Video Game Passing Needs to be Reworked

[RaychelSnr]

Carlos Hernandez checks in today with an article discussing an issue he believes is a huge problem for football games today: the passing game. Hernandez offers up what he believes is wrong and also talks about what can be done to fix the problem. Check out his thoughts and be sure to add your own in his article Video Game Passing Needs to be Reworked.

Quote:

"The pocket is one of the most pressured areas of a playing field in all sports. The pocket requires a near uncanny ability to maintain both rushed patience and concentrated hastiness, both skill sets which separate the able from the unable. It only takes a matter of seconds, but within that time quarterbacks are expected to make decisions quickly and immediately react to their surroundings. Yet, despite the pocket's pressing nature, passing has somewhat become an afterthought in football video gaming. A requirement of the sport that has received fewer updates and improvements than running, catching, or defensive skill sets. It has become the dribbling of football video games."

[ofdman]

MAN! This was a GREAT article! And I COMPLETELY AGREE! i was talking to a friend of mine just a couple of days ago about this very same topic! And your idea is rock solid and I would LOVE to see this implemented.

[ScottD413]

I like your idea, but I don't think it would work. In NFL2k5 they had the first person football thing and it was REALLY hard to see your recievers.

[labguy]

I think you are right about the fact the passing game needs re-worked. I am just not sure if your solution would work. Granted it would probably be the most realistic solution, but I am not sure if that means it is the best for a video game. I think doing something with the WR icons might work best. For a QB with less awarness maybe only letting him see a couple of icons for the first couple of seconds and then adding available WR icons as the play progresses. So it would simulate him needing extra time to scan the field. So if you have a nice OL a rookie QB might be able to have some extra time and be successful at QB. If you had a QB and a poor OL then the shortcomings of the QB would be magnified. Also the opponent could kind of tell which side of the field the QB was looking at so he could read his "eyes". But if the safety gambled to jump an underneath route and the QB had enough time that the extra icons popped up he could be out of position to cover that backside post pattern. Anyhow that is just a thought. I can't claim total credit for the idea I gathered pieces of it from other threads and added a couple of my own touches on it as well.

[JBucc]

Backbreaker (if it actually comes out) is doing this with close up cameras, for the QB and other positions. I'm not sure how they're going to do the progression thing though.

[Other Guy]

Quote: Originally Posted by ScottD413

I like your idea, but I don't think it would work. In NFL2k5 they had the first person football thing and it was REALLY hard to see your recievers.

Yea, that's the same thought I had when reading the article. I sounded a lot like FPF.

I think it could work if it wasn't taken to the extreme like FPF. Let's say after the snap, the camera zoomed in about halfway. Not all the way down to FPShooter level, but a lot closer than Madden classic. What should happen is, that it should zoom in on half of the field. If your primary receiver is on the right, then the camera would zoom down and in on the right side of the field. What you would see is the field from the center over to the right sideline. This way you see you primary guy and maybe a 2nd WR or TE. If nobody is open, you could flick the right stick to the left, and now the screen would shift over to the left side of the field.

Carlos makes great points about seeing too much of the field. As a QB, I should never be able to see both CB's at the same time when they're on opposite sides of the field. He has a good idea. I think it would work great if it was toned down a little bit.

[Likwidkewl]

You solution sounds a lot like Front Page Sports Football. How about this? Keep the letter icons and let the QB focus on a specific receiver by pressing the corresponding button once then again if he wants to throw to him. That way you wouldn't have to go through each progression to get to another receiver.

[CMH]

Quote: Originally Posted by RTP2110

Yea, that's the same thought I had when reading the article. I sounded a lot like FPF. I think it could work if it wasn't taken to the extreme like FPF. Let's say after the snap, the camera zoomed in about halfway. Not all the way down to FPShooter level, but a lot closer than Madden classic. What should happen is, that it should zoom in on half of the field. If your primary receiver is on the right, then the camera would zoom down and in on the right side of the field. What you would see is the field from the center over to the right sideline. This way you see you primary guy and maybe a 2nd WR or TE. If nobody is open, you could flick the right stick to the left, and now the screen would shift over to the left side of the field. Carlos makes great points about seeing too much of the field. As a QB, I should never be able to see both CB's at the same time when they're on opposite sides of the field. He has a good idea. I think it would work great if it was toned down a little bit.

Oh, goodness no with first-person football. That would be bad. I agree that is not the solution.

But, I think you pretty much understood where I was coming from with the suggestion. As I mentioned, it would need a few tweaks here and there. I do not think it should be an extreme over the shoulder shot. It really should not even be like Splinter Cell or a similar third-person shooter. But, something close to that with a bit more zoom-out and a slightly higher angle so you can look over the line, now maybe that's where it needs to be. Of course, if you give the user the option to mess with the zoom level and camera angle then you can make sure it pleases all gamers.

Either way, as I mentioned in the article, it is not about my little idea. It is mostly about needing to upgrade the passing game. It seems to have been ignored over the years and as it is right now, it does not simulate football very well.