PLAYER MOTION MATTERS IN NBA LIVE 14By EA SPORTS Sep 24, 2013Gary Paterson is the Senior Creative Director for NBA LIVE 14, which releases this Autumn on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.Sports video games are all about using your player’s momentum and manipulating your opponent’s momentum in order to gain an advantage.
NOTE: ALL IMAGES ARE TAKEN FROM DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT, AND ARE NOT GEN 4 IN-GAME IMAGES.
THE PROBLEM
Imagine a scenario where you are dribbling in a basketball game. You fake to your left with a hesitation move, and the defender’s momentum shifts, allowing you to cut in the opposite direction and drive to the hoop.But what if the on-ball defender could immediately change direction and move to his left without any consequences? The balance of the game would be broken, resulting in unnatural defensive movement that wouldn't allow for quick, penetrating players to be successful in 1-on-1 isolation scenarios.
LOCOMOTION IN NBA LIVE 14In NBA LIVE 14, the development team replaced BOTH core locomotion systems – locomotion with the ball and locomotion without the ball. Much has already been said about bounceTek, our new physics dribbling system. Most of the focus with bounceTek is adding to the look, feel, and control in the dribble. However, bounceTek was also created to control the dribbler’s momentum in order to create a balance between dribbler and defender. We have taken a similar approach in defensive locomotion, where we are now sharing technology with FIFA via the all-new EA SPORTS IGNITE game engine.
MORE THAN 1,000 NEW ANIMATIONS
The new locomotion system includes more than 1,000 new animations that not only replicate the look and the feel of real basketball, but also control the player’s momentum. The system includes low speed turns, jogging turns, sprinting turns, strafing turns, aggressive on-ball defense animations, off-ball defense animations and low-urgency transition animations.This system not only improves the balance between ball handler and defender, but also results in an authentic system that is more responsive than ever. This phrase “authentically responsive” can work both ways, as players will now be penalized for unrealistic maneuvers.
REALISM IS REWARDED
Imposing penalties on unrealistic play helps improve the balance, depth and variety of NBA LIVE 14. For example, direction changes while moving quickly will be less responsive than when moving slowly. This allows us to recreate moments such as faking or sidestepping a defender that’s closing out a shooter after being out of position.The new locomotion and shared technologies of NBA LIVE 14 helps this year’s game immensely. But more importantly, it builds a new foundation of balance and realism that will improve the franchise for years to come.
NOTE: ALL IMAGES ARE TAKEN FROM DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT, AND ARE NOT GEN 4 IN-GAME IMAGES.
THE PROBLEM
Imagine a scenario where you are dribbling in a basketball game. You fake to your left with a hesitation move, and the defender’s momentum shifts, allowing you to cut in the opposite direction and drive to the hoop.But what if the on-ball defender could immediately change direction and move to his left without any consequences? The balance of the game would be broken, resulting in unnatural defensive movement that wouldn't allow for quick, penetrating players to be successful in 1-on-1 isolation scenarios.
LOCOMOTION IN NBA LIVE 14In NBA LIVE 14, the development team replaced BOTH core locomotion systems – locomotion with the ball and locomotion without the ball. Much has already been said about bounceTek, our new physics dribbling system. Most of the focus with bounceTek is adding to the look, feel, and control in the dribble. However, bounceTek was also created to control the dribbler’s momentum in order to create a balance between dribbler and defender. We have taken a similar approach in defensive locomotion, where we are now sharing technology with FIFA via the all-new EA SPORTS IGNITE game engine.
MORE THAN 1,000 NEW ANIMATIONS
The new locomotion system includes more than 1,000 new animations that not only replicate the look and the feel of real basketball, but also control the player’s momentum. The system includes low speed turns, jogging turns, sprinting turns, strafing turns, aggressive on-ball defense animations, off-ball defense animations and low-urgency transition animations.This system not only improves the balance between ball handler and defender, but also results in an authentic system that is more responsive than ever. This phrase “authentically responsive” can work both ways, as players will now be penalized for unrealistic maneuvers.
REALISM IS REWARDED
Imposing penalties on unrealistic play helps improve the balance, depth and variety of NBA LIVE 14. For example, direction changes while moving quickly will be less responsive than when moving slowly. This allows us to recreate moments such as faking or sidestepping a defender that’s closing out a shooter after being out of position.The new locomotion and shared technologies of NBA LIVE 14 helps this year’s game immensely. But more importantly, it builds a new foundation of balance and realism that will improve the franchise for years to come.
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