Madden NFL 18 News Post

Madden NFL 18 Gameplay Changes - What Do You Want to See?

07:05 PM - April 6, 2017 by Millennium

There have been a few community members that are prominent in the Madden Ultimate Team world asking their Twitter followers for constructive feedback on what they would like to see changed gameplay wise in Madden NFL 18. I'm here asking the same thing, but to the OS crowd.

Two rules - keep it constructive (and in a positive nature) and respect other's feedback (even if they differ from your own).

Other than that no opinion or idea is too big or too small.

Have at it.

Game: Madden NFL 18Hype Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / PS4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 9 - View All

Member Comments

# 141 DeuceDouglas @ 04/23/17 09:19 PM

My biggest issue with the different catches is the amount of warping they cause. With the RAC catch there's often that sudden speed boost as the catch is made that gives the receiver who already has five yards of separation an extra five yards because of the way he warps to an overthrown pass. And then with the aggressive catch there is a lot of times where when triggered it completely disregards the defenders positioning and has him warp into a different position to accommodate the animation. There are definitely times where it looks good and things play out very well but they need to add a lot more animations and do everything they can to get rid of all of the warping that occurs.

# 142 jfsolo @ 04/23/17 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeuceDouglas


	My biggest issue with the different catches is the amount of warping they cause. With the RAC catch there's often that sudden speed boost as the catch is made that gives the receiver who already has five yards of separation an extra five yards because of the way he warps to an overthrown pass. And then with the aggressive catch there is a lot of times where when triggered it completely disregards the defenders positioning and has him warp into a different position to accommodate the animation. There are definitely times where it looks good and things play out very well but they need to add a lot more animations and do everything they can to get rid of all of the warping that occurs.

That's one of the worrisome things about User agency in H2H play being given so much importance from a design standpoint. Warping and other physics defying plays are allowed to occur on a regular basis instead of letting more failure animations occurring due to bad decision making or lower ratings of a player. They err on the side of allowing for more User success than should really happen.

So many of these things are hard coded into the game and aren't fixable by sliders, thus those of us who want ratings based gameplay to be preeminent are held hostage by the competitive circuit's game style, i.e. Newton's Laws do not apply to User controlled players.

# 143 OhMrHanky @ 04/24/17 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BreakingBad2013


	This is a cheap gameplay feature that shouldn't be. It causes some strange animations and using the catch buttons allows all WRs to trigger animations, even though their trait is not unlocked. You wouldn't mind them being removed if you were confident that your good aware WRs would make correct plays on the ball, with correct programming. It would further separate WRs from each other, showing a difference in FEEL of who is good at what, and knowing when your WR group is weak, because you cannot hit "A" every catch to fall straight to the ground and avoid contact 95% of the time. Which is ridiculous.

I partially agree with this. While, yes, if ratings determined everything and madden coded the appropriate timing for RAC, possession on the sidelines, etc, and the properly rated WRs did the 'correct' thing when applicable, that would be nice and you'd see the appropriate animations. But, I'd still argue that those 3 catch types are legit 'choices' that every WR makes on any given catch. And, as such, it should be a choice that is under the user control. Here, again, once my choice is made, the ratings should dictate. If I press A going towards the sideline for a toe tap, and my WR happens to have a 70 possession catch rating, then I'd be ok with madden NOT allowing the animation to take place and the wr not getting both feet inbounds. And, in fact, I have seen this. I have pressed A on the sideline with a low rated WR, and he won't do it. I've pressed X with a bad RAC guy and he's fallen to the ground with a possession animation. So, I think some of what you're talking about is already there. But, again, for me, the very minimal argument for adding this gameplay feature is that, just like a RB choosing to spin, juke, or jive, a WR does choose to RAC, possession, or aggressively catch a ball (and, maybe more choices, but these 3 are a good start, imo). Because they have a 'choice', I want to control that choice, and again, after that choice is made by me, allow the ratings to determine the overall outcome.

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# 144 OhMrHanky @ 04/24/17 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeuceDouglas


	My biggest issue with the different catches is the amount of warping they cause. With the RAC catch there's often that sudden speed boost as the catch is made that gives the receiver who already has five yards of separation an extra five yards because of the way he warps to an overthrown pass. And then with the aggressive catch there is a lot of times where when triggered it completely disregards the defenders positioning and has him warp into a different position to accommodate the animation. There are definitely times where it looks good and things play out very well but they need to add a lot more animations and do everything they can to get rid of all of the warping that occurs.

I do agree with this. Warping has always been an issue, of course, with all things madden. Lol. But, specific to the catches, I will say that a well timed RAC catch in real life is made by a WR who might slow down a little and time his 'speed burst' to coincide with catching the ball at his fastest speed. Sort of like aggressively catching a ball at the highest point, a great RAC catch is at the fastest speed. Again, yes, there is warping, but I appreciate it sometimes on the RACs that, imo, should not be tackled right away. Without the warps, this might not happen. And, with aggressive and all catches, all WR/CB interactions, I admit there's some warping/sliding, but I actually believe madden is doing a decent job these days with the correct outcomes depending on how many defenders are in the area, WR rating, CB rating, etc, so at the point of truth, while some sliding/warping happens, I am normally ok with the outcome. So, if u can take that, idk, 'mental perspective,' the sliding doesn't look so bad. It just looks like the players are going up for the ball and their 'battle' takes place (based on buttons pressed, ratings, etc). But yes, overall, if they can further clean up animations, that is always a good thing and could really make this game shine a bit more. And, I think, honestly, u would see the same outcomes taking place, but they might not be 'jarring' as they can be now. Lol.

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# 145 BreakingBad2013 @ 04/24/17 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhMrHanky


	I partially agree with this. While, yes, if ratings determined everything and madden coded the appropriate timing for RAC, possession on the sidelines, etc, and the properly rated WRs did the 'correct' thing when applicable, that would be nice and you'd see the appropriate animations. But, I'd still argue that those 3 catch types are legit 'choices' that every WR makes on any given catch. And, as such, it should be a choice that is under the user control. Here, again, once my choice is made, the ratings should dictate. If I press A going towards the sideline for a toe tap, and my WR happens to have a 70 possession catch rating, then I'd be ok with madden NOT allowing the animation to take place and the wr not getting both feet inbounds. And, in fact, I have seen this. I have pressed A on the sideline with a low rated WR, and he won't do it. I've pressed X with a bad RAC guy and he's fallen to the ground with a possession animation. So, I think some of what you're talking about is already there. But, again, for me, the very minimal argument for adding this gameplay feature is that, just like a RB choosing to spin, juke, or jive, a WR does choose to RAC, possession, or aggressively catch a ball (and, maybe more choices, but these 3 are a good start, imo). Because they have a 'choice', I want to control that choice, and again, after that choice is made by me, allow the ratings to determine the overall outcome. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

After playing WR irl, I don't think really there's a "choice" I think the ball location, route, and defender eliminates the choice and you would do what the situations provided. If you're getting a fade route, you're not thinking " well should I run after I catch it, should I try to out jump this guy for a one handed catch, or should I just fall. You would do what the opportunity presents, you don't have time to go through 3 choices lol.

Same with if you're running a drag, to an open side of the field, say it's wide open but the pass is innacurate. You can't just say I wanna run after this catch, and trigger your body to adjust to the ball in .3 seconds and run after the catch, you may have to make a leaping grab that you didn't want to because the situation wasn't ideal. Also "RAC" catches, should be dropped a lot more in the game, because we know the line "well he was focused on running instead of securing the ball"

Yes, these are types of catches made in the NFL, but I believe 99% of catches are simply based on location of the ball, location of the field, route run, situation of game, defenders, etc. Therefore not giving you a "choice" every single play, but a reaction to all elements involved. And that's how it should be coded.

# 146 DeuceDouglas @ 04/24/17 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhMrHanky


	I do agree with this. Warping has always been an issue, of course, with all things madden. Lol. But, specific to the catches, I will say that a well timed RAC catch in real life is made by a WR who might slow down a little and time his 'speed burst' to coincide with catching the ball at his fastest speed. Sort of like aggressively catching a ball at the highest point, a great RAC catch is at the fastest speed. Again, yes, there is warping, but I appreciate it sometimes on the RACs that, imo, should not be tackled right away. Without the warps, this might not happen. And, with aggressive and all catches, all WR/CB interactions, I admit there's some warping/sliding, but I actually believe madden is doing a decent job these days with the correct outcomes depending on how many defenders are in the area, WR rating, CB rating, etc, so at the point of truth, while some sliding/warping happens, I am normally ok with the outcome. So, if u can take that, idk, 'mental perspective,' the sliding doesn't look so bad. It just looks like the players are going up for the ball and their 'battle' takes place (based on buttons pressed, ratings, etc). But yes, overall, if they can further clean up animations, that is always a good thing and could really make this game shine a bit more. And, I think, honestly, u would see the same outcomes taking place, but they might not be 'jarring' as they can be now. Lol.

Agreed, and just to clarify, I don't have much of an issue with the outcomes at all just how they occur a lot of the time. They've cleaned up a lot of the 65 OVR receivers acting like Randy Moss and done a good job on that front which is great. And it might be nitpicking but it's something that Madden has had a problem with for several years and makes things look weird. Just to use this as an example, I don't have any problem with the outcome there, but the way the corner has inside positioning just to suddenly warp speed into behind the receiver makes it look really bad. They just need more animations so that there is plenty of applicable animations to trigger based on where the players are instead of forcing them into inorganic animations. It's just a matter of tightening things up so that the chances of that happening are few and far between. And like you said the outcomes would largely be the same but the game would look a whole lot better in motion.

# 147 OhMrHanky @ 04/24/17 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BreakingBad2013


	After playing WR irl, I don't think really there's a "choice" I think the ball location, route, and defender eliminates the choice and you would do what the situations provided. If you're getting a fade route, you're not thinking " well should I run after I catch it, should I try to out jump this guy for a one handed catch, or should I just fall. You would do what the opportunity presents, you don't have time to go through 3 choices lol. Same with if you're running a drag, to an open side of the field, say it's wide open but the pass is innacurate. You can't just say I wanna run after this catch, and trigger your body to adjust to the ball in .3 seconds and run after the catch, you may have to make a leaping grab that you didn't want to because the situation wasn't ideal. Also "RAC" catches, should be dropped a lot more in the game, because we know the line "well he was focused on running instead of securing the ball" Yes, these are types of catches made in the NFL, but I believe 99% of catches are simply based on location of the ball, location of the field, route run, situation of game, defenders, etc. Therefore not giving you a "choice" every single play, but a reaction to all elements involved. And that's how it should be coded.

Yeah, I'm not saying they make choices like a QB going through his reads, it's more of a snap/subconscious choice, however, and we've all seen some WRs have the ability to make the right choice and some don't. I want to control that decision making, I guess maybe that's the difference it comes down to. And, yes, I absolutely agree that RAC attempts should have more drop %, and here again, my choice and ratings should matter. If I have an excellent slot WR or RB that I know has good RAC, I know I can attempt RACs without much worry. But, if I have a RB with weak RAC, maybe I choose not to RAC with him, specifically. Maybe he's dropped a few RAC attempts already in the game. So, now I just let him catch the ball, then turn upfield to guarantee some yardage, or choose possession, here. For me, this can actually replicate coaching as well. If u have a RB that keeps dropping balls, specifically because he's looking upfield, u might tell him, 'just catch it'. U know? So, again, maybe it's just a level of control that I def want to have, with the ratings also affecting the outcomes. And, I want to be held accountable for the wrong choice, too. I had a playoff game that was actually close vs CPU, once, and I needed a long 3rd down conversion. The ball was thrown near the sideline, but I wasn't sure exactly how close, and I got geeked up because of a nearby DB, so I pressed the Y button and only got 1 foot in. Lol. I knew it was my fault. And, again, u see this on Sunday. Someone goes all out for a ball because of DB pressure, timing, and simply the pressure of the big game that they don't realize they're that close to the sideline. So, I guess in a 'best of both worlds,' hopefully they code well enough to allow the ratings to do what u like, but they also give me the control that I want. [emoji41][emoji458][emoji458]

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# 148 Skyboxer @ 04/24/17 11:20 PM

This falls into gameplay a bit as it will require better AI -but I think we're way overdue for a real coach only mode.

Not very optimistic though

# 149 adembroski @ 04/25/17 03:15 AM

I don't user catch EXCEPT when I'm throwing a drag into wide open field 2 yards short of the marker on 3rd and I just KNOW the dumb ****'s gonna possession catch and not pick it up. There needs to be better contextual logic there.

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# 150 cable guy @ 04/25/17 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adembroski


	I don't user catch EXCEPT when I'm throwing a drag into wide open field 2 yards short of the marker on 3rd and I just KNOW the dumb ****'s gonna possession catch and not pick it up. There needs to be better contextual logic there. Sent from my SM-G930P using Operation Sports mobile app

I only use it on fades in the back of the endzone. And that's to cut down on picks.

I do know exactly what your saying, but I've found success and stupid, no yardage failure greatly depends on WR and QB ratings. Which is good and bad I guess. Maybe a low pass or a WR drop would be better for low rated guys. Idk

I also totally agree with what Breaking Bad said about RAC catches. Should be more dropped passes. Happens Alot IRL. Have a rating or trait for that as well.

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# 151 SOU7GLO @ 04/25/17 02:01 PM

More changes the Madden team should implement:

In CFM, remove the ability to increase the player attributes for Speed, Acceleration, Agility, and Jumping. Players don't increase in these areas, if anything they are at their peak at the start of their career and through their prime, and then decline later in their careers or due to injury. In our CFM, a user increased speed for Ezekiel Elliot to a 99. This is laughable and ridiculous to defend. Commissioners should be given the ability to at least turn off which attributes can be improved by XP.

Also, in regards to the AWR rating, there should be a risk in having defenders with low AWR on the field. For example, defenders with low AWR should become confused or miss assignments when users are calling multiple audibles/hot routes on Defense. They should also commit more penalties, such as Pass Interference. AWR could also affect offensive players in the same way.

Practicing within CFM should have more of an impact on our CFM teams. Logging practices could help players learn the playbook better and increase confidence, AWR, PRC, other ratings, and XP in a minor way. Perhaps a QB with low AWR would be unable to access certain plays in the playbook or run them effectively during a game because of his low AWR and lack of practice.

Because each Madden user is a head coach, being a head coach in the game should be a primary focus. We should be able to fully customize and upgrade our CFM head coach, from his looks/appearance, the type of playcaller he is, personality (with communication style - hard nosed, laid back, with celebrations), apply gear and accessories, unlock celebrations or positive and negative reactions.

It would also be great to see a Universal Profile (Similar to The Show 17 and what we used to have with Madden on the PS2) with full stat tracking. This universal profile could be housed in an environment that's in a coaches office, locker room, or a basement (haha). This could also be customizable and decked out with trophies earned from MVP's, ROY's, other player awards to Lombardi's of course, unlockable furniture, HOF Busts, taxidermy (haha), etc. Other users in our CFM and our friend's list could view our coach and his "trophy room". This would immensely add to the competitive nature of the game and its replay value, especially if playing other game modes provided XP to unlock certain awards, gear, and accessories. Other sports and shooter games have implemented similar models that have worked well, so Madden could also include their own version of it.

# 152 LBzrule @ 04/25/17 03:38 PM

I would like to be able to scheme my entire offense around my personnel. Defensively the game does this better than offense. Let me give you an example. For the sake of the example, suppose the Buffalo Bills take OJ Howard on Thursday or even Njoku. I look at that and immediately I'm saying 12 personnel all day long. My opponent can only run zone against me. Run Man and I'm eating your linebackers alive with Clay and Howard/NJoku, plus you gotta deal with T-Mobile's legs. Run Match up zone and Howard and Clay should be a problem for your linebackers, and if Mobile gets a crease I'm taking it. The game does not let me make you respect T-Mobile's legs and I get it, scrambling has been a problem in this game. But you have to bring it as a threat in some way if the personnel dictates it. Also, the Option.

Please get rid of the game auto defending the option so that users don't have to worry about it. If the personnel dictates it the user has to worry about it with this specific team.

Lastly, I hate the idea of a "meta" in any game and to me it's especially egregious for a football game or any sports game. And this is what Madden has right now and it takes the fun out of it. Prepare and plan for everybody the same way because everyone runs the same few plays. Open the game up but make sure defenses also have the tools, coverages and alignments to be successful.

# 153 LBzrule @ 04/25/17 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adembroski


	I don't user catch EXCEPT when I'm throwing a drag into wide open field 2 yards short of the marker on 3rd and I just KNOW the dumb ****'s gonna possession catch and not pick it up. There needs to be better contextual logic there. Sent from my SM-G930P using Operation Sports mobile app

Speaking of contextual logic, I should never see a Flanker on a well blocked flanker screen possession catch the football and fall on the ground when there is nothing but green on the outside. Also I think the spin catch animation on swing passes out of the backfield and the spin on pitches in the option game need to be completely eliminated from the game. The only purpose is to stop you from getting yards when someone has aligned their defense poorly or called a bad coverage.

# 154 Hooe @ 04/27/17 02:59 AM

How about explicit green dog blitz assignments?

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but my current understanding of a green dog blitz: when a defensive player in man coverage identifies that his assigned man has stayed in to pass block and that now-blocker has engaged with a second already-blitzing defender, that first defender then blitzes.

# 155 LBzrule @ 04/29/17 05:53 PM

CFM - Please fix all of the unrealistic draftees. Way too many 6'4-6'6 WR's in every draft and then guys can flip them easily and have 99 catch, 99 cit and just lob crap up and have them always catch it. IT's like playing a damn child who can't read a defense but just relies on that button.

# 156 TecmoZack @ 04/30/17 09:20 AM

I wish they would add signature animations for all QBs. It would be so awesome if they all felt and moved completely different. Had different throwing motions etc.

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# 157 Cowboy008 @ 04/30/17 01:04 PM

Some changes I would like to see for 18:

Get rid of the XP system - I just don't like it. Go back to the Progression system.

Off Ball injuries - I don't sim so the only way my O-line will get hurt is if they either pick up and fumble and get tackled or make a tackle. Also other players get hurt in real life when they are no where near the action so this should be in Madden.

Smarter AI - This includes CPU play calling, clock management, and roster management. Looking at the depth chart for all the other teams there's some moves that don't make any sense. The AI should also use formation subs.

Smarter QB AI - I only play against the CPU and it really takes the immersion out when you see the CPU QB just keep dropping back when he has a defender coming right in his face and then just takes a sack. I want to see the CPU step up into the pocket and see mobile QB's actually get out of the pocket and run. Right now I don't have to worry about mobile QB's because they aren't a threat since they never really take off.

Coaching Carousel - I loved it in NCAA and I think this needs to come to Madden. Have offense and defensive coordinators and also make them have their own personality. Just don't make all of them the same so when you are looking for a new coordinator you will actually have some choices. Also whatever coordinator is hired by a team that team should then run whatever offense or defense that coordinator runs. So if the Patriots bring in a coordinator that likes to just run the ball most of the time then when you play the Patriots they should be running the ball a lot.

Scouting system - Instead of just doing the scouting yourself we should hire a scout and then you tell the scout to look at a player and then instead of just getting that players rating we would get three or four things like "This player is good at stopping the run" or "Doesn't have very good awareness". Also all of the scouts shouldn't be 100% accurate. Have scouts that are better at scouting defensive guys and they are not so great scouting offensive players.

Realistic movement - I always play with a S when I'm on defense and it's just not realistic. I can keep up with a guy running down the field just by back peddling. If a S or CB tried to keep up with a receiver running downfield just by back peddling he would get beat.

Better generated Draft players.

Open/Closed Roofs - This was in last year but not for CFM which I don't know why. Give us the option of either having the roof opened or closed if we are in one of the stadiums that can do that.

Better record books - There should be team record books as well and not just the NFL all time records. I think it would be cool to be able to beat a team record. There should also be a record book for past Super Bowl Champions. Also when a player wins an award or is voted the MVP of the Super Bowl we should be able to see it.

# 158 cityofchampions @ 04/30/17 01:19 PM

I'm not sure if this belongs here or not, but how about making it easier to start 32 team franchises? (sorry if this doesn't belong here)

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# 159 Rocky @ 04/30/17 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TecmoZack


	I wish they would add signature animations for all QBs. It would be so awesome if they all felt and moved completely different. Had different throwing motions etc. Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

Quarterback play needs to be completely revamped imo. It's one of the areas in which "the other game" is still far ahead of Madden in. The throwing trajectories really improved in Madden 16 but realistic movement, accuracy under pressure, and MUCH better animations still need to be addressed.

# 160 Charvalos @ 04/30/17 08:42 PM

Like everyone said, I would like to see a more simulation game (smarter AI, a more deep CFM, ...)

And I don't know if it has already be said but I'm would like to see the weather having a real influence during a match.

For example, if it's raining/snowing, I would like to see more drops by the WRs, some slips when the player changing direction, etc.

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