Madden NFL 11 News Post

Madden NFL 11 Blog: Locomotion w/ Videos and L.T. Screenshot

03:53 PM - April 7, 2010 by Steve_OS

EA Sports has just posted another Madden NFL 11 blog. This one focusing on locomotion.

Quote:


	"Obviously, players in pads can�t run the same speed as a world class sprinter coming out of blocks but their acceleration curves have the same shape. They get up to around 80% of their top speed relatively quickly, but the last 20% is stretched out further (it takes the Olympic guys around 60 meters to hit 100% of their top speed). Once I had the curves created, I tuned them around combine 40 times and 100 meter times of players who ran track in college. I then passed that info on to Ratings Czar Donny Moore so he could set speed and acceleration accurately for our rosters. In total, we have 24 different curves that we can tune to control everything from how a player's speed increases over time (based on acceleration and speed ratings), to how much he can turn based on his current speed (driven by the agility rating). That level of control really lets us differentiate players on the field. It is now possible for our ratings guys to make players that are quick over 10 to 20 yards, but get smoked at longer distances. A 90 speed player can now run the same 40 time as a 99 speed player, but lose over longer distances. I have a video here to highlight this. I created two players. The first is 99 speed, 90 acceleration (#99, on the top in the video). The second is 90 speed ,99 acceleration (#90 on the bottom in the video). The players race for 90 yards in the video. As you can see, the player with higher acceleration jumps out to an early lead, but gets passed at around 40 yards by the higher speed player. The animations aren't final (particularly the initial move that plays), and I still have some fine tuning to do on how we map the acceleration and speed ratings into our set of curves, but you can see how powerful acceleration is going to be in Madden NFL 11."

Game: Madden NFL 11Reader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 96 - View All

Madden NFL 11 Videos

Member Comments

# 101 ch46647 @ 04/08/10 03:54 AM

If the running is analog sensitive like Fifa that is HUGE news. Something that big should have been more emphasized in the blog. I would love for Ian to come on and explain.

If it is truly like Fifa then if you press lightly they should literally be in a light jog/walk and the further you push it up the faster they should increase.

This would be an absolute game changer instead of just having the run/sprint option we have now,having true analog sensitive running.

Ian, if you read this please hop on and verify. This is another thing that would send this community in a very positive upswing.

# 102 carnalnirvana @ 04/08/10 04:55 AM

i just hope the game obeys physics on all madden. all this stuff is in the game when played on pro IMO...

i remember the db animations vid looked great, but on higher difficulties the cpu always took shortcuts with the animation

# 103 adun_79 @ 04/08/10 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huskerwr38


	Ian Cummings confirmed to me that the left analog stick is pressure sensitive like in FIFA, so the more pressure you apply up to the left stick will = more acceleration, so the less pressure you apply = not as fast acceleration. So it's truly analog.

... or like in Madden before '09

# 104 Valdarez @ 04/08/10 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by splff3000


	I'm trying, I really am trying... I am really trying to get excited about this stuff, but I just can't. I've heard them say they fix sideline catches before. I've heard them say why sideline catches are fixed before. I've even seen videos of sideline catches before. Likewise, I've heard them say they've fixed locomotion before, specifically momentum, acceleration, and turn radius. I've heard them explain how they've fixed it before. Also, just like the sideline catches, I've seen video of the fixed locomotion before. The problem is, I have never seen any of these things in the game when the game comes out. With these first 2 blogs, I feel like we're in a "been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" mode. I've seen all of this stuff before and even though the proposed fixes for these annual problems are different, the rhetoric remains the same. I'm gonna say the same thing about this blog that I did about the sideline catches blog....... it shouldn't have happened. I mean seriously, how are you going to do a blog about fixing/improving something and then a year later do a blog on the same thing that you supposedly fixed/improved on last year? They should have just fixed it and let us be pleasantly surprised when we saw video of it. That way, if for some reason it gets cut before the game's release, no one will be as upset as they will be if either of these get cut now. It's obvious that these are 2 difficult problems to fix ( seeing that it's been 20+ years and they still aren't fixed), so why not just fix them, if you can, and not bring it up every year. Now what's going to happen if, like last year, they have to cut either one of these things? I know some of you aren't going to like this, but IMO, they should just do away with the blogs....at least until they are able to show us what feature / improvement they are talking about IN-GAME. That way they can be confident that the feature / improvement works correctly and doesn't break the game. That way, the devs can rest easy because they know that the feature / improvement that they are blogging about is already in the game so they don't have to worry about fitting it in. The consumers would benefit also because they wouldn't be getting false info. sigh I guess I'll have to wait until we see actual game footage before I can get my hopes up. Anyway, judging from the pattern of the first 2 blogs, I should assume that the 3rd blog will be either on OL/DL interaction and how pro tak allows them to fix it or it's gonna be on WR/DB interaction where they'll show us how good CB's jump routes, good WR's run great routes, and how we'll have WR/DB jostling. sigh I feel like I'm in Back to the Future or something.

I wish I would hear someone, anyone, from NCAA or the Madden team, fess up to the rendering problem and say they are going to have it fixed. Ask them about the jittery look to their animations or the lack of fluidity to them during a game, and you'll get silence. Nadda, nothing. Complete ignore. They know it's a problem, at least fess up to it. Nothings more frustrating from a customer standpoint than having a problem and the company pretending it doesn't exist.

Why do I bring up rendering with relation to the locomotion engine? Because the best animations in the world will still look poor / subpar if they are not rendered properly. It's always jarring for me to play APF2K8 and see the fluidity of those animations, and then come back to Madden and endure the robotic nature of their animations. Robotic due to how they move (locomotion) and how they are rendered (the fluidity).

Fixing rendering during gameplay is the of the best things they can do to make their game look better (look, not play).

# 105 Valdarez @ 04/08/10 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huskerwr38


	Ian Cummings confirmed to me that the left analog stick is pressure sensitive like in FIFA, so the more pressure you apply up to the left stick will = more acceleration, so the less pressure you apply = not as fast acceleration. So it's truly analog.

Nice! Lets hope they hook up the Right analog stick to pull off some nice Jukes. 2K's juke stick was pretty darn good, but I could easily map out some better movement, especially with body leans thrown in. Do your homework EA, and be creative. Look at film to see how players are juking, using their bodies, and talk to a few HB's to discover how much is training / intuition so you can have an easy mode (for newer players) and an advanced mode (for the rest of us)!

# 106 Goffs @ 04/08/10 09:55 AM

all they need to do to make the graphics shine is a true to life tv broadcast cam...i mean like camera cuts like the one done in NBA2k10 and even APF2k did a good job in this...

get rid of cut scenes and change it to real time...

# 107 splff3000 @ 04/08/10 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	I'm going to need to disagree with the same rhetoric as before statement. If you have ever played FIFA, you would know they have a good locomotion engine. Madden ripped the old locomotion out of Madden and put in the new locomotion code from FIFA. FIFA players run as smooth as butter. My advice for folks who are ringing up the show me don't tell me card( I understand why) on each and every blog, is just to sit and hold tight until August. Otherwise, there is nothing you can do except beat the same card over and over again with every blog. Segandude has the right tude. Eh, it does rhyme.

Quote:

Originally Posted by huskerwr38


	Yep, I would be in the same mindset as you, but they are using the same proven system that was in FIFA 10 and it was pretty sweet. Also, Ian Cummings confirmed with me that the acceleration is pressure sensitive with the L analog stick. Play FIFA and you'll see what I mean. However, I would like to see the sideline catching. I don't think there was a video of that actually happening.

Honestly, I can't say that say that I've tried Fifa. I guess it's time for me to check it out to see what all the fuss is about.

Is there a demo out or something? I think I saw someone mention that somewhere.

# 108 splff3000 @ 04/08/10 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valdarez


	Nice! Lets hope they hook up the Right analog stick to pull off some nice Jukes. 2K's juke stick was pretty darn good, but I could easily map out some better movement, especially with body leans thrown in. Do your homework EA, and be creative. Look at film to see how players are juking, using their bodies, and talk to a few HB's to discover how much is training / intuition so you can have an easy mode (for newer players) and an advanced mode (for the rest of us)!

Yeah, I would like to start seeing combo moves ie moves that you have to use the right AND left analog stick to pull off.

# 109 Rocky @ 04/08/10 11:15 AM

Val, explain rendering to me. I've always chalked Madden's poor animations to bad mo-cap techniques.

# 110 shaneralphie1993 @ 04/08/10 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TDogg09


	There is a high-res pic of that screenshot on Ian's twitter

Thanks for the info!

# 111 achain @ 04/08/10 11:36 AM

Where have I heard this song and dance before about how great locomotion is going to be in this year's game....

Oh wait, that's right. It was a promised "feature" of Madden 2009. They even made this fancy video to show it off....

http://www.videogamer.com/videos/mad...n_trailer.html

Gotta love rehashing.

Boy, I sure hope they get it right this year :\

# 112 Valdarez @ 04/08/10 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by achain


	Where have I heard this song and dance before about how great locomotion is going to be in this year's game.... Oh wait, that's right. It was a promised "feature" of Madden 2009. They even made this fancy video to show it off.... http://www.videogamer.com/videos/mad...n_trailer.html Gotta love rehashing. Boy, I sure hope they get it right this year :\

Ouch, that sure does put a dampener on the whole new locomotion blog...

# 113 Valdarez @ 04/08/10 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky


	Val, explain rendering to me. I've always chalked Madden's poor animations to bad mo-cap techniques.

Animations is the movement, which they use motion capture to acquire. Rendering is the drawing of the players to the screen. They claim 60 FPS and yet their animations look as though they are 15 FPS, so while they might (emphasis on 'might') have the responsiveness of a 60 FPS game (I definitely do not see it on slow/very slow mode), they do not render properly at 60 FPS.

I write this off as a rendering problem because when I go into a replay and play the play very slowly, it's as fluid, if not more so, than APF2K8's animations. So the animation / capture is definitely 100% there, they just can't display it properly during actual gameplay, hence a rendering problem. Funny thing is I have sounded off on this for well over a year and not one single person from EA has provided any info on the subject. None.

# 114 Irish_NFL_Fan @ 04/08/10 12:13 PM

is it me or does the crowd look better in the LT pic??

# 115 huskerwr38 @ 04/08/10 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valdarez


	Ouch, that sure does put a dampener on the whole new locomotion blog...

I would normally agree, but they ripped out their old locomotion technology and put in an entirely new one, used in FIFA. So they are using a proven technology that works, so I'm a believer on this one this year.

# 116 LionsFanNJ @ 04/08/10 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huskerwr38


	I would normally agree, but they ripped out their old locomotion technology and put in an entirely new one, used in FIFA. So they are using a proven technology that works, so I'm a believer on this one this year.

This. Its a proven working technology/locomotion engine in another EA game they're bringing over so i'm excited.

# 117 mmorg @ 04/08/10 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcxiv


	This may have been said, but if there is still warping to the ball. all this that they are doing means absolutely NOTHING. Looks nice on paper, but how does it play out. The key is that warping crap they have had in all their previous games. Once again, if the guys superspeed warp to the ball. This means NOTHING. this whole thing.

Locomotion fixes that because it is an actual physics engine. It will help with players going through each other too.

# 118 Sausage @ 04/08/10 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huskerwr38


	Here's my twitter account, you can check my question to Ian. http://twitter.com/huskerwr38 Then he replied with a Yep. @ian_cummings will the acceleration work with the left analog stick like in FIFA? pushing up more = faster accel, less pressure = less accel ian_cummings @huskerwr38 yep

Since acceleration is determined by how far one pushes the analog stick, do you all believe that the RT sprint will be removed or become so type of modifier.

# 119 stiffarmleft @ 04/08/10 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmorg


	Locomotion fixes that because it is an actual physics engine. It will help with players going through each other too.

There is no physics engine, it's still all animation, just more of it.

# 120 Mr_Riddick @ 04/08/10 02:27 PM

Great.. No more sprint button for the cheesers!

« Previous 1 2 3 4 567 8 9…12 13 Next »

More Links

Madden NFL 11 Blog: Locomotion w/ Videos and L.T. Screenshot