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Spider-Man 2 | Preview Thread

Actual physics-based swinging would truly suck.

rope swing lol GIF by America's Funniest Home Videos's Funniest Home Videos

Why?

It would give you actual goosebumps with the fidelity we have in games these days, with sense of speed and height.

Also level designers could go crazy and give you variations of heights and distance between buildings to keep things fresh.

It would be a totally different game.
 

Topher

Gold Member
Why?

It would give you actual goosebumps with the fidelity we have in games these days, with sense of speed and height.

Also level designers could go crazy and give you variations of heights and distance between buildings to keep things fresh.

It would be a totally different game.

You are going to have to flesh out what you are talking about when you say "physics-based swinging". In real physics, Spider-man would simply be bouncing off the side of a building and not going anywhere.

This is a superhero game, not a sim.
 
You are going to have to flesh out what you are talking about when you say "physics-based swinging". In real physics, Spider-man would simply be bouncing off the side of a building and not going anywhere.

This is a superhero game, not a sim.

More control with player and less forgiving. That's what I meant to say. Like actual physics working.

But it's fine if they want to emphasise on smoothness and animation. Some would prefer that
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Actual physics-based swinging would truly suck.

rope swing lol GIF by America's Funniest Home Videos's Funniest Home Videos
Yeah, if they made it less arcadey and more of a simulation, it would not be fun at all.

I really like Insomniac's approach so far. They have been making improvements incrementally and are now giving options for making it tougher if someone wants it to, e.g., now Spider-Man 2 will have fall damage that you can toggle on or off.
 

ProtoByte

Member
You are going to have to flesh out what you are talking about when you say "physics-based swinging".
Momentum is conserved appropriately instead of being cut or added as the system favors animations that can seem canned at times.

Don't entirely throw this system or entirely revert to Web of Shadows, but incorporate a similar level of freedom without compromising too much on the presentation side of things by implementing a more robust contextual animation solution.
 
  1. There is physics-based swinging, but it's not a hardcore simulation (of course). You can even loop-the-loop vertically as well as horizontally.
  2. Several reviews cited that combat is the biggest upgrade in this game.
jBw6Pev.jpg
Man these news channels will say anything to maintain their privilege with the publishers.

In any case, it does look good. As for swinging, I want it to rely more on physics than animations and would also love moves like running on the road while swinging ala SM2.
 

Topher

Gold Member
Momentum is conserved appropriately instead of being cut or added as the system favors animations that can seem canned at times.

Don't entirely throw this system or entirely revert to Web of Shadows, but incorporate a similar level of freedom without compromising too much on the presentation side of things by implementing a more robust contextual animation solution.

I'm not sure that would be nearly as much fun to play frankly.
 

HeWhoWalks

Gold Member
I'm not sure that would be nearly as much fun to play frankly.
Exactly. That's the thing people forget. Sure, we can do more with physics and such, but will the people who plan on buying it find that fun? They have to strike the right balance or the game will suffer.

Also, I own Web of Shadows. Fun for its time, but outdated gameplay compared to what we have now. From every preview shown, Spider-Man 2 is leaps and bounds above it.
 
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The swinging in SM & MM is both lame and brilliant.

You kind of feel like an OAP Spider-Man as it is really slow and unacrobatic (especially compared to something like the Spiderverse films) but on the other hand it does what you want it to do like 99.99% of the time which is hard to pull off and more important when millions of people are going to play your game.
 

ProtoByte

Member
  1. There is physics-based swinging, but it's not a hardcore simulation (of course). You can even loop-the-loop vertically as well as horizontally.
It sounds like the looping is dependent on entering the swing on a dive. In previous Spider-Man games, you can loop any time in just about any direction that as the web pivots around the contact point, just by holding onto the web. In these games, Spider-Man will let go of the web automatically, and if you've still got your finger on the trigger button, he'll just throw out another line. Automated sine wave traversal.
  1. Several reviews cited that combat is the biggest upgrade in this game.
jBw6Pev.jpg
There were previews that said some of these upgrades made the combat messier. In any case, adding in more specials isn't an upgrade to me. Uncharted 3 to 4 was an upgrade. TLOU-TLOU2 was an upgrade.
 

ProtoByte

Member
Eh.....that's fine, but people need to not refer to any of that as "physics based". It just isn't.
It's a colloquiallism. It's certainly more physics based than Insomniac's iteration, and it's more interactive. The meaning is the same.
 

Topher

Gold Member
It's a colloquiallism. It's certainly more physics based than Insomniac's iteration, and it's more interactive. The meaning is the same.

Disagree. When people say "physics based" in video games means to be as close to real life physics as possible. To say "physics based, but not literally physics based" doesn't make any sense.

I like the web swinging fine as it is myself. Agree to disagree.
 

Unknown?

Member
It sounds like the looping is dependent on entering the swing on a dive. In previous Spider-Man games, you can loop any time in just about any direction that as the web pivots around the contact point, just by holding onto the web. In these games, Spider-Man will let go of the web automatically, and if you've still got your finger on the trigger button, he'll just throw out another line. Automated sine wave traversal.

There were previews that said some of these upgrades made the combat messier. In any case, adding in more specials isn't an upgrade to me. Uncharted 3 to 4 was an upgrade. TLOU-TLOU2 was an upgrade.
Are you sure? I was able to keep holding on to web in SM Remastered, he just stays swinging back and forth like a pendulum until he stops and is just hanging on.
 

ProtoByte

Member
Disagree. When people say "physics based" in video games means to be as close to real life physics as possible.
Uh, no? Tears of the Kingdom just came out in May and was praised for its physics-based gameplay. I don't remember anyone claiming that BoTW/ToTK had realistic physics. They had their own in game physics laws, and the gameplay abided by them.
 

Topher

Gold Member
Uh, no? Tears of the Kingdom just came out in May and was praised for its physics-based gameplay. I don't remember anyone claiming that BoTW/ToTK had realistic physics. They had their own in game physics laws, and the gameplay abided by them.

Eh....I guess that's a fair point, but even then there is nothing physics based about Link's gliding. So the devs put physics on hold to make the game more fun.

I'll stick to what I've said before. The web swinging is a hell of a lot of fun in Insomniac's Spider-man. I don't think there is any reason to make it "more" physics based unless perhaps if they were to toggle it as an option. I think the vast majority would not find that very enjoyable though. Certainly don't think I would.
 
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skit_data

Member
Have they mentioned how the UI for the activities work? I don't like having the whole screen plastered with symbols and stuff but I imagine it works something like pressing the R3 button activates the VR thingy that lets you see all those elements
 
Eh....I guess that's a fair point, but even then there is nothing physics based about Link's gliding. So the devs put physics on hold to make the game more fun.

I'll stick to what I've said before. The web swinging is a hell of a lot of fun in Insomniac's Spider-man. I don't think there is any reason to make it "more" physics based unless perhaps if they were to toggle it as an option. I think the vast majority would not find that very enjoyable though. Certainly don't think I would.

Changing the web swinging to something 95% of the player base can't actually use sounds like a great idea
 
Have they mentioned how the UI for the activities work? I don't like having the whole screen plastered with symbols and stuff but I imagine it works something like pressing the R3 button activates the VR thingy that lets you see all those elements
They mentioned that activities in the world can be highlighted on you AR lenses. I guess they're going the Ghost of Tsushima route, and giving side activities visual clues so you dont have to use the map, which should encourage exploration.
 

ProtoByte

Member
Changing the web swinging to something 95% of the player base can't actually use sounds like a great idea
Unironically though, doesn't GAF decry the over casualisation of games? Isn't the lack of accethibility pandering why people praise the likes of Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate?
I mean, Insomniac has all but said they tried to make the first game as retard-proof as possible.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
these previews are doing their job, I need to beat Miles still (and finish the OG on PS5), but I’ve gone ahead & pre-ordered the digital deluxe 😁

as someone with autism I’ve never understood why people think using it as an insult is remotely clever?
Hell yeah! I'm watching Across the Spider-Verse now and planning to watch all Spider-Man movies now as a buildup to launch: all the way from the 3 Raimi movies to the most recent ones.
 
Unironically though, doesn't GAF decry the over casualisation of games? Isn't the lack of accethibility pandering why people praise the likes of Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate?
I mean, Insomniac has all but said they tried to make the first game as retard-proof as possible.

There's a spectrum to these things if that wasn't obvious
 

Topher

Gold Member
Unironically though, doesn't GAF decry the over casualisation of games? Isn't the lack of accethibility pandering why people praise the likes of Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate?
I mean, Insomniac has all but said they tried to make the first game as retard-proof as possible.

Eh....I don't recall any fan of superhero games, be it Batman, Spiderman, whatever, suggesting the games be more like Elden Ring or Baldur's Gate. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if a large number of fans of those games largely don't play superhero games at all. What works in one genre doesn't necessarily work in others.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Eh....I don't recall any fan of superhero games, be it Batman, Spiderman, whatever, suggesting the games be more like Elden Ring or Baldur's Gate. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if a large number of fans of those games largely don't play superhero games at all. What works in one genre doesn't necessarily work in others.
Make Spider-Man a DnD turn-based RPG like Baldur's Gate or I'm walking!
 

Topher

Gold Member
Make Spider-Man a DnD turn-based RPG like Baldur's Gate or I'm walking!

Seriously. I mean if someone wants turn based.....Midnight Suns exists. People know that right? If folks are looking for a less casual superhero game then that's probably the best they are going to do. Spider-man is not that game. Not a Elden Ring either. I say thank God for that.

If I'm going to call for improvements to Spider-man then I want better side quests and nix the shallow social commentary. That right there would have taken the first two game's metacritic scores from high-80s to lower 90s, imo.
 
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sendit

Member
Then you need to force the ToD to stop if the player takes too long in those sections. As much as I like dynamic ToD and weather (I love my Shenmue) I think they did the right thing by focusing on other areas in this game.
Time is arbitrary for this type of game, just like in the games I mentioned that have day/night cycles with weather. The story doesn’t actually progress until X mission is started/completed. I’m not complaining (the game looks great), but let’s not make “creative decision” excuses here.
 
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zeldaring

Banned
Eh....I guess that's a fair point, but even then there is nothing physics based about Link's gliding. So the devs put physics on hold to make the game more fun.

I'll stick to what I've said before. The web swinging is a hell of a lot of fun in Insomniac's Spider-man. I don't think there is any reason to make it "more" physics based unless perhaps if they were to toggle it as an option. I think the vast majority would not find that very enjoyable though. Certainly don't think I would.
exactly its fun as hell and requires skill to master.
 

midnightAI

Member
Hard to have dynamic time of day with those without suddenly jumping to a different time of day.

Untrue. Some examples include GTA5/RDR2/Assassin's Creed changes time for story missions. All the games I mentioned have dynamic time/weather.

…..GTA5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 both have set pieces that forward time to ensure the right lighting is in place scene by scene. Additionally, both GTA5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 have day and night cycles with dynamic weather. Another example of a game with massive set pieces is Horizon FW. This game also has day and night cycles with dynamic weather.

This isn’t a hard problem to solve as other games just forward time when the mission starts.

I'm confused? I say you can't have that without changing the time of day (immersion killer)

Then you say that's untrue.

Then go on to say other games do it by changing the time of day.
 

midnightAI

Member
And those wanting realistic physics... Spider Man can't be done with realistic physics, the films don't use realistic physics, you'd face plant into the nearest building every swing (you can't move in a straight forward direction by attaching a line to a building at the side of you, it will always arc towards the anchor point). Insomniac went for fluidity, simple as that. No point crying over it because that's the direction they chose.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Seriously. I mean if someone wants turn based.....Midnight Suns exists. People know that right? If folks are looking for a less casual superhero game then that's probably the best they are going to do. Spider-man is not that game. Not a Elden Ring either. I say thank God for that.

If I'm going to call for improvements to Spider-man then I want better side quests and nix the shallow social commentary. That right there would have taken the first two game's metacritic scores from high-80s to lower 90s, imo.
My wishlist includes:
  • Better side-quests with multiple missions tied together or even multiple branching storylines. I want some side-quests to have more meaning, as in there's an either/or situation, you get to choose who to save and then live with the consequences.
  • Better random robberies and activities in which main villains are also involved sometimes. You get a robbery alert for a random crime, you get there, and you see Shocker or Rhino robbing a bank for example, and it turns into a mini-boss fight before they either flee or get captured.
  • Activities and side-quests via visual and audio queues and not by map icons.
But it's just that: a wishlist.

And I realize the fact that if all of us starts posting their wishlists, that'll be too many things. there's no way Insomniac can realistically add even a fraction of all that. So some people will always be "disappointed" that the game is missing a few things.

What Insomniac is doing, however, is pretty exciting nevertheless, even without things that I'd like to see.
 
I wonder if they have somehow managed to bake frame gen in thats why we’re getting RT on all modes.
FSR 3 style.
No. They just polished the tech they already had. It's the first spider-man exclusive to PS5 so they probably could better use the hardware. Besides frame-generation is not the sliver bullet. It needs a powerful CPU, adds latency and ghosting to the image.

On console you can be clever and you need to as you don't have all that available hardware (tensor cores, AI units) like on PC.
 

sendit

Member
I'm confused? I say you can't have that without changing the time of day (immersion killer)

Then you say that's untrue.

Then go on to say other games do it by changing the time of day.
…I’m saying you can have both integrate in to the game. That was the reason for the examples.
 

Audiophile

Gold Member
Interaction with spidey during swinging is primarily driven by animation. It being driven more by physics doesn't mean realistic; the variables in said system can be changed to be more practical or fun in a game.

I think what ProtoByte is suggesting is something more organic.

Motion Matching techniques would be great. Blending highly granular animations with the reactivity of a tweaked physical-based approach.

Spidey is great in general swinging but there are times where you want to build further momentum and you can feel yourself butting up against the limitations of the animations. The same thing with switching animations, they obscure drastic changes in states with varying degrees of success, but sometimes it's jarring.
 
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