San Jose Mercury News: The Secret Behind Madden 15's Upgraded Graphics

[jpdavis82]

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/201...aded-graphics/

There is some new info in here about stadium specific stuff.

[NicVirtue]

"Tackling Is Finally Fixed".

Hmm.....that alpha build better be dirt old, cause the tackling I've seen so far is far from "fixed".

[strawberryshortcake]

Quote: Originally Posted by NicVirtue

"Tackling Is Finally Fixed". Hmm.....that alpha build better be dirt old, cause the tackling I've seen so far is far from "fixed".

It sounds like this type of writeup is from a casual point of view. It appears the writer had trouble tackling in previous Madden releases, and now with the inclusion of a tackling aid, his tackle success rate went up. I think that's what he meant by "tackling is finally fixed" and nothing more.


TACKLING IS FINALLY FIXED: But the biggest update is in the tackling system. For the first time, players will now have visual indication of how far they need to be to take a ball carrier down. It’s shown as a cone and factors in a defenders ratings. That’s always been a problem for me on that side, and I’m hoping that the new indicator leads to fewer missed tackles. If old-school players don’t want that visual cue, then they turn it off in the menu.

Making that part of the game deeper, players still have to figure what tackle to make. A diving one is good against players who stiff arm a lot. Players can go for a big hit that could jar the ball loose but could also mean a whiff that could lead to a touchdown. There’s a risk reward scenario with every play.

[ggsimmonds]

Quote: Originally Posted by strawberryshortcake

It sounds like this type of writeup is from a casual point of view. It appears the writer had trouble tackling in previous Madden releases, and now with the inclusion of a tackling aid, his tackle success rate went up. I think that's what he meant by "tackling is finally fixed" and nothing more. TACKLING IS FINALLY FIXED: But the biggest update is in the tackling system. For the first time, players will now have visual indication of how far they need to be to take a ball carrier down. It’s shown as a cone and factors in a defenders ratings. That’s always been a problem for me on that side, and I’m hoping that the new indicator leads to fewer missed tackles. If old-school players don’t want that visual cue, then they turn it off in the menu. Making that part of the game deeper, players still have to figure what tackle to make. A diving one is good against players who stiff arm a lot. Players can go for a big hit that could jar the ball loose but could also mean a whiff that could lead to a touchdown. There’s a risk reward scenario with every play.

Not to pick on the "casual" gamer but should someone really need a visual aid to tell them lunging 5 yards for a tackle is not the best way to go about it?

[CM Hooe]

Quote: Originally Posted by ggsimmonds

Not to pick on the "casual" gamer but should someone really need a visual aid to tell them lunging 5 yards for a tackle is not the best way to go about it?

I imagine Tiburon has all sorts of telemetry data to let them know where players struggle in their games. Anecdotally, "switch and dive" has described how many casual players play defense on occasion in these games, and as told by the designers at E3 it can be tough for people to properly position themselves as a defender with respect to the ballcarrier from the standard 3/4 behind-the-offense camera view.

There may be better ways to teach tackling in a video game, but adding a visual aid to help teach users timing of the new tackling command set can't hurt, IMO.

[dkp23]

Cone =fixed. Rex was right, they are making a simulation.

[jpdavis82]

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

I imagine Tiburon has all sorts of telemetry data to let them know where players struggle in their games. Anecdotally, "switch and dive" has described how many casual players play defense on occasion in these games, and as told by the designers at E3 it can be tough for people to properly position themselves as a defender with respect to the ballcarrier from the standard 3/4 behind-the-offense camera view. There may be better ways to teach tackling in a video game, but adding a visual aid to help teach users timing of the new tackling command set can't hurt, IMO.

Exactly it's all based on telemetry and they are wanting to eventually be able to use Madden as a teaching aid for learning how to play football. That is something John Madden always envisioned for this game to become.

The tackling cone is all about the telemetry and teaching people about spatial distance and when to and when not to attempt a tackle, how to properly position yourself to make a tackle. No other game has tried to teach people how football really works based on real fundamentals so I don't see the problem here.

[CarryTheWeight]

Only new information I received from this article is teams who have pending stadium renovations will have them on day one. Especially good for my long-suffering Bills because it took EA Tiburon around 4-5 years to add the scoreboard and LCD ribbon Ralph Wilson Stadium installed in 2007. It's great to see the less successful teams get attention.