Madden NFL 17 Video - New Hurdle Move

[DeuceDouglas]

I know this is supposed to be about the hurdle and not gameplay but it still bugs me how the gunner on left side of the field isn't even 15 yards down the field by the time AB is catching and returning a 65+ yard punt. I'm well aware it's a short clip on a low level but that has been a legacy issue. Hopefully it will be something touched on in the special teams blog.

[4thQtrStre5S]

The hurdle and the running animation looked improved; I think some people spend too much time diagnosing things and not noticing that many football players has some different ways in how they swing their arms while running - much of it seems to have to do with where they are in relation to defenders.

When in close proximity to defenders there is more exaggerated arms movement, but when a player gets into the open, they seem to tighten up their motion..

Anyway, here is a video of punt returns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jal9l6oX28s

It appeared to me that the other players looked good in their motions.

But as it is been said for a very long time, you can never please everyone..

[SportsGamer94]

Quote: Originally Posted by 4thQtrStre5S

The hurdle and the running animation looked improved; I think some people spend too much time diagnosing things and not noticing that many football players has some different ways in how they swing their arms while running - much of it seems to have to do with where they are in relation to defenders. When in close proximity to defenders there is more exaggerated arms movement, but when a player gets into the open, they seem to tighten up their motion.. Anyway, here is a video of punt returns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jal9l6oX28s It appeared to me that the other players looked good in their motions. But as it is been said for a very long time, you can never please everyone..

Too bad the running in Madden doesn't look anything like those. AB was not near any defenders when he first started running. To me the main issue is arms/elbows are too far away from the body and the free arm swings back too far.

[4thQtrStre5S]

Quote: Originally Posted by SportsGamer94

Too bad the running in Madden doesn't look anything like those. AB was not near any defenders when he first started running. To me the main issue is arms/elbows are too far away from the body and the free arm swings back too far.

The swing is a little exaggerated in regards to the relationship to the body, but the basic motion seems sound..

Here is AB on some big catches; his #2 best catch show a similar arm motion, though yes, in Madden the arm is a bit too far from the body:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMnK6LnWF9I

[SportsGamer94]

Can someone create a side-by-side comparison of the hurdle video and AB's run @1:00 of the youtube video please.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMnK6LnWF9I

[Ampking101]

Alright so I'm very mixed on this...

On one hand, the hurdle looks clean and it looks like it might have a use in this madden. I think I had a single successful hurdle in all of my time with 16 and that was with Darren Waller. I used to love the ability to hurdle defenders in Madden 25 in situations that called for it and it is nice to see that it might not be horribly nerfed anymore.

On the other hand...I hate that in each instance of the hurdle being used that we have seen so far, it's a clean hurdle with absolutely no contact and then directly after the hurdle they are able to execute yet another maneuver. I'm hoping that is just flavor footage and isn't the norm, but I'm genuinely worried. When you have Gronk and Brown shown being able to execute the exact same hurdle with the exact same efficiency, that bothers me. Most hurdles should have some form of contact to them, usually a hurdle will involve the ball carrier either using their foot to push off the defenders head or shoulder to get completely over them or dragging a knee or leg over them to clear the space, an absolutely clean, untouched hurdle is extremely rare. On top of that, in both instances we have seen of the hurdle, they then execute a move directly after it and succeed. These are high risk maneuvers and the hurdle is at the top of that list. Look at the Gurley highlight in the Rams/Seahawks game where he hurdles Earl Thomas, he makes a perfect hurdle like the one in the video, however he is then immediately hit by Shead and loses the ball resulting in a fumble, sure the Rams recovered but the point still stands.

So I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this yet and I won't make a judgement until I see the game in action or get my hands on it myself. I just tend to have my worries about the implementation of this mechanic.

[EzMacK15]

Quote: Originally Posted by apollon42

Hurdles are nothing new

Right! And Madden recycles something old and calls it new every year smh. They always take something old and claim its some new innovative improvement. I've been playing Madden since Madden 2000 and it kills me how much they have taken out just to put back in only to claim its new. We getting hype over jukes and hurdles that were already in the game in the past. new cleats and gloves that should have been in the game. A single arm sleeve that was in NCAA years ago. so called defensive adjustments that stop money plays that will eventually get exploited. Gap assignments that should have been in the game when they so called worked on the defensive side of that ball years ago. They bragged about wr/db interaction like on the old system you couldn't jam the receiver and really mess up the play. All madden does is recycle and half the people complain, while the other half either call people trolls or eat the new stuff up like its a huge improvement.

[buggee]

The hurdle itself looks good. The main problem is the transition from the running to the hurdling. Way too sudden. Just doesn't happen that way in real life. I can understand however, this may have been done to give more control responsiveness to the user. e.g. Press the hurdle button = the runner hurdles, which some players would prefer, not shuffling of feet leading to a hurdle which would have made the animation more realistic. Tough decision to make for a developer.