Fans ofRed Dead Redemption 2know all too well the level of detail Rockstar Games has woven into its cowboy-western sequel. Compared to its predecessorRed Dead Redemption, and other open world Rockstar titles such as theGrand Theft Autoseries,Red Dead Redemption 2comes out on top with its awe-inspiring backdrops and incredibly attentive detailing.
This level of detail is not limited to ground level. Rockstar’s attempt at replicating atwentieth-century western worldin the wilds of America also extends to the stars, displaying a realistic star map of the Northern hemisphere that rotates with the night. Rockstar sure has come a long way from the ridiculously over-sized static moons of earlyGTAtitles, which filled almost a quarter of the night sky.
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The Night Sky in Early GTA Titles
Theearly 2000sGrand Theft Autotitleswere far from the realistic environments of modern Rockstar games. Plastered across the stratosphere in garish fashion, the earlyGTAmoon was something fans grew to love, despite its inability to progress through the phases of a natural lunar cycle. Instead, it would fade in and out of view, always fixed to the same position. A beloved gimmick was that if a player used a sniper rifle to shoot at the moon, the size would increase. After shooting multiple times, the moon would then decrease, resembling a more accurate size.
The Night Sky in GTA 5
Evolving from the earlier installments,Grand Theft Auto 5introduced an improved moon that has enough detail to describe it as realistic. This upgraded moon also follows the natural lunar cycle that was absent from previous games, rewarding players with atmospheric shots of a waning crescent moon fading into a back-drop of midnight blue. Rockstar also added light pollution to the environment ofGTA 5, making stars more visible to players once they head out of Los Santos and venture intothe hills of Blaine County. Light pollution wasn’t as much of a problem during the cowboy era, however there is still a touch of it inRed Dead Redemption 2’s Saint Denis.
TheoriginalRed Dead Redemption, released in 2010, showed improvement in its night sky from the earlyGrand Theft Autotitles. With a similar sized moon to the one found inGTA 5with a sporadic dusting of faint stars, Rockstar does create a lonesome atmosphere that can be felt by its players, encompassed by a cacophony of background crickets. However, compared to its successor,RDR1barely scratches the surface on how realistic an open night sky can be.
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MostRed Dead Redemption 2fans have looked up at the night sky during gameplay and admired the beautiful detail of it.Throughout New Austin, Ambarino, and other regions across the map, Rockstar includes shots of the milky way and real star constellations that appear in the night sky throughout the Northern hemisphere. An easily identifiable one is Orion’s belt, marking an elongated cross with five bright stars that sits low to the horizon. The sky inRDR2also rotates, following the diurnal motion of star constellations as they slowly edge across the sky in real life.
As previously mentioned, light pollution does have a role to play in how well players can see details of the night sky.Around the city of Saint Denis, as well as the air being smoggier than other areas of the map, the stars are less defined, and the milky way is difficult to see. Moonlight also drowns out the shine of surrounding stars, as it changes through the eight lunar phases introduced by Rockstar inGTA 5.
Rockstar has achieved a greater level of realism with each new title released, withRed Dead Redemption 2taking the reins. Players really can get a feel of what it was like to wander about a vast wilderness under clear mountain stars, listening to the distant howling of wolves. It is interesting to see how Rockstar’s approach to night sky detail has changed so drastically over the years, and fans can be sure to expect something equally impressive in future titles.
Red Dead Redemption 2is available for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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