Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

[BadAssHskr]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

When added to the off-ball injuries allowing OL to get injured, the group awareness rating makes OL depth an actual thing now in CFM!

exactly what i was thinking, this really changes the game.

[timhere1970]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

Isn't left tackle the highest paid position in football? He should matter.

[Sucram7777]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

Isn't left tackle the highest paid position in football? He should matter.

True, but your Center is responsible for Line Audibles and Blocking Schemes. His responsibility on the line outweighs any other OL position - which makes sense that they give him the 2x in the OL Awareness Formula.

[roll2tide]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

Not sure if I'm reading this correctly or possible typo.

"Improved logic for pulling blockers and lead blockers out of the backfield to re-target to LESS dangerous threats and improving keeping them on their assigned path to block for the ball carrier."

I want them to re-target to MORE dangerous threats. Lol. I have a feeling this is just written slightly wrong? Or, I'm reading it wrong? My problem with lead blockers is that they don't re-target ENOUGH. Best example is I formation stretch play. If the DE or any LB happens to blast through the line, normally the FB is still in position to take that block on. Right now, in madden, he doesn't. He ignores it. I need him to re-target on this now MORE or MOST dangerous threat. And, then I also need him to be decisive and make the block and forget about his original downfield target (often, the SS).

"Improved logic for blockers out on screen plays to re-target LESS and be more decisive in going after their INITIAL targets."

On the screen pass, I suppose sometimes they re-target too often and sort of 'dance' and don't block anyone, so maybe that's correct.

But, I worry about both of these statements combined, lol. The current problem with lead blocking and blocking on screens, imo is that the blockers do NOT re-target EVER. If a FB thinks he needs to block the SS 20 yards upfield, that is the ONLY man he will block on any given play. This means that he is currently not re-targeting and he only goes for his INITIAL blocking assignment.

Now, I do like the 'decisive' word choice. Lol. That's been lacking. I'm hopeful that this was just written poorly or maybe I'm just reading it too nitpicky or something. But, I often worry about some changes that have been made in madden here and there and some explanations given by the devs that sound completely opposite of what I have seen in the game. Lol. So, I'm slightly concerned they felt that the lead blocker was actually picking up the immediate threat (which is NOT true), and wasn't really 'leading' the play downfield. When, in reality, that's all the FB was doing. He was constantly ignoring an immediate threat and running downfield like an idiot!!!

So, again, I'm hopeful, here, but I don't like the way this is written.




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On the pulling blockers I think what they're saying is they are preventing them from retargeting. Perhaps in the past once they turned up field they reassessed the running path downfield and went after a db and let the lateral lb make the play untouched.

On screens, they are making them to their assigned target longer before turning up field so that screens get blown up in the backfield less.

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[roll2tide]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

Isn't left tackle the highest paid position in football? He should matter.

Yes but only because of circumstance, not responsibility. Know what LT on a team with a lefty QB is worth? The same thing as a RT on most other teams.

But the center is the brains for both.

Be Good Or Be Gone
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[PVarck31]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

Center is certainly the most important player on the line. In high school though, ours was stupid. So I made all the line calls as the left guard. lol

[SyncereBlackout]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

I brought this up to Clint once and he didn't seem very interested in it. I think botched snaps should be a thing in SIM mode. It happens in the game and can derail teams. A good center who can't snap is an issue that has existed in the NFL, which normally causes them to get moved.

In that same line of thinking, long snapper is a position that doesn't even exist truly in Madden, why is that? I read a story about the patriots a few years back pulling one off his couch because they couldn't find one. The guy was sailing snaps all year but got the most important one down, the one he had to snap in the SB.

How frequently would it happen?

Better yet (I couldn't find it in google) but how often are there "botched" snaps (defined: fumble under center or errant snap from shotgun)?




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[Allball76]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

I do not like that replacing of the worst offensive lineman as it means you are going to always be Abe to have a very low awareness linemen with no penalty. Wish it was doubled and divided by 6.

Well what it's like in collage and pro is the center smart enough to make the offensive line calls and protection. So he get the low awareness guy in the right spot ! But all in all this is just picking up protection. It don't mean they will 100% block it ,if von miller coming threw he still may beat his linemen it all just mean they know what's coming .


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[johnnyg713]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

How frequently would it happen?

Better yet (I couldn't find it in google) but how often are there "botched" snaps (defined: fumble under center or errant snap from shotgun)?




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Very good point. My guess is maybe 8-10 times a season. In snow and heavy rain, obviously chances of a fumble snap goes up but again, maybe a handful of times. A punter or place holder messing up a snap/hold is probably more frequent in inclement weather.

These things are obviously part of the game and I definitely would want to see it, but then it comes to frequency. Seeing a bobbled snap or something happening every game might not be as enjoyable. It comes to tuning and frequency but sometimes these are things that I'm okay with not being in the game if its going to be triggered too much. For example "fight for the fumble".

Muffed punts are something I'd like to see more.

[yotileintruder1]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

Very good point. My guess is maybe 8-10 times a season. In snow and heavy rain, obviously chances of a fumble snap goes up but again, maybe a handful of times. A punter or place holder messing up a snap/hold is probably more frequent in inclement weather.

These things are obviously part of the game and I definitely would want to see it, but then it comes to frequency. Seeing a bobbled snap or something happening every game might not be as enjoyable. It comes to tuning and frequency but sometimes these are things that I'm okay with not being in the game if its going to be triggered too much. For example "fight for the fumble".

Muffed punts are something I'd like to see more.

I would like to see it being triggered too much if the long snapper/center isn't good at snapping the ball, like if the snapping rating for a long snapper/center is 75 or above, there's a good snap close to all the time, if he has 65-75 rating it happens more than you would like and it's frustrating and you need to get someone with a better snapping overall, if it's 65 and below you can virtually never get a perfect snap and horrible snaps happen as often as snaps that the qb/punter can catch the ball from snaps

[OhMrHanky]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

Very good point. My guess is maybe 8-10 times a season. In snow and heavy rain, obviously chances of a fumble snap goes up but again, maybe a handful of times. A punter or place holder messing up a snap/hold is probably more frequent in inclement weather.

These things are obviously part of the game and I definitely would want to see it, but then it comes to frequency. Seeing a bobbled snap or something happening every game might not be as enjoyable. It comes to tuning and frequency but sometimes these are things that I'm okay with not being in the game if its going to be triggered too much. For example "fight for the fumble".

Muffed punts are something I'd like to see more.

Muffed punts? I wish I could find a clip I saved awhile ago where devin Hester was returning a punt in the snow, I believe, and the punt bounced off his helmet!!! Lol.


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[GiantBlue76]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

Very good point. My guess is maybe 8-10 times a season. In snow and heavy rain, obviously chances of a fumble snap goes up but again, maybe a handful of times. A punter or place holder messing up a snap/hold is probably more frequent in inclement weather.

These things are obviously part of the game and I definitely would want to see it, but then it comes to frequency. Seeing a bobbled snap or something happening every game might not be as enjoyable. It comes to tuning and frequency but sometimes these are things that I'm okay with not being in the game if its going to be triggered too much. For example "fight for the fumble".

Muffed punts are something I'd like to see more.

It's not even as much about completely botched snaps. It's about VARYING the snaps. Some snaps will be wide, high, low, etc. This is HUGE in the kicking game because it should change the timing needed for the kick. Kicking in Madden is an automatic mechanic. It's the same every single time. Make the snaps varied and you now throw off the timing and it requires an adjustment. This will simply be filed under "not a high priority" like most football elements I'm sure, but it is a big part of football and should most definitely have been put in.

[Thunderhorse]

Re: Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

Center is certainly the most important player on the line. In high school though, ours was stupid. So I made all the line calls as the left guard. lol

This happens at other levels too, not just in high school.

Sometimes the smartest lineman also happens to be significantly more athletic and he would work better at guard.

This type of thing annoys me. I understand what they are trying to simulate here and I respect them for trying to be innovative in this regard, but tying everything to the center and subsequently rewarding or punishing every other offensive lineman based off of the C's individual awareness rating is kind of half assed (imo).

I don't know the math, but an offensive line that has exceptional tackles, good guards, and a weak Center is not going to be a "weaker" offensive line unit than one with an exceptional center average guards/tackles.

Tie the rating to the best offensive lineman, or - take a page from your former competitor, 2K, and come up with a trait like "leadership" that can actively boost the surrounding cast's abilities without having to tie it all into one position.

[eXperiment63]

Madden NFL 18: Blocking Blog

It's not even as much about completely botched snaps. It's about VARYING the snaps. Some snaps will be wide, high, low, etc. This is HUGE in the kicking game because it should change the timing needed for the kick. Kicking in Madden is an automatic mechanic. It's the same every single time. Make the snaps varied and you now throw off the timing and it requires an adjustment. This will simply be filed under "not a high priority" like most football elements I'm sure, but it is a big part of football and should most definitely have been put in.

The way they could implement it is having the kicking game be a two-part system. You swing the stick to set power and initial accuracy. Animation of kicker approaching the ball while snapped starts, and as you approach you have tap the button while "in the zone" to actually kick. The worse the snap, the smaller the zone. If it's really bad you don't get to kick, and your holder pulls it in and you then have to decide pass or run(two buttons on the screen), and your play starts from there.

Edit: after further thought, that initial stick swing could dictate how accurate the snap is. The better long snap rating your player has, the wider the green zone.