenau) March 9, 2021
Still, it looks like one of the most simple devices possible proved to be a special challenge to the team, as the game’s co-director Kurt Margenau stated that adding doors into the game’s combat took longer than any other element to get right.
Doors were implemented in a variety of ways – for example, while outside of combat they’ll remain open, while in combat each door needs its own individual physics.
As more proof of Naughty Dog’s commitment to quality – if any was needed, given the fact that the game has broken numerous records and swept numerous award shows – it seems that the issue could have been lessened if the team didn’t care so much about visual fidelity. For example, the doors don’t just slam shut behind you if you barge through, so the game takes that into account with the animations, whereas other games – even beloved ones like Resident Evil 4 – might simply ignore the issue and have the doors slam shut all on their own.
But we are also a game that is incredibly polished animation-wise. If a player is going to open a door, it can’t just magically fly open, the character has to reach to the doorknob and push it open. But what about closing it behind you? How do you do that while sprinting?
— Kurt Margenau (@kurtmargenau) March 9, 2021
After all, this is a game where the heroine can snatch ammo from mid-air, fluidity was important to the team, and it served to help make The Last of Us: Part 2 one of the most immersive games in history.
Do you think the team’s hard work on the doors paid off? Let us know in the comments, on Twitter, or on Facebook.