Someone is trying to recreate the project that grew too large and was eventually scrapped, at least for as long as this can happen without legal threats.

The fate of The Last of Us Online may have been sealed after Naughty Dog realized the game would need to operate as a live service with long-term support, but a modder called Speclizer is currently creating a multiplayer mod for The Last of Us Part II in order to bring the Factions experience into the newer game. Speclizer had previously attempted to recreate the Hold Up feature cut from the game.

Since January, the modder has been working on this multiplayer project, which began as a modest proof of concept: two independent instances of Ellie appearing and being controllable simultaneously in the same game world, running locally only. Speclizer has been cautious about expectations from the start, noting that there was no certainty anything would come from it. The modder has shared 25 minutes of new gameplay from the The Last of Us Part II multiplayer mod, adding that the target is a September release. The mod even features equipment and map-selection menus thanks to a custom user interface built into the engine and using Naughty Dog’s own Widget system.

The modder had previously released seven episodes from a publicly documented development log. By Episode 5, Speclizer had successfully synchronized character models, prone movement, weapon swapping, and inventory, while also implementing a custom weapon-dropping mechanic. Episode 6 developed the systems supporting true multiplayer gameplay further, with synchronization of multiple player components and interactive objects. By Episode 7, the project had taken the form of a genuinely playable PvP proof of concept.

In the latest episode, the modder solved some of the most technically demanding issues yet. Sprint synchronization was introduced and works smoothly, including proper interaction with doors while moving. Backpack synchronization was implemented by hooking into the game’s request-state function and controlling which states the remote client accepts or rejects. Door synchronization worked, and synchronization for squeezing through tight spaces, the narrow-corridor animations used throughout normal gameplay, also worked for the most part, although bidirectional squeezing still had certain issues.

The most significant breakthrough was solving hit detection. The problem was that the game’s original collision-layer system, intended to prevent self-damage, naturally excluded the player layer from the projectiles’ raycasting. That meant projectiles passed straight through the second player. Speclizer solved this by moving the remote player’s collision layer onto the layer used by NPCs, so the hit-detection system treated the remote player as an enemy character rather than a player. Full-body hit reactions were also disabled for the remote player, preventing the shooter from becoming stuck in a hit animation and being unable to fire back. A custom death handler was written as well to stop the game from failing on the level when a player dies.

Once that worked, Speclizer assembled the building blocks of a real game mode: a health-point system, radar, spawn points, and a respawn handler, all directly inspired by Supply Raid, the central element of the original competitive The Last of Us Factions mode. The result was the mod’s first 1v1 match. Naturally, this The Last of Us Part II multiplayer mod will be available only on PC. Copyright issues also arise, because Sony and Naughty Dog could submit a DMCA takedown request if the mod ever becomes publicly available.

Source: WCCFTech