Madden NFL 16 News Post

What Should Happen in Madden's Passing Game

03:01 PM - February 22, 2016 by RaychelSnr

Madden has had a good year, and I believe Madden 16 is probably the best Madden ever made. Its key improvement was the interaction between receivers and defensive backs, something this community has been harping on for years (and rightfully so).

However, even with these improvements, the common phrase still remains: "Madden passes are either caught, intercepted or defended; they are rarely just incomplete."

Be that as it may, the NFL has evolved into a pass-first league, so pass types are something Madden must get right. But beyond the pass itself, there are also steps that lead to every pass in the game.

Read More - What Should Happen in Madden's Passing Game

Game: Madden NFL 16Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
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# 21 jfsolo @ 02/22/16 08:21 PM

While it still needs to be refined further, I feel like the addition of working penalty sliders allowed for a pretty solid win-win this year. Solo CFM players were able to have a realistic number of penalties, while online was tuned to not have non-User created flags. A minority of H2H players were upset about penalties being lacking in their online games, but something has to give in these situation.

I'm hopeful that all the sliders will be further improved to allow the franchise player to tune the game to a more authentic experience. As has been discussed, the man-hours necessary to implement some of these changes will be the deciding factor on how many of these kinds of improvements we'll see.

# 22 grodbetatted @ 02/22/16 08:39 PM

I would be ok with a lot of that stuff, but fumbling snaps and stumbling on the snaps would become irritating only because you have no control over that.. yea i want as much of a sim aspect as possible, but i also want total control. Like if there is a control for snaps other than hiking and like a control for the catch and drop back and if you mistimed it, then there are consequences then i would be ok with that.

# 23 Cajungodfather @ 02/22/16 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CM Hooe


	Foremost, let me be clear and say I'm firmly in the "sim" bucket of players and would be cool with seeing all these changes. That said, let me present a counterpoint: You are a professional Madden player (yes, they exist; I was surprised to learn this too). You are playing in the finals of the Madden Challenge with your Ultimate Team against some other highly-ranked Madden player. You have 4th and goal on your opponent's goal line with four seconds left, needing a touchdown to win the game. You call a draw play out of a shotgun spread formation (for whatever reason, the play call isn't the important part here). When you go to snap the ball, the center sails the ball over your QB's head. Your QB recovers the ball, but is promptly tackled. Your opponent wins the Madden Challenge and the $25,000 prize, the game ultimately decided on essentially a dice roll. This is the sort of play tournament players absolutely to not want in the game. Could it happen in real football? Absolutely. In a competitive video gaming environment where user skill is the preferred arbiter of success? This sort of randomness is absolutely detrimental to that experience. Heck, the tourney guys don't even really like wide-open incomplete passes; their feeling is that, as long as they make the right read, if the guy is open, they should complete the pass. From their perspective where user skill should trump all, is their opinion wrong? I don't think so. I also don't think it's proper to just tell these players to "deal with it", given that they are just as large and vital a part of Madden's audience as the sim players are. We're not more important than them, and they aren't more important than us.

I think you make a good point, by I fundamentally disagree with this. I do think you are right, that a tourney player wouldn't want this in the game, BUT we are talking about making a football simulation. If you don't want your qb to fumble the snap with :02 left, don't use a qb with low awareness. There is a reason good teams are good in the NFL, and I feel it should be for the same reasons in madden. If I use a good team, and you use a good team, the better coach(user) should win 9/10 times. Biggest problem I've seen a lot of guys have is because a guy can take a team with speed skill players and exploit the game. I'd much rather have to beat someone on Witt rather than exploiting the game, which I feel this passing model would help a lot with. It would be a huge step towards more of a football simulation, instead of just a video game.

In all honesty, EA could easily make two madden football games. One for arcade/tourney players and one strictly dedicated to a football simulation. This would be the only way to cater to everyone at this point, IMO.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

# 24 roadman @ 02/22/16 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdleRace


	Simple fix for the the online players. Arcade mode on/off Online can have no injury's, stamina, penalty's. I work for the Packers in IT and I am the one that setups up Madden in the game room for the players. Not one player wants the game arcade. They all want Sim.

If I was a NFL pro football player, I would want the football game play out like I do too.

And for reasons listed above by CM Hooe and jfsolo, that is probably why we haven't seen a sim/arcade mode.

It's been a subject over the last few years with no answers until CM Hooe provided one above from another EA developer.

# 25 roadman @ 02/22/16 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cajungodfather


	I think you make a good point, by I fundamentally disagree with this. I do think you are right, that a tourney player wouldn't want this in the game, BUT we are talking about making a football simulation. If you don't want your qb to fumble the snap with :02 left, don't use a qb with low awareness. There is a reason good teams are good in the NFL, and I feel it should be for the same reasons in madden. If I use a good team, and you use a good team, the better coach(user) should win 9/10 times. Biggest problem I've seen a lot of guys have is because a guy can take a team with speed skill players and exploit the game. I'd much rather have to beat someone on Witt rather than exploiting the game, which I feel this passing model would help a lot with. It would be a huge step towards more of a football simulation, instead of just a video game. In all honesty, EA could easily make two madden football games. One for arcade/tourney players and one strictly dedicated to a football simulation. This would be the only way to cater to everyone at this point, IMO. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It might be the only way, but probably too costly without adding more revenue on the surface.

They had two games a few years ago, but not enough sales to go around with two games.

# 26 Mike Lowe @ 02/23/16 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CM Hooe


	Foremost, let me be clear and say I'm firmly in the "sim" bucket of players and would be cool with seeing all these changes. That said, let me present a counterpoint: You are a professional Madden player (yes, they exist; I was surprised to learn this too). You are playing in the finals of the Madden Challenge with your Ultimate Team against some other highly-ranked Madden player. You have 4th and goal on your opponent's goal line with four seconds left, needing a touchdown to win the game. You call a draw play out of a shotgun spread formation (for whatever reason, the play call isn't the important part here). When you go to snap the ball, the center sails the ball over your QB's head. Your QB recovers the ball, but is promptly tackled. Your opponent wins the Madden Challenge and the $25,000 prize, the game ultimately decided on essentially a dice roll. This is the sort of play tournament players absolutely to not want in the game. Could it happen in real football? Absolutely. In a competitive video gaming environment where user skill is the preferred arbiter of success? This sort of randomness is absolutely detrimental to that experience. Heck, the tourney guys don't even really like wide-open incomplete passes; their feeling is that, as long as they make the right read, if the guy is open, they should complete the pass. From their perspective where user skill should trump all, is their opinion wrong? I don't think so. I also don't think it's proper to just tell these players to "deal with it", given that they are just as large and vital a part of Madden's audience as the sim players are. We're not more important than them, and they aren't more important than us.

There aren't words for how little I sympathize for people who play Madden for money.

# 27 Mike Lowe @ 02/23/16 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redsox4evur


	I'm playing you in a tourney, with a 50K prize to the winner and 5K to the 2nd place guy. You are down by 1 with :02 on the clock with the ball at the 10. Easy FG range, you get a botched snap and I tackle the holder, game over. You just lost 45K because of a dice roll, how do you feel?

I'd feel Like Tony Romo against Seattle.

I would say folks should try and learn to deal with it. There are bigger problems in life, and perhaps "kids these days" need more lessons like that.

I mean, as a Lions fan, this past season alone taught me enough about football to not take it too seriously, or else I'd have jumped off a bridge by now ha

# 28 roadman @ 02/23/16 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gridiron


	Theyre not capable of making certain things not trigger online and certain things trigger offline? Playing 2K5 in first person mode with WR switching on, it made me realize that it can work to have the player have to do something at different points of the play to make sure the outcome is good. In FPF, it would switch to the WR and you had to do something to ensure the catch, if you failed you dropped the pass. For bad snaps, they could have it where you have to remember to press a button or short combo of buttons before each snap or something. If you dont the snap is bad and may not be caught. Might be tense for field goals too where if you screw up, the snap and or the hold could be bad and affect the kick. Blitz The League had something similar for kicks and it did add a layer of challenge. Thought it was dope.

I'm sure they could, but you have another developer from EA(WWE) that CM Hooe linked stated that it's very costly and time consuming to flip switches online and offline.

Don't forget, they are using old code from the old Maddens of yesteryear.

# 29 JayWoods @ 02/23/16 01:51 PM

One of the best articles I've read on here. Good ideas through and through.

# 30 kjcheezhead @ 02/23/16 08:12 PM

That randomness is bad for tourney players is a terrible reason not to have it. Nothing makes a game boring faster than when it becomes predictable and repetitive.

That madden developers don't want to add more "anything can happen" moments because a guy might lose money on a tourney is sad. Still I know it's true too.

# 31 Kornnickel55 @ 02/24/16 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CM Hooe


	Foremost, let me be clear and say I'm firmly in the "sim" bucket of players and would be cool with seeing all these changes. That said, let me present a counterpoint: You are a professional Madden player (yes, they exist; I was surprised to learn this too). You are playing in the finals of the Madden Challenge with your Ultimate Team against some other highly-ranked Madden player. You have 4th and goal on your opponent's goal line with four seconds left, needing a touchdown to win the game. You call a draw play out of a shotgun spread formation (for whatever reason, the play call isn't the important part here). When you go to snap the ball, the center sails the ball over your QB's head. Your QB recovers the ball, but is promptly tackled. Your opponent wins the Madden Challenge and the $25,000 prize, the game ultimately decided on essentially a dice roll. This is the sort of play tournament players absolutely to not want in the game. Could it happen in real football? Absolutely. In a competitive video gaming environment where user skill is the preferred arbiter of success? This sort of randomness is absolutely detrimental to that experience. Heck, the tourney guys don't even really like wide-open incomplete passes; their feeling is that, as long as they make the right read, if the guy is open, they should complete the pass. From their perspective where user skill should trump all, is their opinion wrong? I don't think so. I also don't think it's proper to just tell these players to "deal with it", given that they are just as large and vital a part of Madden's audience as the sim players are. We're not more important than them, and they aren't more important than us.

Have a Tournament Mode for those players!

# 32 Kornnickel55 @ 02/24/16 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grodbetatted


	I would be ok with a lot of that stuff, but fumbling snaps and stumbling on the snaps would become irritating only because you have no control over that.. yea i want as much of a sim aspect as possible, but i also want total control. Like if there is a control for snaps other than hiking and like a control for the catch and drop back and if you mistimed it, then there are consequences then i would be ok with that.

I like this idea! Maybe a meter like when kicking a field goal for snaps.....that vary depending on awareness or a snap attribute for Olinemen. That would make it hard for people to move a Tackle to Center with no remorse

# 33 Kornnickel55 @ 02/24/16 12:58 PM

I feel like Madden really needs to adderess the Oline. This area needs major attention. This is the root of the problem to me with the passing game. I play CFM with 31 other players and certain conversations keep coming up.

- The 3 man rush beating 5 Olineman
- High rated QB's throwing the ball directly to the other team.....no pressure, not throwing off the back foot.

to name a few.....I just believe the Oline vs Dline needs to be adderessed.

# 34 IlluminatusUIUC @ 02/24/16 06:04 PM

Hold on, slow down. The idea that no one could tolerate randomness in Madden tourneys is a little off-base. There's randomness in poker and that doesn't stop people from playing it for vast amounts of money every day.

The issue is that the game is intentionally shortened to make it more palatable. You can have realistic results on a per-play basis or a per-game basis, but not both. EA has settled on the latter.

So, if you are going to have "realistic" scores and "realistic" stats but only play 1/3 the plays, then obviously those plays are going to have to be more productive - and that's what happens. QBs hit for 80-90% completions on the regular. Wideouts rarely drop passes. etc. Even the best offense in NFL history, the 2013 Broncos, punted more than 4 times a game on average. If you punt 4 times in most games of Madden, it means you dun screwed up

# 35 roadman @ 02/24/16 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IlluminatusUIUC


	Hold on, slow down. The idea that no one could tolerate randomness in Madden tourneys is a little off-base. There's randomness in poker and that doesn't stop people from playing it for vast amounts of money every day. The issue is that the game is intentionally shortened to make it more palatable. You can have realistic results on a per-play basis or a per-game basis, but not both. EA has settled on the latter. So, if you are going to have "realistic" scores and "realistic" stats but only play 1/3 the plays, then obviously those plays are going to have to be more productive - and that's what happens. QBs hit for 80-90% completions on the regular. Wideouts rarely drop passes. etc. Even the best offense in NFL history, the 2013 Broncos, punted more than 4 times a game on average. If you punt 4 times in most games of Madden, it means you dun screwed up

Actually, one of the developers did say that about tourney players about a year or two ago.

# 36 Mike Lowe @ 02/24/16 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayWoods


	One of the best articles I've read on here. Good ideas through and through.

Much appreciate. Thank you for the kind words!

# 37 Godgers12 @ 02/25/16 10:55 PM

I absolutely hate the randomness of penalties, especially holdings. I play nothing but online franchise, so when I lose on a holding call it annoys the hell out of me. So, in other words, if all of this were to happen in a game, I'd be liable to break my TV, and Gronk spike my controller. No thanks. I could live with poor snaps on special teams though. But no more than like 2 per season.

# 38 D81SKINS @ 02/26/16 09:48 AM

One of the most exciting plays in any football game, is when a qb, you name him, Russ Wilson, A-Rod, T. Romo, is when a qb ESCAPES the pass rush and hits his receiver for a 1st down or touchdown!
I feel like Madden doesn't display a qbs "escapability" at all.
I would like to see an escape the pocket function that takes skill but is also a "working feature". EA has done a good job on improving the "catching features" and making them work when timed correctly, who would like to see the "qb escape feat"?
Even if they don't escape the pocket, qbs like Dan Marino, T. Brady have a knack for side stepping pressure and hitting their target.

I will post some highlights just to get your blood pumping lol

Jay Cutler- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SgcUz2U_RDA

Russell Hustle- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iV1JnlBYbU8

Tony Romo escapes JJ Watt- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=as35QVzPtA0

A-Rod game winners! Lightning strikes 2x lol- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NP8CZS95Phw

T. Brady steps up in the pocket and avoids a sack, this is probably one of the more common ways qbs avoid sacks, just stepping up into a real pocket. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CSEW8Hz9OvM

Like I said, this and just qb pocket awarness would be a great addition to Madden passing

# 39 jfeev215 @ 02/27/16 05:42 PM

A lot of people here have stated the most important fact "this is the only football game on the market". There's really no room for half-stepping in this arena. I mean if EA Tiburon wants to produce a game that draws in a crowd that prefers a more arcade experience bring back NFL street lol.
Honestly I'm a realist and I think it would be worth it for the devs to consider a tuner (if possible) or separate set of rules or sliders for what is being deemed randomness in football for the competitive online crowd. That randomness is so vital to the heart and soul of the sport. The missed field goal in the Minnesota/Seattle game (pretty much a gimme) this past playoffs. Although it's college football how about the botched snap on the punt in the Michigan/MSU game last year. I'm sure others can come up with a umber of key plays that decided outcomes in games that aren't even possible in Madden. How about a blocked punt, extra point or field goal for once this decade (maybe I'm the only one that can't do this). I feel like the control of so much of the game is out of our hands...

# 40 redsox4evur @ 02/28/16 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfeev215


	A lot of people here have stated the most important fact "this is the only football game on the market". There's really no room for half-stepping in this arena. I mean if EA Tiburon wants to produce a game that draws in a crowd that prefers a more arcade experience bring back NFL street lol. Honestly I'm a realist and I think it would be worth it for the devs to consider a tuner (if possible) or separate set of rules or sliders for what is being deemed randomness in football for the competitive online crowd. That randomness is so vital to the heart and soul of the sport. The missed field goal in the Minnesota/Seattle game (pretty much a gimme) this past playoffs. Although it's college football how about the botched snap on the punt in the Michigan/MSU game last year. I'm sure others can come up with a umber of key plays that decided outcomes in games that aren't even possible in Madden. How about a blocked punt, extra point or field goal for once this decade (maybe I'm the only one that can't do this). I feel like the control of so much of the game is out of our hands...

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	I'm sure they could, but you have another developer from EA(WWE) that CM Hooe linked stated that it's very costly and time consuming to flip switches online and offline. Don't forget, they are using old code from the old Maddens of yesteryear.

Do you think it would be worth it if they did nothing else but created this tuner for tourney play and didn't do anything else to improve the online portion of the game including but not limited to online CFM, servers, regular online games.

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