Madden NFL 11 News Post

Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (OS)

10:54 AM - April 26, 2010 by Steve_OS

We have just posted our Madden NFL 11 hands-on impressions. Find out what Christian McLeod has to say about his time with the game.

Quote:


	"At EA�s recent community event, I was able to sit down with Madden developer Ian Cummings and get a very early hands on with Madden 11. With the tagline "Simpler," "Deeper" and "Quicker" being emphasized, I was able to take a look at some of this year's gameplay improvements that the Madden team feels will elevate Madden 11 to the next level."

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# 1 mm boost @ 04/26/10 11:05 AM

The presentation part was the highlight of that article. All of the articles posted this week have been relatively the same, so the presentation bit has been what has stuck out to me. Players in locker room, mid air collisions, etc. This is my cup of tea!

# 2 ch46647 @ 04/26/10 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mm boost


	The presentation part was the highlight of that article. All of the articles posted this week have been relatively the same, so the presentation bit has been what has stuck out to me. Players in locker room, mid air collisions, etc. This is my cup of tea!

They have been very quiet when it comes to Madden and "presentation" upgrades. NCAA has had huge news in this department, none of the previews out today so far have even mentioned Gus Johnson or the new "audio" improvements.

This leads me to believe they are waiting to really blow out the presentation/franchise news closer to release (Still really hoping for real broadcast presentation since NCAA got ESPN. I would love to get CBS)...

# 3 roadman @ 04/26/10 11:12 AM

This was a good in depth article. Only thing missing was the strategy pad, which was in another preview.

Maybe they didn't have enough time.

# 4 Exonerated @ 04/26/10 11:13 AM

In online games. The average Madden gamer only chose 13 different plays from over 300 plays in the playbook.

That tidbit was in other previews, no idea why it was ommitted here.

# 5 Blaise @ 04/26/10 11:15 AM

Its so early for information @this point, that all the previews are the same thing pretty much. I am glad that the general opinion has been good overall in the previews. I would like to hear more about other features(franchise, presentation, etc) but I have a feeling that stuff won't come out till around E3, or @ the very least a blog. Either way, it looks like good things this year

# 6 Bumble14 @ 04/26/10 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fcabanski


	"During our time together, Ian also informed me that a lot of research had been completed that determined how many plays gamers had been calling in an average game, which was also coupled with some insight from John Madden himself. After these findings, the development team decided to completely overhaul the way plays are called. The result is what is known as the "GameFlow," a streamlined game-planning option that will allow a virtual coordinator to call in a play for your team via headset based on a number of offensive variables that the game calculates." Maybe this isn't well explained, but what does the number of plays called in a game have to do with a virtual assistant calling in plays, or play execution? This section of the review seems to take an odd turn - They researched the number of plays people were calling, they had input from John Madden, so now there's a virtual assistant so players feel more like head coaches. Did the writer mean number of pass plays vs run plays? I thought the set-up was for a discussion or address to raw number of plays, so there would be more accurate results like stats and scores. But then the discussion turned to the virtual assistant calling the plays and execution.

What I meant by this is that Ian and Co. were looking for a way to streamline the entire playcalling experience. This means that you spend more time in game vs fiddling with plays. The virtual assistant is like "Ask Madden" on steroids, selecting the best possible play based on your customized gameplan, or a number of variables that the features logic computes. I'm not sure this feature will result in more accurate scores or stats. I do know that it cuts down the amount of time I spend playing the game- which is a big plus for those not wanting to invest 1.5 hours per game.

# 7 Bumble14 @ 04/26/10 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	This was a good in depth article. Only thing missing was the strategy pad, which was in another preview. Maybe they didn't have enough time.

I spent a few minutes playing with the strategy pad. Basically it is all of the old pre snap plays just integrated onto the pad to be brought up and displayed. It's a streamlined pre snap experience. Ian didn't really go into this more in depth, and expect to see a future blog on it.

You guys need to understand that the build I played was VERY early in development. This will be the first hands on of many, so stay tuned, and don't read too much into any of this early information.

NCAA 11 on the other hand was a very advanced build, so what was taken from that should be read more seriously.

# 8 ch46647 @ 04/26/10 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumble14


	What I meant by this is that Ian and Co. were looking for a way to streamline the entire playcalling experience. This means that you spend more time in game vs fiddling with plays. The virtual assistant is like "Ask Madden" on steroids, selecting the best possible play based on your customized gameplan, or a number of variables that the features logic computes. I'm not sure this feature will result in more accurate scores or stats. I do know that it cuts down the amount of time I spend playing the game- which is a big plus for those not wanting to invest 1.5 hours per game.

How did you feel about the removal of the "sprint" button? I dont know if you play the EA NHL series but I love the way the analog stick, and ratings control how fast you move in that game.

Is the analog responsive enough to handle the lack of a sprint button? What I mean by this is if I see a hole can I jam the left stick up and the player will immediately start accelerating into his sprint?

Also, could you elaborate a little more on the new kicking meter?

Thanks for any feedback!

EDIT: When you say the pre-play controls were streamlined. Was it similar to the old PS2 pre-play controls? Those were infinitely better then what we have now.

# 9 adembroski @ 04/26/10 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumble14


	I spent a few minutes playing with the strategy pad. Basically it is all of the old pre snap plays just integrated onto the pad to be brought up and displayed. It's a streamlined pre snap experience. Ian didn't really go into this more in depth, and expect to see a future blog on it. You guys need to understand that the build I played was VERY early in development. This will be the first hands on of many, so stay tuned, and don't read too much into any of this early information. NCAA 11 on the other hand was a very advanced build, so what was taken from that should be read more seriously.

Can you comment on the run blocking assignments and execution?

# 10 Steve_OS @ 04/26/10 11:45 AM

Christian. As posted by Boregard, in this thread. http://www.operationsports.com/forum...-controls.html

Did you see anything like this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boregard

Breakdown of legacy gen pre-snap assignment adjustments

Note: when using defensive playmaker controls there was no need to hit X first and all the adjustments were on the R-Stick which made this way way faster and way easier to use
and you could indivudually bumb or play off by hitting triangle, the receiver icon and up or down on L Stick or d-pad, and shade by hitting triangle the icon and L1 to shade left or R1 to shade right.

DEFENSE CONTROLS - DEFENSIVE PLAYMAKER

For Defensive Playmaker, highlight player, then press Right Stick UP = Linebacker hook zone/Defensive back deep zone: Right stick

DOWN = Blitz: Right stick

DOWN twice = QB Contain Blitz: Right stick

LEFT = Go into QB spy coverage: Right stick

RIGHT = Play a flat zone: Right stick

RIGHT twice = Play a curl zone: Right stick

# 11 rudyjuly2 @ 04/26/10 11:45 AM

It's hard to comment on how turbo being removed affects gameplay but I'm a big fan of ADDING options and not removing them. The NCAA team has left the turbo option in so why not Madden? This might make some happy but this could piss off some people.

# 12 roadman @ 04/26/10 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	It's hard to comment on how turbo being removed affects gameplay but I'm a big fan of ADDING options and not removing them. The NCAA team has left the turbo option in so why not Madden? This might make some happy but this could piss off some people.

Rudy-

They didn't remove it, it's an option. It's off on default.

# 13 statum71 @ 04/26/10 11:48 AM

That presentation stuff sounds really good.

# 14 rudyjuly2 @ 04/26/10 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	Rudy- They didn't remove it, it's an option. It's off on default.

Are you sure? Sounded like they took it out of Madden completely.

# 15 Steve_OS @ 04/26/10 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	Are you sure? Sounded like they took it out of Madden completely.

According to other previews, it is an option.

# 16 rudyjuly2 @ 04/26/10 11:58 AM

My bad.

# 17 dmick4324 @ 04/26/10 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheCreep


	I still dont understand how Gameflow is going to make the game go any faster than it already goes. I'm not seeing what exactly is being taken out that will cut the game to half hour vice 1 to 1 hour and a half? I utilize the Ask Madden feature and then pick one of the plays in that selection, doesn't take long at all. My games still last for a good hour. What is gameflow going to do that'll make my games go faster that I'm not already doing? See what I'm getting at?

Does my offense not walk up to the line of scrimmage anymore? Are my players lined up already immediately after I hit X to choose the Gameflow option? And more importantly, does the CPU immediately snap the ball when on offense resulting in a predictable snap count? I also don't understand how the game time can be cut down because I too use the AskMadden feature.

# 18 PacMan3000 @ 04/26/10 12:47 PM

I think GameFlow can potentially be great if the offensive and defensive coordinators have ratings, and based on their ratings, there's a better chance that they'll call effective plays.

I would also hope that, if I'm in year 2013 in Franchise mode and I fire my offensive coordinator, the new guy I hire will come in with a completely new playbook, and I'll have to roll with that if he's the man calling the plays.

One thing I didn't quite understand--does this new feature require the purchase of a headset of some sort--or will we hear the coordinator's voice through our television speakers?

# 19 swiftychampleone @ 04/26/10 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProjectSRT


	What if we like our games to last over an hour? I want my game to be as close to authentic as it can be, and playing a full NFL game in 30 minutes goes in the opposite direction.

Gameflow is an option from what I'm hearing. You can still go through your playbook if you want. Honestly, I like the Gameflow option where you can set your plays before a game for certain offensive situations. I don't think I'll use the Gameflow to "tell me" what to run. I know I haven't purchased Madden since 06, but I'm an experienced player.

# 20 TreyIM2 @ 04/26/10 12:47 PM

The best thing I read in all these previews was "Madden 11 also looked better than its predecessor, and art director Mike Young explained that the team hadn�t even put in its improved lighting model yet". That came from Destructoid, and I suppose that Madden 11 will look just as great as NCAA 11, from a visual standpoint.

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