New Heights for Physics Gameplay - Red Faction: Guerrilla

A few months ago I wrote about how the dynamics of the gaming and tech industries have shifted to a point where the push for graphics fidelity in games has largely plateaued, and the quest for a higher level of "realism" has superseded it (see "Future Games Will Battle Over Physics, not Graphics"). Physics is the new graphics, and we'll see more and more games, like Red Faction: Guerrilla from Volition (THQ), who have physics-centric features at the top of their sales messaging.

The tricky thing with physics as a game feature is the difference between physics "effects" and physics that actually impacts gameplay. Physics effects are just eye candy (glass breaking realistically, particals, cloth, etc), and while that can really bring up the production quality of a title, it doesn't sell games or hardware (this was the conversation that was being had about Mirror's Edge and Physx last year). So, gameplay physics is technology that exists at the core of the engine and it affects the experience at a fundamental level; ie. if you took it out, it wouldn't be the same game.

Enter Red Faction: Guerrilla:

" Geo-Mod Technology 2.0 : Blow bridges out from under enemy convoys, set explosives to detonate alternate entrances, and blast strongholds with rigged vehicles in the most realistic destruction engine to date. "

This game is all about mass destruction of property. You play a member of the "Red Faction", an underground organization fighting for the "liberation" of a Mars colony. And by liberation, I mean you have to blow everything up. The game features a true physics-based system applied to how buildings are destroyed. Stress, weight, thickness, and durability of materials that make up structures are calculated, which means that the destruction of a building actually takes a little bit of work. You can use explosives, kamikaze vehicles, or an unstoppable sledgehammer to deal damage, but if you can pick out the structural elements in a building and attack it thoughtfully, it's going to come down much faster.

I like loading up an armored car with triggerable explosives, then driving it full speed into a building, diving out at the last second, and then pushing the button... but I guess that's not as thoughtful as other methods.

This elaborate physics engine actually impacts not only gameplay, but the way that Volition's developers went about creating the game:

" We found that it was necessary to teach our environment and structure artists to be structural engineers. The programmers got so good at simulating stress in a building, that it turned less into how are we going to make this thing fall apart, to how are we going to make this thing stay together. They became less 3D structure artists and more architects. "

The best part about all of this is that is really works, it's not just a gimmick. This is a huge change from how players normally are able to interact with the environment, where previously park benches and street lamps in a game world would be indestructible. For that, Volition deserves kudos. This game had a plan, stuck to it, and did what it set out to do very well. It's guns, vehicles, and blowing up stuff, and all three of those pieces are 100% top-notch. For that, I can overlook the generally bland landscape, average graphics, and downright horrible controls (console port, naturally). If this game would have had some better marketing and a real push to get some legs under the multiplayer, this could have been a real hit. I look forward to Volition's future titles!