3294

I was thinking about this a bit more, and I think RDR2 teaches you to enjoy the pace they are presenting, but it’s not automatic from the start, and it’s not easily comparable to other games.

Meaning, when I first started Chapter 2, I didn’t enjoy the walking speed in the camp either. By Chapters 4 and 5, I came to enjoy the breaks in the action the camps afforded me, so I liked the pace. The balance of the game’s intense moments with its slower moments is what I came to love, but it wasn’t something that hit me until I was well and truly into it.

It’s such a large game, it doesn’t require a replay to experience that, it just requires knowing it will take more chapters than it seems like it should in order to get a true feel for what they are doing (including something as basic as controls, which continue to get spelled out for far longer than they feel like they should). And I think that’s why so many of us who completed it rave about it, and some folks in the early stages are not fawning nearly as much.

Which isn’t to say there aren’t faults. There are plenty in a game of this size.

3295

I on the other hand loathed going to the camp by the end of the game.

3296

Well by the end it’s a very different place than at the beginning. Gotta give Peter Blomquist major props for making Micah such an absolute shithead. If I were Arthur I would have shot him in the back in Strawberry and not even thought twice.

I don’t even know if these things are really spoilers but I know we’ve got some first timers, so I’m trying to be circumspect.

3297

I think the key is to not think of reeling them in as the way you tire out the fish and get it closer to you. Pull the rod up to pull the fish closer to you, then as you let it down reel in the line quickly (the slack from having pulled the fish closer with the rod.) The primary way you tire out the fish and get it closer is with the movement of the rod, not reeling. Once the fish is tired out and closer you can reel it in.

3298

DLSS is available today. I get about 10 more average FPS, even with slightly higher quality settings on other effects. Occasionally there is a weird artifact along fine lines. I’m on 2560x1080, so not really the ideal use case (1440p and 4k get more uplift), but it is enough improvement with little sacrifice that I prefer it.

3299

I played and finished RDR2 on the PS4 Pro and wouldn’t mind playing it again. Just waiting for Rockstar to announce a PS5 upgrade. Should be any day now. Gotta stay positive, I tell myself.

3300

According to a paper published for the ‘People and Nature’ journal, players who had played either Red Dead Redemption 2 or Red Dead Online were better at identifying real life animals than those who hadn’t.

The study asked over 500 self-selected gamers to name specific animals, first with a blank text field and then with a multiple choice. The researchers left out “charismatic megafauna” like wolves or bears, opting for creatures like the little egret, and the steelhead trout—these animals being ones that appear in the games.

Players who had finished Red Dead Redemption 2’s main story, or taken a “Naturalist” role in Red Dead Online, were notably better at identifying the animals. Those who hadn’t played either, and those outside of North America, did less well.

3301

Probably the most relevant data from the study in question:

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Species-by-species comparison of the probability of a correct answer in the quiz for people who have and have not played RDR2. Points represent model estimates, and error bars the 95% confidence intervals around model predictions. Blue points are predictions for RDR2 players and black points for non-players. Solid symbols are estimations of the probability of a correct answer in the multiple-choice quiz and open symbols are estimations of the same probability for free text answers

3302

A not super impressed look at DLSS in RDR2.

In the interest of balance, some guy who loved it :)

3303

Comparing temporal AA in still screenshots is dumb. Yes, TAA with max sharpening looks sharper when static. But once you start moving, the TAA blur strikes back. On my TV at least, DLSS looks sharper during movement and gives extra perf-boost, so I am quite satisfied with it, even if it’s not doing insane levels of extra performance as in other games.

3304

Video comparison at 4k. Nvidia says 45% more fps, my experience is much less than that albeit at a lower res, which I think is normal across all DLSS titles - the best gains at 4k, worst at 1080p. Still, a noticeable improvement for me.

3305

I’m pretty happy with the DLSS. It lets me do 4K at a steady 60+ fps on my 2080, whereas I needed to drop to 1440p to hit that with TAA. Looks good to me, if perhaps a bit oversharp.

3306

Finally got to the fishing mission!! At what the my game save says is 32% of the way through the game.

It’s OK I guess. Spinning the R button gets old pretty fast.

3307

I found fishing the least engaging mini game of them all. Spinning the R stick gets old fast.

3308

I don’t know, man, spinning the R stick gets old fast.

3309

On my second playthrough, I’ve already found things I didn’t see first time, Chapter 2, got the fence, got about $2000 in cash, and decided to simply focus on hunting perfect pelts to get my satchel maxxed out. Fits well with my desire at this point to just explore.

But I haven’t done the fishing mission yet, and there are so many times I ride past a beautiful river or lake and I just want to stop and do a little fishing. So I guess I need to go do some missions until I get teaching Jack again.

3310

Fishing is overrated. It’s fun to know you can do it when you want a break from other games (or just see a good river), but spinning that R stick gets old super fast.

3311

So fast.

3312

Eh, for me I am often just riding around enjoying exploring the countryside, so seeing a beautiful river, stopping and walking down to the edge and fishing while I watch the other wildlife and everything else going on around me can be very relaxing. But, just like in real life, if you don’t enjoy it you’re not forced to do it. I also enjoy tracking and hunting the legendary animals, really taking my time and enjoying the woods around me, but I can see people thinking that is boring also.

That’s one thing I really like about RDR2. If you want a purely action oriented shoot everything in site you can do that. But it also allows open world aficionados like myself to have a huge world that constantly rewards simple exploration with an almost unlimited number of surprises and unexpected discoveries. Plus just a beautiful world in general. I’m one of the weird ones out here who enjoys exploring the world at least as much as advancing the story. I can barely remember the story lines in Skyrim, but I can describe every inch of the map. I loved Ghost of Tsushima but honestly was disappointed that there really wasn’t much to surprise you if you just walked the map off of the various story lines.

FWIW

3313

I just enjoy punching random people as I ride by.