Madden Creative Director, Ian Cummings is Leaving Tiburon

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

I think a lot of people put way too much credit and blame on a guy like Ian. I would be willing to bet a lot of money that most of the gimmick features and that strategy comes from the very top suits, and the programmers have to follow suit.

[Smoke6]

Quote: Originally Posted by ScriptOhio

Impossible comparison, this gen had to be completely built from the ground up, the final version of Madden on last gen before this gen had come out was what?... Like 8 years in the making. The software is different, the coding is different, and the amount of times it takes is implement is different. They couldn't just port over the ps2 version and upgrade it, the engine was at its max potential according to industry folks that know way more than most of us. He took over a made game that was barebones in every aspect, and has improved virtually every area of The game. That sentence there disproves the statement that he hasnt done anything for Madden since he arrived.

Please explain how is that this is impossible? But before you hurt yourself trying, i will help you.

Madden from the PS1 to PS2 had features out of this world,the Xbox version was way more polished GFX wise and looks exactly how the game we are playing now looks minus all those features.

Leaguedaddy wasnt created for nothing, it was a tool to help assist gamers with something that EA felt was so trivial and time consuming to get into the game themselves just like Adam ( i think thats his name) has done with myleaguemanager.

Take a look at some images from the Madden 06 with Mcnabb on the cover and then look at the game Madden 11 and tell me you see something built from the ground up after 08's version.

its like Night and day...



Madden 06 above



Madden 11 above.

So tell me do you still stand by your statement that madden 11 doesnt look like this in HD from the XBOX....

[Cre8]

Quote: Originally Posted by pasgedden

OMG impossible comparison??? lmao hahah its the same game just tuned differently... lmao.. Yes the Graphics are better.. Yes its different coding all yes but it's still Madden and guess what with a new engine.... Didn't know that, did you? Matter of FACT its the same engine DICE is use using for The new BATTLEFIELD GAME COMING OUT... Did you see that???? Go look it up on youtube and get back to me.. Tell me EA can't make Madden better then what's out now.. IMO Tell me please lmao....

Am I the only one that feels like this is getting old?

[bigfnjoe96]

Quote: Originally Posted by Smoke6

The biggest issue is that they're not using the hardware like everyone else has. Their main console is the 360 and it should be switched to take advantage of the PS3's Blu ray disc space and features and then port. There's no reason to have all that available and you're not even using a 1/4 of whats available out of that system(s). Stadiums should almost be life like in look and feel and they should go back to that 06 engine. Something tells me they will but not this gen, they basically gave us xbox 1 in HD this gen and then slowly added features over the course of this gen when they all should have been there from the start.

If you notice most if not all multi-platform games are developed on the 360.

The disc has nothing to do with development as much as the hardware does. Developer's use the 360 kits because it's easier to develop a game on. The have access to more tools via the 360 hardware..

Developing on the ps3 & then porting would make no difference in the final product

[marshallfever]

Quote: Originally Posted by Smoke6

The biggest issue is that they're not using the hardware like everyone else has. Their main console is the 360 and it should be switched to take advantage of the PS3's Blu ray disc space and features and then port. There's no reason to have all that available and you're not even using a 1/4 of whats available out of that system(s). Stadiums should almost be life like in look and feel and they should go back to that 06 engine. Something tells me they will but not this gen, they basically gave us xbox 1 in HD this gen and then slowly added features over the course of this gen when they all should have been there from the start.

The console on which they base their engine has nothing to do with the way the games have come out. Yes Blu Ray has more space to fit more content in, but thats not Madden's problem. The problem comes from the way they created their engine, not on the console they created their engine one.

They picked the 360 because it was out first and allowed them to start their next generation games. The original xbox was much more powerful than the ps2 yet the old gen Madden games were all built on the ps2. As a matter of fact, it should be easier for them to create the actual game on the 360 because of the ease of development tools the 360 has over the ps3. Yes the ps3 can output more, but it takes more effort while the 360 make its easier to produce quality content.

Back on topic- I don't see Madden changing very much until the next generation of games. EA put too much effort and money into this engine to just scratch if off and start a new, especially when theres no exact time frame for the next consoles. What if Sony comes out of the blue and announces the PS4 for a release date of November 12-2012. There would be no purpose in creating a new current engine when the next generation console is out. Yes this is a far fetched idea, but theres no telling when the next big machines will be out and for them to start anew and use two years to create a new engine that can fit better in the parameters of real physics would take tooo long.

The best they can do now is to do what they've been currently doing, trying to add to this current engine as best as possible. The next creative director can only do so much being limited by the engine as Ian was.

[quietcool72]

Madden 10's feature set was laid out on the product "road map" by EA before Ian took over. That's no slight on Ian's work or abilities, I'm just merely pointing out that the feature set was not "his", so to speak. I also think it would be unfair to say Madden 11's feature set was "his" either. You guys simply have to understand how little "power" the devs have versus the long-term product roadmap laid out by the people above the devs. (Most of whom pay WAY TOO MUCH ATTENTION to the narrow minded surveys EA pushes out there regularly). The devs have to jump to the product road-map marching orders, whatever those feature sets are being pushed and agreed to by committee. ONLY if they have the time or man hours AFTER the implementation of the pre-determined road-map features do they have the slightest bit of leeway into adding a "pet idea", and only then if they can justify the spare man hours (if any remain, that is.) Honestly, Ian gets both too much credit for Madden 10, and too much blame for Madden 11. My view of the process from talking to the devs at Tiburon is that they are the captains of a ship that is on autopilot in terms of the "destination". They are only allowed the slightest "course corrections", and even then they have to plead for the leeway to do so. Their creative freedom is INCREDIBLY limited with EA's structure.

I hope Ian's tongue is freed up during this move, because I'm sure deep down he wants to respond to lots of the Madden 11 criticism and defend himself. Lets hope he isn't tied down by some agreement with EA to not talk about them for x years in exchange for some parting benefit. I'd love to hear SOMEONE freed up to discuss the process.

[Smoke6]

Quote: Originally Posted by marshallfever

The console on which they base their engine has nothing to do with the way the games have come out. Yes Blu Ray has more space to fit more content in, but thats not Madden's problem. The problem comes from the way they created their engine, not on the console they created their engine one. They picked the 360 because it was out first and allowed them to start their next generation games. The original xbox was much more powerful than the ps2 yet the old gen Madden games were all built on the ps2. As a matter of fact, it should be easier for them to create the actual game on the 360 because of the ease of development tools the 360 has over the ps3. Yes the ps3 can output more, but it takes more effort while the 360 make its easier to produce quality content. Back on topic- I don't see Madden changing very much until the next generation of games. EA put too much effort and money into this engine to just scratch if off and start a new, especially when theres no exact time frame for the next consoles. What if Sony comes out of the blue and announces the PS4 for a release date of November 12-2012. There would be no purpose in creating a new current engine when the next generation console is out. Yes this is a far fetched idea, but theres no telling when the next big machines will be out and for them to start anew and use two years to create a new engine that can fit better in the parameters of real physics would take tooo long. The best they can do now is to do what they've been currently doing, trying to add to this current engine as best as possible. The next creative director can only do so much being limited by the engine as Ian was.

Bolded,

Now you get and dont even know it!

Your last paragraph, is BS, for the sole reason that each version madden is missing at least 5 features from its previous version. Run to daylight, vision cone, gang tackling, Offensive PI, the controls, practice mode etc etc.

We dont even have a pre season schedule for online franchise games so we can weed out our draft picks and fully customize our teams correctly.

How about some true intergration with their NCAA counterpart for online dynasties importing there classes to Madden online franchises from the same group of guys involved in the leagues. Now that we have more time with NCAA this year, that should work out swell if it happend. These 2 games should always be interconnected in some way besides importing draft classes.

There should be a way during the systems can link your franchise/dynasties together with draft prospect news feeds and all. In know this sounds like a wish list but this is where I thought this gen would have taken us already and it hasnt.

Madden is just behind this gen, im running out of hope!

[Hooe]

Quote: Originally Posted by Smoke6

(challenge comparison)

It's obvious to me that when both games are in motion that they aren't the same. There's no comparison with regard to the player interactions in general; for example, the PS2-era games didn't have a concept of a three-person interaction and branching animations, and did not utilize the new locomotion mechanic which completely changed how players move on the field.

It's obvious to me, having played both games, that they play differently. The last-gen games to me are no longer fun due to the advances EA has made this generation.

It's obvious to me that EA actually did completely rebuild their game on the field. The two games are similar in that they are both football and they both share the button-passing mechanic.

If you are specifically talking about a comparison between Franchise modes, the last-gen still has more depth, but that wasn't what you were comparing via your screenshots.