Dying Light 2 has completely replaced the zombie physics from its predecessor, and fans are upset by the thousands on reddit because of it. Now, lead developer Tymon Smektala has addressed the issues and offers hope.
What happened? Just a few hours after release, a fan commented on reddit about the zombie physics. User CorrectInfoBelow predicted a few days earlier that he feared the physics of the undead, their ragdolls and hit feedback would be unsatisfactory (via reddit.com). He was to be proven right, and around 2,000 Redditors agree with him. Yesterday, developer Techland commented on the physics downgrade.
Zombie physics should have remained as in Dying Light
What’s wrong with the physics? The community criticized the downgraded physics, especially for the worse ragdolls than in the first game. But the hit feedback also leaves a lot to be desired:
- In Dying Light, zombies were sluggish. When fighting the undead, the weight of these enemies could always be felt. In Dying Light 2, it feels like the zombies are just blow-up dolls.
- Cutting off body parts isn’t as detailed as it was in the first game, and there are no more broken bones or X-Rays.
- You can no longer knock zombies over or use them bowling-style to make others fall down.
- Ragdolls don’t trigger properly or are non-existent.
The main criticism is the ragdolls: they don’t work properly or at all in Dying Light 2. For example, if you kick an enemy from the roof, he stumbles over the edge like a cartoon character, looks at you briefly and then falls down. In the predecessor, the zombie fell over the edge and down, physically correct. Here are the ragdolls from the first Dying Light for comparison.
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This is what the developers say about the problem: On Twitter, the user Warilol1 asked if the developers know about the rather meager zombie physics and ragdolls. Chief developer Tymon Smektala responded (via twitter.com):
“Aware, acknowledged, will be taken care of.”
Unfortunately, Smektala also explains that physics is not currently a priority for Techland. In a long list, the team had shortly before listed all the fixes and construction sites they are currently working on.
So Techland wants to improve the physics of the zombies and their ragdolls in the future, but when exactly they don’t say. Even though this could take a bit longer, at least we have a 5-year plan of content that awaits us: Dying Light 2: Fans disappointed by poor zombie physics
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Yet if you take a look at the Dying Light Reddit it’s nothing but sheep lapping this half-arsed offering up like it’s the best thing ever, and shutting down comparisons to the original game as “nostalgia glasses”. Far out, what ever happened to objective criticism of games that have taken a measurable back-step (or several).