Interview with EA Content & Community Manager - Will Kinsler

[kmart2180]

EA getting Rac will only make things to come better for the Madden Community. They will now have the direct fans opinion, and already a game has a feature voted on by the fans (I think its mini camp in Ncaa or something like that) If I could find the link I will post it.

But also your information on the up-coming games will come through him. And him being once a member of a Madden community, he will know that there are people waiting for every little bit of information possible. And he will work to get us that info.

[spankdatazz22]

Quote: Originally Posted by kmart2180

EA getting Rac will only make things to come better for the Madden Community. They will now have the direct fans opinion, and already a game has a feature voted on by the fans (I think its mini camp in Ncaa or something like that) If I could find the link I will post it. But also your information on the up-coming games will come through him. And him being once a member of a Madden community, he will know that there are people waiting for every little bit of information possible. And he will work to get us that info.

Madden, more than any game I can think of, have had fans attempting to provide feedback in various ways. Madden has a ton of fansites that popped up over the years supporting it - Maddenwishlist.com, Maddenmania, Maddentips.com, etc. IGN themselves run an annual fan wishlist that they weren't doing for any other sports game. I find it extremely hard to believe that Madden developers, if interested, couldn't go out and find the pulse of the Madden community at any point they wanted. It's cool those guys got the positions they did with EA/Tiburon, but personally I don't see how it's going to provide Madden developers additional insight to their products that they couldn't have found out on their own. Just about every developer I've read that produces a product they're proud of admits to going out on the various boards to see what people think.

With that said, the fans aren't always right either. James Bond fans hated Daniel Craig as the new James Bond; couldn't have been more wrong. Zelda fans flipped out when Nintendo went the cell-shaded route with Wind Waker. Imo part of the problem with EA is that there seems to have been very little to no fan input considered, even though they've been offered help since I can remember. Perhaps this guy will bring on a new level of involvement between the developer and the fans - or maybe he's the appointed apologist to explain why the game doesn't use the ESPN license much, or makes half-hearted efforts to establish good player interaction/gang tackling. Had the Madden sites been more objective in critiquing the game when it was ascending in popularity they may have been a more positive force for change than they became

[boxcarracer2552]

Quote:

Since Madden improves each year, I always find myself drawn to the most recent version

hahahahahahahaha

[bkrich83]

Quote: Originally Posted by spankdatazz22

Madden, more than any game I can think of, have had fans attempting to provide feedback in various ways. Madden has a ton of fansites that popped up over the years supporting it - Maddenwishlist.com, Maddenmania, Maddentips.com, etc. IGN themselves run an annual fan wishlist that they weren't doing for any other sports game. I find it extremely hard to believe that Madden developers, if interested, couldn't go out and find the pulse of the Madden community at any point they wanted. It's cool those guys got the positions they did with EA/Tiburon, but personally I don't see how it's going to provide Madden developers additional insight to their products that they couldn't have found out on their own. Just about every developer I've read that produces a product they're proud of admits to going out on the various boards to see what people think. With that said, the fans aren't always right either. James Bond fans hated Daniel Craig as the new James Bond; couldn't have been more wrong. Zelda fans flipped out when Nintendo went the cell-shaded route with Wind Waker. Imo part of the problem with EA is that there seems to have been very little to no fan input considered, even though they've been offered help since I can remember. Perhaps this guy will bring on a new level of involvement between the developer and the fans - or maybe he's the appointed apologist to explain why the game doesn't use the ESPN license much, or makes half-hearted efforts to establish good player interaction/gang tackling. Had the Madden sites been more objective in critiquing the game when it was ascending in popularity they may have been a more positive force for change than they became

I am not sure the developers themselves are not getting the community input. I don't think they are ignoring them. I think they are being directed from above to stay closer to a "safe" formula, for a game that will sell well to the massees. This is a staple of EA, find a formula that sells a ton of units and stick to it. Between that and the ever shortening devlopment time out there, I think the developers themselves are in a tough spot.

I think this coming years Madden will be a telling sign of exactly how serious the Madden franchise is at becoming the game we want it to be.

[spankdatazz22]

Quote: Originally Posted by bkrich83

I am not sure the developers themselves are not getting the community input. I don't think they are ignoring them. I think they are being directed from above to stay closer to a "safe" formula, for a game that will sell well to the massees. This is a staple of EA, find a formula that sells a ton of units and stick to it. Between that and the ever shortening devlopment time out there, I think the developers themselves are in a tough spot.

I know devs are frequently in tough positions, but imo I can't see where a lot of the blame should fall on Tiburon and the choices they've made. They made a huge change to tailor the gameplay around Michael Vick in Madden 2004 which sent the series in the wrong direction. In this year's game, there's the unnecessary focus on the jumbotrons. No referrees or chain gangs (long time requests). Coaches are super-detailed, the rest of the sidelines look like fans dressed in uniforms (all reacting in synch lol). And that's just a few of the peripheral things; haven't touched on the many gameplay issues that could've been addressed.

Things like lack of gang tackling have been requests dating back to 2003. Then it somehow makes a half-azzed appearance in Madden 2007, but only for the PS3. I can see the gang tackling/PS3 being an upper management decision, but what about the half-azzed part of it? It's not even implemented that well. Given everything that's happened, I say a lot of the blame should rest w/Tiburon

[venomER]

Glad to see RAC doing well, he's a stand up guy..He has some ideas.. I think he'll help madden for the better one way or the other

The other guy, the ex- maddenmania mod is just prick and I don't see any possible way how he could help better madden.. Hes bassically a yesman. *** kisser..

[bkfount]

Quote: Originally Posted by boxcarracer2552

hahahahahahahaha

that's where I quit reading too...

[DaveDQ]

Quote: Originally Posted by bkrich83

I think this coming years Madden will be a telling sign of exactly how serious the Madden franchise is at becoming the game we want it to be.

I think that is very true, in fact, I think Madden's switch to next-gen systems already has given us an example of what EA is trying to do.

Madden is going to be used as a huge marketing tool to plug the NFL, ESPN and the music that graces the game. This game has grown into a profit making machine, and make no mistake, the reason why the NFL set out for Madden, and the reason ESPN signed on was to take advantage of the chance to get their product out to the masses in new and innovative ways.

Admit it or not, development hasn't taken a back seat, it's in the trunk, handcuffed and gagged, waiting to be dumped in the river.