We're almost there. The inaugural season of Chapter 2 is near the end. It'll have been the longest in Fortnite's history, lasting more than 120 days. The community is preparing for February 20, the starting point of a new season that will crystallize many expectations in terms of content.
However, it's through a graphic change that Epic Games wants to start this new era. The publisher has announced the switch to the Unreal Engine Chaos physics system for Chapter 2 Season 2 — with preparatory tests carried out upstream, during patch 11.50.
What's Unreal Engine Chaos?
This physics system consists of a series of tools to model the destruction of structures. In short, it'll give a new look to structural demolitions in Fortnite. The system is based on two categories:
- Geometry Collections: objects that can be destroyed.
- Fracturing Editor: the tool that defines the way objects are destroyed.
To this we add clustering, which defines the magnitude of the explosion or demolition. You mix all these ingredients together and you get a game under Unreal Engine Chaos. Impacts, shocks and explosions have a degree of intensity, making the destruction of structures very realistic.
In Fortnite, the great variety of weapons and the fact that almost everything is destructible is very conducive to this new engine. We can also mention the existence of different materials (stone, metal, wood) which could also benefit from a distinction of destruction criteria.
Until now, the destruction of a surface in Fortnite consisted of a kind of crumbling and then volatilisation. Materials disintegrate in the air in a fraction of a second, without taking into account what caused the destruction of the surface (fall, explosion...).
The current form of destruction in Fortnite has forged the game's own cartoon style: simple and unrealistic at the same time. With the new engine, Epic may well want to give a more spectacular dimension to surface destruction. An understandable choice for a battle royale that has made a name for itself thanks to its construction system. Warning: this is only theory. Epic Games hasn't yet released any information or visuals about the application of Unreal Engine Chaos into the game.
Will the gameplay be affected?
At the time of writing, it seems that this redesign is mostly visual. It probably won't change the way of building, or interacting with destroyed surfaces or ruins. A destroyed wall — even if it's falling down — is unlikely to protect the person behind it at all.
It's also possible that the arrival of this physics engine will be accompanied by major changes in terms of gameplay. Maybe the explosions will be more likely to trigger massive collapses and building destruction. Or maybe the bullets will only open gaps in the structures... We can still imagine it after all!
Any bugs to expect?
Epic Games didn't even hide from it: our consoles may grunt when the brand new physics engine deploys. In its official press release, the company acknowledges that there could be "a few glitches" during the testing phases. Also, after the deployment of the v11.50, only certain players will be able to enjoy the gaming experience with the new engine.
This new technology would imply FPS crashes for many of us, at least initially, until the publisher finds the right formula.
Even if the community was rather waiting for tangible content for the beginning of Season 2, we can only welcome this initiative in the field of aesthetics. The originality of Fortnite comes from its hybridization between a shooting game and a construction game. Improving interaction with structures will undoubtedly be another important step in the history of the battle royale.
The Celebration Cup — a Fortnite tournament only available on PS4 — takes place on Saturday, February 15, and Sunday, February 16. This event allows players to win in-game items and cash prizes.
