EA, please change the passing mechanics!!!!!

[JohnnyKilroy]

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"Read and Lead" was NOT new, it was an improved version of the passing mechanics(move a cursor around the field, throw to that spot) from the old "John Elway Football" arcade game.

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It featured a passing cursor on the field? Maybe its just me, but with the advancement of cpu AI, having only 3-4 seconds (or less) in the pocket to read the defense and make a decision is enough to worry about. Throwing in a passing cursor would just make things frustrating, IMO...

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Let me ask everyone this, when was last time (while playing Madden) you threw a pass, the pass was off target, you switched to control your reciever then dove for the pass and caught it?

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As i said earlier -- sliders. You'd be surprised just how inaccurate an NFL qb can be in a videogame. NFL games (whether madden or espn) dont ship with settings that produce realistic, off-target throws -- this would alienate too many gamers, many gamers who are accustomed to frequently on-target throws. That's what the sliders are for...

[vchadl]

It could make it tough but what if they did this...you drop back to pass, hold the button in (let's say the square button/PS2) and then the cursor and a power meter show up on the field close the the "square" reciever, move the cursor to where you want the pass to go (left analog), the power goes up and down, release the square button at the top of the meter for stronger throws and at the buttom for lob pass's, then ball then flies to where or close to where your cursor is based on the qb's accuracy rating. If implemented right it could work. Even have a slider for cpu assist cursor placement if need be....That gives the player control of the results making the game more engaging. ESPN's "Maximum Passing" is close to that but the problem is for most part, you have no idea how much you're actually leading the reciever...it seem's hit or miss.

[Jistic]

Passing is most definitely 'automatic' on All-Madden. You must lead the receiver if he has a step or even throw behind him in some cases.

The one thing I'd like to see both EA football games to a better job is reduce all of those INT's. Or at the very least make the INT slider mean something. Even on zero on all-madden it's quite easy to throw 3 picks in a game. I would like to mee more incompletes just be bad passes instead of a tip, drop, or pick. I would agree with that.

[JohnnyKilroy]

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vchadl said:
It could make it tough but what if they did this...you drop back to pass, hold the button in (let's say the square button/PS2) and then the cursor and a power meter show up on the field close the the "square" reciever, move the cursor to where you want the pass to go (left analog), the power goes up and down, release the square button at the top of the meter for stronger throws and at the buttom for lob pass's, then ball then flies to where or close to where your cursor is based on the qb's accuracy rating. If implemented right it could work. Even have a slider for cpu assist cursor placement if need be....That gives the player control of the results making the game more engaging. ESPN's "Maximum Passing" is close to that but the problem is for most part, you have no idea how much you're actually leading the reciever...it seem's hit or miss.

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That sounds reasonable, and yeah, it might work if done correctly. But with dlineman and blitzers approaching in fractions of a second, I just don't know how much time you'd have to adjust the cursor and set the power before getting annihilated...

[JohnnyKilroy]

for those interested, here's some sliders i found on another board (think they originated on MaddenMania):

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These aren't for everybody. These are for people who...

1. Think there aren't as many wild off-target throws as there should be. Most NFL incompletions are due to off-target throws, not a defensive play.
2. Think that no defensive back can cover half the field while the ball is in the air and make an amazing alley-oop swatdown on, like, every other play.
3. Believe that punting should be more common, red zone drives should be more difficult, and TDs should be more rare and actually be exciting.

If you're one of those people, try these.

(All-Pro, 12-min acc clock, same for CPU/Human, numbers scored from the left, on a 0-20 scale)

QB Accuracy -- 2
Pass Blocking -- 0
WR Catching -- 10
RB Ability -- 10
Run Blocking -- 8

Awareness -- 6-10 (adjust based on your experience and skill level)
Knockdowns -- 0
Interceptions -- 0
Break Block -- 2
Tackling -- 5

As I said, many people will hate these. It's not Madden as you're used to. But it's much closer to an actual NFL game. You'll punt more, but you'll also break big plays more. You'll have shorter passes and less holes to run through, but your YAC will increase and the holes that do form will be bigger. And the red zone becomes a war zone. You better bring your A game, because these settings depend on being able to use the whole field to find the holes.

The most important distinction here is that players will play to their ratings. The star players play like stars. The backups and rookies will demonstrate why they're not ready to play at this level yet. Building a balanced team was never more important.

If you're playing against a high-powered offense, you'll know it. If you're playing against a dominant defense, you'll feel it. But if you're playing against a team weak in either area, you'll feel like a kid in a candy store.

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I havent had much time to play lately, so i've only got one game under my belt with these settings. And my stats with McNabb were pretty accurate (on a day where McNabb is hitting on all cylinders): 22-for-34, 220 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs
The cpu took it down to the wire, and i had to work for everything, and i won. (BTW, i normally play on All-Madden.) But trust me, when i was off, i was WAY off. Early in the game, i couldnt hit Pinkston on a 7-yd out, throwing it out of bounds. Overthrew a wide open TO on a couple occasions. Only reason the stats look so good is because of short dump-off passes to Westbrook...and a couple long bombs to TO

[Jistic]

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Jistic said:
Passing is most definitely 'automatic' on All-Madden. You must lead the receiver if he has a step or even throw behind him in some cases.

The one thing I'd like to see both EA football games to a better job is reduce all of those INT's. Or at the very least make the INT slider mean something. Even on zero on all-madden it's quite easy to throw 3 picks in a game. I would like to mee more incompletes just be bad passes instead of a tip, drop, or pick. I would agree with that.

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My bad! TYPO. I meant to say passing is NOT automatic.

[Victory]

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vchadl said:
It could make it tough but what if they did this...you drop back to pass, hold the button in (let's say the square button/PS2) and then the cursor and a power meter show up on the field close the the "square" reciever, move the cursor to where you want the pass to go (left analog), the power goes up and down, release the square button at the top of the meter for stronger throws and at the buttom for lob pass's, then ball then flies to where or close to where your cursor is based on the qb's accuracy rating. If implemented right it could work. Even have a slider for cpu assist cursor placement if need be....That gives the player control of the results making the game more engaging. ESPN's "Maximum Passing" is close to that but the problem is for most part, you have no idea how much you're actually leading the reciever...it seem's hit or miss.

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There was a game called "TV Sports Football" back in the 80's that did something like that. When you hit the joystick button to pass the players froze. You had to move the joystick left/right for direction while holding the the button down. The longer you held the button down the harder the QB threw it. As soon as you let up on the button the play started moving again.

[Skyboxer]

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Victory said:

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vchadl said:
It could make it tough but what if they did this...you drop back to pass, hold the button in (let's say the square button/PS2) and then the cursor and a power meter show up on the field close the the "square" reciever, move the cursor to where you want the pass to go (left analog), the power goes up and down, release the square button at the top of the meter for stronger throws and at the buttom for lob pass's, then ball then flies to where or close to where your cursor is based on the qb's accuracy rating. If implemented right it could work. Even have a slider for cpu assist cursor placement if need be....That gives the player control of the results making the game more engaging. ESPN's "Maximum Passing" is close to that but the problem is for most part, you have no idea how much you're actually leading the reciever...it seem's hit or miss.

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There was a game called "TV Sports Football" back in the 80's that did something like that. When you hit the joystick button to pass the players froze. You had to move the joystick left/right for direction while holding the the button down. The longer you held the button down the harder the QB threw it. As soon as you let up on the button the play started moving again.

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Oh man...The emoriess... that and TV Sports Basketball....