Madden NFL 16 News Post

Madden NFL 16 Features All-New Controls to Dominate Air Supremacy

05:42 PM - April 17, 2015 by Steve_OS

GameStop has revealed a quick feature on their Madden NFL 16 page. There isn't much to go off of here, but it's fun to speculate what it could be for the game. It obviously has something to do with WR/DB interaction, but it will be interesting to see how they implement it.

Guess we will find out something more official in May, when the first news, features and details arrive, but until then, what are your thoughts?

Quote:


	Be the playmaker in Madden NFL 16 with all-new controls that allow you to dominate in the battle for air supremacy.

Madden NFL 16 is scheduled to release on August 25th.

Source - GameStop, thanks PastaPadre!

Game: Madden NFL 16Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / PS4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 24 - View All

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Member Comments

# 1 NDAlum @ 04/17/15 06:18 PM

Pretty much.

We can only speculate. If it's a bunch of new animations for user catching I'm going to be pissed. That is unless our CPU AI WR's will go up and be aggressive to the ball. The current mechanic is horrid.

I don't want to user catch. I want Dez to be Dez when AI controls him.

# 2 shaunlmason @ 04/17/15 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NDAlum


	Pretty much. We can only speculate. If it's a bunch of new animations for user catching I'm going to be pissed. That is unless our CPU AI WR's will go up and be aggressive to the ball. The current mechanic is horrid. I don't want to user catch. I want Dez to be Dez when AI controls him.

Are you one of the "no switchers" that I've heard so much about?

# 3 hirst1000 @ 04/17/15 07:51 PM

Hopefully this means some nice pass interference animations. Someone grabbing onto your arm while you leap backwards catching the ball behind your back with 3 fingers. Would be nice...

# 4 booker21 @ 04/17/15 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaunlmason


	Are you one of the "no switchers" that I've heard so much about?

Yes he is and there are plenty of us.

# 5 shaunlmason @ 04/17/15 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by booker21


	Yes he is and there are plenty of us.

Good. I'm in favor of people being able to play however makes them happy.

# 6 JoshC1977 @ 04/18/15 08:02 AM

Last year was the brand new d-line controls to dominate the line of scrimmage. What happened? Sacks galore.

So, M15 was the year of the sack...is M16 the year of the interception?

Color me skeptical....and this is from someone who has played more M15 than any Madden since I stopped playing '08 on the PC (caveat...most of it spent trying to get the game sliders balanced to accommodate the "new d-line controls").

Look...if they can add new functionality and balance it properly, wonderful. But history is not on their side.

# 7 SolidSquid @ 04/18/15 11:49 AM

Id like to think this means they added WR/DB jostling controls, but I have a sinking feeling it's gonna be something that heavily favors the offense.

# 8 4thQtrStre5S @ 04/18/15 01:32 PM

I don't like the sound of this...Though I will remain open as there is no way to make heads or tails of a single sentence.

# 9 SolidSquid @ 04/18/15 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4thQtrStre5S


	I don't like the sound of this...Though I will remain open as there is no way to make heads or tails of a single sentence.

It's only one sentence but since when has defense had anything to do with air supremacy? That's definitly an offensive term. If they wanted to make it about winning the battle in the passing game they should have said something along those lines. That and the fact that last year was a "defensive" year with Sherman on the cover really has me feeling like we are going back to robo qb. But it's way to early to tell and speculation is fun lol

# 10 roadman @ 04/18/15 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolidSquid


	It's only one sentence but since when has defense had anything to do with air supremacy? That's definitly an offensive term. If they wanted to make it about winning the battle in the passing game they should have said something along those lines. That and the fact that last year was a "defensive" year with Sherman on the cover really has me feeling like we are going back to robo qb. But it's way to early to tell and speculation is fun lol

You will need to choose something else besides Robo QB, Robo QB was alive and well last year.

# 11 SolidSquid @ 04/18/15 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	You will need to choose something else besides Robo QB, Robo QB was alive and well last year.

Fair enough. Just don't want every single game I play to be a 49-42 shootout

# 12 roadman @ 04/18/15 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolidSquid


	Fair enough. Just don't want every single game I play to be a 49-42 shootout

Offline, it wasn't a shootout for me, if you find the right sliders. The CPU QB AI is truly illogical if sliders aren't moved. Dink and dunk, and no AI in avoiding a rush.

My patience runs thin messing with sliders for several months.

Kudos to sliders guys!

# 13 SolidSquid @ 04/18/15 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	Offline, it wasn't a shootout for me, if you find the right sliders. The CPU QB AI is truly illogical if sliders aren't moved. Dink and dunk, and no AI in avoiding a rush. My patience runs thin messing with sliders for several months. Kudos to sliders guys!

This is why I usually pick up madden around xmas time. Gives the slider gurus time to put out a good set or 2

# 14 kjcheezhead @ 04/18/15 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaunlmason


	Are you one of the "no switchers" that I've heard so much about?

This is why I have no hope for this feature or this game already. User controlling in madden allows wrs to change direction on a dime or react to passes they haven't found in the air yet. The online head to head guys love "rocket catching" and showing off their stick skills when a lot of sim guys like myself would prefer a route based passing game with the emphasis more on ball placement along the route. The latter makes for a more realistic looking and playing game.

# 15 SageInfinite @ 04/18/15 02:28 PM

Can't wait to see how they arcade this up. We knew this was coming, it's been one of the major discussion points for improvement. Nice of them to address the concerns of the community, but I still don't have any faith in their implementation of things.

# 16 SageInfinite @ 04/18/15 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FaceMask


	I know. I worry that it's going to get cheesier. I bet the tourney/Madden Vid/exploit crowd is salivating at this. I can smell the mozzarella already... So I mean, yeah, we could be wrong, but how often have we really been wrong over the past 10 years regarding "new" things they're doing with this franchise? If you're a sim player, then the answer is few to none.

I personally can't think of a time we've been wrong. It's always "well let's wait and, see let's give them a chance". The way Tiburon implements things it's always half way done and never fully fleshed out. Watch something like, it works for for WR's, DB's and Safetys, but doesn't work with LB's, TE's, or RB's :LOL:. Or They didn't work on QB throwing trajectories or ball physics so the interaction only works under certain conditions. Or how about the AI doesn't utilize these new mechanics. It's always something with Tiburon. Ball is probably still going to be tethered.....

I ain't even complaining yall, I'm just keeping it solid with how Tiburon does things. Everything is always a separate system and doesn't work in unison with the whole on the field package.

# 17 bpac55 @ 04/18/15 11:23 PM

ODB makes one amazing catch and EA is going to run with it.

# 18 CM Hooe @ 04/19/15 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NDAlum


	I don't want to user catch. I want Dez to be Dez when AI controls him.

Not directed at you specifically and I have no really strong opinions on user catching, but this most directly gets at what I think a lot of people are talking about in this thread - the focus on the user control at the potential expense of authenticity vs the focus on authenticity of the experience of user control.

Madden NFL is a video game. Video games by definition have outcomes influenced by user interaction, and console games in particular are far more real-time action-oriented than PC games. To that end, any feature Tiburon considers adding probably has to impact directly how the user plays the game. The CPU is to use any tools that are added for the user to use in order to create a compelling single-player experience, but by and large the focus in the game mechanics will center on what the user is able to do with his button presses in a variety of contexts.

If on the drawing board Madden is considering two implementations of a thing - one which is all non-interactive AI and one which the user can affect the result - I fathom to guess the thing which the user gets to influence is what gets implemented in the game, always.

From the perspective of the average Madden player - the "casual gamer" I suppose - anything with user interaction adds more to the game than anything that doesn't. They don't have the eye for authentic WR/DB jostling and therefore don't notice and don't care. They see no new gameplay mechanics for the current year and thus the game is "just a roster update". They do know, however, that the Madden series to this point doesn't attempt making receivers dynamically attack an airborne football, so they switch players to do it themselves, and this requirement makes the experience more compelling and enjoyable to them. When they see new ways to interact with the game while controlling a receiver, there's something new to do, a new wrinkle in the game. There's immediate dividends, and the game is new and fresh.

Basically, Tiburon's approach in Madden from my perspective is an action-oriented approach to the game of football. Under this paradigm, don't expect user catching to ever go away or even be deemphasized. To be honest, don't even expect a fleshed-out coach mode beyond the token implementation that already exists. Do, however, expect new gameplay mechanics for that component of the game if wide receivers and defensive backs are indeed a focal point for this year's game. Do also expect the AI to use the tools that are added for the user to use, and do complain loudly when they don't (for example, the user can steer blocks as a defensive lineman in Madden NFL 15 depending on player ratings, while the AI never attempts to do this; this is a problem and Tiburon should fix this). Do not expect Tiburon to focus on something solely for the sake of improving the authenticity of the game (the exception possibly allowed being the offensive line because the user never has control over that) if the something in question doesn't directly impact how the average person interacts with the game and influences the outcome.

And to be clear, I'm not making a judgment on whether Tiburon's approach is good or bad, right or wrong - opinions certainly vary, I have mine, you all have yours. Rather I'm attempting to explain what I observe as their approach to developing the game as objectively as I can. Until this creative direction doesn't return multi-millions of sales and widespread media critical praise for Tiburon, don't expect their approach to change and spend your money and attention accordingly.

# 19 Jr. @ 04/19/15 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NDAlum


	Pretty much. We can only speculate. If it's a bunch of new animations for user catching I'm going to be pissed. That is unless our CPU AI WR's will go up and be aggressive to the ball. The current mechanic is horrid. I don't want to user catch. I want Dez to be Dez when AI controls him.

This is what it sounds like. Controls that "allow you" to dominate, sounds like it's only tied to the user. I hope I'm wrong, though.

# 20 Smallville102001 @ 04/19/15 01:13 AM

I am sure it is just another gimmick. Its not like they haven't had a lot of gimmicks before. That is all madden is any more gimmicks and bad game play that always has at least one game killer game play problem.

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