In the loot shooter Outriders , you can expect cutscenes at many points. The game suddenly pauses for a video. For many players, this doesn’t make sense in some places. The developers explain why they exist.
This is the problem: When switching between different areas in Outriders, it starts small videos that interrupt the gameplay. These cutscenes are triggered in many places. When opening a door, climbing over a ledge, or jumping over a cliff. A video process always runs. The screen goes black, the short video starts, and then there’s a transition back to the game.
Players wonder why they exist at all. Some find them unnecessary or annoying. Now there’s an official explanation from People Can Fly, the game’s developers.
The cutscenes are important for the co-op game
This is what it looks like: If you can’t imagine cutscenes, you can see them in the following video. Wesley Yin-Poole from Eurogamer published a 22-second clip on Twitter and says: “I’m not sure I needed a cutscene for this jump, Outriders.”
In the video, you can see the player approaching a broken bridge. Instead of jumping straight over it, gameplay is interrupted by a cutscene. This then shows the player jumping. After that, you see a black screen for a few seconds, and only then does it return to the game.
Such short videos are often used in games to beautify loading screens. And partly, that is also the case in Outriders.
This is what the developers say: Creative Director Bartek Kmita spoke with Eurogamer about the cutscenes. He explains that this system is used to bring players together in co-op when they enter a new section.
Originally, Outriders used a system that consisted of a fade-in and fade-out. But the playtesters complained about that. They didn’t understand what was happening or where they were going when one of their teammates triggered the loading of a new area. By showing a short video, they aim to ensure that everyone in the game understands where they are going as a group.
“A good example is opening the door,” Kmita says. “That was just because people in playtests said: ‘Oh, where am I? Why was I teleported?’ So we had to have these cutscenes.”
However, even in solo play, the cutscenes are played. Even if there are no group participants to confuse. Kmita explains that this has to do with loading the levels.
“The streaming (the loading that happens in the background in our levels) is really intensive. We simply needed this solution to stream everything, to prepare the next areas.”
The developers at People Can Fly explain that these cutscenes decrease as you progress further in the game. In Rift Town, which is filled with quests, new areas, and cutscenes, the problem is clearly felt. In the later game, it occurs less often but is still present.
“I feel like we have quite a few interesting solutions in the design of Outriders. This one isn’t necessarily as good as we expected! I think there are a few that really work well and that I’m really proud of.”
What do you think about the cutscenes in Outriders? Are you annoyed by them and wish for a different solution, or do you find it okay after this explanation from the developers? Let us know your experiences and opinions here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with other players.
You can currently only play Outriders in the demo. The full release will be on April 1, 2021.
