The Most 'Alive' Game Ecosystems

Why is it that some game ecosystems feel like they exist long before you press play? A meditation on fictional worlds that seem to have a life of their own.
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There’s a mod for Red Dead Redemption II… that lets you play as any animal in the game’s ecosystem. And it is, quite literally, a transformative experience. With this mod I tore through a town as a deer, and I raced through the grass as a mountain lion, and I soared through the skies as an eagle… And through it all, I gained a new understanding of a world I thought I was already deeply familiar with. I knew this virtual ecosystem was vibrant, but by changing my perspective, I realized… it’s alive.
Some worlds feel like they exist long before you press play. When a game pulls this off, the results can be breathtaking - and sometimes even a little uncanny. So let’s discover what makes a digital ecosystem truly seem to have a life of its own…
0:00 Living Game Ecosystems
1:04 A Thousand Details
3:43 Dwarf Fortress
6:10 Secrets of Immersion
9:27 Physical Worlds
11:30 Simulated Routines
13:13 Pursuing Perfect Ecosystems
15:38 Momentary Beauty
17:59 A Wildlife Adventure
19:50 Worlds that Linger
Media Shown: Red Dead Redemption II, Lost Ember, Dwarf Fortress, Ants Simulation, Skyrim, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, God of War, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Star Wars, Journey into Prehistory, Planet of the Apes, The NeverEnding Story, Black Narcissis, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Wizard of OZ, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, Lord of the Rings, Cleopatra, Waterworld, DAU, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
Copyright Disclaimer: Under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. All video/image content is edited under fair use rights for reasons of commentary.
I do not own the images, music, or footage used in this video. All rights and credit goes to the original owners.
♫ Music Used - That’s The Way It Is - Instrumental, Do Not Seek Absolution, Mountain Banjo, Mrs. Sadie Adler, Widow, Fatherhood and Other Dreams (Red Dead Redemption 2) Main Title, Hummingbird (Lost Ember), Trailer Music (Dwarf Fortress), Pictures of the Past (Rain World)
♫ Additional Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio:
Mysterious Green Fluid, Sanity Unravels, Haddonfield Horror
♫ Additional music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com):
Beauty Flow, Bittersweet
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
#CuriousArchive #Worldbuilding

[@lizardbrain_art]

I think the absurd level of detail in RDR2 is precisely what makes it work. As someone who lives in the western US, loves being outside and is acutely aware of how much beauty and diversity we've lost over the past two centuries, I find the game both extremely cathartic and extremely tragic. No other game has come so close to replicating the feeling of packing up your camp on a cold, misty morning by a mountain stream, listening to the wind and the birds. It's a romantic depiction of an America that only exists in small pockets now, and it gives the player the same deep nostalgia for simpler, less industrialized times that the characters are feeling in the story.

[@sirshotty7689]

I feel you there. I remember when I was a kid there was this old log pond down the road from where I lived. You’d find all sorts of stuff like tadpoles, salamanders, and dragonflies. Occasionally you’d see a nutria swimming in there too. Now it’s a suburban neighborhood. The pond was completely drained, filled, and turned into a residential area. There are still plenty of areas just like that around, hell most of Oregon is like that but it’s still sad to see the pond go. It makes me think about how much else has expanded before I was here and how will our ecosystem continue to dominate and change the established one. I see the woods around me and think someday it’s going to be nothing but concrete and asphalt whether in 10 or 100 years. It’s a little disheartening.

[@kennydoggins1712]

@@sirshotty7689 just remember that nature will take over almost immediately once we stop forcing it not to. Look at Chernobyl. It's a whole biodiverse forest now. Sure some harm will be measurable forever because of it but nature will in fact work around it.

[@sirshotty7689]

@@kennydoggins1712 yeah I know, I’m just being a bit cathartic. I know fighting nature is a losing battle but it doesn’t make it any easier to see something you cherished be gone.

[@JackEverfree]

Every fall we would go into the foothills of the Ozarks to hunt and be away from everything with the rest of our family. Now the entire area is privately owned by a logging company and you can’t enter anymore.

[@kennydoggins1712]

@@sirshotty7689 no it doesn't. But it also means you will find more and more new spots as time goes on.

[@valiang8867]

The sheer insanity when he says "I didn't even know there were bats in this game! I'VE BEATEN IT TWICE!"

[@gameworldjt]

that line was delivered well

[@AGHHHHHIHATETHIS]

its great when he shows emotion

[@Skorpychan]

Thinking back, I think I've noticed them in passing, but never actually NOTICED them. That's the beauty of the game; something happens and you don't question it because you WOULDN'T question bats in a church tower IRL.

[@rosyidharyadi7871]

Lol, I also just knew about bats after watching this video.

[@MsDogleaf]

Yes he voice is so good

[@thekingzhaul5914]

Some day, I really, really, _really,_ wish Curious Archive to cover the harsh and hostile world of Kenshi. It's perfect for this kind of thing with how weird and interesting it is.

[@jimster1111]

kenshi is the most jank game i have ever played and i love it. kinda like new vegas or morrowind in the way that it doesnt hold your hand

[@bagSSss-oc8if]

YES

[@tonywalker3541]

Agreed. Despite the fact that it is presented as a dying world, Kenshi feels strangely alive. In its own way. Especially with all of the random conflicts that you can encounter on your journey.

[@therealcybersheriff]

I actually can’t believe he hasn’t got a Kenshi video yet!!

[@alekid2086]

It perfectly encapsulates the topics of the last several videos on Curious Archive, really making sure you are a PART of the living world

[@iampersonango]

For me Rain World was a diffrenr expirence. The abondoned structures just added a feeling of threat and melancholy, but also hope. That even though nature was bulldozed for the structures, it stills finds a way to continue thriving.

[@julianemery718]

What about the bioenginerred creatures?

[@Caebel1472]

Rainworld shoulda been in the list, most alive feeling game ive played. This is due to some of the most incredible and AI and animations I've seen from an indie game

[@dutchthenightmonkey3457]

I love scug game and it is very good to scug in the scug game

[@ajodea1191]

I love Rainworld so much ❤❤

[@spookyfrogs1874]

@@dutchthenightmonkey3457 i love when scug goes "it's raining time"

[@coloredinshadows2243]

One of the things I love about RDR2 is that you don't feel like someone special. You don't feel like the world revolves around you. You just feel like you're just another person in the world.

[@jacksonglenn1075]

It’s a blessing when curious archive posts the exact minute my lunch break starts

[@Minty7602]

For you

[@parkaller7959]

@@dracorexyz Timezones exist

[@howdydobuckeroo1204]

Hehhahah this is funny to me because I’m here 2 am in the morning. You lucky lunch consumer. (I am sleepy)

[@kaiserwhence2468]

@@parkaller7959bros probably a flat earther

[@dracorexyz]

​@@parkaller7959shit im stupid

[@elijahtommy7772]

6:40 it isn't really a 2D texutre on the mud. It is flat like you said but it is something called a normal or bump map. Basically it calculates how the light would reflect/light up the surface as if the 2D bump map was actual 3D detail. That way it looks and interacts with light just like a 3D mesh would, and the only way to tell it's flat is by looking from the side.

[@AXLplosion]

I'm pretty sure the mud also uses parallax occlusion mapping, which is also faked depth, but instead of only affecting the lighting it also offsets the rendered pixels based on a height map.

[@MeritWD]

In Bioshock, you can hack cameras so that they detect enemies instead. Enemies detected will trigger alarms. Every time I play bioshock, I am always fascinated when a random camera I hacked in a far away room triggers an alarm. Splicers were just there, doing their own thing, and now they're fighting drones and stuff, all without me. The world feels like it doesn't revolve around me, because it shouldn't

[@tarsis5933]

To me, it's got to be Monster Hunter World, that game is just insane. Everything, literally *every single creature and plant* had a role with one another, including the monsters themselves, I'm amazed they were able to include so much appart from the battle mechanics, so much so that i think if you hang out and explore the game turns into a completely different one.

[@hyperbannana9262]

Agreed, hopefully the next one does it even better, like adding more dynamic weather

[@BadEnd98]

True. I remember these quests that we investigate, and take pictures of cat tribes. And seen many more things about other creatures, like the Great Jagras swallow whole aptonoth then comeback to it's cave to throw out to feed small ones, etc...

[@darkbladegaming1956]

Personally I think that monster hunter world while not the same quality as most of these still has a really flourished ecosystem that genuinely feels alive

[@guilt9453]

Looks like MH wilds will do just that@@hyperbannana9262

[@debleb166]

Once, while trying to get a picture for the Lynian Researcher, I followed around a Viper Tobi Kadachi for days of game time. I got to see every part of its life, where it eats, where it sleeps, what monsters it avoids and what ones it will fight. I got to see every part of the Hoarfrost Reach that was its territory. I got to sit in the coil of its tail and see the iridescent scales on its belly. I never got that photo. But man, if those experiences don't make the already beautiful world of MHW even more humbling.

[@rickardspaghetti]

Btw, Curious, there's a new animated series currently being released called "Scavengers Reign". It's about the crew of a colonizing spaceship stranded on an alien world after their mission went tits up, trying to survive in an ecosystem as hostile and indifferent as it is both beautiful and horrifying. And the horror pulls no punches. I think it would be right up your alley. They're up to six episodes now, and I think it'll go for twelve episodes in total.

[@jimster1111]

i recommend watching it for the first time while on mushrooms or weed. theres some great worldbuilding

[@t00sa]

Seconded! Could be another cool ecosystem video. I'm loving show so far, and it feels really fresh and different :D

[@lepotato135]

Oh my God yes! I was just going to comment this, thank you so much. I hope that Curious Archive and others see this. Even if they don't cover it (which is alright), the series is incredible like you said and it'd be great for people to watch it.

[@tjarkschweizer]

Wait. The series is out? Where can I watch it? I just saw that animated short like two weeks ago.

[@t00sa]

@@tjarkschweizer It's up on Hbo Max (or "Max" cause they changed it lol)

[@finpin2622]

It’s funny, I think detailed environments in video games give me a deeper appreciation for the ecosystem of the real world. It’s just like, knowing how much of an momentous effort has to be made to simulate even a fraction of that complexity makes it all the more mind blowing. Sometimes I’ll be sitting on a bench in a park and see a squirrel just hanging out, or looking at me, and I’m like “woah. That’s a whole living being. It lives here. It’s just going about its life right now, living and breathing, and even thinking, in ways I will never be able to comprehend. But it also feels things like pain and hunger. Damn.” Or, even simpler, I’ll see something in real life and think “DAMN that is incredibly beautiful” in the same way I’ve seen gamers stop and admire a game environment. Like even if it’s just light coming through a curtain in my regular room I’ve lived in my whole life, I just appreciate it. That’s what I love about video games tbh, they just reframe the world in such a wondrous way. (And you know what, even video games that are totally unrealistic and different from the real world reframe things for me the same way. I spent weeks after playing Little Nightmares 2 imagining the ways I could parkour across fire escapes and sides of buildings n shit if I was a tiny child.)

[@alexterieur8813]

And this is why videogames are art. I think art has the power to allow oneself to reclaim and recalibrate their own perspective on reality. The example you gave is an amazing example of that: seeing mundane objects and giving them a fresh new perspective. Another example would be how art and by proxy videogames can allow us to recontextualize mental pain and struggles. Instead of seeing them as roadblocks, it can be seen as a transformative and subversive force !

[@fabiofuoco]

Bro this was beautiful 🥲

[@luigi727]

W

[@navyblue8719]

I love beautiful souls like you who find beauty in the simple, little things in life. May you keep finding beautiful things in your life.

[@sunlight8299]

You have written a very beautiful comment. I'm moved by it and who I imagine you to be. The Hulk just enjoying a beautiful environment in the desert before a helicopter shows up to start shooting at him has always stuck with me. 😊

[@AkuTenshiiZero]

On the topic of glitches, I had one particular doozy in Subnautica. A reefback wandered into the shallows, and wound up getting stuck on the terrain. It rolled and thrashed around, most of it's body above the surface. And...Not gonna lie, I felt pity for what amounted to a beached whale.

[@Diablon76]

I'm playing through Monster Hunter World lately and the ecosystem is easily one of my favorite aspects of it. Sure fighting monsters is fun and all, but being able to just exist in these wild environments and observe them is just as cool to me. Following them around peacefully and watching them hunt, drink, sleep, clean themselves, get in conflict with other monsters, taking note of all their unique little habits, all the little details... It gives such immense appreciation for these animals that, in gameplay, mostly just exist for you to beat up. I've always done my best to capture my favorite monsters instead of killing them, but the more I play World the more I end up capturing basically everything, because I start to appreciate every single creature in it, even the weak "boring" ones or the ones that are annoying to fight. Even the environments themselves are full of little details and secrets, many of them helpful to you once you're familiar with the locales, it's such a great, rewarding feeling in a game that is otherwise basically just a giant boss rush. You start being familiar with all the maps, all their little tricks, all their hidden paths, all the monsters and where they like to hang around, sleep, or eat, all their little habits and quirks that you can often exploit to your advantage. As much as it makes you take them down easier and faster, it also gives you this sense of belonging and respect for the nature of this world, I love that so much.

[@spookyfrogs1874]

oh my god dude i have been absolutely consumed by MHW the past few months, I would *love* to see him to a video on it!! Especially my cutiepie paolumu

[@DualSwordBesken]

​@@spookyfrogs1874This channel already has 2 videos on MH, though unfortunately only for the Ancient Forest and Wildspire Waste, so no regular Paolumu. At least Nightshade gets some appreciation.

[@BadEnd98]

It's literally Australia in Fantasy

[@RuneKatashima]

Also, the thing about World. You should capture everything, it gives more resources than killing anyway. Of course you can't Capture Elders though. But yeah, killing in World doesn't make sense.

[@VisonsofFalseTruths]

@@RuneKatashima that myth is still going around? This has been a thing since the game's original version launched and people have tested, double tested and tore apart the code to disprove it. No, capturing gives the SAME resources as carving, the reason it FEELS like that is for carving some resources you have to break certain parts, or cut a part off AND carve it. Capturing gives all those and is faster. So it IS still the better option. But they both draw from the same pool of possible rewards in the same amounts, capturing just bypasses some requirements that some loot otherwise has. This has been a thing since the game launched and people have tested, double tested and tore apart the code to disprove it.

[@ASolitaryHowl]

Another game where I feel similar is WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition. You play as a lone wolf in yellowstone national park, trying to start your own pack. While not as graphically pleasing as rdr2, it is still fun to play. Playing it on accurate ironwolf difficulty you have to think like a wolf if you want to survive.

[@noelvalenzarro]

Isn’t that the furry game?

[@LostSwiftpaw]

​@@noelvalenzarro You should assume any game with an animal main character is a furry game

[@drunkpunkrat5764]

@@noelvalenzarro No, why would it be?

[@ASolitaryHowl]

@@noelvalenzarro No, why would you think that?

[@noelvalenzarro]

@@ASolitaryHowl Upon further research yeah there was a big demographic shift when furrys found the game for multiplayer stuff. For a time it became known as “a furry game” unfortunately.

[@starsmash2888]

I’ve probably beaten red dead 9 times I’m just that obsessed with it when I learned there were bats my jaw literally dropped in disbelief because I just never knew

[@xxfalconarasxx5659]

I think another game series worth bringing up is STALKER. The series had a very ambitious world AI system, the devs called "A-Life". Humans actually moved around the world, performed tasks, had routines, formed and disbanded squads. Animals roamed the world, predators hunted prey, they traveled in packs or herds, is small numbers they may run away from you, but in larger numbers, muster the courage to attack. The NPCs were always doing doing things, even when you were far away and they were no longer rendered. It was apparently too good that they had to tone it down for the final release. Some of these cut features are restored in the standalone mod "STALKER Anomaly". Apparently in beta versions of the first game, NPCs were able to take quests and complete them. Playtesters were sometimes frustrated by this, because some NPCs were actually stealing their quests and turning them in before they could.

[@Willpolita]

I was fascinated with something that happened to me in this game and never saw in another game, in the first village there was a guy who gave me some missions, any NPC, after hours of game, walking randomly in an abandoned place I saw a body lying down In over a barrel, I went to check it out and it was this NPC, but it was far away from where he was usually and he was dead, when I returned to the initial village and someone else had taken his place, I found it so crazy, almost exploded my mind.

[@SterileNeutrino]

It was pretty good. Chilling on a trasheap and seeing pseudodogs chase strangers and getting sucked up into anomalies. The weather pattern and day-night cycle really gave the whole environment life.

[@amandasmith593]

I vividly remember seeing bears fishing out of a river in Grizzly Hills in WoW back in '09 and being absolutely blown away by it. It was such a small detail, and so thoroughly unimpressive by the standards of even just a few years later, but it was incredible at the time.

[@StuffandThings_]

I'm surprised Vintage Story never got a mention. Its immersive, detailed, full of daily tasks, and can be downright gorgeous if you take a moment to observe at the right moments. What really sets it apart is that like Minecraft it is a voxel game, so you can interact with any and every bit of the world, and its procedurally generated too.

[@thomashiggins9320]

I play that game a lot, and I think it'll get there, eventually. But, right now, the base game has only 10 types of animals in it. They interact in really interesting ways -- watching bears hunt the pigs and bighorn sheep, for instance, or seeing wolves going after the smaller prey, or watching a ram with a couple of ewes produce a flock during the course of a spring and summer -- but right now those 10 species are all that exists. Also, the fact that the Drifters ignore every living thing except the player-avatar seems a bit... off. I do look forward to the major releases for that game, though, and you can tell the DEVs really carefully consider how everything affects everything else. They don't always get it right the first time -- but then, nobody does.

[@mdc3227]

It doesn't have an eco-system though.

[@UnclePengy]

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is similar to RDR2 in that most of the NPCs (except bandits and wayfarers) all have lives that run outside the characters' interaction. They have homes they'll sleep in at night, get up and go to their jobs, take lunch breaks, etc. In fact, that's how they designed the game; they first made a world that worked on its own without a gamer's interaction, and then started adding the game elements (quests, etc.). Sometimes tailing an NPC to discover their habits might be a crucial step to planning a theft or the resolution of a quest. Pretty impressive for a first-effort, crowdfunded game by a startup company. And the forests and countryside are amazingly realistic. The game's setting, this little fiefdom in Bohemia, is almost the main character. They didn't have to go that hard, but they did.

[@nekothelad5271]

I would really love a video on Deep Rock Galactic's ecosystem. It may not be the most in-depth but it's really unique and I'm a huge fan of your videos where you just cover a bunch of different species from one game/movie/art project.

[@andyk26729]

A minor correction - DAU was filmed on a set that was 12000 square metres (a couple of football fields), not 12000 square miles (the same size as Belgium, or Maryland)

[@TroyTheCatFish]

Thank you 🙏

[@TheEnderFox433]

Lost Ember is an absolutely beautiful game and I'm so happy to see it included in something that's getting a lot of attention. It's one of those games that's stuck with me ever since I played it, and I make sure to recommend it everywhere I go. I nearly cried the first time I played through the game, the story is so beautiful once the pieces start to come together. I make sure to introduce it to all of my friends when I get the chance, and every one of them, without fail, has adored the game. I also highly recommend both the Unravel series and ABZU if you enjoy the more stylized and thematic elements, especially the latter.

[@FoolishPedro]

With all the videos looking into videogames recently, I'm surprised you've not looked at The Eternal Cylinder yet. Definitely a videogame with its own unique ecosystem to look at!

[@Kim-fm2vo]

I'd like to give some details about your segment on RDR2. A common technique for the "flat texture" mud you mentioned would be "Parallax Occlusion", which gives the impression of 3d visuals within a 2d surface. It isn't really an illusion so much as it is actual deformation just taking place on a flat surface. It's very interesting, and I'm glad you mentioned it in your video.

[@natto4now]

One of the best paet of all those small details in red dead is that they arent there to steal the show they are there so people who look for them can find the little things

[@icmsloth9495]

What an amazing video! Your narration and analysis are incredible, I love your content

[@abhishekingle3542]

The description that you've given during this entire video, made me feel emotional... And made me respect more for the game creators even more!

[@manitshukla568]

I just really love this channel. Every single video is like finding out a new part of my conscious. Like thinking about details or questions that i just ignore irl. Its a real tranquil experience to watch every video of this channel. Thats why i like every single video that i watch, even though i like videos extremely rarely

[@FlyingFly1315]

one of your best videos yet, it inspired me to dig up an old world building hobby I haven't touched in almost 2 months, keep up with this new style of video it's really great (and inspiring I guess haha)

[@that1cat999]

Curious Archive: *exists* Me: Stops everything to watch new video

[@Incrediblefatslug]

I'm writing a book about a lone human on an alien planet and it was impossible to ignore the ecological themes. The moment I created a technologically advanced society, I knew that this beautiful world I created would have to face destruction at the hands of those who would strip it of its resources. I love your work. Thanks for inspiring me.

[@kepukepu3093]

Sounds like a really interesting concept, I hope to have the opportunity to read this book someday!

[@thegreatdream8427]

Not necessarily. Why not flip the script and have the society have learned from their ancestors' mistakes on Earth and intentionally strive to live in harmony with nature while still having advanced tech? Perhaps the conflict could be about saving the natural environment from some kind of calamity that only the arriving humans have the ability to cure - rather than being the calamity themselves.

[@MissMisnomer_]

Every video is a treat, but this one in particular just convinced me that there are some games I need to check out for myself, because exploration of the world is one of my favorite things to do in Breath of the Wild, and I've been looking for more content like that!

[@Insanity_TM]

Always love these videos. It’s probably a combination of the subject, the voice and the composition of the video.

[@idontevenknow3369]

This honestly is my favorite KZbin channel there’s so much effort in every video and I’ve never got bored of one

[@IroAppe]

I think I just got recommended this, because I watched a lot of Subnautica. Even more so, I thought it would fit so well in here. It has such a special atmosphere. Every time, you venture out exploring the world, it feels alive, it feels like you are really there under water, and you hear and see and feel the world around you in a way that is very intensive in the moment. It's not just there, but even more so incredible is, that it's all according to the lore, that you can discover. The living world around you isn't just there, it is scannable, and you find out how this ecosystem works, with so many species depending on each other. And when you venture out, during the moment you just float there and look around you, you see and hear so many things, it really feels like you are there, in the moment.

[@mooncakezy]

True, especially when you take time to read the description of every things scannable, blew my mind how detailed and rich they are!

[@chuckleroy6427]

Been watching your channel a couple years, loved this video more than usually somehow, it was great🎉

[@KimchiKommander]

One of the best examples of a detailed world breathing life into a game is Monster Hunter World. That game is just above the rest in terms of being lived in, rather than a theme park of killing monsters. They all behave certain ways, interact with the environment depending on whats going on, the turf wars aren't even the selling point, its how everything feels alive. Compare that with Monster Hunter Rise - a later released switch titled ported over, and it doesn't even feel the same. Sure its fun, but there's something about World's well, World that really set it above the rest and will always be my favorite of the series. Fingers crossed for monster hunter world 2.

[@prolepsis-hx8om]

This is such a well-written video essay! Honestly, you captured so many inarticulable feelings about games like these so well. Thanks!

[@lasercraft32]

I really appreciate how you make such thought provoking videos focusing on all the subtle unspoken beauty of video games... I feel like too many people in our society just see games and shows as just pointless fun or a waste of time distracting us from the real world. But they're more than that, they're _art._ Art that can be incredibly impactful and help us reflect on our life and its meaning. And like art, some are more impactful and though provoking than others. Some art really is just for fun, and there is beauty in that too. :)

[@powerhavengaming2854]

This is the most interesting video about gaming I have ever watched. Thus video flows like art and you sound genuine and incredibly comfortable to listen to. Iwill appreciate game worlds so much more after watching this. Thank you so much for making this. 🙏

[@slayeroffurries1115]

Monster Hunter definitely comes to mind

[@Alex-dr2lp]

Only worldborne

[@cobbington773]

Man your videos just keep getting better

[@spoodlenoodle]

I'm going through a hard time right now but watching your videos makes me forget for awhile and feel interested

[@ryanadolfi4007]

same here! life is rough right now, but these little opportunities to escape and, i dunno, recalibrate, are very important to me. i hope things get better for you, by the way. i know that might be easier said than done, but still.

[@spoodlenoodle]

@@ryanadolfi4007 thank you! I will keep pushing- I hope you do too! We got this! 🥰💪

[@geordiejones5618]

I grew up in Maine, lots of outdoorsy people. Hiking, boating, hunting, fishing, nature gazing. RDR2 imo is the best representation of the American landscape. It's an incredible achievement of fictional realism.

[@itsnipcitybaby2619]

Great video as always. I'd love for you to cover Scavengers Reign. It's such an exciting imaginary ecosystem.

[@elizabetho.7484]

Love the voice, love the writing, love the videos. Bear line and glitches--hilarious. Keep up the amazing work CA.

[@WhiskeyBlack777]

I'm playing RDR2 for the first time. My 14-year-old got it a couple yrs ago on ps4 and this year he bought it for me on PC for Valentine's Day because "Mom, it's the greatest game ever made. It's my favorite game ever and I NEED YOU TO EXPERIENCE IT!" And there have been plenty of times that I've cried while playing, not because of the storyline, but just because of the sheer overwhelming beauty and immersiveness of the game. It's truly the greatest V-day gift I've ever gotten. Maybe the greatest gift period. Being able to bond with kiddo over this and experience it is so amazing.

[@ollietomlinson3290]

I'd just like to say, although this can't compare to any of these games, when you win a match in StarCraft two you can look around the map and see some creatures have naturally spawned. Granted this is not very good at making an ecosystem, as it's just usually one or two species and it's only on some maps, I think it's a neat feature of the game.

[@jnee]

I'm a big fan of the older Monster Hunter games. You can only explore small sections of the map and the rest is a huge backdrop that lets your imagination fill in the blanks. The environment hints towards habitats and natural formations without having to simulate them or render them in detail.

[@namelssssnake9466]

Very shocked not to see Monster Hunter here, especially World, MonHun always had a very fascinating ecosystem by its world and lore alone, but World truly brought it alive in breathtaking fashion without taking anything away from what makes it a “Monster Hunter” Experience, and its what MonHun Rise really took away, which is just a shame, still a great game but its just not the same

[@tjarkschweizer]

He has made two monster hunter world videos. You can find them easily under playlists.

[@namelssssnake9466]

@@tjarkschweizer thanks for the info, just found the channel from this vid in my reccomended

[@kurathchibicrystalkitty5146]

This might be one of my favourite videos of yours, which is certainly saying something! You have such a thoughtful and poignant way of explaining each topic. Thank you for making such great videos! 😄 How about a video on how game environments can impact gameplay mechanics, or the other way round?

[@BadNessie]

Very fitting examples you picked! Abzû does an outstanding job on this, too.

[@chickadeestevenson5440]

it's intresting, how your work on Monter Hunter World brought me to your channel. And it's a very alive world.

[@ryanadolfi4007]

can't wait for what the next game has. just the idea of what they could do is so exciting!!

[@aleksandrtsyganov7770]

Your videos are awesome! Thanks man

[@yopyopu3258]

When i found this channel Idid not expect You having such an impact on my perspective. Thank You ❤

[@MrFool-ys3uo]

Always love your video about the biology of each creature. Can you do a speculative biology and world building of "Made in Abyss"

[@cattyfacepunny6239]

i just want to say, you have introduced me to my favrote game i have ever played ( rain world ) i am so so greatfull that you made a video on it because if you didint i would have never found that game and i love it so much.

[@goosewithagibus]

In regard to the mud texture stuff: that's just called mapping. Game engines use multiple textures to do things on flat surfaces. It's called a bump map in this case. Your graphics card is sent the images for the model and some shader code that tells it what to do with those textures. It essentially is just a height map that tells the graphics card to alter the way the 3D model is rendered to great and actually 3D effect from 2D information. You also use this with specular highlights, illumination, and normals (the direction a flat plane is facing). You can get all sorts of wonky and fun with mapping. It's used in pretty much every 3D game and is just the standard for making 3D models appear to have more physicality than they actually do. They're the backbone of modern graphics imo.

[@Astrobay13]

Insane video. I love the mix of video game and movie analysis. I love watching both types of videos, but I've never thought about the amount of similarities both media have

[@matejbobrovsky8665]

You always make my think about interesting ideas. So, good job.

[@axelssantoso5667]

this one video right here reminds me so much of a jacob geller video , good work man this is some good stuff

[@spookyfrogs1874]

This may be my favorite video of yours. Also, the creatures spazzing out in Rain World is definitely a feature I would never want removed

[@Forward711]

I really like ur content curious archive ur videos allways makes me good❤❤😊

[@ZedAmadeus]

Some developers have said stuff like squeezing through gaps isn't actually about hidden loading screens anymore, so much as... like, locking you into an area... if say, you walk into a combat arena, having it bookended by these gates means you can just... completely book it out of there. It's more to do with pacing and encounter design, because current gen hardware, like the PS5 have made load times not really something developers have to worry a ton about

[@serpentalis4919]

That RDR2 mod has turned the game into one of my all time favorites, it's almost exclusively how I play it at this point! Now if only it included drinking/eating/attacking for more species...

[@randomgeneration7781]

Absolutely not. We have enough malicious hackers who would gladly steal the mod and weaponize it to sell to players who deliberately purchase these mods to target and harass others. Too many good things have been soured by these hackers and their customer base of online bullies, I don't want to see this beautiful mod go down that path.

[@serpentalis4919]

@@randomgeneration7781 just eating/drinking and resting would be cool then! no need for attacks :)

[@frog6054]

I also downloaded a trainer mod for GTA 5 and just turned Trevor into a cat and free roaming Los Santos meowing at people. IMMERSIVE.

[@Beryllahawk]

I was so tickled to see Alba mentioned here! Even if it's meant for kids, it's SO thorough in the details of those ecosystems, for as far as it goes. No ants, though, heh. You saying that sixty percent of RDR2 is riding your horse through the world makes me for the very first time actually WANT to play the game. I'm usually not a fan of shooters and action games (I find them very frustrating, in all the not-fun ways for my brain), but the details you discuss here... And even the glitches, ha!

[@waldofabian1202]

Not that these newer videos are bad, but I really miss the old speculative biology and world building videos. Those were why i grew to love this channel and create my own speculative biology game.

[@spookyfrogs1874]

i'm sure he'll return to that stuff when he has the opportunity too, i wouldn't worry too much :) i love both styles though, but i agree there was a bit of a shift

[@puppys4ever]

One game I really thought you should of talked about is no man’s sky. ( it’s literally a game about exploring procedurally generated ecosystems)

[@adryanmonk]

I highly recommend looking into Monster Hunter World/Icebornes ecosystems - some of the most beautiful I've ever seen in gaming. I probably spend hundreds of hours just exploring and watching!

[@handtomouth4690]

He made 2 videos on it then seemingly dropped it and refuses to elaborate or even mention it now.

[@adryanmonk]

@@handtomouth4690 oh thank you for mentioning I wasn't able to find any video but it seems I overlooked it (: Wonder why it's not in the video

[@KraylusGames]

Outer Wilds is another excellent example of a game with a living ecosystem. The entire world is physically simulated and there are basically no loading screens. It even has themes of ecosystem destruction! I'm kinda surprised it didn't make the cut for this video

[@biblicallyaccurateangel2476]

rain world really encapsulates all that you’ve listed, i was so happy to see it mentioned!!!

[@Nicolas-od2ls]

amazing video, loved every single minute of it

[@cwinchcarwash2629]

im a big fan of how you made such an interesting video from such a, i suppose, niche starting point (being the animal mod)

[@StreetComp]

Thank you for such a thoughtful and well done video on a really interesting subject. One recent game I can recommend is My Time at Sandrock, it’s a pretty relaxed game but the small dev team has some interesting things to say and it’s very helpful to pay attention as you interact with the 25 or so characters that inhabit the town. The map isn’t huge and the combat is basic but there is a long main quest line and plenty to do. It becomes clear pretty quickly that getting to know the residents well enough to choose someone to marry, build a life, and even have kids is what the game is about and I promise if you play for long enough you’ll start getting a little confused about what is real life and what is the game!

[@Max_Mustermann]

While not a current game, ESO Oblivion also has a World that feels like it has a life of its own. Not so much in regards to animals and the ecosystem, but NPCs have their daily routines and their own agency. For example an NPC can get hungry, steal food, and as a result they get attacked by other NPCs and chased by the guards.

[@rozlekoncan7657]

Love u keep uploading

[@200_cuentos]

Man, your vids are awesome.

[@H0WL3]

stellar video man keep it up

[@BapakBuayah]

Always love your videos!

[@spookyscaryskellytons1327]

I don't even game, but I watch your channel religiously and I'm strongly considering starting out. All those war games never interested me; you've taught me there is a whole world of other things out there

[@themightyhood5922]

This channel is supremely underrated These videos slap

[@Mark_GL]

Great content as always!

[@Nosewrecky]

Amazing as always

[@666stonewall]

I love just, watching, my friend explore Rainworld. I truly admire the devs for their amazing work.

[@Capital_CW]

Its a good day if he uploads

[@ishakk435]

yes

[@diwa2360]

this reminds me of frieren. they make it a point to show that the passage of time, the changing of the world, all happens regardless of your participation in it. that even as the "protagonist" of the story, it's still only one story in a world that makes it clear there are hundreds and thousands of others going on at the same time. you can brush up against them from time to time but ultimately they're separate; but at the same time, being one of those stories makes you feel even more connected to the world at large really beautiful work, your video essays are always such a joy to zone out to

[@purplehaze2358]

"The mud in Red Dead is beautiful." I never thought I'd hear the words "mud' and "beautiful" in the same sentence.. especially that close together.

[@seragaki]

Tokyo Jungle is another game where it successfully embodies that feeling of the ecosystem being alive whether you’re there or not. It’s not the most graphically advanced and the AI isn’t super complex, but with 50 or so different animals all fighting for survival in one city it definitely feels alive and chaotic wherever you are (and aren’t). You’ll wander into a different territory and there might find yourself in the middle of a turf war or pack of animals hunting another. And regular events come up of random scenarios like a rabies outbreak or buffalo migration on the complete opposite side of the map. You could be underground with nothing around yet hear an all out battle right above you. And if you die, often you’ll see whatever killed you eat your body and continue on their way, or even fight another animal as the screen fades out. The game takes place in an abandoned city with no humans, and the feeling of life continuing without people or even the player to see it remains. It’s definitely not realistic in terms of how animals would behave aside from most prey and small animals being cautious of bigger predators, but it has a unique and lively atmosphere despite the environment being post apocalyptic and quite dead on the surface. It’s an older and mostly forgotten game but I’ve loved it for 10 years now and still play it because of that unique feeling. It’s absolutely ridiculous in so many ways, but it’s always had a special charm to me.

[@molotovangel]

Great video but I would actually say the matte painted backdrops from the 70-80’s are much more immersive than modern CG backdrops which feel like something is off.

[@KYDEX97]

To be fair, some realistic features from the ecosystem are there not because someone thought of making explicitly that, but because the atmosferic system itself guarantees it. For example, the poiunt about the stars being less visible in the cities: Most engines use a volume (a square o a sphere) to determine an area that will be affected differently, it could be smoke, fog or color changes. So if a city has a certain degree of fog simulating the pollution, that iself will make the stars not visible without being the original intention.

[@Robert-vk7je]

Following a cat around in dwarf fortress is a thing of beauty and playing Rain World was an experience, I'll never forget. Thank you for mentioning those games. :)

[@user-jb4bw4gk1t]

I Never Heard someone with a really calm voice like you. You're the best man. I hope you have a good day.

[@siqueirabarros]

Amazing video and narration.

[@Boodoo4You]

I love coming across a new KZbin channel that is as good as this.

[@bonafide4874]

I’m surprised Kenshi isn’t on this list! Although it’s not really a game about ecosystems, it has an open world with various biomes and animals and people living in those biomes, and the world itself can be SO beautiful. It also feels alive bc 1. As you mention in this video, stuff happens “off camera” or in the background - in Kenshi, you’ll often be travelling somewhere and see two groups of people or animals fighting each other in the distance, or will see as two groups encounter each other and then start to fight. It also feels alive because of, firstly, how big everything is - the actual world is so huge and fun to explore! - but there’s also massive animals, structures, and plants. For instance, in the Bonefields there’s these massive skeletons of dead animals, and in another area, Obedeince, there’s these giant metal/ mechanical hands that seem to be reaching for the sky. We know there was a past big empire and then some kind of an apocalypse and the world kind of shows that. There’s also a ton of different biomes which look different (different plants, floor/ ground color) and these environments also have different groups of people or animals in them, so they feel distinct. Likewise, some environments, bc of the people/ animal groups, are easier to survive/ live in compared to others. It also feels like a real world bc “the world doesn’t care about you” is like one of the taglines of the game. You start off with no special skills, no knowledge of the map/ anything, no allies and have to build yourself up. And a lot of the time it also sees like everything will kill you. A lot of people’s first games end in them or their squad dying. They game is merciless and punishing - but only if uou aren’t aware of threats, and what to do in the presence of them. As you learn, things become even more fun, enjoyable and challenging! This, as well as my main love of exploring open world games, is what made this game my favourite game. And I say that having also played CK3, the Sims, and RimWorld. I wanted to explore and learn about the very alien and dangerous world, but in order to do that, my character needed to be able to fight and needed others that could fight. Thus, I built a squad, and then as squad members died, or new ones were gained, I needed to buy armour, which meant going to more dangerous places to loot/ steal things to get money for my armour. And so on. It’s great :)

[@Dalziel45]

Well, the video isn't really a list. But I thought of Kenshi too.

[@lukehahn4489]

I'm always mesmerized by your videos and left with a feeling of the preternatural

[@kleger3254]

This video was so soothing to watch. I might actually end up getting RDR2 simply to enjoy the open world.

[@ADRI_a_REAL1]

love the video brother🙏🏼

[@Tallacus]

I am glad I have clicked on this video, I would have never head of a game like Lost Ember, I love games where you can play as different animals. I for one want to create the World of Kong book in VR using the Unreal Engine and just watch the animals from that book interact in their prehistoric haven.

[@wajikuroki4177]

I was considering getting RDR2 when I saw it's on discount right now, and you've convinced me

[@sneakyb2414]

Really hope to hear your take on Scavenger Reign. Even though it is not a game the world building and its ecosystem are crazily amazing. Love what you are doing btw. 😆😆😆😆