Backbreaker Multiplayer Hands-on and Videos (IGN)

[kjcheezhead]

Here is a post by the developer Rob from the Backbreaker site regarding these vids:


"Arrived back from San Francisco this lunchtime following a very interesting GDC. Just to give you a brief overview, we had two solid days of showing the game to press... some online, some print. You've seen some of the results of that already.

What you didn't realise, and what we only really decided to do at the very last minute, was that we allowed sites to direct capture footage from the game. You may not appreciate what a big step that is for us. Believe me, it was a huge moment. The build that was being demonstrated was literally "yesterday's" build. We got it delivered to the San Fran studio on Tuesday and that was what we ran with.

So all the footage you are seeing coming out of GDC is raw, untouched, not even remotely hand picked. It's also... and this is a big point... not finished!

Following the preview tour of a few weeks back, when code was frozen so that a proper preview build could be delivered, the team started dropping all the new features into the game at a rapid rate. We wanted to return to the States with a build that showed all the very latest stuff... but we decided to live with the fact it wasn't tuned up and poished. What was important to us was to prove that we are still making changes. With the weeks of dev time left, that's when the polish will start to be applied. I am very proud of what the team have achieved in the last couple of weeks alone and even inthe time I've been away. I've heard great stuff.

I've seen lots of praise of the footage and I've seen people picking holes in it. Both are fine! You are more than welcome to point out bugs and errors... in fact, that's helpful! However... at the back of your mind, just remember that this game aint over until the fat lady serving beer in the nosebleeds, sings.

The thing I took away from the GDC demos? What I really enjoyed the most? The fact that every time I played a journalist at split-screen multiplayer (another world first showing for GDC!) it ended up a fast-paced, action packed slice of fun. We laughed A LOT! We jeered at interceptions and boy, there was some nice trash talking! Now I've met a couple of these journalists before, a couple of them never before... so for Backbreaker to bring everyone together like that, well that gives me confidence in the design decisions, the gameplay decisions and the sheer talent of the NM team. These next few weeks are going to be brilliant!

Enjoy the footage, enjoy the previews. But I'm happy to say, you ain't seen nothing yet"

He also posted that the over the middle user pick was a user controlled one by him, still not sure how he pulled that off, but he sounds as surprised as all of us,lol. Gave me a bit of a boost to read, thought you guys might enjoy it too.

[deebo2246]

Could it be possible that some of the QB motions are looking bad because the user was playing it like the EA game? If the game is based on physics and natural motion, then if the user is pulling back on the joystick and not properly setting themselves to throw.That may cause the animation issues with the dropback and throwing animations. I dunno I'm not a programmer, but just a thought. We may have to get the EA tendencies out of our system like APF in order to see the beauty of this game.

[reo]

Initial impressions.

Passing Game:

Love how I can't see the whole field when panning with the quarterback. I'm assuming I'll be using the RS to pan while using the LS to run. I did not read what they had to say. I just watched the videos. I've only seen bullet passes and one floater with too much pace. So, I can't comment much here. A bit arcade like but it seems to be the direction their going. I can live with that.

Note: Just saw a ridiculous throwing animation (GDC 2010: 4th Down TD). Ugly. Awful. Please remove this. Otherwise, I'm happy. Too much arcade there for my taste. Haha.

Running Game:

Feels more like north / south runners. It'd be nice if I could use one of the sticks to look in the direction I desire. Regardless, its fantastic. I love the camera angles. It feels more like I'm actually running with the ball. When I'm playing Madden and running with the ball. I feel more like I'm in the broadcast booth. This is different with an acceptable variation.

Tackling Animations:

Lovely. Absolutely brilliant. Never seen anything like this. Although a little puppet like at times, I can understand. A revolutionary initial offering. I could feel those hits. Something I've felt before in Madden and other incarnations, but this, took it to another level. I'm surprised at how well this translated into the whole atmosphere after the beta videos that were released. I did not see it being this successful.

Defense:

Disappointed to see no swatted passes, but I'm assuming it's there. It'd be nice to know that they can drop interceptions too. Otherwise, I'm digging the pace of the game. Watching the user attacking the ball carrier (GDC 2010: Tough Interception & On Defense) allows me to see the possibilities of having a multiplayer arena. This added with the tackling animations feels like the slugfest that I feel defenders need to be successful in the pigskin realm.

Everything else looked okay to me. The videos seemed to highlight the tackling animations more than anything else. Catching the ball on offense or defense did not pull me in one direction or another, however, the effect of catching the ball in the defenders zone did. The tackling is just in a different league. I can't get over it (I realize the redundancy - LoL!) . . .

[LingeringRegime]

Thanks cheezhead for that post. A little rationality is always good.

[Crimsontide27]

I dont know what it is, but Im having a hard time liking these new camera angles.

[turftickler]

Quote: Originally Posted by kjcheezhead

Here is a post by the developer Rob from the Backbreaker site regarding these vids: "Arrived back from San Francisco this lunchtime following a very interesting GDC. Just to give you a brief overview, we had two solid days of showing the game to press... some online, some print. You've seen some of the results of that already. What you didn't realise, and what we only really decided to do at the very last minute, was that we allowed sites to direct capture footage from the game. You may not appreciate what a big step that is for us. Believe me, it was a huge moment. The build that was being demonstrated was literally "yesterday's" build. We got it delivered to the San Fran studio on Tuesday and that was what we ran with. So all the footage you are seeing coming out of GDC is raw, untouched, not even remotely hand picked. It's also... and this is a big point... not finished! Following the preview tour of a few weeks back, when code was frozen so that a proper preview build could be delivered, the team started dropping all the new features into the game at a rapid rate. We wanted to return to the States with a build that showed all the very latest stuff... but we decided to live with the fact it wasn't tuned up and poished. What was important to us was to prove that we are still making changes. With the weeks of dev time left, that's when the polish will start to be applied. I am very proud of what the team have achieved in the last couple of weeks alone and even inthe time I've been away. I've heard great stuff. I've seen lots of praise of the footage and I've seen people picking holes in it. Both are fine! You are more than welcome to point out bugs and errors... in fact, that's helpful! However... at the back of your mind, just remember that this game aint over until the fat lady serving beer in the nosebleeds, sings. The thing I took away from the GDC demos? What I really enjoyed the most? The fact that every time I played a journalist at split-screen multiplayer (another world first showing for GDC!) it ended up a fast-paced, action packed slice of fun. We laughed A LOT! We jeered at interceptions and boy, there was some nice trash talking! Now I've met a couple of these journalists before, a couple of them never before... so for Backbreaker to bring everyone together like that, well that gives me confidence in the design decisions, the gameplay decisions and the sheer talent of the NM team. These next few weeks are going to be brilliant! Enjoy the footage, enjoy the previews. But I'm happy to say, you ain't seen nothing yet" He also posted that the over the middle user pick was a user controlled one by him, still not sure how he pulled that off, but he sounds as surprised as all of us,lol. Gave me a bit of a boost to read, thought you guys might enjoy it too.

My bad, bro. I started a thread for this. I didn't realize you put it in here. I didn't see a thread for Rob's post yet.

[djordan]

Quote: Originally Posted by deebo2246

Could it be possible that some of the QB motions are looking bad because the user was playing it like the EA game? If the game is based on physics and natural motion, then if the user is pulling back on the joystick and not properly setting themselves to throw.That may cause the animation issues with the dropback and throwing animations. I dunno I'm not a programmer, but just a thought. We may have to get the EA tendencies out of our system like APF in order to see the beauty of this game.

Posts like this crack me up..lol ..This and the "EA and IGN are sleeping together thats why they are bashing Backbreaker"..HAHHA

[eXperiment63]

Quote: Originally Posted by p_rushing

Playbooks look bad. They need to give you the option to select by formation.

4th Down TD... 12 seconds in... You can see the option to select by formation.