anyway, sorry about that. What's your favorite video game snow? The Riften unemployment is taking a little longer than expected so here is a video about S-N-O-W. support me on patreon- www.patreon.com/any_austin
I once had an interview with Rockstar to be an animator and I talked about how much I liked the snow in red dead, possibly too much. I didn't get the job
I have no idea how good of a worker you are, so I won't say it's their loss. But also Rockstar treats its employees terribly, so it's good you didn't get the job.
When the dragon showed up and you reflexively pulled out your sword is the very first moment in any of these videos that I've actually felt like you really play these games when we aren't around
Yeah, and like he plays them instead of just walking around disregarding the gameplay and instead finding liminal spaces and conducting socioeconomic analysis
I always got the impression that he’d play the games thoroughly and then just find unique ideas out of boredom from exhaustion of all the major gameplay elements, the thought of this probably occurring from my own experiences doing so as a kid.
Another touch the devs included in Super Mario 64 is what happens when you afk for a bit. In most levels Mario lays down and falls asleep. In Cool Cool Mountain, Snowman's Land and, interestingly, the cloud stage, he will instead crouch down and start shivering!
The clouds are the same texture as the snow, so that makes sense. See also how if you land on a cloud from a great height, Mario will be stuck and pull himself out rather than taking damage.
Whether Mario shivers or falls asleep is dependent on the level, not whatever texture he's standing on. Nintendo likely intentionally chose for Mario to shiver in Wing Mario Over the Rainbow because it's really cold way up high
13:00 The reason graphically cheaper games fade out old footsteps is because they're instantiating an object or mesh on top the terrain to represent your steps. This is a quick and easy way to make the effect, as it doesn't require any maths, but it does cost a lot more graphically since its not optimized (and thus they put a cap on how many footsteps are rendered at once). On the other hand, RDR2 is using a shader that is 1. drawing your movement on the terrain as a path, and 2. rendering that path on the terrain and changing the shape of the snow based on it. It's also probably doing some cost-effective optimizations like rebuilding the snow as a single mesh. It's not that RDR2 is using more CPU/GPU and therefore can leave the old footsteps in, but because the game already uses so much processing power, it has to render the snow so optimally that it would be _more_ costly just to fade out old footsteps.
I forgot to mention that this was a great video. You have discovered a really neat niche in exploring and appreciating the atmosphere of games. Would love to see more videos like this :)
That first effect is usually referred to as 'decals', dents, scratchs, and holes from attacking terrain, eg bullet impacts, are usually handled with decals, as are fluid splatters
@@syrelian Yes, this is more accurate terminology and I likely generalised the computational intensity of the effects. Early implementations of decals were probably more performant than I gave credit.
Minecraft snow captures that feeling of walking during a snowy night in a way that no other game really does. Skyrim comes close, but I fee like skyrim really excels in emulating the feeling of a blizzard rather than gentle snowfall. Great video!
we just got a good foot of snow up here in NW Washington. a local weatherchaser got this excellent footage of fine dusty snow blowing over a roadway; oddly enough, it reminded me of the bare ice, snow and gusts of the Pale. helps that I'm in the middle of a Skyrim playthrough atm hehehe
Not just the blizzard but also how beautiful icy places are that are dangerous. The north wilderness between Dawnstar and Winterhold is as breathtaking as it is lonely.
For me, weirdly, it's the Escape from Hoth Base level in the original LEGO Starwars trilogy. After you clear out a bunch of enemies in a given room, just sit there and soak up the atmosphere. The old LEGO Starwars games are _really_ something when it comes to atmosphere for some reason. Maybe it's Nostalgia. But I'd really like him to cover these games sometime. The hidden areas in the old games can feel especially dream-like, even moreso on old TV screens where the game looks sort of blurry.
In Donkey Kong Country, the snowfall in world 4-1 gets more and more intense, and the distant mountains get more and more shrouded in fog as the level progresses. After taking refuge in an ice cave in World 4-2, 4-3 takes place outdoors again where the weather effects are reversed, becoming less and less severe as the level progresses. Altogether, it really sells the impression of climbing up a mountain and passing through a storm.
That also reminds me of the snow levels in SMW2: Yoshi's Island, particularly the one snow level where you climb all the way up a mountain and then ski all the way back down.
You just barely touched on music, but I am super interested in snow level music specifically. There is probably no other type of level that has such a distinctive vibe. I would definitely watch a whole video of snow/ice/winter level music. Classical composer Claude Debussy's "The Snow is Dancing" is a great example of this vibe, and that song was first published in 1910, so its been around for a while.
I definitely agree, and although not QUITE as distinctive, water levels also very frequently have a certain vibe I feel -- SM64's Dire Dire Docks, DKC's Aquatic Ambiance, Metroid Prime's Crashed Frigate -- There's often a calm stillness or slowness to them.
I'm definitely biased since Sonic is my favourite franchise, but my favourite winter level music is definitely Cool Edge (Day) from Sonic Unleashed. There is also Frozen Factory Zone 1 from Lost World, which gives off a really cozy vibe.
i grew up with very little-to-no exposure to snow in any capacity, outside of movies and video games. one particular example that left an example was Surface from Goldeneye, but at the time I obviously had nothing to really compare it to. Years later, I moved to a place that occasionally, if somewhat rarely, would get snowed in quite a bit and become a desolate wasteland that felt eerily familiar, only for me to realize that that was the long-dormant memories of spending hours on Surface as a kid
"Tropes that nature uses to convince of that we are in snow." HAHAHA😅 I like this video. Other games that have music that somehow feel cold are Metroid Prime - Phendrana Drifts, LOTRO - Misty Mountains, and Donkey Kong Country - Gorilla Glacier and various icy areas.
the snow in the long dark will always be one of the most memorable examples of Good Snow for me. not only do they do a great job at depicting the physics of snow, it also, due the nature of the game, has a real threatening aura about it which i really appreciate
The Long Dark makes you FEEL the oppressive beauty of snow. Huddling in a darkened gas station as the sheet metal roof shakes in the blizzard wind for possibly days on end is the best excuse for making a real world hot chocolate
"Starting all the way back in 1996, the year you were born" Me: genuinely surprised you knew what year I was born also me: remembers this is YT content made for tens of thousands of other viewers that's how casual your videos feel sometimes, austin. like im chillin with a homie. a homie who knows my birth year. lol.
It really feels like 1994-1998 birth range is way over represented on RU-vid. Which is kind of extra interesting to me because, those are the sort of forgotten years generationally. Just a soup of not quite a millennial but also not quite gen z. I have a weird knack for finding creators who are almost exactly as old as me without trying too. I’m assuming he’s probably a 96-er cuz even his videos that are damn near ten years old he looks pretty much the same age
@@monhi64 The fact that he started with N64 and not SNES makes me think he was probably born mid ninetys. SNES and even the NES had some notable snow levels but he probably never played them
"the year 1996, the year you were born" literally took me a second to realize he was just making a blanket statement and not gazing into the depths of my soul
i hope this becomes a new series: ____! (this is about video games) i always loved the snow effects when exploring the open world elements in SSX 3, and although no snow actually falls, the snowy and icy textures and landscapes in the second act of baldurs gate dark alliance captivated me as a child. excellent, thorough, and profound work as always, austin! i started adding some of your tunes to the playlists i make for the taproom i work at, the vibes you create are just 🤌🤌🤌🤌
Snow in video games is a great topic! For me, the first thing that comes to mind is the level Snow Barrel Blast in Donkey Kong Country. I always loved how it first gets darker and then gradually starts snowing more and more.
Not only is it one of the game's longest levels but you have to take it soooo slowly, to make sure you don't die on the precarious icy platforms and the barrel cannons that have occasional opening for you to fire safely. The weather effects add to this bleak feeling of being stuck on these treacherous cliffs.
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum with the entire route leading to Snowpoint City was the perfect encapsulation of hinderance and disorientation in heavy snow/blizzards
When you're inside your house in Animal Crossing I love seeing snow build up on the window sills, It's very cozy. Also the Christmas tree lights in December have always been one of my favorite video game traditions, even back to the GameCube
the snowy sections of tlou2 were incredible. the way it conforms to the shape of your body when you go prone, the detailed animations of it falling from tree branches when you brush into them, even the way horses navigate it compared to cleared ground.
Thank you again, Austin. I've never had such an emotional understanding of snow until I watched this video. My favorite snow feel in a video game was when I was 10 yearls old playing Majora's Mask and approaching Snowhead Temple while simutaneously looking outside from the window on a January's day with that game's background music playing. I will never forget that memory.
i love that you've been doing this for 11 years but you didn't hit your stride until recently. Your willingness to experiement with your style and increased production value absolutely earned you this.
I love that you're paying so much attention to this stuff. I have always gotten my sort of sense of the moods of nature and environments from games, since I never pay attention in real life, and in other media you don't have control of the camera to just sit and imbibe the vibe. Every time I try to draw a background in a comic or painting or something, I'm trying to replicate videogame feels.
Skyrim has the most intense and evocative winter for me, but my favorite snow is Minecraft. It falls so gently and the soft music make for a soft and delicate energy.
An unlikely contender when it comes to snow is Spyro: A Hero's Tail. Despite it being a cartoony 3D platformer, it somehow immerses me in its snow levels, to the point that it's relieving to come across a warm, glowing fire in the game, even though it has no effect on the gameplay.
I feel like Pikmin 2 also did snow really good even on the GameCube way back then. The 1st level has all the aspects of the sounds looks and feel that your talking about here. Now im hoping for snow here on the east coast! Great vid again btw 👌.
I’ve always loved Frappe Snowland from Mario Kart 64. The night sky with the snow falling down always reminds me of going sledding at night as a kid and sitting in the snow and staring at the night sky.
This is the exact kind of content I am here for. No sarcasm, love how this channel dives into random incredibly small details. Been binging for the last two weeks.
one of my favorite games for snow is Until Dawn; given that the entire game takes place during a blizzarding night, the characters need to all go outside and walk around in the snow. not only do they leave realistic footprints, but the sounds of taking steps also emulate that classic scrunch sound snow makes when it's all loose and your footsteps pack them together,
My snow in game relationship is through the lens of snow sports games. 1996 Cool Boarders kicked things off for me, SSX (1, Tricky and 3) along with Amped gave me some snow deformation and some believable snow textures that weren't just white, 2007 Freak Out Extreme Freeride started out the open world believable mountain, 2008 Shaun White Snowboarding expanded, Wii Ski 1& 2 continued, 2016 Steep expanded further still and now we have Riders Republic that has the most believable snow I've seen outside of RDR2. Especially so, considering the variety of the snow effects the gameplay. I love snow
I think you could talk about all sorts of seasonal themes in games throughout the year. romance in february, flowers/eggs in spring, farming in summer, leaves or halloween in fall
Wow enjoy the snow, that sounds so nice. I moved from a place with lots of snow each winter to a place that never snows a few years back and I miss it.
I don't even know why I like this channel so much. I guess it's because Any Austin has an inoffensive voice and is talking about video games in a very low stress way, without it being serious
I will always appreciate that you leave room for wonder, speculation, and error in your productions. You were just speculating that the snow was one layer in Mario 64, not looking up exactly how it was made, and then you realized that some of the flakes DO layer, and you just left it all in rather than cutting to only the facts. The internet has all but destroyed the sense of wonder in most aspects of life, so I appreciate the voluntary wonder you present Nice to see the duplicated Ring Fit still hanging around
i remember playing minecraft xbox 369 edition as a kid and looking at the snow/rain when it was night. because weather is a 3d particle effect on the exterior of the block plane, there would be a box of nothing directly above you if you stood in the right spot, so i would just set the player to look up at the darkness against the weather and the stars. i would also fly up high and crouch fly down to look at the rain, the snow was too slow but the rain falling was almost the same speed as flying down so it would look like it all stopped midair
This video has really been in my feed lately, perhaps because it’s autumn now. I just wanna say I really like your vibe, and I feel that you have such a calming way of appreciating these small details. It really works well with the theme of snow, which usually also is very calm. If you ever feel like doing a part two, BoTW has a lot of snow physics and great icy music!
i don't know if many other games do this, but another surprising aspect to minecraft snow is that heat sources will melt away snow around it. such as lava pits and fires. and of course, you can also mine and craft with the snow as well.
Grand Theft Auto IV was meant to have snow. Could you imagine how different our lives would have been if that had happened? How much we would have changed as people?
This is why I love your channel so much. I love these videos! Snow levels/worlds are always my favourite in video games (next to the tropical levels). You make video game snow such an interesting topic to talk about. Great video Austin and happy holidays! ❄️🌨️🎁🎄 Also is that a new song I hear? 👀
This is my favorite video you've made and I'm a huge fan of your other series! I know this is a one-off but I'd love to see similar explorations of other weather effects, rain, storms, water, etc. Keep up the good work and happy holidays!
I remember playing the snow game in 1966. That's what we did when the channels wouldn't come in, just watch the snow. The game was coming up with stories
You talked about Minecraft snow without talking about powder snow? The snow that's so light and fluffy you can pick it up in a bucket? The snow that forces you to wear a special type of boots to stay on top of it or sink under your own weight and freeze to death? The snow that won a community-driven biome vote because of Jeb's iconic quote, "The snow is snowier than before"? We need a sequel to this video. _We need justice for snowier snow!_
I went camping last year and a snow storm hit us. Around midnight we had to leave the tents and hunker in the stone and wooden shelter because the trees were so loaded up with snow that they were falling or dropping branches. The Skyrim soundtrack on loop got us through the night alongside the crash of trees. In the morning we tentatively returned to the tents to find them all crushed. After that I really wanted a Skyrim mod that dropped trees and branches in heavy snow, would be so immersive :) Thanks for your content too, I really appreciate your videos!
I remember Harvest Moon for SNES having a very atmospheric winter, especially after the sun sets and the music stops and it's all quiet as the snow is falling I think this was a really great video idea and could lead into some other ideas. Perhaps autumn in video games? You'd have to wait about a year to release it though
In the level Snow Barrel Blast in Donkey Kong Country 1, I’ll never forget the way that DK just gets caught in a snowstorm. The way the snow is at first in the distant background but the blizzard gets closer and closer until it’s hard to see the game you’re even playing. So good and so tense. Especially with the music
I never really noticed how those windy snowy wisps in skyrim made it 10 times more realistic and immersive than other games. They nailed it without having to do all the fancy stuff that red dead eventually did
I remember loving the way snow whisked behind vihecles in battlefield bad company 2. Mesmerized and awed at the detail, first time i saw that in a game
I still really love the snowy areas of Minecraft, and especially standing in the snow, imo the fact it’s so quiet (because the game lacks wind) really adds to its realism cuz I have a lot of memories as a kid just standing outside in the snow, esp at night, and taking in just how quiet the snow is when it falls. Many games either have semi-continuous background music, ambient sounds, or wind sounds, so it’s not that often that you get silent snow. At least, in the games I’ve played.
14:08 as a (student) filmmaker, I can say that movies do actually have to deal with all things lighting, it can be incredibly complicated at some situations
as much as I appreciate, snow, ambience and texture I also appreciate when snow feels like snow. In a game like steep, boarding through deep snow feels different than a thin sheet of ice.
In Nightmare Creatures there's a level with snow and a meat locker / slaughterhouse. If you walked through the blood, you would leave bloody footprints in the snow. As an 11 year old this blew my mind.
I've always lived somewhere that doesn't snow. I've been in it sometimes but it's very rare. It's interesting watching this and realizing that a lot of my emotional interest in snow was probably formed by games
What I liked about animal crossing as well was the ability to roll snowballs, and how this would interact when rolling over snow or dirt! Games that give you interactions with the environment for pure pleasure are a joy.
Cool, Cool Mountain with its skybox textures and constant calm snowfall and Christmas-y (specifically the sleighbells) is this dreamlike fantasy of winter and snow that persists to this day on my 37th year alive on this planet.
i remember one of Skyrims selling points during production was that it was gonna have dynamic snow that acted like real snow. so one time a place may have lots of snow, another time that same place might have none.....and they ended up scrapping it. its one of the things i like about minecrafts snow is that it feels more dynamic than any other game
Another point of appreciation for Minecraft snow; Snow is not only biome specific, but it's also elevation specific. If you build high enough, you'll find that the air is so cold up there that snow forms atop your structure. Sure, many builders find that a hinderance, but I like it.
@ 7:30 lol yeah, when you first came at Minecraft's snow i was like "Bruh, what? That shit's tremendous! Serenity at its finest!" Glad you recognized the errors of your ways 🙏
Frostpunk. For a game about a bunch of miserable people starving and freezing to death it manages to make the snow-scape feel incredible to inhabit, even as a top down observer.
I've never seen snow be more powerful than in 1080 Avalanche, the best snowboarding game I've ever played where tricks are intrinsic to your success in races and offer up new paths as well. And the titular namesake avalanches do everything in the Gamecube's power to give you an adrenaline rush as you're trying to escape a real cataclysmic weather disaster. Beautiful...
Animal crossing is peak cozy snow. I can remember how nice it was on a blustery cold winter day booting up the gamecube and having it be just as snowy in my little town. I think its the music, the ambience that shows the more beautiful side of winter weather.
Winter is my favorite season ❄. It doesn't snow where I live, so I've never seen snow in person before, but snow in video games always helps. I love looking at the snow areas and dreaming that I'm there lol
