Overview
Many changes have been made to the gameplay in Madden NFL 13 to help try to create the most realistic football simulation to date, including a new tackling engine, as well as the changes to how the overall game plays.
Infinity Engine
The Infinity Engine is a new feature in Madden NFL 13 that is designed to make use of real-time physics in order to ensure that no two tackles or plays look and feel the same. The engine takes into account momentum, velocity and mass in tackles to create a more dynamic game, focusing on three main areas: interactions, balance and muscle tension.
Interactions
Players now move and react to contact more specifically and organically, for example a running back that falls onto a pile but doesn't actually touch the ground will get up and keep going, or a quarterback may have his arm grazed by a tackle, affecting his throw. This allows chances to extend the play even once a tackle has started.
Balance System
Every player in the game has a balance score calculated on several factors, such as physical attributes and where contact is made. The balance system takes these factors into account, causing players to stumble and fall in appropriate directions and with appropriate momentum, allowing for chances where falling into someone prevents a player hitting the ground and may help them recover.
The system means players are now affected more by their body type, so players with shorter legs may not recover from a stumble as well as those with longer legs would.
Muscle Tension
Tensions are now tuned based on player actions, adding to the realism of tackles, such as players rotating realistically when hit whilst jumping. Players are now tenser whilst protecting the ball and in truck animations, affecting the overall balance of players running and the outcome of tackles, in combination with the balance system and interactions. For example; improved balance whilst protecting the ball at the cost of speed.
Passing
The passing system has been changed to allow greater freedom and precision whilst making passes. Changes made include:
- Improving the left-analog stick passing controls, meaning the ball can be placed differently, such as onto the recievers back shoulder, at various heights and out towards the sideline.
- New moves given to the quarterback to avoid the pass rush as well as a slowed down pocket speed when trying to avoid the sack.
- Recievers now have timing windows in their routes. They now turn their head to face the quarterback when they are expecting the ball and their pass icon is greyed out until they are in this window. Passes to a reciever with a greyed out pass icon are more likely to be incomplete/intercepted. Recievers will sometimes look for the ball earlier depending on how the play is run.
- New animations have been added to improve the passing and recieving, including 430 new catch animations, 20 new quarterback dropbacks and pass animations designed to speed up the time in which quarterbacks get rid of the ball.
AI Improvements
The AI in the game has been changed to create a more realistic experience, tying to with the changes to the passing, as well as the Infinity Engine.
- Similar to the timing windows for the receivers, defensive backs don't react to a ball unless they are expecting it or facing it.
- Defenses line-up against receivers in a best-on-best designation, helping to prevent tricky match-ups for weaker players.
- Defenders use different types of coverage, such as off coverage, split techniques and trail techniques.
- New animations allow for simultaneous tackles when the ball is being caught as well as general improvements to the tackle animations based on the Infinity Engine.
- Special Teams AI has been improved to get rid of player clustering.
