the "mainstream, casual" debate

[ThePPL]

The thing is the madden team is trying to cater to both casual and hardcore fans. They understand that they have hardcore fans voicing their complaints about this game (I was watching the making of madden on the NFL Network and Phil Frazier mentioned listening to the feedback in operation sports.) and possibly the majority of the people who are purchase madden every year are the casual fans.

With that said, I feel like features like gameflow and the strategy pad are not intriguing enough for even casual fans to get a kick out of. Most features like this will get scrapped the next year and it's usually the core features that manage to stay after all the years in madden.

Now the thing with the op's original post, I really don't think the madden team is abandoning the hardcore fans. Wasn't online franchise just introduce last year and wasn't that geared towards the fantasy football/franchise type fans. And rumor is that a revamped franchise mode will be in place soon (it should be at least because weren't the head coach guys hired to the madden team) so those guys haven't been forgotten. People have to understand that you need to be patient for these new implementations to be made because it better to give the developers time to not rush with their developing.

This year's madden seems less ambitious, but I'm happy that some core features have been worked on. Locomotion and improved run blocking seems like great additions added to this game and I like the concept of gameplan. Gameplan is not casual in my mind because I doubt a casual fan is going to spend the time experimenting with the plays on the practice field and then filling it in their gameplan.

[quietcool72]

I would be more forgiving of Madden 11 if more things on the field weren't worse than last year.

Pass coverage- worse than last year.
Kickoff coverage - WAY worse than last year. Non-existent this year.
And then there's that much ballyhooed "gang tackling"...and tackling in general, that took a huge realism step backwards this year.

http://www.easports.com/media/play/video/29824548

But, yeah, they added some casual "appeal" items, okay...but broke pre-existing stuff. That's a problem. It tells me the casual "appeal" items trumped getting the game right.

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by quietcool72

I would be more forgiving of Madden 11 if more things on the field weren't worse than last year. Pass coverage- worse than last year. Kickoff coverage - WAY worse than last year. Non-existent this year. And then there's that much ballyhooed "gang tackling"...and tackling in general, that took a huge realism step backwards this year. http://www.easports.com/media/play/video/29824548 But, yeah, they added some casual "appeal" items, okay...but broke pre-existing stuff. That's a problem. It tells me the casual "appeal" items trumped getting the game right.

Not sure if you are online or offline player.

If you are an online player, I hear ya. I'm an offline and the issues you mentioned above are fixable with sliders and plays a realistic game.(except KO coverage) I still haven't returned a kick beyond the 30 yd. line. Without sliders and out of the box, no, it's arcadey.

Just played Ravens vs Packers last night, Ravens 7 Packers 3 with slider adjustments.

Saw pro-tak engaged 3 times.

[Only1LT]

Quote: Originally Posted by roadman

Not sure if you are online or offline player. If you are an online player, I hear ya. I'm an offline and the issues you mentioned above are fixable with sliders and plays a realistic game.(except KO coverage) I still haven't returned a kick beyond the 30 yd. line. Without sliders and out of the box, no, it's arcadey. Just played Ravens vs Packers last night, Ravens 7 Packers 3 with slider adjustments. Saw pro-tak engaged 3 times.

If I remember correctly, you play games with settings that try to emulate an NFL game with regards to possessions, plays, time, etc... If that is the case, I would assume you play a game with quarter lengths in the 10 min plus neighborhood.

Given that, it would seem to me that there should have been a lot more opportunities for a gang tackle or "pro-tak moment" to take place. The fact that you saw it only 3 times is quite disconcerting to me. I don't know about anyone else.

[ODogg]

marktwain77 - I think you're operating under a faulty assumption that people who are hardcore fans will buy the game no matter what. Not only are there polls here on the forums that refute that notion but practically everyone I know that used to be HARDCORE Madden guys and who would go wait in line with me at midnight no longer buy the game.

I think everyone seems to think that Madden is capturing about 99% of the guys who are NFL nuts and play video games but I think they're completely wrong on that. Just guessing from the people I know but if I had to guess I'd say Madden is getting about 65 to 70% of those fans. I think the game has just been too slow to improve on the next-gen and people see videos of it and it just seems like the same thing (whether it is or not is not the issue, the issue is it just seems that it is) so they are not buying it.

And when I say hardcore I don't mean the OS audience here specifically, I am talking about the guys we all grew up with who would always buy Madden every year without fail. Those guys aren't buying the game every year anymore. That is the audience EA needs to work on bringing back to the table. Winning them back would make more sense and be easier than trying to win an entirely new audience who doesn't even particularly know when the NFL season starts.

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by Only1LT

If I remember correctly, you play games with settings that try to emulate an NFL game with regards to possessions, plays, time, etc... If that is the case, I would assume you play a game with quarter lengths in the 10 min plus neighborhood. Given that, it would seem to me that there should have been a lot more opportunities for a gang tackle or "pro-tak moment" to take place. The fact that you saw it only 3 times is quite disconcerting to me. I don't know about anyone else.

8 minute quarters with accelerated clock, but yeah, I see your point. That's the most I've seen it in play, but I already know they scaled pro-tak back this year. Not saying that is a good thing.

I want consecutive hit tackles in the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GiantBlue76]

Quote: Originally Posted by roadman

8 minute quarters with accelerated clock, but yeah, I see your point. That's the most I've seen it in play, but I already know they scaled pro-tak back this year. Not saying that is a good thing. I want consecutive hit tackles in the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's not a KILLER, but you REALLY notice it when it should happen and it doesn't. Putting that in would enhance the game ten-fold!

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by tazdevil20

It's not a KILLER, but you REALLY notice it when it should happen and it doesn't. Putting that in would enhance the game ten-fold!

Absolutely.

It's very noticeable and very frustrating.