Red Dead Redemption 2 and the incredible detail of the horses: Rockstar and the obsession with realism

A creative talks about the amazing process of creating these animals to make them feel alive.

The great Red Dead Redemption 2 is remembered for its history, for its graphics and the thrill of its shootouts, but also for the realism with which Rockstar captured the movements and actions of the horses . It was a crazy job, and thanks to the latest edition of the Game Developers Conference, we can finally get a better idea not only of how difficult it was to bring these animals to life, but also of the amazing level of detail with which they were recreated. The title of the presentation starring Tobias Kleanthous could not be more descriptive: “Designing credible horses in Red Dead Redemption 2”.

They are not a car, they are not a motorcycle. We wanted them to feel aliveTobias KleanthousThe obsession with bringing these creatures to life in the most realistic way possible is astonishing. The Rockstar designer showed a first version of the horses in Red Dead Redemption 2 whose animations were already superior to most animals seen in other video games, but even so, his work was rejected because “it was too functional”, according to PC Gamer in an extensive report dedicated to reeling off Kleanthous’ intervention at GDC 2021.

“They lacked something. They are not a car, they are not a motorcycle,” he says, referring to Grand Theft Auto; title from which they sought to distinguish themselves as much as possible when exploring this gigantic open world. “We wanted him to feel alive, and I mean the behavioral and personality implications of his movement. We wanted to make it as credible as possible.” And to achieve this, the details were important, so Rockstar traveled to Scotland to record the horses in their natural environment before trying to transfer their movements to the video game. It was then that they noticed the importance of side steps .

A first version of the horse animations. (Source: Rockstar North)

Thousands of small animations were created that were linked on the flyIt was something subtle, a gesture that was difficult to capture, but that was essential for the animals to feel more alive when turning. There were other gestures of the style, barely perceptible, that were added to the “list of things to do” to achieve the final goal: to make the horses look real. During this process we thought about “automating” the animations, but we chose a path that sounds crazy, which seems very difficult, and in fact it was very difficult. Instead of using a few realistic animations linked together, it was decided to create thousands of small animations that would be linked based on parameters as disparate as speed, the terrain on which we were moving, weight or even the mood of the horse.

Kleanthous notes that it was incredibly difficult to make this possible, but once they did, they were able to use the system in other animations in the game. Another of those surprising details has to do with the way the horses start their march. The usual thing is to alternate between specific movements: walking, running or stopping; but it was difficult to control the movement and it did not seem to link the animations well. That is why Rockstar opted for an acceleration and deceleration system : the horse would begin to move little by little until it gains speed and ends up galloping. All this, of course, reacting with a certain delay to the orders of Arthur Morgan, so that he did not feel like a vehicle but as what he is, an animal that responds to the player’s orders.

The horse’s movements change depending on the terrain on which it moves. (Source: Rockstar North)

There are 19 breeds of horses grouped into four categories, and with differences according to their weightThis fascinating obsession with small details led Rockstar to also create specific animations for riders , who react based on the animal’s own movements, although not with a 1: 1 reproduction. Does it seem little to you? Let’s talk about the terrain . If the horse moves through an area of ​​snow, when it is very cold, specific animations for that environment begin to be linked: the movement of the tail is different, the speed is different, etc. When they walk on water, more of the same: if there is little water their speed decreases slightly, but as the liquid element rises in level, the speed decreases drastically. Not only that. It will cost the animal more to move around than the player, to reflect the effort that his mount is makingYou will need to take a more active role in supporting your animal and guiding it with more consistent instructions.

Finally, although you may not notice it, the horse also has emotions and shows them with subtle movements that arise spontaneously, based on the actions of the player and the dangers that surround him. If predators are nearby, the horse will sense it and begin to move nervously, to the point of refusing to obey the rider’s orders, or to “force” him to change the route. If we hit the horse or are unkind to them, they may kick us, or move incessantly to make it more difficult to climb onto their rump. Now think that each race has its own ways of acting, and there are 19 !, grouped into four categories and with differences according to their size.

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What Rockstar accomplished with the horses in Red Dead Redemption 2 is commendable. A masterful job that made these virtual animals feel absolutely realistic. This is not the first time that the realism achieved by this video game has been extolled, to the point that a university applauded that Red Dead Redemption 2 teaches players about the wildlife, fauna and flora of the United States .