Madden NFL 15 News Post

Madden NFL 15 Developer Livestream, Watch it Here

05:25 PM - July 18, 2014 by Steve_OS

EA Sports is hosting a livestream of Madden NFL 15 with Creative Director Rex Dickson, as he goes over gameplay features.

If it gets archived or captured, we'll update this post for those of you that miss it. If the embedded stream doesn't work, click here.

UPDATE: Here is a link to the livestream, if you missed it.

UPDATE #2: Just updated the embedded video of the livestream, courtesy of SimFBallCritic. Thanks JP.

Game: Madden NFL 15Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / PS4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 42 - View All

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Member Comments

# 221 charter04 @ 07/19/14 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yardz23


	Me too! Normally I'm just an offline franchise guy, but if everything is as tuned as it seems to be I'll be playing some online quite a bit. Used your sliders for M25 as well. Did you catch what RG said about sliders being unlocked from difficulty? Any idea what that means?

Just means when you change sliders it won't go to custom. Madden 15 will work like NCAA. If you chose All-Madden difficulty you can change sliders to what ever and it will stay all Madden. I just hope they work right.

# 222 yardz23 @ 07/19/14 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charter04


	Just means when you change sliders it won't go to custom. Madden 15 will work like NCAA. If you chose All-Madden difficulty you can change sliders to what ever and it will stay all Madden. I just hope they work right.

Thanks, that's good news. Really looking forward to it.

# 223 dat boi Q @ 07/19/14 01:37 PM

After watching him in this video I believe Rex is the best thing to happen for us with madden.

# 224 charter04 @ 07/19/14 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TTD71


	The older teams are taking a bad rap on this point... I know from first hand experience that guys like Ian and his team were hyper-sensitive to testing for and fixing bugs and exploits - doing it in real time at past community events even (or in Ian's case online and posting options and changes to be viewed)....the problem is a dev team - even as large as Madden has - is MASSIVELY out gunned on release day for finding exploits and bugs...take 100 game testers and give them 2 weeks (80 hours x 100 testers = 80,000 hours) and compare that to release day + internet forums/chat rooms = 4,000,000 users at even 30 minutes each = 2,000,000 hours... I appreciate the efforts we are seeing, but its just not right to say other teams did not try or care...they may not have been as good or as up front, but this team is just as out gunned in the end as any other...I expect PLENTY of glitches...I just hope that they are able to patch and or offer enough manual options to counter them as they have shown so far!

I wasn't even trying to bash the other teams but, I haven't seen any previous teams seem to work this hard at making head to head games as fair as this team is. I said I'm sure they won't catch everything. I k ow there used to be a fair play option but, that's just a band aid for poor game design. I'm sure Ian and others wanted the same things this teams what's. This teams seems like they want the game it self to be balanced and realistic enough that you don't need fair play.

Ultimately the proof is in the pudding and I'm ready to play it to see for myself.

# 225 atc43 @ 07/19/14 01:49 PM

Its been so long since I've felt this feeling.

The upfront and honest presentation of what this game has and doesnt will go a very long way to gaining back trust and purchases from your most dedicated fans. Rex kudos to you and the team for realizing that this game needs to go in a realistic direction.

Loved the bluff blitz and that you can actually shade defenders inside, outside, or over the top in coverage(dont know if it was in 25). Also like the addition of disguised coverages. What would make it even more in depth is to have pre-play adjustments for Strong 3 Shell, Weak 3 Shell, 1 High etc if possible.

Most of what was shown I really liked. Just a few main points that will put Madden over the top for me again.

1. Animations/Player Movement(obviously)

2. CPU AI; everything we can do the AI should be able to do as well. H2H is great but dont forget about us single player guys please!

3. Realistic Penalites/Challenge System

4. Deeper Playbook Capabilites; Formation Subs

5. Deep Realistic CFM; If you guys are going the route of realism please remove XP! Or at least allow an option for hiring coaches that affect players ratings and progression.

With those 5 points you guys will have yourselves a very great game. I havent bought a new Madden since 13 and 09 before that. Feels good to be excited about my favorite sports gaming genre again.

# 226 bad_philanthropy @ 07/19/14 01:53 PM

One thing I forgot to mention in my previous praise was the beauty of seeing a defender attack the correct shoulder instead of simply engaging the blocker straight on like it has always been. I just wanted to cry it was so beautiful. This sort of logic not only improves the game overall, but should also improve the efficacy of the 3-4 defense.

# 227 aholbert32 @ 07/19/14 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by friscob


	Noticed that too. Might hav had something to do with him taking the field following a change of possession instead of the start of the game

The reason for that was that both players went into the play calling screen too quick. When you do that it doesnt show the QB presentation.

# 228 jpdavis82 @ 07/19/14 02:13 PM

Guys i think we probably need to stop worrying about the older teams, that really isn't relevant any more. If you think Rex is great, why does that have to mean the older guys are getting bashed? I've said all along this team gets it AND they have the people above them backing their direction. Perhaps Ian and those guys got it too but they didn't get support from those above them. I hope as we move into M15 and from now on we can let these sleeping dogs lie. W,hat happened in the past can't be changed whether you thought the previous guys were good or bad. This team needs to be judged separately and in their own way based on the final product, not the accomplishments or failures of those before them. As a Packers fan this is like comparing the team of the 90s with Favre, to the current team with Rodgers. They are in different eras with different people around them.

Another thing, this team has the benefit of new technology, but again it's also a different era with different people. What matters is the present and where we are going, hopefully the current team learns from the past and continues to push for authenticity over exploits and money plays.

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# 229 bad_philanthropy @ 07/19/14 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GiantBlue76


	I think everyone is putting the cart before the horse here. We are all excited to see a team actually pushing in the right direction, but by no means has this football game eclipsed the games of the past even. There are still a lot of eye sores that are in Madden 15, even by the devs admission. The real proof is in the product and what gets delivered. Good will and transparency is great and all, and it is appreciated, but at the end of the day, we aren't going out for beers together or anything. The product is what matters, and it still has a long way to go.

Agreed. I think a lot of us have prefaced our excitement with reserved judgment until the final product though. It is encouraging to see Madden's development direction at this point through an allegedly more fundamental approach to football mechanics, and acknowledging legacy issues. Perhaps the most important thing in any of this is the admission of the game's shortcomings and flat out terrible aspects from its developers, and professing a real drive to sort that crap out.

IMO having the devs admit these things, account for them, and express a desire to solve them over the long-term gives some hope as a customer that core gameplay has a long-term direction I'm interested in. The "Madden" style of gameplay has been stale to me for years now. I can accept some aspects taking a while to change because Rex and team are still confined to the revenue strategies of EA and the annual release cycle, but more detailed gameplay will freshen things up and get me more engaged.

The game may turn out to be a disaster, but still, it hasn't been often we've seen Madden devs host a livestream like this pre-release where they've shown gameplay, and "labbed" improvements for us, and even been willing to go into replay mode to show stuff off. We'll know fairly soon if this was genius marketing, but I don't see the logic in peddling this stuff to a small portion of the consumer base (the "hardcore" OS-type communities) as a marketing deception.

One other little aside. For the most part I was impressed with the collision detection in the box in the run game. It mostly seemed/looked quite fluid, and the RB navigated traffic quite well.

# 230 aholbert32 @ 07/19/14 02:36 PM

I'm not even willing to give the entire team a pass yet. Rex and the gameplay guys have chosen to move in a more sim direction and repair issues from the past and I applaud them for that.

Now...Josh Looman and the franchise team? Nah. They dont get a pass. They singlehandedly destroyed franchise by choosing to focus on Twitter feeds, hot dog prices and leveling up than things that people here are looking for. The fact that CFM doesnt have realistic stats, CPU v. CPU, individual defensive matchups, out of game formation subs or CPU controlled teams that play like they do in real life (without major tweaking) is ridiculous.

I'm interested in what they will present around August but I'm not hopeful based on the casual focus they've had in past years.

# 231 bad_philanthropy @ 07/19/14 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aholbert32


	I'm not even willing to give the entire team a pass yet. Rex and the gameplay guys have chosen to move in a more sim direction and repair issues from the past and I applaud them for that. Now...Josh Looman and the franchise team? Nah. They dont get a pass. They singlehandedly destroyed franchise by choosing to focus on Twitter feeds, hot dog prices and leveling up than things that people here are looking for. The fact that CFM doesnt have realistic stats, CPU v. CPU, individual defensive matchups, out of game formation subs or CPU controlled teams that play like they do in real life (without major tweaking) is ridiculous. I'm interested in what they will present around August but I'm not hopeful based on the casual focus they've had in past years.

Very true. The leveling XP system as a means to simulate player development is a narrow concept and just a disaster. The stats curve for passing completion/yards in simmed games is laughable with like a third of the league hitting under 40% completions. Obviously passing stats aren't the only problem either.

I'll harp on my most hated visual aspect of last year's gen 4 offering; the damned "living worlds" where the crowd/sideline media/camera guys are wearing shorts and t-shirts in the cold. I haven't seen any evidence this is fixed yet.

# 232 jpdavis82 @ 07/19/14 03:24 PM

Here's the entire 1hr 20 mins in YT version thanks to Simfballcritic http://youtu.be/w27YWRV-n1Y

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# 233 BlueNGold @ 07/19/14 03:36 PM

This has to be the most positive Madden thread I've read in 4-5 years.

# 234 jpdavis82 @ 07/19/14 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bad_philanthropy


	Very true. The leveling XP system as a means to simulate player development is a narrow concept and just a disaster. The stats curve for passing completion/yards in simmed games is laughable with like a third of the league hitting under 40% completions. Obviously passing stats aren't the only problem either. I'll harp on my most hated visual aspect of last year's gen 4 offering; the damned "living worlds" where the crowd/sideline media/camera guys are wearing shorts and t-shirts in the cold. I haven't seen any evidence this is fixed yet.

We haven't seen any evidence either way yet, hopefully during the presentation livestream it will be shown or at least discussed.

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# 235 Danimal @ 07/19/14 04:14 PM

Rex,

One thing I noticed and like during the presentation is the fatigue system seemed to be working properly at least from a visual stand point.

3rd play both WR's ran fly routes and in the next play they were both yellow.

My question is has this been addressed or tweaked in any manner? If so how does this affect players in game besides the visual yellow, orange , red in play call?

# 236 MrPinkBlackrose @ 07/19/14 04:17 PM

Really impressed by the candor...I echo what I've read in the comments, seems like he's talking to you...not just giving you company speak. I was thinking I would sit this years out, but slowly changing my mind. I just want to see a real Coach Mode in CCM...where you settle your depth charts, play books, subs (that you don't have to do EVERY single game...like it used to be in Madden 12) and call the plays...not control the players...not kick the field goals or kick offs. The current Coach Mode is really no different than actually playing the game. They HAVE to know this.

# 237 DNMHIII @ 07/19/14 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FaceMask


	Madden 15? Madden 15 is finished, so perhaps their patch tech has made some significant strides. Anyway, no offense to Tate Forcier, but Tiburon should consider hiring pros instead. There was another game made a long time ago that actually did that (they in fact hired Tom Brady), and it happened to work out fine.

Hard to believe that in this day and age the technology to take actual gameplay footage and use it for player models and movement hasn't replaced mocap.

# 238 jpdavis82 @ 07/19/14 05:13 PM

I noticed the starting lineup overlay has improved since E3

Before

After

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# 239 William85 @ 07/19/14 05:14 PM

I feel like these defensive mechanics really bring a new thought process in when selecting a team to play with across all modes. Now , finding a team with an elite pass rush may be just as or more important than finding a stacked secondary. The last couple Maddens I
felt like I always played bend but don't break defense because the robo qbs were impossible to stop. Now I think the mechanics allow for some dominant performances.

# 240 strawberryshortcake @ 07/19/14 05:38 PM

Apologies in advanced. Hate to be a debbie downer when everyone seems so optimistic. Just some things that caught my eye that I would like to mention. Hopefully Rex and Cam is reading. Just would like to see some things cleaned up to take Madden to the next level, more organic.

(A) Pocket Formation. OL receptive (back pedaling) vs. aggressively engaging (stepping forward). Real NFL films shows the OL more receptive (back pedaling when the ball is hiked). Madden gameplay often shows the OL aggressively engaging (stepping forward).

(B) Scripted blocking (with respect to animation). Madden still seems to have a 'scripted' blocking animation interaction. Often, the blocker would warp into a certain position so a certain blocking animation would play out. Closely look at the OL/DL interaction. During double team blocking is most apparent. Don't get me wrong, the idea/concept looks good, but the execution/implementation still needs to be more organic. The DL 'mission' needs to organically pursue with a purpose in mind to get to the quarterback and with the OL's 'mission' to organically with a purpose in mind to physically block the DL pursuit angles. Sometimes Madden looks more aesthetic than with a purpose.

C) True Step. This needs to be one of the top priorities, one of the absolute focal points in Madden 16. *I have included (at the very bottom) in blue where a very nicely done organic looking block happens and an organic defender pursuing the ball carrier is executed. This is what I am expecting theoretically if True Step completely works as intended. No warping, no suction blocking, no sliding into position. The blocker was beat because he was completely out of position.

Pocket Formation - @0:10 mark, @1:12 mark, @1:42 mark - Real NFL footage with 49ers vs Panthers. Notice the Offensive Lineman is usually back pedaling, and "reactive" and "receptive" to the purusing defensive lineman. This allows an organic "pocket" to form. In most of the Madden footage, we see the (Guard, Center) OL move forward to engage the DL. This aesthetically looks like a pocket formation, but it doesn't look as organic as what I see in NFL footage. Key: Offensive Lineman: "Receptive, Reactive" vs "Forward Engagement"

"Protect the sticks" - can someone please further elaborate on the concept of protecting the sticks? I'm a little confused based on how the animation sequence is playing out.

@29:30 mark - The Carolina Panther defender seemingly knows where the Saints offensive player is going to be. Offensive player looks to be behind the defender, however the defender "knew" that the offensive player was going to cut back to the outside. Strange looking, psychic play.

============================================
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@6:30 mark - saints defensive lineman awkward. Instead of continuing to pursuit the quarterback, he decides to turn upfield and engage with the offensive lineman. Would have like to see the saint's defensive lineman continue to pursue the quarterback. Concern is that these offensive/defensive personnel still engages in a 'script' manner, as oppose to having true awareness.

@19:42 mark - Disappoint to see 'sliding' or 'suctioned' into place for a double block. If you watch the videos just for all double block sequences, the same animation usually plays out where the OL speeds up to engage the block.

@21:04 mark - Denver Broncos (#74) sort of makes an initial block (basically down his stomach), but then mysteriously levitates back up to make a second block. Would have liked to have seen the Broncos #74 stay down after the initial block (simply based on #74 position immediately throwing the first initial block .. physics.)

@22:16 mark - outside run. San Diego Chargers OL #76 speeds up to "slide" step to the left to pick up the block. A warp type animation that true step should have/could have prevent. The block would have still been made, but just disappointed to see a "slide" happen.

@22:42 mark - San Diego #61 Center. Immediately after the ball is hiked, #61 doesn't attempt to block, instead simply stands there. Even if he wasn't 'meant' to do a double block, I would like to see him at least use his arms to quickly engage and disengage from the DL man.

@23:19 mark - Same sequence as above. San Diego Chargers #78 get completely dominated and is about to fall over, and if physics were accounted for, should have fallen over. But unfortunately, heartbreakingly, #78 stays upright and continues to battle. San Diego Chargers #61 described above, does not engage.

@33:12 mark - another ultra quick 'slide' step to the left to pick up the block. The logic to throw the block in this case is perfectly fine, but the way it's executed is the concern. Based on position, the blocker should have remained on the right side when throwing the block. Instead, he speeds up the left to throw the block.

@33:12 mark - Circled in Blue. This is a gorgeous, much more organic, non scripted interaction. This is the type of blocking-pursuing interaction that I would like to see. This is what I hope true step would bring to the table. This is why it needs to be priority. The blocker was out of position. He did not mysteriously slide or suction to throw a block. The defender continue to pursue the ball carrier. The defender did not get sucked into a 'scripted' getting blocked animation. This is beautiful. This is why true step needs to be fully implemented for all 22 players on the field.

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Madden NFL 15 Developer Livestream, Watch it Here