Madden NFL 11

[TroyF]

One quick note:

By Stats Inc. rankings, 15 guys rated 80 or above were free agents this year. Of that group, three were franchised, four were RFA's (one of which left in a trade). Of the remaining 8 guys, you'd only have about 4 considered "elite" level talents. Looks to me like Madden nailed it pretty damned good.

[Kodos]

Tried another demo game with Game Flow calling the shots for the first time. It seems like it repeated plays fairly frequently (I didn't mess with the gameplanning - just went with the default). Or maybe it just tended to run similar plays a lot.

It seems like tight ends might be overpowered. Dallas Clark had something like 3 TDs and 250 yards, most of it down the middle of the field. Part of that was me starting on the default difficulty (pro), but he still was dominating after I bumped it to all-pro midway through the game.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Tried another demo game with Game Flow calling the shots for the first time. It seems like it repeated plays fairly frequently (I didn't mess with the gameplanning - just went with the default). Or maybe it just tended to run similar plays a lot.

It seems like tight ends might be overpowered. Dallas Clark had something like 3 TDs and 250 yards, most of it down the middle of the field. Part of that was me starting on the default difficulty (pro), but he still was dominating after I bumped it to all-pro midway through the game.

Exact same problem as last year when I played against my brother. TEs can go for 300 yards every game.

[Sun Tzu]

Nobody else thinks it's odd that only 6 Wideouts had over 1,000 yards? There were 23 this last season, 22 the year before that, and 23 in 2007. It also looks like QB passing yard are way down. The last three years there have been an average of just under 8 QB's with 4,000+ passing yards, along with several others who were just 20-50 yards short.

???

Of course I'm only going off of the one simulated season you've got there.

[Sun Tzu]

Maybe it's just all offensive numbers. I'm counting 10 RB's with 1,000+ yards in your season, however over the past 4 years in the NFL the league has averaged nearly twice that. In fact the lowest number the league has had in the last 10 years was 15 (once), and on more than one occasion there were years of well over 20.

[Scoobz0202]

I haven't played a Madden game in years so I don't even know if this is possible, but could he have the quarter lengths lower then real life? In the sims?

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

I haven't played a Madden game in years so I don't even know if this is possible, but could he have the quarter lengths lower then real life? In the sims?

Yeah

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Sun Tzu

Maybe it's just all offensive numbers. I'm counting 10 RB's with 1,000+ yards in your season, however over the past 4 years in the NFL the league has averaged nearly twice that. In fact the lowest number the league has had in the last 10 years was 15 (once), and on more than one occasion there were years of well over 20.

All sorts of things could impact the numbers there. Fatigue, simulated quarters, QB's having too low of ratings (for the WR), etc.

It is important to note that the number of 1,000 yard rushers is going down. In 2006, you had 23 of them. 2007 had 17 backs at over 1,000 with the final 3 all under 1,010 yards. 2008 had 16 rushers over 1,000, with the final six guys on the list under 1,100 yards. 2009 had 15 backs over 1,000. (2 from one team)

Last year only 22 guys had 200 or more carries and only 9 guys had 250+ carries.

There should be more 1,000 yard WR and maybe a hair more 1,000 yard backs, but I don't think the franchise mode is broke based off of that sim. It actually seems pretty solid to me. YMMV

[Terps]

I'm at work now, but I'll check this out when I get home tonight. I have the games set to 15 minutes with 25 sec. accel clock, but I'm not sure if I saw an option for sim quarter lengths.

[Terps]

Dola,

If anyone knows what menu this was in last year let me know, and then I'll sim another season tonight.

[Terps]

Originally Posted by TroyF

All sorts of things could impact the numbers there. Fatigue, simulated quarters, QB's having too low of ratings (for the WR), etc.

It is important to note that the number of 1,000 yard rushers is going down. In 2006, you had 23 of them. 2007 had 17 backs at over 1,000 with the final 3 all under 1,010 yards. 2008 had 16 rushers over 1,000, with the final six guys on the list under 1,100 yards. 2009 had 15 backs over 1,000. (2 from one team)

Last year only 22 guys had 200 or more carries and only 9 guys had 250+ carries.

There should be more 1,000 yard WR and maybe a hair more 1,000 yard backs, but I don't think the franchise mode is broke based off of that sim. It actually seems pretty solid to me. YMMV

It's definitely a lot better than the numbers being out of whack the other way. When you would get 3-5 2,000 yard backs a season.

[Sun Tzu]

Maybe...

Maybe I'm just alienated after a decade of terrible games. Maybe I've "seen the light" on what a good sports game can be like after playing MLB The Show. Maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy. Maybe the 49ers would have won three Super Bowls in a row if not for a Roger Craig fumble and an untimely defensive collapse.

Maybe...

[k0ruptr]

I think the receivers thing needs to be fixed. That would bother me , and passing as a whole needs to be bumped up a notch.

[RainMaker]

That is Madden's biggest problem. Maybe it has been getting better, but it's still so far from other sports games that it's sad. The Show, NHL, FIFA, and NBA 2K make Madden look 5 years outdated.

[Sun Tzu]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

The Show, NHL, FIFA, and NBA 2K make Madden look 5 years outdated.

I feel the same way. I play games for other sports, then I play Madden, and I can't help but think "really?...This is the best option for football?"

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Terps

It's definitely a lot better than the numbers being out of whack the other way. When you would get 3-5 2,000 yard backs a season.

Agreed. I think this is a much easier problem to fix. Probably just need to add about 50 yards of total offense a game to each team in the simulated stats. The fact they've gotten the balance between backs an such is a huge stride forward.

[Sun Tzu]

I mean seriously, the draft classes are a joke. The idea that they were hand designed player by player sounds great, but just like everything else Madden it's really just a cheap piece of crap. I don't want "Boar Jackson" out of Auburn to be the best running back in the league for the next 10 years. Nor do I want any of the other 200 retired player rip-offs. The immersion factor has been completely absent for years now. I haven't had a Madden game hold my interest for more than a week since the PS2 versions, and I haven't gone a single year without purchasing one until now.

[TroyF]

I think every year people hit the stage of "Madden sucks, I'm done"

I found last years to be a terrific game. I've loved what I've seen from the demo as well.

You won't find a bigger fan of nba2k on the board, but there have been severe issues with that game every year for four years now.

I kind of like the Madden draft classes too. Go figure.

[Terps]

Well, simmed another Season 1 of Franchise. As far as I have seen, there is no option for sim quarter lengths.

NFC Playoff Teams - Redskins 13-3, Falcons 13-3, Packers 13-3, Cowboys 12-4, Saints 12-4, Seahawks 9-7

AFC Playoff Teams - Chiefs 14-2!, Steelers 13-3, Jets 12-4, Colts 12-4, Jags 11-5, Chargers 9-7

Only two 4,000 yard passers, 2 others within 50 yards of 4,000. 8 QB's with more than 25 TD passes, highest being 33 by two players.

12 RB's with over 1,000 yards, with 6 more within 40 yards, highest being 1,773, and the closest to that was over 500 yards behind. Only 3 RB's with more than 10 TD, highest being 18.

18 receivers with over 1,000 yards, highest being 1,518. 6 with at least 100 catches, highest being 126. Highest TE had 75 receptions for ~850 yards. Highest RB was 38 catches for 445 yards. 12 receivers with 10 or more TD catches, highest being 16.

18 players with 100 or more tackles, most being 117. 29 players with 10 or more sacks, highest being 17.5 Highest INT was 8, a few with 6, and 10 others with 5.

6 kick returns for a TD this time, 12 punt returns for TD, with one player having 2.

Pretty much the same 'name' players that retired as last sim.

Realized that last sim I had the offseason duties set to USER and not CPU, that's why none of my players were re-signed. 19 players in FA were at least an 80 overall, the highest being a 92. There were also at least 20 players that were a 79 overall. Of those 19 players, only 2 went unsigned, a 36 year old CB, who was 85 overall, and a 26 year old CB, who was 80 overall.

Draft - The Browns took QB Dietrich Hursey with the #1 overall. I had the number 8 pick in the draft, but with the Panthers on the clock they offered me the 2nd pick for the 8th overall and the 8th pick in the 2nd round. I accepted. My team needs were MLB, OLB, and OG. The only player that fit those needs was OLB Darius Crow. I draft him.

Top Ten

1) Browns QB Dietrich Hursey - 78 OVR - Starter
2) Giants LOLB Darius Crow - 78 OVR - Starter at ROLB
3) 49ers SS Braddie Brown - 81 OVR - Starter
4) Lions LT Lefi Pulotu - 79 OVR - Starter at C
5) Eagles HB Andrew Ingham - 75 OVR - 2nd String behind McCoy
6) Texans RE Jeff Wilder - 81 OVR - 2nd String behind Williams and Antonio Smith
7) Bengals QB Hussam Grasu - 73 OVR - 2nd String
8) Panthers CB Taylor Tetlow - 71 OVR - 4th on the DB depth chart
9) Dolphins LE Frank Odighizuwa - 78 OVR - Starter at RE
10) Cardinals LT Carey Hurd - 75 OVR - Starter at RG

[Terps]

Gonna sim season 2 and check the results for that as well.

[Terps]

NFC Playoff Teams - Falcons (13-3), Cowboys (13-3), Redskins (10-5-1), Cardinals (10-6), Vikings (10-6), Saints (10-6)

AFC Playoff Teams - Colts (14-2), Steelers (12-4), Broncos (12-4), Patriots (11-5), Ravens (11-5), Dolphins (9-7)

Forgot to mention in my last post, the Saints beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl in season one, 34-21. This season, the Falcons beat the Steelers, 32-29.

There were three 4,000 yard passers, highest being 4,666, two others were within 50 yards. 9 QB's with 25 or more TD, highest being 37.

14 1,000+ yard rushers, highest being 1,897, 4 others were within 30 yards of 1,000. 13 backs with at least 10 TD's, highest being 16.

16 1,000+ receivers, highest being 1,518, 4 others within 50 yards of 1,000. Only 3 players with 100 or more receptions, highest being 109. Highest TE's were a rookie with 86 rec. for 897 yards and a vet with 85 rec. for 1,164 yards and 12 TD. Highest RB had 36 rec. for 376 yards. 5 receivers with 10 or more TD, highest being 15, 5 more players had 9.

31 players with 100 or more tackles, highest with 120. 39 players with 10 or more sacks, a decent handful of rookies on this list, but I don't want to spoil anything, but one guy is a monster, and the others were day 2 picks. Highest INT's was two players with 8, one with 7, and 7 more with 6.

10 KR for TD, two players had two each. 5 players tied with 1 punt return for TD.

22 players rated 80 OVR or higher in FA, highest being a 94 OVR P, and a 90 OVR SS. 12 more players rated at 79 OVR. A few decent rookies from last year in the 75-79 range, all day 2 picks that only signed one year deals. ( of those 22 players didn't find a team during FA, including the 94 OVR punter, two more punters, two kickers, a 34 year old RB, and a few 3/4 year players that wanted way too much money.

Not going to do the draft this time around, I already know too much about the players from the year one class I got, and now I need to try to forget them.

I will say that progression is screwy though, some of the players that had great years progressed as expected, and some didn't progress at all (one nearly broke an NFL record and only got bumped up 1 point) and I saw a few 4th/5th/6th rounders that didn't get into a game or had awful stats jump 5-6 points.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

That is Madden's biggest problem. Maybe it has been getting better, but it's still so far from other sports games that it's sad. The Show, NHL, FIFA, and NBA 2K make Madden look 5 years outdated.

FIFA last year had hands-down the most broken Franchise-type mode in any sports game ever though. There literally wasn´t a single thing that worked as intended, from the CPU not switching lineups properly (injured or non-fir players playing out of position, John Terry playing LB with Ashley Cole playing CB ...) to assists not being counted (or rather : All assists were assigned to the Goalkeeper), newly signed player disapearing from your roster, loaned out players being sold by the other club, the big marquee feature of player form (like PES has done for years) being out of whack.

My personal favourite in terms of stupidity : Games in the snow played with a white ball (with no ability to change it)

seriously, don´t ever claim a game has a worse career-mode than FIFA

As a response to the catastrophe they merged be-a-pro and career mode into one single mode. Not sure if that´ll be a good thing ...

[BillJasper]

Actually enjoying the demo a great deal and I haven't even messed with Gameflow yet. So much that I went ahead and pre-paid for Madden 11 and am picking it up at Midnight on the 10th.

The game feels solid and I'm really like the passing. I've actually seen both Manning and Sanchez make bad throws to no one in particular. Do agree that I've seen way to much of Dallas Clark running down the middle of the field all by his lonesome.

Still not enough penalties... in ten games I've seen one face mask. And the 'strategy pad' seriously sucks.

One bug I've noticed is with the accelerated clock. It seems even with it turned 'off' from time to time it is still running time off of the play clock.

One other thing... I play on the PS3 and am noticing some terrible lag on the replays. Game is very fluid with this exception and it is only on game generated replays. If I pull up the instant replay screen there is no lag. Anyone else seeing this?

[Terps]

Looks like the old button controls that the strategy pad replaced will be patched back in as an option. The pad will still be the default setting.

Due to the overwhelming feedback however, we will be providing the old-style button commands as an option that can be enabled. We are currently targeting this change to be released around the first week of the NFL season as it will take some time to get through third party approvals.

GameFlow and The Strategy Pad : Madden NFL 11 Blog : EA SPORTS

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Terps

Looks like the old button controls that the strategy pad replaced will be patched back in as an option. The pad will still be the default setting.

GameFlow and The Strategy Pad : Madden NFL 11 Blog : EA SPORTS

Day late and a dollar short. The PR damage for this year's version has already been done.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Day late and a dollar short. The PR damage for this year's version has already been done.

disagree. you're far too much of a friggin pessimist.

[Kodos]

He rarely misses an opportunity to rip on EA games.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Kodos

He rarely misses an opportunity to rip on EA games.

this is true. it's just a tired act IMO.

[Anthony]

after reading that article it makes TONS of sense why they started the strategy pad, as i was frequently in those situations where i was stuck making the defense do something i didn't want it to do just to get out of the hot route prompts. it makes TONS of sense cuz now the directional pad is useful for something. i like it. i haven't played the demo yet but i'm positive i'll like the strategy pad.

[Sweed]

I like the idea of the strat-pad (I stink at trying to use it in the demo) but think the old way should have been left in giving players the option of what to use. Nice to see it coming back in a patch, at least.

It may actually be ok if a person takes the time to learn it. The problem comes, at least for me, that there is no time to make your changes before the cpu snaps the ball. I'm sure one will get faster as they learn it knowing the patterns they need to do to get their adjustments but the cpu snaps so quickly(hopefully this won't happen in full version) I don't think I'd get more than my line adjusted even when used to it. The old way I could get line, lb, and coverage adjustments without too much difficulty.

Right now leaning more towards getting NCAA 11 over Madden. I've only played the demos for both but NCAA feels better to me though I really can't put my finger on why.

[Terps]

Originally Posted by Sweed

I'm sure one will get faster as they learn it knowing the patterns they need to do to get their adjustments but the cpu snaps so quickly(hopefully this won't happen in full version)

Nope, the AI comes up to the line and snaps once everyone is set, unless they audible or put a man in motion.

Last year they patched in that the AI would snap at random times to allow for defensive adjustments, and I don't know why they took it out.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Terps

Nope, the AI comes up to the line and snaps once everyone is set, unless they audible or put a man in motion.

Last year they patched in that the AI would snap at random times to allow for defensive adjustments, and I don't know why they took it out.

stupidity. bunch of fucking idiots over there sometimes.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Kodos

He rarely misses an opportunity to rip on EA games.

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

this is true. it's just a tired act IMO.

The irony in these posts given my praise of last year's version of Madden is not lost on me. I still play Madden 10 on a regular basis. NHL 10 is constantly played at my house. I also play FIFA 10 quite a biti.

I'm critical when the game developers make poor choices. It doesn't have anything to do with EA.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

disagree. you're far too much of a friggin pessimist.

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

stupidity. bunch of fucking idiots over there sometimes.

Pessimist.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

The irony in these posts given my praise of last year's version of Madden is not lost on me. I still play Madden 10 on a regular basis. NHL 10 is constantly played at my house. I also play FIFA 10 quite a biti.

I'm critical when the game developers make poor choices. It doesn't have anything to do with EA.

Didn't know you've been playing Madden 10. I didn't have Madden 10, so I didn't keep up on it at all.

FIFA 10 is delightful. My brother and I are co-tearing-up the Brazillian league as a Ronaldinho-esque looking ST.

NHL looks pretty good this year.

I agree with you that it was a weird choice for them to make, but I don't think (like you seem to) that it's some juggernaut that EA can't recover from.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

I agree with you that it was a weird choice for them to make, but I don't think (like you seem to) that it's some juggernaut that EA can't recover from.

Madden 10 was their best version of the game in 4 years, yet they still had their fourth straight year of double digit percentage drop in sales. They've got no room for error right now. Their past problems continue to haunt them. They'd likely consider it a win just to avoid another drop in sales this year, which is catastrophic given what this franchise once was in the past. Any bad PR (strategy pad flare-up was a huge story) virtually guarantees another loss in sales. They can't afford that.

[Anthony]

i don't worry about changing up my defense much at the line. i go with a defensive formation i think will be suitable given down/distance, then i pretty much pick who i want to target on the play and what i want to prevent the offense from doing ("i definitely don't want Reggie Bush to catch it in the flats", "this guy has been play-actioning to Randy Moss all game, i'm putting two guys on Moss now", "offense has 15 yards to go on 3rd down, i'm blitzing the fuck out of the QB and take my chances no matter what play they do", etc). so i don't really bother with doing changes on defense other than bring my secondary in or moving my LBs/defensive line to one side or the other.

[Kodos]

I can vouch that Hell Atlantic is good at celebrating when he is down late by multiple scores.

From our NCAA 2009 online dynasty a couple of years ago:

Originally Posted by Kodos

We welcomed HA's Michigan State Spartans to Bloomington for our first Big Ten showdown of the season.

The first quarter saw a ton of offense. MSU scored on a 3-yard Lou Williams run on their opening drive, which featured a lot of no-huddle.

Trailing 7-0, Kellen Lewis led the offense out onto the field.

Lewis hit WR Ray Fisher on a short pass, and Fisher took it the rest of the way for 69 yards to tie things up 7-7, still in the first. Michigan State answered with another touchdown drive, this one coming via a 44-yard run by junior RB Seth Brown. Looking to answer once again, our offense moved its way into the red zone.

Senior WR Brandon Walker-Roby found some open space in the end zone, and Lewis hit him for a 6-yard touchdown reception. After fifteen minutes, the game was deadlocked at 14-14.

Things cooled down in the second quarter, as MSU settled for a 38-yard field goal on their next possession. Seeing a chance to take the lead for the first time, Lewis and the offense took the field once more. They did not disappoint the fans, as Lewis took it in himself from 12 yards out after a nice drive to put us on top, 21-17 as we headed toward the half.

With a chance to put some space between ourselves and the Spartans, the offense came out fired up for our first possession of the second half. Things looked great as we quickly moved into their half of the field. Junior RB Bryan Payton took it 37 yards off of the option pitch to give us a 28-17 lead in the early third quarter. MSU cut it back to 28-24 on a 3-yard touchdown pass from senior QB Matthew Jackson to sophomore WR Dennis Moore, but we came right back with another TD run by Payton from one yard out.

We entered the 4th quarter with a 35-24 lead. Once again, a score came off of a big play.

Junior QB Kellen Lewis broke it all the way on an option keeper from 38 yards out to give us a solid 42-24 lead. MSU was not ready to lay down yet, as they came up with a big touchdown run from Lou Williams to draw within 42-31.

EA Sports: NCAA Football 09 Video

The idiot's mom must not have taught him that the object of the game was to win, as ol' "No Clue" Lou was clearly quite pleased with himself as he showboated his way down the field. To help remind dimwit Lou of what the game is played for, Hoosier RB Bryan Payton drove the point home with his third rushing TD of the game, which came from 5-yards out, to make it a three-score game at 49-31. The Spartans tried to get a cosmetic score late, but they failed, and the Hoosiers reclaimed the Old Brass Spitoon in convincing fashion, 49-31.

In all, the game saw almost 1000 yards of offense. Indiana amassed 242 yards on the ground. Payton led the way with 101 yards on 16 carries for 3 TDs. Kellen Lewis added 89 yards and 2 scores of his own on the ground, while completing 10 of 14 attempts for 212 yards, 2 TDs, and one interception. The Hoosiers are now 4-0, but still seeking respect in the polls. With a ton of recruits in town, we got just the kind of game we hoped for.

GO BIG RED!

Shortly after this defeat came this:

Originally Posted by Anthony

hey guys, sorry for the short notice but i'm dropping out of both leagues (NOFL and RFL). it was a lot of fun but i think it's time for me to come to grips that i no longer have the skills to compete at a high level with regards to video game football. i have yet to beat a human and i just lost to Iowa in the RFL, its time for me to hang 'em up. if i can't beat humans then that means i need to win every game vs. the AI - and if i can't do that then i won't be accomplishing much. again, sorry for the short notice but this last game left a bad taste in my mouth so no need for me to put myself through further stress. the latest patch/sliders made the game too realistic i guess.

have fun and beat Kodos whenever possible.

[Sun Tzu]

I miss those days

[Kodos]

I still think ol' Lou ran out of bounds before reaching the endzone.

[Anthony]

Hahahaha, that was a fun league for me for a short time. Does Madden have a similar online dynasty or is it restricted to just NCAA?

[Kodos]

It has online dynasty, but it is missing very basic things... like a salary cap.

[Sun Tzu]

You're kidding right? They didn't add the salary cap this year? OMG...seriously what the hell is wrong with these people? Can they do nothing correctly?

[Kodos]

They basically didn't touch dynasty mode at all, from my understanding.

[Sun Tzu]

Like I said before...they try to add some cool new feature, but it turns out to be a half-finished steaming pile of dung. What's worse is in next years game they don't even touch it...they just let flies accumulate.

[Kodos]

It should be noted that offline dynasty does have a salary cap, for guys only interested in single player. But again, they haven't really touched offline dynasty either since last year.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Kodos

It should be noted that offline dynasty does have a salary cap, for guys only interested in single player. But again, they haven't really touched offline dynasty either since last year.

They did announce that they weren't going to touch it this year though, and were implementing these other changes, and would be overhauling dynasty mode next year.

To their credit...

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Sun Tzu

You're kidding right? They didn't add the salary cap this year? OMG...seriously what the hell is wrong with these people? Can they do nothing correctly?

Madden is about marketing, not making a great game. As long as they can tout online dynasty, it doesn't matter if it's a worthless pile of shit.

[Anthony]

damn i'd really be gung-ho about online Madden dynasty. i kick modest ass in Madden.

[Peregrine]

I've never played any of this series since I'm not really a console player but since I see they are bringing this out for the iPad I thought it might be worth checking out, depending on the price.