Madden NFL 11 Title Update #4 Details

[Armor and Sword]

Quote: Originally Posted by jaymee13

Did anyone ever think the EA didn't intend gameplanning to be used for CPU opponents? And that's why during last patch they "fixed" it so you can't do it like we used to pre patch?

Well I would just love for EA to at least acknowledge this is some way shape or form. I mean we have a few threads talking about the glitch (supposed pre patch glitch going on your thoughts) and an entire sub forum dedicated to gameplanning.

We just want an answer, a statement, something. I don't think that is being unreasonable about the most highly touted feature, and their mantra for the 2011 version of the game!

[Gordy748]

Quote: Originally Posted by TomServo09

Time to trade Madden in for Medal of Honor.....

I did exactly that last week. It's ok but gets really boring really quickly. And guess what? Medal of Honor's published by...... EA.

I started the game on Hard on Friday night and was finished around Saturday. It's far too easy, the storyline is hashed (how many elite American soldiers routinely flagrantly disobey orders, apart from Steven Seagal?), the maps are more dull than the original Halo (which is how many years old?)... The game is simply not worth the sticker price.

So yesterday I got Battlefield: Bad Company 2 from the second hand box for a 1/5 of the price. MILES AND MILES better than MoH. Sad that a 6 month old game beats MoH. But bizarre that Battlefield 2 is... an EA game.

I have no idea why EA would delete so many great features out of a game, but it seems it's a habit that's not confined to their sports games.

[Armor and Sword]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gordy748

I did exactly that last week. It's ok but gets really boring really quickly. And guess what? Medal of Honor's published by...... EA. I started the game on Hard on Friday night and was finished around Saturday. It's far too easy, the storyline is hashed (how many elite American soldiers routinely flagrantly disobey orders, apart from Steven Seagal?), the maps are more dull than the original Halo (which is how many years old?)... The game is simply not worth the sticker price. So yesterday I got Battlefield: Bad Company 2 from the second hand box for a 1/5 of the price. MILES AND MILES better than MoH. Sad that a 6 month old game beats MoH. But bizarre that Battlefield 2 is... an EA game. I have no idea why EA would delete so many great features out of a game, but it seems it's a habit that's not confined to their sports games.

BCBF2 is an amazing game. When you play with a great squad with headsets it is so intense and a ton of fun. The new DLC Vietnam is around the corner too for BCBF2. Look forward to getting back out on the battlefield and shooting again.

[b22gamer]

It's just pathetic. I mean, you have the NFL license for the next 2 years. Can't you make THE ultimate football game???? EA is more worried about jerseys and new features, that honestly, no one could care less about....STRIP the game and start over...you guys over at EA need to wake up and smell the coffee...once your agreement with the NFLPA is up, its OVER for you Madden.... NFL2k5 is the best football game ever made, period. I dug up my old xbox and bought a used copy of 2k5 just for the satisfaction of a good football sim. Seriously, why play the games if its not going to be entertaining? EA promotes this game on TV like its the greatest thing since Zelda, well guess what...hardcore gamers see through your lies and we don't like it!

[Gordy748]

Quote: Originally Posted by havokeff

Really, people complain that they want realism in Madden, yet don't seem to fathom that the most realistic aspect of the NFL is that winning is HARD. The game should be hard too, and if you aren't afraid to set the sliders to an appropriate setting, you will never achieve that no matter how the game plays.

I currently play as the Seahawks using normal speed, with custom sliders set at 13/12/12/12. Even after deciding not to use my World Class Staff power-up, I still get ~12 wins a year. Even trying playmaker's sliders, I've found that if I play a higher rated team, most times I'll win. Frankly, it's not realistic for the 'Hawks to have the Saints' track record this year (much as I'd love this to be true).

Quote: Originally Posted by havokeff

Re: Uniform degradation: Really? I mean, really? Is that what you think about when the game is over? "Oh man, my uniform is too damn clean! EA sucks!!" And news flash, most teams have some form of field turf now, so dirt on uniforms is pretty irrelevant these days. Re: Alt Uniforms: This is something I could get behind, but as a major issue and a 'Fail'? Come the F on people, most Alt Unis get worn once or twice a season. Yes it goes to overall presentation but it is hardly the end of the world lapse that users make it out to be. Especially the 50 year patches and such. It sounds much more like people are upset that EA didn't give their teams the special attention that they think they deserve, and not really much more of an issue outside of that.

Ok, I'll agree you on this one. Dirty unis is not a game breaker. But it's annoying, just like playing in the rain in Dallas' dome. And there are a collection of annoyances that I think limit the potential of the game. For many the really annoying thing is that features that don't work right or aren't there used to be.

Quote: Originally Posted by havokeff

Re: EA not listening/caring what consumers (we) say: That is a load. And not the way any company that makes a product that has to be purchased by the consumer in order to sustain itself, operates. We know that they listen. We know that they read the things we write. Does that mean that they can implement every thing that we want or fix /change all the issues we complain about? No, of course not. The game would never come out if they did that. But no one can say with a straight face that they haven't tried to make Madden the best product they can make, especially in light of the fact they need to put out a product every year at a certain time, where most game companies get to take 2-3 years on a game and 95% of them STILL suck.

You sure about this? People that make things we buy are just people. Some are smart, some listen, but others are stupid and others plain arrogant. I work at Sony (not Playstation) and I see dumb decisions made all the time, by companies you'd be sure would know better. Then there is money. There's not much chance it's a coincidence that Madden 11's patch 4 fixes something that could earn EA more money, while ignoring offline franchise (which doesn't earn EA ongoing revenues).

I don't doubt there are programmers working on Madden 11 that care deeply about the game. Equally, I don't doubt upper management have different priorities. They get paid on money made and boxes sold. As long as a game doesn't have critical showstoppers that impact sales, they aren't so concerned about quality. Sometimes this is a good thing (without timelines we'd never get games on time), other times less so. EA's exclusivity franchise costs a lot of money. They need to recoup this, and at the same time they have no incentive to improve it. The economics simply say that EA should spend less on development and more on trying to get money back.

Quote: Originally Posted by havokeff

Re: The patch: Personally, I haven't touched game-planing or whatever it is called so I can't comment on it. That goes for the online play and Ultimate team card game thing. Clearly though, there are people that wanted these issues addressed, and *GASP* they are willing to pay for them. As for not addressing game play... what exactly is wrong with it? I am an avid football fan as well as a avid Madden player and I am not seeing these game play problems that people are talking about. What I see are an occasional animation glitch, sometimes I see them regularly. Raise your hand if you have ever played a game for hours on end that didn't have a glitch in it's animations.

It's not the animation based gameplay I find dull, it's where and how they happen. The gameplay allows cpu plays in instances that are not physically possible. I see cpu LBs hurdling over my prone OL and accelerate in mid air into my running back. I also regularly see them get past the tackle, then pull a Tron-like turn 90 degrees to intercept me. Or the Safety that suddenly accelerates into the path of the ball to intercept me when they were yards away running the other way. Or the cpu WR instantly change direction at full sprint to catch the ball.

I really don't mind getting beat as the 'Hawks if I'm playing the Saints. Fumbles, sacks, etc... they're given. What pains me is seeing the Saints win by pulling off impossible moves; they're a better team but they're not supposed to be extras from Marvel Comics.

Quote: Originally Posted by havokeff

Really what I see in this thread, and threads all over this forum, are people mad because they don't get to pop in Madden and get the actual NFL. I mean, yes, that would be great, it is what we all want, but it is just a video game. That isn't going to happen. (Not yet anyway) And as many people have already pointed out, it doesn't happen, and certainly hasn't happened, in any game out there, for any sport.

I agree (really, I do). But Madden (football) is the second top game type globally, after soccer. It really should offer a better experience than basketball and hockey games. I'm not sure many people would agree it does.

[romeosdistress]

only problem i have is too many injuries to human players.

[falconfansince81]

wow, all you guys who defend the game with your slider theory fail to realize a large majority of the madden community plays online...particularly online franchises where you can't further 'tweak' the game.

i don't even know anyone who actually plays the cpu, which is why i find it profound that so many people refer gameplay issues over to their slider solutions. its the cpu...its not like its a challenge to destroy it even on all madden...and nothing will be realistic about it no matter how good your slider settings are.

i can live with the game as it is though, and adapt as well since we all know its a video game...plays like one, and is not meant to be an nfl simulator by any means. there are no slider fixes to stop a sproles animation that sends him trucking though albert haynesworth so lets focus on what CAN be fixed and what IS being addressed.

i am glad to hear they have possibly addressed the online franchise D/C issue as now its become so bad we are lucky to get 25% of our games completed. 9 franchises in our sim community league are putting the game on hiatus hoping the patch makes it possible to continue the league we worked on so hard for years to create...

[bigsmallwood]

Quote: Originally Posted by Senator Palmer

And by the way, I wasn't mad. Not in the least. Maybe a little disappointed, but there was no anger in my post and no bashing of EA or the development team. You on the other hand seemed to have tweaked a nerve. The issue that I brought up is an issue that many others have echoed.

I agree. I think a nerve was hit for him because he is in love with the "idea" that sliders make everything okay in Madden, never once realizing that Madden's core gameplay needs fixing.

Sliders also don't cover up the fact that this patch is pretty bad in terms of it is not focusing on the most important aspect: Gameplay.