First off, I want to stress the importance of multiple animations for the same situations. Stuff like this keeps the game fresh. Snaps are huge. What I'm hoping EA can do to resolve this issue, is incorporate RTP to the football and also wind. Taking wind into account when you throw the ball should be a factor and it should also effect things like long snaps during shotgun, punts, and field goals. If RTP affect how the ball travels through the air, then it would save the dev team time on mocaping. I would assume they would just have to add more "qb catching the ball" and "punter catching the ball" animations.
I also think you left out 2 huge presentation elements. The first is;
Real Time Presentation - CGI cutscenes are last gen. Post play reactions, TD celebrations, Sideline reactions, Coach reactions, teammate interactions, players talking in the huddle, player subsitutions, etc. etc. should all be happening in real time. What I mean by this is that at any given moment, the gameplay camera can switch to certain areas of the field or sidelines at any given time, wether it be pre or post play, and we should see players and coaches reacting to what is happening on the field simultaneously.
Here is an example of how The Show does Real time presentation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRopMAVdER4
Here is how Real time presentation looks in NBA 2k12. The intro video is composed of snippets of in game footage while players interact with each other before tip-off in real time (no cutscenes, just the camera switching angles).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGO3DrYrpaU
(for some reason I cannot embed the videos)
This leads into the second presentation element which is;
Active Sidelines - In order to have true real time presentation, the robotic player cutouts must be removed from the sideline. The full team and coaching staff should be fully animated, from the offense huddled around the offensive coordinator talking about the last drive to the head coach slamming his clip board on the ground in disgust from the current play. This does not only make the game feel more immersive, it would completely change the way cutscenes are done pre and post play. Cutscenes would no longer be repetitive as long as there are varied animations for everyone on the field/sideline.
Having the full team on the sidelines is not just a presentation element. It is a gameplay element as well. Having players and sub packages coming off and on the field in real time is a huge element that football games have lacked for decades. Getting the right personnel on the field is something teams work on all the time. Too many men on the field penalties are none existent because substitutions do not happen in real time. Delay of game penalties would be more realistic and game planning would be taken to a whole other level.
(Note: This is not to be confused with interactive sidelines. I think it would be great to see players running into the sideline and knock over players or coaches standing there, but I can see where this gets difficult on this gen hardware. However, real time physics could potentially make this possible)
To sum my entire post up, ANIMATIONS are key. Post play reactions, gameplay animations like fumbled snaps, coaches screaming on the sideline, or players reacting in the huddle, are all things the team must work to get in the game. Adding hundreds of animations must be tedious, but these are the things that make the game feel more alive. You can never have too many animations which is why I believe the infinity engine will be the key to madden's success in the coming years.
06-25-2012, 10:53 AM
