Madden NFL 16 News Post

Some Madden NFL 16 Features Revealed, Pre-Order & Deluxe Edition Details

05:06 PM - May 13, 2015 by Steve_OS

Amazon has just released some of the new features for Madden NFL 16. There are some details on Total Control Passing, receiver and defender controls, playmaker broadcast and more.

Check out the details below and let us know what you think.

Be the playmaker in Madden NFL 16 with all-new controls that allow you to dominate in the battle for air supremacy. New QB mechanics including body-relative throws and touch passes provide unprecedented depth and control while under center. Combined with a new risk/reward catch and pass-defend system, get ready for the biggest WOW moments in franchise history.

KEY FEATURES

New to Madden

Battle for Air Supremacy

Total Control Passing - Place the ball where only your receiver can get it with body-relative throws including high-point, low-point, back-shoulder, and the ever-popular touch pass. Become the ultimate dual-threat and terrorize defenses with new pressure avoidance and QB scramble controls.

Receiver/Defender Controls - Dictate the outcome of each passing play while the ball is in the air for the first time ever in Madden. For receivers, go for the highlight reel with the �aggressive� catch or move the chains with the �possession catch�. On defense, disrupt the outcome of each play using the new �play ball� and �hit receiver� mechanics. Receivers and defenders deliver the most authentic exchanges to date with new press and zone-chuck interactions, contextual hand-fighting, and a variety of 2-man interactions at the catch point including pass interference penalties, tip balls, knock outs and simultaneous possession catches.

Playmaker Broadcast

Integrated Broadcast Graphics � Your playmaker highlight reel has arrived with new player spotlights, dynamic goals and achievements, and innovative on-the-field cameras bringing you closer to the game than ever before. Making plays has never been this much fun and rewarding!

GAME MODES

Connected Franchise � Whether playing solo or online with friends, your quest to build an NFL dynasty comes complete with a brand new scouting and draft system as well as all-new dynamic goals throughout each game. Develop players with Game Prep and build your teams� confidence through performance and front office transactions. Balance keeping players� confidence up, to increase abilities and build player XP.

Madden Ultimate Team � Build your ultimate team with your favorite NFL players from the past and present while dominating the opposition in head-to-head seasons, solo challenges, and more. Earn coins to buy packs through the online store, where you can trade and auction off items on the road to building the Ultimate Team. Engage with the NFL year round thanks to live content and service updates in the fastest growing mode in Madden.

Skills Trainer � With 60+ tutorials and drills, Skills Trainer focuses on teaching the strategy behind different passing and run concepts, as well as how to play Madden for new users to the series. Fan favorite Gauntlet mode returns with all-new Boss Battles, Extra Life challenges and opportunities to jump or fall levels in a single play.

UPDATE: Pre-order info added based on details posted on EA's site.

"Madden NFL 16 is now available for pre-order at all major retailers, and fans who place their orders now will receive $15 in Ultimate Team content including 10 Pro Packs and a Playmaker Pack for use in Madden Ultimate Team (MUT). The Playmaker Pack grants fans with an Elite player who they can use to give their Ultimate Team an extra boost right out of the gate and start making the huge plays right away.

Those looking for even more content can upgrade to the Deluxe Edition, which ups the ante with 36 Pro Packs and a Playmaker Pack, all for $69.99."

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

Madden NFL 16 Videos

Member Comments

# 281 SolidSquid @ 05/18/15 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4thQtrStre5S


	Maybe XP should be placed into a team XP pool where certain players can use the XP? Essentially the XP would be used to build up lower players, thus potentially increasing the influence to take on development players, and players who are already at their potential cannot take on any more XP??? I haven't played CFM this year so I have no real idea how XP is currently setup..

As it stands xp is gained through team goals(rush for x amount of yards in a game/season, throw x amount of Tds in a game/seaso) and individual goals. The difference is team goals award xp to everyone on the team where as individual goals only award xp to the individual player. The problem isn't so much how it's gained its that you can use it to increase stats that have nothing to do with the reason the Xp was awarded.

# 282 SolidSquid @ 05/18/15 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by howboutdat


	And that is the main issue right there. They end up watering too much down for the actual released product.Thats not saying JP isnt telling the truth of what he has already seen, but is stating ,we all know , that EA tends to water things down after that point before its released. Quite frankly i think the GC's tell what they see, but then it gets watered down, if i was a GC, id be pissed at EA for making me look like a liar so much, when really its EA who is purposely showing them one thing yet producing another IMO.

You know what after reading this I regret being so harsh on some of the game changers. What does EA gain from showing the game changers one thing then watering it down right before release?

# 283 aholbert32 @ 05/18/15 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by howboutdat


	And that is the main issue right there. They end up watering too much down for the actual released product.Thats not saying JP isnt telling the truth of what he has already seen, but is stating ,we all know , that EA tends to water things down after that point before its released. Quite frankly i think the GC's tell what they see, but then it gets watered down, if i was a GC, id be pissed at EA for making me look like a liar so much, when really its EA who is purposely showing them one thing yet producing another IMO.

Is that really the case though? Sure they tinker with some things after the GCs visit but I find it hard to believe that the game is THAT much different than what they saw a few months before.

How many of you guys have ever been a GCer or played a sports game months before release? I have and this is what typically happens:

The developers show you things that they want you to see. They will have you focus on their biggest additions and features. When you get time to play the game, you will pay more attention to those things because thats what they are training you to focus on.

When you see bugs/glitches or ask about features that are missing, they will either assure you that those things will be fixed by release or that its something that they will look into for future versions. So you walk out thinking about how good the game looked, how you like the new features and assured that the game's issues will be fixed by release.

A game has to be REALLY bad to look to get bad feedback during this stage. The only game I remember that falls into that category was NBA Live a few years back. I heard the feedback was so bad that it played a role in EA canceling the game.

I do wonder sometimes though why it seems that if EA has some "sim" focused GCers, why we never get answers on some sim focused issues? For example, why hasnt a GCer asked about why gap assignments arent implemented? Live sidelines? Formation subs? CPU assigned playbooks?

Why hasnt one GCer has ever asked those questions? If they have, what are the answers?

# 284 ggsimmonds @ 05/18/15 12:30 PM

Last year's Madden left a serious bad taste in my mouth. But the funny thing was that I thought it was the best Madden gameplay since the 05-06 glory days. The way they handled the sacks issue completely alienated me to the point where I am not sure if I will buy Madden. I probably will, but the meter is very low.

I know OS does not like when we call out specific developers so I will try to keep the rest of this respectful and constructive, but Josh Looman has been a huge disappointment. All we need to do is go back to when they first introduced "connected career mode" and see the pitches that were used. Now return back to today. The same core problems still exist, and most of what was missing from the old franchise is still missing. Instead of correcting those things and improving the basic foundation they added what I would call incomplete features (this is debatable) that actually makes the to-do list even longer. And maybe this is petty, but I will not forget his line about spending several months designing fictional uniforms when there is so much more important work to be done.

He has the NFL Head Coach pedigree and that is a game that is universally adored by the sim community. What is going wrong?

Gameplay wise I would call myself guarded optimistic. But CFM wise? Completely skeptical and dissatisfied.

# 285 4thQtrStre5S @ 05/18/15 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolidSquid


	As it stands xp is gained through team goals(rush for x amount of yards in a game/season, throw x amount of Tds in a game/seaso) and individual goals. The difference is team goals award xp to everyone on the team where as individual goals only award xp to the individual player. The problem isn't so much how it's gained its that you can use it to increase stats that have nothing to do with the reason the Xp was awarded.

Okay, thank you for the clarification..The XP system is not good then...Players should only potentially increase in areas they have trained for..

Also, to give XP for passing TD's or Rushing yards, etc. gives a great advantage to the human player, thus making CPU teams completely inferior after a relatively short amount of time...Even I can take a 65 overall QB and score a number of TD's..

# 286 jpdavis82 @ 05/18/15 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aholbert32


	Is that really the case though? Sure they tinker with some things after the GCs visit but I find it hard to believe that the game is THAT much different than what they saw a few months before. How many of you guys have ever been a GCer or played a sports game months before release? I have and this is what typically happens: The developers show you things that they want you to see. They will have you focus on their biggest additions and features. When you get time to play the game, you will pay more attention to those things because thats what they are training you to focus on. When you see bugs/glitches or ask about features that are missing, they will either assure you that those things will be fixed by release or that its something that they will look into for future versions. So you walk out thinking about how good the game looked, how you like the new features and assured that the game's issues will be fixed by release. A game has to be REALLY bad to look to get bad feedback during this stage. The only game I remember that falls into that category was NBA Live a few years back. I heard the feedback was so bad that it played a role in EA canceling the game. I do wonder sometimes though why it seems that if EA has some "sim" focused GCers, why we never get answers on some sim focused issues? For example, why hasnt a GCer asked about why gap assignments arent implemented? Live sidelines? Formation subs? CPU assigned playbooks? Why hasnt one GCer has ever asked those questions? If they have, what are the answers?

Literally every one of those issues, I or someone else mentioned to the devs. I can't really say what the answers were either way due to NDA, but they had legitimate answers for all of them.

# 287 roadman @ 05/18/15 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aholbert32


	Is that really the case though? Sure they tinker with some things after the GCs visit but I find it hard to believe that the game is THAT much different than what they saw a few months before. How many of you guys have ever been a GCer or played a sports game months before release? I have and this is what typically happens: The developers show you things that they want you to see. They will have you focus on their biggest additions and features. When you get time to play the game, you will pay more attention to those things because thats what they are training you to focus on. When you see bugs/glitches or ask about features that are missing, they will either assure you that those things will be fixed by release or that its something that they will look into for future versions. So you walk out thinking about how good the game looked, how you like the new features and assured that the game's issues will be fixed by release. A game has to be REALLY bad to look to get bad feedback during this stage. The only game I remember that falls into that category was NBA Live a few years back. I heard the feedback was so bad that it played a role in EA canceling the game. I do wonder sometimes though why it seems that if EA has some "sim" focused GCers, why we never get answers on some sim focused issues? For example, why hasnt a GCer asked about why gap assignments arent implemented? Live sidelines? Formation subs? CPU assigned playbooks? Why hasnt one GCer has ever asked those questions? If they have, what are the answers?

I recall LBz mentioning when he was at Community Days, they would see a addition one way and when the game released, it came out another way.(not all additions)

Also, last year, during one of the blogonars, I recall specifically the EA team focused on a few errant throws by QB's. I was, at that time, happy they put it into the game.

This feature was not found at release time unless you really lowered significantly both QB ACC.

# 288 ggsimmonds @ 05/18/15 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aholbert32


	I've stated time and time again that CFM is one of the worst franchise modes in current sports games. Soooooooo many other games do it right (The Show, NBA 2k, Fifa) that all they have to do is just mimic those.

Madden should just straight up rip off The Show's progression where it is directed but not micromanaged.

Under team management let us set progression/development paths for each player. Let me tell Torrey Smith to work on his possession type WR attributes and his progress could be determined by a combination of inherent potential and production.

User has control but it does not limit the system in the same way the XP system does.

# 289 ggsimmonds @ 05/18/15 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	I recall LBz mentioning when he was at Community Days, they would see a addition one way and when the game released, it came out another way.(not all additions) Also, last year, during one of the blogonars, I recall specifically the EA team focused on a few errant throws by QB's. I was, at that time, happy they put it into the game. This feature was not found at release time unless you really lowered both QB ACC.

Wonder if it comes down to testing.

Are there any good articles/insights on EA's testing process?

# 290 JPBeBeast @ 05/18/15 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggsimmonds


	Madden should just straight up rip off The Show's progression where it is directed but not micromanaged. Under team management let us set progression/development paths for each player. Let me tell Torrey Smith to work on his possession type WR attributes and his progress could be determined by a combination of inherent potential and production. User has control but it does not limit the system in the same way the XP system does.

This would be an immediate improvement to the game.

# 291 aholbert32 @ 05/18/15 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpdavis82


	Literally every one of those issues, I or someone else mentioned to the devs. I can't really say what the answers were either way due to NDA, but they had legitimate answers for all of them.

When the NDA ends, I expect to see answers about that because we've never heard them before.

# 292 jpdavis82 @ 05/18/15 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	I recall LBz mentioning when he was at Community Days, they would see a addition one way and when the game released, it came out another way.(not all additions) Also, last year, during one of the blogonars, I recall specifically the EA team focused on a few errant throws by QB's. I was, at that time, happy they put it into the game. This feature was not found at release time unless you really lowered significantly both QB ACC.

Did they patch them back in, because I just played on CFM Saturday and I saw 5+ errant passes per game by Jay Cutler and Geno Smith(CPU) then when Rodgers got hurt I threw several myself with Flynn & Tolzien.

# 293 aholbert32 @ 05/18/15 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	I recall LBz mentioning when he was at Community Days, they would see a addition one way and when the game released, it came out another way.(not all additions) Also, last year, during one of the blogonars, I recall specifically the EA team focused on a few errant throws by QB's. I was, at that time, happy they put it into the game. This feature was not found at release time unless you really lowered significantly both QB ACC.

I saw the same video as you did and you are right that they are non existant without slider tweaks.

My theory is 1) When the devs are trying to show a feature like errant throws, they tweak the game so that it shows that feature more often. 2) that the feedback they received from gamers was frustration that QBs would randomly throw errant balls and they had no control over it. Keep in mind, QB's have been too accurate for years and many Madden players did not appear to care about this issue.

Im happy that they are in the game at all even if it takes slider tweaks. Thats really all i'm asking for. I love the Show and NBA 2k and neither of those games play "sim" enough for me out of the box. With slider tweaks those games ar damn near perfect. Thats all I want from Madden....the ability to tweak the game to make it more "sim"

# 294 Hooe @ 05/18/15 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggsimmonds


	Madden should just straight up rip off The Show's progression where it is directed but not micromanaged. Under team management let us set progression/development paths for each player. Let me tell Torrey Smith to work on his possession type WR attributes and his progress could be determined by a combination of inherent potential and production. User has control but it does not limit the system in the same way the XP system does.

I've never played The Show, so bear with me / please explain to me any fine points I miss. That said:

Mechanically, what is the difference between

"telling Torrey Smith to work on his Run Routes / Catch In Traffic ratings // become a better possession receiver", with the game deciding how much those ratings increase based on his statistics and a potential rating (is this a development pace modifier or a growth cap? I'm assuming the latter)
explicitly increasing Torrey Smith's RRT / CIT ratings as the user's discretion by directly spending experience gained from on-field performance (as opposed to spending XP to increase any other ratings), with the rate of progression of those ratings affected by a player's development pace modifier

The two difference I can think of are ( A ) a cap on player growth at some point - which I gather from your message The Show has, while Madden obviously does not explicitly have this (ratings' costs increase with player age, generally, but hypothetically it is possible to progress a 32-year-old RB dramatically if he has a bonkers season and gains a ton of XP) - and ( B ) a more authentic presentation of player development at the expense of user control; The Show is more limiting, not less (which depending on your view point is potentially a good thing). It's hiding the inner workings of the player progression system for the sake of presentation, whereas Madden is exposing all the levers available for the sake of user control and customization.

Is there anything I'm missing, beyond that? This isn't intended as a criticism, I'm just trying to understand the difference because right now I don't see any major functional difference. And again, I've never played The Show, so please enlighten me if I've missed something.

# 295 4thQtrStre5S @ 05/18/15 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpdavis82


	Literally every one of those issues, I or someone else mentioned to the devs. I can't really say what the answers were either way due to NDA, but they had legitimate answers for all of them.

From past experience with EA, I would have to assume that, yes, these issues were brought up, and in reply EA said something along the lines of, "not enough time this year, maybe next," or "We tried to implement but it broke another part of the game," or "We do not have the power in the consoles to do that yet." etc etc

# 296 roadman @ 05/18/15 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpdavis82


	Did they patch them back in, because I just played on CFM Saturday and I saw 5+ errant passes per game by Jay Cutler and Geno Smith(CPU) then when Rodgers got hurt I threw several myself with Flynn & Tolzien.

I just played a CFM last Friday, Packers vs Seahawks, after several months of slider testing:

Wilson- 93%

Rodgers-84%

I'd like to see the testing CPU vs CPU or Human vs CPU.

I rarely hear the Madden team testing that way, it's usually human vs human.

# 297 jpdavis82 @ 05/18/15 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	I just played a CFM last Friday, Packers vs Seahawks, after several months of slider testing: Wilson- 93% Rodgers-84% I'd like to see the testing CPU vs CPU or Human vs CPU. I rarely hear the Madden team testing that way, it's usually human vs human.

I play on all-pro default in my CFM so I don't know man. I think I played 5 games Saturday and never saw myself or CPU go above 65% but I've seen extremely high numbers in the past like you're saying.

# 298 ggsimmonds @ 05/18/15 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CM Hooe


	I've never played The Show, so bear with me / please explain to me any fine points I miss. That said: Mechanically, what is the difference between "telling Torrey Smith to work on his Run Routes / Catch In Traffic ratings // become a better possession receiver", with the game deciding how much those ratings increase based on his statistics and a potential rating (is this a development pace modifier or a growth cap? I'm assuming the latter) explicitly increasing Torrey Smith's RRT / CIT ratings as the user's discretion by directly spending experience gained from on-field performance (as opposed to spending XP to increase any other ratings), with the rate of progression of those ratings affected by a player's development pace modifier The two difference I can think of are ( A ) a cap on player growth at some point - which I gather from your message The Show has, while Madden obviously does not have this - and ( B ) a more authentic presentation of player development at the expense of user control; The Show is more limiting, not less (which depending on your view point is potentially a good thing). It's hiding the inner workings of the player progression system for the sake of presentation, whereas Madden is exposing all the levers available for the sake of user control and customization. Is there anything I'm missing, beyond that? This isn't intended as a criticism, I'm just trying to understand the difference because right now I don't see any major functional difference. And again, I've never played The Show, so please enlighten me if I've missed something.

Good questions.

First is something people may not often think about at first -- the xp system encourage people to "grind" with players. I think by simply putting it "under the hood" so to speak you will see gamer's behavior change.

Growth pace/Cap -- Ideally it should be both and I believe that is how the Show handles it. A player has a potential that serves as a cap, but the rate of progression is controlled by age. Also if we ever get actual coordinators added they should play a role as well. I should point out that I am a big advocate of hiding the potential rating completely.

Another game to borrow from is Fifa from several years ago. It use to have separate progression arcs for different attributes. Physical improved quickly at a young age, around 28 intangibles/mental attributes started to improve quickly, physicals started to go down shortly after 30, and mental never actually regressed (I think). Throw that into the mix as well.

With my preferred system it is more of an unknown. Lets say one category for WRs is "play physical." We tell Torrey Smith to improve in that area.
The result would be an increase in maybe release, CIT, stiff arm, strength, trucking. Some would be weighted and impacted more than others (strength may be capped by size for example), and there would be overlap with other "groups," e.g. CIT may also be affected by the possession direction.

So mechanically speaking instead of taking 8,000 XP and putting it all into CIT to create some kind of beast, the improvement is being spread out over related attributes. And each player has a defined developmental arc, there may be some variation of course (won't progress as quickly if he is not producing) but due to uncontrollable factors there will be a point where added production does not lead to faster growth.

More stuff:

Spoiler

It is more sim. I like being tricked into forgetting it is a video game. Impossible yes, but lets strive for it. NBA 2k does something very similar with its player training system where we could tell a guy to work on his ability to attack the basket. His success/progression is controlled under the hood.

# 299 SolidSquid @ 05/18/15 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpdavis82


	I play on all-pro default in my CFM so I don't know man. I think I played 5 games Saturday and never saw myself or CPU go above 65% but I've seen extremely high numbers in the past like you're saying.

I too play my cfm on all pro default bc the sliders frustrate me to no end but our experience could not be more different. Bucs (me) vs Jets (cpu), McCown 12 for 14, 193 yards 2 Tds, Geno Smith 19 for 23 207 yards 2 Tds. McCown and Geno smith have never been known to put up numbers like that in fact I recall a game irl where Geno only three like 9 passes bc his accuracy was so bad.

I understand it's a game and needs to fun but my idea of fun is taking a team with a bad qb and finding a way to win despite that, not making every qb play exactly the same.

# 300 ggsimmonds @ 05/18/15 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolidSquid


	I too play my cfm on all pro default bc the sliders frustrate me to no end but our experience could not be more different. Bucs (me) vs Jets (cpu), McCown 12 for 14, 193 yards 2 Tds, Geno Smith 19 for 23 207 yards 2 Tds. McCown and Geno smith have never been known to put up numbers like that in fact I recall a game irl where Geno only three like 9 passes bc his accuracy was so bad. I understand it's a game and needs to fun but my idea of fun is taking a team with a bad qb and finding a way to win despite that, not making every qb play exactly the same.

Too keep this going, I had a different experience from both of you.

The completion percentage was a little high but not absurdly so. The problem was how the plays unfolded. Somewhat typical was a Qb going 14 for 20 for 82 yards. Instead of checking the primary read the QB would throw to the first man to get open. There were a few times where the AI did something where I tipped my hat to them and got giddy, such as mistakenly leaving a WR 1v1 and Webb missing the press resulting in a 60 yrd TD strike, but aside from that every game was the same.

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