Jab, Jab, Jab.

Driving home tonight I listened to an interview with Sugar Ray Leonard. He was a beast in the ring, smooth as hell, flashy, and equally as brutal. He could out punch guys 3 inches taller with a bigger reach.



Listening to him speak I remembered doing some research for the (short lived) sequel to Gun with regard to fist fights. This was the first time I ever got in a mocap suit.

Even though I could have hand-keyed a jab faster than putting on a suit, capturing the data, converting it, and then cleaning it up, we went ahead with the mocap session anyhow. For whatever reason (perhaps because I was the only animator who had ever won or even been in a fist fight) I was entrusted with doing the mocap for our new bar fight idea. I've always been a fast, hard puncher but upon seeing my own jab on a 3d character I realized that it wasn't going to work. In video games, there is a vast divide between what exists in real life and what the player experiences.

In boxing the jab is considered the most basic, fundamental punch. It is also the most versatile punch. A jab can create space, dominate action, frustrate opponents, score points, and win fights. It can be used while moving forwards to transition into combinations, or backwards to defend. It's a leading punch as well as a sufficient counter. A fast jab can change the course of a fight more efficiently than a well timed uppercut. It's also most effective when it isn't seen(The Leonard/Mayweather first round is a great example of jabs being used well). Unfortunately, a boxer's jab is not what you need when making video game combat.

During the mocap shoot I tried my damnedest to throw the fastest, cleanest jab I could(which is pretty difficult in cowboy boots). We even tried stepping in to it to give the player some forward translation for a good feel. Ultimately, what came out on our rig was a very subtle, quick, and useless jab. It was fast enough but there was hardly any motion. There wasn't a windup or a follow through or even enough time to see what was going on. Really, the only thing that moved was my left hand. It was worthless.

Boxers do exactly the opposite of what animators need to do in games. They don't throw from the hip, they throw from the shoulders, trying to give as little a tell as possible, allowing them to remain flexible as well as defensive. A jab performed well is hardly even there. It snaps out and snaps back and that's it. However, for a game animation you need tells. You need that big wind up pose. You need that follow through. You need to emulate Rocky, not Sugar Ray.

During his interview Sugar Ray also talked about how it feels when you know you've hit somebody good. How you know you've got someone done, or finished. This was another area that needed some mocap love. Hit reactions in real life occur pretty slowly. Unless you're getting knocked out people tend to have very slow reactions. In games that kind of feeling is definitely aided by camera and controller shake, but in the end, if it ain't strong enough in the animation, it ain't good enough. Make those hits count.

Since so many games rely on mocap these days I will at least admit that combat is one area where exaggeration is important. Game actions with big, comic book style posing is a huge factor in selling motion that mocap can simply not do. Unfortunately, exaggeration within games is often done during acting moments, where subtlety is key, and not during combat, where pushing poses is paramount.