Press Row Podcast - Madden NFL 15 Developer Interview

[Steve_OS]

It’s E3 week! The 87th edition of the Press Row Podcast is a compilation of two interviews with key development members of the Madden NFL 15 team featuring all sorts of details that will be unveiled at E3 2014. The first part of the show focuses on gameplay, as host Rich Grisham (@richgrisham) dives into the topic with Gameplay Creative Director Rex Dickson. Up next is Presentation, and new member of the Madden team Brian Murray joins Rich to walk through what’s on tap this season. This is the only place you’ll get the opportunity to hear not only what the new features are this year, but why they exist and the process that went into making them happen.

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Enjoy the show!

Run Time: 1 Hour, 35 Minutes

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[johnnyg713]

Re: Press Row Podcast - Madden NFL 15 Developer Interview

Very good points made in this. Improvements are actually more impressive than I thought

[drlw322]

Great interview looking forward to the future

[totalpoop]

Re: Press Row Podcast - Madden NFL 15 Developer Interview

Can you please ask the developers at Madden what possibly made them take out defensive and offensive coordinators from the franchise mode.

Actually while you're at it, can you just ask them why they completely overhauled a fine system they had back in 2004 as an owner of any team.

While I did enjoy some of the added features from last year, like the ability to relocate and rename many teams there was a lot left on the table that could've easily made Madden have so much more re-playability.

In short: Why should I pay 60 dollars for the same crappy franchise mode as last year?

[johnnyg713]

Re: Press Row Podcast - Madden NFL 15 Developer Interview

the show is over. this is a posting of it

[Mike Lowery]

Like what I heard, wish he wold have asked about wr/db interactions, seems like its not going to be in this year again. But everything else sounds great, cant wait to see how it looks on the field. .

[OhMrHanky]

Re: Press Row Podcast - Madden NFL 15 Developer Interview

Yeah. Pretty positive interview. I hate to optimistic about madden, actually, but it sounds like they made some needed corrections. As per usual, u can't know how well things have changed until u play the game. For pass defense and tackling, maybe they approved how the players play, but they still take bad pursuit angles. Or, the pass accuracy, I really want to see this implemented correctly and don't understand why they have never been able to do this. The whole 'tethered' feel of passing that's been in madden for years was always a design flaw. The QB needs to do what he does, then the ball needs to do what it does, then the WR/DB need to do what they do. I know programming isn't that simple, but that's the basic design I would envision. It's always felt that madden's design was QB is throwing the ball, WR/DB have x/y ratings, the throw should be on the money, and the WR should catch, and the ball is released with perfect trajectory and caught. So, for me, I definitely liked what I heard, and I love the fact that he mentions, '3 years ago, madden didn't even have a gameplay director.' No kidding? I hadn't noticed (sarcasm)


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[dghustla]

Re: Press Row Podcast - Madden NFL 15 Developer Interview

Rex makes me a believer. When I listen to him I get a warm and fuzzy feeling. I was also sipping the same Madden 25 Kool aid last year and it was a dud. But this does feel different. I love that Rex has a 5 year plan. I love that he believes their job is to make authentic football and then teach people hope to play it. I love that Rex is on a mission to remove money plays and they are working to make sure the game is balanced and based on ratings. I'm not all in on Rex just yet (I think this is a pivotal year for his crew) but am I at the table.

[roadman]

Re: Press Row Podcast - Madden NFL 15 Developer Interview

Rex makes me a believer. When I listen to him I get a warm and fuzzy feeling. I was also sipping the same Madden 25 Kool aid last year and it was a dud. But this does feel different. I love that Rex has a 5 year plan. I love that he believes their job is to make authentic football and then teach people hope to play it. I love that Rex is on a mission to remove money plays and they are working to make sure the game is balanced and based on ratings. I'm not all in on Rex just yet (I think this is a pivotal year for his crew) but am I at the table.

I was at the Rex table last fall when he was interviewed with Clint.

There were hardball questions and he gave direct, to the point answers.

That's all I've ever wanted, sometimes, the truth hurts.

[Demoncrom]

Great interview and a confirmation of all the lies they have told for years. My only concern is the reintroduction of a form of suction tackling but as long as the AI is not using it than it should be all good. Many of the ideas they are adding are not new but its still good to see that they are trying to make it more realistic to the sport it claims to represent. I also like that the interviewer commented on the fact that there is no other option for Football gamers.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: Press Row Podcast - Madden NFL 15 Developer Interview

Suction tackling isn't a good thing but I do agree that they have to find a way to make it easier. With the poor player momentum in the past I would get really frustrated when I play my LB spot, get to the right place on the field and whiff on what should have been a routine tackle. Hopefully the suction halo is related to tackle ratings so great LBs make them easier.

[GiantBlue76]

Re: Press Row Podcast - Madden NFL 15 Developer Interview

Suction tackling isn't a good thing but I do agree that they have to find a way to make it easier. With the poor player momentum in the past I would get really frustrated when I play my LB spot, get to the right place on the field and whiff on what should have been a routine tackle. Hopefully the suction halo is related to tackle ratings so great LBs make them easier.

I agree with you here to a degree. However, it should be more tied to player positioning. That's probably my biggest gripe with Madden and is what leads to the controller throwing and smashing moments. The game scripts certain outcomes regardless of where the player is and the positioning. Often times you throw a pass to a receiver who clearly has inside position and separation and at the last minute, the DB warps in front with a shift and picks it off. Ratings may determine how the linebacker performs the tackle, technique and whether or not it slips through or whatever, but his positioning on the play should play a major role. I don't want to see the guy fly to the left and make a tackle if his momentum has him going right.

PLAYER MOVEMENT... That's the key.

[Big FN Deal]

Re: Press Row Podcast - Madden NFL 15 Developer Interview

I agree with you here to a degree. However, it should be more tied to player positioning. That's probably my biggest gripe with Madden and is what leads to the controller throwing and smashing moments. The game scripts certain outcomes regardless of where the player is and the positioning. Often times you throw a pass to a receiver who clearly has inside position and separation and at the last minute, the DB warps in front with a shift and picks it off. Ratings may determine how the linebacker performs the tackle, technique and whether or not it slips through or whatever, but his positioning on the play should play a major role. I don't want to see the guy fly to the left and make a tackle if his momentum has him going right.

PLAYER MOVEMENT... That's the key.

Definitely agree here and the fact that they SEEM to be moving towards real time transition in presentation, I hope translates over to all aspects. The fundamental issue in all these areas is Tiburon understanding that they can't just program multiple results because it leads to scripted outcomes, they have to program multiple processes which lead to quasi-organic outcomes. Again, they seem to be doing that with presentation so hopefully the entire game goes in that direction.

[dghustla]

Re: Press Row Podcast - Madden NFL 15 Developer Interview

Suction tackling isn't a good thing but I do agree that they have to find a way to make it easier. With the poor player momentum in the past I would get really frustrated when I play my LB spot, get to the right place on the field and whiff on what should have been a routine tackle. Hopefully the suction halo is related to tackle ratings so great LBs make them easier.

I agree that suction tackling shouldn't be in the game. But if it's done properly it's not suction tackling. As many have stated, when a LB whiffs on a tackle when he is right next to the guy it's frustrating and mind numbing. The defensive player should be reaching out and trying to grab the ball carrier. I don't want to see players auto guided to tackles but I do want to see defenders reacting as though they have their own set of eyes.

[Bootzilla]

I'm not so sure I liked his answer on the number of user thrown interceptions. He basically said to go into the gauntlet and work on your game and you won't throw as many picks. Maybe some of the other improvements will balance things out but basically I could go 15 for 16 and my only incompletion is an interception. So, yeah I know how to pass (hopefully it gets harder) but in Madden 25 almost any 50/50 ball was picked off. Your one mistake led to an interception way too often.