Madden 2010 News Post

Madden NFL 10 Blog - Improvements to WR/DB Interaction

11:54 AM - March 2, 2009 by Ian_Cummings

Check out the latest Madden NFL 10 blog. This one covers the improvements to WR/DB interaction.

Quote:


	"As most folks already know, as a design team we've been very active on the forums recently (starting about a month or so before the Madden NFL 09 release). Within minutes of talking with the community it's easy to tell that one of the most common areas requested for improvement is DB/WR play. Obviously, we're listening to you, and here are just some of the other improvements and changes that you can expect to see in Madden NFL 10 come August."

Game: Madden NFL 10Reader Score: 7.5/10 - Vote Now
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Madden NFL 10 Videos

Member Comments

# 41 NYyankz225 @ 03/02/09 01:14 PM

Excellent blog! Only thing is that I definitely agree that in the first video the new '10 route is pretty "sloppy". Hopefully that's not an elite receiver animation.

Acceleration is the single biggest issue in Madden imo and you're making big strides already. Only thing I'm curious about is if the DB has this new acceleration logic as well. I'd assume they did cause if not people DBs would have a huge advantage over the WRs with this new more realistic acceleration

Edit: After looking at the video again the route isn't as sloppy as I thought. Still doesn't look like an elite route runner but I'm sure you're aware of that.

# 42 Joborule @ 03/02/09 01:18 PM

Another great update. I've missed the defensive assignments feature since I last played on PS2. It's good to have that back because now I don't have to worry about Moss not getting covered by Bailey and instead was covered by Bly, which was not a great matchup.

The route running improvements look sharp as well. Really shows you how fast those players came out of their routes and how easily they can cut on the dime without losing much of a step. Those are acceleration and agility of about 100! So hopefully we get realistic distinctions in how the players accelerate, decelerate, and cut. This will make covering all types receivers a bit more realistic, but also should not make receivers be superman and get off target throws so easily as in the past. Receivers that have quick feet should be much more powerful then receivers that are flat-footed. That is if they can catch. The same thing goes for defenders and will add more diversity between good DB's and average ones. It looks as a whole momentum and player running skills have more of a presence.

But the best bit like you said is the jostling down the feild. That has been one aspect of the Madden game that has been missing for far too long since it's very frequent in real football. How many pass interference calls are a result from jostling correct? Majority of them.

Looking forward to the next bit.

# 43 WDOgF0reL1fe @ 03/02/09 01:20 PM

Woo awesome

# 44 johnprestonevans @ 03/02/09 01:21 PM

VERY nice work here.

# 45 Golden28 @ 03/02/09 01:24 PM

Awesome stuff Ian.

Small question. In the route running video the Madden 10 reciever seems to look back at the QB once he makes his cut, is this procedural awareness in motion or am I imagining it?

# 46 johnnyg713 @ 03/02/09 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by youALREADYknow


	One question: Was the acceleration/deceleration change to running changed across the board for the '10 version of EA football games? This change was absolutely necessary and I applaud it for WR/DB interaction, but hope that the change will apply to every player's movement on the field.

I second that! It is EXTREMELY important that every player's moment on the field will be effected the same way.

# 47 JBucc @ 03/02/09 01:34 PM

Wow looks awesome. I also got a 2k feel from the route running.

Could you maybe make a video showing us the difference between an average route runner and a great one?

# 48 NYyankz225 @ 03/02/09 01:35 PM

"That's it for this week! We hope these updates and improvements are starting to really show everyone our vision for Madden NFL 10 - one of a true football simulation. For those that would like to know, the NCAA team took all of these improvements (except for the Defensive Matchups - that's Madden only) for NCAA Football 10."

From the blog, for the people wondering if this will be in NCAA

# 49 deadlyCane @ 03/02/09 01:36 PM

Great job Ian. I love the way you choose to illustrate your points with videos. I've never been excited about Madden until now. Damn, I might be buying it this year. I thought I was done buying that game but you're making it worth it for me.

Bezo makes some good points in his post. I know Ian somewhat addressed his the second point in the quote below, but I don't think it was satisfactory. The defense should be able to pre-determine whether they are will to give up the outside vs the inside. Basically, if they are going to get beat determine which side is best to get beat. So they would shad the receiver to the side they prefer to get beat on:

Quote:

Originally Posted by BezO


	-Will motion have an effect on the DB's ability to chuck? -Is there a shading feature that allows the CBs to line up inside, straight up & outside of the WR? And will this effect chucking?

Rocky, you're right in that the Madden '09 guy is running a better route. But that is the problem with '09 and other versions of the game until now. EVERY receiver runs these routes to perfection without losing momentum. They don't abide by the laws of physics. They accelerate at their top speed the instant they take off and cut on a dime. The game up to now does not take into account ratings for acceleration and route running. Some guy showed a Jerry Rice video where he runs a perfect route. C'mon now, not everyone runs routes like Jerry. Some guys, even in the NFL run routes like what we saw from the '10 guy. Hopefully the '10 guy in the video is on the lower end of the spectrum for that rating. But I want to see some guys run routes like him and only the elite of the elites cut like the '09 guy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky


	The guy is Madden 09 is running a much better out route however. He rolls off his outside foot, he has alot less steps, and he has far less turning signals. He is running a pretty good out route if besides the fact that he needs to sell the vertical more and he actually has to follow the laws of physics. The guy in 10 follows the law of physics but he runs a very sloppy route.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tito78


	I love the difference in acceleration; it sort of reminded me of one of the "other games" from that "other" company. Good work, I hope the next blog is about OL/DL and LB interaction. Also, please make the LBs and safties line up where they're supposed to. There's no such thing as a ROLB; OLBs either line up on the strong or weak side. The strong safties need to line up on the strong side of the formation.

Agreed 100%. You can see the acceleration and decelleration from the '10 guy in the video. He actually abides by the laws of physics.

And the OLB and Safety stuff really bother me. I would add that you should allow us to move a FS to a SS and not get a drastic hit on the overall rating. The same for SS to FS.

# 50 frankrizzo380 @ 03/02/09 01:52 PM

great post EA!!!
hey ian, will they interact the same way on special teams, like on punts when the gunners are running down feild and are basically fighting with two guys downfield at full speed trying to cover a punt and get down to the pr???

# 51 Effington @ 03/02/09 01:53 PM

Looks pretty cool, no more bombing it deep to Randy Moss all the time.

# 52 MrNFL_FanIQ @ 03/02/09 02:07 PM

Definitely a good step. Now if they can fix OL/DL, gameplay should be in pretty good shape hypothetically.

# 53 roadman @ 03/02/09 02:07 PM

[quote=Guillotine 1;2039248966]Talk about setting the bar, this is wow...just wow...

6 for 6...From the field.

"He's heating up!"[/QUOTE

Haha, love the NBA Jam quote.

Is it the shoes?

Great job, Ian and team!!!!!!!

# 54 ghostlight85 @ 03/02/09 02:09 PM

This all looks great. The jostling should have a great impact on the game, and you guys are doing a great job of capturing a lot of what goes on in the many interactions on the field.

One thing I am a bit concerned about. When you say that the chuck animations are extended making receivers unable to catch the ball while being jammed by a DB, I'm a bit uncertain about this for goalline situations. Say a WR is supposed to run a quick fade and he gets jammed, but the QB throws it anyway. In real life, a good receiver will sometimes be able to take the contact, separate and make a play on the ball even with the jam, if the QB puts an accurate throw over his outside shoulder. Hopefully this will be possible still.

Looking forward to this game more everytime you guys post something.

# 55 dman1976 @ 03/02/09 02:11 PM

nice

# 56 frankrizzo380 @ 03/02/09 02:15 PM

LAWS OF PHYSICS=NO MORE ROCKET CATCHING!!!!!!!!!!!!

# 57 Danimal @ 03/02/09 02:22 PM

The old DB coach in me just busted a nut.

Thanks.

# 58 matt8204 @ 03/02/09 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CubsNBroncos


	This all sounds awesome but what about the issue of the wrs being so passive on jump balls? Dbs like Ellis Hobbs shouldn't be able to dominate big strong wrs on fades and high balls constantly. That's gotta be fixed for 10. Darn near impossible to throw fades right now.

Agreed; fades are such a big part of many team's offense now, especially near the goal line.

# 59 Golden28 @ 03/02/09 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky


	On 2nd look, why does the WR running the out route on Madden 09 look alot better than the WR running the out route on Madden 10?

I had the same concern but on comparing the first video to the second, you can see that the WR in the second vid (The DB coverage one) is running a much sharper route than the first video.

I think this first video was with a lower rated route runner just to over emphasize the effects of deceleration and momentum.

In the first video the reciever takes 4 steps to decelerate before pushing off his left foot whilst in the second video the WR only needs a couple of steps before he pushes off and turns in.

As Ian said, I quote "We are also utilizing the route running rating much more now when selecting these animations. We totally re-tuned which cut moves play (and how 'open' the WR gets) based on an elite/agile/non-agile separation in regards to that rating"

I believe that in this first video the reciever was definately in the non-agile catagory.

# 60 BSherrod @ 03/02/09 02:38 PM

Wow, August just got farther away. Read the article, but I haven't seen the videos yet since the iPhone compatible YouTube video isn't up yet. Great work though guys.

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