VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

[kehlis]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

Cam isn't middle management, Andrew Wilson is one of the only guys above him. This direction is coming from Cam and trickling down.

Semantics and you know it.


As I and many others have said over the YEARS. The problem isn't those that have their hands in development (regardless of their title), I've argued and defended their talent over the years and continue to do so.

The problem is whoever is telling those who do have their hands on the game what to say.

[rootofalleli]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

Cam isn't middle management, Andrew Wilson is one of the only guys above him. This direction is coming from Cam and trickling down.

I see now that he's further up the ladder than Ian or others that we've seen as leaders in the past. But I think he still has a really tough road to fixing this game: he'll have to make it a tiny bit more sim each year and justify his strategy with sales numbers. Based on the interview, Cam isn't empowered to revolutionize Madden - only to evolve it very slowly and hope he & his guys are around to see their game come into being. They need a lot of guys like you who believe in that game and are willing to buy incrementally improved versions... IMO that's the same thing we've had for years. Cam isn't immune to being fired or told that his approach isn't selling enough copies.

That's why I feel like Madden's chances of becoming the game we want are worse than a lot of Kickstarters' chances to succeed - at least those indie guys don't have to deal with the pressure of selling their work in progress. Seriously, would you invest in a game with that plan?

[jpdavis82]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

I see now that he's further up the ladder than Ian or others that we've seen as leaders in the past. But I think he still has a really tough road to fixing this game: he'll have to make it a tiny bit more sim each year and justify his strategy with sales numbers. Based on the interview, Cam isn't empowered to revolutionize Madden - only to evolve it very slowly and hope he & his guys are around to see their game come into being. They need a lot of guys like you who believe in that game and are willing to buy incrementally improved versions... IMO that's the same thing we've had for years. Cam isn't immune to being fired or told that his approach isn't selling enough copies.

That's why I feel like Madden's chances of becoming the game we want are worse than a lot of Kickstarters' chances to succeed - at least those indie guys don't have to deal with the pressure of selling their work in progress. Seriously, would you invest in a game with that plan?

The problem with those Kickstarters is the license and nobody is willing to risk incredibly low sales due to not having the NFL licensing backing it.

I think the former consoles were tapping out the devs resources and ability to innovate and do new things. We'll know soon enough if that's the case. I think Cam's plan all along was for next gen not current gen. I think they did all they could with the limitations on Madden 13 & 25, but I expect to see a lot more in the next few years.

[rootofalleli]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

The problem with those Kickstarters is the license and nobody is willing to risk incredibly low sales due to not having the NFL licensing backing it.

I think the former consoles were tapping out the devs resources and ability to innovate and do new things. We'll know soon enough if that's the case. I think Cam's plan all along was for next gen not current gen. I think they did all they could with the limitations on Madden 13 & 25, but I expect to see a lot more in the next few years.

When I talk about Kickstarter, I'm not referring to football projects. My point is that the game these guys are talking about is a long way off and dependent on a lot of things coming together. The chance we'll see Madden with WR/DB interactions, penalties, good presentation, signature animations, etc is comparable to the chances of seeing some dodgy Kickstarters come to fruition.

[infemous]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

The problem with those Kickstarters is the license and nobody is willing to risk incredibly low sales due to not having the NFL licensing backing it.

I think the former consoles were tapping out the devs resources and ability to innovate and do new things. We'll know soon enough if that's the case. I think Cam's plan all along was for next gen not current gen. I think they did all they could with the limitations on Madden 13 & 25, but I expect to see a lot more in the next few years.

I think your last point is a good one. It does seem, from M13 onwards that the game has been set up for the transition to next gen. The inclusion of connected careers/franchise streamlined the resources allowing them even more space to innovate and utilise the power of the next gen systems and for that I'm appreciative.

It is a rare instance of foresight and because of instances like this, it's easier to believe in the positive elements and overall direction.

The difficult part, as always is waiting to see when this does in fact come to fruition and how well it does so.

It's all in the execution. We're fortunate now to be in a position where the new machines are so powerful that what we want to see can realistically marry up to what we expect and it is EAs responsibility to deliver on those expectations.

When we say we want an overhaul of animations, tiered animations based on ratings and signature animations, it is not unfair or too steep of an ask to expect to see these changes within a year or two. On current gen, it felt a lot like banging your head on a brick wall because EA could always fall back on the old excuse of 'limiting tech architecture' or that PS3 power wasn't being utilised because they had to accommodate xbox and it's limitations etc etc.

We've seen a dedicated effort for next gen and as a result we've got a glimmer of hope. Should it be misplaced our vitriol and fury should not be abated or subdued because there will be no legitimate excuse for it to be.

[jpdavis82]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

I think your last point is a good one. It does seem, from M13 onwards that the game has been set up for the transition to next gen. The inclusion of connected careers/franchise streamlined the resources allowing them even more space to innovate and utilise the power of the next gen systems and for that I'm appreciative.

It is a rare instance of foresight and because of instances like this, it's easier to believe in the positive elements and overall direction.

The difficult part, as always is waiting to see when this does in fact come to fruition and how well it does so.

It's all in the execution. We're fortunate now to be in a position where the new machines are so powerful that what we want to see can realistically marry up to what we expect and it is EAs responsibility to deliver on those expectations.

When we say we want an overhaul of animations, tiered animations based on ratings and signature animations, it is not unfair or too steep of an ask to expect to see these changes within a year or two. On current gen, it felt a lot like banging your head on a brick wall because EA could always fall back on the old excuse of 'limiting tech architecture' or that PS3 power wasn't being utilised because they had to accommodate xbox and it's limitations etc etc.

We've seen a dedicated effort for next gen and as a result we've got a glimmer of hope. Should it be misplaced our vitriol and fury should not be abated or subdued because there will be no legitimate excuse for it to be.

Oh trust me if they fail this time, they'll be hearing from me ASAP and often, I'll have a completely different attitude towards this team if that happens.

[GiantBlue76]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

I don't know what to think at this point. I still question the ability of the developers there. Sorry, but some of the horrendous bugs and just embarrassingly bad things I see in this game just can't convince me otherwise.

I am also a firm believer that making changes in this game takes FAR too long. One little thing each year. Other studios made monumental improvements in a single year without the laundry list of excuses about hardware, resources, time management, etc. etc.

It's funny because if there was still a competing football game, it would be amazing how much more would get done at a higher quality level each release. Imagine that...

[LorenzoDC]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

Oh trust me if they fail this time, they'll be hearing from me ASAP and often, I'll have a completely different attitude towards this team if that happens.

In all fairness, JP, you've said things like this before and then moved the goal posts.

You said M25 CG would be acceptably mediocre to good but NG would have to be the delivery of the real goods. It won't be. But you drew a line there, and from your comments, you've erased it.

Now, I understand your position, the the constant theme is your optimism and the evidence you bring out to support your position. Others don't agree with you on all counts, but that's the give and take here.

But it is also true that you've made statements like this one before and then shifted once your stated bottom line gets missed.

This is NOT a personal attack. I generally like your posts, even if I don't agree 100%. I was rather surprised when you were banned and thought it was an error in judgment by our hosts.

[jpdavis82]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

In all fairness, JP, you've said things like this before and then moved the goal posts.

You said M25 CG would be acceptably mediocre to good but NG would have to be the delivery of the real goods. It won't be. But you drew a line there, and from your comments, you've erased it.

Now, I understand your position, the the constant theme is your optimism and the evidence you bring out to support your position. Others don't agree with you on all counts, but that's the give and take here.

But it is also true that you've made statements like this one before and then shifted once your stated bottom line gets missed.

This is NOT a personal attack. I generally like your posts, even if I don't agree 100%. I was rather surprised when you were banned and thought it was an error in judgment by our hosts.

Thanks, yeah Madden 15 is it for me, if I don't see a serious difference in it then I'm giving up on Madden ever becoming a decent sports game focused on simulation. If this team doesn't do it, it's never going to happen. The more of the other next gen games I see, I see a trend, the games look better but it's all in the details. Even NBA2k looks amazing up close, but from a distance it still shows similarities with current gen NBA 2k14, same with Fifa, AC4, BF4, etc.... So that is why I'm giving it one more year before I either fully support Madden or join with people to end their license.

[rootofalleli]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

Thanks, yeah Madden 15 is it for me, if I don't see a serious difference in it then I'm giving up on Madden ever becoming a decent sports game focused on simulation. If this team doesn't do it, it's never going to happen. The more of the other next gen games I see, I see a trend, the games look better but it's all in the details. Even NBA2k looks amazing up close, but from a distance it still shows similarities with current gen NBA 2k14, same with Fifa, AC4, BF4, etc.... So that is why I'm giving it one more year before I either fully support Madden or join with people to end their license.

Madden 15 won't be a huge leap forward. Right now it sounds like resources are focused on a foundation of better animations. We might see True Step applied to all 22 players next year, though that sounds like a lot of work in these interviews. Or maybe we'll get a first iteration of a WR/DB interaction system. Maybe we'll see AWR count more for blockers, leading to some mistakes with assignments or penalties. If either of those finds its way in, it will likely be a clear work in progress, like Infinity Engine 1.0 in M13. Big changes to presentation or CCM or penalties or sliders are not near the top of any lists over at Tiburon, again based on interviews. We're years away from the game that will make us forget the PS3/360 era.

[jpdavis82]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

I asked Sim on Sim Perspective show last night about True Step and he told me that all player movement is different now, he said you won't be able to notice one guy has it and the other one doesn't. He said he felt like at times while playing it, that everyone had it, but it's actually just the ball carrier or player you control for this first cycle. He made it clear though that all player movement is different than current gen and he didn't notice the sliding and herky jerky animations like you see on current gen.

For those who want to hear what he said, it's at the 1hr 50 min mark of last nights show.

[MrBill]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

Did he say if he had heard whether or not we would see any next gen gameplay footage before the 15th? It seems like that should be all over social media being 2 weeks out from launch.

[The Duke]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

Oh trust me if they fail this time, they'll be hearing from me ASAP and often, I'll have a completely different attitude towards this team if that happens.

im sure theyre very concerned with how jpdavis feels about their product. Because you can clearly see how concerned they are about the community as a whole by the way theyre always trying to improve the game based on our suggestions

"ohh those rascals over at tiburon! they lied to me again! they promised me! i trusted them! they manipulated me and used me as a mouthpiece! for the 10th straight year!!! everyone at OS hates me now! oh that does it! im going to give the devs a piece of my mind!"..

Nobody at EA or Tiburon gives a wet cat **** about you, JP. and while im sure theyll be "hearing from you early and often" im also sure youll be hearing absolutely nothing in return. at which point did you become confused and start believing your voice matters at all to the people making this game??

[royounggoku]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

[jpdavis82]

Re: VSN Arcade Podcast scheduled to interview EA's Rex Dickson and Clint Oldenberg!

Ok guys....