Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

[stinkubus]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

People have been running safeties at LB all year long at competitive events. I'm sure EA is well aware.

I'm more worried that the reduced ball velocity will neuter many of the short passing concepts than I am about being able to get over/around LBs. I can do that now :P

[marshallfever]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

I'm actually excited about Madden this year, and I haven't been this excited about Madden in a while. It sounds like they're taking a much more nuanced approach to "the back of the cover features" and are spending a quality amount of time cleaning up the game and the animations. The Superstar and Zone abilities sound pretty cool and seem to really emphasis the spread of the overall ratings each player now has.

I can't wait to see some game-play to see how it looks in motion and if the changes they're touting make a true difference.

[TarHeelPhenom]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

Classic case of being heavy handed at the top and not doing enough to make the average players more average. You can make the Elite players stand out by making the average and mediocre more average and more mediocre...and that way the Elite players won't be made cheese.

I also hate the fact that the Elite LB's will still have the ability to make the BS INT's. Everybody will be trying to play with the Bears, Jaguars and Panthers. Forgive me, but I'm still irked off of that because of an Online League I played in and this fool who played with Chicago set the NFL record for INT's with Roquan Smith.

[ehh]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

It's the first time in ages they're looking to address legacy issues and long-standing community complaints.

• Decreased throwing speed
• Improved pass trajectory
• Fixing Super LBs
• Decreased pocket time
• Increase the effect of pressure
• Gang sacks

I am skeptical; I have long assumed that these legacy issues have remained in the game because they're impossible to fix, now we're going to get a whole slew of them fixed in one dev cycle? Seems unlikely. Those are some big promises that would fundamentally change how Madden is played.

I love the double-tap pump fake mechanism. Was that in NFL2K or was it an older version of Madden that had that? Either way, that's the best way to go for pumpfake controls.

The X-Factor stuff will be the biggest wildcard this year. It's nice that EA is finally trying to sprinkle some NBA2K magic into the game (badges) but the implementation is everything here. I'm surprised that so many people in here are opposed to the idea, even in theory. The badge system has been good for NBA2K and we need some kind of system to differentiate players in Madden. I think the QB differentiation has been solid the last few years, once the final patches are out. I played a couple of halves last week--the first time I've touched Madden since the final match--and poor QBs were pretty bad, HUM or CPU.

At least EA is trying, the effort is there to fix some egregiously unrealistic areas of the game.

[khaliib]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

Classic case of being heavy handed at the top and not doing enough to make the average players more average. You can make the Elite players stand out by making the average and mediocre more average and more mediocre...and that way the Elite players won't be made cheese.

I also hate the fact that the Elite LB's will still have the ability to make the BS INT's. Everybody will be trying to play with the Bears, Jaguars and Panthers. Forgive me, but I'm still irked off of that because of an Online League I played in and this fool who played with Chicago set the NFL record for INT's with Roquan Smith.

Honestly though Tar, all the current mechanisms they put in place to minimize Hum cheaters in H2H gameplay has guys complaining about the intended functionality to said cheats.
- Nano Detection
- Delayed Defender Reaction when clicked on (was a big one that took heat)
- Timers on Pass Rush
- Timers to reduce Sheds in run

There’s only so much they can do to impact H2H cheaters before those aids in themselves become an issue with the crowd.

Im glad I’m an Offliner!!!

[TarHeelPhenom]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

Honestly though Tar, all the current mechanisms they put in place to minimize Hum cheaters in H2H gameplay has guys complaining about the intended functionality to said cheats.
- Nano Detection
- Delayed Defender Reaction when clicked on (was a big one that took heat)
- Timers on Pass Rush
- Timers to reduce Sheds in run

There’s only so much they can do to impact H2H cheaters before those aids in themselves become an issue with the crowd.

Im glad I’m an Offliner!!!

khaliib my man...honestly after that experience, I'm prolly heading back offline for good myself. It's hard to find good online Leagues where there is a balance between Sim rules and common sense stick skills. Hopefully the new trajectories and reductions in INT's over the middle will help.

[Cardot]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

Not completely defending what they’re trying to build here. But, it’s realistic enough. Meaning, seriously, in a game, as a QB, when u hit several passes in a row, u simply ‘feel in rhythm.’ Same thing for a 3 point shooter in b-ball. U hit 2-3 threes in a row, and you’re ‘on fire.’ Then, suddenly, u brick one and it’s gone. No more ‘zone.’

I am always a bit skeptical when developers try to mimic players being "In the Zone" or clutch factor etc. They are pretty nebulous concepts that I don't think you can really replicate with an algorithm....and are more likely to screw things up. But I guess we'll see how it plays out.

[khaliib]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

khaliib my man...honestly after that experience, I'm prolly heading back offline for good myself. It's hard to find good online Leagues where there is a balance between Sim rules and common sense stick skills. Hopefully the new trajectories and reductions in INT's over the middle will help.

Tried 3 games and left the experience feeling violated.

We’ll see what all this looks like in a few months though.

[Godgers12]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

Will players who begin as a development less that superstar get the abilities associated with SS and X-factor if they progress to SS or X-factor in CFM?

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[jsteele14]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

Regardless of what happens, I buy Madden every year.

However, I'm not sure I'm a fan of this XFactor stuff. People bring it up the Tom Brady example.

But the GOAT doesn't hit his zone because he completed three straight passes. I highly doubt he's thinking, "Man, if I get the ball to Edelman on two straight routes, while rolling to the right, my arms gonna get stronger and I'll be able to fit it into tighter windows."

Sure the greats like Rodgers, Ray Lewis, Brady look like they're in the zone. But the XFactor thing EA Sports is describing here is more of a result of being in "the zone" rather than causing the occurrence of "the zone"

The occurrence of a superstar hitting their zones is a matter of a set of intangibles that allow them to hit peak performance. Things like:

Work Ethic
Competitive Edge
Play IQ
Motor
Persistence
Composure

The list goes on.

I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy. I think the EA Sports guys should look at past scouting reports about superstars and see what is being said about them as far as intangibles go.

Each of these intangibles shouldn't be a guarantee of ratings enhancements, which is what sounds like the XFactor will be. Rather it should be a factor in a likelihood of an enhancement occurring, whether it be Work Ethic allowing for speedier development or Composure allowing a QB to make crisp throws in otherwise meltdown situations

I disagree. There are definitely games where Brady is great and games when he is not so great and never gets comfortable. You can even break that down by quarters.


Take super bowl against Atlanta as an example. Brady was not good for 3 quarters and then he caught fire, got confident, and torched Atlanta in the end.

I am definitely not an EA supporter and disagree with other ideas of theirs but in this case i think they may be onto something. What triggers the factors will make all the difference in its success.

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[johnnyg713]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

Glad I skipped on Madden 19. My every other year strategy is tough but it makes me enjoy annual sports much more.

The biggest thing I'm looking forward to is seeing how the animations play out and the polished transition animations. Its great to see the qb throwing animations play out with unique mannerisms. It causes the animation to be longer (stuff that some complain with 2k) but also looks much more realistic. My wish for madden has always been to see realistic animations with smoother transitions.

[Agent89]

The game speed removal bothers me.  I play on Slow because it’s the more accurate representation of the sport, and the blocking is horrendous on anything faster.  If they don’t at least slow down the default game speed, Madden is permanently going to be unplayable for me

[Shosum13]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

Will players who begin as a development less that superstar get the abilities associated with SS and X-factor if they progress to SS or X-factor in CFM?

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I would have to think they would, it wouldn't make sense if they didn't gain at least 1 ability. But it is EA so you never know, we'll just have to see.

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[Shosum13]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

Classic case of being heavy handed at the top and not doing enough to make the average players more average. You can make the Elite players stand out by making the average and mediocre more average and more mediocre...and that way the Elite players won't be made cheese.



I also hate the fact that the Elite LB's will still have the ability to make the BS INT's. Everybody will be trying to play with the Bears, Jaguars and Panthers. Forgive me, but I'm still irked off of that because of an Online League I played in and this fool who played with Chicago set the NFL record for INT's with Roquan Smith.

Oh yea, I've seen 30 ints in 1 season by a MLB. It's crazy how easy it is for a user that knows what they're doing to take away almost the entire middle of the field with a LB. I'm glad that they are doing something to fix this by adjusting trajectories and cutting down on LBs making ridiculous ints. Unfortunately though the biggest cause of this problem is the ballhawk feature.

Let's hope that the adjustments that they made to trajectories is enough to combat this feature. On several occasions I've seen a guy covering a WR underneath with their BACK TURNED to the QB jump up and make a pick without even looking on a ball intended for a WR 10-15 yards further downfield. They need to have better pass trajectories that allow people to try and fit the ball in to tighter coverage windows.

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[jsteele14]

Re: Madden NFL 20 Gameplay Deep Dive Part I: Superstar X-Factors Blog

Totally agree. Don't know what they are thinking with Brady having a Superstar trait makes his OL suddenly block better. And Mahomie can either throw it 80 yards or he can't. IMO these are stupid additions and they aren't real things.

I agree with u partially. I do like what EA is trying for but the boosted skill and triggers are so important to get right for the success of the feature.

It is true that a lineman will look like a different person with a different QB under center. Maybe one QB is better at spoting the blitz so the lineman is aligned correctly from the start. Improper alignment will simply make the lineman look worse to the viewer. Or maybe the QB pump fakes better and cause d-lineman to jump and stops their pass rush momentum. Or maybe the QB is doing such a good job of getting the ball out that it is crushing the spirit of the dLine to spend so much energy rushing when they seemingly have no chance.

Maybe better than just a better OLine would be if Brady's skill was faster reads and getting the ball out quicker so the DLine's job gets tougher.

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