Madden NFL 11 News Post

Robert Flores Goes One-On-One With EA Sports Madden NFL 11 Game Designers (ESPN)

05:17 PM - August 23, 2010 by Steve_OS

Part 1: How Brett Favre's return impacted the Vikings team ratings | Fans reactions to Game Flow technology
Part 2: Hard core gamers reactions to Game Flow | NFL players reactions to player ratings
Part 3: NFL players involvement in game design | Why Gus Johnson was chosen to be voice of Madden NFL 11 | Could NCAA Football 11 team beat a middle of the road Madden NFL 11 team | How working on Madden NFL 11 changes the way designers watch NFL games
Part 4: Why the NFL considers the EA Sports Madden design team to be the 33rd NFL franchise | What's in-store for Madden NFL 12

Source - ESPN - Let if Flo

Game: Madden NFL 11Reader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 96 - View All

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Member Comments

# 21 roadman @ 08/24/10 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marktg30


	That is well and good, I just don't understand why those qualify as deeper... Those seem like things that should be a given. I guess I just feel like run blocking is something that is an integral part of football and should be expected, not as something that makes a football game deeper... I could see Gameplanning as 'deeper'... maybe.

I hear you, but run blocking wasn't even in the ballpark with previous Maddens. Now, it's live and in living color and nice to see on the field.

# 22 PRAY IV M3RCY @ 08/24/10 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	Wow, a gimmick or Ask Madden 2.0 that is being used by 70-80% of the folks that purchased Madden? How can a gimmick be use that much?

its only been out a week, of course people are going to try the new features. They just bought it, and second its on default, so you will automatically be using Gameflow.

# 23 JohnDoe8865 @ 08/24/10 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adembroski


	Phil Frazier is not out of touch, I promise you that. A lot of what EA is saying lately is being taken in the worst way possible. When someone at EA says "franchise mode is boring", as Ian said in an interview, he means Madden's franchise mode is boring. He's acknowledging that it's not where it needs to be. What Phil was talking about was making the processes that come with Franchise Mode fun rather than a series of spreadsheets. Having played through several season in NFL Head Coach 09, it is VERY hard to go back to traditional franchise modes that are nothing but spreadsheet management. I don't care what game you're talking about... MLB The Show, NHL... it's all just spreadsheet management. NFL Head Coach found a new way to present it too you, and it made a huge difference. This is the sort of thing Phil is talking about. If they added every possible feature and made the logic perfect but kept the current structure, I'd be extremely disappointed. It's just old, stale, boring, and just like every other franchise mode in existence. NFL Head Coach 09 Career mode + Madden NFL 12 gameplay would be revolutionary. Personally, I am pretty impressed by how much Phil has improved in interviews since last year. It's not really natural for him. I think he'd rather stay in the background and let Ian and Donny do the talking (actually, I think Donny's the only one that really likes doing public interviews, because he's the only real extrovert on the team). Phil doesn't seem to me to be the attention seeking type, and I think he's just rather be working than talking about work. I am pretty sure Ian doesn't like it. I get the sense that he's acutely aware of how his words are going to be dissected here. Mike Young is so soft spoken, and he's like that in real life, so it's hard to say how he feels about it.

I'm glad to hear this about Phil and I agree that Madden gameplay (with some yearly tweaks on defense) and HC 09 franchise would be a dream game for me. I've said as much in other threads here.

I played and love HC 09. The game is an incredible career mode experience warts and all. I really hope the franchise mode in M12 takes most of it's queues from HC 09. Part of me thinks that HC 09 was made partially to test the reaction from the community and get feedback so it could eventually be included in Madden.

# 24 blklightning @ 08/24/10 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marktg30


	Career Modes are the only thing keeping my interest for next year. If it isn't above and beyond what we have already I will never buy Madden again. (I know a lot of you will say "Who cares?! See ya later!) Bottom line is that I think there are MANY other people that feel this way.

agreed. i'm skipping this version because of the horrible defensive play. and '12 will be their last chance to prove they are capable of making a good franchise mode. i have had it with the "wait til next year" that this series has devolved into. if '12 doesn't get it 100 percent right, then i'm done with it. but it wouldn't be a big deal, really; there are loads of great games out there to play.

# 25 rooney8 @ 08/24/10 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blklightning


	agreed. i'm skipping this version because of the horrible defensive play. and '12 will be their last chance to prove they are capable of making a good franchise mode. i have had it with the "wait til next year" that this series has devolved into. if '12 doesn't get it 100 percent right, then i'm done with it. but it wouldn't be a big deal, really; there are loads of great games out there to play.

Next year is their last chance for you for many it was this year and others the year before. If they do ever produce a quality game many people who used to buy will no longer care. I think a big thing hurting sales now is Madden08/09 lost alot of customers.

# 26 roadman @ 08/24/10 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PRAY IV M3RCY


	its only been out a week, of course people are going to try the new features. They just bought it, and second its on default, so you will automatically be using Gameflow.

And as I stated later in the thread than the post you quoted, I'll be keeping those stats up and I'm not the only one.

# 27 djordan @ 08/24/10 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	Wow, a gimmick or Ask Madden 2.0 that is being used by 70-80% of the folks that purchased Madden? How can a gimmick be use that much?

WOW...A Gimmick that is on by "DEFAULT" when you start the game. Any "CASUAL" fan won't know to turn it off their first play through. Lets see the statistics after 4-5 months.

# 28 JohnDoe8865 @ 08/24/10 09:32 AM

Yeah I think I've run my course with Gameflow. I've been trying to give it a fair shot, but it is completely inept on defense. For example if the defense has been gashing you with the run, it doesn't adjust and start putting more men in the box.

I'll use gameplanning with conventional playcalling from here on out.

# 29 rooney8 @ 08/24/10 10:34 AM

When Head Coach sold so poorly I just don't see them bringing it over. I think we will see something different.

# 30 roadman @ 08/24/10 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djordan


	WOW...A Gimmick that is on by "DEFAULT" when you start the game. Any "CASUAL" fan won't know to turn it off their first play through. Lets see the statistics after 4-5 months.

That's fine, I feel I'm being redundant, but I will still be using it to up their stats and I'm not the only one.

# 31 TDKing @ 08/24/10 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	That's fine, I feel I'm being redundant, but I will still be using it to up their stats and I'm not the only one.

No sense in going on about this because there is no way to prove what their numbers really are... they can tell us anything

we can't prove it. I believe you'll still be using it but I still think that number is going to go down.

# 32 roadman @ 08/24/10 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TDKing


	No sense in going on about this because there is no way to prove what their numbers really are... they can tell us anything we can't prove it. I believe you'll still be using it but I still think that number is going to go down.

It could go down, sure, it could level off, but I don't see it increasing, either.

# 33 JohnDoe8865 @ 08/24/10 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rooney8


	When Head Coach sold so poorly I just don't see them bringing it over. I think we will see something different.

It's hard to point at the sales of HC 09 as a reason why major chunks of that game wouldn't make good sense for Madden 12.

For one, it was always gonna be a niche game, you couldn't control the on field action. It was aimed at a very specific audience.

Two, it released right alongside Madden 09, so that likely cannibalized much of it's sales if people had to choose one or the other.

And 3rd, the first Head Coach was abysmal and a lot of people surely didn't even give HC 09 a shot because the original Head Coach was such a bad game.

So for all of us hoping for some parts of HC 09 being in M12 franchise mode, all hope isn't lost IMO.

# 34 MAzing87 @ 08/24/10 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adfletch71


	These interviewers never ask these guys any hard questions about the game and why consumers arent happy with features.

That's probably why I am not quick to check it out.

# 35 RGiles36 @ 08/24/10 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnDoe8865


	Yeah I think I've run my course with Gameflow. I've been trying to give it a fair shot, but it is completely inept on defense. For example if the defense has been gashing you with the run, it doesn't adjust and start putting more men in the box. I'll use gameplanning with conventional playcalling from here on out.

I'm so on-and-off with Gameflow. The great thing is that it's optional.

Last night, I turned on Gameflow with a serious gameplan (hand crafted offense and defense) and I loved it. Loved it! But it has its flaws. I'm hoping to settle on a mode of playcalling before I start my real franchise.

# 36 roadman @ 08/24/10 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgiles36


	I'm so on-and-off with Gameflow. The great thing is that it's optional. Last night, I turned on Gameflow with a serious gameplan (hand crafted offense and defense) and I loved it. Loved it! But it has its flaws. I'm hoping to settle on a mode of playcalling before I start my real franchise.

I do that all the time, too.

It really personalizes the calling of plays. It does has some flaws, especially on the defensive side.

# 37 rooney8 @ 08/24/10 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marktg30


	Am I the only one that feels like defense in general lacks a feeling of importance? The defensive side of the ball (from a gameplay perspective) hasn't had anything drastically new since Madden 2005's Hit Stick. (I feel like Hit Stick doesn't work this year either... lol)

Are you living under a rock???

# 38 Bull_Dozer @ 08/24/10 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marktg30


	Career Modes are the only thing keeping my interest for next year. If it isn't above and beyond what we have already I will never buy Madden again. (I know a lot of you will say "Who cares?! See ya later!) Bottom line is that I think there are MANY other people that feel this way.

Yep, my thoughts exactly. EA will get my money again when they revamp franchise mode. All the shiny graphics and gimmicks don't have lasting appeal.

# 39 Phil_Frazier @ 08/24/10 10:24 PM

Really enjoying this thread guys.

Keep providing that constructive feedback!

A couple of points based on some of the comments here...

What interviewers ask in interviews is entirely up to them. Neither Donny or myself provided any direction on the types of questions. If you feel like the questions are too 'softball' like, I'd suggest that feedback goes directly to the show asking the questions.

When we're doing interviews with more main-stream media, we are supposed to talk to that main-stream audience. If I was to go on and on about restricted free agents and the pro's and con's of that system, the host and a good amount of the audience, would get bored. We need to address the level of detail you guys want in a different way. That's exactly why we do blogs. Those blogs get very little main-stream pickup because they are too micro and built for a more hardcore audience.

Not all communication is meant for all audiences. If the folks reading this site expect all interviews to contain some new nugget of information or some incredibly deep insight into certain decisions, then I think expectations may not be correct.

I'll wrap this post up with this... We see the feedback about Franchise Mode and trust me when I say that this mode is a major priority for us. We were extremely honest with the community this year by announcing the fact that the mode saw no updates in Madden 11. We did that because we know the mode is important to you and we didn't want to keep you wondering. We're not going to get specific about the things we'd like to do but we are keeping an eye on the feedback provided by those that provide good feedback. I 100% stand by my comments about making some of the details of the mode more fun. Not everyone enjoys managing spreadsheet data as they are playing a game. Head Coach made many of the features we had in Madden 'fun' by designing them in different ways. We simply want as many people to enjoy our career modes as you all do, while still giving you all the features you want. That's good business folks.

Good night and good luck.

Phil

# 40 Klocker @ 08/24/10 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djordan


	WOW...A Gimmick that is on by "DEFAULT" when you start the game. Any "CASUAL" fan won't know to turn it off their first play through. Lets see the statistics after 4-5 months.

the casuals

Spoiler

probably love the feature

Spoiler

...why would they stop using it?

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