Interview with Clint

[mtmetcalfe]

Re: Interview with Clint

I’m excited to see some of the changes and improvements being made this year but lack of QB play improvements is disappointing. Out of all the positions in football Clint makes it sound like the QB position is where we’ll see the least amount of difference between players, most notably while user controlled. At the very least significantly lower the throw under pressure and an increase penalty for throwing of backfoot for lower tier QBs. Maybe even an anti clutch trait for QBs with low awareness?

[roadman]

Re: Interview with Clint

In my user vs cpu campaigns for 18, I was using sliders that had the QB%'s where they should be, Brady and Ryan torching me, Siemian and Trubrisky, not so much. Even with me controlling Rodgers, there were some games he was in the low 60's and there was definitely a difference between Hundley under center vs Rodgers, and that is something that wasn't true in the past.

Yeah, the inaccurate throws were either batted down by a LB, overhead, at the feet or very wide. The rookie QB's seemed to throw the ball OUB if a WR was in the area.

I think WR's drops will help with better immersion and it seems like they are further working on the CPU AI QB.

Plus, a great addition is improving the CPU play book.

[triplechin]

Re: Interview with Clint

My issue with QB AI in M18 was that they were still near perfect at times. Saying that they will spot an open player quicker just to me says that they will hot the RB in the flat even quicker. Hope I am wrong on that you will see some of the playstyles come through. a bit more gun slinging etc, qbs that love a deep shot. not every one being Alex Smith (who I actually like)



With accuracy, I dont know how it works in SIM, but I would hope that it was a relatively simple process. Theres a ring around the WR that represents the accuracy. the higher the rating the smaller the ring. backfoot - less ball speed, larger circle. heavy pressure the same.



However, I dont think this is the case at all and inaccurate throws stem from dice rolls. which is why you dont get the passes just behind the wr, or too close to the body to RAC, or just off the fingertips. because its perfect or it is awful

This is similar to my thinking on how a simple accuracy system could work that would naturally lead to some incompletions and better looking play. I hope this is how it works or what they're aiming for

[michapop9]

Re: Interview with Clint

Might just be me, but I cringed watching this interview. Every time I hear Clint say the words, "...but we realize that isn't fun", I get a little ill. Why would adding realistic football elements ever not be fun in an authentic NFL football game? It still baffles me to death how these guys just can't seem to understand that all you need to provide is options for the user to customize the game into their liking. The other sports games do it, Madden should too. Not to mention, you've now added three separate game modes to do just that, why aren't you utilizing that?

Why not just have the passing accuracy slider work? At 50 it plays precisely to the ratings of the QB. When you raise it, it adds a modifier to increase accuracy, vice versa when you lower it.

The other thing that drives me crazy about this dev team is how it seems like the same things get completely redone every year, which takes away the resources to do the 1 million other football elements still missing from Madden. How many times do we have to revisit passing trajectories and accuracy? They wasted however many man hours on that horrendous target passing last year, which no one asked for, and now that's gone. I mean, refining things every release is great and that is what should happen, but you don't want to keep rewriting these "systems" each year. We've been hearing about passing inaccuracies and trajectories since Madden 13. Those should be rock solid by now. It's no wonder Madden is a decade behind.

Hopefully Clint and his team can whip this stuff into shape sooner rather than later and we can start getting a meaty release of the game so we can actually feel like we have a complete game in a release.

NAIL...ON....HEAD.

Im tired of hearing them say that realistic football isnt fun. They want to parade "authenticity" but cant get out of their own way to do it.

Secondly, if they have trouble tweaking the game, the chance of us getting a multitude of working sliders "nba 2k like" is slim to none.

The only good thing I took from the video with him talking about computer quarterback AI, we'll see how it plays out in real life.

I want to be excited this year and for the direction going forward, but every time I click on an interview I see and hear too many things that kill my optimism.

[jfsolo]

Re: Interview with Clint

The QB AI stuff was great to hear, I was glad that Clint at least acknowledged the flaws in the way inaccurate passes are represented and that they need to work on improving them, but it's disappointing that his statement means that things will probably play out the same this year in terms of seeing too many missed short and intermediate passes that are 10 yards off target.

Sliders can get the percentages to be perfect, but the miss radius is something that we can't fix on our end.

[GiantBlue76]

Re: Interview with Clint

... but it's disappointing that his statement means that things will probably play out the same this year in terms of seeing too many missed short and intermediate passes that are 10 yards off target.

Sliders can get the percentages to be perfect, but the miss radius is something that we can't fix on our end.

Yes, exactly. I should have been more clear in my previous post. This is where the problem lies. At some point they'll have the inaccuracies right to where the receivers will reach, dive, slide, twist, turn, etc but still be able to catch the ball. There is some of that there now, but not realistic enough. There's nothing worse than throwing a 5 yard pass and having it soar 10 feet over the receiver's head out of bounds, or even worse, have it be tethered to a defender who is standing flat footed in a zone.

[simbayless]

Re: Interview with Clint

I want more question answered like:

Does the Cpu qb still throws nothing but short dink donks on all pro

Is all pro still too easy?

Is the speed disparity more realistic then before??

[Cowboy008]

Re: Interview with Clint

I want more question answered like:

Does the Cpu qb still throws nothing but short dink donks on all pro

Is all pro still too easy?

Is the speed disparity more realistic then before??

There's a part 2 coming out so we may get some of those answered.

[jfsolo]

Re: Interview with Clint

I've seen this mentioned a few times on here about better cpu play calling and situational awareness, but is there an EA source for this or an article about it? I'm not doubting, I'd just like to hear more about it because that will add a lot to the game.

I think it may have been in the Litezout video? I think that's the best public source for it.

To add to this, I was watching Millennium's Twitch where he's recapping EA Play and he said that he was given permission to mention that the team found a bug in CPU playcalling that ruined the situation playcalling, and that them fixing it this cycle has totally eradicated the ridiculous stuff like 4 Verts, and draws happening all the time. Mills said that in his time playing the game he seen a lot of evidence of the playcalling being much better.

This is a big deal, I bet that bug has been there for years, and now it's fixed, that's crazy.

[khaliib]

Re: Interview with Clint

My issue with QB AI in M18 was that they were still near perfect at times. Saying that they will spot an open player quicker just to me says that they will hot the RB in the flat even quicker. Hope I am wrong on that you will see some of the playstyles come through. a bit more gun slinging etc, qbs that love a deep shot. not every one being Alex Smith (who I actually like)



With accuracy, I dont know how it works in SIM, but I would hope that it was a relatively simple process. Theres a ring around the WR that represents the accuracy. the higher the rating the smaller the ring. backfoot - less ball speed, larger circle. heavy pressure the same.



However, I dont think this is the case at all and inaccurate throws stem from dice rolls. which is why you dont get the passes just behind the wr, or too close to the body to RAC, or just off the fingertips. because its perfect or it is awful

Some clarification:
The driving rating for what you noted above lies in the SPC Rating, not die-rolls.
But I agree 100% about inaccurate throws.

The fix:
To get exactly those near misses, it has to be below 65.
- it’s the catch radius around the WR and functions just like a ring (all be it invisible)

The issue:
If you look at any default roster, and to be honest most edited rosters also, players are rated on the high end to generated/trigger the highlight reel catches.

Another problem that never gets talked about when talking about player ratings in relation to gameplay, is that there are two different approaches at play.

1) MUT/Comp play want player ratings to dictate “certain Outcomes”.
- more about absolutes
2) Sim Play wants player ratings to drive “Player Behaviours”.
- a greater spectrum of variation

Because these play styles are on different ends of the spectrum dealing with gameplay, it’s difficult to create a middle ground scenario dealing with some areas.

Example is that the interviewer posed the INT question from a MUT/Comp Play Style perspective with their concerns of too many INT’s by “tall DL/LB’s” up to a certain distance past the LOS.
- Outcome driven

Clint quickly noted that tinkering “Pass Trajectories” incorrectly can destroy the game.
- Some years ago there was an uproar about trajectories coming out of QB hands at the same angle of punts triggering superman jumping LB animations for INT’s. (everyone hated that)

- now Outcome desires may be implying that Trajectories are too low.

**as a Sim player, I still feel there’s too much Punt Trajectory on passes and PAT

This is the conundrum dealing with trying to find balance dealing with gameplay and what the tuning is trying to accomplish.

Bringing this back to the relationship of your post, the player rating levels in the rosters EA releases, are rated/geared more towards MUT/Comp Play Style.
- higher Positional ratings at/or above the “Thresholds” establish for their Play Style
***very important note to consider when watching vids of gameplay on Comp Play Style, which may play a role in what you’re seeing

We can increase the variation of inaccurate throws if a greater number of pass catchers SPC is set to “65” or lower.
- animations are already there/available to expand the context of inaccurate throws at a more palettable “miss-distance”
- EA rosters high ratings just are not allowing use of because “Player Behaviour” is not the main focus with people so enamoured with high OVR’s and ratings.


This is where the ability to “Global” edit would be a God send!!!
#GlobalEditing

[TheBleedingRed21]

Re: Interview with Clint

This is where the ability to “Global” edit would be a God send!!!
#GlobalEditing

I imagine PC users will see a global editor eventually. Be nice to see how these changes would affect the gameplay.

[Datninja619]

Re: Interview with Clint

I wonder if someone has made a list of the many "features" or "improvements" that developers say are new to a game, that everyone thought was there already.
Two examples: the running back style difference mentioned in this video and the AI pass coverage to mitigate same 3 plays over and over.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Operation Sports mobile app

[UtahUtes32]

Re: Interview with Clint

My issue with QB AI in M18 was that they were still near perfect at times. Saying that they will spot an open player quicker just to me says that they will hot the RB in the flat even quicker. Hope I am wrong on that you will see some of the playstyles come through. a bit more gun slinging etc, qbs that love a deep shot. not every one being Alex Smith (who I actually like)

Alex Smith led the league last year in deep passing yards according to Pro Football Focus...just sayin

[4thQtrStre5S]

Re: Interview with Clint

I do not believe "realistic" football would be fun in a video game. I do however believe our "perception" of realistic football would be fun in a video game. That is where the issue lies.

Having to run a rushing play after a sack because my QB's arm is too sore to throw, isn't very fun, for example.

[bucky60]

Re: Interview with Clint

I do not believe "realistic" football would be fun in a video game. I do however believe our "perception" of realistic football would be fun in a video game. That is where the issue lies.

Having to run a rushing play after a sack because my QB's arm is too sore to throw, isn't very fun, for example.

So it wouldn't be fun to have to decide which QB to start and play, having a REAL injury system implemented?