Should the X-Abilities be expanded to be available to all players?

[Rayzaa]

I voted No and giving Brady's OL an added boost imo is BS. Giving 5 other players a boost plus Brady being an X factor is total BS

[canes21]

Quote: Originally Posted by Rayzaa

I voted No and giving Brady's OL an added boost imo is BS. Giving 5 other players a boost plus Brady being an X factor is total BS

So are you saying you're basically against abilities at all?

[howboutdat]

Quote: Originally Posted by canes21

Lol, this isn't about giving everyone an award to make them feel special. Look at how NBA 2k'z badge system works. Just because a player has one doesn't mean they are special. Again, a player like Kyle Korver on NBA 2k is an average at best player. He does have badges that make him a great catch and shoot player just like he is in real life. His badges also make him a great wing shooter just like in real life. He doesn't have any badges that make him anything better tha poor on defense. His badges make him a very specific role player that has one strength and many many weaknesses. An NFL equivalent player could be Ted Ginn Jr. He would have an ability that makes him a true deep threat WR, but everything else about him would make him a weak overall WR. That is who he is in real life. Having an abilities system that gives guys more accurate strengths than what the base ratings is what I'm proposing here, not the idea that everyone in the NFL deserves a pat on the back and an ability to make them feel special.

As i stated then , IF attributes really mattered , why can't they simply be adjusted to cause this difference in players . Ill use Ginn your example . If a wr is good at running a streak because he is fast he should have good deep route running and rather low mid and short. He could have 80 catch and 59 cit. If the attributes mattered and determined how the player plays in the game, i fail to see how that alone could not do just that.

This whole thing of needing these "abilities" really makes me question why we even have attributes at all really .

[canes21]

Quote: Originally Posted by howboutdat

As i stated then , IF attributes really mattered , why can't they simply be adjusted to cause this difference in players . Ill use Ginn your example . If a wr is good at running a streak because he is fast he should have good deep route running and rather low mid and short. He could have 80 catch and 59 cit. If the attributes mattered and determined how the player plays in the game, i fail to see how that alone could not do just that. This whole thing of needing these "abilities" really makes me question why we even have attributes at all really .

I said the same thing when the system was announced. It likely isn't going anywhere so I'd like to see it expanded on and used in a better way so that all players in the league have true strengths and weaknesses in ways that their ratings have failed to do so in 10-15 years now.



If the ratings actually worked like most fans would like them to and the difference between an 80 catch and 70 catch actually mattered then this scenario would probably be different, but we stand here now with a ratings system that hasn't made players feel truly unique now for nearly two whole decades. We do have an abilities system that might finally bring some true "unique-ness" to players. If it works like EA is claiming it does then it is possibly our best hope at getting all players from superstars to role players to behave more like themselves.

[canes21]

Quote: Originally Posted by JoshC1977

I am opposed to any arbitrarily assigned ON-FIELD boosts to players being assigned across the board. (We've seen what happens already with 70+% of players arbitrarily getting assigned high motor and arcade-izing the game). Ratings alone should be enough to differentiate players on the field and if they can't, then the ratings system needs fixing. I'm giving EA a chance with this year's system as they are (correctly, IMO) giving them out to only a select number of players. But giving all players on-field boosts is a problem....with one possible exception (if each on-field boost has a downside to it). Welker could get a boost in the slot, but his 'badge' should give him a penalty for playing on the outside. Give certain linemen boosts on power runs but negatives on zone runs. Tie in the badges to the situation and how they are used...not constant boosts (even if triggered by certain user actions). I don't want to see Madden Kombat 2020. For franchise, if you want to give personality traits that cannot be covered by on-field ratings, that is fine, but they (again) should each have a positive and a negative effect. Things like this (ignore the numbers, just for illustrative purposes). Road Warrior: player gains +5% XP for road games but -5% for home games Homebody: opposite of road warrior Loyalist: player more likely to re-sign with current team but expect more money Practice Player: Gets an extra 10% XP for training/practice but suffers a -2% XP bonus to in-game XP The Allen Iverson "Who Needs Practice" trait: player gets no practice XP but gets 10% on-field XP The "Cheerleader": player grants +3 confidence boost to all players in his position group when team is on a 2+ game losing streak The Tony Romo: player loses 5 confidence in December games but gets +2 confidence for early season games These types of personality traits could offer a great deal in terms of adding depth in Madden franchise. Finally, IMO there should be NO signature animations that trigger specific to one player THAT HAS A GAMEPLAY IMPACT. Sig animations have ruined the fluidity of 2k's gameplay and I'd hate to have that in Madden. Adding mo-capped throwing motions or running motions is a different animal (they don't add or detract and are there constantly). But giving Aaron Donald a signature pass-rush move that triggers would further decrease the fluidity to animations (which are already rough to begin with). All players should have access to all moves for their positions, with the ratings dictating how often and where they trigger. Anyways....that's my personal take....

I understand where you are coming from, I really do. I wish the ratings made players play more differently than they currently do. I was saying the same things when they revealed the abilities. I was asking why do we have an ability that makes players like David Njoku and Alvin Kamara threats against LB's in coverage when we could just rate the players more appropriately to get them to get that advantage more organically. But what is the actual probability EA magically gets their ratings working more effectively? Probably not very high at all.


I also see why you'd want to make every single ability have a + and -. To keep the balance. It makes sense in a game-sense, but if the abilities work properly, then having an ability give out a simple + and no - should not break the gameplay. If you have an OL that is a great pulling guard and has the ability that clarifies clarifies that, but has no other abilities then he should be noticeably better on pulling plays and be pretty average on all other plays.


I do disagree heavily with the thought of giving every player access to all animations. Barry Sanders and Christian Okoye should not have the same animations. Sanders should have access to a more elite tier of finesse moves while Okoye would have access to a higher tier of power moves. Okoye would have animations that allows him to absorb contact in a much different manner than Sanders. Sanders would have animations that allow him to slip out of pickles in ways Okoye could never dream of. Some defensive linemen are extremely quick, create, and special with the moves they pull off. Ryan Kerrigan is one of the best pass rushers in the league. He does not generate pressure the same way Aaron Donald does. They should have different animations and moves that make them play differently from one another and more accurately like themselves in real life.


I think the tiered animations in 2k are what make so many people love its gameplay much more than Madden's. Guys that have great rebounding badges are able to push people, slip around people, etc. in really creative ways to secure rebounds much better than your average big man. That is representative of how they are in real life. Andre Drummond moves and grabs rebounds differently than Sabonis does. Having differing animations for the players represents that better than simply having differing ratings ever could.

[Rayzaa]

Quote: Originally Posted by canes21

So are you saying you're basically against abilities at all?

No, thats not what im saying. Im saying Bradys X factor should not give his OL an X factor to be able to block better.

[canes21]

Quote: Originally Posted by Rayzaa

No, thats not what im saying. Im saying Bradys X factor should not give his OL an X factor to be able to block better.

100% agree with that. If the abilities system was to expand to have a vast library and players of all development traits were allowed to have abilities then I would want to be rid of abilities that give silly boosts like that. I'd rather have ones that make guys stronger in specific areas so that players can become better role players than ratings allow them, other better players become more well-rounded, and the star players get more abilities that make them play like the stars they are.



Brady should have abilities that allow him to make proper pre-play adjustments at a higher rate than most QBs, that allow him to make reads post-snap quicker, and ones that keep him from panicking in tense situations. Those abilities would be much more realistic to represent his real life counterpart. His quick reads and decisions are what make him help his OL out. It is rather silly EA didn't give him an ability that does that instead of giving him the one they did that makes his OL all better. That's just lazy and gamey. I agree with you that it is a dumb trait and if that is a glimpse of the abilities we are getting then I'd rather not have the system at all instead of expanding it like this thread is proposing. However, the intent of this thread was to ask if all players should have access to abilities if the abilities are done properly and don't give out silly boosts like the Brady one, but are all more in line to make players better in certain circumstances, e.g. Kamara against LB's in coverage, Marriota under pressure, Aaron Rodgers on the run, etc.

[ForUntoOblivionSoar∞]

Quote: Originally Posted by canes21

I said the same thing when the system was announced. It likely isn't going anywhere so I'd like to see it expanded on and used in a better way so that all players in the league have true strengths and weaknesses in ways that their ratings have failed to do so in 10-15 years now. If the ratings actually worked like most fans would like them to and the difference between an 80 catch and 70 catch actually mattered then this scenario would probably be different, but we stand here now with a ratings system that hasn't made players feel truly unique now for nearly two whole decades. We do have an abilities system that might finally bring some true "unique-ness" to players. If it works like EA is claiming it does then it is possibly our best hope at getting all players from superstars to role players to behave more like themselves.

Meh, when I see some of the remarkable things Pat Mahomes does with off-balance, sidearm passes (and to a lesser extent, Aaron Rodgers and even a couple guys like Jimmy Garoppolo), the anilities thing seems pretty necessary (if it comes with custom animations). Only a few qbs can do that sort of thing, so you notice it when you see it.