Madden NFL 15 News Post

Madden NFL 15 Gauntlet Mode Teaches You How to Play Football, Get Better at Madden

09:56 AM - July 11, 2014 by jpdavis82

EA Sports released a brief Madden NFL 15 video featuring the new Gauntlet mode yesterday. A couple of sites have posted their previews this morning. If any more show up, this post will be updated.

Madden NFL 15 Wants You To Be A Student Of The Game (Game Informer)

Quote:


	The Skills Trainer mode features 48 new drills, but beyond teaching you the controls of the game, they go deeper to teach you core football concepts like recognizing defenses. "When we playtested," says designer Danny Doeberling, "we found out that people call cover 2 defense, people call a smash route. They have no idea what that actually is. So, we're actually taking them through how to recognize a cover 2 defense. And once you actually see it on the field, we'll have you attack that. When you're calling different pass plays, what actually makes up a pass play? What's a cross? Outs? We basically teach you the foundation of the coverages, and we also [teach you] the most common pass concepts. We basically teach you football." Accordingly, there are also drills in the mode where you call red zone plays, for instance.

Madden NFL 15 wants to teach you about football to make you a better Madden player (Polygon)

Quote:


	As Cam and I crafted this vision to take the game toward 'more realistic and more authentic,' what we realized is, if we don't teach people how football works, they're never going to understand this game," Dickson continued. "That's really why the Skills Trainer mode was developed, is because I basically pitched that we need a tutorial system if we're going to keep going in a realistic, authentic direction.

Game: Madden NFL 15Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
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Madden NFL 15 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 roadman @ 07/11/14 10:17 AM

Key quote right here:

"As Cam and I crafted this vision to take the game toward 'more realistic and more authentic,' what we realized is, if we don't teach people how football works, they're never going to understand this game," Dickson continued. "That's really why the Skills Trainer mode was developed, is because I basically pitched that we need a tutorial system if we're going to keep going in a realistic, authentic direction."

This thread should be interesting, to say the least.

# 2 K_GUN @ 07/11/14 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpdavis82


	http://www.polygon.com/2014/7/11/588...ainer-gauntlet

cute.......Pat Kirwin, author of Take Your Eyes Off The Ball, has already done that but thanks anyway!

# 3 Hooe @ 07/11/14 10:25 AM

I've hammered on this on here.

More than anything else, sports games' biggest failing to this point has been accessibility and teaching its users how to play. This is evident in the fact that no gaming-oriented people around me will even attempt to play Madden, NBA 2K, The Show, or even WWE with me, because I'm a veteran of sports games and a hardcore sports fan in general. I know how to play these games, while they are helplessly behind with few to no in-game mechanisms available with which to catch up.

This is a necessary step for expanding the pool of potential customers for the Madden series, particularly as the NFL's popularity continues to grow. One they probably won't see any credit for on this message board, but - assuming the mode is well-executed - one they deserve credit for nevertheless.

# 4 Hooe @ 07/11/14 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_GUN


	cute.......Pat Kirwin, author of Take Your Eyes Off The Ball, has already done that but thanks anyway!

That's the thing - no one is going to read a 200-page book to learn how to play a football video game.

If a game can't engage a new player with the mechanics of the game in a meaningful way within the first ten minutes, the gamer will put the game down and never come back.

# 5 kongemeier @ 07/11/14 10:27 AM

But... well, penalties would be a decent place to start then!

# 6 K_GUN @ 07/11/14 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CM Hooe


	That's the thing - no one is going to read a 200-page book to learn how to play a football video game. If a game can't engage a new player with the mechanics of the game in a meaningful way within the first ten minutes, the gamer will put the game down and never come back.

agreed.....perhaps it should be spun as..."Madden Dev's wanna teach you how to play their game.." ??

dunno...props to them for the effort to educate tho

# 7 48 hours @ 07/11/14 10:41 AM

Nice..I am looking forward to the skill trainer.

# 8 Matty Aqua @ 07/11/14 10:53 AM

This is a fantastic idea!

# 9 Hooe @ 07/11/14 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_GUN


	agreed.....perhaps it should be spun as..."Madden Dev's wanna teach you how to play their game.." ?? dunno...props to them for the effort to educate tho

I mean, sure, you could say that if you want to split hairs, but Madden's game is nominally football. So yes they are teaching football through a video game. Teaching a person how to use a Levels passing concept or the strengths and weaknesses of a Cover 2 coverage applies in Madden and real life.

We all know Madden has shortcomings in the way some things play out on the field, but that doesn't mean that what it teaches isn't representative of the sport whatsoever.

# 10 coke hogan @ 07/11/14 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CM Hooe


	That's the thing - no one is going to read a 200-page book to learn how to play a football video game. If a game can't engage a new player with the mechanics of the game in a meaningful way within the first ten minutes, the gamer will put the game down and never come back.

I wasn't engaged in the mechanics of the witcher 2. put it down, then picked it up a week later. one of the best games ever played.

so I don't believe people would put the game down and not play it anymore, especially if they paid money for it.

# 11 Hooe @ 07/11/14 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coke hogan


	I don't believe people would put the game down and not play it anymore, especially if they paid money for it.

You'd be surprised.

One of the hardest things to do in making a video game is create the first level / the user's first experience with the game because if said level / experience doesn't teach the player how to play and doesn't engage them in the story (if applicable), the user will lose interest, will not invest into the game, and you've likely lost him. That's not to say there aren't exceptions, like your experience with The Witcher 2, but the general rule is that you've gotta grab the player early.

In talking about making good games today with reference to his experience making DOOM, designer John Romero recommended making the first level of a game last so that the designer knows all the tools he has to teach the player for the rest of the game. The infamous E1M1 Hangar board was the last level put into the game and teaches the player pretty much everything he needs to know about how an environment in DOOM works (with the exception of key cards, which are introduced in E1M2). This design lesson applied in 1992, it still applies today.

# 12 mestevo @ 07/11/14 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coke hogan


	I wasn't engaged in the mechanics of the witcher 2. put it down, then picked it up a week later. one of the best games ever played. so I don't believe people would put the game down and not play it anymore, especially if they paid money for it.

I've actually stalled multiple times playing The Witcher 2 at the part that it decides you should learn every ability at one time at the end of the tutorial.

# 13 greenegt @ 07/11/14 11:41 AM

Gauntlet Mode looks like fun. I'm really looking forward to Madden 15.

# 14 juduking @ 07/11/14 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	Key quote right here: "As Cam and I crafted this vision to take the game toward 'more realistic and more authentic,' what we realized is, if we don't teach people how football works, they're never going to understand this game," Dickson continued. "That's really why the Skills Trainer mode was developed, is because I basically pitched that we need a tutorial system if we're going to keep going in a realistic, authentic direction." This thread should be interesting, to say the least.

What was skills trainer then? Just a way to get MUT cards?

# 15 Hooe @ 07/11/14 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juduking


	What was skills trainer then? Just a way to get MUT cards?

Skills Trainer existed in Madden 25 to teach the user the game's control scheme, especially the new ballcarrier move controls. Where it falls short is actually teaching players football strategy, a fault which this year's iteration seeks to rectify.

# 16 dcdreadhead @ 07/11/14 01:01 PM

I think this is a great tool for anyone trying to increase their football IQ and hone their skill sets. However, I do remember in previous iterations the players were donned in practice uniforms during practice mode which is a small thing, but really added to the realism and immersion of the game. It's always the small details that get scrapped...it's probably too late now to re-implement.

# 17 Cowboy008 @ 07/11/14 01:06 PM

Will the 48 new drills be available for practice in CFM. Like you would be able to choose a couple of drills each week to try to improve a player? I know I probably won't get a answer yet until they release CFM info.

# 18 bigwill33 @ 07/11/14 01:32 PM

So, they want an authentic football experience and to teach sim football to the customers, but plan on doing it in the most unrealistic and arcade way possible?

I get what they are after, but to see the screencap that accompanies that quote, well it made me chuckle inside a little.

# 19 KANE699 @ 07/11/14 02:02 PM

Even as a Sim guy, this mode is super fun and addicting.

# 20 SamitSarkar @ 07/11/14 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowboy008


	Will the 48 new drills be available for practice in CFM. Like you would be able to choose a couple of drills each week to try to improve a player? I know I probably won't get a answer yet until they release CFM info.

Yup. In CFM, it's called "Game Prep," and you earn XP for the players you use.

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