Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

[DeuceDouglas]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

Yeah, I think based on Rex's track record, this has to be something that's easy enough for noobs to grasp, u know? I don't think they want to introduce 'complicated' controls.

I think they're in the process of going all-in on eSports and Competitive so I could it being something complicated with a high skill gap for that reason. They've spent the last couple years targeting casuals which is going to comprise the majority of their viewership for these events and I think they're going to go even harder in the next couple years trying to turn Madden into a hardcore competitive game.

[kjcheezhead]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

A reticule would be terrible imo. It's been done on old games and the problem is you have to choose between moving the cursor or moving your qb. Blitzing defenses make it unusable.
The vision cone allowed you to still move the cone by hitting the WRs button so you could roll out or scramble at the same time. It was just harder, especially if you had a narrow cone that focused on the wr versus one that covered a quarter or half the field.

I think it's probably a reticule the way it's described which concerns me.


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[DeuceDouglas]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

It's been done on old games and the problem is you have to choose between moving the cursor or moving your qb.

This is what makes me think it will be something pretty simple and a variation of what we already have. There's so many things you have to control (receiver choice, velocity, moving QB) that having some sort of cursor on the screen is going to completely bog down the controls. I was initially thinking it would be tied to the triggers or something where LT is lob and RT is bullet and it's essentially a button combo with the stick like the ball carrier moves but the way it's described though:

Target Passing: For the first time ever, no longer are you tied to throwing at your open wide receiver. Throw to who you want, in the exact spot on the field with all-new Target Passing, giving you, ultimate control over where the ball is thrown.

makes it seem like there is no more traditional face button passing which makes me think it's going to almost be like an FPS where the left thumbstick moves your QB and the RS moves some kind of reticle on the field and it will be like the vision cone where you'll essentially have a "first read" which is where the reticle starts. Maybe progressive ranges of "sticky" for the reticle as well that controls how strictly it follows a target with the most difficult being completely free. And then maybe the triggers move from receiver to receiver or something.

I'm not confident it's going to untether the ball from receivers or that it will be as free as it's portraying just because I feel like it would either be super difficult because of the precision required or it wouldn't feel user friendly because the ball would still go to certain places regardless of where you're targeting. Warping is what also worries me about that. But I'd love to see a system where receivers run their routes independent of how balls are thrown. In some scenarios it's fine but watching guys alter certain routes as soon as the ball is thrown because they're tied together is frustrating to see and something I hope not to see with EA Play videos.

[SteelD34KC]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

Oh I 100% agree and I hate it as well. I just take umbrage with it being framed that way is all.

mo·nop·o·ly
məˈnäpəlē/Submit
noun
1.
the exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service.
"his likely motive was to protect his regional monopoly on furs"

It is a monopoly. I dont really care either way. As long as Madden continues to come out and gets better each year Im fine.

I never liked 2k football, but that was just me.

Id really, really like to see something like created draft class's.

But in reality only two things will make me buy this game.

1. OLine/Dline interaction - but not jsut them but LBs in 3-4 blitzting, LBs, Safeties, CBs Blitzing etc. This has been needed since madden was first built and they have never really gotten it right. Get this right, and yeah.

2. CB/WR/Safety - Interaction - The canned animations have to go. In 17 when I throw deep I get one of three animations. Either a pick where my WR doesnt even fight for the ball, although hes 88 ovr and the corner is 75 overall. DPI animation. Or the WR goes up for it, sorta catches, then drops it because of contact. Thats it. Need uncanned interaction.

Do I think Ill get either of those things? Nope. They are going to a new engine this year so they wont have time for all that. They are going to be hard pressed to get the full game over to the frostbite.

Now if they started a few years ago, like some have said, maybe, just maybe they will utilize the Frostbite to its full potential.

I mean has anyone watched a Fifa 17 game, late, 1-1 with a team driving the ball. The crowd, the noise...just amazing.

Im hopeful, as I am every year.

[ODogg]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

mo·nop·o·ly
məˈnäpəlē/Submit
noun
1.
the exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service.
"his likely motive was to protect his regional monopoly on furs"

It is a monopoly. I dont really care either way. As long as Madden continues to come out and gets better each year Im fine.

You can't have a monopoly on a private, trademarked brand that a company owns. It's not football that EA has the exclusive agreement to make, it's the actual NFL branding of football, that they own. That's the difference as to why it's an exclusive agreement, not a monopoly.

As I said, I too don't like it and would like to see anyone who would like be able to make an NFL game, but the NFL has chosen not to go that route.

Hate it all you want but don't call it something it's not.

[N51_rob]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

Gents, its been almost 12 years. Let's not rehash this again. You can have that conversation via PMs. Thanks.

[LBzrule]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

A reticule would be terrible imo. It's been done on old games and the problem is you have to choose between moving the cursor or moving your qb. Blitzing defenses make it unusable.
The vision cone allowed you to still move the cone by hitting the WRs button so you could roll out or scramble at the same time. It was just harder, especially if you had a narrow cone that focused on the wr versus one that covered a quarter or half the field.

I think it's probably a reticule the way it's described which concerns me.


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After thinking more I don't think it will be a reticle. I don't think the UI for passing will change, just timing and player behavior will be much more important based on who your QB is and who your WR's are. I'll wait to hear more about it but I don't think they will put a reticle or anything else like that on the screen. It's just way too much in relation to the defense; block sheds and blitzes.

[ODogg]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

After thinking more I don't think it will be a reticle. I don't think the UI for passing will change, just timing and player behavior will be much more important based on who your QB is and who your WR's are. I'll wait to hear more about it but I don't think they will put a reticle or anything else like that on the screen. It's just way too much in relation to the defense; block sheds and blitzes.

If it's not a reticule I don't see how they could call it targeted passing. It has to be something separate from the receiver, ie a spot on the field and without a way to see it then it wouldn't be target passing.

[SolidSquid]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

I don't think the passing system will be any different than what we already have. You'll have more control over where you place the ball or "target" which is hopefully tied to rating and cause more missed throws. But as far as the mechanic it will the same click X to throw to X

[4thQtrStre5S]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

I hope coverage assignments is more than just being able to individually assign a defender to an offensive player, if that is in fact the case...and maybe the in game options of swapping CB1 and CB2 coverage on the fly, etc..

I would like to see the "Plays Ball in Air" trait removed, for example, and have that be chosen by the user; so like in NCAA Football - thus I can tell my defense to pay more aggressive, conservative or the default balanced style.

[DeuceDouglas]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

If it's not a reticule I don't see how they could call it targeted passing. It has to be something separate from the receiver, ie a spot on the field and without a way to see it then it wouldn't be target passing.

I could see it end up being something like Trigger+Receiver Icon+Thumbstick with different directions correlating to different "targets" (i.e. High and away, low and behind, low and in front, etc.) and having the triggers be tied to either a touch or bullet pass. Basically a mechanic very similar to the ball-carrier moves implemented last year and similar, but expanded, version to what I believe is already in place. The description stating that you're no longer throw at receivers and you can throw it anywhere on the field obviously contradicts that kind of mechanic though. But it's hard for me to envision them implementing any kind of difficult mechanic or something with a steep learning curve, especially if it's the default for online. Hard to say though, definitely the most interested in seeing this in action.

[ODogg]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

I don't know why you guys are so adamant EA cannot put a specific target on the field and have your QB throw to that spot. They did it back on the original Playstation for college football.

Am I the only one who remembers this? I think it was 1998 or 1999 but it was the original Playstation I recall, not PS2.

[OhMrHanky]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

I hope coverage assignments is more than just being able to individually assign a defender to an offensive player, if that is in fact the case...and maybe the in game options of swapping CB1 and CB2 coverage on the fly, etc..

I would like to see the "Plays Ball in Air" trait removed, for example, and have that be chosen by the user; so like in NCAA Football - thus I can tell my defense to pay more aggressive, conservative or the default balanced style.

It's possible this is being added this year. I posted a video on another thread here where someone discusses the possible new features showing how similar features worked in the past (in madden and other games), and he mentions the defensive assignments and shows how NCAA football did it. Maybe, it's late in the game and u need a turnover, U might have the option of telling your D to make big hits the rest of the game. By doing that, u leave yourself vulnerable to broken tackles and big plays by the O. So, it might be possible they add that ability to DBs as well, u tell them get aggressive, jump routes now. Or if you're ahead in the game, u could tell them to play very conservative. The tradeoff there being no big plays, but u might give up a sustained long drive filled with dink and dunks. This might add some spice to the game. But, as some have said, if the CPU AI botches this type of D call ability, u may be able to throw downtown all game once u get ahead or something. If they always jump routes when losing or whatnot. Unfortunately, the more complex they make play calling, or situational D and whatnot, I think the harder it is to properly program the CPU AI to not only utilize it, but to also not get destroyed by it. Lol.



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[OhMrHanky]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

I don't know why you guys are so adamant EA cannot put a specific target on the field and have your QB throw to that spot. They did it back on the original Playstation for college football.



Am I the only one who remembers this? I think it was 1998 or 1999 but it was the original Playstation I recall, not PS2.

Wow, u know what? If they put a cool trajectory arc in or something? Like the kicking arc. If done well, it might be something so u can see the arc in the air as opposed to a reticule on the ground. I think I would prefer an arc. But, in overall slightly troubled, as I don't want a goofy arc or a reticle on my field! Lol. But, yeah, I wonder if they could do more an arc. No matter how I think of how they might do this, I still have concerns to the timing of the whole thing. If u have to 'move' the reticule during the throw? Like, u press X and hold it down for a bullet, right when u press the button, an arc comes out, u aim the arc, and when the throw motion is complete, the bullet is fired wherever u happened to place it. Or reticule, of course, same thing. But, overall, it's that timing that I hope isn't too difficult to use.


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[4thQtrStre5S]

Re: Madden NFL 18 Features New Target Passing, Coverage Assignments & More

It's possible this is being added this year. I posted a video on another thread here where someone discusses the possible new features showing how similar features worked in the past (in madden and other games), and he mentions the defensive assignments and shows how NCAA football did it. Maybe, it's late in the game and u need a turnover, U might have the option of telling your D to make big hits the rest of the game. By doing that, u leave yourself vulnerable to broken tackles and big plays by the O. So, it might be possible they add that ability to DBs as well, u tell them get aggressive, jump routes now. Or if you're ahead in the game, u could tell them to play very conservative. The tradeoff there being no big plays, but u might give up a sustained long drive filled with dink and dunks. This might add some spice to the game. But, as some have said, if the CPU AI botches this type of D call ability, u may be able to throw downtown all game once u get ahead or something. If they always jump routes when losing or whatnot. Unfortunately, the more complex they make play calling, or situational D and whatnot, I think the harder it is to properly program the CPU AI to not only utilize it, but to also not get destroyed by it. Lol.



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Thank you for the information and insight... As I believe many here would agree, I loved a lot of how NCAA worked and would love to see it in Madden.