Elden Ring does this better than anyone else 

I, for one, appreciate that you tapped into the long-standing FromSoft tradition of randomly including 'person with a big fucking piece of cloth wrapped around their head' in Simone's bedsheet drip section.

"Mohg is, in fact, a messy boy who loves drama" - best description of him I've ever heard

Can't believe Pat made it through the video without saying "fashion souls"

after the grafted scion screams it immediately pulls the cloth back over it's child's head as if to hide it's face. meaning it probably does feel shame about it's form and considers itself hideous. it's a 1 second animation and you're feeling sad in the middle of going "wtf wtf wtf".

Before playing Bloodborne I distinctly remember watching my roommate run around in the crowfeather armor set and being mesmerized by the layers of cloth and feathers waving over each other as he ran. I'm not saying it's the whole reason I decided to play Bloodborne... but it's one of them

This is why elden ring fashion is so important. If everyone is going to have an awesome costume you can't go around fighting people without one. You have to choose your own vibe too. You have to win.

I can't believe that I never thought about how in the PS3 era, it was still rare to see people sleeping under sheets because of issues with cloth physics, but now we have the cloth coming off of Godrick to reveal his arms with the cloth on screen pretty much the whole time.

Welp, I didn't wake up today thinking I'd hear the term "Cartilaginous Wobble", but here we are.

imagine Fromsoft cloth textures applied to Toad. Nintendo would retweet that.

As an environment artist, you really nailed Fromsoft getting away with stuff because of their intention. Repeating textures (look at the ruined building im Limgrave) identical distant trees in many vistas shots. But we let it slide because if look at the big picture and see how it all merge together, the jank doesnt seem as bad

I roll a This Thing as my class in every FromSoft game and my starting gift is always something like "Filthy Lozenge"

I can't be the only one who thought Slave Knight Gael would get a mention. His cape in the second phase might not be physics based, but it is a pretty sick idea that a character's cape could be used as a weapon too

1:03 Pat, this is a pitch perfect FromSoft guy laugh, i can't stop rewatching it

Man, Pat's analyses are always so on point, and often quite poetic. Love his videos.

The note about the Godskin is absolutely right… when I first saw one I wasn’t sure what the design/cloth was as I was dodging and running but the way it moved, sorta bounced and.. yes.. flopped.. made it clear that it was flesh. Not leather, or hide… but like.. wet, fleshy skin. Then I started wondering, is it somehow preserved with magic to not rot, or do they just wear flesh and replace it as it rots? It raised all sorts of nasty questions which I love! I’m glad this video exists to shine a light on something most people ignore! I myself never considered it very much beyond “Oh damn.. my cape looks cool as hell! Fashion Souls babyyy! I got that fresh wizard fit..” haha until the Godskin fight made me really consider how they made the cloth sim show the subtle differences between leather and skin… a processed and normal form of clothing vs a horrifying monster wearing the raw skin ripped from some poor victim unceremoniously. I started paying attention and everything moved differently! I started noticing how little bits of chainmail, feathers, tassels and other small details were all accurate… each type of cloth and material was different, the sheer maiden cloth moves like silk but the armor cloak moves like a thick heavy blanket or almost a rug. FromSoft truly created a masterpiece with Elden Ring… they put a ton of effort and care into every single aspect and detail of the game. They understood when and where they could take small shortcuts, and which aspects needed the most attention. Elden Ring should be used as an example for other game companies to learn how to make a massive game properly.

WAIT I GOT A POLYGON TIK TOK AD IN FRONT OF THIS POLYGON VIDEO???

what if the monsters didnt have clothes

This level of insight is what we're subbed for. And Simone absolutely SLAYED that sheet. Honestly I see this video starting something in both the video game and fashion industries..

love a video that makes me learn and makes me laugh. congrats on the bedsheet's polygon debut i hope it goes far

Was not expecting cloth as the answer. Am super glad.

What you're describing is part of the overall physicality and tactility that I find exclusively in Fromsoft games. The way that when your weapon connects with an enemy it actually feels like a hit instead of the weapon going through the enemy as if they were made of smoke. The weight of jumps is accentuated by the way the different items of clothing and the weapons you're carrying. It's so satisfying on some basic, physical level, to simply nove throufh Elden Ring's world and engage in combat.

Miquella is Mohg's HALF-brother, not step-brother, making it more legitimately incestuous.

Hey, it's the lady who made the bread boy in bioshock! Good to see her again!

Mogh is a theater kid

Feat. Simone De Clothfort?

9:50 "Patrick, what do your gamer eyes see?"

I remember making a PvP build in Ds3 that was all centered around cloth, just used the most flowiest clothiest cloth I could find and a Murakumo or some other spinny weapon. (dont rememeber which one now) It made it super easy to trick people by basically doing a lot of rolls and piruettes, seemed to really mess with people :)

Progressing through all the panels of the Vince McMahon meme throughout Simone's bedsheet fits

Gottdammit Pat, Ten/0 has been sold out of that Mokujin sweater in my size since they launched it and there you are looking all good in it.

I want to give props to whomever updated the thumbnail and title to seem less like a spoiler. Thanks for your hard work polygon team!

I can see those Delicious in Dungeon and Daydream Hour books nonchalantly perched on your bookcase, good taste 👀

You're so good at taking things I might not notice about games I might not be interested in and presenting them in a way that draws me in completely.

ohhhh this RULES. i frickn love cloth. it's so important. so few culture-building creative pursuits take as much care as would be *interesting*... this is a GREAT essay subject. i assume it is also a great essay i'm only two minutes in but pat has never disappointed before and this is off to a fantastic start

I think this is the place I can compare Elden Ring's Malenia to Sailor Moon' Usagi in that each gets their most powerful once they ascend to an angelic (but without clothes) form

Tag yourself, I'm @1:37 This Thing

FromSoft: puts insane detail into cloth physics Also FromSoft: you're weapon is going to clip through your shield while the shield is on your back and you're going to like it

I got a polygon ad before this started and jokingly pressed the skip ad button, and was terribly surprised to see that I accidentally skipped an actual ad

Another banger! Now that you’ve pointed it out, it so obvious how important costuming is to the vibe of a fromsoft game, but I’ve never really seen it because it’s not something I see a lot of people who love games taking interest in. I for sure appreciate videos on fromsoft’s subversive mechanics, but this video is definitely going to have a bigger and more unique impact on how I look at games.

I love these focused videos that just go hella in depth with one specific facet of a game.

I always read maliketh in the other direction -- the removal of his robe symbolizing him giving up his humanity to become bestial

Dude, theres literal hours of color theory I've seen and could go on and on about. Like just Maliketh alone, like you mentioned, how his coarse robes burn away to reveal his armor. His armor being a deep black, trimmed in gold, black like death, gold like order, with the gold containing the black, he is destined death as contained and vassaled to Queen Marika. That's not even touching the connections that the game color symbolism has to alchemy. Just a mere example of which being how gold is an element of suspension, of maintaining and preservation. Honestly it is an absolute rabbit hole to get loat in and the best part is that once you start seeing it, your mind races and sees more and more connections as you go. It explains so much, makes you wonder so much, and adds an entire other layer to the already incomprehensible amount of layers of detail that From puts into these games.

Now apply this analysis to the monstrous sweaters of the one true grafted beast: THE GAME OGRE!

Cloth is in the centre piece of FS's object story telling, but not that much so that you would notice it... It's almost too perfect.

This is 100% why Fashion Souls is a thing. Sure I've cared about how my player character has looked in other games, but in Bloodborne and Elden Ring (and other FS games) the cloth and costume are on a whole 'nother level.

"She Likes Cloth. That's a good band name." -- Teen Girl Squad episode 12

Mogh's Theatrical outfit (with the context of DLC) alludes to how he is forced by Miquella's powers to do much of his ill-deeds in a display of love for him. Very theatrical indeed.

miyazaki really made cloth secondary motion a boss fight mechanic with Slave Knight Gael

i enjoy these videos that talk about elements of game making and world building through means other than just gameplay and story. i like getting to learn about all the different ways dev teams have to work to create a rich experience.

Dark Souls 2 added cloth physics but everyone loves to dump on that one instead of giving it its due flowers.

missed the opportunity to have the hollow knight cloth "hua huAAAAA" yell introduce the idea of cloth

This is why I NEVER alter an armor. Fromsoft's capes are genuinely the best animated ones.

When playing my first FS game, one of biggest great impressions I had was the way the skirt or cloak bellows upward when riding down the lift in Bloodborne. I thought that was a really cool detail. Thank you for explaining all these so well. I have even more appreciation for the game now.

Nice “Yes Madam” poster. Need to do a rewatch

It's no wonder every dark souls related discord server ALWAYS has a fashion channel ❤❤❤

I truly appreciate the amount of effort they put into the cloth physics. I grabbed my Nox Maiden set ASAP and I love it. Flowey clothes while dancing around in combat is my jam.

"This Thing" is the most Fromsoft of all characters Simone showcased!

i have not thought of it this way. i understand the characters more their feel their stories... youve just open my soul, Thank You

There’s a reason I always pick armor pieces that have a cape or shawl. Using the new Milady with Winged Stance makes me feel like a matador 😁

Incredible video all around. Thank you for bringing attention to this great detail.

Pat, the hair looks REALLY good

“ahahahaha, oh!” - pat gill 2024

"You put a bedsheet on a flesh spider and you made me sad." Truly encapsulates fromsoftware.

oh THAT'S why the dryleaf and Nox Nightmaiden sets are my favourite in the game! i love making flowy character with weapons like duel curved swords, light greatswords and dryleaf arts and those clothes excentuate that even further.

Sad that this video was made before you got the chance to look at Dane's Dryleaf set that almost completely obscures the player with a poncho and robe that excentuates movements through the secondary animation of the cloth, I've never seen anything like it.

I wish fashion in real life had a bunch of hanging cloth and capes like this

You people are great and I hope your life is filled with joy. You deserve it. I was cackling AND learning.

Patrick your videos are always so polished and well written! Cheers!

0:04 absolutely

For the cloth design at least, they used Marvelous Designer - in which you actually construct garments with pattern pieces as you would in the real world.

Personally I'm in the utilitarian "no cape, cloaks or dangly bits" But the Omenkiller cloak in Elden Ring won me over, it looks like it's warm and insulating, it keeps form and doesn't get in the way. Is cool.

The best part about early souls games was in fact: watching your clothes flip out as you tumbled through boxes.

Meanwhile Let Me Solo Her went the opposite route with an iconic lack of clothing. In a world of elaborately designed armor sometimes the one to fear most is he who uses none at all.

2 of my favorite things: textiles and pat gill talking about fromsoft games

From's art direction and their commitment to maintain the integrity of the concept arts in the game proper is truly one of the best in the industry. We wouldn't get most of the uniqueness of the cloths and materials in game if they didn't pursue perfection on this aspect in each of their games.

This partly explains why I loved just running in around in the older assassins creed games when I was younger lol. I would always stare at hte cloth physics but never really questioned it until now. Whenever they brought back outfits from older games into the new games (mainly ezio and altair) the clothe physics where very reduced and some parts didnt even have physics anymore. That was literally a reason I didnt use them xD

My ultimate gaming dream is for clipping to be banished from character clothing and equipment.

Never thought a video on cloth physics would have me so intrigued.

Eeeyyyugh.. that “ahaha oh!” Was way too damn accurate! Lmao Reminded me of all times if crept up to a figure wondering if he’s going to try to kill me, sell me something, or just spit depressing lore. Who do they always giggle and cackle like weirdos?!

Literally never thought of this, but it’s SO true. Nice callout!

Really interesting analysis of an often overlooked element of these games. Nice!

One game series that also had an amazing focus on cloth and did it so well was the Batman Arkham Series in my opinion. Batmans cape is not as wavy maybe but I mean they had a guy sit 2 years on it just to perfect the heavy cloth physics on Batmans cape. For me, they are definetly up there too.

I really appreciate this video bc so many people just remember that one time they fucked around in blender and found the cloth physics preset and they just assume that's what games do, you just click a button and everything works perfectly. Now, can you use these presets for every piece of cloth? Yes. Will it look good? Probably not. Some engines don't even have this option, others the preset is bad, not to mention that the presets are typically poorly optimized and definitely do not work as a one size fits all for every game AND the cloth preset is more for interacting with other physical objects and without some effort does not usually just magically work for movement and everything else you see cloth do in games.

9:42 "I'M MOVING DIFFERENT"

Very cool subject! 🙌Wasn't expecting it.

interesting to note but dark souls was also the first game ever to make it so armor didnt just give you physical resistance but it gave you the capacity to "poise" through attacks, not getting staggered and instead finishing your hit the emphasis on the aesthetic of armors goes hand in hand with how the gameplay will change depending on your armor/the enemies armor.

Jonny Greenwood’s son sure knows his textiles

moths be like: "CURSE YOU LINEN!! I WILL RIDDLE WITH HOLES YOUR ROTTEN CLOTHES!!"

1:03 ah hahahaha- oh~

Imagine the fidelity of Cyberpunk2077's light/water, from soft's cloth physics, and call of duty's arm hairs 🤯

This is only tangentially related, but Lords of the Fallen (The original, not the remake) has some of the best cloth physics and feel that I’ve ever seen in a game. My jaw fucking dropped when I was standing on a windy bridge watching the cloth of my wizard robe fold and roll over itself naturally.

Amazing work, well done sir

Fromsoft love environmental story telling and improve with every game and clothing is part of the environment i never paid attention to just how much they constantly improve the clothing because im usually looking for coat of arms and stuff like that not the clothing in general

fashion souls and now elden bling are some of the best aspects of the communities formed around fromsoft games

This is so interesting, more people should talk about this.

Polygon of all places. Probably should keep this dude. Nice.

I got the same exact Team Liquid/Honda EV ad, followed by Tiktok Polygon ad, four times while watching this video

Interesting fact: the dancing lion is only two normal people, not three people being human centipeded.

It's funny how you can separate all discussion relating to Mohg into two distinct eras, "before DLC" and "after DLC"

Now we need a game where From Software can combine both their incredible cloth animations with their incredible mech animations, re-revolutionizing the gaming industry.

new patrick :D