cdj
05-18-2016, 10:37 PM
Madden NFL 17 recently unveiled some of its first details, and while a new sheen for the series' franchise mode was touted, the development team at EA Tiburon also has gameplay in its sights. This includes attempts to fix some long-standing gripes from fans.
Some excerpts:
A new section of the playcalling menu called Run/Pass Counters lets you pick areas of the field where you're getting beat. Someone keeps dinging you with RB passes to the flat? Go to Run/Pass Counters>Pass Counters>Short Passes Outside. This brings you to the new zones like a Cover 2 Hard Flat where the linebacker matches the player going out to that area of the field. If you commit to the flat you can get burned elsewhere, so you still have to anticipate your opponent's moves and call the right plays.
This hard flat play also demonstrates the new zone coverages by defenders. Previous games had four spot drops, where a defender simply dropped to a predetermined spot and covered that area only. This meant defenders were statues as receivers caught passes around them. Now there are eight new zones, and defenders cover better in them.
Similarly, defensive pattern matching plays set the rules and responsibilities for defenders. For instance, In a match defense, if you're a linebacker and the number one receiver crosses your face on a slant or drag route, your responsibility is to match him instead of letting him run by. But if the number three receiver goes vertical on that same play, you follow him down the field instead. "It's not the same reads you've been making for the last 25 years, because things play out a lot differently now," Dickson says.
The new kicking meter works like the traditional three-click golf swing. First button press starts the kick, second one sets the power, third one determines accuracy. Through this new meter, ratings for kickers and punters will matter more.
After years of trying, Madden 16's physics finally brought more realism to the game's hits and tackles. However, Dickson admits not everything on the field got converted to the new physics system, such as the football itself. Now he says the ball is in the "same universe" as the players.
General improvements are being made to the overall "feel" of the running game, backs' turning, and locomotion physics.
View the entire Game Informer article here (http://www.gameinformer.com/games/madden_nfl_17/b/playstation4/archive/2016/05/18/27-ways-madden-nfl-17-wants-to-fix-money-plays-ratings-and-more.aspx).
Some excerpts:
A new section of the playcalling menu called Run/Pass Counters lets you pick areas of the field where you're getting beat. Someone keeps dinging you with RB passes to the flat? Go to Run/Pass Counters>Pass Counters>Short Passes Outside. This brings you to the new zones like a Cover 2 Hard Flat where the linebacker matches the player going out to that area of the field. If you commit to the flat you can get burned elsewhere, so you still have to anticipate your opponent's moves and call the right plays.
This hard flat play also demonstrates the new zone coverages by defenders. Previous games had four spot drops, where a defender simply dropped to a predetermined spot and covered that area only. This meant defenders were statues as receivers caught passes around them. Now there are eight new zones, and defenders cover better in them.
Similarly, defensive pattern matching plays set the rules and responsibilities for defenders. For instance, In a match defense, if you're a linebacker and the number one receiver crosses your face on a slant or drag route, your responsibility is to match him instead of letting him run by. But if the number three receiver goes vertical on that same play, you follow him down the field instead. "It's not the same reads you've been making for the last 25 years, because things play out a lot differently now," Dickson says.
The new kicking meter works like the traditional three-click golf swing. First button press starts the kick, second one sets the power, third one determines accuracy. Through this new meter, ratings for kickers and punters will matter more.
After years of trying, Madden 16's physics finally brought more realism to the game's hits and tackles. However, Dickson admits not everything on the field got converted to the new physics system, such as the football itself. Now he says the ball is in the "same universe" as the players.
General improvements are being made to the overall "feel" of the running game, backs' turning, and locomotion physics.
View the entire Game Informer article here (http://www.gameinformer.com/games/madden_nfl_17/b/playstation4/archive/2016/05/18/27-ways-madden-nfl-17-wants-to-fix-money-plays-ratings-and-more.aspx).