The Wild Astrophysics that Outer Wilds Simulates

[@sleeplessindefatigable6385]

I will never forget the moment I worked out how truly bonkers Outer Wilds' physics was. It was about ten minutes into the game, when I was wandering around the Hearthian town, and I came across the little screen where you could take pictures from a satellite. I took a picture, thought, "hey, that's neat", then my mind exploded when I saw that when you took another one, the image was different, and that if you took the pictures fast enough, you could basically make a video of the planet. Then I looked up and saw it. I realised that the planet had a fully working satellite in physically modelled orbit, and I fully understood the scope of what I was in for.

[@anonymous38741]

that is amazing

[@iCore7Gaming]

You'll find that satellite is on a rail though. fly to it with your ship and you'll see your ship will start moving because of other gravity forces. the satellite doesn't get affected

[@alexcebe8051]

​@@iCore7Gaming but it's not? You can literaly collide with it and change it's orbit. You can even get your ship to orbit together with the satelite.

[@IguitarVreakI]

@@alexcebe8051 Are you guys talking about the same thing? The OP is probably talking about the scout around TH. Not saying more, in case I spoil something for someone.

[@fipachu]

Yeah, the Timber Heart satellite is a little weird. It kinda feels like it’s on rails because it orbits inside the atmosphere, but it can be bumped out of orbit, both into Timber Heart and away from it. Still it’s an amazing part of the amazing “prologue”.

[@silentfisher]

10:32 Google Maps directions from Butts County to Cumming. This isn't your average everyday humor. This is advanced humor.

[@odinstorm17]

Good spot

[@PaedeNH]

Didn't notice, thanks!

[@KwarterCraft]

I used to live in Cumming, GA, so that's pretty funny.

[@syntheticgerbil]

Such foulness

[@Dr.UldenWascht]

Good catch man! That prompted me to watch the entire video a couple of more times xD

[@NiteSaiya]

1:49 "Non-violent" they say. Like they've never been to Dark Bramble.

[@Gabrostil]

Literally every planet is dangerous, the less dangerous planet is the one that has a fucking black hole

[@olc7222]

@@Gabrostil that is one of the most dangerous ones, it has a volcanic moon that actively destroys the surface

[@Gabrostil]

@@olc7222 i never got hit by any asteroid of the volcanic moon, and the ground falling just teleports you to the white hole station

[@Gabrostil]

@Andrei Salvaleon true, didn't thought about timber's heart lol

[@MadeByZero]

Outer Wilds is an Horror Game lmao

[@bigbone_99]

Not even a minute in and he's talking about Half Life 2 physics experiments he did in highschool. Never change George.

[@TheCivildecay]

He would be that brainy guy in the classroom that you secretly think is pretty awesome, but you still don't want to hang out with him because you are afraid you will instantly ruin any chance with girls ;)

[@hanniffydinn6019]

I was writing physics engines in 68000 assembly that age. I never got laid in school. 🤯

[@JohnnyEscopeta]

Hanniffy Dinn I hope you meant high school

[@hanniffydinn6019]

Marc Espi school. 🤯

[@adamscaife6931]

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

[@blisterfingers8169]

Ah Outer Wilds. The game I preached about for a whole year only for no one I know to even take a cursory glance at it.

[@ShadowlessDeath47]

I bought it for one of my friends to play after I recommended it to him and now a couple other of my friends want to get it themselves. Was a tough sell without spoilers though.

[@DonkeyFilms]

I know the feeling, you’re not alone

[@BrianHopson]

I was oblivious to acknowledge the games existence, The outer world's shadowed the game for awhile.

[@StayFractalesque]

their giants deep loss

[@niteowl9491]

ugh fucking same TT_TT

[@BigLowry]

Outer Wilds is easily game of the decade. Have not had that much fun or felt so enamored with a game since I was a kid. Absolutely brilliant and beautiful.

[@puddud4]

What games are in your top 5?

[@xONYXo1]

Peter Zellan couldn’t agree more. One of the best of all time, and definitely game of the decade. Absolute masterpiece, and a work of art.

[@siddbastard]

oh, what would youtube comments do without over exaggeration ...

[@807D14M0ND5]

@@siddbastard I agree with the OP. The only game that made me feel like a kid, a small being in a truly alien and new world.

[@Saltine3022]

The best game I've ever played. Weirdly, my experience with this game was just as emotional as it was scientific. The game really captures the spirit of space exploration just as much as it captures the physicality of it, and it's beautiful for that.

[@807D14M0ND5]

I felt like I was a crew member of the USS Enterprise from Star Trek.

[@alysdexia]

Spirit = breath or booze, still fysic.

[@adora_was_taken]

@@alysdexia spirit also = the nonphysical characteristics of something, such as emotions or character or "soul"

[@alysdexia]

@@adora_was_taken that definition is wrong. Use etýma only. Everything that exists by definition is fýsic.

[@bsh819]

@@alysdexia Yet our brains conceptualize truths using other made-up paradigms that they could not (or at least not a quickly) manage from a rigorous physical approach. Like.. you can't judge your roommate's mood by a full tabulation of all their neurons and their states. Perhaps theoretically possible, but it makes more sense just to read the emotion in their expression.

[@LowSpecGamer]

This game was not even on my radar and now I have bought it. Thanks.

[@MS31459]

@Gregory Bjorn at least make your @ s works XD

[@YourPetSnake]

Did you enjoy it? I’ve recently finished it now I feel so empty not just because it’s over (since is pretty much all about discovery) but the true ending was just.... wow

[@MilesWilliams88]

@@YourPetSnake I've been meaning to get back to it. I've only played a few hours. So it's worth seeing through until the end?

[@YourPetSnake]

@@MilesWilliams88 my gosh, it is so worth it! DO NOT spoil yourself with any info because the game is fantastic. There are a few endings (not really a spoiler) but you will know if you got the ‘true’ ending. It’s 100% worth it

[@MilesWilliams88]

@@YourPetSnake Awesome! I've been meaning to get back to it for a while. I thought the few hours I played were really cool. Just got sidetracked with other things. Thanks🤙

[@r.m.2598]

Soon George gonna give us homework.

[@Jose-se9pu]

I would do it, lol

[@_Dingu]

"I'll leave the solution to this problem as an exercise for the viewers"

[@Rexory_]

Was thinking the same thing lol.🤣

[@blackcowboymusic]

Love how slowly over time this channel has morphed from "Hey guys isn't Metal Gear weird??" to lessons on astrophysics and history

[@OGR-4394]

Those were the better days

[@Lord_of_Dread]

I'd say that's pretty indicative of the personalities that get obsessive with MGS. I say that as another die-hard MGS fan with a degree in biochemistry!

[@Lacie9]

Still good tho

[@c.jarmstrong3111]

@@OGR-4394 people grow and change, get used to it

[@OGR-4394]

@@c.jarmstrong3111 Nah, people either get shit or don't

[@Hyuttah]

"outer wilds is a non violent exploration game" game: "oh yeah, let me just get the autopilot to fly you into the sun" "let me just crush you with sand" "let me just crash your body full force into a peace of ground"

[@tricklewickle]

Let me just *Dark Bramble*

[@aadarshbalireddy2939]

@@tricklewickle "Don't go into the dark bramble, it's dangerous" Goes there anyway and gets eaten by giant space fish. *Suprised Pikachu face*

[@icevlad148]

"It seems that starving myself of oxygen and dying from asphyxiation is my only choice right now."

[@StayFractalesque]

alien vs nature

[@torgg7493]

"Let me sling shot your ship into space." "Let me suck you into a black hole." "Drift peacefully through space with the remainder of your oxygen" "let me kill you by super nova to stop you from suffocating" "would you like to wake up and go again?" 😕.... 😒"yes"

[@Schneeregen_]

I fell in love with this game when I realised the black hole in Brittle Hollow linked into a white hole at the edge of the solar system (actually my first loop, I ended up staring at the white hole until I figured it out and promptly suffocated), and while that's not accurate to real life physics it is a part of theoretical physics.

[@justindenton599]

I love George's Disco Elysium cosplay

[@TheCivildecay]

Haha yes! that was the first thing that came into my mind at 9:12.. the pale skin and the muted colors are just too perfect

[@levelzero8445]

Meh, it's such a low effort cosplay. He's still missing the horrible tie, the creepy smile and the ever present stench of alcohol! Actually, maybe he nailed the alcohol part already, now that I think about it.

[@realmarsastro]

It's not a Disco Elysium cosplay though, it's a Carl Sagan cosplay. That entire bit is inspired by the old TV show Cosmos, hosted by Carl Sagan.

[@Klarden]

He successfully used The Expression

[@the-mush]

@@realmarsastro kids this days...

[@coolkusti]

Having the dust settle on a WiiU was an *incredible* choice.

[@jp5394]

And a bit sad

[@bigbobilly8991]

^Agreed on both counts.^

[@ShinkeiDEI]

Big prop for the Carl Sagan's Cosmos homage.

[@dwaynezilla]

also, now I want some ramen

[@Shadowmask8]

Does a better job than Neil Degrasse Tyson.

[@boraristic]

we're going to explore the cosmos in a ship of the imagination...

[@Somethingbloody]

I love that this game took me from being absolutely terrified and in awe of a black hole, to jumping across it and figuring out how to vector myself so I could slingshot further away from it than I started. After a few tries I could jump from the inner walkways of Brittle Hollow and land on the surface.

[@1990EscortXR3i]

Probably the most fun I've had in the game was accidentally falling towards the black hole and learning it wasn't strong enough to always pull you. Managing to land back on that hanging bridge was the cherry on top.

[@AltAccount-oh6ey]

@@1990EscortXR3i God bless Riebeck's purple tractor beam, I can't count the amount of times I've slipped and just done loops around the black hole until I was back at his camp

[@potatoboy6094]

this game is a gem, its what i would have imagined gaming would be like in the past, using the advancements in technology for more complex simulations, and then warping those complex simulations into fun scenarios, while not everything in the game is realistic, everything that happens in the game makes sense, because it follows a consistent logic, i love that the only real 'upgrades' you get is understanding the world more allowing you to manipulate it better, its a shame we dont get more games like this...

[@wallhackio399]

I adored my time with Outer Wilds last year. I've studied physics at the graduate level and was surprised by how accurately gravity was modeled (although it's clear from the interviews in the video that they actually broke some rules here and there, but it definitely feels realistic if you know a thing or two about gravity and planetary orbits). I can say that the presentation of quantum mechanics in the game isn't realistic. While the game's interpretation of the collapse of a superposition of states does reflect the physical concept effectively, Outer Wilds' take on entanglement doesn't reflect the actual physical principle much at all. Not a big deal, since what they did suits the game perfectly, but I don't want people to come out of this game thinking they received a realistic model of Quantum Mechanics.

[@SilverLuna07]

I appreciate this comment, now I can set my expectations accordingly!

[@Caidezes]

Well, there's only so much realism you can add to a game that isn't trying to be a full blown simulator. They still had to make it fun to play and fit the story/lore.

[@Alex_Beachum]

I actually slightly regret naming that particular rule "entanglement" because (as you mentioned) it really has nothing to do with distant particles sharing a quantum state. At the time it seemed worth the trade-off because "entangle" is such a good word, but in retrospect I hope it doesn't mislead too many people :P

[@wallhackio399]

@@Alex_Beachum Oh wow, it's you! Thank you so much for your work on Outer Wilds. Playing it was one of the most beautiful experiences I've had with any media ever

[@thomashewitt8104]

Alex Beachum Hey Alex! Just want to let you know you’ve made possibly my favourite game of all time - thank you and the rest of the team for all the hard work!

[@desdenova1]

Kerbal Space Program is the game that enabled me to almost intuit orbital mechanics.

[@RRW359]

For me it was Rodinia. KSP lets you become too reliant on the map to show if you are in orbit or not.

[@DonkeyFilms]

RRW realistic forces still apply to KSP. The map just made it simple for people to understand, it’s still up to the player to understand aerodynamics and physics to even get to that point of orbit

[@desdenova1]

@@RRW359 Even without the map, that's what I meant by "almost intuit" as I can pretty much establish an equatorial orbit blindfolded now. IFR with rockets is fun!

[@ChrisLoos1]

Same. I actually feel some of the magic other people have experienced playing Outer Wilds was lost on me because I already got that magic from my time playing Kerbal. I still greatly enjoyed the narrative, learning about the ancient aliens and their experiments, etc.

[@jorgegutierrez8588]

I love the noodle inside joke. It's so stupid but I can't help but smile every time I see it.

[@jackalbeam2532]

16:50 I actually cried. After playing Outer Wilds made me realize the much better lifestyle of the Heartians, that being curiousity and discovery rather than living and dying. And it's amazing to hear the same from someone else.

[@SledTillDead]

11:00 George looks like a shaved Harry DuBois from Disco Elysium

[@Awesomebaconman123]

LOL

[@CallN0w]

god, my thoughts exactly. Do they even have ramen in Revachol?

[@connerrobles-emery3672]

I came here to post this. It's so good.

[@NorgmanG]

Literally my exact thought. Hahaha

[@Sergalt]

yea i thought the same xD

[@KittyBoom360]

FYI, satellites actually tick slower because of their high velocities, even though they have faster clocks because of less gravity. The net effect after adding gravitational dilation minus velocity dilation is a slower clock for our satellites.

[@ellpoyohlokoh]

I just finished this game going in completely blind. I feel kinda hollow now. I don't think another game has hit me the way this one did. I've been exploring this small world for a little more than a week, and I wasn't ready for the realizations it contains. The physics and work that went into the mechanics honestly didn't hit me until afterwards. It's amazing how different people are so impressed by different aspects of the same project.

[@dormin1850]

Would you say you feel Brittle Hollow? (I'm so sorry) I had a similar experience myself playing the game, one of a kind experience.

[@AltAccount-oh6ey]

@@dormin1850 AGHHHH DAMMIT you beat me to it by a whole year XD But I can also confidently say that this game is one-of-a-kind and is frankly perfect

[@ZERO9098767]

"Outer Wilds" and "Outer Worlds" are way too closely named to each other. Every time I see "Outer Wilds", I see it as "Outer Worlds".

[@MatthijsvanDuin]

Technically it's "The Outer Worlds" vs "Outer Wilds" ;-) ... Outer Wilds was first though (alpha release in 2015, while The Outer Worlds was revealed in 2017)

[@SilverLuna07]

I feel the same way. I've gone out of my way to distinguish the two nowadays, since I know I'm likely to mix them up. Bigger issue is that both games were eventually released the same year and are both exclusive to the EGS for the time being and are both space themed, so there's more aspects besides their names that make it likely to mix them up.

[@johnnybensonitis7853]

Oh wow, I didn't realize they were two different games!

[@johnnybensonitis7853]

NVM, I guess I did lol it just hit me. You guys are right, they are way too close in name. The Outer Worlds is the Obsidian game that I've heard was a bit disappointing but haven't played.

[@nosferatu5]

I agree, i thought he was high or something, i was about to have my brain blown how physics in Outer Worlds was amazing somehow, despite looking opposite. Only at the 2 minute mark my brain caught on. Outer Wilds absolutely is amazing though.

[@Apeacrobat01320]

Outer wilds quickly became one of my favorite games of all time and I now consider it my game of the decade. If anyone hasn't played this game, I beg of you to play it.

[@Frungi]

I wish more games had us dealing with orbital mechanics. That was a seriously fun learning curve.

[@caspertrog1046]

Not only does Outer Wilds impress with its physics and sound internal logic, it's also just an incredible game to experience. For any of you who enjoy exploration and puzzling together a story, look no further and do yourself a favor: pick up this game.

[@commanderlopan]

The Sagan impression and mannerisms made me nostalgic. Brilliant!

[@reynoldssmith6696]

9:17 then pause for an absolutely perfect George

[@doctorhunter5553]

That close up shot kinda got me

[@wydrobin]

The physics in this game is so good that I still remember the genuine fear of death and anxiety when I accidentally drifted into space without my ship

[@BrorealeK]

Half Life 2, noodles, and my dad waxing dorky for 20 minutes straight. George you've done it again!

[@saltyjustice4444]

This video aged me by 19 minutes and 21 seconds.

[@sleevesoco]

And I'd say we're all ok with that. Time well spent.

[@sebastiansochanski]

That all depends how close or far away from earth's core you were at the time of watching it.Lol

[@droidBasher]

How close is your reference frame to your computer's reference frame? For example if your computer was much closer to a neutron star than you are it would have displayed the video slower, causing you to age more than 19m 21s.

[@SapphicAshley]

every 60 minutes in Africa, an hour passes

[@BrianHopson]

Feeling old yet.

[@TheCivildecay]

2:26 Finding the right angle and speed to turn yourself into a planet's low orbit satellite while exploring it's surface is one of the most satisfying things you can do in outer wilds :D Another fun trick is using a black hole to lauch you like a slingshot by falling into it's gravity field with just the right angle.

[@OresamaSaikyou]

"In order to cook a bowl of noodles from scratch, you must first invent the universe" - George Weidman, 2020

[@AshnSilvercorp]

Super Bunnyhop: _"Yea I got tired of that one ramen shop clip, so now I decided to just have a sequence making ramen for you."_

[@bestsnowboarderuknow]

The outer wilds is the most mind-blowing game I've ever played

[@happyconstructor]

“There’s no situation in the game where time from your perspective moves differently than in the rest of the game” Me: takes a nap by a campfire

[@Minihood31770]

5:55 I'm pretty sure you have that backwards, George. An inverse square relationship is going to be stronger closer and fade away faster at distance than a linear one. Linear means double the distance = 1/2 the force. Inverse square means double the distance = 1/4 the force. I assume the planets have a maximum range for their linear gravity, because calculating all of those interactions at distances when the effect is minimal is time consuming and pointless. This would explain why the planets don't fall into each other, because the range of their gravitational pulls is finite, and therefore they don't interact with each other, only with the sun.

[@sirprintalot]

The planets don't even interact with the sun. The Interloper passes very close by but it's orbit doesn't change at all.

[@Sirrunalot24]

@@sirprintalot What do you mean? That's the orbit it has, why would it change? It's not like there's an atmosphere to do aerobraking.

[@rodrigolinares2930]

he also got confused with gravity and time, instead of velocity and time.

[@Yggdrasil42]

sirprintalot The interloper has an elliptical orbit around the sun. If it didn’t interact at all it would keep going straight instead of orbit. So what do you mean exactly?

[@kr00m]

9/10 minus one for missing turtleneck sweater

[@Xune2000]

You should play Kerbal Space Program. That got me into the technical and historical aspects of humanities history and ongoing endevours in space flight.

[@FortyBot]

When he started talking about learning physics, I thought for sure he would at least mention KSP

[@raidermaxx2324]

im sure he does.. i'd find it hard to believe that a game journalist like this guy, has never played kerbal space program

[@punpunchan734]

Super bunnyhop be out here lookin like the protag of Disco Elysium

[@Akabane101]

I've been waiting for this! :D

[@Frungi]

Disappointed to find that the documentary discussed at the end is no longer on Curiosity Stream. Significantly less disappointed to find it free on Plex.

[@potatosordfighter666]

This is the first video of yours I've ever seen. It showed up in my recommended. Outer Wilds is one of 3 games I would call perfect. Your description of it, as well as Nerd³s description of it in his games of the year, truly encompass what this game is and show the insane efforts put into making this masterpiece. Halfway through this video I stopped and thought "wait, isn't this a video about Outer Wilds? Why am I getting a physics lesson?" But I wanted the physics lesson.

[@NathanHampton]

I'm curious what the other two games on your list are?

[@potatosordfighter666]

@@NathanHampton Portal and Shadow of the Colossus.

[@XanderHDD]

Thanks George, this was my favorite game of last year. Love seeing in depth analysis like these.

[@trashburgman2291]

NOODLE-SHOT REWORK; WE BACK BABY

[@thomaspech9008]

Having played Kerbal Space Program is actually pretty helpful for flying the ship in Outer Wilds.

[@ShootingStarNeo]

"Outer Wilds is a non-violent space exploration puzzle game, in which in order to explore the space and solve the puzzles you have to develop an appreciation for astrophysics." Say no more, my pants are already off.

[@Darches]

I'm holding off on watching this until I experience the game for myself, but I gotta say you've made one of the video thumbnails of all time. Never before have I laughed with such intensity at a video thumbnail. Well done.

[@raymondheggheim]

Tries to cosplay Carl Sagan, ends up cosplaying Harry du Bois with 10 in logic😂

[@FranciscoMNeto]

A Carl Sagan reference like that is a real gift these days. Thank you for that ❤

[@stevenglowacki8576]

Outer Wilds really is a baby's first celestial mechanics game. It's really quite forgiving compared to Kerbal Space Program, for instance.

[@MeritVape]

Loving the Carl Sagan esq cadence. Well done.

[@Smoothiecom]

Can't say I agree that Outer Wilds makes you think that much about orbital mechanics. Since the gravity is so minimal and since you have infinite fuel, driving in a straight line is completely fine. You can't see your own orbit on the map either so it's not really possible to put yourself in orbit around anything except by just matching your speed to something else that is in orbit. Kerbal Space Program does this much better. In Outer Wilds you can escape a planets gravity by flying straight up. This doesn't make any sense in real life. In KSP I flew my first spaceship straight up and promptly crashed down again, which made me realizd that I didn't actually know how orbits work. In Outer Wilds you can easily play the entire game and not really care about the orbital mechanics.

[@MichelMohr]

Love the Carl Sagan tribute, real good work simulating his way of speach too.

[@duffman18]

George, with the whole maths and physics things you said you really enjoyed at the beginning of the video, I think you'd _LOVE_ zachtronics games. They're very niche but they seem like absolute George-games. They're all about maths and logic, they're not big or flashy, the joy comes from the realism of the puzzles, the fact they use real world logic and science in them rather than some arbitrary constructed video-gamey rule set.

[@telekinesticman]

Have loved your channel for a few years but damn this is so great. Love this game and I love that I can't think of a single other KZbin channel that would make something like this. Well done.

[@millies1264]

Hey remember, when you shoot the scout while floating still, the force pushes you back! Just noticed that in Dark Bramble exploring The Vessel.

[@darklsn]

When George brought in the noodles I knew this was gonna be one of my favorite videos of his hahaha. Keep up the stellar content George! I would absolutely love to see more of this kind of content in the future. Math, physics, and astrophysics? It's like I'm back in University hahaha

[@MrTBSC]

"stellar content" what u did thar i see ...

[@yudha1577]

I am a huge fan of KSP and this game manage to blow me away with its accurate physics. I notice that if you float above a planet, your ship will start to fall toward it. then i try adding horizontal velocity to my ship and manage to perform a stable orbit like a real life satellite. I did this because it's the first thing that ksp has taught me to do.

[@savethefunk]

Thank you George for making the very best content I have seen on you tube these past 12 months. You rock.

[@justderp5713]

George finally made his own noodle clip. Amazing.

[@nyghtly-derek]

Your video is 2 minutes and 39 seconds from perfection... ;-)

[@airsheeps]

@15:25 onward George doing his best Carl Sagan voice. :)

[@WodkaEclair]

I think it started when he said the bowl of noodles thing. He was definitely doing it by 11 min

[@airsheeps]

@@WodkaEclair oh, probably! But definitely noticeable by then :)

[@DeloreandudeTommy]

I got so happy to see the town I live in on the Google Maps shot at 10:34. It's so unusual to see it mentioned anywhere.

[@Chazinthius]

I literally cried when I finished the game. It was just so beautiful. I haven’t cried for a year. This game…

[@juampan]

You had fun with this one and it shows. The georgest one of them all.

[@h3ckNo]

Just wait 'til George discovers Kerbal Space Program.

[@johnbrown9181]

KSP's physics are actually less accurate in some ways, only using two-body orbits (planets don't have a 'sphere of influence' in real life), while The Outer Wilds does simulate n-body physics.

[@h3ckNo]

@@johnbrown9181 "in some ways", yeah, but in some, KSP is much more detailed and realistic. And if you compare the two, KSP requires a bit more involvement and that's what the joke was about.

[@videodog4526]

@@johnbrown9181 principia mod

[@ydna]

I love your interviews G, you seem to always go the extra mile for firsthand information and it makes your videos very respectable.

[@saladoc]

I call this game Mairo galaxy: mayoras mascara edition.

[@hockeylad2727]

George, you are all that is right in the world. I even appreciate how you tie in marketing with actual content pieces. Ill always be here for your content, so please never change.

[@shukterhousejive]

And I thought George had forgotten about the noodles meme!

[@WardenmediaGames]

Great video George. Really enjoyed the hands on approach to spacetime & noodles. Actually think this is the best video I've seen you make.

[@GameRevo]

One thing I didn't quite follow was the effect of gravity over distance in the game - from what I understand, it was modelled inverse linearly here instead of using the inverse square law, but doesn't that mean the effect falls off more slowly, and planets would pull on each other more? Are the planets relative to each other (and the star) being modelled with a different equation than the planets to the player, or am I just misunderstanding the quote?

[@Minihood31770]

I think George just got mistaken about linear vs inverse square laws work. I reckon the sun has an inverse square gravitational pull on everything, and the planets have an inverse linear gravitational pull with a finite cutoff some distance from the surface. I find it hard to believe they would bother to calculate the interactions between all the planets at all times, especially if the pull is linear. Most of the effects would be negligible, so why waste precious cycles calculating them? This is a game first, and a simulation second. It needs to run more than it needs to be accurate. Just looking at the game if the planets affected one another the orbits would wobble when they got close. Unless I'm mistaken, they stay on smooth ellipses.

[@sirprintalot]

Planets don't affect each other to the degree he thinks. Gravity only really affects you and your ship. Like, when the Interloper passes by The Sun, the Interloper's orbit doesn't change, but your ship can get sucked off and towards the Sun.

[@backslash153]

What you have to remember is that "falling off linearily" can mean a lot of different things depending on the slope of your line. A somewhat steep line will behave exactly as he explained. Let's say the gravity at distance 1 (let's say this is the surface) is 100%. Then, falling of lineary, at distance 2 - the player being the planet's radius worth away from the surface - it could be 50%. In this case, the gravity of the planet would be 25% at distance 2 and would have completely no effect - 0% - at distance 3. The linear formula for this would be f(x)=150-50x The exact linear formula is most likely different for each planet, but you can see how using this you can create planets with a stronger than normal gravitational pull on objects that are very close (like the player or a planet's moon) but absolutely no effect on other planets in order to not destabilize the system too much. In contrast, an inverse square law will fall off very quickly but will never actually reach zero - so the gravitational effect will always be felt everywhere in the system. This allows the sun to pull the player (and the planets) everywhere, AND, in addition, something that wasn't even mentioned in the video: Allows the planets to move so slowly. Due to the downscaling it seems like the planets are rotating super fast, but they are actually unphysically slow. To counteract an acaurately modeled gravity on these tiny distances and with these (relatively to the sun) humongous planets would mean several rotational periods per SECOND. They can circumvent this by using the linear falloff on planets. You see normally, of course, the gravity between sun and planets is mutual - planets pull on the sun with the same inverse square law that the sun pulls on the planets. But here, the planets can be completely disregarded as their gravity falls off to zero. and @@sirprintalot The interloper DOES interact with the sun - ithe orbit it's already on is the result of this interaction.

[@gtoadinator4102]

Quality stuff as always george, keep it up homie

[@jigurd]

Last time I was this early, the Nomai had just arrived in the solar system!

[@esoopthederp7672]

RIP to my bois, too good for this iteration

[@esoopthederp7672]

This is amazing timing, haven’t watched a single video of yours for months

[@FelipeFritschF2]

I have no idea what this video is about but I already liked it.

[@WodkaEclair]

This video is him roleplaying as Carl Sagan

[@Hekik-jh6vp]

9:43 You explained in 10 seconds something I have never been able to understand until now!

[@emildubas6766]

I find it funny that I was watching Super Bunnyhop’s Shadow of the Colossus video when this popped up!

[@arthurdias5385]

My favorite moment was after I’d visited every planet and spoken to all the NPCs. I decided to take the ship and tried to escape the supernova by flying away from the sun. As I tuned in to the Outer Wilds Ventures frequency, I heard every instrument playing together in perfect harmony. Sooooo beautiful! ❤ But when the sun exploded, the instruments stopped playing, one by one 😢😢😢

[@zeemod1556]

Outer Wilds is so cool. Every time I think more about it or learn more about it the cooler it gets.

[@Kylailao]

Upon discovering the noodles in the thumbnail, I could no longer afford not to watch this. Well done. The expression was really hilarious, haha

[@stickyallover7016]

Not only is curiositystream a sponsor They made this video

[@bunnyhopshow]

It feels real warm and fuzzy to plug something I actually genuinely enjoy. Because, yeah. You can totally tell.

[@lordlynkz]

Your effort is greatly appreciated.

[@Vesperitis]

Outer Wilds 2 should include time dilation and romance options, and have time move differently between lovers.

[@VedantFalcon]

Read or watch 'Hoshi no Koe' aka 'Voices of a distant star'.

[@joshuatartar2731]

Should it be gay

[@juliamaria3807]

@@joshuatartar2731 always

[@AFacemarkedbyFea]

Got this game without any knowledge of it. It just blew my mind. I was walking, playing hide and seek and yeah. Suddenly there was a whole interacting universe. This game is SO good!

[@johnconnorpliskin7184]

Noodles are eternal.

[@gododoof]

Praise the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

[@Draconicrose]

You made the first video about space and time in a long while that didn't trigger a panic attack! Thank you, this was amazing!

[@BurnerWah]

Hey VSauce! George here.

[@NateAlyn]

I learned so much from this one video. Now it makes sense why the gameplay of Outer Wilds connected with me on such a deep level.

[@RIPSLYMEFAN]

Oh how I missed this nerdy geek

[@abnormal2270]

This was an amazing video George. Too bad I didn't understand half of it, but still, your efforts in making this videos just put a big smile on my face. Keep it up !

[@LB_]

I went to Berkner High School and one of the students my physics professor, Mr. C, had had, had done a physics project on GMod, and what Mr. C showed is is eerily similar to what you showed at the start of this video. I am wondering if maybe I had misunderstood Mr. C and it was actually your project but you weren't his student...? Did you ever upload your project to KZbin and let teachers share it?

[@wl1861]

I think this is your best video! Love the direction your taking when analyzing theses games by putting them in the larger context of which they evolved from + what seems like a bit of irony/sarcasm on your part. Works well or I miss read you.

[@tue-moi772]

Yo live action George looks exactly like the mc in Disco Elysium

[@Adrian_of_Arcane_Lore]

I like how you Carl Saganed the whole thing, very subtle, but very good!

[@hunchbackedfool]

Kinda curious what George was like in high school.

[@r.m.2598]

Nerd

[@ivanjurlina6869]

@@r.m.2598 Geek,not nerd.The difference is that geeks are good in school and nerds is obsessed with comics,movies and video games.

[@r.m.2598]

@@ivanjurlina6869 They are the same.

[@duffman18]

@@r.m.2598 they are not the same

[@r.m.2598]

@@duffman18 They are.

[@evandickinson6393]

Your Carl Sagan bit was AMAZING