Madden NFL 11 Video: Developer Series - All About Gameplay

[roadman]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Video: Developer Series - Gameplay Changes Exposed

E3 is less than a week away. I'll have the demo for NCAA downloaded and will start perusing E3 news and game play videos.

Should be enough information to make an educated guess.

[Only1LT]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Video: Developer Series - Gameplay Changes Exposed

Using trailers to talk about animation changes and flow of the game is a mistake. Madden's engine simply does not have momentum down. Locomotion is trying to address this and the video does show that. In particular though, the animations in Madden that are transitional have always been very difficult to swallow.

They already spoke of addressing the catch animation where the receiver backtracks and there is a loss of yardage. That's a transitional animation from the catch animation to getting in position to run with the ball. The sweep play where blockers don't match up correctly are also transition animations, where we have seen what the one producer mentioned as "jazz hands."

But if you look at the progression of this series in the last two years, many things have been addressed with animations. Take for instance the ugly snap back tackle that happened when a runner was hit at his feet, yet it looked like he got hit in the chest (the way the tackle animated). That has been addressed. The silly leaping over a player animation at the end of a play has been toned down. Before you would see two guys leaping almost on every animation at the end of a play. "Mario-Running" has been dealt with...maybe not 100% but it has been worked on.

Right now we have things like sideline catches and DB interaction that should be addressed. Those are animations that need work on, among others. However, to use trailers, videos designed to show little flaw, is just not going to show any change. I'm still one to say scrap the Madden engine and start new, but I also have to say that the game has seen some things in the animation dept. addressed.

I am inclined to agree with you on this point, except for the fact that when you see the vidz that Afrikan posted of Madden 07 and 08, the transitions, though still wonky, were leaps and bounds better than they are now. I don't know what this points to, but something is responsible for this taking a turn for the worse over the years.

I know that everyone likes to bash the previous regime and praise the new one, but I think it is entirely possible that the old regime didn't do everything wrong, and that the new regime isn't doing everything right.

[bigsmallwood]

I'm disappointed that Locomotion aka the way players move is being "sold" as a FEATURE.....wow. I'm just saying, is this what NFL games have been reduced to? Oh well, I will hopefully be impressed with E3....

[DaveDQ]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Video: Developer Series - Gameplay Changes Exposed

I am inclined to agree with you on this point, except for the fact that when you see the vidz that Afrikan posted of Madden 07 and 08, the transitions, though still wonky, were leaps and bounds better than they are now. I don't know what this points to, but something is responsible for this taking a turn for the worse over the years.

I know that everyone likes to bash the previous regime and praise the new one, but I think it is entirely possible that the old regime didn't do everything wrong, and that the new regime isn't doing everything right.

I'd have to say then that it is the inclusion of the positive but with a negative finish. For instance, a blocker may now follow his responsibility (positive), but the animation to get him there looks odd (negative). For EA, maybe it's an "ends justifies the means" type thing.

[RGiles36]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Video: Developer Series - Gameplay Changes Exposed

I'm disappointed that Locomotion aka the way players move is being "sold" as a FEATURE.....wow. I'm just saying, is this what NFL games have been reduced to? Oh well, I will hopefully be impressed with E3....

So in a sports game that comes out in a yearly basis, please enlighten us as to what is worthy of being called a feature?

Is it the ability to take an NFL player, take him to the virtual club, pop virtual bottles, and maintain 1-2 baby mamas? LOL is that worthy of being a feature?

It's a sports game! What are they supposed to market? I don't follow the marketing of other sports games in the same way that I do Madden, but I'm sure the NBA 2K's, NHL's, and MLB The Show's tout their fixes as features as well.

NBA Elite is now touting the way players interact and move -- is that not worthy of being called a feature neither?

[sois]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Video: Developer Series - Gameplay Changes Exposed

I hate how every year they say this Madden is the best ever but then next year they show how bad it was and say this Madden is the best ever.
On the Bucs sweep the hb is about to run into the endzone and then freezes and waits for the tackle. Animations triggering does not look smooth at all.

That is pretty funny how they bash Madden 10 lineman logic.

[MrSkagTrendy]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Video: Developer Series - Gameplay Changes Exposed

That is pretty funny how they bash Madden 10 lineman logic.

It's funny until you realise that they all sold it to us as being "the best madden ever" and we all paid 60 bucks for it..

[Only1LT]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Video: Developer Series - Gameplay Changes Exposed

So in a sports game that comes out in a yearly basis, please enlighten us as to what is worthy of being called a feature?

Is it the ability to take an NFL player, take him to the virtual club, pop virtual bottles, and maintain 1-2 baby mamas? LOL is that worthy of being a feature?

It's a sports game! What are they supposed to market? I don't follow the marketing of other sports games in the same way that I do Madden, but I'm sure the NBA 2K's, NHL's, and MLB The Show's tout their fixes as features as well.

NBA Elite is now touting the way players interact and move -- is that not worthy of being called a feature neither?

Have to agree with you here. I am one of Madden's harshest critics (not without provocation in my opinion), but I think that people's anger at whether something that should be in the game already, being touted as a feature is misplaced anger and is really irrelevant.

These are things that should have long since been in the game, but the very fact that they haven't been in for so long makes their inclusion (finally, I would agree) all the more noteworthy, doesn't it?

I think that we should be less concerned with what the marketing team (which includes the devs too) label as a "feature", and much, much more concerned with whether said "feature" actually works. If it works, I could care less what they call it, and vice versa, if it doesn't, I could give a rat's *** what they call it in that case either.

[bxgoods]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Gameplay Changes Exposed - IGN Vid

Animations look off, Chris Johnson looks like he's running in mud.

[ScoobySnax]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Video: Developer Series - Gameplay Changes Exposed

Like what I'm seeing so far. Love this time of year.
Of course I realize it's just a game...(plus I don't have a computer programming degree like most in this thread)

LOL.

[Falcons11497]

Is it just me, or does the running and the juking and whatever look really odd between 0:51 and 0:59

[Valdarez]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Gameplay Changes Exposed - IGN Vid

They keep talking about having a guy that the defensive player is supposed to block. What happens if someone moves players around, or manually controls a player. Is the blocker going to ignore the player right in front of them, and try to block the 'guy' they are supposed to block according to the play art? That's not a fix, that's just another bug. Can some of the CD guys respond, or anyone that's seen/read more on the subject?

[RGiles36]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Video: Developer Series - Gameplay Changes Exposed

Have to agree with you here. I am one of Madden's harshest critics (not without provocation in my opinion), but I think that people's anger at whether something that should be in the game already, being touted as a feature is misplaced anger and is really irrelevant.

These are things that should have long since been in the game, but the very fact that they haven't been in for so long makes their inclusion (finally, I would agree) all the more noteworthy, doesn't it?

I think that we should be less concerned with what the marketing team (which includes the devs too) label as a "feature", and much, much more concerned with whether said "feature" actually works. If it works, I could care less what they call it, and vice versa, if it doesn't, I could give a rat's *** what they call it in that case either.

[o Mass Murda o]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Video: Developer Series - Gameplay Changes Exposed

They keep talking about having a guy that the defensive player is supposed to block. What happens if someone moves players around, or manually controls a player. Is the blocker going to ignore the player right in front of them, and try to block the 'guy' they are supposed to block according to the play art? That's not a fix, that's just another bug. Can some of the CD guys respond, or anyone that's seen/read more on the subject?

yea thats a good Q Valdarez..im interested in knowing that as well. if the logic can be easily manipulated and broken as seen by the numerous nano setup vids of '09 and '10, this is no improvement. we all know humans will move players presnap all day. i hope it constantly changes on the fly.

as far as the new features talk...im with rgiles and only1lt...i mean they have to address it out loud somehow and let us know they improved or fixed something. i dont care if they back of the box it or whatever. i mean it is as assinine as a FPS saying new features such as "guns shoot bullets", but no biggie. i just need to know its in and working properly(EA's biggest prob to me)

also just want to say this vid didnt expose jackshizzle and im sick of seeing that reggie bush clip. its nothing special and nothing i cant already do in ncaa09/10 and madden 10 by moving LS side to side to break down and shoulder fake and then burst juke with RS to explode or spin. i really hope this momentum thing pans out cuz so far im not seeing much difference to me other than the occasional overrun by the D and a slightly diff run animation. the transitions are still god awful and look like "turn on turn off". it still looks like instant acceleration outta break tackles and such and i thought this was addressed. hope this isnt the case. at least ncaa 11 demo is next week and we can get a test drive since theyre sharing tech in the same yr for once. need some E3 news bad right now!!

[Only1LT]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Gameplay Changes Exposed - IGN Vid

They keep talking about having a guy that the defensive player is supposed to block. What happens if someone moves players around, or manually controls a player. Is the blocker going to ignore the player right in front of them, and try to block the 'guy' they are supposed to block according to the play art? That's not a fix, that's just another bug. Can some of the CD guys respond, or anyone that's seen/read more on the subject?

In the blocking live chat, someone asked this and they said that the blocking assignments changed as the formation changed. I think they even said that the play art would change to show the new blocking assignment.

Whether it really works this way or not is, as always, undetermined until retail, but that is what they SAID in any event.