Its the small things

[Phobia]

Hey guys

Simple question. Everyone hates on madden (including myself) recently for their lackluster approach to coding this game. But does the small issues really make it unenjoyable for you???

Example: No field goal nets, this is like 1990s coding stuff. Simple simple 2d object. Nothing special yet has been left out for years now.

OR - No refs, the basics of football get left out.

To answer my own question. It is a major deal breaker for me. Not on the level of gameplay(that is another issue) but just the simple fact of me given 60 bucks to a company that half-A#% their way to billions. I just look at it as pure stealing. They are the ONLY video game company I look at and think "Empty promisses" anytime I see their new hype idea. So the last few years I made the stand of not buying madden and supporting a company like 2K which atleast gave its best shot of given football fans what they want.

I am going to buy Madden 09 only because they have finially done what they been after. They made themselfs the only true football game right now (possible backbreaker). EA is the next Microsoft, forcing their will on people. I fully disagree with their "forcefull takeover" of 2K. But that is another story aswell.

Later guys
PHOBIA

[roadman]

Re: Its the small things

Field Goal nets are in this year.

The football crowd that EA answers to is the football fans that increase their earnings. ie The crowd that is just satisfied with a fun game.

[Phobia]

Re: Its the small things

Field Goal nets are in this year.

lol They must of brought in some talent

[roadman]

Re: Its the small things

lol They must of brought in some talent

Or hired talent they previously had.

[Phobia]

Re: Its the small things

Or hired talent they previously had.

Oh that would mean they going back pretty far. None of the talent in the last 5 years has been worth a penny from my stand point.

[SageInfinite]

Re: Its the small things

For me its just the little things adding up over time. 4 years in we should be looking forward to new features and gameplay, not just wishing the old ones would return.

[countryboy]

Re: Its the small things

For me its just the little things adding up over time. 4 years in we should be looking forward to new features and gameplay, not just wishing the old ones would return.

agreed completely

[ODogg]

Re: Its the small things

For me its just the little things adding up over time. 4 years in we should be looking forward to new features and gameplay, not just wishing the old ones would return.

As i've said.....death by a thousand paper cuts. It's what makes so many of us so infuriated with EA. Not that they can't add the major stuff, a lot of us have come to accept that, but that they don't seem to care to add the minor, more trivial things either.

[cjallure24]

Re: Its the small things

I believe the small things count for something,they give the game that added compliment to the major features....It also shows that the development company pays alot of attention to detail....For insteane if your a Patriots fan and your playing the game and Tom Brady licks his right fingers while in the shotgun Formation before he hikes the ball....that makes the game even better...Hate to say it,but 2K did it in NBA2K8 and it makes the already good gameplay even better...

[Pared]

Re: Its the small things

The little things show the attention to detail you'd expect from someone creating a video game of a sport you watch on TV, follow online and read in the paper.

It's what really makes you appreciate the game. You want the most accurate recreation of the NFL as possible and even with the gameplay issues, at least show your fanbase that you know what the uniforms should be, that a specific players always wears tape on cleats, that so and so always does a specific gesture after a specific play and so forth.

Player differentiation should be HUGE and sadly, it is not.

[SageInfinite]

Re: Its the small things

The little things show the attention to detail you'd expect from someone creating a video game of a sport you watch on TV, follow online and read in the paper.

It's what really makes you appreciate the game. You want the most accurate recreation of the NFL as possible and even with the gameplay issues, at least show your fanbase that you know what the uniforms should be, that a specific players always wears tape on cleats, that so and so always does a specific gesture after a specific play and so forth.

Player differentiation should be HUGE and sadly, it is not.

[bears5122]

Re: Its the small things

The little things show the attention to detail you'd expect from someone creating a video game of a sport you watch on TV, follow online and read in the paper.

It's what really makes you appreciate the game. You want the most accurate recreation of the NFL as possible and even with the gameplay issues, at least show your fanbase that you know what the uniforms should be, that a specific players always wears tape on cleats, that so and so always does a specific gesture after a specific play and so forth.

Player differentiation should be HUGE and sadly, it is not.

I think you hit on a great point though. Video games created by people who watch the sport on TV or follow it online. It just doesn't seem to me that many of their games, Madden included, are made by real diehard football fans.

And a lot of these issues are small, but noticeable to football fans. When I see a punt in the game hit the ground and bounce 25 yards of to the right in a straight line, I know the guy who coded that hasn't watched much football in his life. The game is filled with small things like this that make you wonder where the football IQ is within the company.

Some of you guys may remember the old High Heat baseball game. It had crummy graphics and didn't excel in the features, but it was a phenomenal baseball game. It had tons of little nuiances and was as realistic as you could get at that time. We are seeing this attention to detail in games like The Show and College Hoops 2K series. Games that truly feel like they are made by passionate fans of the sport.

So maybe that is part of the problem at EA. Maybe the development decisions are being made by guys looking for better ways to market the game instead of just making the game play more like football. I believe with the internet and gaming communities all over, you can't get by just on your name anymore. EA learned this last year when Madden tanked sales wise. Hopefully they threw their development team in a room last year on Sundays to watch football all day. Hopefully they brought in some diehard fans to give them guidance. Otherwise I think we're going to be in store for more "Create-a-ring" features while tackling animations stay a decade behind where they should be.

[Pared]

Re: Its the small things

The question is... when are we going to see a game that is representative of a fan of the NFL?

[blackngoldfan]

Re: Its the small things

I would like to see the "Cover Guys" and other NFL players get more involved in the development of a game that represents THEM. It seems that they only care about their ratings. Gilbert Arenas was very involved with the development of Live 08 and it showed. I think Live 08 made the biggest improvement for a sports game last year. Linemen should get in there and say "why don't I ever pull?", "why did I double the D tackle and let the D end go in freely to kill my QB/RB?" Players on the Browns should have said "This is a joke right? Since when have we EVER worn brown pants?" EA has all of this reference material at their disposal but refuses to use it. I guess it's arrogance.

[SageInfinite]

Re: Its the small things

I would like to see the "Cover Guys" and other NFL players get more involved in the development of a game that represents THEM. It seems that they only care about their ratings. Gilbert Arenas was very involved with the development of Live 08 and it showed.

Live had nowhere, and I mean NOWHERE to go but up. The game was still garbage. Also the cover boys think Madden is great. They play Madden just like the tournament guys.