In anticipation of the actual game (already pre-ordered! Can't wait for the 28th!), I've downloaded the Madden 13 demo.

One feature I was really interested in checking out was the new physics engine, called the Madden Infinity Engine. In the past, when Madden players interacted with each other (tackling, hitting, catching the ball, etc), what was shown was a preset animation. Now there were very many of these animations, so it looked great, but it wasn't always "perfect."

Now, thanks to Madden's Infinity Engine, the players truly interact with each other. Speed, momentum, mass and body parts are all melded into a unique action. The animations are limitless, and usually look great.

But, I've also noticed some glitches that are almost Mastodon-falling-from-the-sky good.

On one catch, my receiver jumped up for a catch, made it, and a defender hit him in the air. The receiver held onto the ball, but his right arm (the hand holding the ball) was wrenched behind him, at least dislocating his shoulder, probably breaking some bones too, but he was able to hold onto the ball and hop right back up!

Another time, I was running the ball, and had another player trip over me after I was tackled. There's always a bit of animation between plays (guys walking back the the huddle, celebrating a tackle, etc), and I watched this player trip, fall over the running back, stand up, take a step forward, trip, fall over the running back, and on and on, until the screen cut away. It was amusing.

So, whilst the Infinity Engine looks like it's pretty cool, it also looks like there are going to be some ridiculous animations because of it as well.

Still can't wait for the 28th!

Travis   Admin wrote on 08/22/2012 at 08:52pm

I'm going to be a child for a second.

"body parts are all melded"

hahahahahahahahahahaha....

OK, now that THAT's out my system... I haven't played a Madden game since Madden '94. I feel like I might be missing out on something huge since so many people play it, but it seems like the people who don't love it, absolutely despise it!

The tech behind this one does sound pretty interesting though. I may have to rethink my stance on sports games.

jdodson   Admin wrote on 08/23/2012 at 12:11am

Happy they are trying to be more real, but yeah when you go that route the rules you write to make it seem real are ... Mastadon's falling from the sky and arms bending in strange positions but not breaking real...

That said, really interested in checking this out. I might pick up the demo on my PS3 and give it a whirl when we hang out next.

So this follows the awesome Madden tradition of you pick plays and can play people in those plays but dont have to? I mean it differs from the typical Basketball game model in that way right?

AdamPFarnsworth   Post Author wrote on 08/23/2012 at 05:03pm

Yeah, you can just be the head coach and watch your players do your bidding :)

Tungsten wrote on 08/23/2012 at 10:21pm

Did you ever try out Backbreaker Football? It used something similar called the Euphoria engine. It was also used in the last few Rockstar games. If you ever got drunk in RedDead you know what I'm talking about.

It worked pretty well for football, especially the running game; you could actually feel slippery, breaking tackles realistically rather than the dead stops you saw in old Madden games.

Pretty sure its on LIVE as a demo or maybe even an arcade game.

AdamPFarnsworth   Post Author wrote on 08/27/2012 at 02:51am

I've downloaded Backbreaker, now just to find the time to play (stuck at work tonight).

Tungsten wrote on 08/27/2012 at 09:46am

It has a decent following. You're not going to get the best football experience: far too few plays, no licensed teams/players, defense can feel a bit sluggish, but it is definitely something you should try out if you are a fan of the genre.

AdamPFarnsworth   Post Author wrote on 08/28/2012 at 03:40pm

So I finally tried out the demo. I really like how this is *completely* different than a Madden game. It made it somewhat difficult to pick up at first, but I'm glad to see that other companies don't feel the need to "Make Madden, but better!"

I'll probably play the demo a few more times to get the feel of it, but I have a feeling that with getting Madden today, I'll be sticking mostly to that for my (gaming) football fix. Thanks for the suggestion though!

jdodson   Admin wrote on 08/29/2012 at 12:39am

Awesome.

Double football all the way!

Travis   Admin wrote on 08/31/2012 at 01:23pm

I thought of this discussion when I saw today's Penny Arcade: http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2012/08/31

jdodson   Admin wrote on 08/31/2012 at 02:07pm

Awesome and relevant for today!

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