Red Dead Redemption 2 Trailer and release

Colonel Sanders said:
I want to get it, but I'm going to be so paranoid it'll die.
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Well, keep a couple horse reviver on you.

I just tracked the mentioned white horse down in the snowy mountains, was a fun little adventure. Got the legendary bison while up there too. Some random guy on a horse rode up on me full speed while my back was turned, I wheeled around blew his head off with a double barrel last second - his corpse was actually headless as it lay with a huge amount of blood blanketing the snow.

This little detail was impressive only because it's a time in videogames where gore and dismemberment have been toned down or removed by most publishers, as they choose to play it safe to appeal to "all ages". So it calms the soul and soothes the senses to know that it is still alive and kicking in RDR2.
 
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MavericK said:
I honestly think the texture quality on RDR2 is nowhere near the level of HZD, GoW or stuff like The Witcher 3. It's still a beautiful game, well-crafted and the environments are nice, but if you really dig down I don't think it holds up as much.

That said, it does run very nicely on PS4 Pro (feels like 40-60 FPS but I can't verify) so the texture quality isn't really an issue for me.
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The way I see it it's a wild west game, dirty and sandy kind of putting a haze over everything so I am ok with textures not being super sharp or clear, it's beautiful in its own way. And have you zoomed in on those animals? They look fantastic. Also it does look significantly worse on the PS4 Pro and I played them side by side.
 
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So yeah, definitely turn off HDR - makes the game look like washed-out crap with it on.

I got the white Arabian, pretty legit horse.
 
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So anyone else struggle with using deadeye? I only have like three cores or whatever they call them, but struggle to use it properly...always use it too early and end up losing it mid battle.
 
Colonel Sanders said:
Wow, that's cool. Like the writer said, I bet it'll be used in RDR Online mainly, but I'd love to see some sort of single player expansion there.
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After GTA5 had no SP DLC, it's hard to get hopes up for RDR2 DLC. But the map is so vast and the base content so enormous that DLC hasn't even crossed my mind yet.

I have fond memories of Undead Nightmare for RDR1 back in October 2010. But that was before the online component of R* games became an absolute juggernaut and convinced them focus all their post-launch energy there.
 
DPI said:
After GTA5 had no SP DLC, it's hard to get hopes up for RDR2 DLC. But the map is so vast and the base content so enormous that DLC hasn't even crossed my mind yet.

I have fond memories of Undead Nightmare for RDR1 back in October 2010. But that was before the online component of R* games became an absolute juggernaut and convinced them focus all their post-launch energy there.
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Yeah, I tend to agree.
 
Viper16 said:
So anyone else struggle with using deadeye? I only have like three cores or whatever they call them, but struggle to use it properly...always use it too early and end up losing it mid battle.
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Go hunting a bit, do chores, other things that level up deadeye and you should get your available amount up pretty quick. Make sure to use chewing tobacco and the other items that boost / refill deadeye. You find a lot of the stuff so no need to be stingy.

I am terrible aiming with a controller so I lean pretty heavy on the snap auto aim mechanic and deadeye. A good tip is to snap auto aim to a targets center mass, then tap up slightly to try for the headshot. Could help in some firefights until you've got more deadeye to use throughout a fight.
 
I honestly have zero interest in RDR2 Online (or GTAO for that matter) simply because it's going to be microtransaction-laden bullshit. Clearly it made Rockstar a lot of money, but I'm not buying into it.

That said, there is a ton of SP content in RDR2 and it's totally worth the full asking price just for that.

Played a ton this weekend, on Chapter 4 I think now and finally got into Saint Denis in the main storyline. Very cool place, super detailed with a shit ton of random alleys and ways to run around the city.

Unfortunately, the tedious aspects of the game haven't become less tedious. I really wish they would have ditched the whole "perfect" animal pelt system, or at least not required ALL crafting to use perfect pelts. I still find myself stumbling over the controls on occasion, dozens of hours in. Like I will sometimes randomly punch someone when I wanted to interact with them for an emergent quest, which then cancels the quest...frustrating stuff like that.
 
MavericK said:
I honestly have zero interest in RDR2 Online (or GTAO for that matter) simply because it's going to be microtransaction-laden bullshit. Clearly it made Rockstar a lot of money, but I'm not buying into it.

That said, there is a ton of SP content in RDR2 and it's totally worth the full asking price just for that.

Played a ton this weekend, on Chapter 4 I think now and finally got into Saint Denis in the main storyline. Very cool place, super detailed with a shit ton of random alleys and ways to run around the city.

Unfortunately, the tedious aspects of the game haven't become less tedious. I really wish they would have ditched the whole "perfect" animal pelt system, or at least not required ALL crafting to use perfect pelts. I still find myself stumbling over the controls on occasion, dozens of hours in. Like I will sometimes randomly punch someone when I wanted to interact with them for an emergent quest, which then cancels the quest...frustrating stuff like that.
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Rockstar definitely made major money off GTAOnline, but everything could be obtained by just playing the game and earning cash at least. What I wonder about is what they will offer in the online for this game. GTA constantly has added new vehicles and businesses. It's not like we're going to get weaponized horses in Red Dead. Maybe some stagecoaches and wagons packing gatling guns, I could also see businesses and property being big, perhaps falconry.

For all its faults I'm a big fan of GTAOnline. There is just so much content.
 
Wow. We're at that level again. Fucking awesome. What the hell is going on over there?
 
Waiting for BF to pick up an Xbox one x to get this. Looks really good, just coming from pc gaming I’m not 100% confident about the shooting with a controller.
 
wikidlad said:
Waiting for BF to pick up an Xbox one x to get this. Looks really good, just coming from pc gaming I’m not 100% confident about the shooting with a controller.
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You'll be fine, the aim-assist is done quite well, and you'll be popping people off horses in no time. Optionally, you could take a look at some of the videos posted in earlier posts regarding fine-tuning aiming.
 
Alright, so after putting a lot of time into this game, I gotta say...this game would honestly be shit if it weren't for the great story and overall great atmosphere. The actual mechanics are REALLY bad. Controls still feel like a chore even after dozens of hours, and I find myself accidentally fucking up missions and opportunities because I wasn't in quite the right position for the button to do the right thing. Coupled with stupid shit like not being able to pick up certain items because the prompt won't show over another one (with no R1 ability), it's just a bad time all around.

The Bounty system seems deep, but it's really pretty wonky and shit when it comes to the "realism" Rockstar wants to push with this game. You can cover your face, change your clothes, and murder civilians all you want, and as long as no police actually see you, you can get away. However, if even ONE police guy sees you, IN DISGUISE, you are instantly known and have a bounty. What kind of stupid shit is that? Even if you kill the ONE police guy, instant bounty.

This game needs competent back-and-forth fast travel, SO badly. I have probably spent at least 50% of my time simply riding a horse to or from a location, doing nothing else. Sometimes emergent gameplay opportunities arise, but not nearly often enough to warrant the amount of time you just spend travelling.

Even most of the story missions just boil down to the same "attempt to rob a thing -> robbery goes bad -> shoot a bunch of guys" gameplay loop. The side jobs really are not worth pursuing most of the time, as the reward is little for a ton of, yet again, riding long distances. I do enjoy the side story missions that have actual dialogue and interesting characters, but when it's a known character that's just like "hey, let's go rob a stagecoach", it's really not worth the effort.

Not much of a spoiler, but once you hit a certain part in the main story (not super far in, either), you do a job that nets you something like $3,000, which in this game is a pretty absurd amount of money for just about anything you'd want. If you tamed the white Arabian horse, you don't need to spend any money on horses, so really any side activities for money are just a pittance and not worth the effort once you have that kind of money. It sort of devalues the side jobs as a whole, because I find myself not bothering to do them because I know I'd get like $20 or something which isn't worth my time at this point.

The more I play this game the more gripes I have with it, honestly. Which sucks, because clearly a lot of time went into crafting the world and it's a shame that exploring that world just feels tedious.
 
MavericK said:
*snip*
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These are all fair points and I don't necessarily disagree. What I will say though is that this game is one of those that feels like it's more than the sum of its parts, at least IMO. Yes the controls are clunky as shit at times, the in-game economy kind of falls apart later on, and so on, but yet I still feel like this game has a magic quality to it that very few games ever reach. I'd put it up there with Witcher 3, The Last of Us, or Mass Effect. Those are all different types of games, but they each kind of fail when you break them down into their component parts and examine them. For example, Witcher 3's combat system is simplistic and uninspired, The Last of Us is a completely linear experience, and Mass Effect's shooting gameplay was lackluster, yet most people hold those games on a very high pedestal nonetheless.
 
Colonel Sanders said:
These are all fair points and I don't necessarily disagree. What I will say though is that this game is one of those that feels like it's more than the sum of its parts, at least IMO. Yes the controls are clunky as shit at times, the in-game economy kind of falls apart later on, and so on, but yet I still feel like this game has a magic quality to it that very few games ever reach. I'd put it up there with Witcher 3, The Last of Us, or Mass Effect. Those are all different types of games, but they each kind of fail when you break them down into their component parts and examine them. For example, Witcher 3's combat system is simplistic and uninspired, The Last of Us is a completely linear experience, and Mass Effect's shooting gameplay was lackluster, yet most people hold those games on a very high pedestal nonetheless.
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Yeah, I mean, you're not wrong - I guess I just feel like RDR2 wastes my time far more than those other games, because I have played all of those and enjoyed them to varying degrees, though I do admit they all had their issues as well.
 
Man, I’m having a really hard time getting into this game. Everything just feels a little too tedious and sim-like. So many mechanics or features have either an added maintenance, which I’m not finding fun, or an animation that takes too long (looting bodies, opening drawers, etc.). It also just feels like it takes too damn long to travel around to new places, especially with how easily you can fuck up youself, your horse, or a passenger/stored body by hitting something or crossing uneven terrain.

I don’t know, I’ve only put in about 10 hours so far, so maybe the interesting storyline will help mask these issues, but I’m already hesitant to spend the time trying to find out. For reference, I loved the first RDR, and enjoyed the majority of Rockstar’s previous games (including Bully, LA Noire, and GTA series).
 
I would really recommend just doing the yellow story missions and the white side quests. Most of the other stuff is tedious and not really worth doing, IMO.
 
Colonel Sanders said:
These are all fair points and I don't necessarily disagree. What I will say though is that this game is one of those that feels like it's more than the sum of its parts, at least IMO. Yes the controls are clunky as shit at times, the in-game economy kind of falls apart later on, and so on, but yet I still feel like this game has a magic quality to it that very few games ever reach. I'd put it up there with Witcher 3, The Last of Us, or Mass Effect. Those are all different types of games, but they each kind of fail when you break them down into their component parts and examine them. For example, Witcher 3's combat system is simplistic and uninspired, The Last of Us is a completely linear experience, and Mass Effect's shooting gameplay was lackluster, yet most people hold those games on a very high pedestal nonetheless.
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Agreed for the most part. All of the games you mentioned have varying good and bad traits, but the good definitely outweighs the bad in all of those, at least IMO. Fantastic atmospheres, voice acting, gameplay, breadth. All of these games have some form of tedium or annoying parts, but they are still enjoyable overall and make for some great entertainment.

I admit, there are a ton of games I just can't really get into and won't ever really finish, but are also held in high regard, such as most of the newer Hitman games, Fallout 3 and up, Doom, Metal Gear Solid (most recent ones), to name a few. They're great games on paper to me, but I can't get past an hour or two in any of them because I just don't connect with them. I may give MGS another try in the near future after completing more of my backlog, but I'll probably stop there.

I think as I age, I'm finding it harder and harder to maintain the same interests I had a decade ago. I used to love Hitman, and now I just find it tedious (repetitive). On the flip side, I find killing the same enemies over and over again in Final Fantasy or Octopath enjoyable. Perhaps it's the atmosphere and music that overshadow the grindy nature, who knows to be honest. I think that's why the long animations and travel doesn't really bother me in RDR2. I find myself tuning out of the real world and just listening to the sounds and exploring, and that basically takes away any of the monotony I may feel while taking on the various tasks in the game. Different strokes for sure.
 
So far, my only major gripe about this game revolves around the max speed of the horse you can have just holding down A (or X). I think it would do well to be a bit faster to contend with the monotony of travel, and I'm not a fan of mashing a button to go faster. That said, the monotony was more around Valentine and that area of New Hanover since it was a more open area. Everything around Saint Denis and Rhodes is more clustered and the travel, while still as long, doesn't feel as such.

Another gripe I have was that I lost my legendary boar hide because the game decided to log me out of my profile. When I logged back in and went through that lovely loading screen, the hide was gone, and not at the trapper.

edit: Forgot another, but again related to horse speed... the fact the game slows you down when you come up next to another rider. I cannot stand that.
 
I feel that GTA4 was way better than the sum of its parts, so I'm hopeful this game will eventually grab me in the same way. I've barely touched it in the last week just because everything feels tedious. From managing my 15 separate life/health/stamina/hunger/horse/etc. meters to wonky controls I feel that the game gets in the way of itself. I just want to ride around and do things without having to micromanage literally everything. It's like a giant "Niko let's go bowling!" mission.
 
Domingo said:
I feel that GTA4 was way better than the sum of its parts, so I'm hopeful this game will eventually grab me in the same way. I've barely touched it in the last week just because everything feels tedious. From managing my 15 separate life/health/stamina/hunger/horse/etc. meters to wonky controls I feel that the game gets in the way of itself. I just want to ride around and do things without having to micromanage literally everything. It's like a giant "Niko let's go bowling!" mission.
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So the easiest way to manage those meters...is to just set up camp and craft your meats...eat those from your satchel and those recharge your meters the best, and then use the provisions/tonics during battle and on the move. Feed the horse and go to camp and nap for a few hours. It slowly becomes less of a hindrance and you get good at maintaining. Trust me I am with you I hate that portion of micromanaging.
 
I screwed up. I did the duplicate cheat. Don't judge me! $30k in like a half hour

Resetting my whole game play after having a binge play of buying everything.
 
Verge said:
Is it me or are the controls in this game atrocious. It's so slow and clunky.
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I think I've played GTA and the old Red Dead so much that it's second nature to me now. It is slower compared to other games like Uncharted (which has a smoother and faster, albeit more exaggerated movement style), but it's deliberate with the full on realism they were going for. You either deal with it or not, can't do much about it to be honest. I've had friends complain about the movements in past Rockstar games to the point where they didn't really want to play them, and instead chose to watch.
 
I really like the controls for GTA (with a pad), but there's something about this game that's different. It's the way it "snaps" onto things and the aiming sensitivity seems to vary situationally. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it's throwing me off big time.
 
Eshelmen said:
I screwed up. I did the duplicate cheat. Don't judge me! $30k in like a half hour

Resetting my whole game play after having a binge play of buying everything.
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I thought about doing that, but honestly, just playing through the story you end up with thousands of dollars anyway. I don't really see the point of having 30k when everything costs MAYBE $100-200 at the most.
 
MavericK said:
I thought about doing that, but honestly, just playing through the story you end up with thousands of dollars anyway. I don't really see the point of having 30k when everything costs MAYBE $100-200 at the most.
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I was wondering what would cost that much. since I got the bank robbery mission with preorder, I was set for +$3K on that one. Haven't had much of a money flow struggle.
 
God, if they just had a "fast travel back to camp" function this game would be about 1000x better.

The story and character development are so good, though. It's a huge shame.
 
MavericK said:
God, if they just had a "fast travel back to camp" function this game would be about 1000x better.

The story and character development are so good, though. It's a huge shame.
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So, South Park this week made a reference to using cinematic mode to speed that up. The context made it sound like that could be nonsense, but it was hard to tell. Is there anything to that and is there any point to cinematic mode other than taking screenshots?
 
Domingo said:
So, South Park this week made a reference to using cinematic mode to speed that up. The context made it sound like that could be nonsense, but it was hard to tell. Is there anything to that and is there any point to cinematic mode other than taking screenshots?
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I'm pretty sure the only thing cinematic camera does is make it so that your horse follows the path you have waypointed without needing to steer. You still have to hold/tap the button to keep riding, and the travel seems to all happen in real-time.

Could be incorrect, but I've never heard different in any of the tips I've seen for RDR2.

My big beef with it is just that I've probably spent at least 50% of my time just travelling. Sometimes random events happen, but more often than not it's like 10-15 minutes of riding between locations with nothing of interest happening. If they're willing to put in fast travel FROM the camp, they should be willing to allow it TO the camp. For me, that would be enough, even though the vast majority of games will allow you to go to and from ANY discovered location at will.


EDIT: Here's an article about what you were referring to:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikka...o-camp-in-red-dead-redemption-2/#2e2a2f2666bb

Sounds like it's basically as I said, but you don't have to hold down the button to make the horse go. So I guess this is alright if you want to go grab a snack or something, but you still have to wait the full amount of time. I wonder if you can still get ambushed while in cinematic mode, though?
 
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MavericK said:
Sounds like it's basically as I said, but you don't have to hold down the button to make the horse go. So I guess this is alright if you want to go grab a snack or something, but you still have to wait the full amount of time. I wonder if you can still get ambushed while in cinematic mode, though?
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Yeah you can get ambushed by motherfuckers trying to rob you etc, or your horse runs into something. Cinematic travel mode is nice most of the time, sometimes it gets you killed.
 
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