Madden NFL 15 Blog & Screenshots - Tackling Mechanic

[Khanchus]

tackling.....

my big riff (i seen someone state this on another topic) is the way the lead up to the tackle sometimes and some of the animations are just not real (like the spear shoulder tackle im seeing in all these videos) that one just urks me....

[JMUfootball]

When tackling is a binary process, the physics are always going to be all wrong. I agree that this sounds like a "true step" in the wrong direction. A ball carrier should have an "always on" latent attribute for balance, and tackles/impacts with various parts of his body should cause that attribute to deteriorate dynamically until a critical point, at which point the carrier falls.

The problem with madden has always been that tackles are triggered depending on approach angle and one or two attributes of the defender. If the criterion match, tackle animation is triggered. Not the right way to design physics based gameplay in 2014 (!)

This development seems like more of the same, except now trigger thresholds based on angle are lowered. That's great, but canned tackles are still canned tackles...

[SamoanSteelerFromAus]

Im in the camp of "stick skills" should be a factor like it has in the last few maddens. The only tackles i really miss in madden 25 are the ones that im running full speed holding the sprint trigger and diving or hit sticking at the wrong angle. Im fine with that, i don't get angry at the game for that.
In football, those are the tackles that are mostly whiffed on. Thats why there is a strafe button people, its so you can slow and break down like they do in real life.
The element of how well you use the controller should remain cause thats what a video game is, if they keep moving away from that than you might as well play virtual chess. Warp tackles ruin the realism for this game, if you whiff on tackles all the time then practice getting better at it or switch away from the ball carrier at let the CPU do it for you.
I've loved defense more than any other part of football since i started playing football games, i even play linebacker in real life, so i don't want the challenge(and in my opinion-realism) taken out of this game.

The reason i love defense is the difficulty of getting to the ball carrier and getting into position to make a tackle, but all that makes a tackle faaaaar more satisfying when you do make it and i don't think that should be tampered with cause casual gamers have difficulty or people don't wanna rely on their "stick skills".

To me, its a backwards step. I play football games for what happens on the field, not so i can be an owner and change the prices on fries or be a head coach and call nothing but plays and let it sim. There needs to be the balance between the right call you make pre play and how well you user control your defender/offender on the sticks. This, in my opinion is dissolving that balance and it is counter productive to the direction they were taking with the physics engine. Once again, i think the casual gamer is getting the nod here and my lack of faith in EA implementing new things has me worried that this will effect the game negatively in the first installment of this feature...

Also, new animations for tackling and break tackling are desperately needed..

[bukktown]

Quote: Originally Posted by jmik58

"2. Inability for users to understand direction and spatial distances between defender and ball carrier, and how that affected tackling" I read that as "We're going to take away dynamic gameplay and make more canned animation sequences to make up for the fact that the core fanbase of Madden aren't very good on the sticks."

I only need to think back to playing online and controlling the safety on a swing pass to the flat. I had no LB help as I was blitzing and the CB was blocked by the WR, so it was just me and the RB. He was running to the sideline so I was also taking an angle and all of a sudden the RB did a 140 degree turn and was at the middle of the field while I was still heading toward the sideline.

#dynamicgameplay

[TheBleedingRed21]

Maybe I'm in the minority but stick skills ruin the game in some regard.

Most of the issues that are brought up that the AI won't do are countered by developers that the user has to initate that aspect. When in reality, our leagues that use a no switch rule are SOL because we want the CPU to bat more balls and do stuff that they claim the user can do.

A simulation should feature AI that takes advantage of these sim aspects and not rely on the user switching and doing the action.

[Big FN Deal]

I'm kind of surprised by the negative responses about the new tackling mechanic, considering most of the big plays in Madden come from the bs that defenders couldn't trigger a tackle in space at all angles. In real life the defender can at least reach out to grab a ball carrier to slow them down but not in Madden. Their arms were useless without a tackle animation, there was no reach ability. Maybe next year they'll actually add a reach tackle mechanic for when the defender is in space/unblocked for you guys that want full User control but I'm looking forward to trying this mechanic in the meantime.

These kind of big plays were happening in older Maddens, partly because of the unrealistic movement the ball carrier could do, which they addressed somewhat with "true step" and the other part was due to defenders not being able to engage due to poor angles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aebf...aAQM9WDXzvRmuA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tlS...aAQM9WDXzvRmuA

Look at that nonsense, especially #37 Reed Doughty who comes flying into the screen but can't trigger any kind of tackle attempt in the first video and Landry in the second should have clearly been able to do something besides letting the ball carrier run by, then give chase. This was also at least part of the reason the "Conga line" would occur, ball carriers would run right by defenders with poor angles and they would all fall behind them.

[hanzsomehanz]

A more intuitive tackke system, steering assists, and those things akin to these two are all welcomed.

My trouble is unsettled by the response time to click on to an out of position player and immediately hit dive or hit stick and that player immediately makeshifts his way to the ball through warped lunges - that is how the poor tackle gamer is currently assisted.

The core gamer they are babysitting is currently being rewarded for spamming.

I am of the lobby that votes for penalties to spamming in the wrong context: tackling is not akin to street fighter hits - there needs to be an onus to play like a tackler and stick skill penalties should exist that score you low for spamming the "switch-stick".

I kid you not when I say I see replays of kids making up to six or more switch and stick attempts within a single 6 - 10 yard play.

If EA is going to be their babysitter and drivers ED teacher, they gotta teach good behsviors and reward the giid but punish the bad: don't spoil then till they are too lazy to learn the correct behavior.

I see it as running a red light or speeding through yellows - the gamers gotta be trained into successful Pro habits that require range, breaking, and steering and awareness of weaving thru traffic: heat seeker is a great sssist tool for steering.

Ultimately, what I am advocating here goes beyond tackling and encompasses all fundamental facets of the game.

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[hanzsomehanz]

I also got heat seeker hit stick the other night by a kicker and the kicker sort thru the traffic like an all-pro special teamer.

I wecome a big hit from a kicker or punter in the context of that Colts kicker/punter who laid out T. Holliday but nothing outside of that narrow scope.

The path we seem to be going is one size fits all in respect to the mechanics: what is good for the All-Pro LB Willis is good for the veteran P Moorestead.

Heat-seeker should hold the potential to lead into a variety of tackle attempts, like a pandaora box, and should be in match w your tackle ability and size vs the ball-carries running ability and size.

Ultimately, I am proposing the ushering of a heat-seeker stick that functions like a matchup stick before it lights a fire on that ball-carriers ***: a tackler should intelligently assess his best chances to take down the carrier - should he swipe the legs out or simply take one for the team and go in kamikaze syle and hope help will save him?

I doubt Deion was willing to go shoulder to shoulder and head to head w the bruisers nor is DRC.

I am pointing to Player Sense 3.0 and up to address these matchup outcomes.

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