Madden NFL 10 Blog: Player Ratings - A New Philosophy, A New Era

[jrivera34]

The only thing I didn't like is when they mention that bad receivers will drop a lot of passes. I rather see the receiver not get open as opposed to dropping wide open passes. Other than that , so far so good.

[GoToledo]

Ian, please tell me this is happening to NCAA as well.



Excellent change and long overdue IMO.

[kcarr]

Quote: Originally Posted by jrivera34

The only thing I didn't like is when they mention that bad receivers will drop a lot of passes. I rather see the receiver not get open as opposed to dropping wide open passes. Other than that , so far so good.

That depends on the reciever. Some guys are fast enough to get open at times but can't catch consistantly. Some are quick and agile and run good enough routes to get open but drop a lot of passes. Some can win jump balls occasionally but cant get open consistantly making all of their catches tough leading to drops. Some have the hands but just can't get seperation. And some are just all around not that good and they should have a combination of these problems. I hope that madden can get players of all these types to play like they really do

[Nza]

One question I forgot to ask earlier - instead of changing player ratings, why not just change how ratings influence the gameplay?

For instance, instead of dropping people down to 70 speed from 88 speed, why not just make the difference between 88 spd and 99 spd in the game engine bigger?

Either way you get the same end result, jus figured this way would avoid drastic OVR changes and hence save EA from some inevitable backlash from fans obsessed with ratings.

[rickywal]

Quote: Originally Posted by Nza

One question I forgot to ask earlier - instead of changing player ratings, why not just change how ratings influence the gameplay? For instance, instead of dropping people down to 70 speed from 88 speed, why not just make the difference between 88 spd and 99 spd in the game engine bigger? Either way you get the same end result, jus figured this way would avoid drastic OVR changes and hence save EA from some inevitable backlash from fans obsessed with ratings.

I'm guessing changing player ratings is a lot easier than changing how the game is played. And I guess you'll get an issue of if the gap between 88 to 99 is bigger then the gap between 55 and 99 is huge!
Not saying a DT should be able to keep up with a WR, but those guys can move when they get rolling!

[feeq14]

Im wondering if there will be any new ratings for QBs. I know that scaling can make a big difference, such as giving Chad Pennington a 74 THP rating than a 84 rating. but Other attributes need to be added to make QB play more realistic.

[Flamehead]

Thanks Ian. This is a GREAT move. Anything to move it towards sim is most welcome and long overdue. This should make players feel really different.

[Donny_Moore]

Quote: Originally Posted by Nza

One question I forgot to ask earlier - instead of changing player ratings, why not just change how ratings influence the gameplay? For instance, instead of dropping people down to 70 speed from 88 speed, why not just make the difference between 88 spd and 99 spd in the game engine bigger? Either way you get the same end result, jus figured this way would avoid drastic OVR changes and hence save EA from some inevitable backlash from fans obsessed with ratings.

To be honest, we are much more concerned with the end result (i.e. - the gameplay) than we are any cosmetic rating issues.

Yes, you are correct in your speculation that it is easier to accomplish this new system via rating changes, rather than going in and forcing the gameplay to be tuned to certain specific numbers.

Someone else had a great point about running to the outside...to me, that is the real takeaway here....in Madden 10, it is actually possible to hit a home run on a sweep play! I think that is a major move forward for running the ball in Madden. I am so stoked about this one!

Another post was talking about making sure the Ravens and Steelers can stop the outside run, or probably more broad than that, he wanted to make sure defensive players were not being slighted here.

We are VERY much on the same page here, trust me. I want James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley,Troy Polamalu, and the Steelers Defense to feel like the 2007 New England Patriots offense - I want them to be that dominant, from the defensive side of things. That is my goal and I think these new rating changes help us get there. So for example, these pass rush beasts from Pittsburgh will raise absolute hell on a team with suspect pass protection. So just like we lowered things like SPeed and Awareness, we also broadened the gap for Offensive Linemen Pass and Run blocking. So your Joe Average Left Guard who was rated in the mid to high 80's in Pass Block Footwork or Strength, now, those same guys are found anywhere from 10-20 points lower (in the mid 60's - low 70's). Meanwhile, Mr. Woodley and Mr. Harrison keep their 95+ pass rush abilities (power moves/finesse moves).

Teams and players will play to their strengths and weaknesses like never before. That is my personal mantra for 10.