Madden NFL 16 Features All-New Controls to Dominate Air Supremacy

[Potatoes002]

Quote: Originally Posted by oneamongthefence

They apparently tried 5 years ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAd5cbYobkw

It's a shame this never made the retail game. I can't remember if we ever got an official reason why.

[l8knight1]

Quote: Originally Posted by capa

Could be passing cone is make a comeback. Not my thing but I know some folks liked it. C

Please, NO VISION CONE!!!!

It's interesting to guess what's next for the franchise. I think wr/db interaction will be in, dynamic/better weather, updated graphics and crowd, better franchise. I want more roster editing all around for draft classes and teams, more uni (all correct and historic unis, no excuses) and stadium choices. They had historic stadiums in the game before, and they took out the M25 stadium too.I am really at a brick wall with thinking about the engine going forward, because I've think they've pushed it to the near limit. The core of the engine has been the same for a long time. I'm still playing 15 and I hope Clint is still part of the dev team. He really made a difference. As far as I can recall though, he hasn't been here since launch, and hardly any patches of 15 since launch?

[Cnada]

I do love M15 overall but the DL Line controls whilst fun does lead to really easy sacks for doing nothing of skill.

I like that you can move your block to block the holes but pressing X or A and you 'win' is stupid. When your playing as a RB you need stick skills (which dont work very well outside of the spin) but with Dline which press A to win.

I hope DB/WR isnt press A to win the catch :S

[Mr.Smif]

The controls have been stale for years and wayyyyyy over due for a overhaul, hope this change is not only for the passing game.

[dsk1317]

Quote: Originally Posted by roadman

Offline, it wasn't a shootout for me, if you find the right sliders. The CPU QB AI is truly illogical if sliders aren't moved. Dink and dunk, and no AI in avoiding a rush. My patience runs thin messing with sliders for several months. Kudos to sliders guys!

Well said, man!

[dsk1317]

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

Not directed at you specifically and I have no really strong opinions on user catching, but this most directly gets at what I think a lot of people are talking about in this thread - the focus on the user control at the potential expense of authenticity vs the focus on authenticity of the experience of user control. Madden NFL is a video game. Video games by definition have outcomes influenced by user interaction, and console games in particular are far more real-time action-oriented than PC games. To that end, any feature Tiburon considers adding probably has to impact directly how the user plays the game. The CPU is to use any tools that are added for the user to use in order to create a compelling single-player experience, but by and large the focus in the game mechanics will center on what the user is able to do with his button presses in a variety of contexts. If on the drawing board Madden is considering two implementations of a thing - one which is all non-interactive AI and one which the user can affect the result - I fathom to guess the thing which the user gets to influence is what gets implemented in the game, always. From the perspective of the average Madden player - the "casual gamer" I suppose - anything with user interaction adds more to the game than anything that doesn't. They don't have the eye for authentic WR/DB jostling and therefore don't notice and don't care. They see no new gameplay mechanics for the current year and thus the game is "just a roster update". They do know, however, that the Madden series to this point doesn't attempt making receivers dynamically attack an airborne football, so they switch players to do it themselves, and this requirement makes the experience more compelling and enjoyable to them. When they see new ways to interact with the game while controlling a receiver, there's something new to do, a new wrinkle in the game. There's immediate dividends, and the game is new and fresh. Basically, Tiburon's approach in Madden from my perspective is an action-oriented approach to the game of football. Under this paradigm, don't expect user catching to ever go away or even be deemphasized. To be honest, don't even expect a fleshed-out coach mode beyond the token implementation that already exists. Do, however, expect new gameplay mechanics for that component of the game if wide receivers and defensive backs are indeed a focal point for this year's game. Do also expect the AI to use the tools that are added for the user to use, and do complain loudly when they don't (for example, the user can steer blocks as a defensive lineman in Madden NFL 15 depending on player ratings, while the AI never attempts to do this; this is a problem and Tiburon should fix this). Do not expect Tiburon to focus on something solely for the sake of improving the authenticity of the game (the exception possibly allowed being the offensive line because the user never has control over that) if the something in question doesn't directly impact how the average person interacts with the game and influences the outcome. And to be clear, I'm not making a judgment on whether Tiburon's approach is good or bad, right or wrong - opinions certainly vary, I have mine, you all have yours. Rather I'm attempting to explain what I observe as their approach to developing the game as objectively as I can. Until this creative direction doesn't return multi-millions of sales and widespread media critical praise for Tiburon, don't expect their approach to change and spend your money and attention accordingly.

Very well written, and done so with great diplomatic skill. You managed to share your thoughts on the matter, while still remaining neutral, and that is quite impressive.

[dsk1317]

Unless they have added actual route recognition, route based passing, coupled with pattern-match coverages, this is slightly scary. That being said, I haven't played the game, so I have no idea how this will impact it, nor do any of us. #RemainCalm

[bad_philanthropy]

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

Basically, Tiburon's approach in Madden from my perspective is an action-oriented approach to the game of football. Under this paradigm, don't expect user catching to ever go away or even be deemphasized. To be honest, don't even expect a fleshed-out coach mode beyond the token implementation that already exists. Do, however, expect new gameplay mechanics for that component of the game if wide receivers and defensive backs are indeed a focal point for this year's game. Do also expect the AI to use the tools that are added for the user to use, and do complain loudly when they don't (for example, the user can steer blocks as a defensive lineman in Madden NFL 15 depending on player ratings, while the AI never attempts to do this; this is a problem and Tiburon should fix this). Do not expect Tiburon to focus on something solely for the sake of improving the authenticity of the game (the exception possibly allowed being the offensive line because the user never has control over that) if the something in question doesn't directly impact how the average person interacts with the game and influences the outcome.

I think another stream of this debate is less about the artful balance of good game design versus deep simulation, but about just how little evolution there has been with Madden's tech over the years—and not just in relation to video games generally, but even compared with EA's own in house titles.

While gen 7 saw significant improvements to the bones of EA's NHL and FIFA's tech base, Madden seems to have missed the evolution of other titles. Sure, it's anecdotal, but overall Madden still feels "janky" in the same ways year over year.

To that point, ND Alum has been criticizing the WR/DB interactions (or lack thereof) on here since M15 came out. Is that aspect of gameplay; WR catching, DB play, AI really that much different at its core than it was on PS1 even? I would argue it isn't, and that it should be by now. I actually played Madden 99 on my old PSX the other day. The thing that struck me was how little WR/DB play in the passing game has grown in sophistication since then.

Maybe it's a reach, but I want to point to this Q&A I had with NHL Producer Sean Ramjagsingh in the wake of the NHL 15 gen 8 debacle:

Quote: Originally Posted by bad_philanthropy

What was the reason Madden and FIFA were able to port non-gameplay offline mode features to gen 4 and NHL wasn't? I understand M25 and FIFA were sort of "cross-gen" games, but what made NHL the exception in the inability to port functioning offline GM and BaP modes as a holdover before a more robust experience could be implemented in future iterations? I can understand the technical problems of implementing EASHL into new tech, and getting up to 12 users playing at once, but why did the offline modes take such a hit as well? Additionally, such standard features in sports games like player editing.

Quote: Originally Posted by EASPORTSNHL

We had a very legacy codebase which made it difficult to add new game modes features. A big part of rebuilding the offline modes that made it into 15 was rebuilding the code base so that we are set up to build bigger and better features on this generation in a more efficient manner because of a better technical base. (apologies for the run on sentence) -rammer

Maybe I'm reaching, but if any similar issue has existed and exists within the fundamental structure of the Madden software, I can only imagine how much that harms the ability of devs to do anything at all—especially considering how much more complex football is than hockey.

I think the state of Madden as software that has evolved poorly is as much a common criticism as the deep sim vs. hybrid title, and sometimes the crappy tech of Madden gets conflated with EA not focusing on sim. Madden in motion is a disaster, and has been for nearly ten years now. The basic mechanics of the game have not grown in sophistication as other titles in all genres have for the most part.