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Hooe · 08-13-2014, 09:14 PM

The two biggest changes to the series since Madden NFL 12 are the Infinity Engine and Connected Franchise mode.

Infinity Engine is not quite a full-on real-time physics system a la Backbreaker, but it augments the game's animations to produce a more varied and organic interactions between players. It affects player balance too, which adds a little bit of nuance to the gameplay at times. It doesn't fundamentally change how Madden is played but it makes it more interesting to look at; there's more variety and unpredictability in what happens on the field now.

Connected Franchise is the new career mode which replaced the old Franchise mode. It allows you to play as a player, coach, or owner. The mode can be played offline or online with up to 32 users in either context. The primary hook of the mode, compared to previous Madden games, is that performing well in various tasks will yield your players and coaches XP with which they can improve their ratings and/or augment their abilities. It features a live NFL Draft and a multi-staged free agency mechanic (not Madden 12's offseason FA live auction mechanic). Finally, teams now very explicitly define what sort of players they want via scheme settings. For example, the Saints very explicitly are assigned as valuing 3-4 pass rushing OLBs, and that assignment will modify the OVR grade they see when looking at OLBs. To the user, that means a modification of the OVR rating in the frontend. The CPU uses these modified OVR ratings as well to determine free agency and draft targets.

Some other notable big things: the past few EA Sports games have seen heavy investment in how the offensive line plays, with the improvements most evident in the PS4 / XBOX One versions of Madden 25 released late last fall (compared to anything seen in Madden on 360 / PS3). Madden 25 on XBOX One / PS4 introduced something called "true step" which is foot tracking for the ball carrier, every step the ballcarrier takes matters. There was an expansion of the ballcarrier move controls which was a big focus in Madden 25 - basically hold LT for a better version of a spin / juke / truck / stiff arm, and moves can be chained together. Presentation is completely different from Madden NFL 12; the play-by-play team is now Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, and EA Sports' presentation is basically progressively more and more becoming a facsimile of CBS Sports' coverage of the NFL. If you're playing on XBOX One, pre-snap audibles can now be executed via Kinect voice commands.

My experience with the past couple games is that they've been really fun, particularly in a multiplayer Connected Franchise context. They have been offense-oriented games, however, which is why I'm happy to see such an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball this cycle. I'm hoping the game I play in less than two weeks is a more balanced game of football, as the defense has needed some love for a while.

08-13-2014, 09:14 PM	#2
Hooe Five Becomes Four OVR: 45 Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Culver City, CA Posts: 21,506	Re: Been Out Of The Game For 3 Years The two biggest changes to the series since Madden NFL 12 are the Infinity Engine and Connected Franchise mode. Infinity Engine is not quite a full-on real-time physics system a la Backbreaker, but it augments the game's animations to produce a more varied and organic interactions between players. It affects player balance too, which adds a little bit of nuance to the gameplay at times. It doesn't fundamentally change how Madden is played but it makes it more interesting to look at; there's more variety and unpredictability in what happens on the field now. Connected Franchise is the new career mode which replaced the old Franchise mode. It allows you to play as a player, coach, or owner. The mode can be played offline or online with up to 32 users in either context. The primary hook of the mode, compared to previous Madden games, is that performing well in various tasks will yield your players and coaches XP with which they can improve their ratings and/or augment their abilities. It features a live NFL Draft and a multi-staged free agency mechanic (not Madden 12's offseason FA live auction mechanic). Finally, teams now very explicitly define what sort of players they want via scheme settings. For example, the Saints very explicitly are assigned as valuing 3-4 pass rushing OLBs, and that assignment will modify the OVR grade they see when looking at OLBs. To the user, that means a modification of the OVR rating in the frontend. The CPU uses these modified OVR ratings as well to determine free agency and draft targets. Some other notable big things: the past few EA Sports games have seen heavy investment in how the offensive line plays, with the improvements most evident in the PS4 / XBOX One versions of Madden 25 released late last fall (compared to anything seen in Madden on 360 / PS3). Madden 25 on XBOX One / PS4 introduced something called "true step" which is foot tracking for the ball carrier, every step the ballcarrier takes matters. There was an expansion of the ballcarrier move controls which was a big focus in Madden 25 - basically hold LT for a better version of a spin / juke / truck / stiff arm, and moves can be chained together. Presentation is completely different from Madden NFL 12; the play-by-play team is now Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, and EA Sports' presentation is basically progressively more and more becoming a facsimile of CBS Sports' coverage of the NFL. If you're playing on XBOX One, pre-snap audibles can now be executed via Kinect voice commands. My experience with the past couple games is that they've been really fun, particularly in a multiplayer Connected Franchise context. They have been offense-oriented games, however, which is why I'm happy to see such an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball this cycle. I'm hoping the game I play in less than two weeks is a more balanced game of football, as the defense has needed some love for a while.