m11 new info on blocking/kicking/turbo (CD comments?)

[jvaccaro]

...all the early reviews are out, and I'm wondering if the community day folks can discuss some of things that were revealed:

Game Flow
Game Plan
Improved OL Blocking with play art
New Kicking System
Speed Burst is Turned Off by default
Dynamic Crowds
New Audible System
New Defensive Hot Route System
New Presentation Elements

[ch46647]

Adembroski has been doing a good job sharing his thoughts, they are just spread out through the multiple Madden 11 preview threads...

[adembroski]

Quote: Originally Posted by jvaccaro

...all the early reviews are out, and I'm wondering if the community day folks can discuss some of things that were revealed: Game Flow Game Plan

To me, these are one feature, though I suppose I'll use the pre-generated gameplans now and again.

You create a list of plays by situational category, weigh them on a 5 point scale to determine frequency, and those plays are automatically called when you play the game with Game Flow enabled. There is a voice over that sounds like a coach giving the QB instructions, but it's mostly intended for new players. The play art automatically displays on screen unless you're in a head-to-head game.

You can enter the standard playcall screen between plays if you like, switching between your own calls and Game Flow calls on a play by play basis.

If you don't want to use gameflow, you disable it in the pregame menu or the options menu by selecting "Conventional Playcalling".

From what I understand, a lot can change with this feature, especially the categories presented.

I like the feature. Sped games up quite a bit (though I wouldn't say "half" the time, more like 2/3rds the time).

Quote:

Improved OL Blocking with play art

I don't know how I want to describe this. Note that last I heard, play art on the field was up in the air due to potential cheat issues. That might have been decided by now, I don't know.

Hmm... I don't wanna oversell this because I got a lot of heat last year when people felt I had said something was going to be great and it turned out simply good, or the like (example, man coverage by elite corners in CD build last year was amazing... release version, not so much).

Logic wise (leaving out potential tuning issues), there were a few small hiccups at CD, and a few target selection issues to be ironed out. That said, I think I can say with confidence that Madden 11 (the CD version) had the most realistic run blocking logic in the history of football gaming, bar none.

Quote:

New Kicking System

Think Gen2 but a horizontal bar instead of a circular meter.

Quote:

Speed Burst is Gone

Not my cup of tea. I like having that control. The locomotion overall is solid, and manages speed ok, but I found my guy running a bit slow in the open field. See the Reggie Bush run in the Brees interview video... you'll note he never quite kicks it into gear. I prefer to have the ability to "force" the sprint in those situations in case the AI doesn't quite figure out that it's time to up shift. No sprint button, to me, would be fine in a sport (such as, oh, say the 100 meter dash) where you're always trying to move as fast as possible.

Disclaimer: I've always been against removing the sprint button. I believe it represents a different running mentality. I believe sprint should be used for two instances- see the hole and hit it bursts, and break away runs. In all other cases, I believe it shouldn't be touched. I don't trust an AI to determine that's what I'm doing, and I don't believe the sticks on either the PS3 or 360 are designed well for fine tuning your pace. If the controllers had a bit more resistance, I'd be more open too it. I guess what I'm saying is it never was something I thought I'd like, so maybe I'm bias and I'll need more than a 2 days with the game to become accustom too it.

THAT SAID: one of justifications I heard for this was that players simply have a difficult time laying off it, especially newer players. By removing it entirely, you remove the temptation, and thus through that restriction, make the running game easier (as the over-use of the sprint button was, indeed, the most common cause of poor running games). From that perspective, I can understand it.

[parrothead]

Does the CPU call a better game with the new Gameplan/Gameflow stuff?

[adembroski]

Quote: Originally Posted by parrothead

Does the CPU call a better game with the new Gameplan/Gameflow stuff?

Not sure I can answer that.

[Boregard]

Quote: Originally Posted by adembroski

Not my cup of tea. I like having that control. The locomotion overall is solid, and manages speed ok, but I found my guy running a bit slow in the open field. See the Reggie Bush run in the Brees interview video... you'll note he never quite kicks it into gear. I prefer to have the ability to "force" the sprint in those situations in case the AI doesn't quite figure out that it's time to up shift. No sprint button, to me, would be fine in a sport (such as, oh, say the 100 meter dash) where you're always trying to move as fast as possible. Disclaimer: I've always been against removing the sprint button. I believe it represents a different running mentality. I believe sprint should be used for two instances- see the hole and hit it bursts, and break away runs. In all other cases, I believe it shouldn't be touched. I don't trust an AI to determine that's what I'm doing, and I don't believe the sticks on either the PS3 or 360 are designed well for fine tuning your pace. If the controllers had a bit more resistance, I'd be more open too it. I guess what I'm saying is it never was something I thought I'd like, so maybe I'm bias and I'll need more than a 2 days with the game to become accustom too it. THAT SAID: one of justifications I heard for this was that players simply have a difficult time laying off it, especially newer players. By removing it entirely, you remove the temptation, and thus through that restriction, make the running game easier (as the over-use of the sprint button was, indeed, the most common cause of poor running games). From that perspective, I can understand it.

Dude, I completely agree with your take on the "sprint" button. While I understand the idea of taking it out by default - it worries me that might mean that it was not "tweaked" to be reflective of the new emphasis on ACC/AGI that game is gonna have!!!

I am completely dumbfounded by any gamer, sports or otherwise that actually endorses losing control over the players within the game!

[streamline]

Quote: Originally Posted by adembroski

I don't know how I want to describe this. Note that last I heard, play art on the field was up in the air due to potential cheat issues. That might have been decided by now, I don't know.

I'm assuming that the play art refers to when you play with a friend on one system and not online play.

[ch46647]

Hey Adem how did the default game speed feel. Was it faster now that it has a new locomotion system that fixes momentum, accel/decel, foot planting, transition animations, etc. The lack of locomotion is what caused many of us to feel it is better to slow the game down. Now that we have a realistic locomotion system I think the game should be sped up to capture the speed of the NFL.

I know you didnt like the slow/very slow game speed last year and thought "normal" was perfect. Whats your take on the default game speed this year?