For Uncharted 4, the sheer speed of the descent shows just how effective Naughty Dog has been in this endeavor. Save for one brief texture flash just as Drake starts moving, no normal maps or geometry suffer from obvious pop-in, and draw distances are impressively broad across the horizon. All of which gives this sequence a surprising level of polish even in this early state, and it's a great example of a PS4 title handling a broad, detailed environment with few streaming issues - even if it does eventually lead to a funneling point.
Even so, this doesn't diminish the incredible level of detail layered across the city. Despite its broad, branching paths, each area is still richly defined, filled with unique alleyways and courtyards that players may never pass on their first play-through. Most impressive of all is the extensive use of physics across the world - with Drake's own jeep confirmed to use the Havok engine. Everything from his hair, shirt, and even the vehicle's antenna sway to the wind during the chase; small effects that stack up when applied across the game, lending real a sense of tangibility to the game world.
Drake's early shoot-out also makes a statement of intent for Uncharted 4's use of physics. Every object in the marketplace shatters or bounces off the next item, and players are seemingly never safe taking cover in one spot. With procedural chip damage in place as well, most spots deteriorate dynamically in the face of oncoming gunfire - ripping out chunks of the scenery to leave Drake exposed. It marks a departure from the slower, stealthier gameplay of the PlayStation Experience demo, and players are forced to keep moving to stay alive.
The extent of Uncharted 4's use of physics goes much deeper than you'd expect. One of the more surprising applications of this is one that goes unnoticed; rice bags actually deflate using a mesh distortion system Naughty Dog has in place, as detailed during a recentHeadspace panel with the team. It's an effect also applied on Nathan Drake's face when pressed against the floor during the game's first blue-hued E3 2014 reveal. In essence, for this demo, it allows each sack to sink as rice leaks out from bullet-holes, where each shot cues a physics-based impact on the bag, while deflation is simulated using mesh distortion.
Mixed in with the physics on fence pickets and draping clotheslines, Uncharted 4 strives for a dynamic set-piece that unfolds differently with each play. Certain aspects are scripted, in particular the enemy truck pursuing Drake, but it's a big step up from the typical A-to-B setup in previous games. It is ultimately a directed experience, but the E3 2015 demo dovetails between open gameplay and scripted moments deftly enough to keep the illusion of agency alive.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-uncharted-4-pushes-ps4-tech-to-the-next-level
The king is back...
Log in to comment