Something weird is happening. The game is going too fast…?
To be more specific, there’s too much progress each frame. I’ve been investigating the incomplete pass problem, and it’s not a ratings or formula problem. The problem is the ball. It’s moving too fast.
Here’s a good example. The QB just threw the ball from the upper left of the picture. In the next shot, you can see it’s been a few frames, and the ball is nearing the pass location. (the yellow spot)
You wouldn’t expect to try to make the catch yet. I would imagine that’s going to be the next frame or 2.
Well……..
That’s the next frame. He’s already missed his chance.
Something is going on here, and I don’t really know what. I have a feeling it wasn’t happening before, but the engine was in such sad shape that it’s impossible to know. Somehow I need to slow the ball down without giving the defense too much reaction time.
I have to slow it down, without slowing it down.
sheesh.
I have a few ideas, but no clue if they will work.
- I could try to reduce the movement per frame. Keep the frame rate, but have everything travel less distance per frame. Basically slow the whole game down. That doesn’t sound like a great idea, but it’s possible.
- Slow the ball down. I’d have to do something about player spacing and reaction time. This feels like a trap, though. It probably would fundamentally change the game, which is just starting to feel pretty good.
- Change how passes are caught. Right now, catch attempts are done in the player AI. That’s not the fastest thing in the world. Maybe if I can take catching out of the AI and put it in a collision system, there’s some opportunity there to do…..something? I don’t even know what this would look like. Something having to do with colliders or triggers.
- Use some predetermination system to decide if anyone is going to catch the ball, before it gets there. Then I’d just need to auto-assign the ball to the player when he reaches the intersection point. Feels like cheating, though.
This is going to take some thought. I really have no idea what’s the right thing to do here.