Madden NFL 11 Hints From EA (IGN)

[Ian_Cummings]

I was hoping to work up a more in depth response to this (as I knew the community would not respond all that well to some of the things in this presentation), but believe me in that you shouldn't be worried. We're not catering to people that want an arcade experience, and we're not going to make football for dummies. We're making it the most authentic game possible while trying to step back and look at the root issues that turn a lot of people off from enjoying the game (yourselves included...Bezo made some great points as did many people in this thread.)

The whole concept of the presentation was something that you guys would really enjoy I think - I pulled a ton of data that really helped showcase how people play our games and how we make decisions on gameplay, features, etc. based on REAL data that is mined from the consoles and not just from opinion. We don't make the passing game easier if a few reviewers throw a bunch of picks...we use statistical analysis of the millions of games played to make decisions. I'll see if I can get clearance to just post the whole powerpoint as well (or maybe I could film myself giving it or something). There was even a cool OS shout-out in there.

So in short, don't panic. (I feel like I say that a lot)

[Ian_Cummings]

Quote: Originally Posted by CreatineKasey

I don't know... grrr. Just revamp locomotion, ball trajectory, OL/DL interactions first

What a concept!

[Rashad19]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ian_Cummings_EA

What a concept!

Bezo keep yelling out fixes while we have Ian's ear!!

[gostate]

Great ideas. The novelty of all the various cutscenes last for about 3-5 games, and then you've seen just about everything there is. After 20 games, they're just plain annoying. I guess feeling like watching a game while playing one adds to the realism for some people, but it shouldn't account for 2/3 of the total time. I also agree that some of the plays are just innefective or poorly designed. People figure out what the low-risk/high reward plays are, and stick with them. Less focus on these details might result in a better playing game if they can spend more time on blocking AI, and other common complaints.

[BlueNGold]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ian_Cummings_EA

What a concept!

You have my money if those things are in (but throw WR/DB play into that too).

BTW, thanks for clearing things up.

[randers]

do not take out rocket catching. thanks =)

I like that you have to have a strong "stick" skill set to perform at a high level in this game (ie "rocket" catching, user jukes, strip button, Dstrafe, hit stick etc etc et al).

No blitz/nba jam puhreez

[BezO]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ian_Cummings_EA

"...step back and look at the root issues that turn a lot of people off from enjoying the game

Folks playing online, putting in that many hours, already enjoy the game. Survey & check the stats of those who put in LESS game time. Those are the folks turned off.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ian_Cummings_EA

We don't make the passing game easier if a few reviewers throw a bunch of picks...we use statistical analysis of the millions of games played to make decisions.

This is the type of analysis I'm afraid of. Excessive picks don't necessarily happen because the passing game is too hard. Most of my picks probably came from the lack of realistic footwork requirments for defenders and other problems that make it impossible to read defenses like I would IRL.

[CreatineKasey]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ian_Cummings_EA

What a concept!

YEEE HAW!