Better Fight for the Fumble Controls in Madden - Valdarez's Blog

Valdarez's Blog

Better Fight for the Fumble Controls in Madden

Posted on October 28, 2009 at 08:45 AM.

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I have been seeing quite a few Fight for the Fumbles in Madden 10. I'm not sure if it's my tv settings, or the randomness of the camera, but usually it's a close up view that's above the pile, so you can't really see what's going on. Are others experiencing this camera view?

It happens so fast that you usually have very little time to respond. Worse, hitting the buttons (A, B, X, or Y) just doesn't seem to fit the frantic action that's going on as the guys scramble / fight for the ball.

I was thinking of another EA game (Godfather I & II) that utilizes what has to be one of the best controller mechanics ever in a game. When you are choking someone, you pull both triggers and click down on the right / left analog sticks. It really feels like you are choking someone. With that in mind, I was thinking of what's going on at the bottom of the pile. Basically guys are trying obtain and/or secure the ball.

I held the controller in my hands, and thought about it what it must be like at the bottom of the pile, basically trying to move everyone out of the way, this seemed to translate in frantic movements with the Right / Left Analog stick. Then once I had the ball, I would clamp down on it, perhaps by clicking the Right/Left Trigger, or even the Right/Left Trigger + Right/Left Analog stick.

So basically as the Fight for the fumble is triggered, you are told to move your analog sticks up down, left or right. At the center of the screen is the football with a color bar to the right/left of it. The color closest to the ball is green, then yellow, then red. Based on your proximity to the ball, the bar will start out at one of the colors. As you move the analog sticks the bar will either get greener and closer to the football, or further away and turn red. Once it gets down to the football, you have a limited time to secure the ball by clicking a combination of the LT/RT & Left/Right Analog sticks indicating that you have control of the ball and have effectively secured it.

Personally I like the idea of Fight for the Fumble, problem is it just doesn't feel like I'm fighting for the ball. Here's a set of mockups to illustrate the idea.

Step 1 - Use Analog Sticks To Fight For the Fumble
This is a mock up of how players would move the right and left analog stick up and down to simulate fighting for the ball in the pile. As they move the sticks up/down the red color would fade, then the yellow would fade, and finally the green would fade, at which point the user has the opportunity to secure the ball.

Step 2 - Click Right/Left Analog Stick and Press LT/RT to Secure Ball
After a player has moved the Right/Left Analog Sticks up and down fast enough to try and secure the ball, they have an opportunity to click the Right/Left Analog sticks while simultaneously pressing the LT/RT buttons to simulate grasping the football.

Step 3 - Hold On to the Ball
Another thing they could do is have the black bar turn all white, or all green, or all orange (whatever color they choose) and have it shrink quickly towards the football (basically disappearing) to indicate how much time you have to secure the ball (this would be before the click).

Alternatively, they could also have it worked out such that just securing it isn't enough. After the lick, you have to have it secured for say 1 to 3 seconds, or some limited amount of time all the while the controller is rumbling (kind of like guys are hammering at you to get the ball). Only after the necessary time elapses is the ball actually secured and the possession yours. Kind of like how you have to hold onto it until they pull everyone off the pile, while others are still trying to take it away from you.

Step 4 - Provide Feedback on Ball Possession
If a player effectively clicks the Right/Left Analog Sticks and presses the LT/RT buttons in time then they will have effectively secured the ball and gained possession.

Problem with Hiding of Feedback Results
For some reason they decided not to show you whether you were winning possession of the ball or not in order for there to be a surprise as to 'who' has the ball which is what typically occurs from a spectators perspective. I believe this to be a tactical mistake. As the gamer, you are the player, not the spectator. As the football player, you will know if you have the ball if you secure it. It will not be a surprise.

Instead of this route, they should synchronize the timing of the players being removed from the pile with the movements of the analog sticks and the securing of the ball such that the refs are actively removing players by the time the player is attempting to hold on to the ball. Or, if the player is unable to secure the ball, have a ref quickly show the other team has possession.

In addition, the camera needs to be pulled back so you can get a better view of the action. As it stands it's too close up and you don't really get the feel of a pile up. Usually when it happens, I'm trying to adjust to what's going on, which means there needs to be more of an interval between when the ball is loose and the player actively begins fighting for it, or a generic way of fighting for it from the onset such as moving the analog sticks up and down (i.e. something that doesn't require a visual queue from the game that requires the gamer to react, such as hitting a specific button A, B, X, or Y).

Comments

# 1 ANDROMADA 1 @ Oct 28

I like that idea,good stuff Val!!Nice graphics too.

# 2 Valdarez @ Oct 28

Thanks ANDROMADA. Graphics aren't exactly my strong suit, but I hope it helped to get the point across. One thing they could do is have the black bar turn all white, or all green, or all orange (whatever color they choose) and have it shrink quickly to indicate how much time you have to secure the ball. They could also have it worked out such that just securing it isn't enough. You have to have it secured for say 2 seconds or something before it's actually yours. Kind of like how you have to hold onto it until they pull everyone off the pile, while others are still trying to take it away from you.