Signature Animations: Where's the Love?

[Trick13]

Quote: Originally Posted by SageInfinite

I mean it's gotta be the tech for this gen right? Because I can't see somebody mo-capping this catch animation, lol. I've never really seen anyone, let alone a professional athlete catch a ball like this. Just doesn't look natural. And I know they can capture good animations, because the sig throws looked pretty damn good. It's just ALOT of inconsistency in the animation department.

My estimation is that some of the graphics garbage (3D grass and lighting effects and so forth) really ate up the horsepower of this generation of consoles. Sig animations went away seemingly when 3D grass made its way into the game. So in my mind I am thinking that EA made some very poor choices where they chose to do graphics over game play.

It irks me when I hear people asking EA to spend time on faces and pictures and all this non gameplay crap. Those are not even secondary concerns when you get right down to it - have you ever noticed 3D grass while playing the game, how about Megatron's face during gameplay, and do you really spend any time looking at the player's pictures when you are managing your roster??? Really, given that the "tech" is limiting and it is a video game, it is not a painting, not a movie, it is a game - then gameplay should trump these non-essential visuals and if one or the other has to suffer then it sure as heck should not be game play....

Now, if the consoles that are around the corner can do both that is great, but game play should be king - not graphics - I would rather be playing PS2 graphics with sig animations/styles than having 3d grass or "scanned faces" which I never ever see cuz I am busy winning games...

[meepichi]

while i'd love to have players look like they really do and many other graphic luxuries, realistic game play is certainly the top concern. I could care less for how it plays as an arcade game as i only use coach mode but i would like the players to play reasonably like what they really do. Signature moves would be a great addition.

[Segagendude]

I remember "back in the day" PS2 Madden (99?? Can't remember)they had the former Niners CB who did the "chicken neck" animation after an INT or swat down....

[Ice_Cold345]

Quote: Originally Posted by Trick13

My estimation is that some of the graphics garbage (3D grass and lighting effects and so forth) really ate up the horsepower of this generation of consoles. Sig animations went away seemingly when 3D grass made its way into the game. So in my mind I am thinking that EA made some very poor choices where they chose to do graphics over game play. It irks me when I hear people asking EA to spend time on faces and pictures and all this non gameplay crap. Those are not even secondary concerns when you get right down to it - have you ever noticed 3D grass while playing the game, how about Megatron's face during gameplay, and do you really spend any time looking at the player's pictures when you are managing your roster??? Really, given that the "tech" is limiting and it is a video game, it is not a painting, not a movie, it is a game - then gameplay should trump these non-essential visuals and if one or the other has to suffer then it sure as heck should not be game play.... Now, if the consoles that are around the corner can do both that is great, but game play should be king - not graphics - I would rather be playing PS2 graphics with sig animations/styles than having 3d grass or "scanned faces" which I never ever see cuz I am busy winning games...

Exactly, on the gameplay part. Something EA seems to do is make sports games more of arcade like and graphically nice compared to simulation (where other companies like to nail the sim/gameplay aspect of the game first.)

In 2003, a game called NASCAR Racing 2003 came out for PC. This game(NR2003) allowed players to customize so much from the car to the AI (and other track details in the game files.) This game has been regarded as one of the best, if not the best, racing game ever created. It was so great in it's simulation of real life, that mods are still made today, 10 years later, to update the cars and tracks. It went so well that iRacing (formally Papyrus, makers of NR2003) used it as a base model for iRacing, all they did was update graphics/tracks and other things for the players.

I bring this up because EA's NASCAR games(once Papyrus was gone) were so streamlined for a casual fan that you could barely adjust a thing on your car, so the realism was taken out. While many people bring up Madden vs. 2K and the other games, NASCAR was what I played as a child and today. It just seems when EA is by itself in a market, it doesn't try that hard to make a game that is realistic in play, just focus on the visuals of the game.

I just find it odd that the most popular sport in America is the last sport to really have that game that simulates the real life sport of the "Big 4" (Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey.) Granted, the NFL has a ton of things to learn about the sport, but it just seems EA puts out a game that half way or so to being like the real sport, and they focus on one major gimmick(this year the running game, last year the Infinity Engine) and center a game around it. Why can't they release a game that has multiple big improvements? I get they are trying to sell the game to people, so they don't want to release a "perfect" game, but why not try to?

NBA 2K releases every year and each year, it seems to improve with only small things that need to be improved each year. Madden will have big issues that need to be fixed each year.

I know this has been a long post and psuedo-rantish, but I want a game that plays like the sport I love. I don't mind if you want to have it accessible to causal fans as well, but have it where it's focused on the hardcore/sim fans, but easy to access for the casual fanbase, just give us the option to play how we want to play of sim or arcade. In NR2003, I can have the AI race three wide at Daytona and not have a caution, or I can have them go 300+ MPH and crash every 2nd lap. Just give us the option to be able to be immersive with our players in throwing motions (short, medium, long, on the run, etc. etc,) have so many styles of TD dances or sack motions(Allen's hogtie would be cool.) All these things would make the game feel more like you are playing the real sport.

Maybe there is hope for signature animations for throwing, sacks, etc. on the next gen systems, but similar to what Trick13 said, I would rather play a great gameplay Madden with PS2 graphics than an average to mediocre gameplay Madden with ultra realistic visuals.

[infemous]

Quote: Originally Posted by RGiles36

I really dig these ideas man...would def be ways to separate the players.

thanks, i think so too!

One thing to check out tho is my numerous suggestion of a footwork rating, especially for QBs.

Currently movement in the pocket is clumsy and a slow QB like Peyton Manning is useless beyond his arm. A footwork rating would determine how quickly a QB can move within the confines of the pocket and still throw accurately without having to make him a 65 speed guy. It means that irrespective of speed there is a rating that is crucial to how well the immobile QB functions within the pocket. A lead footed QB will just get caught all the time but having a 85 rated footwork QB you could slide up and avoid the rush, shift to the side or move diagonally forward to escape pressure - without using the seemingly random and unresponsive right stick.

Also, there needs to be ways of spinning away from pressure on the right stick, almost like the run free controls for QBs in the backfield because too often, even with a mobile QB you're trying to OUT RUN instead of ELUDE oncoming defenders... which makes CB blitzes way too effective etc.

This is all stuff EA needs to have considered already tho! I hope you can put some pressure on them to really think about this element of the gameplay.

[MMurda]

Quote: Originally Posted by infemous

thanks, i think so too! One thing to check out tho is my numerous suggestion of a footwork rating, especially for QBs. Currently movement in the pocket is clumsy and a slow QB like Peyton Manning is useless beyond his arm. A footwork rating would determine how quickly a QB can move within the confines of the pocket and still throw accurately without having to make him a 65 speed guy. It means that irrespective of speed there is a rating that is crucial to how well the immobile QB functions within the pocket. A lead footed QB will just get caught all the time but having a 85 rated footwork QB you could slide up and avoid the rush, shift to the side or move diagonally forward to escape pressure - without using the seemingly random and unresponsive right stick. Also, there needs to be ways of spinning away from pressure on the right stick, almost like the run free controls for QBs in the backfield because too often, even with a mobile QB you're trying to OUT RUN instead of ELUDE oncoming defenders... which makes CB blitzes way too effective etc. This is all stuff EA needs to have considered already tho! I hope you can put some pressure on them to really think about this element of the gameplay.

well they had the qb evade stuff in a few yrs ago on the right stick...but get this...it NEVER worked. it was no more effective than the random "miss a sack" animations that would play out on its own without doing anything. hell the evade stuff could still be in '13 and i wouldnt know cuz i gave up on it the yr they put it in...wana say that was '10?

[SageInfinite]

Quote: Originally Posted by MMurda

well they had the qb evade stuff in a few yrs ago on the right stick...but get this...it NEVER worked. it was no more effective than the random "miss a sack" animations that would play out on its own without doing anything. hell the evade stuff could still be in '13 and i wouldnt know cuz i gave up on it the yr they put it in...wana say that was '10?

Yeah it's still in 13, lol.

[wordtobigbird]

Quote: Originally Posted by SageInfinite

Yeah it's still in 13, lol.

Speaking of lost features still in 13. We can still playmaker receivers and EA doesn't even mention that. Ever. Anywhere.