Should the Calvin Johnson Rule Be 'In The Game' (Madden 15)

[RickyAC]

No, we shouldn't be shoehorning in an event like this.

Wide Receiver/Defensive Back interactions (from which we should get *USER EFFECTED* DPI, OPI, Holding, etc) which bring a visceral ""Fight For Every Ball!!" gameplay effect, are the most important need.

After that is the well done TruStep system for ALL 22 players "!ALL-22 TRUSTEP!! MOVE LIKE A PRO!!", with a full and effective set of animations and gameplay mechanics

After that is fully modeled football physics, so we get realistically crazy bounces and ball velocity. ( I think that the hyperaccuracy issues could be better corrected with a spearheaded attack of:

1) Bringing pass velocity down with !REAL WORLD Ball Physics!!!
2) Making footwork from a QB more important
3) The aforementioned WR/DB interaction system
4) Tweaking AI QB programming to release panicked passes (and throw it away occasionally)

rather than just making the AI dumber through sliders.


When,and only when, all those are corrected can we be thinking of adding unique moments like the CJ rule to gameplay. Those moments MUST be both rare, and built on a quality infrastructure, so that they remain exciting, and not just annoying feature-glitches.

[rudeworld]

No, we shouldn't be shoehorning in an event like this.

Wide Receiver/Defensive Back interactions (from which we should get *USER EFFECTED* DPI, OPI, Holding, etc) which bring a visceral ""Fight For Every Ball!!" gameplay effect, are the most important need.

After that is the well done TruStep system for ALL 22 players "!ALL-22 TRUSTEP!! MOVE LIKE A PRO!!", with a full and effective set of animations and gameplay mechanics

After that is fully modeled football physics, so we get realistically crazy bounces and ball velocity. ( I think that the hyperaccuracy issues could be better corrected with a spearheaded attack of:

1) Bringing pass velocity down with !REAL WORLD Ball Physics!!!
2) Making footwork from a QB more important
3) The aforementioned WR/DB interaction system
4) Tweaking AI QB programming to release panicked passes (and throw it away occasionally)

rather than just making the AI dumber through sliders.


When,and only when, all those are corrected can we be thinking of adding unique moments like the CJ rule to gameplay. Those moments MUST be both rare, and built on a quality infrastructure, so that they remain exciting, and not just annoying feature-glitches.

Although implementing all these things into the game will make it feel like real football but that is not (IMHO) what EA is aiming to do. I believe they are straddling that line of arcade/sim. If they go too sim they will lose buyers, and that goes the other way too. I'm on the pick one and go with it side, that's why I'm kind of fed up with madden.... They have some things in and something's that are missing that should be in....it doesn't make sense and they won't continue to get my cents.

[RickyAC]

Re: Should the Calvin Johnson Rule Be 'In The Game' (Madden 15)

Although implementing all these things into the game will make it feel like real football but that is not (IMHO) what EA is aiming to do. I believe they are straddling that line of arcade/sim. If they go too sim they will lose buyers, and that goes the other way too. I'm on the pick one and go with it side, that's why I'm kind of fed up with madden.... They have some things in and something's that are missing that should be in....it doesn't make sense and they won't continue to get my cents.

You're undeniably correct that EA is not aiming to capture a "real football" game. And from a narrow-minded business standpoint, keeping arcadey gameplay and wringing money from MUT is the way to go.

I continue to hold out on the foolish dream that EA will try to really capitalize on the NFL brand, try BIG things in the gaming marketplace, and find a way to make both a satisfying game AND piles of $$$.

I think that a realistic (but also viscerally fun) gameplay foundation is essential, which is why I listed all the detailed Simulation-types of improvements.

But, there's no reason not to have more fun with that realistic foundation. Slider tweaks to a proper foundation could create a game with the high-flying but predictable events to keep the tournament guys thrilled (because I have a hunch that a dash more football strategy depth and satisfying gameplay would keep the online guys addicted longer, and paying MORE in MUT)

I would push the simulation gameplay so that I could package Madden more often with other NFL products like All-22 footage through NFL GameRewind, online streaming packages like GamePass.

There might also be money to be made by combining Madden with gamer's real Fantasy Football teams (and perhaps successfully selling Madden to current FF players) by setting up a Fantasy Draft feature, with a Create-A-Team to turn fantasy football league rosters/teams into Madden rosters/teams, and letting players subsequently play out their fantasy football games before or after the real games.

I don't see why a brilliantly built (in terms of physics, body interactions, animations, and AI) football game couldn't also be turned into a CFL game for another few easy bucks. While we're at it, let's take the same amazing fictional Madden core and evolve it into a proper Rugby game to sell in Australia and the UK.

Of course, all this must be marketed correctly, but marketing can't overcome a weakly built core product in the long run. And if I were EA, I'd want to turn as much cash on the current popularity of the NFL as I could. I don't understand the lazy complacency with sport's most valuable property.

I really just want EA to make a football product that's so great that I don't have to second guess giving them my money.

[Godgers12]

the best qb's of all time??? i think you may be pushing it buddy

Nope, Rodgers is the best QB I have ever seen play the game of football, period. I just used the term "One of" to please the masses.

[Mechcaniq]

NO!! It's not that important. EA should concentrate on better game play.

[roadman]

Re: Should the Calvin Johnson Rule Be 'In The Game' (Madden 15)

If it's ever put into the game, if,......... it's called marketing 101.

They capitalize on anything that's talked about forever on social media.

[ianlast]

All they'd have to do is give these kind of events an appropriate probability of occurring.

All-Pro Football 2K8 had bobbled snaps, dropped hand-offs, blocked kicks, and bad snaps flying way overhead. Plus in bad weather, there would be plays where the athletes just slipped and fell down. But those things happened so rarely in APF 2K8 that they were just cool and interesting when they occurred, not frustrating.

A little randomness, even if the random event punishes the player, can go a long way towards making a sports game feel more tense and exciting.

I agree with this 100%, but I've given up hope that this matches the Madden devs vision for the game. It seems like Madden doesn't want to include:

1. Gameplay elements that trigger randomly or based on player ratings (ie. out of the users control)
2. 'Easter Egg' animations that occur very rarely. For every gamer that would find these animations awesome, there are probably 10 Madden gamers that couldn't care less and wouldn't even notice.

To me, this is the explanation for why Madden feels so bland and not really like real NFL Football at all. Everybody hates canned animations, but IMO they're absolutely essential to a simulation experience.

[thehitokiri]

Chris Sanner should get slap in the face for this posting because they game can't even do the challenges right ... there are so many times the players catch the ball out of bounce with one and sometimes two feet out of bounds and they say its a catch .. I hate to say it but NFL2K5 challenge system was and it still is better than madden ... it gave you options on what you were challenging and it was accurate ...

[mariner690]

They cant even put out a game that calls penalties and is missing the most common one of all in defensive holding. Let's get past step one before we start talked about step 57.

[rtkiii]

I'm not sure how they could implement it when they still have issues getting out of bounds calls from time to time...but if it worked well then I'd say put it in.

[ManiacMatt1782]

No. Wasted programming when they can't get blocking interactions correct yet.

[hustlehard0785]

Re: Should the Calvin Johnson Rule Be 'In The Game' (Madden 15)

Nope. Because if they have any sense, they will change that rule this offseason!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/smackblog/chi-jermaine-gresham-dez-bryant-catch-20150112-story.html

OR AT LEAST GET CONSISTANT

http://www.bengals.com/media-lounge/videos/GameDay-Chargers-vs-Bengals-Highlights/9d7b77f6-16b8-4fdf-8ef4-16a799df3cb2

If at 1:45 highlight is ruled a fumble, then Dez was certainly down inside the 1 yard line!

[xzghn]

Re: Should the Calvin Johnson Rule Be 'In The Game' (Madden 15)

No I dnt like this made up rule to give a win to the home team that paided for a win. Because it's a catch all day.

[ManiacMatt1782]

It would be difficult to add something like this into madden, without people complaining about it happening too many times. Also that play in yesterdays game (as well as the Calvin Johnson play)is a judgement call. When I saw the play I thought Dez Bryant made a football move when he lundged to the goal line which should have resulted in a spectacular catch, dive, fumble at 1/2 yard line and a recovery in the end zone.....

Should it be in the game? Yes.... Does "its in the game" even matters anymore? Which brings me to even if the play was in the game.... Would the correct challenge be in the list of challenges available to pick from??...

Getting 2 feet down while falling forward does not constitute making a standing catch and being a ball carrier, the football move does not come into play her because Dez was going to the ground immediately. By going to the ground he has to maintain posession throughout. There is no interpretation here. If Dez would have came down on his feet and actually made a move towared the endzone, you would be correct. But just because he is athletic enough to change his direction while coming down still doesn't change that he was always going to the ground the entire way, nothing was a judgement call. The ball hit the ground and popped out.

[Cardot]

Re: Should the Calvin Johnson Rule Be 'In The Game' (Madden 15)

I echo most everyone else here and say "No". These things always feel a bit forced to me. As a off-line player, I have hated the Challenge System in every football game I have played....and that includes NCAA and 2K5. 90% of the time it is an obvious call with zero suspense, and amounts to a frustrating button mashing waste of time. And then you have those cases where the replay doesn't even get an obvious call correct....which I believe are glitches caused by the replay system itself. So I could see all sorts of issues and side effects if they tried to implement the Calvin Johnson rule.