Madden 2010 News Post

Madden NFL 10 Blog: Player Ratings - A New Philosophy, A New Era

07:53 PM - February 9, 2009 by Ian_Cummings

Hey guys, we thought it would be a perfect time to share something that I am personally very excited about for Madden NFL 10. We took each and every rating in the game (over 50+ player ratings) and scaled them up/down in a way that is now using much more of the scale. I like to describe it around the office like this…”We basically stretched out the ratings.” We want to use more of the numbers so we get a bigger, more noticeable affect in the game.

Let me give you guys an example….in Madden NFL 09 all of the WR’s Route Running ratings ranged from 62-99. In the current Madden NFL 10 build, WR’s now check in from 35-99. To counter this on the defensive side, all CB’s in Madden NFL 09 had a Man Coverage rating which ranged from 64-99. Now in Madden NFL 10, CB’s Man Coverage range is currently 40-99.

Every position and every rating has been re-scaled to expand the range of numbers we are dealing with. The Overall Rating for your average NFL player has dropped. Your Joe Average linebacker who was 80 OVR is now dropped down to 70. The players who were before right on the cusp of 90 in a rating category are now down around 85-88…Meaning, there are fewer superstar players out there. Before, where you could maybe get by throwing to your slot WR who had 93 SPD, with 74 ROUTES, and 77 Catching…now in Madden NFL 10, that guy is going to have like 91 SPD, 60-65 ROUTES and anywhere from 65-70 Catching. Let me tell you, these rating drops make a big difference when that slot rookie WR with 90+ speed now drops every 3rd pass or so, or just simply cannot get open.
The superstars have not been affected however, this is intentional. Peyton is still 99 OVR, Patrick Willis a 99, Larry Fitz is 99, etc. The elite players at rating categories have not been affected either (JaMarcus Russell still has a 98 Throw Power and Chris Johnson still rated 99 Speed). [Side note: One of my personal goals is to have the actual NFL players in Madden NFL 10 look like their real-life counterparts and play to their strengths and weaknesses like never before in a football video game.]

Speaking of the Speed, which is always a hot topic, we made some major changes with the infamous SPD rating as well. To give you a great example, I will again go back to WR and CB. In Madden NFL 09, the WR SPD range was 85-100…CB was 87-99.

In Madden NFL 10, WR SPD range is currently 70-100…CB is currently 75-99. So as you may or may not tell, the SPD range has been pushed down, in our opinions, to better reflect the “sim-gameplay” style that Ian and Phil have been telling you about all winter long. This SPD change has been updated for each position, so it makes a huge game play affect.

Ian and I had a game the other day where Earnest Graham broke one up the middle for a 55 yard touchdown run… and he could not be caught!…E-Grahams’ Madden NFL 10 current SPD rating….80 SPD. That should give you a good sense of what is possible with the new ratings. It’s not all about having the 90+ SPD anymore. On this particular run, Ian’s CB’s got hung up against some blockers and all I had to do was beat one safety and Graham was gone! He had Brandon Jacobs and his 85 SPD breaking some long runs as well. On the flip side of bigger/slower backs, Chris Johnson is absolutely lethal right now. You can actually get him outside with sweeps now and he is a beast to stop. But again, we are constantly tuning the gameplay, we have an entire team dedicated to that and they are some of the best people we have in the building.

So there you have it, player ratings are in for a major overhaul this year and I am really excited already with the impact they are having on the early builds of the game. And rest assured, we are well aware of the outside impacts this will have….Rookies will now come into the league based on the new ranges, NCAA Import guys are being tuned as well…Progression has been accounted for as well to better reflect breakout stars and burned-out former stars. Meaning, we want to have bigger jumps in OVR this year, both positive and negative. That’s all for now, probably gave away too much already!

Would love to hear any feedback about this big new change in the way we do player ratings. I’d be happy to answer any questions regarding the new rating ranges….please no individual ratings questions, not answering those! Stay tuned for more Madden player rating related blogs in the future!

- Donny Moore – Madden NFL 10 Designer

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Member Comments

# 301 glitchditcher @ 02/16/09 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glorious Arc


	are you telling me that LBs like derrick brooks are worse in coverage then jason david!?!

Uhh yeah man. Put Derrick Brooks at CB and watch how much worse he gets burned than David deep. Put David at LB (only for the coverage aspect) where he is hardly ever covering anything deep and watch how good he looks.

# 302 shttymcgee @ 02/16/09 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glitchditcher


	Uhh yeah man. Put Derrick Brooks at CB and watch how much worse he gets burned than David deep. Put David at LB (only for the coverage aspect) where he is hardly ever covering anything deep and watch how good he looks.

Brooks would not be a good corner, that's is something everyone understands, but that doesn't mean that he can't have better coverage ratings than a corner, its a different type of coverage. I agree that he should not be highly rated. And again, Tampa 2 MLB's are responsible for covering the deep middle,.

# 303 Inspiration @ 02/16/09 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glitchditcher


	Uhh yeah man. Put Derrick Brooks at CB and watch how much worse he gets burned than David deep. Put David at LB (only for the coverage aspect) where he is hardly ever covering anything deep and watch how good he looks.

Brooks would get burned deep because, more likely than not, he is slower than the player he is covering, not because he lacks coverage skills. Put Brooks and David against players who have equal physical skills as them and I think there is a good chance that Brooks fares better. Brooks might struggle against a WR because he is slower (which should be reflected in his speed and acceleration ratings) while David might get burned because he gets frequently faked out by double-moves and other well-run routes (which should be reflected in coverage ratings).

# 304 rhombic21 @ 02/16/09 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glitchditcher


	I'm not talking about man coverage. No one even uses that because of how terrible it is. I'm talking about Zone.

That doesn't even make sense. In zone coverage, players don't guard any particular receiver, and yet you're complaining about linebackers being able to cover wide receivers too well. I'm just not clear on what you think the problem is here.

# 305 Chessboxer1 @ 02/16/09 05:44 PM

I know i'm a little late to the party but HALLELUJAH! It's awesome to see that the game will workout this way and that you don't need to have 90+ speed at running back to break a long run.

If you'd like to keep the 99 speed guys in check, i think you should also consider tweaking agility and acceleration. Some of the slower players i think should get boosts in agility and acceleration, while some of the speed guys should take a hit in at least their agility. I don't think anyone will disagree with me it's much easier to change direction and hit top speed when you're slower while madden/ncaa seems to believe the opposite. I'm not saying you should invert the current formula, but you should consider Tinkering with this to also negate some of the speed advantage of super fast players.

# 306 shttymcgee @ 02/16/09 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chessboxer1


	I know i'm a little late to the party but HALLELUJAH! It's awesome to see that the game will workout this way and that you don't need to have 90+ speed at running back to break a long run. If you'd like to keep the 99 speed guys in check, i think you should also consider tweaking agility and acceleration. Some of the slower players i think should get boosts in agility and acceleration, while some of the speed guys should take a hit in at least their agility. I don't think anyone will disagree with me it's much easier to change direction and hit top speed when you're slower while madden/ncaa seems to believe the opposite. I'm not saying you should invert the current formula, but you should consider Tinkering with this to also negate some of the speed advantage of super fast players.

So you think tackles change directions faster than rb's?

# 307 LBzrule @ 02/16/09 06:30 PM

They do need more variables though. Right now I'm thinking "closing speed." If raw speed is all they have then we are gonna have a problem. This would mean no linebacker would be able to cover Chris Johnson on a swing pass to the flats (ala NCAA 2009 where no linebacker could keep up with RB's on swing passes, even OLB's who are lined up outside) and this just should not be the case. Or allow their pursuit rating to serve as "closing speed." So they get a boost. Ray Lewis is not a great straight line runner, but I'll be damned that after 13 years, he can still cut that back off at the corner on a swing pass out of the backfield.

# 308 mwjr @ 02/16/09 07:45 PM

Patrick Willis is a 99??

# 309 dasg @ 02/16/09 08:08 PM

edit

# 310 dasg @ 02/16/09 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwjr


	Patrick Willis is a 99??

are you questioning Patrick Willis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn_Yw7mEpqg

# 311 Chessboxer1 @ 02/17/09 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shttymcgee


	So you think tackles change directions faster than rb's?

no i'm saying someone like peter warrick who ran like a 4.6 can could change direction better then laverneus coles who ran a 4.3something. i'm saying michael bennett was a track star but he couldn't change direction worth a damn so he sucks in the nfl.

# 312 mwjr @ 02/17/09 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dasg


	are you questioning Patrick Willis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn_Yw7mEpqg

LOL! No, I'm not. I like Willis and think he's a great, young talent.

But a 99 in Madden?

# 313 Got The Goods @ 02/17/09 12:36 PM

Just an idea I had a while ago. On defense, be able to change assignments and also move players while on the play screen. This way you can create more unique and indiviudal schemes. Also not having to jam in all your pre snap assignment changing will be useful. This way you have your play the way you want it and you can adjust while on the field if they adjust something.

# 314 thejake @ 02/19/09 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donny_Moore


	Yes, NCAA Import draft classes will be tuned. I actually might start up a new thread and ask the community how they would like to see speed treated in regards to NCAA import guys. I will explain how the logic currently works, and maybe we can all come to some sort of consensus.

I hope the ratings in NCAA take on the expanded ratings you are talking about in Madden. In fact, there should be an even wider range in NCAA because there are a lot more players and a wider gap between the best players and worst players. That should be the main thing that separates NCAA and madden--the inclusion of a bunch of slower, weaker, smaller, less throwing accuracy, worse in coverage, type players.

If this was the case all the ratings can stay the same when importing into madden with the exception of awareness and maybe a few other things. All of the better players would get drafted out of the NCAA draft classes and the gap between the best and worst players in madden would stay closer. Thats pretty much how it happens in real life.

# 315 DOLFANMIKE @ 02/19/09 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donny_Moore


	Just did a first pass of LT's today, you will be happy to know...there are now only seven 90+ LT's in Madden 10.

Hopefully the Pro Bowl and 2008 season have a heavy impact on your ratings on player attributes, otherwise we'll see the same old players and teams who are no longer performing will be rated too high. Teams like the Cardinals and Dolphins should be ranked higher than the teams they beat out to win their divisions.

Young Pro Bowl Players like Rookie LT Jake Long or stater QB Flacco shouldnt get typical Rookie rankings...I'm excited to see the ratings.

Also, although I thought progression was a tad too easy in 2k8 (I'm a PC Franchise league player), I really liked the pace of regression, especially on player strength, speed, and agility. Can you speak about REGRESSION in 2k10? I think regression is as important for franchise mode as progression.

Lastly, I'm new to this great site, and want to thank the team for allowing us the priviledge of interacting in regard to this great game!

Some questions:
Will 2k10 have online franchise? How similiar or different will coach mode for PC be in franchise (online or offline) mode? Have you considered enhancing scouting by having broadcasting of games (like we do with X-Fire) as part of the spawn games (head to head ip play) or have you brought in any other new scouting types of tools?

It would be fantastic to have the ability in game logs to see how many times a play (by name) is ran and from which formations. Watching the broadcasts would be as real an experience as we can have in terms of scouting. All of this would be huge in franchise mode for online leagues.

# 316 dman1976 @ 02/19/09 01:44 PM

I would like to see players get "hot" or "cold" streaks during the season and have key rating affected as well as more influence from coaches and practice performances during the week, in addition to progression/regression

# 317 glitchditcher @ 02/19/09 02:17 PM

I think we definitely need to see some additions to the QB ratings. All you have right now to rate a QB is awareness, arm strength, and accuracy... really ? Is that all there is to a QB ? How about:

Deep/Intermediate/Short Accuracy: Guys such as Rex Grossman of the Bears, J.P. Losman of the Bills, and Derek Anderson of the Browns all actually have great deep balls. It may be the only great skill they have, but great nonetheless. You wouldn't know that in the game right now, though, since there is only one accuracy rating. On the other hand, some guys are good at the short passes, but can't seem to hit anyone deep. Remember how many times Matt Cassel overthrew Randy Moss last season ? He has stellar intermediate and short accuracy, but can't hit the deep ball consistently. I think this addition to the game would do wonders in better depicting the players' real life counterparts.

Composure: How well the player reacts in pressure situations. This could work for numerous positions, but for the QB especially. Guys with lower Composure ratings could maybe lose 10 accuracy points when the pressure is in their face or if it's a key 3rd or 4th down conversion. Maybe you could even make the screen turn shaky or blurry or something to display panic. As for the other positions- Offensive Lineman with low Composure ratings might commit a dumb false start when the home crowd is roaring or they could get called for holding on a 3rd down conversion. Cornerbacks might bite on double moves more often, receivers could run the wrong route or drop a pass in key situations. There is a ton of stuff you could do with it.

Clutch: Why not add a cluth rating ? Guys with 90+ clutch ratings could even receive a Clutch Weapon. I'm not entirely sure how this could work, but maybe you could increase a players key attributes in crunch time situations if they have a high rating and lower them if they have a low rating. For instance, a clutch QB's accuracy, composure, and arm strength, and awareness would increase on 3rd and long or 4th down conversions. Then again, I'm not sure how guys such as Tom Brady would benefit seeing as how he would already have virtually maxed out ratings in all of those categories.

# 318 kcarr @ 02/19/09 02:20 PM

I have started adjusting players ratings in 09 to expand the scale. I am probably adjusting the ratings more harshly than what EA would be able to get away with because if they came out with a game with some of these overall ratings there would be a million complaints. I have only done a couple teams (the bears, the colts, and working on the vikings) so far but as an example of this the highest overall anyone on the bears has is urlacher with an 81, guys like dallas clark ended up with around a 40, peyton ended up with an 89, peterson had like an 81. I did this just adjusting madden's ratings without actually placing any judgement on the players but some positions seemed to take a harder hit than others. The highest any fullback has ended up so far was like a 16, most WRs end up pretty high relatively.

The only real problem I have hit so far is qbs are very slow. I think some adjustments to their footwork could solve that. On the plus side, pocket QBs are really kinda stuck in the pocket. Orton who wasn't really highly rated has some definate accuracy problems when it is lowered. Hester's speed may have the potential to be deadly after the catch or getting deep but guys like harrison and wayne seem way easier to throw to probably somewhat because of the qb and also probably because they don't drop nearly as many passes and now that the defenses coverage ratings are lower they actually get seperation despite low speed ratings, I think wayne ended up like 83 and harrison like 85 speed.

# 319 apexbronx @ 02/19/09 02:22 PM

Sounds Great so Far, but can you please make sure that whatever a guy speed is, he is that Speed in any direction. I would hate to see Ray Lewis or somebody go stride for stride with a RB like Peterson form Hand off to sideline.

More Importantly can you PLEASE concentrate on Agility and Acceleration, the basic movement of a player menus the Juke and the Spin Moves

# 320 glitchditcher @ 02/20/09 09:02 PM

I know this isn't very credible, but I just created two players on Madden. I gave one 99 SPD and 99 ACC and the other 99 SPD and 0 ACC. Then I went into practice mode and ran them both from the 40 yard line to the endzone and timed it with an online stop watch (One hand on controler, the other on the mouse) and they both ran 4.6 almost every single time. You honestly couldn't even tell the difference.

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