Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (OS)

[swiftychampleone]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (OS)

Please read the OS preview too.

It's stated in the preview this is not just for "noobs"

I did read it, roadman. That's why I said:

Honestly, I like the Gameflow option where you can set your plays before a game for certain offensive situations.

That would be the option for the experienced players on how they would use Gameflow. Most casuals/new players would use the version of Gameflow that picks the play for them.

[kjcheezhead]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (OS)

The gameflow thing really just doesn't do much for me. I don't fit the average madden gamer that only runs 3-4 plays tho. When I played I tried to never use the same play more than 3-4 times a game at most. I also really don't like having the cpu select my plays even if it's choosing from my selection because I still wouldn't trust it to be the play I wanted to run.

It's not a bad feature I guess, it just does nothing to address any of the issues I have with the game either.

[coogrfan]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (OS)

What if we like our games to last over an hour? I want my game to be as close to authentic as it can be, and playing a full NFL game in 30 minutes goes in the opposite direction.

If you choose to use traditional playcalling instead of Gameflow the pace of the game should be the same as before.

[davjaffe]

So far, things sound good. Keeping in mind that it's an early build, I can't help but notice that the previews seem a lot more enthusiastic about NCAA thus far . . . and being a Madden-only gamer, I'm hoping that will change as we get closer to release. Also, I'm still hoping for some graphical improvements - the player models in NCAA look to be significantly improved, and I would be pretty disappointed if Madden's don't follow suit.

[JerseySuave4]

just sounds like Madden hasnt been improved on last year as much as NCAA. Maybe that has to do with Madden being ahead of NCAA feature wise with things but there really isn't much i'm hearing from Madden that interests me or really makes me feel like i need to get this game. Even though i usually cave in and get Madden only to have it sit and collect dust, i think this year i prob can avoid buying it because it doesnt sound like anything special.

[GlennN]

Great article. Very encouraging. Two of the things I have been most critical about are the locomotion and line play deficiencies. It is great to see that an emphasis has been spent on both. I am now genuinely excited to see what Madden 11 looks like!

[davjaffe]

Also, this review's endorsement of improved line-play seemed half-hearted. That's kind of concerning.

[Valdarez]

I don't believe the choppy animations are over at all. Even in the warm up vids you can still see the lack of fluid animations. That's a rendering problem, not an animation problem.

Love the quote on Gameflow... has to be an instant classic... 'because of the depth that it's simplicity provides'. I'm hungry for some jumbo shrimp.

Gameflow makes you feel like a real head coach? How? You're not doing anything in the game. Maybe it makes you feel like a QB, but a head coach? I don't see it.

The videos haven't shown a real pocket developing, and most of the guys continue to drop back 10 yards on plays. You'll even see Guards rush forward 2 to 3 yards to make a block on PASSING plays instead of protecting the pocket.

[SteelerSpartan]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (OS)

Cant say I'll ever fiddle around with GameFlow that much for myself


Did anyone see if we can set team/coach tendencies for the CPU..with it??/


Last year we heard a lot about how they had programed teams to play like themselves but of course.....there was very little evidence of that.

Im hoping the "psychic" play calling from the cpu is eliminated.......so sick and tired of coming out in 4 wr Draw, and them lined up in 4-3 stacked in the middle

[roadman]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (OS)

I did read it, roadman. That's why I said:

Honestly, I like the Gameflow option where you can set your plays before a game for certain offensive situations.

That would be the option for the experienced players on how they would use Gameflow. Most casuals/new players would use the version of Gameflow that picks the play for them.

Sorry, I quoted the wrong person by mistake.

I wanted to quote Valdarez instead.

[Bumble14]

How did you feel about the removal of the "sprint" button? I dont know if you play the EA NHL series but I love the way the analog stick, and ratings control how fast you move in that game.

Is the analog responsive enough to handle the lack of a sprint button? What I mean by this is if I see a hole can I jam the left stick up and the player will immediately start accelerating into his sprint?

Also, could you elaborate a little more on the new kicking meter?

Thanks for any feedback!


EDIT: When you say the pre-play controls were streamlined. Was it similar to the old PS2 pre-play controls? Those were infinitely better then what we have now.

It took me a while to stop pressing down on the RT for turbo, but I really like how it's implemented. As a semi "sim" guy I like how acceleration and speed bursts are determined by a players ratings vs. me spamming a button. The analog is very responsive, and the end result is a lot like NHL (speedier players are more responsive than grinders).

Kicking meter is a lot like a Tiger Woods putting meter. It's a horizontal bar that you click a button on when it hits the desired power. It's very basic and I was not able to see how it differentiated with different kickers. Quite honestly I am not that big of a fan, even though Ian explained that it was the best way to differentiate kickers.

The pre play controls are integrated to the right stick and then you are given a menu on screen a lot like NCAA's (visual circle telling you where to move the analog stick, etc.).

[Boregard]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (OS)

I do not understand why anyone thinks removing the "sprint" button is a good idea. The sticks on both the current gen consoles absolutely suck, they are not stiff enough or sensitive enough and this just takes more control out of the user's hands - absolutely stupid and lazy way to deal with CPU not taking proper pursuit angles.

In football, you don't always run at full speed, there are times when you are running close to it, but holding back or setting up your feet for a move and then you turn on that top gear. This makes that more difficult for the user to replicate and is the single dumbest idea ever. This isn't hockey, this is football and the analog sticks are not done well enough for this to work properly and with "sprint" being off by default that means it probally is now a turbo button instead of full sprint which it should be - dumb, dumb, dumb!!!

[Bumble14]

Can you comment on the run blocking assignments and execution?

Blocking is much better- players have assignments, and if they lose a guy will seek out someone to block that makes sense. Huge improvement.

[therizing02]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (OS)

I still can't understand how games are going to take 30 minutes. I use Ask Madden on O and D about 90% of the time. I'm using 15 minute quarters with 20 second runoff and games are taking an hour or slightly less.

Game Flow sounds like a great addition, but I'm not sure how it would cut the time to play games down to 30 minutes.

[Bumble14]

Christian. As posted by Boregard, in this thread. http://www.operationsports.com/forum...-controls.html

Did you see anything like this?

Did not see this. Can not confirm. It was very limited as to how much I could fool around with the game while I had my hands on time.