Madden NFL 12 Has Twice as Many People Working on Core Gameplay

[BlueNGold]

Quote: Originally Posted by MJenness

Why does EA feel this is newsworthy?? IMHO, it reeks of a marketing ploy to suck people back in and build the hype once again. It wouldn't matter if they hired every man, woman and child on earth, because that doesn't equate to being a better product. What they NEED is people who really GET football....radical fans of the game who will not settle for a sub-par representation of what the game of football entails. People like those at 2k who clearly LOVE the game of basketball, and it shows in their final product. Give me an NFL game that is represented like that, and you will never hear another complaint from me. And I'd buy that game with ZERO hype and marketing.

Who said EA themselves thought it was newsworthy? It's not like they announced it. It was an interview with Kotaku, who were the ones that thought it was newsworthy, which with this community it is.

[kjcheezhead]

Quote: Originally Posted by Thinking Out Loud

I read where a lot of people ask for these defensive features to return but I have a totally different take on this. I want them to streamline the current offensive/defensive adjustments and forget about adding most of what the past EA football games did. The reason being, they way it is done now and the way it was done then, don't seem to translate in a realistic way in the game. I think having an offensive system that along with each play called are two preset customizable audibles per formation ( this is basically a QB going on the field with 3 play choices), every passing play having ONE pre-snap hot read/route and basically the same on field adjustments currently available minus full playbooks and multiple hot routing. Defensively, tiered play calling with each play called having two preset customizable audibles per formation along with an option in the playcall screen to disguise the defense, ALL coverage assignments/adjustments handled in the defensive match-up screen ( just like with NBA 2k11), defensive Commit option for run, pass, PA and screen pass( if they commit and guess wrong big play opportunity, great last-gen option) and the same current on the field adjustments minus full defensive playbook, secondary and individual defensive player adjustments.( No more group press/play off coverage adjustments, freestyle blitzers or spontaneous double coverage). The only player the user can "freestyle" with, is the ONE the user is manually controlling. This would eliminate the sandlot feel of "drawing up offensive/defensive plays in the dirt" AT THE LOS and actually give the games a realistic polish when play calling and game planning. Game planning should be done pregame, play calling done on the sideline during the game, coaching adjustments made based on the game and on the field, play the game.

I don't like this idea. It may give the game a sandlot feel, but having the adjustments at the LOS are essential, especially for the defense. Often times when playing human vs human, a player starts to recognize what his opponent wants to do after he sees a few plays. Your method elimates a players ability to make these adjustments in game.

Just having individual press coverage removed from current gen is a complete game killer for me. I can't express how badly I want to see this back. There is nothing worse than using a weaker team knowing your opponent loves to go deep. Do you play off Greg Jennings, which means Donald Driver is going to have soft coverage on a short route, or do you play press on Donald Driver knowing your db on the other side doesn't have to speed to stay with Jennings if his press is beat?

I really can't believe more people aren't asking for these features back. It has always made me crazy to see hoards of people begging for colored cleats or adjustable socks when we still can't adjust our secondary like we need to.

[Thinking Out Loud]

Quote: Originally Posted by MJenness

Why does EA feel this is newsworthy?? IMHO, it reeks of a marketing ploy to suck people back in and build the hype once again. It wouldn't matter if they hired every man, woman and child on earth, because that doesn't equate to being a better product. What they NEED is people who really GET football....radical fans of the game who will not settle for a sub-par representation of what the game of football entails. People like those at 2k who clearly LOVE the game of basketball, and it shows in their final product. Give me an NFL game that is represented like that, and you will never hear another complaint from me. And I'd buy that game with ZERO hype and marketing.

I agree with Blue, this just seemed like something that was put out there by Kotaku that got caught by OS. The kind of thing a person will like if they like things like this. The "casual" EA football fan probably wouldn't give it a second thought.

That said, I personally hope the EA hype machine, aka marketing, does find stuff like this newsworthy and pushes it on the casual gamer. The more hype we can get about EA football games actually playing like the real NCAA/NFL and not just looking like them, the stronger the chance of there being a true fundamental shift in EA football philosophy.

That's why I am so excitedly optimistic about the NCAA 12 gameplay vids because marketing seems to actually be on the same page as Cam Weber's stated vision. It's one thing for a hardcore football gamer to notice "consecutive hit tackles" are missing, complain, have EA imply "maybe next year" and then shift the conversation to "what we do have". However, it's an entirely different thing to have Kirk Herbstreit hyping it to casuals and now having the casual gamer looking for something, that EA knows, most casuals probably never knew was missing.

Also, you mentioned about 2k's "love" of basketball showing in their game and I agree. That's why I really enjoyed reading Cam Weber expressing his "love" of football. Not to knock the past Madden devs but Ian spent 11 years working on the same game and that's bound to take a toll on anyone's passion. I imagine even my dream job of a straight male porn star would be pretty routine and repetitive after that long.

[Joborule]

Surely saying the right things in saying this game is more focused to the hardcore gamer this year. Really didn't like the direction of M11.

[Thinking Out Loud]

Quote: Originally Posted by kjcheezhead

I don't like this idea. It may give the game a sandlot feel, but having the adjustments at the LOS are essential, especially for the defense. Often times when playing human vs human, a player starts to recognize what his opponent wants to do after he sees a few plays. Your method elimates a players ability to make these adjustments in game. Just having individual press coverage removed from current gen is a complete game killer for me. I can't express how badly I want to see this back. There is nothing worse than using a weaker team knowing your opponent loves to go deep. Do you play off Greg Jennings, which means Donald Driver is going to have soft coverage on a short route, or do you play press on Donald Driver knowing your db on the other side doesn't have to speed to stay with Jennings if his press is beat? I really can't believe more people aren't asking for these features back. It has always made me crazy to see hoards of people begging for colored cleats or adjustable socks when we still can't adjust our secondary like we need to.

"Essential" yes, "at the LOS", no.

KJ, maybe you missed where I stated, "ALL coverage assignments/adjustments handled in the defensive match-up screen ( just like with NBA 2k11)" or you aren't familiar with NBA 2k11's defensive assignment system. I don't want to get off topic discussing another companies game in a Madden thread but I just mentioned it as a visual reference to what I was suggesting.

I will try to state it like this. In Madden 11 there is a defensive match-up screen that enables gamers to put specific defenders on specific offensive players for man pass coverage. I want to see EA expand this match-up screen to allow a defender to be matched up with the QB (spy), account for individual types of LOS technique (press, play off, auto), defensive coverage ( man, zone) and double team options (yes, never, auto). This screen should be accessible from the playcall screen as well as the pause menu. This would give gamers general control over their individual defenders without that sandlot feel we currently have, IMO.

Now, for those gamers that want specific play by play control over how their defense plays on the field, I think this feature and customizable personnel packages, need to be added to Gameplan. That would allow gamers the option to preset specific individual defensive assignments for each defensive play before the game, make specific play adjustments at halftime and make general adjustments to the defensive during the game with the defensive match-up screen.

I am not against most of what EA football has allowed gamers to do, just how and when they have allowed gamers to do them.

[Senator Palmer]

Quote: Originally Posted by Thinking Out Loud

"Essential" yes, "at the LOS", no. KJ, maybe you missed where I stated, "ALL coverage assignments/adjustments handled in the defensive match-up screen ( just like with NBA 2k11)" or you aren't familiar with NBA 2k11's defensive assignment system. I don't want to get off topic discussing another companies game in a Madden thread but I just mentioned it as a visual reference to what I was suggesting. I will try to state it like this. In Madden 11 there is a defensive match-up screen that enables gamers to put specific defenders on specific offensive players for man pass coverage. I want to see EA expand this match-up screen to allow a defender to be matched up with the QB (spy), account for individual types of LOS technique (press, play off, auto), defensive coverage ( man, zone) and double team options (yes, never, auto). This screen should be accessible from the playcall screen as well as the pause menu. This would give gamers general control over their individual defenders without that sandlot feel we currently have, IMO. Now, for those gamers that want specific play by play control over how their defense plays on the field, I think this feature and customizable personnel packages, need to be added to Gameplan. That would allow gamers the option to preset specific individual defensive assignments for each defensive play before the game, make specific play adjustments at halftime and make general adjustments to the defensive during the game with the defensive match-up screen. I am not against most of what EA football has allowed gamers to do, just how and when they have allowed gamers to do them.

Sounds dangerously like real life football.

I have always felt like the pre-gameplanning options and tweaking individual assignments on specific plays would be a nice touch. I know that Ian felt similiar in not adding more pre-snap adjustments at the LOS, but build the assignments into the call, which I thought made sense.

[blklightning]

Quote: Originally Posted by Thinking Out Loud

I don't want to get off topic discussing another companies game in a Madden thread but I just mentioned it as a visual reference to what I was suggesting.

i find nba 2k11 to be a great reference. it is an excellent game that does a lot of things that i wish madden were doing right now.

[kjcheezhead]

Quote: Originally Posted by Senator Palmer

Sounds dangerously like real life football. I have always felt like the pre-gameplanning options and tweaking individual assignments on specific plays would be a nice touch. I know that Ian felt similiar in not adding more pre-snap adjustments at the LOS, but build the assignments into the call, which I thought made sense.

I would be ok with having the defensive options at the play call screen like Thinking Out Loud suggested, but it wouldn't be my first choice and it's never made sense to just build them into the call imo.

In Madden 10 or 11, how do you defend the situation I posed earlier? Your playing your friend using the Browns vs the Packers. He has the ball 3rd and 5. You know he likes to throw short to Driver or Findley in this situation but if you play your defenders close to the wrs, Jennings will be burn his defender deep. Is just trusting the cpu to automatically make the adjustments you want for this situation really better than having some way to tell your players how you want them to react, even if it isn't really realistic?