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Madden NFL 25 News Post



Greg Miller of IGN sat down with Cam Weber on the IGN set at E3 to talk Madden NFL 25 and what the Ignite Engine means to next-gen Madden.

"(The Ignite Engine) is best in class tech from all of our franchises," Weber said.

The new locomotion system within the new generation of Madden was developed by both the Madden and FIFA teams alongside each other. Weber was particularly high on the new system, "The thing that makes Madden feel special on Gen-4 is our new true step locomotion sytem," Weber said. "You have much more control over every move."

Weber said that Player Sense makes 50x more calculations a second than Madden on current gen.

"It's like taking the blindfold off. They (digital players) can see the entire field, all the players and objects around them and they can react on the fly to what everyone else is doing," Weber said.

Weber said the additional power allows for the extra calculations from players and the new physics engine, which will add more depth than ever to Madden NFL Football.

When asked about what this could mean on a practical level, Weber elaborated on the line play, "The line of scrimmage has so much going on this year, whether it's run blocking or pass blocking it's completely overhauled."

Weber went on to talk about pocket awareness and pre-snap targeting and how offensive linemen will dynamically change assignments starting from the center outwards, just like in real football. This dynamic shifting of assignments continues as the snap occurs as well, Weber said.

And the big one, when asked about the generational leap and the possibly of features lost, Weber responded, "It will be a fully featured Madden right out of the gate. We're not losing any depth."

Weber said Connected Franchise was built with this generation in mind, so there won't be any depth lost as you upgrade from the current generation to Madden on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

While we've long suspected this was the case, it's nice to officially hear that Madden will be losing no depth as it makes the generational leap.

How does this affect your perception of the upcoming next-gen Madden?

Game: Madden NFL 25Reader Score: 5/10 - Vote Now
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Madden NFL 25 Videos
Member Comments
# 141 ch46647 @ 06/16/13 07:39 PM
I understand how important you guys feel presentation is to the game, and I completely agree. However, I am THRILLED that they are attacking the in-game atmosphere this year. For me, the most important thing to a good sports game besides gameplay is atmosphere. The atmosphere is currently TERRIBLE in EA's sports games.

One of the top selling points of their new engine is a living world. This includes dynamic crowds, 3D interactive sidelines (with over 300 models on each sideline), and all new crowd noise. IMO, it is HUGE for them to nail this for M25 Next-Gen. This would do wonders for immersion in the game, and I don't think people realize how important this is.

Once that is successfully implemented, it is going to be amazing if they layer a professional CBS style presentation to complement the stadium atmosphere.
 
# 142 infemous @ 06/16/13 08:58 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big FN Deal
It's all together though, including commentary. In that commentary thread ChaseB started I kept mentioning the importance of all the presentation elements coming together for it to be solid. I don't see how any broadcast team they put in Madden is going to ever sound realistic if Tiburon doesn't represent a real time pace of the game. Also even though living sidelines and all those things are great, it will be greatly under appreciated and unnoticed if Tiburon doesn't add the proper network real time presentation camera work, instead of cut scenes, to showcase it.

Next year I'm looking to almost forget I am watching/playing a video game and get lost in a virtual NFL world, being televised live through my gaming system.
You said it:

real time presentation.

Cutting to all these cut scenes isn't a good look any more.

FIFA have worked to remove the whole cut scene for set pieces and throw ins element, and I think that Madden should follow their lead and implement visual representations of substitutions, going into the huddle, approaching the LOS, celebrating a first down, sack, turnover, touchdown or whatever in real time.

But first I want players to have weight and I'd like a deeper career mode and better commentary and stuff.

Those are the sorts of tweaks that elevate from great to amazing, and I think they need to get to good first. We'd under appreciate it if the gameplay was still at the state it is.
 
# 143 LBzrule @ 06/16/13 10:19 PM
See, I'm skeptical about the pass blocking the way Weber describes it in the video. My big question here is let's take five vs five. Suppose I align the defense with three rushers on the right and two on the left, but I take the MLB (who is not blitzing) and go line up on the left making it a 3 on the left and 3 on the right. Will they count me as a possible rusher? If not then that's still psychic blocking.

Also, a great deal of questions remain about this game. Defensively, will we finally have line stunts that we can mix and match with coverages and blitzes? If it is the same way as current gen color me VERY unimpressed. It's time for them to step this thing up.

If they don't that's fine with me. I no longer count sports games as a reason to get a new console.

I like what will be available on X1 with Twitch where you can broadcast the game live. But alas, if this thing does not distance itself from PS3/360 in some fundamental ways then I might skip it and get Watch Dogs.
 
# 144 SageInfinite @ 06/17/13 01:46 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghettogeeksta
So I'm the only one who thinks the canned tackling looked like crap in that next-gen video. I guess tackling is not a big deal to most people.
The whole video looked like crap imo, but it's pre-alpha footage. Tiburon was actually pretty brave to take something like that to display at E3. The trailer looked much better which I've heard was taken from a newer build which they still are building on.

Also imo canned animations was not the problem with Tiburon football. It was the lack of variety of the animations. There just was never enough to make the game look realistic and account for all the different outcomes and situations on the field. All of the most heralded football games of the past generation had canned animations, so I don't think they were the problem.
 
# 145 infemous @ 06/17/13 10:38 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big FN Deal
Not to speak for Sage but what he is saying is "canned animations" in general are not the problem or what's causing the things you listed, it's the way Tiburon is using them.
and how it appears they are continuing to use them.

No tackle should defy the laws of physics. There are clear rules set out by nature itself. Many games have shown it, but it isn't hard to re-create in a game.

If EA stick with canned animations, there will always be a shortage because reality offers limitless animations and so can real time physics.

We're at a stage now where canned animations are a regressive way of approaching sports games apart from the inclusion of signature animations...
 
# 146 SageInfinite @ 06/17/13 12:22 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by infemous
and how it appears they are continuing to use them.

No tackle should defy the laws of physics. There are clear rules set out by nature itself. Many games have shown it, but it isn't hard to re-create in a game.

If EA stick with canned animations, there will always be a shortage because reality offers limitless animations and so can real time physics.

We're at a stage now where canned animations are a regressive way of approaching sports games apart from the inclusion of signature animations...
I agree but physics also comes with its own set of problems as we saw with Madden 13. Again I don't think it's the systems/engines it's how Tiburon uses them. They need to approach the game in a realistic manner and stop trying to just get things done and in the game. They have to pay attention to details. I agree that physics are the future, but I don't have a problem with "canned" animations as long as they're done right.

It's just like cutscenes. Real time presentation is the future and should be in the game, but if done properly, cutscenes can appear or seem to be real time, but only IF done properly. It's just that Tiburon hasn't used either right.
 
# 147 infemous @ 06/18/13 10:17 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by SageInfinite
I agree but physics also comes with its own set of problems as we saw with Madden 13. Again I don't think it's the systems/engines it's how Tiburon uses them. They need to approach the game in a realistic manner and stop trying to just get things done and in the game. They have to pay attention to details. I agree that physics are the future, but I don't have a problem with "canned" animations as long as they're done right.

It's just like cutscenes. Real time presentation is the future and should be in the game, but if done properly, cutscenes can appear or seem to be real time, but only IF done properly. It's just that Tiburon hasn't used either right.
You're completely right.

The thing is, is that the problems thrown up by RTP are much more manageable than those thrown up by the constant use of canned animations, especially for interactions. I'd rather see a dude fly back 5 yards from a huge impact that took into consideration his weight and speed vs the weight and speed of who hit him, than see a nicely formed, well designed but physically inaccurate collision from the same two players.

What the issue with RTP presents is the overall issue with ratings being jacked up. Players move too fast and their weight is not tuned enough. What it would require of EA developers is to actually fine tune and nuance elements to create a realistic result, instead of just hire some more bum ex football players to run around for a day in a studio and sloppily drop those animations into the game.

If they did canned animations properly it'd mean that they'd have to invest an absurd amount of resources into an outdated technology that is innately flawed.

A very good game that I enjoy very much is Top Spin Tennis 4. It is well balanced (to an extent) and runs smoothly with understandable but sim concepts behind the gameplay. The issue with it, is that it relies on canned animations and you can get caught in a bogus animation that creates a bogus result. The power of drop shots is unbelievable, a lob shot can freeze your opponent etc. Real time physics would mean these things would be impossible, because a player being able to reach a lob shot or run back to hit it, and the success of the resultant shot, would be dependent on things governed by reality. The players' speed would determine if they could get the shot, the players technique ratings would determine how well they could then take the shot and the power ratings would determine how fast that ball goes.

The only place for canned animations in games is in the placing of signature animations but they too should be steeped in natural physics.

Regardless of how well done canned animations are, it is still the lazy and archaic way to represent sports within video games. Sports are all about amazing feats of humans within the confines of physics, the amalgamation of supreme athletes and intelligent dedicated people, yet canned animations rob the gamer the true essence of defying the confines of their abilities by making the athletes defy the confines of their more remarkable abilities.

The cut scene stuff I agree with. I am not gonna press for that until game play is fixed, but if you consider what EA is able to achieve in Battlefield in real time gameplay, and even what FIFA is able to achieve in celebrations, I find it hard to believe the Madden developers are that incompetent, they are/have been, just dare I say it?

Spoiler
 
# 148 IUThor40 @ 06/19/13 01:43 PM
I thought I saw somewhere that you could save a draft class on current gen (since NCAA won't be on next gen) and import it to next gen consoles for use with Madden. Am I completely crazy here or will we be able to do that?
 
# 149 SageInfinite @ 06/19/13 02:08 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by IUThor40
I thought I saw somewhere that you could save a draft class on current gen (since NCAA won't be on next gen) and import it to next gen consoles for use with Madden. Am I completely crazy here or will we be able to do that?
Devs said they're trying to figure out a way to do it.
 


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