Out of Bounds Secrets | NieR Automata - Boundary Break 

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Imagine you're in one of those "transported to a video game world/isekai" stories and you're just walking around doing quests when you get far enough out of town and find out everything is low poly, that's when you realize you're not the main character of this story, you're a side character or possibly an npc, if you were the main then stuff wouldn't turn low poly around you

There’s a certain art to creating extreme low-poly versions of large areas and this game is a masterclass in efficient use of assets. There’s so much to consider, not just the number of polys, but also the amount and size of textures used in the overall model as well as what objects need to actually be represented in the scene. One of my favorite things about low-poly scene models is seeing what already-used textures they will use to approximate the overall color and shape from a great distance; you have so many options but it requires a lot of creativity and inspiration (and trial and error) to get “right” to enough of a degree to stay convincing. The illusion always breaks when you get closer than intended, but that’s the fun of it!

The white objects at 15:07 might be a visual indicator of some kind of heat distortion effect. If you look closely in the video, the distortion effect only applies in the area immediately under the white object. As a fairly difficult effect to see, it's beneficial for devs to be able to mark their locations somehow.

11:11 9S just following 2B as she runs in a circle like a madman is the most hilarious thing I've seen this morning

10:45 “-and pretty much just consumed by darkness. Which, I dunno, I guess is fun, maybe a little sad” *Veeerrry suiting for this game LMAO*

All I can say is that I'm glad I ended up buying this game. It was definitely worth it.

It's crazy to think that there is so much loaded in at once and yet the performance is still phenomenal. I've seen countless games struggle with loading areas and to see Nier do it so effortlessly is honestly kind of funny. The game is just an absolute masterpiece in so many ways, there really isn't anything like it.

at 15:09 with the white objects floating about? That looks like the top half of the heat haze effect. Once you pan the camera past its top you can see it start to kick in. That'd be my best guess and perhaps where greyed out liked that up top for easier placement editing.

Those white objects in the desert that you can only see from very high above, are what create the "wavy" effect to show that the desert is incredibly hot. There are a lot of areas in the desert that don't have the effect at all.

0:35 Personally, i think that seeing the eyes and the tongue from inside is much more creppy than the characters having no eyes.

Automata was my first experience with the NieR series, and at first it didn't really grip me. I waited a long time to buy it, only grabbing it about a year ago. The story felt severely lacking in the early game and the gameplay didn't seem like anything special, so I put the game down and moved on to other things. Eventually, I decided to give the game another go, and I'm so glad that I did. I quickly found myself getting invested into the story, and the upgrades I unlocked made the gameplay so much more interesting and fun. The game ended up being one of the rare few that managed to get tears out of me, so bravo for that. It was so great that in a desperation for more content, I went and bought NieR Replicant. I ended up loving that one as well, and both games are easily among my all time favorites. I definitely recommend giving them a go if anyone's not experienced them yet, but be prepared for some heavy feels.

Absolutely love seeing this game resurge in popularity lately (even if the church was fake) Would love to see other platinum games content on this channel like bayonetta or astral chain

Man i lowkey love this new guy. Risky move hiring on another person but damn y'all both have that same excitement for out of bounds mysteries. This ep was sick

I always wanted to see the boundaries of this game. It’s pretty interesting that how much developers left these unfinished things and hid it underneath the games map. It like finding a Easter egg.

Legit one of the best games ever made

This was great and laughed at the Nier Church bit. I know it turned out to be a fan mod but I love it and so happy we got hype again for the game. Best thing ever. Also can you guys do Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne or V, please?🥺🥺

Nier Automata is to this day probably my favorite game. And the entire out of bounds world I have discovered through speedrunning is one big reason for me personally I believe. It has something so magical to it, being able to explore the map from such secret angles. Great video, keep it up!

So glad Shesez has got some help to balance out the upload schedule. New host is a good addition, great channel y'all.

I love how I can hear Snipey's curiosity and enthusiasm for discovery in his voice. :D There was a lot of cool stuff in this!

4:50 "But when it comes to thin objects like railings and crossbars, they get pretty hard to see sometimes -- almost to the point where you're kind of wondering why they're there to begin with." That LOD may have been generated automatically. Alternatively, the mesh could've been designed at least partially by hand, with thin beams and whatnot being turned into just large flat surfaces with drawings of beams, before they decided on the appropriate texture resolution... and then they decided on a resolution so low that you can hardly see anything. However it ended up like that, maybe it just wasn't worth the effort to tweak it afterward. 7:20 "And you have a third [water] layer that seems to be attached to the camera position? And so when I move the camera up and down, it overlaps other objects in the scene." Does the object-overlapping effect happen at close range, or only large distances? If this only happens at large distances, then it may not be attachment; it _may_ be imprecise math. I'm not sure why it would only affect the water, but... Commonly, a 3D renderer will generate an extra image: a "depth buffer," which is essentially the 3D scene but with objects shaded in greyscale, where brighter surfaces are closer and darker surfaces are further. The renderer can use this depth buffer to optimize things. The renderer needs to ensure that objects actually get drawn in front of the things behind them; it can do this by sorting everything in advance (which takes effort and has its own limits), or it can use math and the depth buffer to save that effort. The trick is that the depth buffer is encoded as one decimal number per pixel. Decimal numbers have precision limits. The format used could theoretically represent numbers into the millions. However, to make color calculations in general easier, the graphics card only uses values between zero and one. This means that it's not getting the full use -- the full precision -- out of the depth buffer. (But zero and one relative to what? Well, historically, it's whatever maximum draw distance the game developer chose. But the higher that draw distance is, the less precise the depth buffer is overall: the precision limits that get applied to that zero-to-one decimal number get stretched over that larger distance. Of course, more modern engines can use math tricks to boost precision.) So what happens when you run into precision issues? Rounding errors on a per-pixel basis. Commonly, these lead to Z-fighting, which happens when the graphics card can't tell which of two surfaces is in front (i.e. they are "the same depth"): the game essentially picks one and can potentially change its mind with each pixel. Sometimes, though, it's more orderly -- whole chunks of one object wrongly being covered up -- and that usually happens due to distance-related imprecision, where large chunks of an object will have their depth be rounded the wrong way. You can actually see something almost like Z-fighting arising from precision limits at 17:07, with some parts of the Tower flickering and becoming jagged as they move too far away to be rendered. The distant scenery being covered by the water could be another example of precision limits. Maybe. Can't say for sure without breaking the engine open and seeing how it works. What confuses me is why this, if it _is_ the reason for what you're seeing, would only affect water and not other distant terrain. In particular, we don't see it with the Tower versus the void.

Snipey sent me. Somehow I missed this one last month. Thanks for the heads up, my dude. You're an excellent co-host.

I've been pushing for this episode for a long time, and I couldn't be happier that it is finally here.

I'm so happy to see this because Nier has become one of my favorite series and sometimes I feel like it doesn't get the attention it deserves. Now we wait for the Nier Replicant episode lol You guys always amaze me.

I was wondering just the other day if this episode would ever be a thing, and now here we are. Thanks, Boundary Break!

I’m surprised this game hasn’t been done before, such a beauty. Thanks for the video

You can also see a good portion of what gets loaded in and out of the map when using the in-game Debug Menu (which is a lot of fun to just mess around with). It blew my mind seeing how much of the Amusement park is still loaded in when you go to the Desert.

10:51 "i guess its fun, maybe a little sad" yeah, that's NieR

I love the Nier games! Gestalt/Replicant/Automata. I was really disappointed when you said the video was too long. It wasn't long enough! lol, I would love to see this revisited with a more in-depth exploration of all the locations, boss fights, events cutscenes in different angles. Especially the locations from the original Nier, Emil's room and the library up close. I don't go on twitter that much so I didn't see the viewer requests. Please revisit this game and the other Nier games! I would sit through an hour+ long in-depth video going through everything.

Been a long time coming, pretty sure I requested an Automata boundary break 3 years back, this popping up in my feed was a very pleasant surprise.

It's great to see boundary breaks for a game that's NOT a new release that I haven't played yet because it makes no sense to buy games at full RRP when it'll be on sale for less than half in a few years time!

It's always fascinating how they workaround those, behind the scene stuff.

Been watching Shesez for a long time now and I must say I’m really loving Snipey, everything from the presentation to the enthusiasm, it’s almost like Shesez’s long lost brother 😂 But for real both of you keep up this amazing work and we can’t wait for more!

This is a game i have been waiting for on this channel, It has to have some seriously good optimizations going to have so much of the city area loaded from the factory, even if it is low resolution.

Welcome Snipey :) Fascinating stuff already, thanks for sharing with us ❤️ Hope you have a great day too bud, loved the vid!!!!!

Really love the pacing of this episode! Those 20 minutes just flew by. Also loving the new host, and Nier Automata of course, so this might just be one of my favorite Boundary Break episodes ever.

I’ve wanted this forever! Thank you Shesez Glory to Mankind!

This game is my number 1. Everything about it is absolutely perfect, down to every last detail and every last out of bound low poly structure

So cool to see behind the scenes. A lot of techniques used to save performance and time!

Interesting, that building floating above the Tower seems to be the opera house with the resource module "God Box" crashed into it.

Great video about a great game. Thanks for this. :) Snipey is doing a really good job so far.

9:53 that camera angle of the bunker is insane, would've been sick to have it in game when escaping with the commander while fighting.

Right on time before this game will come out for Nintendo Switch in October. 👌🏻

you should do a series on the old 1990s/2000s pc games..they where full of stuff you found when the game glitched..

It would be so cool to see Bayonetta, I’ve always been curious

I'm gonna register this to my Watch later list, I'm playing this when it releases on Switch later this year!

I really want to see a part 2! I want to see how the Simone fight in the Carnvial works :))

Are low-poly models also created by hand, or are they processed automatically to look like that? For example a hole in the wall being represented by a patch of gray looks like something that must be decided by a human, but I can't imagine having to create two versions of each model just for the sake of low-poly.

Nier: Automata is a very unique game where your perspective going into the game is entirely different if you know anything about the first NieR or not. I can only imagine what someone who never played NieR was thinking when they first played Automata.

FINALLY YOU CRAZY MAN I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR IT FOR 5 YEARS!!! Could've added more though. Now do NieR.

Great episode, nice job on the person who done this, you're really good at it, keep up the good work.

I want a part 2 of this xD More Nier Automata Boundary Breaks!!

That building from the park that loads outside the tower is the version you see if you revisit the park after clearing the resource unit

12:30 would love to see the camera shift from the intended perspective to the out of bounds perspective just to give the scope of what is hidden out of bounds.

Aww yeah it's about time. Automata sits as one of my favourite games of all time. Lost count how many hours I have in the game so it's a real treat seeing how it all comes together.

2:50 Oh, that was slick.

Love the boundary break alot guys but I would love some more region break if possible keep up the amazing content 👍

" I was born on the stairs, I will die on the stairs." - Anonymous Forest Stubby

My favorite game, so happy you did a video on it!

About those "flying invisible parts". They're probably some sort of aditional illumination. I remember when I rendered model of chess board. I added several lightnings like this you showed in video, that was not visible from bottom, but from top? Totally visible thingies. So I guess parts of desert needed some additional illumination. You know, it's pretty bright area ;)

i’ve been waiting for this one for like 4 years thank you

You missed the table ontop of the building in the main hub that is used for cutscenes with adam and eve

"where we basically, take a camera. anywhere we want." I'm quite sure that with great power, comes great responsibility.

at 18:38 that building from the amusement park i believe is when you destroy one of the floating towers machines near the end of the game. it crashes to the ground or explodes or something.

Being unfamiliar with NieR but familiar with Final Fantasy XIV, this video makes me wonder what tricks are being used in XIV's geometry in places I haven't bothered to check myself already. I wonder how many tricks from NieR they borrowed for the NieR raids in that regard.

The orb image is a stock effect from the early 90s. It was apart of a software suite you could buy back then. I can't remember wtf it was called. Doom used it as well.

NieR church was a mod, for anyone not in the know. Highly recommend looking up the whole saga because that was an absolutely *wild* few days to be a NieR fan.

Operator: Report. 9S hacked the camera again. Commander: I see. Let's check what he's looking at.

Fascinating video! Was hoping you guys would eventually tackle Nier in Boundary Break

The Raven that is not a full 3D model but instead 2 texture mashed together, one vertical and one horizontal is such a big brain genius move!

18:50 the reason this is here is because during ending C 9S breaks a big machin which then falls right there, and blocks pasasge to the main house

I LOVE YOU SNIPEY!!! Perfect compliment to Shesez. I will forever be a fan and subscriber.

"Take the camera anywhere we want" in Nier Automata, eh?

15:12 these shapes are there to intersept the light

I don't know if you'll see this but this is the first video I've seen from the new host and I think they do a great job. Thank you!

15:09 Looks like those white objects might be there to obstruct light, maybe? The first one seems to cast a shadow

Yesterday I've beaten this game on Switch! Now I can finally watch the video

Nier Automata is a masterpiece, I'm happy we are getting the port on the Switch. 💕

So even when blinded, the android look inward. Fascinating 🤔/s

This game was perfect… PERFECT. Everything down to the last minute details 👌🏻

This is really cool honestly... Never seen these angles before

Oddly enough, there's a couple of ladders and platforms in the left tower of the castle in the amusement park.

18:56 That model is used in the amusement park resource collection unit scene in C, D

This chanel is a gold mine for aspiring game devs

Fun fact is also that the team behind it built a tool to build an auto-LOD system something like really crappy nanite in UE5 that provided them with 99% of those low poly models, thats why the fences or beams are still there at all or are just weird shapes or why the amusement park is so whack, a lot smarter than making it all by hand and for playstation it was usually only done with different, preexisting tools ^^

Seeing what is out of bound is so interesting.

18:49 I suppose those are the place where you can fight enemies that you spawn in once you beaten the game

*2B or not 2B* THAT...is the question. But srsly, no footage of the desert where the giant Emil heads are? Damn...

Always nice to get new discoveries in videogames.

Nerds are a gift to mankind. Amazing expo, amazing game. Fun to watch and learn🙂

I kind of forget sometimes that this channel is not called Boundary Break.

The floating planes in the desert area are probably there just to cast shadows.

I just checked and it's 41 GB.... For a massive, beautiful game. More studios could learn a thing or two from the way this game was made and what really matters graphically.

Holy crap, I only tagged you on twitter about this a few weeks back!

Stairs: Good Enemy Cardio!

My first time playing this game I beat the tutorial, blew myself up on the base, and then worked my way to the open field level, and promptly clipped through an area that let me into the carnival/amusement park area, beat all the enemies and bosses there, despite it being all half loaded and messed up triggers. Then found out I couldn't trigger anything story wise, and I couldn't clip back through the same spot lol. Stuck in an empty amusement park with no music or enemies, ruined like 2 hours of game play.

would be nice if you have checked also the tower at the ocean, the one tower where it appears when you finish half-wit inventor quest

it's been a bit since the youtube gods have blessed me with a boundary break video, but where the heck is shesez?

I love this game a lot, glad to see it covered here! I actually was wondering what some of the OoB stuff would look like while I was playing through it lol

omg ive been waiting for this one. its my all time fav game