https://www.vg247.com/2018/10/23/red-dead-redemption-2-physics-ai-euphoria-phil-hooker-interview/
“We use Euphoria specifically to enhance the physics-based reactions of both humans and animals and have really evolved it on Red Dead Redemption 2,” Hooker explains. “For example, if a rider’s horse is shot then there are a range of realistic outcomes like rolling off the horse, being dragged in the stirrups, or even being trapped under a dead horse and fighting to get free.
“Enemies now have a greater array of reactions if they’re injured, and if you try to lasso an enemy, they will sometimes try and reach for the rope or even fire off a few shots in the struggle to get free. This is all in addition to fine-tuning the classic Western stunt falls that were present in the original game and much more. Some of the coolest implementations in Red Dead Redemption 2 are about making human and animal collisions more impactful – making sure running your horse into vehicles, trees or buildings feels suitably intense. This is part of our larger goal to always make you feel like you’re physically in the world and also that there are consequences to being careless with your animal.
“The horses feel like they are expending effort when pulling the wagons, especially up slopes or over difficult terrain. Wagons themselves have a real sense of weight, they creak and rock over every bump or crevice, their wheels can buckle, and their bodies can be broken into hundreds of separate pieces. We’ve really tried to make everything feel and react as accurately as possible, which should hopefully deepen the players feeling of connection with the world.”
“If you hole up in a saloon, they’ll surround the building and cover all the exits before making an entrance in one coordinated attack,” weapons and melee design director Jason Bone says.