Darktide's gory animations are smarter than you think

What is the secret sauce of Darktide’s bonks, slashes, gashes, bumps, and thwumps? Pat asks the gunksmiths at Fatshark how they make smashing a pipe on a demon cultists head feel so meaningful. Melee combat is at the center of what makes Warhammer 40K: Darktide's gameplay feel good, and they've put a lot of thought into how enemies splatter into pieces and ragdoll into oblivion. Building on their work in Vermintide, the developers spill the secret sauce behind Darktide's gory combat.
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[@matthewgilson9834]

polygon's long-form youtube videos are what drew me to polygon in the first place. you guys have some of the best, funniest, and most insightful content on the internet, and i hope you never stop making these videos!

[@RecordsSam]

"Impact System" showing up in Impact font got a good chuckle out of me lol

[@robinsparrow1618]

you get it

[@paul_j_b]

The level of care put into the core gameplay loop is extremely impressive, and it's fantastic to have a bit more information about the specific choices made by the design team in achieving that. My only fear is that the rest of the package feels so rushed and starved of resources, and the community management has been so sporadic, that the game might not survive long enough to realise the potential of all that hard work.

[@devforfun5618]

yup, reached level 30 so xp is meaningless all the guns in the store are worse than the ones i have there is no way to upgrade them more all that is left is farming resources to when the crafting eventually gets added in the game, but playing with the bots is frustrating because they are terrible and the matchmaker never forms a team i would still play solo if the bots could pick items and shot the snipers instead of all of them dying in the middle of an open space trying to save the first one to fall

[@DizzyDisco93]

@@devforfun5618 dont forget the timegates and inability to choose the maps you play.

[@amberlee4536]

@@devforfun5618 I would play solo if the bots could just shoot the enemies, end of story. I'm used to them being completely useless with items in Back 4 Blood, all I need for them is to not get run down in the first horde the game gives me before I get teammates

[@randallb4972]

@@devforfun5618 Are you playing on the game pass version of darktide? cause i have 3x30s all except ogryn. and never had queue time take longer then like 10secs to find a group, anytime during the am (im cst) or pm, no difference. and if it puts me in a group that is just me and another and 2 bots, they replace the bots with real ppl usually like 1 or 2 mins in. so in closing i think either a: you're playing on xbox game pass, that would explain the lack of ppl.. most on game pass don't commit to any game to play for longer then a blockbuster rental time period. or b: you are exaggerating a bit, which it happens but try to be atleast a tiny bit truthful with some of the comment at least.. just saying.

[@devforfun5618]

@@randallb4972 im playing on gamepass, and im not exagerating, i try searching on different dificulties, dont find anyone, enter the game with bots, wait a bit to see if someone enters and nothing, then i play until i find a second book praying for someone to join then i rush to the end of the level frustrated but to the clear, when i started playing with Ogryn on lower levels i found teams way more easily, maybe the problem is with the preacher, or maybe it is the levels which i think shouldn't matter, if i am level 30 and want to play on the lowest dificult of course i don't care that my teammates are going to be weak, they even place weak bots instead

[@katchimai]

I was sooo worried you guys weren't going to do video essays anymore! This video was great and I hope KZbin isn't peer pressuring ya'll too hard away from amazing long content like this

[@boydstephensmithjr]

Shorts are neat, but yeah, I subscribed for the longer form content that goes in-depth like this, or connects disparate subjects like Simone's stuff, or shows how broad some effects are across gaming like Jenna's stuff. The video content you just can't jam into 1 minute.

[@tristansmith8824]

@@boydstephensmithjr Man, I miss Jenna's Polygon content. She's still making stuff on her own channel but I'm still mad and bummed out about her getting let go.

[@ArkhBaegor]

@@boydstephensmithjr No, shorts suck ass. Shorts got Jenna fired

[@Ebb0Productions]

11 minutes as "long content", lol

[@boydstephensmithjr]

@@tristansmith8824 Link to channel?

[@alyssa.jay.]

a full video?? holy moly I never thought I'd see the day again

[@sevren]

This is so funny, a few days ago I was telling my brother how much I loved charging the power maul and swinging it with the Ogryn, and how it felt exactly like that Sauron scene, and now I see this lol

[@polygon]

you're a prophet

[@spamhere1123]

For all the flaws Darktide has (and there are plenty), the combat is not one of them. The meaty, visceral combat of the game is hard-carrying the franchise right now, and it's so good that I still find myself playing the game despite the fact that just about every other overarching system in the game is half-baked at best.

[@sadpee7710]

the part about coordinating rag-dolls so they render the about the same thing for each client really showed how much thought is put into games behind the scenes which we don't see. a compromise between a shared experience and network limitations. a smart solution. i wonder how many other games have tricks like that

[@debruynvince]

One of my favorite moments with darktide was fooling around in the weapon practice area, and realizing that power mauls, even if they don't kill on hit, leave a massive wound wherever you land. Some enemies will even survive a headshot from a power weapon, leaving their skull fully exposed from the blast. Extremely satisfying combat that every detail reinforces; I can't wait for more content to come

[@fjordojustice]

Always love seeing Patrick break down background details behind nasty games

[@zachwilkens7524]

I was worried this channel was dead. 2.5 months without a vid! Glad y'all are back.

[@matthewzaloudek]

You could say the same thing about Darktide unfortunately

[@misterscienceguy]

Doesn't help they've lost a bunch of staff. (BDG, Jenna)

[@mweeming]

@@misterscienceguy naming two people as a bunch is hilarious

[@chrismanuel9768]

@@mweeming Two out of five is in fact a bunch. It's 40% of them.

[@Whatsuppbuddies]

It was always my favourite to bisect the ratmen in vermintide 2. Imagine my joy now that I can play as a big man making nuggets out of zombies with every swing. Also, there's something amazing about the way a guy will crumple in this game when you whack them over the head as the ogryn.

[@Sneezac]

I'll always have that image of throat slitted rat animation in V2. Awesome stuff

[@jonathanstrock3562]

let's not forget how they crumpled under a direct hit from the Rumbler shell. Absolutely delightful.

[@keysmash_roa]

I humbly request that you stop putting people in the thumbnails so i can guess who is the host again

[@polygon]

im sorry i promise i only do it with pat. the rest of us are fair game - Simone

[@jack0slack]

@@polygon Pat’s ready for his close up and we all just have to accept that.

[@WinterReflections]

I take that as an indicator that his videos are expected to perform best, and it's reasonable to do. They're all great though.

[@adorimable9690]

Im sorry to say its not gonna be BDG again, sad

[@ArkhBaegor]

@@polygon "The rest of us" there's only 2 of you left!

[@alemorikec]

My favorite kill was an execution of a rev'd eviscerator on a Mauler. Sawed it in half. So satisfying.

[@nickq8093]

what i most appreciate is that they have managed to make ogryns comedic relief... through sound design and visuals rather than dialogue. ogryn's box throw hitting an enemy is one of the single most recogniseable and clear sounds in the game. you hear it and you know somebody just got plunked in the face with the box. In addition they seem to have made a purposeful decision to give the ogryn more upwards swings and increased ragdoll force, giving it hilarious ragdolls. even the ogryn rumbler is like a secondary box, having the grenade bounce comically up into the air as opposed to having proper physics applied. it's a great decision and i love it.

[@daefaron]

One time i nailed a sniper or something across the hanger bay with a box and typed in chat BOX! teammates were confused until i clarified what i did. Fun times

[@RossLlewallyn]

Fascinating bit at the end about where computation is done on enemy death and how, for this game, they do it differently because it's more important for everyone to have a shared experience. Great video.

[@brolaire8851]

Is that why the game doesn't do a "shared loot" system with upgrade materials?

[@donotworried]

“I also like it when it’s nasty” -Pat

[@lukebonser1493]

Dude! You didn't talk about the layered models with gore underneath that turns transparent on hit. So good.

[@chrisfleming1064]

I love this game so much, and your take and interviews are just top notch

[@sydneygorelick7484]

Yaaay more Pat talking about violence! Now let Simone talk about architecture again

[@stachmantel5593]

This is the first time I've seen pat whit the big flow and I love it

[@Michael_Lindell]

This reminds me of the animated movie about violence in cinema; "Finding Gory"

[@bigbrawler3080]

I've been a hammer player since 1998 and Darktide really hits the nail on the head for that oh so glorious/gruesome grim dark. And the wacky old hair metal feel of oldhammer (Space Crusade through 3rd). Community management has been meh but I think it'll survive if they nip that soon.

[@belwa42]

I was beginning to think Polygon's video content only exist as TikTok and Instagram reels now (which I'm not a fan of) but I'm relieved to see a proper video

[@sarahbearbabygirl]

pat video like a warm cup of tea. or....hot blood? anyway i'm drinking it.

[@meganellis5479]

this was super interesting! i haven’t played the game, but i love deep dives into bits of dev that i didn’t even know existed

[@MamaDespik]

Finally, a Polygon video :D

[@MamaDespik]

Please no more shorts.

[@BestgirlJordanfish]

Goodness happy to see this channel uploading these longer form videos again. Welcome back. I still miss Jenna though.

[@ambermiller3751]

I love these deep dives! Also the overlay for the interview clips rules

[@eleanort.t.showbiz7207]

I love watching pat talk about why explosions or blood splatters or flinching animations are awesome

[@lastimosaz]

The Kantrael MG XII lasgun hitting enemies is so satisfying.

[@bwagner23]

Gonna muster all my willpower to not rant about the tiktokification of online media and simply say I'm glad to see another long-form video from y'all. Please continue!

[@khonsuthecore4788]

Developers must feel pretty nice when Pat and the other video producers contact them and are like "How did you do this so well? I love it."

[@CommandantLennon]

One of the most important animations in this game is your weapon. When trying to cut through too many enemies, or attacking something with armor your attack can stop part way through. It's a great way to let the player know that they need to change things up.

[@dropdedgothish]

I love how digestible these recent videos are, im strapping in for a 20min+ explanation, but only get met with 11mins and exactly what I wanted out of the topic at hand!

[@Chocolate83Bunny]

Wow the vermintide behind the scenes video was so awesome! Great to see how deep you go for these pieces.

[@WTFisTingispingis]

Darktide really does feel like you're playing a Lord of the Rings game, but with guns. I would _kill_ for Fatshark to do a Middle-Earth game.

[@missystrange13]

i was writing a comment about this but i misspelled his name as Pat Kill and if you don't mind, i think that's what i'm going to call him any time he covers a super gory game like this or doom.

[@FebruaryGhost]

Fantastic video! I love learning this stuff, and videos this length are just perfect for it!

[@Jeagan2002]

Darktide has amazing actual gameplay, I can't wait for the rest to be finished.

[@Dx-Dm]

Very glad to see y'all doing long form content again :)

[@charliecrossing]

"ROCK ROCKS ON" in the captions has the same energy as "dudes rock!" and I love it

[@crablessinbaltimore]

please let pat continue to speak, i live for these

[@angelaquinton]

Pat Gill videos are easily my favourite videos in the gaming world. Thank you for another icky, blood-splattered banger!

[@axemtitanium]

Making video games is so much harder and so much more thought is put into every single thing than you expect.

[@mysteriousopinionatedperso1508]

captions at 2:08 - "many men going waaahhh when whapped by large hammer" lol

[@zander67]

I feel like the Dying Light games also do a great job of taking physics into account when you're in there breaking and slashing those good good zombros - the dropkicks, especially during things like their events where they feature specific attacks, are a source of great humor for co-op sessions to see what you can break in the physical space and have others see it

[@adrianaslund8605]

I already knew that. The violence is as satisfying as L4D atleast. The way a lasgun blasts a hole through a body. Making the enemy stare at his blasted through arm in shock before dying. It's hella cool.

[@theKonfusion]

It's also utilitary in the way, that amongst the chaos, you can easily see what each weapons do. In their purpose. yes you can read stats prior. but when you see how a combo affect a certain way the ragdolls and cluster of ennemies or their stagger, you can then find complementary weapons etc. plus it's very badass and makes it never ending fun to mow down people.

[@medulasa1]

THANK YOU, I HAVE BEEN DYING FOR A FULL VIDEO FOR SO LONG

[@mossykid]

Minor note on the "there is meaning in the blood and guts". The video seques from talking about maggots at 7:40 to meaning in gore, but misses the point for bringing up the fact that maggots as a type of gore is also giving you information: enemies that inflict Corruption damage (which eats away at your health bar with purple non-health) spray maggots instead of blood. Great video, very good production!

[@jadas1483]

I was just thinking about how I needed some new polygon content. Right on time

[@Crysal]

All this work put into this, and I set the max ragdolls to 1 so they despawn instantly, making it easy to see what enemies is dead or just staggered

[@CarlosRodriguez-dd4sb]

Excellent breakdown on the game functionality and mechanics. Credit where it is due FatShark & Polygon.

[@Gunthersby]

I sincerely, deeply hope that Fatshark will be able to save all the good they made here, rather than be forced to abandon the whole thing. As much negativity as I personally hold over the game's current state, once I've finally loaded in and the game stops lagging and janking, when there's a clear objective ahead of me and a thousand diseased shapes approaching... That's when it's great. I just want to be able to honestly recommend the game to my friends.

[@andywerner3282]

Pat's name being Crashmore is just fuckin beautiful

[@Ghostcamel]

The combat in Darktide really is amazing, and deserves the kudos it receives.

[@khonsuthecore4788]

When I was a kid I always loved the bad guys, General Grievous was a favorite (he had four arms and my favorite number was 4 so that's also a factor) and when I first saw Sauron in that movie I was like "YEAH".

[@schoenperkins8210]

Nothing feels better than flicking on my power sword and sything through an entire crowd in two swipes

[@nicolaspeigne1429]

i want to see the mocap guy falling over obstacles like the infested does

[@Skhmt]

The closed captions on this video are hilarious

[@Blobin2413]

This game was never on my radar, I'm super curious about it now and I love the heart they put into this.

[@robinsparrow1618]

Impact System (written in impact font)

[@CBus-gf4id]

An pair of underrated supporting actors of this video are Heihachi and Girthbert.

[@Ancusohm]

Great video! I learned so much cool stuff!

[@pliable-head]

classic, tasteful addition to pat's polygon oeuvre. love to see it, ♥ G in the chat for Girthbert

[@king_pigeon]

YAY! ACTUAL VIDEOS!

[@FeloPastry]

Wooo, keep the vids coming please!!

[@paige_404]

Darktide is pretty good, yeah. I think when it comes out of early access it could be amazing.

[@akaroth7542]

Lol it is definitely a Fatshark game.

[@punkdrunkmonk824]

My man pat regardless has a career if polygon doesn't pan out for him.

[@mkwas7454]

isn't that death ragdoll feature with the predictions basically like rollback?

[@derpherp7432]

I love this game, hope it makes a come back

[@RedEyedJEdi410]

Thanks for making me want to hop back into Darktide!

[@lloydmeakin372]

I'm glad burgerchainz is both still here and seeming yo be doing pretty good

[@chrismanuel9768]

I didn't realize this was out already! I should hop on that

[@urosprodic137]

The visuals really do fall apart when you learn only one weapon is the strongest and your class can't use it. It doesn't matter if a weapons hit looks good if you gotta hit them thrice, it takes away from the power. And thus goes to rnaged weapons too, brain burst and staves feel extremely weak compared to how slow they are while guardsman can just click on a head. Visuals cant exist without balance and in darktide they do.

[@failstates]

Just wanted to let you know someone noticed and appreciated "Impact System" being written in impact font.

[@steviebea]

ooo well done video !!!

[@connorletkeman3539]

Gunksmith is my new favourite word

[@GaryHamad]

Detailed Handcrafted Physics of How Things Should've Work in Reality, Sounds Mundane and Routine But I Love Realistic, and Like Glaz Said, This is Art, It's in THE DETAILS

[@vornice7604]

this game is such a work of art

[@Giga-lemesh]

“I also like it when it’s nasty.” - Pat Gill 2023

[@jennegatron]

love a video from pat 🙏🏻

[@Tobascodagama]

This game does rule. The gear progression stuff kinda sucks, but chainswording a bunch of dudes feels great.

[@Onani_Master]

Oh, Pat has the HC Library editions of Hellboy. Nice!

[@chipsinatube]

Hey Patrick, I love you bud and thanks for making these!

[@Keln02]

This is the most polished alpha I've seen ever.

[@calebhurst2529]

Ha. "Gunksmith". XD

[@philipcheng1618]

The level of care put into even the weakest cannon fodder enemies is similar to Left 4 Dead series. All enemies feel heavy and grounded as oppose to the floaty enemies you see in a lot of other games. only nitpick is the enemy corpses despawn too fast and the battlefield is basically squeaky clean after the carnage. Though these limitations can't be helped i know.

[@delphitek1]

Ah the beautiful Girthbert!

[@AubLambe]

I had no idea Polygon was still making videos. I figured they all left. Havent seen an article or a video from the company in a year or so

[@Secret_Takodachi]

I love that as an Ogryn I experience such wildly different gameplay. One minute I'm swinging the slab of steel I call a shield through a sea of bodies with reckless abandon; the next minute I'm swinging my single shot grenade launcher like a club through a sea of bodies and firing grenades with reckless abandon. Occasionally I gotta plop dat shield down & let some whiny glowin' git scratch at it while my team drops a few mags into the noisy balloon. Afta dat its a quick jog to go beat some so called "boss" to death with our shields, shovels & chain axes then, boom back to da big ship to stare unblinkingly at the one vendor until he refreshes the 10 items that represent all commerce for the next hour. Outside any cosmetic commerce you do in the paid shop that is... *that* shop's got plenty to offer and a growing catalog... The main shop that players can interact with? That's basically just a series of bad cosmetic choices and undesirable offers for equipment that you use in the main gameplay loop.... man I love Darktide but I hate that the game is still very much incomplete, buggy & broken. I really hope that completing the rest of the game promised at launch doesn't continue to get delayed with basic network issues & an endless number of character/equipment bugs. This game is great in theory... it just needs to be finished to be great in reality.

[@BIargityBlarg]

i fired a boltgun over the shoulder of a random cultist at a higher-value target, and he just sat down and cried. 10/10

[@Agnes.Nutter]

Welcome back!

[@nintendo_pirate]

this dude's got two mustaches.

[@DriveIntoTheSea]

As of end of January (2 months since release) game didn't get any significant changes or updates to make it truly enjoyable. I ablsolutely fell in love with combat, setting and music. But when it comes to other parts of the game it is not that good.

[@ImFBC]

It's the boy Girthbert!

[@WhenToastersAttack]

Anyone know the name of the song about 30 seconds in? Really cool sounding

[@katietaylor5094]

omg the return of dr. bonk

[@caseysailor9301]

Ah, another banger youtube video by Pat 'I love violence' Gill.