Madden 11 To Be “Simpler, Quicker, Deeper”

by pastapadre
Posted March 10th, 2010 at 2:01 pm

Coming out of a media event held yesterday are some hints towards the focus for Madden 11. While we now know that NCAA Football 11 is centered on “core experience, authenticity, and innovation” Madden is being described as “simpler, quicker, and deeper”.

Citing different statistics collected through Madden 10, including one that put the average game length at 63 minutes, EA Sports is hoping to compact that or provide options to ease the strain on gamers. An hour long is understandably just too great of a commitment for many to take on. According to EA, of those 63 minutes, only 17 were spent during on-field action. The rest was in navigating plays and menus or through presentational elements.

Hopefully EA doesn’t take this to mean that quarter length needs to be shortened. All that does is pressure people to pass more, which results in more incompletions and clock stoppages. The limited number of possessions puts more pressure on the user to conserve time therefore defeating the whole purpose of shortening quarters. The accelerated clock with longer quarters seemed to provide a really nice balance in Madden 10.

What will hopefully be done is to provide different options such as in-game saves which has been on the to-do list but missed the cut for the past few years. A quick-play option to skip through the presentation that slows the pace down would also be beneficial, we’ve seen the baseball games go this route.

There is also discussion about the streamlining of playbooks, as the average gamer only used 13 plays out of the hundreds available. Ultimately people are going to get comfortable with a handful of plays especially when the playbooks are all relatively similar. I think a great addition, one that has been discussed before, would be custom playbooks. If people could construct their own playbooks from the wide array of plays included in the game (not necessarily create new plays) then it would be much more likely that person would mix up their play selection as well as know where to find each play when they are looking for it.

What do you think about EA laying out the plan for Madden 11 to be “simpler, quicker, and deeper”? What would you like to see done to accomplish that? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Tags: latest news

alex sherry

soooooooooo true, I played my franchise yesterday and totally noticed that
Kev

–BRING BACK PASS/RUN COMMIT!!!!!!!! NUMBER 1 PRIORITY!!!!
–HAVE A WAY LIKE NBA LIVE DID WHERE YOU CAN RE-DO THE DRAFT IF YOUR NOT SATISFIED WITH WHAT YOUR TEAM DID IN THE DRAFT
–BE ABLE TO PICK YOUR SPOT ON FRANXHISE FANTASY DRAFTS—HUGE!!!!!
–CUT THAT DUMB SHIT WHERE WHEN THE QB GETS HIT THE BALL GOES UP IN THE AIR 90% OF THE TIME
–KEEP THE QB MOBILITY THING GOIN—HIGH QUALITY
–CUSTOM PLAYBOOKS IN FRANCHISE MODES!! AND ONLINE IF BALANCE CAN BE FOUND
–USER CONTROLLED SHOULD ALLOW FOR BETTER PERCENTAGE OF CATCHES/TACKLES…TIRED OF SEEING CHARLES WOODSON DROP 9/10 POSSIBLE USER PICS AND OF PEOPLE LETTING THE COMPUTER TAKE ME DOWN INSTEAD OF THEMSELVES.
–ALLOW A CHANCE FOR BIG PLAYS IE BLOWN COVERAGES/ SLIP IN BAD WEATHER/ SICK MOVE ON THE RECEIVER'S END.
http://pastapadre.com/ pastapadre

It would be nice, but the NFL wants people playing with the real teams, so its not something that is going to happen.
Madden is dead.

OH WOW THIS GAME IS GONNA BE SOOOO BEAST NOW WITH CREATED PLAYBOOKSS!! FUCK GAMEPLAY!! AND FUCK FRANCHISE!!! HOW ABOUT WE MAKE 2 MINUTE QUARTER GAMES TO MAKE IT SIMPLE?!?! DOESENT THAT SOUN SWEET?! THIS IS GONNA BE A MUST BUY 4 ME!!!! What is wrong with you people? really? im sorry but custom playbooks is just not worth 60 dollars.. I'm getting Backbreaker not because I think its gonna be super beast but I no that its gonna be more realistic than madden.. So you all have fun creating playbooks while im playing Backbreaker where every tackle is different. Keep paying the madden teams salarys I bet they are all on vacation right now while you are all having an orgasm about creating playbooks. Have fun with Madden 2011! peace!!!
yea i hear ya

Defense in Madden is nothing like real life. It's pathetic.

It's already 2010 and Madden still doesn't distinguish between a 4-3 and 3-4 defense for God's sake! I mean in this day and age like half the teams in the league run a 3-4 defense and Madden is still acting like it's 1970 or something.
he said it best

word.
funny guy

Your post was a little over the top but everything you said is sooooo true.

I too will be buying Backbreaker. That in combination with Tecmo Super Bowl will have to keep me occupied on the football front until EA's exclusive rights are up because Madden is dead to me. I refuse to support this craptastic game.
MIKE

And make tha game in 1080p not 720
Ron

But most people don't use the entire play clock anyway so it really shouldn't make a difference. Plus with that accelerated clock nonsense 40 seconds becomes 25 anyway, and after picking the play you can't really audible without a delay of game. I'm fine with the length of the playclock, though
Ron

Lol the sideline animations are ridiculous. You gotta love the Aaron Rogers gigantic mullet. Or Donovan McNabb's eyeballs practically falling out of the sockets

Anonymous

Thats funny!!!! LMAO.
I will say that the players riding the bikes or sitting on the bench are ok. The phone sucks.
Also the “QB” yelling at the O-Lineman after he throws a pick is ridiculous. That should only happen it the “QB” is hit while throwing a pick

alester2010

i think they need to bring back the lead blocking control because that was very useful last year and they can also bring the smart player icon because if u keep running the same play your players should be able to sniff it out, plus then need to make sure when the do the running game if u break for a long run with a fast player aint no way he should be getting caught by slow players and let along be skipping down the field and get catch thats so stupid
HUEJAK2

Do not cut the play book. The play book allows you to adjust to new defenses.
HUEJAK2

Please don't cut the play book. The vast play book allows you to adjust to new defenses. Defenses adjust over time and you need to adjust your offense. As the game improves the offense you use change. The offensive plays I used last year I don't use this year. If you reduce the plays you reduce the players ability to adjust. Lets not go back to Tecmo Bowl
Cosimo

I like the idea of constructing your own playbook. That would really allow to customize and save time because your not sorting through a bunch of plays that you know just won't work. I think EA has done a great job in Madden10 and hope they just improve on a couple of things but leave the same cornerstone that made this the best madden yet. Please do something about nano blitzing.
blondeviking

Playbooks and team strategies are a problem for me. Every 4-3 team uses essentially the same playbook and calls plays essentially the same way. As a result players do not need to run anything different in order to beat team A versus team B. I think that teams should call things to take something away OR I think that players, especially defensive lineman, should have a larger impact on the game in terms of matchups. I think madden needs to increase the chess match side of the game in those two areas. Along with that I think that ratings need to be scaled MUCH better with no 99 rated players or attributes in the game. 99 ratings should be saved to express things like BEST EVER, STRONGEST EVER, FASTEST EVER. No other circumstances warrant it. 75 should be an average starter (start the scale by averaging starters) then say 80 rated players are probowl quality startersin the top 10-15 percent, and 90 plus rated should be reserved for the top one or two at each position. I think players in the 60 ratings should be viable role players on teams and i think that most players should never reach higher than 75 (since only 22 start out of 53, less than half a team).
J Peezy

this sound absolutely awful. Why simplify a game for hardcore gamers? I'm a former D-1 football player, I don't want the game simplified I want authentic gameplay. This sounds scary.
Ben

wanted a custom playbook for years. No faith in Madden to deliver. What they really need is real competition for loose balls (including tipped passes and normal passes), non painful to hear commentary and a.i that is smart enough to call a timeout after their play is over, not when the clock hits the 1 minute and 1 second mark 10 seconds later. Also, having the computer put more than 4 men on the line on a 4th and 1, so qb sneaks arent automatic. Madden comes up short in so many ways but survives because its the only football game out their in a football crazy country.
HUEJAK2

What NFL play book on NFL network or NFL Match up on ESPN. If you don't have a subscription then look the play diagram. For example if you look at the cover 2 and the cover 4 you can see the the difference. Look at the way you apponent is attacking you and find a play to defend that. The game at it's highest level is no longer played from the wrist down but from the neck up yo. Get your game tight.
HUEJAK2

I could'nt disagree more. Sure lets go back to 3 offensive plays & 3 defensive plays. Then watch some great defensive mind defend you with one defence like punt block or goal line. Remember Tecmo Bowl. That's not real football. Leave the the play books alone. I love the fact that I can now watch my favorate team on Sunday and I reconize that play in my favorate teams play book or I can see if I can be successful running that same play on Madden. Reduce the clock or some else but keep it real and keep the play books the way they are. I don't wont to play a game where punt block & goal line stops everything. Madden at it's highest level is played from the neck up not the wrist the down. Lets keep it that way.
john

madden is gonna be so nice!!!
koachvonner

I think that making the game simpler is a word that needs to be careful when tossed out. That can be interpreted in the wrong way. I think some of the things that they could do to shorten the game are time are:
1. Don't bring out the chain game so much (or at least make it to where we can skip past it and get the results).
2. Fight for the fumble can be reduced or shortened (or at least make it to where we can skip past it and get the results).
3. The game play speed should stay the same.
4. Maybe accelerated clock with longer quarters.
5. Don't shorten the quarters AT ALL.
6. Custom Playbooks

The Custom or Create a Playbook is the best idea yet. I have been missing that option now for so many years. That would be awesome. Then you know what plays you want in what formation. It also is a real life more authentic feel. As a coach I know for a fact that each week teams only go in with the plays they want to run against that certain opponent. They don't go in with Formations and Plays they aren't going to even use. So why make the EA FANS have Formations in certain playbooks they will never use. Allow us to Customize or Create our Playbooks (note that I am not talking about creating plays and routes). Allow us to pick which Formations we want to use and generate our own playbook.
stickybandit

all you need to do is do up franchise mode better,that extra point shit is a waste of space, noone even watches that shit.it doesnt show any highlights or anything,just a bunch of stats.that shit is boring.you need to do something like in nfl 2k5 when they showed highlights and video clips of the cpu games aswell.and also,make the rival matches ALOT more intense then facing other teams,like it is more rougher and stuff.create a whole new tackling scheme,hitstick is getting old now.make the creation mode more deeper because create a player and create a team is so simple.also make the offseason mode in franchise mode more deeper,like you can actually go to the pro day and test rookies and watch them perform on their pro days.i also think you need to change the way yous made create a superstar.its just not fun anymore.just think outside the box,make it more like a sims game and make you control your player outside of the field like going home and to trainings and to the games.please really emphasise on making create a superstar better and franchise mode better.madden 2010 was alright but you get sick of it easily.i give it a 7/10.
blondeviking64

i like that they do things like bring the chains out or consult whether or not a player has crossed the plane of the endzone. The problem is that these things happen when my player is well beyond a yard in, or past the first down marker. If these things happened when there is doubt on the players part as to whether they made it then it would be worth it and exciting. But when its obvious and the game suddenly cuts away I get very annoyed.
blondeviking64

i like that they do things like bring the chains out or consult whether or not a player has crossed the plane of the endzone. The problem is that these things happen when my player is well beyond a yard in, or past the first down marker. If these things happened when there is doubt on the players part as to whether they made it then it would be worth it and exciting. But when its obvious and the game suddenly cuts away I get very annoyed.
blondeviking64

i like that they do things like bring the chains out or consult whether or not a player has crossed the plane of the endzone. The problem is that these things happen when my player is well beyond a yard in, or past the first down marker. If these things happened when there is doubt on the players part as to whether they made it then it would be worth it and exciting. But when its obvious and the game suddenly cuts away I get very annoyed.
Pat

What they should do is make franchise mode realistic like restricted free agency and normal free agency,
jkeyzie

Some comments are on point, as for the hit stick getting old, this is football, what other stick do you want? trip stick? fight stick? This football. Only one way to play it. It is what it is.
jkeyzie

I would like to see the playbook maker come back. That was one of my many pleasures about Madden, making my own offensive, and defensive plays…I know they took it out to make money on Headcoach, but that was greedy. Please put it back in Madden
madden11

I would love to see simple quicker games. I feel that madden has gotten so complex with so many plays. Most people have their couple of plays that they run all game. Would also love to have more time actually playing the game rather than picking plays or watching highlights.
what what

More Animations are needed full stop. there should be at least 5 for every instance in a game.

Franchise AI needs fixing, as do the draft classes. I hate drafting an A potential 75+ every round. make the potential impossible to see and randomised and make the players in the earlier rounds have higher ovr, but their potentials and skills are what differentiate them also.
Draft Logic for CPU MUST BE FIXED!
NCAA players should be in Madden without having to import and Suh should never be drafted in Round 5 for example.

More Customisable Faces and Styles. I want face paint and different faces.
I'd also like personalities, so that will affect FA moves, celebrations, how they react in the clutch, decision making on field etc.
I want to make a move for TO and then not throw the ball to him and hear complaints, but when he gets a TD i want to see popcorn go flying etc. but when Colston gets a TD he celebrates calmly with team mates and doesn't mind sharing receptions.
rayray

Really getting sick of EA being so concerned with attracting fringe gamers with accessibility. Its just dumbing down the experience for the loyal, core customers. Instead of just being satisfied with its current customer base they are obsessed with improving the profit margin. Madden fans crave the complexity of the game of football and NFL operations. Madden Arcade should suffice those seeking a simpler, quicker experience.
sal

i love madden 11