Developer quote in Game Informer

[spankdatazz22]

Quote: Originally Posted by baa7

So instead of all that public and customer service, customers get Greg Thomas boasting about what a great game his programmer COULD make… but they won’t let him.

Again, the one quote that's being taken totally out of context. You have to read the entire article. And c'mon - saying the game is "half-broken" is too much of a stretch. The game was far more ambitious and feature-rich than any football game before it. As the article stated, they had many factors that went into the decision to take the steps they took.

I agree w/you that VC could've done more, SHOULD do more, from a customer service standpoint. But I can see it's something where words and actions have to be carefully considered. Particularly when you realize they could open themselves to even more criticism while attempting to appease some in the hardcore establishment that's willing to say the game is "half-broken" as it is.

[BezO]

I'm sure this has been said...

but I doubt VC cold back this claim. They can't even get the arcade version to work correctly, how could they possibly make a "hardcore" version?

[Nza]

1. Adding a hardcore/sim level wouldn't be a simple AI change, i'm sure the programmer is talking to full deal - AI, Physics, Features, Graphics etc (I know he isn't a graphics artist, but more realistic graphics/models would go hand in hand). This would call for an entirely different game, unfortunately.

Maybe, just maybe, they could make a PC version for this purpose? Arguably the PC is the platform for choice for more hardcore players, atleast, it is a harder platform to use than a simple console, so they *could* offer a better market for them with a sim title.

2. For the person that stated something along the lines of "Create an option that makes the gameplay sim and not like Madden", I don't take offense because you are right, Madden NFL's gameplay is Madden style football, not sim, and it's not meant to be sim. It may have a hint of sim here and there, just like ESPN. And just like ESPN again, it is its own brand of football, neither title will ever be the ultimate football game unless they become one combined title, because where ever there is grounds for comparison, there is grounds for argument and differing opinions.

[adriano]

Quote: Originally Posted by spankdatazz22

Again, the one quote that's being taken totally out of context. You have to read the entire article. And c'mon - saying the game is "half-broken" is too much of a stretch. The game was far more ambitious and feature-rich than any football game before it. As the article stated, they had many factors that went into the decision to take the steps they took. I agree w/you that VC could've done more, SHOULD do more, from a customer service standpoint. But I can see it's something where words and actions have to be carefully considered. Particularly when you realize they could open themselves to even more criticism while attempting to appease some in the hardcore establishment that's willing to say the game is "half-broken" as it is.

Well VC made a good game in 2k4.. all they needed was to fix the player ratings..Stamina for Rbs ,Secure ball rating for QBs.. Lower the stamina for RBs and raise the secure ball for scrambling Qbs and last years game was perfect.. Last Year Qbs fumbled on everyrun.. this year not at all (I am talking two players)...
For instance FBs are still better than alot of RBs because some Fbs Stamina is way too high..even if they have a low break tackle..they are superhuman... I mean eddie george on paper looks to be toned down Till you play him and he shoulder charges over and over...77 break tackle.. BuT 95 stamina..!!! he can shoulder charge all day...

VC is guilty of coding things people complain about.. what they need to do is hire better testers.. people who are vets and can show them where exactly they need to do things.. All games have bugs.. glitches and flaws..but Come on now.. I keep thinking ok this year in the year.. but its always wait till next year...( i feel like a bengal fan) Ever since 2k3 its taken a step back...

I dont play online anymore because I feel like whatever I do is cheesey.. I love touch passes.. leading my recievers But DB play is really bad this year..

[Nza]

I agree on that tester thing, I can't believe any tester missed the draft bug, and if they didn't, I can't believe nothing was done about it. Truly amazing, just that simple thing does so much damage.

[spankdatazz22]

I'd say 98% of us don't know the first thing about game design and what goes into the creative process to bring us great games (probably 99.5%). I'm not talking the everyday games, I'm talking the GOOD ones - the really good ones. I know it has to be both funny and frustrating to these game developers to see people act as if they know everything. As Jim Mora once said, "You don't know... and you'll never know."

Has anyone seen the behind the scenes video on the LCE version of Halo (it's a great production, btw)? One common theme among the developers was they wanted more time to add more stuff. Time was probably the thing they wanted most - and they had THREE YEARS. We're talking about really good sports games that VC and EA are producing where the turnaround is less than a third of that. Granted, there's a huge difference between sports games and games of other genres. But I don't see how people can dismiss everything VC threw into 2k5, most of which either works very well or shows a ton of potential, and then focus on the few things that don't work as they should.

I'm not trying to absolve them of anything that's wrong in the game. But just last year, there was a HUGE sales discrepency. This year they closed the gap some, maybe considerably if you consider the steps EA has taken recently. 2k5 is CONSIDERABLY better than 2k4, and arguably as good or better than Madden. It's not perfect, and it's irritating to see small issues plague the overall gameplay experience. But some of you guys are WAY out there in terms of expectations. Madden outsold 2k4 by some ridiculous margin just last year.