Natural Evolution of Technology:
Since the introduction of Moore’s law, we have been able to explain the progression of hardware. It makes sense. Hardware keeps improving at a rapid pace. What about software? It seems as though there is no direct formula to explain software. It would be quite hard to explain this since you are dealing with an array of types of software. Windows is out with their VISTA operating system while there are a billion and one Linux incarnations (figurative of course). What is the next generation of software? Specifically, what is the next generation of Madden, or any other football game for that matter? How are football games going to evolve?
Typically, software is only as good as the hardware that runs it. Quite honestly, there is only so much you could do a CPU that is good enough to program your microwave. With the evolution of videogame hardware, we see an improvement in RAM (random access memory), CPU horsepower, and even in the inclusion of hard-drive space. Take the original Xbox. It was the first time that a hard-drive was including on retail SKU. How is the software going to change with an inevitable hardware upgrade? What changes when you go from Playstation 2 to Playstation 3. How about an Xbox to an Xbox360?
Natural Evolution of Madden:
Let’s get to the meat of this article. What to do with Madden? Now, I’m not a producer of EA Sports but the point of this article is to educating EA on putting the ‘next’ into ‘next-generation’. Here we go!
Group Tackling:
This is something that I thought would be included in the current generation of software. In fact, I think this was introduced in the NFL2K brand. Although it is quite fun to hit a “hit stick’ and pound an opponent, its not quite realistic. Football is a team game and that includes tackling. Tackling is an interesting dimension of football. It takes technique to successfully tackle an opposing player. If you can’t get the solo tackle, then you as a defender must ‘slow’ the offensive player up. Now, how do you do that?
There are three ways to approach tackling in the video game world. The first is animation based tackling. The second is based on the principles of physics along with smart collision detection. The last way is a combination of animation and physics.
Animation based tackling is quite simple. If an offensive player is on the move and a defender is close to him, the button to initiate a ‘tackle’ will trigger a tackle animation. In fact, a tackle is a series of animations. Let’s take this example below:
Scene 1: Running back just shook of a defender at the line of scrimmage.
Scene 2: Middle Linebacker of the opposing team sees running back breaking away and running toward the side line.
Scene 3: Running back sees Linebacker and momentarily slows down to initiate a spin move
Scene 4: Running back initiates the spin-move too slow as the defender has already initiated a tackle.
Scene 5: Since the Linebacker is not delivering a tackle that is direct, he goes for the Running back’s right leg. Linebacker grabs leg and completes the tackle once running back is on the ground.
Now, you can really have fun with this animation of the tackle. What happens when have a linebacker and a free-safety, both looking to tackle the running back? Let’s have a little fun with the series of animations.
Scene 1: Running back initiates spin-move too slow as the free safety has already initiated a tackle.
Scene 2: Since the free safety is not at an angle for a direct tackle, the safety grabs the right leg of the running back.
Scene 3: Linebacker is coming off a block from the fullback and immediately sees that the free safety is attempting a tackle.
Scene 4: The safety has slowed down the momentum of the running back so any hit from the waist up with knock the running back down.
Scene 5: Linebacker comes in and hits running back on the right shoulder pad.
With the combination of the free safety grabbing the right leg of the running back and a direct hit from the linebacker to the right shoulder pad, the running back goes down easy. This is a group tackle initiated by a single defender.
Physics before Animation:
It is possible for that single defender to tackle the running back. I think so, and this is how physics is involved in the process. Assume that the running back is 5’10’’, 230 lbs. Assume that the free safety is 6’1’’ and 245 lbs. Now, if we just looked at these variables, the 6’1’’, 245 lb safety would win the contest. Let’s introduce more variables. Assume that the 5’10’’ running back runs a 4.4 forty meter dash, bench presses 350 lbs, and squats 620 lbs. The free safety runs a 4.5 forty meter dash, presses 315, and squats 550. Who would win this contest? Now, the only three variables I am looking at are speed, upper body strength, and lower body strength. Let’s add another variable. The running back ran the previous play for a 15 yard gain. His stamina at this point is a 70 out of 100 (assuming stamina is calculated play-by-play). The stamina of the free safety is 95 out of 100. He was out for two plays because the defensive coordinator (you) decides to play an extra defensive back on the last two plays. Who would win this contest? I’ve now upped the variables to speed, upper body strength, lower body strength, and now stamina. Could I keep going? Sure I can. Do I want to? No, for the sake of the length of this article! Do you see the point of physics? I hope you do!
Why is physics so important? Could physics explain the path of a football released by a quarterback? Could physics explain the force at which the running back is running with? Could physics explain the impact one object would have if colliding with another? All those answers are yes. Physics is not just a bunch of formulas. It can quantify things. When you are speaking the computer language, it only understands numbers. This is why physics is so important, especially to games.
Why is animation important? Could the principles of physics initiate a tackle? Could the principles of physics make you intercept a ball as a defensive back? I think not. Physics can lead to an initiation of animation, it can not work independently. Let’s take the example of an interception. With physics, you can explain where the ball is, the proximity of the players to the ball, the angles at which the players are to the ball, and of course the speed of the ball. If the ball is in close proximity to the wide receiver and a defensive back but the receiver initiates a ‘jump’ to intercept the ball before the receiver sets himself up to the catch the all, the ball is the defenders. In this example, I’m just talking about proximity to the ball. This is the only ‘physical’ element I’m introducing to this animation. In this case, the defender and offensive player are at equal proximity. The animation is the interception but the factors leading to the interception are physics.
Once the physics of football are clearly defined, the real work is to intertwine that with relevant animations. I’ve heard that Madden 2007 has 3,000 player animations. What good are these animations if they are initiated at the wrong time? Imagine a linebacker jumping up for a ball that is too high for him (physically) but end up catching it because it follows a stupid animation. It is not real and makes me upset when I see it. If this was Madden NFL 2007: Madden in Space, I would have no problem since there are different set of gravitational laws that apply to space.
More to come in Part III .....
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