Backbreaker

EatonTJ

EatonTJ

Why Today Doesn't Suck.
11 April 2002
When I saw the first trailer for this game I thought it was the first true "next gen" sports title of any kind:

Here is an article on the game from IGN.com ... I really hope the engine for this game end up in a proper football (soccer) game. In the article the developers talk about their use of the analog sticks for most of the controls in the game. As American Football games (Madden) are just as complicated as Football (soccer) games (Fifa, PES) in terms of button presses I would love to see this (hopefully) intuitive control scheme make the transition into a new footy game as well.

Really promising in the realm of sports games and I hope this takes off. Interesting read and GREAT video.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23591.html


Backbreaker: The Art of Control
You've never played a football game like this before.
by Nate Ahearn

February 26, 2008 - For some time now Madden Football has been the only football offering on the market. While 2K tried to make a pseudo-comeback last year with All-Pro Football, it came out with more of a whimper than a roar. NaturalMotion is now trying their hand in the pigskin arena with Backbreaker, a game grounded in its physics and gameplay. Just recently we had the opportunity to speak with Ant Lewis, lead designer on Backbreaker, to talk about the unique control scheme that NaturalMotion is using within the game. Madden pros beware; Backbreaker is a different breed of football.


IGN: Can you give us a rundown, for those that don't know, of how Backbreaker is going to play differently than Madden in terms of control on the field?

Ant Lewis: Ok, the most apparent difference between Madden and Backbreaker is the perspective from which you view the game. It directly affects the control system and therefore the experience you have as a player. While Madden is viewed from a top-down camera perspective, Backbreaker views the action from a close third-person chase camera on the field. This makes the player feel very close to the action. This was a very deliberate design decision made early in the game's development cycle, primarily to deliver a completely different experience to Madden, but also to capitalize on the amazing euphoria tackles.

In terms of controlling characters on the field, Backbreaker supports all the moves and actions you'd expect from a football game, but with a different implementation to allow for the change in perspective and experience.

Someone's getting worked here.

IGN: There's no doubt that Madden football is one of the most popular franchises in all of gaming. Why not stick to a similar control scheme since it has worked so well for them?

Lewis: Backbreaker delivers a completely different experience than Madden. It's on the field and in your face. As a consequence, we've had to develop a control and camera system that supports the creative direction of our game. Essentially we've developed a system that is most appropriate to the unique experience we want the player to have.

Also, the change in perspective from an elevated third-person Madden camera to one which places you close to the action necessitates a different approach to controlling the players. Adopting the control system from Madden and using it in Backbreaker simply wouldn't work and would contradict the design goals of the game.

IGN: You mentioned that the right analog stick is a sort of "catch-all" in terms the actions that it performs. We can picture tackling and juking using the right stick, but what about passing? How will that work exactly?

Lewis: The gesture system is based on the premise that the actions the player performs with the right analog stick should closely mirror the motion of the action that is being performed on screen. So for basic passing when in quarterback mode, a tap up on the right stick performs a fast bullet pass while down and then up performs a deeper bomb pass. Our tests show that this system is more intuitive than assigning multiple buttons. Rookies pick it up quickly, but expert players can explore an incredibly deep skill differential.

The art of the swim move.

IGN: Backbreaker makes use of a modifier system that can be toggled between aggressive and agile moves. Explain to those people who might not know how your system differs from the usual turbo mechanic that we've been seeing for years?

Lewis: In essence, the modes allow you to play with finesse (Agile), or really go for it (Aggressive). Deciding which to adopt and the timing of each and is essential.

Let's say you're a running back approaching the defensive line. You've spotted a small hole, so you press the right trigger (Aggressive) to plough through it. Alternatively, you might be charging in Aggressive toward the endzone only to find yourself confronted by a safety on the 20-yard line, so you blip the right trigger to briefly slip into Agile to juke around the guy.

In Agile the player can juke, spin, evade and cut turn but is more susceptible to taking a hit. Conversely, in Aggressive the player can absorb the hits more effectively and perform more aggressive actions such as stiff-arming and trucking, but isn't as agile.

So the implication with regard to gameplay is that the player is continually evaluating the situation and making decisions based on whether to avoid conflict or drive through it based on their position and the traffic on the field.

IGN: We noticed that sprinting is controlled by how far you're pushing the left stick. In the heat of a football game it seems unlikely that people will have the wherewithal to not constantly sprint. How does it benefit gameplay to assign sprinting to the left stick rather than making it togglable through another button?

Lewis: You're right – if you want, you can play Backbreaker sprinting all the time. However, we're employing a very sophisticated animation system that replicates real athletes at high fidelity. This means that expert players can exploit the increased mobility that lower speeds bring – or even confuse an attacking opponent by slowing down, and suddenly speeding off at an angle.

The analog stick allows us to give people full control over the motion, rather than just an on/off switch. True, you don't have to use all this subtlety to enjoy the game, but we know there are a lot of people out there who feel passionately about becoming very skilled at the game.

Dropping back in the pocket.

IGN: You say that the Backbreaker control scheme eliminates the need to memorize a lot of buttons, but aren't you now going to have to memorize a bunch of right analog stick motions? Isn't it sort of the same thing?

Lewis: We truly believe that the gesture system is going to deliver an incredibly accessible title. The problem with the face buttons is that they are essentially anonymous and abstract in nature. For example, it's difficult for the player to make an immediate connection between the 'B' button and a spin move, without actively trying to memorize it. This problem only becomes worse given the number of moves you need to incorporate into a football game and the number of buttons on a current-gen controller. However, due to the fact that the gesture system provides directional movement, a semi-circular motion on the analogue stick is a more intuitive method of initiating a spin (and simple reversing direction reverses the direction of the spin). As there is a definite relationship and mirroring between the movement on screen and the movement on the stick, it makes the control system very easy to become accustomed to with little 'checking of the manual' necessary.

IGN: Are there any presentation changes that happen when in either Agile or Aggressive mode?

Lewis: Absolutely. The two main cues to communicate the change between agile and aggressive mode is a change in camera position and also a change in sound design. When in Aggressive mode the camera is moved closer to the player, the field of view changed and a certain amount of noise is added to the camera in order to communicate a very intense experience. This perspective also emphasizes the tackles when the player gets a heavy hit.

As we are essentially removing visual information from the player by reducing the field of view, we compensate by changing the audio design to play the sound effects within the immediate vicinity. By transferring information from the visual to the audio (so the player has to listen as well as watch) it makes the experience a more immersive and pulls the player further into the game.

Grappling for position.

IGN: How long do you think it will take a Madden veteran to adapt to Backbreaker's control scheme?

Lewis: Our goal is to produce an accessible game that players can get into very quickly regardless of whether they're used to playing Madden or otherwise. So in a word, quickly!
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Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

That video looks incredible :SHOCK: :-...
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

The video is old, the interview is new. I think I've posted the video before sometime last year, but I couldn't find the thread to update it.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

You ever played Red Card Soccer EatonTJ? I think it was by Midway and only released in the US. That game was fun as hell! Just sliding around smashing people.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

No, I totally forgot about that game. I always meant to play it, but then completely forgot about it when it came out. I'll have to try and find it.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

I've heard about Backbreaker for a while, it looks excellent. I posted a link to the vid in DJ's "Next Gen" thread where I said I was expecting Next Gen to look like that vid :)
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

wheres DJ "Physics" Doc with his insight on how good these are?
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

Physics look damn good :)). Just hope it's not as easy to avoid players in the final release! :LOL:
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

I remember hearing about this on the Sports Anomaly a while ago, need video looks great.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

WOW! EUPHORIA ON A FOOTBALL GAME!

Sweet.. hope this will be good
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

Hmm the physics look a mess, pretty much looks like an arcade game with fancy graphics. Shame.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

It looks ok but it should be a PSN/XBLA game, its going to flop at retail.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

Reckon it could go PSN/XBL after their App Store release (which was actually pretty good).
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

Was hoping to see an actual new "football" game. Looks decent enough, haven't played or seen any Madden in years to compare though. Although with FIFA introducing their collision system last year it doesn't look as groundbreaking as back then.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

pboreham said:
Reckon it could go PSN/XBL after their App Store release (which was actually pretty good).
Click to expand...

I agree, the iPhone version is pretty good fun :)

This version is a full game though, as opposed to trial runs like on the iPhone.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

All the teams in Backbreaker are fictional, not even unlicensed NFL teams, right? That's why I'm not that interested in this game.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

Surely they'll have some kind of editor though like the PES games.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

Wasn't this game supposed to be revolutionary... or something?
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

It's just some fucked up mutant gridiron.Madden needs to use those collision physics and then it''s game on.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

I found physics to be really utterly impressive. The rest of the game may be a disaster, though.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

The speed at which the players are juking and jumping around didn't look even close to realistic I thought.
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

I want a rugby game based on that engine...
 
Re: New Football Game, "Backbreaker". Terrific Physics Engine.

It's out on 28th May on Xbox 360 and PS3.

I've seen it. It's pretty special in my opinion, although I don't know much about American Football. The in game editor is similar to Forza, i.e. if you know what you are doing you can make any team and/or logo you want.
 
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