Madden NFL 13 News Post

Breaking Down Madden: Core Experience and Audience

03:31 PM - August 21, 2012 by RaychelSnr

A new series of articles from a Backbreaker developer on the design of Madden NFL Football. In part 1, we take a look at the core experience and audience of Madden: Just who is EA Sports seeking to please with the franchise anyways?

Read More - Breaking Down Madden: Core Experience and Audience

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# 1 maccano @ 08/21/12 03:49 PM

A really insightful article, its good to see another perspective on the way that these games are made.

# 2 jpdavis82 @ 08/21/12 03:57 PM

I've got 13 as a MAJOR win for the Hardcore, I don't know about ya'll.

Infinity Engine
No super lbs/psychic db's
Read and React
Pass Trajectories
Connected Careers
Nantz and Simms-could be considered casual by some, to me it's for the hardcore because it adds to the experience making it more like Sundays.

# 3 Juce734 @ 08/21/12 03:57 PM

Interesting article there. I would probably fall in the middle between casual and hardcore.

I do not have the time to perfect a game like I once did. I do however like the smaller details that take a lot of time outside of the game like setting my team up and stuff like that. Some features I've liked and some I've hated in previous years.

GAMEFLOW I sort of liked because I could just play with whatever the coach called. Sometimes I would audible out of the play but for the most part I just ran with it.

This new infinity engine looks nice in the retail version and CCM looks fun too. Really excited to check them out. Hopefully they deliver or I will be trading my game in pretty quickly.

# 4 Bgamer90 @ 08/21/12 03:58 PM

Very good points and great chart at the bottom. Love the article.

# 5 jmurphy31 @ 08/21/12 04:11 PM

Good Article. One question is did EA ever take advantage of Tuner Sets in Madden 12?

# 6 jpdavis82 @ 08/21/12 04:13 PM

So do you guys see Madden 13 as breaking the trend in this chart and being more for the hardcore or do you think it's more for the casual?

# 7 SHAKYR @ 08/21/12 04:22 PM

WOW! This reminds me of a project I'm working on. The chart itself is exactly what I was aiming for;

http://www.operationsports.com/SHAKY...rs-interested/

I wondering how marketing knows what each fans want and they can implement it in the game without scaring the other kinds of players away? I always they core plays come first(default) then the other kinds of players come as options.
EA is notorious for creating a hybrid game as default to please everyone.

# 8 jpdavis82 @ 08/21/12 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StrawHat Patriot


	A bit of both,

LOL, I'm surprised you didn't say it was a win for the casual. The only thing M13 did for the casual was probably piss them off, no fantasy drafts, no option to control all the teams in Connected Careers, trying to remove nanos.

# 9 McNutted @ 08/21/12 04:34 PM

I think the ball was dropped on the tuners. While NCAA hasn't blown people away with the tuner feature, it was at least used. I can't say I remember a Madden tuner last year.

# 10 jpdavis82 @ 08/21/12 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StrawHat Patriot


	What does that imply

You don't give Madden much credit for when they do something for the hardcore.

# 11 elementz09 @ 08/21/12 04:45 PM

I enjoyed reading this article. I start to wonder though how much of these changes that EA has put into Madden or NCAA relates to sales vs. ratings? I know sales are important in any business, but I look at another sports game in MLB: The Show and they're pretty much top notch in MLB realism. Even the franchise mode allows you to schedule promotions, transportation, and all other kinds of things that comes very close to really putting you in the position of a GM of a MLB franchise. And if you don't want that much responsibility, just play season mode. I say that to ask how difficult can it be to get to the point in a game where you have a "fork in the road" option for casual gamers vs. hardcore gamers? Is it too complicated to implement out of fear of a sales decline and/or a not so good rating?

# 12 Craigsca @ 08/21/12 04:54 PM

Interesting to me that he considers accelerated clock as a "casual" feature. I love it because it's more realistic to the actual game and feel it's a more "hardcore" feature. Also interesting to me is how he feels that authentic player entrances and authentic crowd chants as casual as well, as I know a lot of OSers have asked for them as part of a more authentic experience.

# 13 Caveman24 @ 08/21/12 05:36 PM

great points

# 14 DetroitStyle @ 08/21/12 05:40 PM

Pretty neat little flow chart. I noticed accelerated clocks was mentioned in '11 but hasn't that been in since '04? Also, I would not consider that a "casual fan" feature. As a hardcore player accelerated clocks is a MUST HAVE for full quarters. I've been wishlisting it for years in NCAA. It's the only way to get sim possession time.

# 15 RGiles36 @ 08/21/12 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StrawHat Patriot


	Like when?

Like when they introduce a pass-ready system that prevents you from throwing to a receiver at any time you want to

. That's certainly more for the hardcore crowd.

# 16 VinnyVegas28 @ 08/21/12 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpdavis82


	LOL, I'm surprised you didn't say it was a win for the casual. The only thing M13 did for the casual was probably piss them off, no fantasy drafts, no option to control all the teams in Connected Careers, trying to remove nanos.

JP; They didnt just piss off the casual fans with those removed features. I consider myself a hardcore offline franchise player and I am pretty frustrated with those features removed. However, I am giving them credit for everything new in the game right now. Step in the right direction, I only hope that they allow those options back in next year. I don't care about editing ratings but editing equipment, numbers and positions is something that the Hardcore offline gamer needs in order to account for the mistakes made by EA. Hopefully return of offline co-op in franchise and other features like fantasy draft make their way back in next year. I am very much looking forward to CC and IE though!

# 17 PGaither84 @ 08/21/12 06:25 PM

That chart is simply inaccurate.

Online franchise was introduced in Madden 10, not 09.

Accelerated clock was also brought back in Madden 10 and it is a hardcore simulation mechanic to SIMULATE the time it takes to change personnel and call a play into the huddle.

NFL Game Plans were another Hardcore simulation/realism addition.

# 18 Joobieo @ 08/21/12 07:53 PM

Interesting read .

# 19 Tweeg @ 08/21/12 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpdavis82


	LOL, I'm surprised you didn't say it was a win for the casual. The only thing M13 did for the casual was probably piss them off, no fantasy drafts, no option to control all the teams in Connected Careers, trying to remove nanos.

I don't see anything casual about 32 team control in connected careers. The removal of 32 team control is actually a negative for Hardcore, not casual.

# 20 Sausage @ 08/21/12 09:59 PM

Madden 10, my favorite Xbox 360/PS3 version of the series. Probably my favorite football game of all time next to Madden 05 and NCAA 06 on the PS2.

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