How to Make Madden Play More Realistic Defense

[Fist Of Kings]

Re: How to Make Madden Play More Realistic Defense

I came across a madden 12 guide at work and it listed some of the same defensive 'improvements' that Madden 15 claims to have fixed, only to not see it translated in the game. I'm paraphrasing here, but it said that it was the ultimate football simulation and zone defense was their top priority. Defenders will now react to players in their zone. Well this has been shown in vids and I've seen myself playing the game that is not the case.

I know this can be done since an ancient game did a better job of it, but instead of renaming things and passing them off as 'new' features(conservative/aggressive tackle), they should work on making the player ratings work.

Every year defense is just horrible, no matter if a player's awareness is high or low there is no consistency. That's one of the reason why everyone feels the same except for speed...and that goes for offense too. To me the if the awareness attribute actually worked, it would be just as valuable as speed and wouldn't be the cheapest rating to increase.

You have either dbs that are too aware, or players on both sides of the ball play as if they've never played football before. And it's pretty bad to see a lb staring down a scrambling qb, only to react once he crosses the line of scrimmage.

[tru11]

better ?
how about PRC actually work like its supposed to?
people can hot route to a slant 5 times in a row and the defense will not adjust to it at all.
you need to user cover it.

im all for user skills but whats the point of having a PRC rating then?

Same with screens.
dliners with at least 88 PRC used to be able to sniff out a screen and would stop rushing the QB and follow the RB right away.
now they just rush like mindless droids lol.

Another thing is also having physics and such work.
3-4 DE like Ngata and Watt usually require a double at the point of attack but unless you user them they seem useless.

[clarkerots]

I can't do Madden anymore. Some of the Madden complaints are reaching their 7 year birthdays. I still can't understand how someone can accept and play a football game that doesn't have penalties.

[tru11]

scratch what i said.

how about we start with making ratings matter lol

[IlluminatusUIUC]

I don't think any of it will matter unless and until they add individual AI for the players and have physics apply to them. So much about offense and defense is getting a player's momentum going the wrong way (The Saints' Super Bowl winning offense was philosophically based on having the linebackers take one step in the wrong direction. One step!) This affects the whole experience, from the blocking to the downfield coverages.

As it stands now, the defenders have no weight unless they are usered, so you have have absurdities like one DB covering two routes at the same time, because they can instantly change direction. It's not that the field is small, it's that the defenders cover way too much ground.

[KingV2k3]

Nice list, but BEFORE most of that (or any of these other fine suggestions) can be used, the folks at EA need to give us some time to actually implement the in-game stuff BEFORE the CPU snaps the ball...

Seriously, other than a quick DL or LB adjustment, there's not enough time to even TRY to use what they already have...

First things first, anyone?

[Commercial Seal]

Pay me!! I'll break it down to the whole staff...I've been maddening since 97....

[bucky60]

Re: How to Make Madden Play More Realistic Defense

The problem is they are the only game in town. EA knows we will buy Madden every year, despite that there may be little improvement from year to year. Just not enough incentive to create real improvement. The blame? Not EA in the least. This is all on the NFL. If there were multiple NFL licensed games, EA would have to innovate.

It's on both. EA was asking the NFL for an exclusive license before the NFL went exclusive.

[TheDominator273]

Re: How to Make Madden Play More Realistic Defense

I'd like to see defensive plays called on three stages. Line calls, linebackers, and defensive backs. For example I could have my DTs run a stunt, my linebackers play zone across the middle and have my defensive backs play a two man under look. Ultimately it would give you tons of freedom to run a defense any way you want.

[Jerros]

Sadly this is a pointless topic. For one, the game has ZERO fundamentals at play. They first need to get rid of the rubberband A.I. Implement proper techniques both in lineplay and secondary play. The physics engine is a mess beyond messes. Tackling is comical when more than two players are involved. No penalty system to speak of. This game would have to be rebuilt from the ground up to even marginally showcase realistic defense. Fix the core game first then come back with this list. As it stands, the game is an absolute travesty when it comes to REAL football.

[cardinalbird5]

Re: How to Make Madden Play More Realistic Defense

Nice list, but BEFORE most of that (or any of these other fine suggestions) can be used, the folks at EA need to give us some time to actually implement the in-game stuff BEFORE the CPU snaps the ball...

Seriously, other than a quick DL or LB adjustment, there's not enough time to even TRY to use what they already have...

First things first, anyone?

Yeah there should be ways to preset your d-line stunts, shade inside/out, spotlight a certain receiver, whether to play qb/rb for options, press individual receivers, keep certain matchups the entire time, have an option for us to either base align or show man, etc.

I have became good at doing all of this pre-snap, but it should definitely have a points of emphasis option or something to help you. For instance I like to shade inside on zones or man and use my safety to guard over the top or the corners and use base align. I also like to manually press with usually one of my corners...and that is it plus I love playing the sticks on 3rd down.

Not to mention for man coverage I usually put my linebackers into a zone and my dime/nickel backs as into purples. You just don't have time to do all of this.

Pre-snap adjustments should be used to read the offense and make last second changes based on what you see and predict. This shouldn't be where you implement your scheme or gameplan....every single time.