New Animation Technology!!

[Brandon_c993]

Quote: Originally Posted by Valdarez

Did anyone here play NFL Tour? That game looked like it had a completely different animation technology. When I played the game, I almost wondered if they did it as a test bed for future Madden titles. The animations were far more fluid than that of Madden, transitions were better, passing mechanics were better. Reminded me of a cross between Blitz and 2K Sports titles. It would be interesting if that was the new animation technology and it's been fine tuned / implemented in Madden 10. IMHO it was better than Maddens.

NFL tour got such bad reviews and people were talking about how horrible it was, but I loved how it played you have to take it for what it was supposed to be an updated version of NFL street...thats all it was and it was very fun to play I didn't buy it but I loved the demo...I agree it was very fluid in animation trasitions, etc.

[adembroski]

Maybe this will help...

Madden's Procedural Tackling is not quite as "procedural" as backbreakers. Backbreakers is entirely procedural, with no predetermined animation for tackling, only algorythms designed to simulate bodies hitting one another.

Madden is procedural in the sense that it can accomodate a large number of tacklers at different angles at different times, and adjust the preexisting animations in real time, using steering, layered blending, and branching animations. I saw quite a few things from Pro-Tak that seemed very much like Backbreaker's system (someone getting lit up with the hitstick while in the process of breaking an ankle tackle, for instance).

Basically, take the technology that allows passers to complete their throwing motion while being hit, add the technology that allows you to break out of one move and into another in '09, throw in multiple people being able to add onto a tackle at virtually any time from virtually any angle, and you get Madden's tackling system. It's not Backbreaker, it's very different, but it's damn nice.

[Valdarez]

Quote: Originally Posted by adembroski

Madden is procedural in the sense that it can accomodate a large number of tacklers at different angles at different times, and adjust the preexisting animations in real time, using steering, layered blending, and branching animations. I saw quite a few things from Pro-Tak that seemed very much like Backbreaker's system (someone getting lit up with the hitstick while in the process of breaking an ankle tackle, for instance).

That makes it sound more canned than anything else. Like they have canned animations for the pile and they just transition existing animations so they fit onto the pile properly. I'm sure either will be fine. I mean, how many ways are their for you to fit into a pile of 9 guys?

I think we should keep sight of the fact that this is not a fix/replacement for the existing animation/rendering used in Madden '09 that resulted in the robotic nature and appearance of stuttering/dropped frames during gameplay (not replay, gameplay) which is what I was hoping for when I read of the new animation technology.

[NYyankz225]

Quote: Originally Posted by Valdarez

I think we should keep sight of the fact that this is not a fix/replacement for the existing animation/rendering used in Madden '09 that resulted in the robotic nature and appearance of stuttering/dropped frames during gameplay (not replay, gameplay) which is what I was hoping for when I read of the new animation technology.

That's true. It's not a new rendering technology, it's being implemented directly into their current animation system (although I'm sure it required adjustment...

[iBlievN5]

Quote: Originally Posted by NYyankz225

There are. It's just not "written out" by an animator before hand. This is how a play works in a game like NFL 2K. Animations are short clips of movements created by an animator. For example, we saw a non procedural running animation in Ian's new video. These are called up by the game based on a player's rating so that a heavy Olineman doesn't run like Chad Johnson. Thousands upon thousands of these animations are created. Throughout the play, the "engine" will call up specific animations that were created beforehand based on the situation. Let's say you have a player going to make a catch. In the animation database there are over 100 catch animations lets say. ONE of these predetermined animations are chosen based on a ratings check (is he a highlight catch receiver?) and other processes (Is there a defender in front of him? Is the ball far in front of him so that he needs to dive?). The game is essential a series of individual segments that are "spliced" together to create an entire play. With a procedural system there are still animations involved of course...but there is not a specific predetermined "animation set" that dictates the outcome of the gang tackle. I'm probably not explaining it as clearly as it should be. Tacklers that are added to the pile are calling up predetermined animations invidually (just like the forest example calls up preexisting textures and objects but randomly generates the entire picture), but they entire situation as a whole based on the procedure rather than a scripted pre recorded event, in a sense. I hope that makes a bit more sense. If you know anything about music think of it as a jazz player improvising as opposed to reading sheet music. The improviser still follows a set of rules (chord progression, time signature of the piece, what scale it's in, etc), but he chooses how to play it as it's going on. This is how procedural systems work essentially. With sheet music you follow exactly what it says and there is no room for changing things on the fly.

you, my good sir, are composed of 100% win.

[NYyankz225]

Quote: Originally Posted by iBlievN5

you, my good sir, are composed of 100% win.

Thank you kindly . I try.

[PantherBeast_OS]

There will be no natural motions my friend.

[shift9k]

So they can add on at anytime with set animations.