Improvements in Madden 2010

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

There's a distinct difference between providing additional content after release and charging $7.50 on release day for content that has been in previous year versions of the game. That's ridiculous.

I agree with that. I'm just saying that I think there is a difference in charging for extras that are more personal preference vs extras that give someone an advantage in the gameplay. With the latter, you're essentially forced to pay if you want to have a quality online experience.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

It was announced today that those who pre-order from Gamestop will get the Madden demo as an early exclusive. It will feature 4 5-minute quarters of Steelers vs Cardinals with adjustable difficulty levels. I wonder if those who get the demo the conventional method will also get 4 5-minute quarters?

Kotaku is reporting that the only way to get the madden demo this year is to preorder. If that's true, EA has reached new levels of douchebaggery and they deserve every damn thing MBBF says about them.

[Logan]

What exactly is the point of a demo if it is only going to people who have already decided to purchase the game?

[Atocep]

EA clarified the terrible wording of their press release.

From Kotaku:

http://kotaku.com/5293192/madden-dem...n-%5Bupdate%5D

EA have let us know that there will be two demos made available. One for GameStop preorder customers, which features the Cards vs the Steelers (with 5-minute quarters), and a second demo for everyone, which will feature the Giants vs the Cowboys (with 2-minute quarters).

[Kodos]

Some good news on the NCAA 2010 front:

Jeremy Strauser just twittered: @pastapadre NCAA team working on a patch so that DLC can be deactivated in Online Dynasty. Rosters fixes also in the works.

[Logan]

Amazing that it takes a patch to do that. Did they really think no one would have a problem with this automatically applying to everything in the online universe without anyone being able to deactive it?

[BrianD]

I'm not sure this patch will be enough to save the game. If we really lose the top 10 universities a recruit is interested in, and the comparative interest levels, then basic functionality is broken. The only way I am paying for basic functionality is if the base price of the game is dropped.

[Kodos]

Yeah. I'm still in the "move my preorder over to Madden" camp.

[RainMaker]

How long has Strausser been with NCAA? Wasn't he with Madden for a long time?

[MizzouRah]

I guess you could always cancel your pre-order and get your money back if you don't like the Madden demo.

[Kodos]

I'm 100% getting Madden this year. Come hell or highwater.

[Kodos]

Its probably only me, but... - Operation Sports Forums

http://maddennfl.easports.com/featur...n?platform=psp

Interesting. Looks like there may be a play creator for the PS3/PSP versions.

[wade moore]

Play creators are just bastions for cheesers.

[Kodos]

Eh. I'm sure there are plenty of guys who would like to create non-cheesy plays for offline use. I don't think you can fault EA for putting it in. Although you can probably fault them for not putting it in for the 360. Seems like a good way for them to spur sales of the PSP version of the game.

[Big Fo]

Play creation was my favorite part of Head Coach. But I normally stick to single player so the only entity eating my cheese will be the AI.

[RainMaker]

They had play creator back in Madden I believe in 1990. I made an entire playbook with stuff like the Wishbone and funky reverses.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Eh. I'm sure there are plenty of guys who would like to create non-cheesy plays for offline use. I don't think you can fault EA for putting it in. Although you can probably fault them for not putting it in for the 360. Seems like a good way for them to spur sales of the PSP version of the game.

i get your altruism here, but legit players should be able to find enough plays in the tons and tons that are in the game.

Play creator is just the bastion of cheesing imo.

[wade moore]

Dola: Not to say you're bad for using it. I just get sad when I see it because I know how many will use it.

[RainMaker]

I don't necessarily think it's cheesing, just that it's not built for custom plays. The defensive AI is rather weak and really seems to only hold it's own against the preconceived plays that are in the game. I know that with the right audibles/hot routes, a lot of people can exploit the defense regularly. So a playbook would allow people to build entire playbooks with the most exploitable routes and formations.

I think it's a great idea down the road and I'd love to see a day when we all login online with custom playbooks. But until the AI of the game dramatically improves, it just leads itself to being a disaster.

[sabotai]

I guess I have a different view as to what amounts to "tons and tons" since I've always thought the amount of plays in both Madden and NCAA are rather slim.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I don't necessarily think it's cheesing, just that it's not built for custom plays. The defensive AI is rather weak and really seems to only hold it's own against the preconceived plays that are in the game. I know that with the right audibles/hot routes, a lot of people can exploit the defense regularly. So a playbook would allow people to build entire playbooks with the most exploitable routes and formations.

If that's not cheese, I don't know what is.

And I completely agree on the audibles, hot routes, motion - I tend to not use it at all because it is so easily exploited.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by sabotai

I guess I have a different view as to what amounts to "tons and tons" since I've always thought the amount of plays in both Madden and NCAA are rather slim.

Yeah, I've never had that feeling - but to each his own I suppose.

[Eaglesfan27]

Smart move on EA's part to try to get people to buy both versions. This makes the PS3 version slightly tempting, but most of my old friends are getting the 360 version so that will be the overriding factor for me.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by wade moore

If that's not cheese, I don't know what is.

And I completely agree on the audibles, hot routes, motion - I tend to not use it at all because it is so easily exploited.

I just hate the word cheese. Cheese is just shitty AI. Would rather see the focus be on fixing the AI than cutting back features that can exploit it.

[gstelmack]

The thing about hot routes is not so much that there are cheesy hot routes as there are just plain bad routes. Anyone ever complete a corner route or whatever that funky fake-a-post-run-a-corner route is with any kind of regularlity? Either the defender is always there to do his mile-high leap, or the receiver runs out of bounds before making the catch. When I played 2008 (and NCAA 2008) I was either hitting on crossing routes or streaks/flies, that's about it. Everything else was either going out of bounds or too easy for the defender to jump. And with the crossing route you had to watch for the uber-linebackers. If it weren't for hot routes in 2008, I'd have had maybe a 30% completion rate.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

The thing about hot routes is not so much that there are cheesy hot routes as there are just plain bad routes. Anyone ever complete a corner route or whatever that funky fake-a-post-run-a-corner route is with any kind of regularlity? Either the defender is always there to do his mile-high leap, or the receiver runs out of bounds before making the catch. When I played 2008 (and NCAA 2008) I was either hitting on crossing routes or streaks/flies, that's about it. Everything else was either going out of bounds or too easy for the defender to jump. And with the crossing route you had to watch for the uber-linebackers. If it weren't for hot routes in 2008, I'd have had maybe a 30% completion rate.

I can hit the corner route pretty regularly.

[ColtCrazy]

After playing the NCAA demo a few more times, I have to say I'm enjoying it a lot more. I was skeptical at first after playing as Florida, but now that I've played with Oklahoma (which has more my style playbook) I'm enjoying it. There are some tackle animations that show up too much, but generally it seems like a decent game of football.

Though there are still bugs. Erin Andrews was reporting on an injury. She said at first they thought he had a broken wrist but after examination he actually had a bruise sternum. That's some team doctor!!!!

[Kodos]

That's pretty funny.

[RainMaker]

The corner route used to be a money play back in 2001-2003. You could hit it 50% of the time for a big gain.

[gstelmack]

I didn't play in 2001-2003. I played 2006 on the 360 for a short bit, then played a ton of 2008. On 2008 the defender always had plenty of time to catch up to the receiver and knock it down. If I tried to lead the receiver to get it over the defender's head, it went out of bounds. I'd love to know the trick to it...

[RainMaker]

I'm just saying that they probably overcompensated when fixing it. It was much worse in the old versions. I don't know how they could fix it now though as the DB AI is reliant on catch-up speed and super jumps. Would take a complete overhaul to fix that and I don't think they have it in the plans for this year.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

I didn't play in 2001-2003. I played 2006 on the 360 for a short bit, then played a ton of 2008. On 2008 the defender always had plenty of time to catch up to the receiver and knock it down. If I tried to lead the receiver to get it over the defender's head, it went out of bounds. I'd love to know the trick to it...

Had the same problem with NCAA 2008, but I could it hit against the right coverage in NCAA 09.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Abner put up a heavy duty developer Q&A............

GameShark | Features | Madden NFL 10 Developer Q&A

[Eaglesfan27]

I was just about to post that link. It's clear that he is impressed with the changes and just amps my excitement for the game. It's a very long interview. Not a bunch of new info, but still some great examples. Here is one of my favorite excerpts:

I know that the team is very upfront about wanting player ratings to really matter this year. The fact that you guys chain Donny Moore to a chair and make him rate every player -- is pretty amazing when you think about it. But in terms of gameplay, how will we see a difference in say -- quarterbacks? It's been one of my pet peeves with football games for years: it's terribly hard to tell a difference between the QBs outside of arm strength and running speed. Will a quarterback with lower accuracy actually be off target with more throws?

Donny: First off, it is a really comfortable chair. Now to your question.



I think we have captured the strengths and weaknesses of each one of the quarterbacks in the league like never before for Madden NFL 10. No longer is every QB rated 80+ in throw accuracy. We now see guys covering a wider spread, rated anywhere from 50 to 99. This meant totally re-tuning the passing game, but it was something that we felt had to be done.



You can see immediate differences just by taking the Dolphins into practice mode and checking them out. First, we have Chad Pennington. He is rated amongst the best QBs in the game in short and intermediate accuracy. However, he has a sub 75 rated arm (Throw Power), so you do not want to take too many chances deep with Pennington. Throwing the deep out across the field with Chad Pennington = not a bright idea in Madden NFL 10.



Now, sub in the electric backup Pat White. Notice that he is almost like a running back or receiver in terms of quickness and agility. He has a stronger arm than Pennington (low to mid 80’s). So he is capable of making more throws. But you will quickly notice that his accuracy is nowhere near Pennington’s level. White is rated in the low 70’s to low 60’s for accuracy. Finally, sub in 3rd string Chad Henne. He has a laser arm (90+ THP). His accuracy is somewhere in between White and Pennington. Factor all these changes in, and I promise you will feel a significant difference this year. Not just with the Dolphins, but with each and every quarterback in the league.
I also want to mention that we have 30+ unique passing styles and stances in the game for the first time in Madden NFL history. Tony Romo’s sidearm release. Peyton Manning. Brady. Roethlisberger. Heck, we even got Matt Stafford. Each one of these guys has slightly different timing with their release, so player will have to adjust for each one. Some of these guys are outstanding outside the pocket and on the run, for example Big Ben and Tony Romo. Some QBs need to be kept in the pocket to take full advantage of their tremendous accuracy ratings- think Kurt Warner and Drew Brees.

[Kodos]

I'm more excited about Madden than I have been in years. NCAA is a different story...

[Bigsmooth]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I'm more excited about Madden than I have been in years. NCAA is a different story...

Copy that.

Anybody know yet if the "pre-made" draftees always arrive at the same time in a franchise or if it is all random? Pretty crappy if they aren't random.

[Kodos]

I believe the classes show up in random order throughout a franchise. But no shuffling of players between classes.

[MizzouRah]

The little things video.. sorry if this is a repost..

YouTube - Madden NFL 2010 Everything You See on Sunday

[MizzouRah]

IGN review: IGN: Madden NFL 10 Review

0.1 higher than 09.. interesting...

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

IGN review: IGN: Madden NFL 10 Review

0.1 higher than 09.. interesting...

Think it's tough to judge reviews like that. They are looking for different things than the people here are. I mean they rated last years an 8.8 and that game sucked hard.

[Balldog]

Most of the impressions from people who have gotten the game are good...saying its the best in a long time.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Think it's tough to judge reviews like that. They are looking for different things than the people here are. I mean they rated last years an 8.8 and that game sucked hard.

Yeah, from reading some of the stuff at OS the prevailing view is that last years was way overrated and that this year is much better. Of course that could just be "new game syndrome". Lot's of guys posting that have gotten the game early so maybe by official release next Friday we'll have a better idea of how solid the game is.

[Epi_862]

Even if the IGN review only gave 8.9, it's really singing high praises for the gameplay. I bet thats what most of us here expected, and looks like M10 delivers on that part.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

IGN review: IGN: Madden NFL 10 Review

0.1 higher than 09.. interesting...

Let's be honest here. IGN is one of the last places I'd get my review information, especially when we're judging the FOFC crowd and what they look for. These guys are generally very young and their journalism leaves a lot to be desired.

I've talked to 4 people with review copies and every one has said it's a big improvement over the 09 version. I preordered a copy of the game earlier this week. That should speak volumes.

[Scoobz0202]

What websites does everybody go to for their gaming news/reviews?

[DeToxRox]

The Nut and the Feisty Weasel --> Abner's blog. Very good for sports games.

Pastapadre.com --> another good sports game blog.

Otherwise I just use IGN, or whatever.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Let's be honest here. IGN is one of the last places I'd get my review information, especially when we're judging the FOFC crowd and what they look for. These guys are generally very young and their journalism leaves a lot to be desired.

I've talked to 4 people with review copies and every one has said it's a big improvement over the 09 version. I preordered a copy of the game earlier this week. That should speak volumes.

I could care less about the review.. just thought that was interesting.

You buying a game does NOT speak volumes for ME. I've liked so many games you thought were crap... so I'm thinking if you like Madden, I'll probably hate it.

I really like NCAA, so Madden is going to be a rent for me. I don't care about all the crap Bill posts about - I have FOF for that.

I really hope people here like it though - but I'm already mad it doesn't have player lock on defense.

[Philliesfan980]

I've been reading the impressions thread on OS, and it looks like it's a mixed bag again. I'm hoping for the best, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Izulde]

I think it's worth noting that I haven't been tempted at all by either NCAA or Madden this year.

Edit: I mean to say, when I've seen them in stores. It's been like "Eh. Whatever."

[Julio Riddols]

I was tempted by Madden yesterday.. He was hiding in the bushes near my house whispering "turducken" when people would pass by. I nearly took him up on his breathy offer.