Madden NFL 13 Team Focuses on Making Defense Fun Again, What Do You Hope to See?

[rdub78]

Same old same old.

One thing EA is excellent at is talking a big game, so we've all been here and done this before.

Sounds great in theory, let's see the execution now.

[balljonesjr]

Let's hope big hits are more accurate and 190 lb CBs are not consistantly making open field tackles on 220 lb TEs/FBs/RBs

[DubTrey1]

I hope all the changes work out in the end... what was telling to me (at least IMO) was his comment that he still gets calls he shouldn't get... I think that is funny. His phone must have been disconnected the last 7 years.

[Big FN Deal]

I cringe at the term "fun" in reference to improving any part of Madden given that it has historically been at odds with realism. That said, I really hope under the new leadership it has become synonymous for authentic, instead of easily accessible and casual friendly like in the past.

[KingV2k3]

1) Smarter playcalling / gameplanning by the CPU

2) Better decision making / pocket presence / reads / down and distance / AWR by CPU QB

3) Better implementation of 3-4 for USER

4) Return of "Commit to Pass / Run"

I'd be having a lot more fun playing D, if it was more of a challenge...

CPU O AI has been weak for a while now...

[DUDERMAN]

I would like to see defensive player lock added to all game modes. That would instantly make it more fun for me. This is by far my #1 request for defense. It's the only reason I occasionally play NCAA as I'm not an avid college football fan.

I also would like to see better interaction between DL/OL and DB/WR at the line. This would really help with the realism. It would be nice to see DTs be able to push the line back rather than the stock animations (throw down lineman, trip up while trying to swim move around the lineman, the simply be blocked out of the play)

You also need better AI on offense if you are going to make the defense better. Right now in Madden 12 on all pro and all madden, I can send an all out blitz on every play and get the the QB before he can throw about 80% of the time. It would be nice to have AI QBs read and react to plays if I were to bring everyone at the line and press all the receivers. This is an extreme example but it would help make the game a bit more challenging if the QB realizes (though not all the time) when he needs to get the ball out quick.

[edit] Forgot one major thing that needs to be addressed.

DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN 3-4 and 4-3 FRONT SEVEN PLAYERS

Right now I could play in a 3-4 and have 260lb Cliff Avril play DE for me and succeed. At that weight he would likely fail at DE in a 3-4 in the real NFL, he would better be suited for OLB. However his ratings don't adjust so it would be suicide to play him in coverage.

This is the same for 4-3. If I have DeMarcus Ware or Terrel Suggs on a 4-3 team, they better play DE. Currently in the game, their ratings don't adjust so they instantly become 99 rated players.

Basically every player should have a rating that adjusts fairly to a position change depending on the scheme. So if I do move Avril to 3-4 outside linebacker, he should maybe get a slight boost in coverage and a decrease in pass rush for that first year. The CPU should be also smarter when drafting players and putting them in the right positions depending if they play 3-4 or 4-3.

I'm just tired of playing my fantasy drafted leagues, online and offline, and seeing literally over 100 players playing in a scheme that would never work for them.

It would also be nice to have the depth chart act more like a real NFL depth chart. In the NFL, if a team's RCB were to go down, they likely wouldn't put their nickel back in his place outside. If my LDT goes down, I don't want my NT to move over to his place.

This also applies on offense... I likely wouldn't play my slot receiver outside due to injury unless a) He is a versatile player who can get upfield and b) I have a reliable replacement to catch passes over the middle. So a more realistic depth chart would be nice.

Wow, one simple edit to a post and my mind keeps flowing with ideas, like this one...

Please, please, please, please add custom packages that we can switch to in the game. I would love to create a package to have my best pass rushers on the field on 3rd down. There are times in a game I like to be creative but it's a hassle to try and make individual adjustments between plays. So let us create our own packages before the game and easily switch between them at any time.

So lets recap

1. Defensive player lock (reversed camera view so you are looking at the offense)

2. Better interaction at the line between DL/OL, DB/WR

3. Better QB AI to adjust to the defense (needed to help prevent the defense from being over powered for certain plays and helps keep players honest with play calling)

4. Differentiate between 3-4 and 4-3 front seven players

5. More realistic depth chart

6. Custom packages

[TNT713]

Didn't finish the article... Stopped at the most recent innovation being the Hit Stick. I can't agree with anyone that thinks the Hit Stick overpowered the ability to change the assignment of any defender as the most important innovation to how we play defense. The Hit Stick always ranks lower on my totem pole.

That said, I didn't meet the exec the writer of the article spoke to... If a person works for EA and talks about Madden I need to look in their eyes before I even consider their opinion to be valuable. IMO, if he was passionate about Madden I'd have met his *** at CD. If I didn't meet him at CD, I should have.

So with that in mind, be aware of how unimpressed I am with this interview.

Later

[mike24forever]

It's amazing how quickly this became a wish list.