The SCIENCE! Behind Skyrim's GIANT Catapult 

So, in other words, getting hit by the Giants really... Hertz.

General Tullius: "Hadvar! What happened in Helgen?" Hadvar: "I have never experienced anything so scary in my life!" General Tullius: "What? The dragon?" Hadvar: "No, before that!" General Tullius: "What do you mean? What happened before the dragon attack?" Hadvar: "There was a male Nord prisoner who wasn't on the list... so I asked him his name..." General Tullius: "What? Was he one of those Daedra or something?" Hadvar: "No, he just stood there, silent, and started changing races, genders and colours right in front of me." General Tullius: "...What?" Hadvar: "I'm never working executions ever again..."

My rule for Bethesda games: If it prevents me from progressing in the game, it's a glitch. Otherwise, it's a feature.

I love new Skyrim players taking on giants and watching them get introduced to the Nord Space Program.

DO NOT LET GAME THEORY CENSOR YOUR GENIUS CHOICE OF FUCKING WORDS

"... and every ship in the Bermuda Triangle would be like 'What the FUCK was that sound?!'," has to be my favorite line out of the whole video. XD

The accurate thing people say is "AH FK i forgot to save before ;_;"

Glitches in Bethesda titles are like Schrodinger’s cat. It’s both a feature and a glitch at the same time

Is this a bug or a feature? Bethesda: "Yes."

Imagine they make a reference to ShoddyCast in a Elder Scrolls game in the future ShoddorCost as a character, a scientist nord who talks and writes lots of letters to the main character. Make it happen, Bethesda

What I learned from this: The giants would be GREAT at baseball.

Here's my theory: the Giants secretly enchant their clubs with "of Catapaulting" spells 😂

The giants haven't taken over Tamriel because, quite frankly, they are a peaceful race who don't attack without provocation and are content to live out their live with their mammoths and painted cows from the locals without EVER sending anybody up into the stratosphere.

this makes me wonder; who would win - Skyrim Giant vs Fallout Behemoth

I am seriously considering using the first two minutes of this as an audition monologue, the sheer amount of mad scientist is beautiful.

"Pants-shittingly Terrifying Numbers" What a great rock/metal band name...

13:45 AUSTIN! I'm so excited to start working with you on the channel! Welcome to the team! And thanks to the Shoddycast crew for letting you hop on over! You guys ROCK!

I mean, not to mention that giant would have to weigh god knows how much in order to survive the impact he created seamingly unscathed...

If you want the true answer as to why this happens in the game, here it is: Skyrim is using the Creation engine for the base game while the physics engine is controlled by a seperate middleware software suite called Havok. The Havok engine is used in a whole bunch of games, well over 600 titles use the Havok engine. Which includes just about every Bethesda game that's been released in the past 15 years. The Havok engine is very powerful tool, however it can also be very buggy. In the case of Skyrim, unbelievably buggy. You see, Skyrim utilises the Havok engine for a LOT of things. Ragdolls, clutter, gravity and force. Bethesda made Skyrim so dependant on Havok that they even added separate physics values to different weapons. (Basically means that some weapons in Skyrim cause more force on impact than other weapons do) The Giants club is classified as a weapon although it can only be used by giants in vanilla Skyrim, it is also the largest item in the game that's flagged as a weapon. Now. The Havok engine simulates Physics of an item based roughly on it's size and the weight value it's been given. Since the club is almost as big an NPC character, it packs a LOT of force. But that alone won't send you flying, but the second factor is what sends you flying. The gravity in Skyrim is only there because it was a necessity for the game to even run properly. It's made to keep your character, and the rest of the NPC's from falling through the world floor. It is programmed to keep every character in the world no matter what. So what happens when a giant hits you into the world floor with a large amount of in game force? Your character can't go down because the gravity won't allow it, so where else is there to go? Up. It's a part of the game that is necessary unless someone changes the weight and size value of the Giants club. Pretty sure there are mods out there that do just that.

Someone should create a mod which makes the giants slamming their club produce an extremely loud sound

"How did you study for your finals, Derek?" I listened to a guy screaming about physics in video games over classical music

This was a glitch that Bethesda was going to patch in Skyrim Special Edition but the community stopped them so it became a feature. The same happened with the wall plate glitch that allows you to go through walls. Skyrim community, you are amazing!

Dear Austin, Hey! It's me! The anonymous viewer that was just noticed! Today I have a very interesting weapon for you to do your SCIENCE skills on. That weapon is the Sheepinator from Ratchet And Clank 2, 3, and the PS4 remake. This weapon I used to be totally fine with, but after marathoning through all of your SCIENCE vids I couldn't help but notice that this weapon makes LITTLE TO NO SENSE. I mean, for starters, it can turn LITERALLY ANY ENEMY INTO A SHEEP. That includes robots, aliens, tanks, dropships, ANYTHING. Even bosses! So I just wanted to see the science behind that weapon. Sincerely, ThyHard

A used rage spells on a giant and the giant hit his fellow giant sending him to the stratosphere.

I had to write a letter to one of my teachers as a mid year exam and the second I typed the word dear, all of Austin's videos simultaneously played in my head

I think the real question should be, how strong do you have to be to block it with your shield and stagger the Giant.

I love that you can use a skyrim giant to power the DeLorean

*Tear slowly rolls down cheek*

This shit is like Game Theory before it went to shit. I love this math.

Your character can easily be launched by a giant while carrying 300 or more pounds, meaning that plus his body weight is launched into the air by the giant

giants haven't take over because they are peaceful

You forgot the fact that since Nirn, is a laughably small planet the amount of energy required to shoot a person into the air would thus be lowered as well.

I already miss the swear-y version of austin

Fan: Is this a glitch or a feature? Bethesda: Yes.

So Austin, how does it feel to be the most intelligent person on The Game Theorists?

So if i wanna fly... i just have to make a plane crash right next to me, and i should wear earplugs

DID YOU LEAVE US FOR GAME THEORY????? YOU TRAITOR! PLEASE COME BACK

This video is a great example of why precise physics and video games don't mix. Granted, you still made this video hilarious.

It's actually a bug. (as a game developer) I know the basics of the vanilla ragdolls and force systems. They are radically unrealistic. The reason this happens is because the club itself is considered an object and not an extension of the giant (for some reason) so it has its own impact on ragdolls and force. When you get hit by the club, and go to 0 hp, you ragdoll, then the force of the club pushing you down the rest of the way (slamming into the ground) and then the bounceback is what is enough to send you flying.

The excessive swearing is part of the reason I'm hooked to this series. Don't you dare censor yourself

The giants throwing you in the air actually isn't a glitch. If you type psb into the console command and then go through all the spells, you can find the spell giants sometimes cast after killing people.

*Hears loud noise* A giant just killed someone in China.

So how about you analyze the Prototype series next? It has a bunch of impossible stuff to take too seriously! Heck, even the protagonist (Alex Mercer) can hit the ground and people around him EXPLODE into pasty red mush! It's crazy! =D

"There's P waves, S waves, Surface waves and Reilley Waves! Too many to count!" 1..2..3..4 waves. When you can calculate how a fictional giant can send you hurtling through the air at terrifying speeds but can't count to 4.

0:52 i am laughing way too hard at this because of how accurate this is

hmmm... I half hope austin actually sends these emails to the game devs he is talking about with a link to the video. that would be fun!

Since its Elder Scrolls lets just say its magical clubs. Blame the daidra.

The even more terrifying thing is the amount of power the people who have survived this have.

So, what you're saying is, once this Dovakiin reaches 88 Miles Per Hour, we're gonna be seeing some serious shit?

austin a few month ago "i have a baby on the way im so excited heres some science i gotta prepare" austin after baby "I have a baby now and have no idea what im doing here have some science"

Came back to watch this again... and while I know that the reason for getting launched is due to weird hitboxes, I love his explanation and science behind it so much more...

You can't finish bethesda! What about stealthboys!

how many giants do I need to get back to 1985?

Listening to this in 2019 when MatPat has struck this show full force with the family friendly stick. The sweet, sweet cursing. So satisfying. Bleeps just hurt.

I DON'T CARE ABOUT CATAPULTS MAKE A SCIENCE EPISODE ABOUT TREBUCHETS

Onetime, I watched a giant beat the shit out of a frost dragon. The giant killed it in 7 or 8 hits

Finally got around watching this on my watch later list.... 6 years. Your baby is now 6 years old. Thats crazy. And you are back from game theory. Good luck man, love the work.

You're an R rated Film Theroy!

at that force, wouldn't the clubs just break?

When Wilhem Richard Ragner’s Flight of the Valkyries plays, you KNOW it’s about to get good! XD

The last letter to Bethesta!?! Why you do this

Even giants can hit 30hz while my Xbox can't

Since both the origin of Giants _and_ the creation of Nirn are so vague, I propose a new theory: Magnus and the Magna Ge didn't leave by choice. They were launched into orbit, creating the sun and stars in the process.

Congrats on the new baby! I completely sympathize. #4 came along on the 8th. Sleep is a rarity.

Why is Austin now at The Game Theorists?

2 n 1/2 years later and this is still awesome! The SCIENCE of stuff is very entertaining and well done. Looking forward to more

Oh god. He's joined the game theorists. Rip shoddy's integrety and believability.

What about the science of the Dwemer Machines?

Ok, I am *NEVER* going to a giant camp. *EVER*

Exploring skyrim and not saving the game for 4 hours then getting killed by a giant in one hit

In Bethesda games glitches are features

That awkward moment when you realize you companions can pick up that club, and use the same moveset as the giants. There is literally no need for a dragonborn if everyone in Skyrim except you can do that shit.

In short, giants are fucking powerful

RIP Shoddy Ill never hear your sweet sience rage again

You forgot to calculate the seventeen cheese wheels, three sets of spare iron swords I got from SOMEWHERE, and the random assortment of potions that I MIGHT NEED MORE LATER THAN I DO NOW, DAMMIT.

So the tattoos on the giants' bodies' just say, "lel get memed kiddo", right?

The reason Giants haven't taken over Tamriel yet is because they have a fixed level of 30.

Alternative theory based on close observation of various phenomena on display throughout Tamriel: It's magic.

Joining the game theorists? TRAITOR!

The catapult in the title can't launch a 90kg projectile further that 300 meters

Reality: Club breaks like a toothpick

aww fuck, I don't want to sub to Mat Pat I just want Austin.

you need to do the science behind Santa Claus

Dear Austin, I have recently seen a post on Facebook asking about how tough a space marine would have to be to survive a decent to the earth travelling at terminal velocity. The game 'Space Marine' comes to mind when I think about this subject, I was hoping you might be able to help solve this problem by doing a video on it and how the mathematics could work. Please help. sincerely RageFace p.s. I love what you do and I wish I was half as intelligent as you, I've watched many of your videos and love how entertaining they are. I hope you continue to have a long, awesome and joyful career with your channel.

can we get the science behind Titanfall 2 titan drops? would love to see it :D

Now the bittersweet is sending bittersweet because he's sadly no longer with game theorist and now back making the science videos on shoodycast

Every ship in the Bermuda triangle would be like "What the FUP was that sound!?!?!?"

could you do an episode on xcoms meld please

Hey Austin How powerful are Dragon Shouts ? That's a subject for you to explore. And gives more content. I like this series just so you know. Not to mention I am curious to see the answers.

I don't know why but every time I hear/see his reaction to the numbers and the numbers meaning I just bust out laughing even though what's being said is very very very dangerous

scary and also I think the baby wants to be a comedian wean he/she grows up

I feel bad for the club

Oh my goodness!!! This was perfect! Thank goodness the giants are peaceful unless you invade their personal space or mess with their mammoths lol

Imagine what would happen to the giant's arm

What would it take to double jump? It could be just a force hard enough to compress air enough to act as a solid or is there no posable way? Would you need wings or other forces to do this? A game to look at could be sonic just to make things easyer becouse of his speed.

you mean to tell me austin lives 15 minutes from me and i can't hear him scream from my house

So I was right to always go around a giants' camp.

Does this mean you're replacing Matpat?

This video popped up in my recommended feed earlier. I have already seen this episode of The Science, But I wanted to give it another watch. And damn do I miss this. The good old days of an uncensored Austin speaking passionately about science and video games, all while the greatest classical music that was ever created is playing in the background.

Once again skyrim, either magic. Or BS.