Scrum Collapsing

[nickdnz]

In multi-player playing with friends I was always fairly good with scrums and it was almost a quick-draw thing in the past. I could win ball quite often (maybe 1 against the feed every 6 scrums), so it was quite good in that way.

In single player I'd totally agree with you Nick, it just wasn't quite right. I'd like to feel that you could use some tactic to out-muscle and push your opposition off the ball. Sure in real life it doesn't happen too often, but in a video game, you need a small contest within the greater game, something to make the scrum..... something. At the moment it's a little one dimensional. As I said earlier, feeling that you'd worked hard to push the other team off the ball would be rewarding.

The idea above would obviously be an "advanced" option, but it would take no longer to get used to than the controls for an fps to be honest.

I'd like the idea of using the pressure of the drive forward (left stick), in conjunction with the slight upwards and downwards pressure that make the difference within the forward pushing in a real scrum.

Perhaps to continue this line of thought, there could be a halfback feed option. Before the scrum mechanics occur, if you have a weaker scrum, your halfback can throw the ball into your side of the scrum, but there is a chance of being penalized.

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

I don't like how scrums get pushed a certain distance then no more, so you can't get pushover tries from 5m out - then again with scrums pretty much always being won by the attacking team you'd get hundreds of pushover tries as the scrum always gets pushed several M at every go

Any thought's on my idea of using the loose head and tighthead to get some better body position and have both the defending and attacking team trying to out manoeuvre each other to get some push?

It'd just have to be balanced that the attacking team has a little advantage due to the ball being slightly more on their side and then it'd be quite the battle for about 6 seconds. If the defending team was able to get just that adjusting body position going well enough, it'd simulate the jostling for better technique and body position and they'd drive the attack off the ball.

If the attack got it just right, they'd push back the defending team and actually get that attacking scrum try.

If either team let their body position get too high, they pop-up and penalty. Or too far down they'd collapse it and penalty.

Seriously, it'd make the scrums something, because right now they are pretty much a timing-for-the-hook game only.

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

Perhaps to continue this line of thought, there could be a halfback feed option. Before the scrum mechanics occur, if you have a weaker scrum, your halfback can throw the ball into your side of the scrum, but there is a chance of being penalized.

Yes, absolutely. The earlier you have left stick (drive) held down prior to the feed, the further back towards your own side the feed would go and the more risk of penalty? Sound like a good idea?

 

[nickdnz]

Yes, absolutely. The earlier you have left stick (drive) held down prior to the feed, the further back towards your own side the feed would go and the more risk of penalty? Sound like a good idea?

Sounds good to me. As a front row myself, previous rugby games has pretty much marginalized the role of props, which is understandable for a fast free-flowing game, but it'd be nice if there was some reason for a good front row (ironically my front rows are usually my highest try scoring forwards because of lineout drives).

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

Sounds good to me. As a front row myself, previous rugby games has pretty much marginalized the role of props, which is understandable for a fast free-flowing game, but it'd be nice if there was some reason for a good front row (ironically my front rows are usually my highest try scoring forwards because of lineout drives).

I've been a wing, 2nd five-eighth and fullback for a fair few of my club days, but even I can see how marginalised the forward game is in most of the rugby games there's been.

There's this "don't slow down the back play" kind of ideal coming through and I see what they try and achieve, but I think they miss the point of why their core audience doesn't mind slowing down for 10 seconds or so for a scrum feed and contest.

Rugby may be a little stop-start, but that's not what people dislike. People like to stop to watch a line-out or a scrum. What they don't like is stopping to watch 3-4 re-set scrums, or an injury stoppage, or a chat with the ref, or a line-out which takes a long time to form, or a quick throw in that gets called back for a proper line-out.

In short it's not the line-outs or scrums that can bore people in rugby, it's the waiting for these things to commence that can be the bore. That's not really an issue in Rugby games.

I really think people want these things to be a game within the greater game. Contests in their own right, like in real rugby. Sure a couple of variables need to change. In scrums you need the defender to have a slightly higher chance of getting the ball against the feed for it to be viable.

Rucks, mauls, scrums and line-outs are very important, not as important as fast flowing back-play individually sure. Collectively though, they need a lot more focus and work to make them what they could be.

 

[lionmaull]

I've been a wing, 2nd five-eighth and fullback for a fair few of my club days, but even I can see how marginalised the forward game is in most of the rugby games there's been.

There's this "don't slow down the back play" kind of ideal coming through and I see what they try and achieve, but I think they miss the point of why their core audience doesn't mind slowing down for 10 seconds or so for a scrum feed and contest.

Rugby may be a little stop-start, but that's not what people dislike. People like to stop to watch a line-out or a scrum. What they don't like is stopping to watch 3-4 re-set scrums, or an injury stoppage, or a chat with the ref, or a line-out which takes a long time to form, or a quick throw in that gets called back for a proper line-out.

In short it's not the line-outs or scrums that can bore people in rugby, it's the waiting for these things to commence that can be the bore. That's not really an issue in Rugby games.

I really think people want these things to be a game within the greater game. Contests in their own right, like in real rugby. Sure a couple of variables need to change. In scrums you need the defender to have a slightly higher chance of getting the ball against the feed for it to be viable.

Rucks, mauls, scrums and line-outs are very important, not as important as fast flowing back-play individually sure. Collectively though, they need a lot more focus and work to make them what they could be.

I agree, the term" fast flowing rugby" has got to go, some teams do play a more back based play, but for the most part there are plenty of teams that use a forward based scheme, and specialize in scrums and lineouts and mauls to get there wins. In the very acomplished Madden games you don't see "fast flowing Football', with no nead to play the Lineman, it is just football with full control of every aspect which is football from the time consuming play calling and ect., that is all part of the art of football. The best option would be an arcade mode with automatic scrums, rucks, and lineouts, for those who want a simpler game and a sim mode, where you have full control of the key elements of play, it would make it a much more complete game. I know a lot of times, they say that adding these features, would add alot of other mini games, I say, so what!! In reality that is what rugby is, a battle at the ruck, a battle at the scrum, and a battle at the lineout it would give the game great variety and variety is what makes rugby such a great sport. I say set up a must play tutorial so people have to learn how to play the game, not just pass the ball wide every time to try and score, that gets boring and very repetative, learn to play the other aspects of what makes up rugby, the game rugby has a great foundation to make a great video game, what other sport can you kick and use your hands on a constant bases
Cheers and Salud