Do you know what these ratings do?

[dbshady]

- Elusiveness
(The ability to break tackles by avoiding contact with a spin, juke, or ability to just get out of a tackle or wrap - Westbrook, Bush, Barry Sanders was Elusive))
- Trucking
(Bull someone over, plain and simple, Someone who likes and wants contact, looks for the kill - L.Neal, Jacobs, Bettis, The Nightmare, except when hes on Pros vs. Joes, man he got owned)
- Toughness
(Not prone to Injury, Stays in the Game even if he is, Bounce back, Mentally tough as well as physically - Jack Lambert, Dick Butkis, Ray Lewis, Marion Barber, RIP Sean Taylor)
- Importance
(How important of a role a player plays on a team and in the playbook, or how important a certian situation might seem.. the difference between 1st and 4 and 4th and Inch. Or between Week 3 and the AFC Championship Game.)
- Pass Block Strength / Pass Block Footwork
(The ablility of a players pass blocking, as well as how good his footwork is, without good footwork, a player may not maintain a good balance or position. This goes for everyone but the WR or TEs if running a route. They will shuffle their feet and seal off rather then push, footwork is important.)
- Run Block Strength / Run Block Footwork
(same as above, except for running, everyone but the RB, or other ball carrier. They will attack the defense and push them off the line.)
- Block Shedding
(How a defensive player sheds a block, can he get to the ball carrier or quaterback, get off the block and locate the ball.)
- Impact Blocking
(The hit stick of blocking, when someone needs to put up a big block in a tense situation, when a QB is about to be sacked and a RB upends a blitzing LB.)

Those are my short descriptions of what I think those ratings stand for.

[Ian_Cummings]

I had all this written up in a word doc, but my laptop ac adapter is dead...so I'll just give you a quick look at these. A lot of folks were really close!

- Elusiveness: Replacement for "break tackle" rating when choosing what type of broken tackle animations to play. Also modifies the window and success of breaking "elusive style" tackles (jukes & spins) with our new "break out of tackles" feature for 09.

- Trucking: Replacement for "break tackle" rating when choosing what type of broken tackle animations to play. Also modifies the window and success of breaking "power style" tackles (stiff arm & truck) with our new "break out of tackles" feature for 09.

- Toughness: When injuries are calculated, determines severity of injury (if at all). So higher toughness means less likelihood of severe injuries. Also speeds up recovery of injury in Franchise mode.

- Importance: Used only in Trade Logic...teams are much less likely to trade away "Important" players.

- Pass Block Strength: Replacement for general "Pass Block" rating when choosing to win or lose while pass blocking. PB Strength determines how well the player performs when the defender is performing power moves against him.

- Pass Block Footwork: Replacement for general "Pass Block" rating when choosing to win or lose while pass blocking. PB Footwork determines how well the player performs when the defender is performing finesse moves against him. Scales the speed of initial moves at the snap, as well as the distance of kickout pass block initial moves.

- Run Block Strength: Replacement for general "Run Block" rating when choosing to win or lose while run blocking. RB Strength determines how well they can succeed in locking up a defender while run blocking.

- Run Block Footwork: Replacement for general "Run Block" rating when choosing to win or lose while run blocking. RB Footwork determines how well they can succeed in pushing a defender while run blocking. Also scales the speed of initial moves.

- Block Shedding: Defensive rating on how well defenders can "shed" blocks when in the open field (i.e. in pursuit of the ballcarrier)

- Impact Blocking: Offensive rating on how well blockers can pancake (or block normally) when in the open field - mainly special teams, turnover returns, etc.



Make sense?

[adembroski]

Quote: Originally Posted by TheFuture15

I had all this written up in a word doc, but my laptop ac adapter is dead...so I'll just give you a quick look at these. A lot of folks were really close! - Elusiveness: Replacement for "break tackle" rating when choosing what type of broken tackle animations to play. Also modifies the window and success of breaking "elusive style" tackles (jukes & spins) with our new "break out of tackles" feature for 09. - Trucking: Replacement for "break tackle" rating when choosing what type of broken tackle animations to play. Also modifies the window and success of breaking "power style" tackles (stiff arm & truck) with our new "break out of tackles" feature for 09. - Toughness: When injuries are calculated, determines severity of injury (if at all). So higher toughness means less likelihood of severe injuries. Also speeds up recovery of injury in Franchise mode. - Importance: Used only in Trade Logic...teams are much less likely to trade away "Important" players. - Pass Block Strength: Replacement for general "Pass Block" rating when choosing to win or lose while pass blocking. PB Strength determines how well the player performs when the defender is performing power moves against him. - Pass Block Footwork: Replacement for general "Pass Block" rating when choosing to win or lose while pass blocking. PB Footwork determines how well the player performs when the defender is performing finesse moves against him. Scales the speed of initial moves at the snap, as well as the distance of kickout pass block initial moves. - Run Block Strength: Replacement for general "Run Block" rating when choosing to win or lose while run blocking. RB Strength determines how well they can succeed in locking up a defender while run blocking. - Run Block Footwork: Replacement for general "Run Block" rating when choosing to win or lose while run blocking. RB Footwork determines how well they can succeed in pushing a defender while run blocking. Also scales the speed of initial moves. - Block Shedding: Defensive rating on how well defenders can "shed" blocks when in the open field (i.e. in pursuit of the ballcarrier) - Impact Blocking: Offensive rating on how well blockers can pancake (or block normally) when in the open field - mainly special teams, turnover returns, etc. Make sense?

Wow... I was pretty close on most of them. Thank you, Ian, this is very helpful.

Question... since many of this "replace" other ratings in certain circumstances, how often are the RBK, PBK, and BTK ratings used anymore?

[Ian_Cummings]

Quote: Originally Posted by adembroski

Wow... I was pretty close on most of them. Thank you, Ian, this is very helpful. Question... since many of this "replace" other ratings in certain circumstances, how often are the RBK, PBK, and BTK ratings used anymore?

Excellent question. They may not be.

One of those legacy things...I can look into that.

[Da Rebirth]

To piggyback (sorta) off of Adembroski's question, do these ratings work in conjunction with other ratings to determine a final outcome or is everything treated separately? For instance, will a power back with a low strength rating, but a 99 in stiff arm and/or trucking have the same success breaking a tackle as a power back with 99 in strength, stiff arm, trucking?

How does Ball Carrier Vision matter to a user controlled ball-carrier, and is there a difference between that and Awareness?

Preciate any feedback you can give towards these questions either here or a future blog.

[Ian_Cummings]

Quote: Originally Posted by Da Rebirth

To piggyback (sorta) off of Adembroski's question, do these ratings work in conjunction with other ratings to determine a final outcome or is everything treated separately? For instance, will a power back with a low strength rating, but a 99 in stiff arm and/or trucking have the same success breaking a tackle as a power back with 99 in strength, stiff arm, trucking? How does Ball Carrier Vision matter to a user controlled ball-carrier, and is there a difference between that and Awareness? Preciate any feedback you can give towards these questions either here or a future blog.

Strength works in conjunction as a modifier...but those ratings are the primary checks. It's a small percentage.

Ballcarrier vision is the Awareness replacement for CPU players. Finding holes, choosing which moves to use, etc.

[Moostache]

Quote: Originally Posted by TheFuture15

- Pass Block Footwork: Replacement for general "Pass Block" rating when choosing to win or lose while pass blocking. PB Footwork determines how well the player performs when the defender is performing finesse moves against him. Scales the speed of initial moves at the snap, as well as the distance of kickout pass block initial moves. Make sense?

Ian - based on this explanation, would you say that getting the OL/DL interactions to become more dynamic and realistic is going to be more involved with adding animations or in tweaking the way the game interprets these pass blocking ratings or a complicated combination of the two?

When I say "more dynamic and realistic" I am referring to the OT and the outside pass rushers engaging and the OL-man riding the DL-man's momentum up the field, forming a more natural 'pocket' in the process - the way the game plays now it remains very "flat" on the edges...allowing for a whole host of problems that have been recounted in other threads.

[Ian_Cummings]

Quote: Originally Posted by Moostache

Ian - based on this explanation, would you say that getting the OL/DL interactions to become more dynamic and realistic is going to be more involved with adding animations or in tweaking the way the game interprets these pass blocking ratings or a complicated combination of the two? When I say "more dynamic and realistic" I am referring to the OT and the outside pass rushers engaging and the OL-man riding the DL-man's momentum up the field, forming a more natural 'pocket' in the process - the way the game plays now it remains very "flat" on the edges...allowing for a whole host of problems that have been recounted in other threads.

I don't think it will be all that hard. We'll have new "get engaged" animations that include defensive players edge rushing. Using the new tech from the tackle branching, we'll put big "branch windows" for the defender to break out at any time (unlike 2k's where you're stuck in this really long animation). Then we'll build in some "steering" so you can still feel like you are in control of the DL. Ratings will just play into all those checks on whether you win your special moves, or how much you can "steer", or things like that.