Re: Madden 25 Info Thread

[brza37]

Yeah, good luck on the job hunt Inf. 

Notorious, I think NCAA 14 is a great game too. Which makes it all the more difficult to understand how M25 isn't much better than 13. ThepPresentation in NCAA is miles ahead of what Madden has ever shown on PS3 and its even more challenging vs. the CPU, albeit I'm playing with a 2-star prestige team.

Anyway, the next-gen Madden PR team seems to have gotten their shit together and released a trailer and series of videos worth getting excited for:



And there are four more short videos at the following two links detailling a bit more about the improvements to line play:
http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl/news-updates-gameplay/article/offensive-defensive-line-play

http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl/news-updates-gameplay/article/pass-blocking-rush

I can live with those improvements and will officially jump back on the M25 launch day bandwagon. On the other hand M25 doesn't blow me away the same way that next-gen NBA 2K does:



Make sure you watch those vids in HD to see the details.

[Notorious_MH]

Yeah I started my Dynasty with a 2 star team as OC, didn't want to get involved with recruiting, I just wanted to do the best I could and take the best job offer I got the 2nd season. I then moved to Northern Illinois again as OC and started recruiting. After 2 more seasons as OC the head coach got a job at a better school and I got offered the HC gig. So I'm in my 4th season, 3rd with NIU and it is seriously fun building a small school up to contend with the big boys.

Thanks for posting those vids, the game doesn't actually look too bad in them and most promisingly in the article you linked to they mentioned 300 new pass rush and blocking animations but that they are "ratings based animations" which is quite neat, I assume it means that stud players will really stand out more now compared to regular guys. In theory. I'm gonna get it regardless cause I need my football fix but at least we have the advantage in Europe that we can watch peoples gameplay videos for 2 weeks from america before PS4 launches here so if it really is terrible then we'll know in advance. Here's hoping it's good though.

As for the 2K14 trailer, I saw it last week when it was first released and I'm still scraping my jaw off the floor. THAT gentlemen, is what next-gen is supposed to look like, wow.

[trulyinfemous]

I wish you could do that on madden with OCs and coaching carousels, and making free agency or udfa like recruiting, trying to win people over with phonecalls and stuff.

Those videos have given me some hope, and I didn't pick up on 'ratings based animations' but if this is the case, I am going to be delighted. We've been asking for tiered animations to seperate studs from bums forever. Should put an emphasis on giving your DL move ratings to beat their guys.

Bills DL will be fun if that is the case

My god I hadn't seen it yet and have been blown away. Why can't 2k make a football game that looks like that?

I'm tempted (when I have money) to buy NBA 2k just to learn about basketball properly. I know so little but I feel I'm missing out on a real sports game not being able to play it.

[Bishbosh1985]

I've said it forever + 10 minutes, ratings need to affect gameplay more than they have in the past so hopefully this will be massive. Maybe we'll have a human coach taking a rookie lineman in the top 5, and that will be proof we finally have a 'real' sim.

I'm not a big fan of basketball, as a sport its just soooo samey - i'm sure Bball fans would disagree but i'm just not into games where i need my head to go 90 degrees left then right every 15 seconds. Maybe they should mix it with tennis - slam dunks should be a bit easier with a racket!

[brza37]

Thanks for posting those vids, the game doesn't actually look too bad in them and most promisingly in the article you linked to they mentioned 300 new pass rush and blocking animations but that they are "ratings based animations" which is quite neat, I assume it means that stud players will really stand out more now compared to regular guys.

There was a Q&A yesterday on Twitter with the designer for the OL blocking and interactions and I asked him about that. Here's what he had to say:

brza37 @brza37

[ltr]@EAMaddenNFL @ClintOldenburg[/ltr]  will certain pass rush animations only be available to players with higher rated PMV or FMV? - 21. Okt.

EA SPORTS Madden NFL @EAMaddenNFL   [ltr]@brza37 @ClintOldenburg[/ltr]  ratings have a very high impact on pass rush animations.       21. Okt. 2013 17:35

 
Here's some more info from the Q&A
Will low Awr cost olineman to make wrong reads when targeting pre snap?

This year, physical ratings will have greater impact than intangible ratings up front.

Do holding penalties factor in these new line animations/interactions? Or are they randomly generated?

Holding animations will be slightly increased on Next-Gen.

Does oline Strength counter dline PMOV and Footwork counter FMOV?

Pass Block Rating (PBK) counters both.

what's biggest difference in next gen ?

The QB now must step up into the pocket rather than extend his drop which fundamentally changes the way Madden is played.

will D-lineman "win" more 1-1 battles against lesser rated O-linemen? Or will it be 50/50

Pass rush has been improved and ratings will have a heavy impact on 1v1 battles up front.

how do lineman make their calculations? Closest defender to ball carrier? Inside gap protection?

For pass blocking, O-Linemen calculate the location, speed, direction and angle of pass rushers to the QB.

what does impact blocking mean? And is it better than upgrading specifically run/pass blocking

Impact Blocking = Any block that occurs while both the blocker and his target are moving in the open field.

Will the QB now identify and say who the "Mike" is?

you will see either the C or QB point when identifying the mic, but you will not hear audio.

Will there be times where the o-line miss a assignment like on a delay LB Blitz or overloading one side

Yes, overload blitzes aren't as effective as they used to be but lineman will definitely miss assignments from time to time.

Does o-line block away from hole, so defender gets free if you run where you're not supposed to on runs like a dive outside?

In run blocking, OL will be more likely to block for the design of the play.

Does Madden next gen defese have true run fits and/or gap assignments?

They have gap assignments based on each play they run.

Will HB's pick up blitzes more often? Will lineman be able to report as eligible?

HB's are included in the pass protection. No, all formations in Madden are legal.

Is the snap count a factor in next gen? WIll you be able to draw the defense offsides?

Yup!

Does True Step affect every player or just the ball carrier?

Stay tuned for a Q&A on True Step in the future.

How are PMV/FMV used in calculating while rushing the passer? Does only get used in one play or both?

It's based on that players ratings, traits, and player type.

Will the blind side pass rusher (RDE) be able to consistently get pressure instead of how it is now where the LDE gets the most?

Yes, that's now balanced and ratings will determine pressure.

Will next gen stop the nano blitz?

Nano blitzes are less prevalent and w/ enhanced pass rush you won't need to nano based on the amount of organic pressure.

What determines the missed assignment rate? AWR or PBK or a combo of both?

Targeting is tied to the defense's movement, so physical ratings will naturally have a larger impact in such a dynamic atmosphere.

Will the secondary actually be able to keep up with WR's and play man defense decently?

Coverage has been improved and enhanced pass rush will make the defensive secondary's job easier.

Has blitzing been improved? Is cover 2 a usable scheme now with better pass rush?

Yes, you will feel more heat with blitzes, which also improved all coverages.

Can we adjust protections ourselves and not just slide protection? Can we single out an O lineman to focus on a guy or add help?

When you add a TE and HB to the protection scheme, they will determine targets as well as the offensive line.

Will a lineman break off of his double team to pick up a blitzing linebacker?

Yes, what we call sorting, due to our calculation power in gen 4, they are able to dynamically evaluate threats to the target.

Will certain pass rush animations only be available to players with higher rated PMV or FMV?

Ratings have a very high impact on pass rush animations.

Can you please change the penalty "Clipping" to "block in the back"?

That is a great suggestion and something that's already on our radar. Thanks

Best defense against Vernon Davis?

Nickel strong cover 1 robber but is susceptible to the TE Flag

Will fatigue be a factor? If defense is on the field for long stretches will it impact play?

Yes, when a defensive lineman is fatigued his ratings start to drop.

Will there be more moves for defensive lineman to use on next gen?

There is more defensive line moves and more they will be more effective at establishing a good pass rush.

How will lineman react to 1-3 man rushes? Too easy to get sacks when it's 5 o-lineman vs 1-3 rushers.

When blockers out number rushers you are going to see double teams when available.

[Bishbosh1985]

Good stuff Brza. 

Did you ask if PS4's will drop below £100 before Xmas?

[Notorious_MH]

Cool, thanks for posting Brza. Some really promising sounding things there but also a couple of scary ones, notably that Awr is basically irrelevant for O lineman and he dodged the coverage question saying that pass rush is improved to help. I hope that doesn't mean that it'll be overpowered to cover up the bad coverage but we shall see. All in all very promising. 

I agree with you Bish, it would be so damn awesome if we got to a point where you could draft a rookie LT and as they say on tv at draft time "plug him in at LT for the next 10 years".

Also, I like the NBA but it's rarely on tv until the post season but I bought 2k13 last year and it's really good. The animations and atmosphere the game creates is so life like and that is PS3, 2K14 is gonna be crazy on PS4. 

PS4 will be £100 before xmas... 2020 lol

[brza37]

Here's a new article that just recaps the info about the features/upgrades we'll see in next-gen Madden 25:
http://www.goodgamebro.com/2013/10/31/what-you-need-to-know-about-madden-nfl-25-on-ps4-xbox-one/10/

[Bishbosh1985]

Looking most interesting. Like i've said many times before - the 'live stream' capability makes online franchise real exciting. 

This could be the start of 'real' leagues, whereby its not just a virtual experience any more but a 'real' community. MNF, a league show and real analysis of what other teams are doing. Don't say it too loud, but i feel a revolution coming on in how we perceive hitherto sports sims.

[brza37]

I love the ideas Bish! I think we can make it happen.

Somehow somebody has a PS4 and Madden already and is releasing short gameplay videos daily. Here are the first two:

[Pastinator]

wow not long now guys those vids look very good, looking forward to get back playing some football!

[brza37]

One week till te US release. Here's a new trailer for Living Worlds:



And a couple new articles:
http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl/madden-nfl25/ps4/features/living-worlds

And some disappointing news. Connected Franchise Mode will be pretty much identical to current-gen according to this interview:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1840846-madden-25-exclusive-interview-with-senior-designer-josh-looman

[brza37]

PS4 releases in less than 48 hours in North America and still no signs of standard view, full speed M25 gameplay. With twitch and ustream sharing directly from the PS4 I expect we'll see a flood of gameplay videos starting Friday though. Full reviews will likely start to pop up this weekend too.

I will post a poll sometime next week to get a final decision from everyone about when they will be getting PS4 and Madden 25 so that we can have a clear picture of when we should start the league up. That should be enough time for everyone to check out reviews, videos and their own finances so they can make a decision when to get the console and game, if they haven't already pre-ordered like myself. I'd like to get things going as soon as possible but if the majority of owners won't be getting the PS4 until christmas time then it may be wise to plan the league start date around that.

[brza37]

Aaaaaannnndd here's the first sighting of true gameplay (non-zoomed in) from PS4 Madden. I gotta admit it looks sadly just like PS3  

Madden gameplay starts at about the 1:50:00 mark of this video:
http://www.twitch.tv/gameinformer/c/3238812

They both have no clue about Madden or football for that matter but its still pretty awful to see that its still possible to drop 15+ yards every play and not get sacked.

What do you guys think?

[Notorious_MH]

US launch night, so hyped for the all access show tomorrow morning, should be some new stuff shown.

Onto Madden: the first words that came out of my mouth watching this was "why is Jamal Charles white?". I mean seriously, wtf?! He just looks white with a slight tan, for reference this is Jamal Charles

he is clearly black. 

The positives: It doesn't look terrible
                     It looks playable

Negatives: It doesn't look next-gen at all.


This game...
 


clearly does not match this...



C'mon EA, do not piss on me and tell me it's raining. I'm getting this game purely to play in this league.


Lets all pray to the football gods that EA don't extend the license again

[Notorious_MH]

Madden is out on PS4 and the first review is up at IGN who gave it 7.6 http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/11/15/madden-nfl-25-xbox-one-and-playstation-4-review

Also on IGN is a full game although I warn you that Bobby cannot shut up so I had to mute it after a while but you still get to see how it plays http://uk.ign.com/videos/2013/11/15/madden-nfl-25-on-ps4-chiefs-vs-broncos

The verdict: The same game as current gen except with better looking and sounding crowds and Running backs who have happy feet instead of hitting the hole.

[trulyinfemous]

For me though, where Madden 25 makes its big fumble is in how EA changed the running game. I fancy myself a decent runner - in Madden on 360 and PS3, I enjoy following my blockers to make one cut and run for daylight. However, on Xbox One and PS4, far too many times I’ve had my runner slow down, shuffle his feet, and lose momentum while trying get around the defender. Yeah, that’s how they do it in real life, but I didn’t feel like I was in control of the player. At times it felt like Madden might be getting too realistic for it’s own good. It may be a better simulation, but it also makes playing less fun.

If this is his only criticism, then the game actually sounds good lol

From what I've seen though, the pocket doesn't form quick enough, and that defeats the object...

the stuff about AI just sounds like more cheesing from the CPU too, instead of being true to ratings...

[brza37]

I was hoping Operation Sports or Stick Jockey would have posted a full review by now but apparently they didn't get the game much earlier either. They usually have the best reviews for sports games in my opinion. I wouldn't put too much faith in IGN's sports reviews anyway but saying that Madden is "too realistic" is a negative is just ridiculous.

From what I've read so far people are saying that although the graphics and presentation are seriously lacking for next-gen, the gameplay has some subtle changes that make a big difference.
That sounds a bit disappointing but I guess we'll just have to get our hands on it to feel the difference.

I'm gonna post a new poll in the Announcement thread to find out exactly when everyone is getting the game now so we can set a start date for the league.

[brza37]

Operation Sports just posted their review. Pretty much mirrors what a lot of people have been saying on the forum.
http://www.operationsports.com/reviews/726/madden-nfl-25-next-gen-review/

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