Madden NFL 15: What Worked and What Didn't Work

[oneamongthefence]

Quote: Originally Posted by speedtrucker

Weather is another one. How could they have mvp 06 NCAA baseball that had changing weather and never use it again in another sports title. It was great to have a game start maybe partly cloudy and as the innings progressed clouds could roll in and sometimes you'd have a slight drizzle start by the 7th or 8th inning. It was amazing, that was a great game overall. I agree that the colors and weather in madden are just laughable. The Cowboys pants and others look like they are wearing plastic wrap... Others like the cardinals are muted where the cardinal red looks so bland and the black looks charcoal grey... Seemed like NCAA football went crisp and sharp while madden always went muted and afternoon games looked even more washed out with the strange looking sunset color shading

This used to be in where weather would change each quarter. It wasn't dynamic but at least it gave the illusion of realism with the passage of time.

[Senator Palmer]

Quote: Originally Posted by grodbetatted

I enjoyed the game thoroughly and the war in the trenches was definitely a fun mini game inside of the game and it was effective. I agree the commentary could use some work, but honestly I don't pay much attention to it at all anyway, that's not just madden that's, 2k and live as well. It's just background noise to me. I'm just not sure what leap forward consumers are expecting, I couldn't imagine them changing the throwing mechanics, because right stick throwing would be too complex and more frustrating than fun. The game plays smooth for the most part, maybe they could change the running mechanic but I'm not sure that's the LEAP consumers are looking for. What would a NEXT GEN leap consist of is my question?

A NEXT GEN leap at this point is having a Madden that actually functions organically, so that each game feels alive and like a different experience. It's brining the minutiae to the forefront, and flushing out actual football fundamentals to make the gameplay work instead of artificially boosting a rating.

Example: this game STILL doesn't have run fits. That is ridiculous. This is why every year you can find a running play or two in the game that is just overpowered, because despite all the boasting of playes functioning with a bagilloin calculations per second, there are no fundamentals. There is no force defender, or cutback player. Linebackers don't attack downhill to the fullback deep on an ISO play. Instead that kind of stuff is "mimicked" by boosting pursuit ratings for instance to give a slight speed boost.

As improved at the line play is, it's still not realistic. Just look at goal line. No team in the NFL plays goalline defense the way it's seen in Madden. Every goalline running play should be a scrum with linemen fighting to get under one another. Short yaradge should be a pile of bodies stacked on the ground instead of just linemen standing up and pushing one another like every other play.

We should have fully functional penalties. I shouldn't go a 16 game season without seeing a pass interference call. That kind of things bring organic variables to each game.

To piggyback of off passing, we should have more ball physics at this point. No two quarterbacks throws the ball exactly the same, and I'm not just talking about animations. I'm talking about catchability. Some quarterbacks throw a more catchable ball. The nose of Phillip Rivers's ball rises just a bit on intermediate passes, making the ball that much easier to cradle. Michael Vick's ball used to be just the opposite. The nose on his ball came out pointed down. That, combined with his velocity, was why his intermediate balls where so difficult to catch when he first came into the league.

We should see different releases. There are quarterbacks with long releases and quick releases. That's a huge gameplay things because you have to factor that into your timing when throwing the ball.

It's those small things -- among many -- that would make the game truly feel like a leap instead of just an improved version of what we already have. Which is what a lot of use have maybe settled for.

[evanreyes]

Worst thing about this game
When you scramble around looking for an open receiver, the button icons will go away. I've thrown so many picks this way, I will see Crabtree wide open after I run around for 5 seconds with Kaep (a lot like real life actually), but his icon won't be over him and I will throw it to Boldin instead, and it will be a pick.

Speaking of stupid interceptions, when your Safety of Corner is standing still, jumps up, and has the ball bounce off of his chest and drop to the ground.

As many have mentioned before, editable draft classes are need, and more editable relocations. Maybe even expansion teams.

[azdawgpound]

one things that didnt work was the new camera angles yea u could use them against the cmp but if u play against another human no option to use it? why add it then?


i agree with what others posted as well hopefully in 16 we get all the sliders to work right half them dont work.... or do the complete oppsite of what they say they do.


and please take out the warping for 16 u had it fixed a couple madden agos just to add it back in.

[PantherBeast_OS]

EA really need to over haul their replay system. Was playing against the AI today. The AI RB clearly fumble the ball when my guy stood him up. The ball fumble way before the AI RB hit the ground. But yet the AI challenge the fumble and it won the challenge and got the ball back. It was clearly a fumble. EA really need to fix it. It is a mess.

[MossMan84]

I didnt play this yrs gm but I did watch a good amount of film. I think the cameras are all over the place from the broadcasting point of view n why there isnt a custom camera for gm play is beyond me.

Play calling is blocking the presentation; why would you want to block what could be a beautiful replay or other presentation elements?

Lots of circles n windshield looking types of things all over the field n maybe they should just take FGs out of the gm or just make them automatic; no kickoffs n punts either because it has weird red lines that show where the ball goes??

Sliders n penalties are still broken it seems?

Helmets look nice so that works!

Franchise mode is still broke or non-existent

Gameplay is forever wonky!

Doesnt seem like pocket passing works

All the playbook plays look the same

No total control passing either so thats didnt work

[IlluminatusUIUC]

The players' AI is really confusing. Pulling blockers have no feel for which guy to pick up, receivers running routes will go straight into defenders without even attempting to step around them, wideouts need to be specifically told every single time "run your route to the sticks on 3rd down" etc. It's just a lot of trickery behind the scenes to mimic AI and we can all see the strings now.

[Trick13]

Quote: Originally Posted by kjcheezhead

They could add different types of passing mechanics just like the Show has 1 button pitching, or a more advanced pitching with a power meter. It's not necessarily the button style I dislike with Madden, it's the way the ball feels tied to wrs and they react to passing instantly. I'd rather they use a style like you find in All Pro Football and limit the users ability to take wrs off their routes and manually catch. It looks so unnatural. This pick up and play tethered style is too easy and its an eye sore to the game. I agree with the article, but legacy issues like the 15 year old passing system killed madden more than the new additions that didn't work.

Route based passing implemented properly would fix the current "passing system", making it far more realistic and is better than any of the ideas for new passing systems than I have ever come across.


If passes are "tethered" to routes, rather than receivers, then a lot of the childish BS you deal with in game simple goes away. Making routes, like double moves, have the receiver not look for the ball until after they make the second cut would greatly reduce the arcade feel of Madden. If you throw a out pass in M15 too early the receiver "magically" knows the pass is coming and makes a play on the ball - in route based passing if you throw too early the receiver would not "know" or even look until he makes his cut. This would result in more incompletions due to "pressure" give you throw the pass away options we have never had, it would open up the possibility of poor RR rated players being late or early on cuts, it would revolutionize the passing game, and yet keep the core "mechanics/controls" that would allow "casuals" to still pick and play. Having the difficulty level dictate the impact of RR/AWR on when the receiver "locates" the QB/ball would make the most sense.


That is how you fix Madden's passing game, period.