Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

[Azcardinal32]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

We agree! Can't wait to see your list of wants!

Thanks for answering questions and listening to us. It's exciting to hear from the dev team at this time of year.

My gripe is with the CCM offseason, specifically scouting. Traits like Speed, Strength, Jumping, etc all are measured at the combine and every team gets this information for free. Why should we have to spend so many scouting points on these traits? Its just simply not realistic

I like that CCM updates are one of the first feature upgrades announced as this is where I spend all of my time in Madden. Whatever it is that you are doing to upgrade ccm, I hope you take the free results given by the combine in mind.

[MasterCoach]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

I don't feel that those measurements are exact with testing in the combine and pro days because results tend to vary. They aren't a exact science. So maybe just a letter grade being automatically revealed instead of the actual rating. Teams do tend to scout the players tape(and scout the actual games) to see if the tested time measures up. Cause as we all know being in short is a lot different than pads.

[bringbacksimfootball]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

You really think Clint would let us do PI without getting holding in the game? Come on man.

Well, Clint is a designer, not a programmer. He can ask for and even demand things all day, but when it's all said and done programming has to have the ability to produce the vision he communicates, and that ability hasn't been demonstrated at any point in the past decade so far, even prior to his arrival.

Here is the deal; I'm certain there has been an attempt to get this in and make it work. A strong effort even. What remains to be seen is whether it will replicate pro football and do it consistently, which has been the absolute achilles heel of this franchise for the past two generations.

So, many of us learned a long time ago not to bite on the hype and just wait for video proof like we did when claims of living worlds and advanced intelligent blocking AI and a ton of other things over the years were announced but didn't at all play out the way they were hyped in the final game.

You know what I really want to know from you? And this question is more important than any of this pre-release hype. What are--if any--your teams plans to rebuild this game for next generation, and by next generation I'm talking Playstation 5 and XBOX Whatever? You didn't do that this time and that was absolutely devastating, so I'm just hoping the plan is to not keep carrying this over indefinitely, and I'm only concerned about this because there are no other NFL options and there may not be by then either, so at the very least I want to see a new start with a better chance than what we were given at the start of this generation and certainly the last one. If you can't answer that now, I understand, but I want to believe there is a real plan being discussed for this.

[PeoplesChampGB]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

Working penalties would be a very welcomed edition. I still think you guys should go the route of NBA2K with a Sim and Arcade option in the slider settings to appease both the sim and the casual gamer. Thank you for answering some of our concerns.

Adding further: I hope that with the passing being tuned this year that Playaction passes will become effective again. I hate running the ball to set up for the playaction to have one of two scenarios happen:

A) The defense doesn't bite.

B) The DB makes up 5-10 yards while the ball is in the air and swats it or intercepts it.

[capa]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

Will all penalties be called this year or only the ones that have been mentioned in this thread? Holding and PI? I know False Start, Facemask and RTP already get called, but to get calls it often affects other areas of the game - sacks, etc.

Is the penalty system functioning for all penalties and in a way that does not skew gameplay?

C

[Hooe]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

Well, Clint is a designer, not a programmer. He can ask for and even demand things all day, but when it's all said and done programming has to have the ability to produce the vision he communicates, and that ability hasn't been demonstrated at any point in the past decade so far, even prior to his arrival.

A game designer's job isn't just to provide "vision".

A game designer describes how a system will work. He gives the roadmap to the programmers as to what they should write, including implementation details (what ratings are relevant to an interaction between two players, the high-level approach to the AI in a scenario, and so on). Programmers at large game development studios often don't have creative liberty to just code whatever they want - at least on the first pass before any revision happens - and the details of the system most likely have already been worked out and agreed upon beforehand.

Really, only at smaller independent studios does one see design and implementation happening simultaneously. AAA games require far more coordination. Heck, on some of the games I've worked on as a programmer, the systems were already laid out for me to implement and I didn't have much of any opportunity for a creative voice.

Basically what I'm trying to say that if you aren't satisfied with how Madden does things, it's not just the programmers' fault. That's oversimplifying the process.

[Azcardinal32]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

I don't feel that those measurements are exact with testing in the combine and pro days because results tend to vary. They aren't a exact science. So maybe just a letter grade being automatically revealed instead of the actual rating. Teams do tend to scout the players tape(and scout the actual games) to see if the tested time measures up. Cause as we all know being in short is a lot different than pads.

I would agree with that, a letter grade is all we need. The combine is a baseline to compare players and it is inexcusable that it is non-existent in madden

[Clappington]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

I really hope they got rid of that move when people on a d-linemen start spamming A/X and jump about 8 yards to make a tackle.

[kjcheezhead]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

Let me clarify this for you guys. We have added new functionality to total control passing this year. We are building additional layers onto what was already there.

The new passing mechanics this year are the ability to throw low and high passes (relative to the receivers body) we also added touch passes which have a higher arc and a sharper drop. It is used for putting balls over the heads of underneath zone defenders and in front of deep zone defenders.

Great to hear you're working on passing. I wish it didn't involve layering total control functioning or throw a wr controls on top of the tethered system. It just makes for different levels of an arcadey feel to me.

The route based/maximum control passing found in All Pro Football allows you to place the ball relative to a wrs route and helps eliminate the psychic wr feel in Madden. I'd love to see you switch to that someday.

Just one man's opinion. Thanks for taking the time to interact with us.

[bringbacksimfootball]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

A game designer's job isn't just to provide "vision".

A game designer describes how a system will work. He gives the roadmap to the programmers as to what they should write, including implementation details (what ratings are relevant to an interaction between two players, the high-level approach to the AI in a scenario, and so on). Programmers at large game development studios often don't have creative liberty to just code whatever they want - at least on the first pass before any revision happens - and the details of the system most likely have already been worked out and agreed upon beforehand.

Yes, that's all true. 100%. But for a football game especially, and I and Clint actually had a short talk on Twitter about this, it's hard for a person with football knowledge at the level a pro player like Clint does to be able to make a programmer who may not have that knowledge understand all of the nuances that a pro player is aware of to be able to play the position properly no matter how it's explained. The split-second decision making that has to be made with a level of knowledge of what to do in that moment is tough to translate from the mind of a pro football player to a programmer who doesn't have that knowledge. And some of it isn't even fundamental, it can be inherent to that player and that player does it a certain way because it somehow works for him.

And believe me, I'm not saying this issue is only with this development because this an issue that has to be dealt with in any development. I get that. But what makes me question what the focus is for this sort of thing with this team is when even basic football fundamentals are glossed over. I remember I was talking to Clint about the glaring issues with QB mechanics and running fundamentals and he just dismissed it as being too minor. That says to me that it may not just be an issue of programming--which we can both agree on--and that it may be an issue of development focus.

Granted, what they focus on internally often has to have differences to what we're focusing on externally, but I just want to see minor quality gaps addressed like QB mechanics or ball carrying fundamentals before they attempt going after the big ones; I want to see that they can get the basic things corrected before I can have faith that they can tackle the bigger issues. And this was my contention back in late 2010 when they started mentioning work on RTP at the office. I asked Ian "Why would you guys even consider that before addressing the core animation issues", and he was like "Man, there is a lot of buzz about real-time physics since Natural Motion made it a thing, so we need to get out in front of it" and then he proceeded to make a series of jokes about Backbreaker, but whatever... I was highly against it because I knew it was essentially throwing something new on top of something flawed, and we see how that turned out, and to make it worse it wasn't cheap and there was a ton of development focus given to it. What could've been accomplished had that focus been on cleaning up and correcting the mountain of animation issues the game has been carrying since Madden 06 (with some of those animations still in the game)? I have to believe it would be in a much better position than it is now.

Basically what I'm trying to say that if you aren't satisfied with how Madden does things, it's not just the programmers' fault. That's oversimplifying the process.

Agreed.

[SolidSquid]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

@Rex are the new DB Wr animations user driven only or will the AI be able to pull them off too? Also where are you guys at with True-Step? Is the plan to still add it to all 22 players on the field?

[aholbert32]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

You really think Clint would let us do PI without getting holding in the game? Come on man.

Thanks for your response, Rex. I was just going off of last year's game and the response Clint gave me when i asked about it last year.

With that said, I am glad to see penalties like Holding and PI in the game now. Now if we could just get out of game formation subs and the ability to assign playbooks to other teams in CFM alot of my major issues will be taken care of.

One last thing, we appreciate that you stop by and post every once in a while and while we know the posters on this site can be demanding, I think you will find that we can assist your team in helping make Madden more of a simulation.

[FaceMask]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

Yes, that's all true. 100%. But for a football game especially, and I and Clint actually had a short talk on Twitter about this, it's hard for a person with football knowledge at the level a pro player like Clint does to be able to make a programmer who may not have that knowledge understand all of the nuances that a pro player is aware of to be able to play the position properly no matter how it's explained. The split-second decision making that has to be made with a level of knowledge of what to do in that moment is tough to translate from the mind of a pro football player to a programmer who doesn't have that knowledge. And some of it isn't even fundamental, it can be inherent to that player and that player does it a certain way because it somehow works for him.

And believe me, I'm not saying this issue is only with this development because this an issue that has to be dealt with in any development. I get that. But what makes me question what the focus is for this sort of thing with this team is when even basic football fundamentals are glossed over. I remember I was talking to Clint about the glaring issues with QB mechanics and running fundamentals and he just dismissed it as being too minor. That says to me that it may not just be an issue of programming--which we can both agree on--and that it may be an issue of development focus.

Granted, what they focus on internally often has to have differences to what we're focusing on externally, but I just want to see minor quality gaps addressed like QB mechanics or ball carrying fundamentals before they attempt going after the big ones; I want to see that they can get the basic things corrected before I can have faith that they can tackle the bigger issues. And this was my contention back in late 2010 when they started mentioning work on RTP at the office. I asked Ian "Why would you guys even consider that before addressing the core animation issues", and he was like "Man, there is a lot of buzz about real-time physics since Natural Motion made it a thing, so we need to get out in front of it" and then he proceeded to make a series of jokes about Backbreaker, but whatever... I was highly against it because I knew it was essentially throwing something new on top of something flawed, and we see how that turned out, and to make it worse it wasn't cheap and there was a ton of development focus given to it. What could've been accomplished had that focus been on cleaning up and correcting the mountain of animation issues the game has been carrying since Madden 06 (with some of those animations still in the game)? I have to believe it would be in a much better position than it is now.

You and I have had discussions about a lot of this in the past, and to me the conclusion hasn't changed; they develop with a focus on a popular trend in the league or a specific area of the game trending at the moment, and from a business standpoint it's not a bad approach. The problem is, a simulation football game doesn't benefit from a flavor of the month approach because you can't compartmentalize simulation football that way. It's either all or nothing, when it's in-between there will be a ton of things missing or taken lightly, and here we are.

I am deeply interested in the question you posed earlier concerning next generation plans, but that answer isn't coming and I'm sure you're aware of that.

What I'm really puzzled about are the graphics we're being shown. I see no change. Colors and lighting needed a ton of attention and based on what they're showing us, it hasn't received any. Graphics have always been so high on their priority list you'd think that would be the one thing that would've gotten attention if nothing else.

[wlucky]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

It almost at the point where gaming companies..sports in general should either just hold out to release info or do it all at once and show the meat and potato's and not just snippets of new features. When people are starving for new info and the game has all these preorders ready to go is it really that important to not be transparent in your details. Think of how many new casual fans you could get by posting behind the scenes footage of what you're working on and what's being fixed with a little explanation on why things are being done a certain way or what direction you're going.

EA could be a coach in a way. Telling the newcomers what will be accomplished by adding these animations or a.I decisions that they could explain in football layman's terms to help push everyone towards a more Sim direction. Instead of just saying a couple words here and there and a 2 min max clip and let everyone dissect it with no idea how it will turn out. Unless of course the end result won't be too far off from the work in progress vids. You only hide things you aren't happy to show. The best game ever made can't be beat or copied. Nobody is gonna take your ideas and make a better game in less than 4 months. Plus all the features are trademarked right? I mean they all have buzzwords you could trademark. Unless those buzzwords mean absolutely nothing and they don't have to be features you just use them to sell the next iteration because you have nothing else to show...its the digital\social age. Everything is YouTube Facebook twitter etc.
Why not just let the game speak for itself and let the marketing aspect of compartmentalizing football fundamentals die. Forever its been that way. 92 was almost the same as 93. Except the back of the box shows all time great teams and shoestring catches and close line tackles.
And now we have true step and spectacular catch this and fight for fumble and everything that comes in football that I see every Sunday being teaspoon fed to me little by little every year. I just want football. I don't need buzzwords.

If its in the game its should be in the game not added later on. Stop over thinking something so simple. Go back to basics and worry about why all 22 players can't realistically cover ground in the same form or fashion. Untether the ball from the players. Let the computer blow me out using sound fundamentals until I get it right. I remember playing a old genesis football game when I was younger and I couldn't complete a pass. My big brother sat me down and told me that I have to count my steps before I throw and time the receivers routes. When I figured it out it was like a light went off over my head. I learned a football fundamental at a young age and all I was trying to do was play the game like I see on TV. Like people do now. But that changed me. It made me more competitive. To try to emulate what I see on TV instead of just playing a videogame. Try it EA. Everyone who plays wants to learn more. Nobody watches football that have no idea what's going on even in the simplest way. But you could nudge them to understand the game of football more with your power and status in the gaming industry. It can't hurt is all I'm saying

[NINJAK2]

Re: Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed - Total Control Passing and More

Sounds good. Wish they would have added this in their description
"All new Madden Profile system - Properly save and keep track of all your skill challenge/gauntlet progress along with penalty and auto-subs settings like never before with our all new feature. Much work has been put into this feature so you never have to worry about re-entering any of your customized game settings over and over again or suffer through playing glorified exhibition games followed by long intro videos every time you play