First patched feature may come for Madden 09

by pastapadre
Posted June 18th, 2008 at 7:26 pm

Madden 09 producers Phil Frazier and Ian Cummings stated earlier this evening that a patch that would add a feature (something that has not been done by Tiburon before) is going to be attempted. The feature which they are hoping to patch in is accelerated clock.

The patch process is a lengthy one, so even if they started working on it now there is no guarantee that it would be ready by the time the game launched. Given that adding in features through a patch is difficult since they would be more likely to break something else in the game, they are looking to attempt it with accelerated clock as not only is it a highly requested feature but also one of the least risky options.

Again this is another example of the community having direct influence on the game. We’ve already seen other suggestions such as a kick return play with a single returner and icons disappearing when a QB drops back too far implemented in a short period of time for this year’s release. However the reduction of camera flashes, which has been promised, hasn’t been seen even in the most recent build videos.

Tags: patch

I Peench

Great news
Stuntman87 (bawbeata) PSN: Drebo87

wow and second, ALSO I HOPE IT DOESNT MESS ANYTHING UP
Ryan

what do they mean by an accelerated clock?sorry i play madden a lot and stay up to date but ive neevr heard of people asking for an accelerated clock. what is it?
Jonathon

if they can pull it off…more power to them…
joe

its when the clock goes faster and it doesnt stop i think
Josh

This is music to my ears to hear that accelerated clock is being added through patch! I’ve always said that this is a must feature to have in the game. Anyone who wants to play a fair game without someone cheesing out the playclock will definately appreciate accelerated clock. However, if they don’t drastically tone down those excessive camera flashes, that will seriously put a damper on the overall experience. They should totally remove those camera flashes for exibition and regular season games. They could leave them in for the Super Bowl which would enhance the feeling of playing in an important game. I don’t understand how something so obvious as these excessive camera flashes can make it pass developers. If we as consumers can notice it so quickly then why does it take for community feedback for them to act on it? That kind of concerns me about EA.
Josh

Pasta, I know this is off topic but do you have any idea what time the NCAA 09 demo will be released Pacific time?
Mr James

Efficacy
Jay

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSs.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This would be #1 on my list for things to have in a football game; it just makes it more fun and realistic. Brings back the good ol’ days of few years agO..

Hopefully you can play 15 min quarters, get realistc stats/scores all in less than hr of gameplay..that’ll be sweet.

Good job Madden producers, and thanks for listening to the fans.
http://gabrahamlincoln.com gabe

Pardon me, but I am another who does not know what accelerated clock does?!?! Can anyone help?
Travis

Yeah, I don’t understand the significance of this?
http://www.igjoe.com igjoe

Hey pasta did you ever find out if they were going to remove or add an option to disable the stat modifiers for superstar?
Mel

accelerated clock is…after you pick your play the play clock “speeds” down to 20 seconds left on the play clock. A better way to put it is accel. clock eats up the “dead” time between picking a play and hiking the ball. This also means you can play 15 minute quarters with realistic times of possession, but play the game in an hour or hour and a half.
adeel1

that stinks for me cuz i dont have xbl
Chad Rogers

What it means gameplay wise is that an offense can’t spend 30 seconds every play running hot routes and audibles. You come to the line of scrimmage with 15ish seconds which is realistic. It also means you can have a realistic number of plays in the game.
I was just about to write Madden off this year and they pull me in.

Chad
Stuntman87 (bawbeata) PSN: Drebo87

you know what pisses me off is how so many “fans” say they were gonna write this game off or pass on it but i bet those are the ones who prorder the game and stand right next to us in EB games talkin about how excited they are to get it and how they have been the same way in years past…..i personally think they need to quit their Bitching and either buy the game or STFU and pray the licensing agreement flops in the year 2067 and they can have their stink 2k games back (dont get me wrong i liked 2k games just as much as ea sports games) but when madden is your only option with football you gotta shut up and play or dont …. because im sick of the madden bashers THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE get over it…..
Chad Rogers

For me it has nothing to do with competition or another game. The bugs in Madden were enough that I didn’t enjoy the game, so it was a waste of my money because I didn’t play it.
With them fixing, or at least talking about fixing many of the issues that bugged me, I will likely buy it. As for the “bitching” it looks like many of the things that the community has complained about are getting addressed.

Chad
Eric Jones

Anyone know if you are going to be able to change a player position on the Xbox 360 version? Great example, I’m a Broncos fan and might want to switch Mike Bell back from fullback to running back. Yes I know you can switch them on the depth chart but that doesn’t help in filling the mandatory players for each position thus the importance of being able to switch their position. Any feedback would be appreciated.
http://pflnation.com DaveDQ

You have to give credit to where it’s due. I think as a whole, EA Sports has really improved their position in sports gaming within the last year. This developers among the community business has been backed up by them delivering, not just talking. People commented on the flashes in Madden, the developers are addressing it. That’s more of a minor feature. This feature, something that has been requested for a good period of time, is proof that these guys are listening and heading back to the office to work on things.

People are still going to find ways to blast EA, but you can’t deny they have made significant progress.
Eric

The problem with a patch is that if I already start a franchise, then I don’t get the features of the patch. Happened last year with the patch as well.
Dre

Don’t start a franchise then wait until the patch or just implement it into the following season if you can.
Shomari

My question is this…if they are ALREADY saying that they need to patch the game. Why not just put it in NOW instead of making us wait? Am I being naive that it’s that easy?
King Kong

If it’s like the last couple of years, the patch won’t be out until the football season is almost over. By that time, most people will have lost interest.
Roaddoglive

Hopefully rhis game will be above average this year!
kbshowtyme

I was one of the guys asking for it but Im a bit confused Pasta you stated accelerated clock never been done by Tiburon but it was in most of the current gens. My son has 06 ps2 and its there. Maybe I read your post wrong?
coogrfan

Pasta meant that EA has never before attempted to add a feature to a game via a patch.

Earlier today OS member adembroski posted an excellent explanation of why this is such a big deal:

It allows you to play longer quarters and still have a realistic number of plays (NFL games average around 120 snaps).

Now, you can achieve a realistic number of plays without it by playing 8 minute quarters, but this has the effect of making the play clock accounting for a much larger percentage of the total amount of time, and hurts time management aspect of the game.

For example, in a real NFL game, you start “running out the clock” at around 4:00 minutes (hence why late game running strategies to protect a lead are referred too as “4 minute offense”)… in the NFL, this is less than a third of a quarter. In Madden, at 8 minute quarters, it’s a half a quarter… an 8th of the entire game can be killed without the accelerated clock, thus giving a substantial advantage to the human player since the computer does not take advantage of this quirk.

Additionally, without the accelerated clock, it actually takes longer to go into hurry-up and call a play at the line than it does to enter the huddle, call a play, and rush to the line, since the players sort of “teleport” into the huddle between plays, but must run to the line when in the hurry up.
Chad

Good, ive been hoping this would happen….

i love using this in franchise mode, because it makes it feel more realistic.
jesse

EA again comes through this year by listening to the community!!

…I really hope this settles down the critics, EA appears to be reestablishing trust with the madden community, and putting out a better product!

I wish all the nerds in their basements would realize what goes into making a game of this caliber, this stuff does take time to fix, they have no freekin’ idea!! Especially when completely revamping the whole game and with new systems, it can’t all come in one year!
Fudgy23

Hey Pasta, Do they have mini games in Madden 09
langx

It’s amazing that after 3 years of so called next generation Madden EA has yet to
implement all the features from Madden 06 on XBOX.

I hope they implement the feature that allows you to receive a win online win someone quits without finishing the entire game. If you were winning by 21 in the 3rd quarter or 17 after the 4th an option would appear to end the game and receive the win if your opponent quit. In 08 madden you had to finish the game
if your opponent quit.

How embarrassing.

That feature was only implemented in Xbox 05. Yes this feature stopped me form playing Madden last year. I had people quitting left and right and I was not going to finish a game against the AI. So I stopped playing. Hello NBA 2k8.

I wonder if they will finally get the Cowboys uniforms right for home games.

Hint: They don’t wear Blue at home.
langx

Stuntman87: People have an opinion and are allowed to state them. If everyone just shut up EA wouldn’t even attempt at making the game better. The game sucks. They need to know it. How is Madden better on the original XBOX than the 360.

I guess we well let you eat cake and STFU.