| Patch details for NCAA 11 |
Posted by AndyP on 08/12 at 19:51 in Football |
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EA recently blogged about this upcoming patch and this week it was finally released. Here are the details :
Graphics
Uniform degradation has been fixed.
Fixed a graphical issue with TeamBuilder sideline home uniforms.
Fixed several camera bugs (pulled back on field goals, blurry cameras, and replays after a change of possession)
Fixed helmet numbers for Rice and Wake Forest
Online
Resolved an issue with Season Showdown, allowing us to turn it back on, so you’re upload failure message every time you go in/out of game is gone!
Fixed a couple freezes related to lobbies
Fixed voice communication in Online Dynasty Hub on PS3
Fixed an issue that could lead to a disconnect in online play during play calling
Offense
Fixed an issue on a couple plays where the QB would miss a hand off and run backward
Reduced the chance that the ball will be knocked out when a receiver is hit at the time of the catch
Tuned the CPU ball carrier so that they will break to the outside more often when appropriate
Tuned how the CPU ball carriers utilize leans and special moves so that they won’t be used in situations when they shouldn’t (e.g. a HB in the open field will not put his shoulders down when running forward)
Tuned pass accuracy and the ability to lead a receiver Tweaked sideline catch animations in the end zone so that they have a bit more room to play
Fixed an exploit where backwards passes could be overly effective
Defense
Fixed defensive reaction to pump fake to be more balanced. Skilled defensive backs will not be as easily fooled by pump fakes.
Tuned the Aggressive Defensive Line Gameplan to have more risk of jumping offsides
Removed a hesitation from defensive lineman pass rush on screen plays
Improved flat zone and deep zone coverage
Tuned man coverage reaction to the run
Adjusted CPU pursuit angles in some specific cases where they weren’t being aggressive enough
Special Teams
Tuned onside kicks to be less predictable
Fixed an issue where catching a kicked ball after hitting the goalpost would result in kicking team getting the ball back
Fixed an issue where the punter could line up out of place
Adjusted cross bar collision on field goals and extra points
Other
Tuned CPU clock management where they would let the clock run out in some cases they shouldn’t
Fixed a bug with time of possession tracking
Adjusted substitutions to be more intelligent (previously would see some weird players in the game with lots of aggressive no huddle)
Fixed a couple places where the wrong custom stadium sounds would play
Fixed a bug that caused Road To Glory to be simulated day by day near the end of the season
Tuned Kick Power and Kick Accuracy of progression of kickers and punters in Dynasty Mode
Fixed a couple infrequent game lock-ups
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| Backbreaker update released |
Posted by AndyP on 08/12 at 19:44 in Football |
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Here's the list of fixes and additions that are coming your way for Backbreaker.. the videogame to challenge the supremacy of Madden ? Maybe...
Brand new replay camera suite
• New free-flight camera
• Sideline and Endzone cameras including ball lock, pan and tele-zoom function
• A player-centric camera including zoom and rotation function. Track any player on either team.
• Ball camera including zoom and rotate
• Complete replay suite functionality added to Tackle Alley
• Added pause/play to all replay cameras for greater footage control
• Added ability to remove OSD for clean footage capture
Offensive Gameplay Camera
• The Quarterback camera has been pulled back and raised a little. This still keeps the feeling of being down in the action, but provides a slightly wider view and vision over the line
• Added a ‘glance’ button which allows you to instantly check your blind-side
Expanded Playbook
An Extra 59 Offensive plays consisting of these formations:
• Ace – Double Tight End
• Spread – 4 Wide
• Bunch – Bunch right
• Empty – 5 WR!!
• T-form – Old fashioned power football, 3 running backs in the backfield
An Extra 51 Defensive plays have been included consisting of these formations:
• 44 – 4 Defensive linemen, 4 linebackers.
• 46 – Traditional old school defense born of Buddy Ryan
• 33 – Nickel package with 3 defensive linemen and 3 linebackers
• 3 Deep – 7 defensive backs package with 3 deep across the back.
Gameplay Enhancements
Improved Passing Game & Reduced Interception Frequency
Following valuable feedback from reviews and Backbreaker forums, we rewrote elements of the AI that will help make passing a more effective way to gain yards.
Here is a summary of the changes:
• We’ve improved the O-Line for teams throughout the game. This will give you longer in the pocket to make your reads correctly and go through your progression
• We’ve increased the passing animation speed and increased the minimum distance where a long windup will be required. You will now be able to execute the pass more quickly and hit your target more effectively
• There were too many dropped passes to the flats. We’ve introduced a new pass classification for these simple passes and have ramped up the accuracy of the QB when performing this type of pass
• The accuracy of QBs has been increased across the board
• Defensive Backs now fully respect their visibility cone, only seeing interception opportunities when appropriate. The DBs will continue with the assigned role until the either “see” the need to change, or “hear” the need to change, which is typically about 1-2 seconds after the snap
• We’ve tweaked the amount your QB will lead a receiver when activated
• Moved pump fake to shoulder button to make lob passes easier to execute
• Improved mechanism for Quarterback scanning the field
• Reduced penalty applied for throwing out of focus mode
User Interceptions and User Controlled Catching
• Following community feedback, the user is now given full control over interception attempts when controlling a defensive player. Interception attempts are made by holding the left trigger (focus mode), ie. by actively looking towards the ball as it comes in
• Wide Receiver catching in now also uses this mechanic (i.e. hold left trigger when ball is approaching)
• To signal an incoming ball, the user-controlled WR will be highlighted red when targeted by the QB
QB AI Logic
The QB AI has received a major overhaul. Firstly, the opposition QB will now recognise double coverage better. He is also more likely to throw the ball away rather than risk a throw / take a sack. This results in fewer AI interceptions and sacks. We’ve also reworked the QB receiver selection logic and increased prioritisation of throwing to the primary.
Improved Pocket Protection
Following numerous tweaks, the pocket is more solid. Pocket time now averages around 5 seconds and is all linked to the players’ attributes.
Show and Hide Blitz
New ability to show and hide blitz, pre-snap , by pressing the shoulder button.
Jukes and spins
The animation speed of these has been increased and better linked to a player’s agility attribute.
Improved AI Time Management, Audibles and Play-calling
Sophistication of play selection, audibles and timeouts has been improved. Additionally, the AI is more likely to flip their selected play depending on the situation.
Opposition AI
This has been given an overhaul and you should find your opponent much more of a threat. We’ve also rebalanced Easy, Medium and Hard settings to be more challenging and linked almost all AI decisions/speeds to their attributes. Also, you should be aware that all of the notes relating to AI, animation and behaviours above will apply to your opponent as well. These are game-wide changes.
New RB Focus Mode
When holding the left trigger, the camera will turn upfield when the RB is heading towards the sidelines. This is NOT automatic – you need to press the hold the trigger to manually glance upfield.
Stumble Mechanic
We have added a stumble recovery mechanic for when your player has been knocked off course. To recover from a stumble, just press the Action button as quickly as possible.
Fumbles
• Fumbles are now more likely to happen for non-QB players.
• Passes backwards are now classified as fumbles (respecting QB arm movement direction)
• Catches bobbled / dropped within 2 steps as a result of a tackle are marked as incomplete passes rather than fumbles (player deemed not in control of ball)
Bug Fixes & Other High Priority Issues
Friendly Fire!
Your players occasionally reacted too strongly to friendly physical impact. This happened especially when controlling a RB/FB and clashing with your line. We’ve dialled that back, which should make your running game more effective. Players will still react to the collision but will be less likely to be knocked down
Penalties
Users have been reporting a multitude of penalty issues. We have done a comprehensive review of all penalty complaints and bugs (including the infamous roughing-the-kicker) and have been able to resolve them. We believe you will find this drastically improves the quality of the game.
Online Gameplay
• Reduced online lag slightly
• Built in a new protection system against people hacking the game to create a “super team” and taking it online
• Removed the Cancel Stats Posting option as reported by the forum. People were abusing this to avoid losses showing up in their profile
• Fixed a number of other stat posting related issues
D-Line
• Users playing as part of the D-Line were experiencing a slower-than-desired speed in getting off the mark due to a delay in input control. This has been solved
• Users playing D-line can now bat the ball (pull down on the right-stick)
• Spins, rips and swims are now more effective to help you get that sack
Too much Boom!
Stopped “Boom” playing every kickoff. It now only occurs at the start of each half. Yay!
Team Ratings
Offense, Defensive and Overall ratings for teams have been recalculated and now more accurately reflect the quality of the team if all the best players are on the field.
Play Exploits
Thanks to feedback from the forums we have put tweaks in place to prevent exploits on the following:
• RB spinning through the line
• QB sneak
• FG block
• Punt block
• Nanoblitz
Rule Fixes
• Players must take 2 steps before they gain possession of a caught ball
• Tipped punts and kick-offs that touch receiving team players and subsequently go out the back of the endzone no longer cause safeties (just touchbacks).
• Intentional Grounding penalty now causes a loss of down.
• Scrimmage kicks (punts/field goals) can only be returned by the kicking team if blocked before the line of scrimmage
• Two Minute Warning will only stop the game clock after the play has ended.
• Defensive/Offensive Pass interference rules are turned off when the ball touches a player.
• Pre-snap penalties (Encroachment, Delay of Game, False Start) no longer stop the game clock.
• Touchbacks and Safeties are determined by whoever intentionally touched the ball last, instead of whoever physically touched it last.
• Failed field goals restart at the 20 yard line or the point the ball was kicked from (used to be from the 20 yard line or the previous LoS).
• Improved Pass Interference detection.
• Defensive Holding rule now active during punts.
• Game clock is only stopped by a penalty if it is within the last 2 minutes of the first half, or the last 5 minutes of the second half.
• No longer declaring a pass as incomplete if a player catches it in the air with their feet out of bounds (the feet must be grounded).
• Fumbles on a 4th down, or within the Two Minute Warning, can only be advanced by the Defense or by the player who fumbled the ball.
• Improved the "ball carrier" logic.
• Now awarding a touchback when the punting team catches a non-live ball in the opponent’s endzone
• A ball is only considered blocked/batted if it changes the impetus of the ball.
• Intercepting the ball before your own endzone but being carried into the endzone with momentum will now give a touchback instead of a safety.
• If a QB fumbles a ball while in the motion of throwing (i.e. hands moving forwards), then this is now considered a forward pass.
• Ineligible receiver downfield during a pass down penalty now excludes tight ends. |
| Tags: UnlicensedBackbreakerUpdate |
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| NCAA 11 update |
Posted by AndyP on 08/07 at 19:30 in Football |
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A tuning update for NCAA 11 has been released which apparently fixes the following issues :
Increased the default starting values for all Recruits.
Slightly increased progression for low and mid tier teams.
Tuned CPU recruiting to prevent teams from signing too many players at any one particular position.
Increased CPU's focus upon needed positions in recruiting.
Top schools will sign 5 star prospects earlier in the season.
After a recruit Soft Commits, any CPU team that is not ranked in the top three will spend significantly less time calling the recruit.
Addressed an issue with big lineman jumping too high and deflecting passes.
Tuned ESPN U Top 150 Players to be more in line with actual top 150 recruits by decreasing the number of Fullbacks and Kickers.
Tuned Field Goal, Kick Offs, and Punting in Super Sim. |
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| Madden 11 achievments |
Posted by AndyP on 08/07 at 19:26 in Football |
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Here are the Madden 11 achievements for Xbox 360 :
Very Special Teams (100 points): Return 2 kicks for touchdowns in one game with one player (no OTP).
Butterfingers (50 points): Force 3 fumbles in a game (no OTP).
Man Dozer (25 points): Rush for 50 yards after the first hit in one game (no OTP).
He's Got All Day (20 points): Stay in the pocket for 10 seconds (no OTP).
Did I Break It? (40 points): Win a game by at least 59 points (max qtr. len. 7 min, no OTP).
Winning Isn't Everything (75 points): Catch 21 passes in a game with one player (no OTP).
Old Spice Swagger Return (45 points): Return a punt for a touchdown (no OTP).
Comeback Kids (40 points): Win after being behind in the last 2 min of a game (no OTP, min qtr. len. 3 min).
No Offense (50 points): Intercept 5 passes in a game (no OTP).
Fantasy Freak (25 points): Rush for over 200 yards in a game with one player (no OTP).
The Elusive Man (25 points): Break 5 tackles in a game with one player (no OTP).
Perfect Game (50 points): Have a perfect passer rating in a game (no OTP).
Home Run (25 points): Break an 80+ yard touchdown run (no OTP).
Old Spice Swagger Pick 6 (25 points): Intercept a pass and return it for a touchdown (no OTP).
YACtastic (35 points): Have over 100 YAC in one game (no OTP).
Pick Up 6 (75 points): Win a Fight for the Fumble in the end zone for a TD (no OTP).
Deadly Accurate (30 points): Have a 92% or higher completion percentage in a game (min 20 att., no OTP).
Laces Out (40 points): Kick a 60+ yard Field Goal (no OTP).
Madden Moments (100 points): Complete the "Super Bowl Sunday" Madden Moment.
Defensive Dominance (75 points): Hold your opponent to under 100 yards of offense (min qtr. len. 5 min, no OTP).
Sack Master (25 points): Record 5 sacks in a game with one player (no OTP).
Verizon Master Strategist (5 points): Create a custom Gameplan.
Additionally, there are two secret achievements:
Thanks For Coming (10 points): Play the Pro Bowl (Franchise Mode).
Nano (10 points): Tackle the QB before he can hand the ball off (no OTP). |
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| Classic Teams Reborn ? |
Posted by AndyP on 08/05 at 05:25 in Football |
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"Madden Day" for Madden 11 is nearly here, and only a week away. No reviews have hit the web yet, and the reception of the demo has been a mixed bag, depending on who you talk to.
But that's not what I'm going talk about. Rather, I'd like to take the opportunity in this article to suggest a way that the Madden series can be made fresh again, going forward, particularly online.
I sincerely believe that one of the main things that hurts the longevity of a given Madden release is the fact that the game is limited to the 32 current NFL teams. Lets think about that for a moment. Of those 32 teams, people generally want to use the top 4 or 5 teams online. Lets face it, people want to give themselves the best chance to win and therefore they aren’t exactly going to line up to play as the Bears, Browns, 49ers, Rams, Bucs, Raiders, and countless other teams. In short, Madden has a “too few teams to use” option by comparison to its NCAA counterpart, who’s got over a hundred teams to pick from, with much more varied schemes and play styles. Meanwhile, on Madden, people generally want to use top-teams only, and as injuries happen throughout the real NFL season, even those top five teams at the beginning of the season have depleted rosters due to injury and a fall from grace (not mentioning any names ? - Ed). For example, who would want to roll with the Colts if Manning is out? (Answer: very few people) So as the season progresses towards its conclusion, and Madden roster updates roll out to reflect the injured, people find themselves using a dwindling number of teams for online play, often not even a team that they actually "want" to use. Many gamers, such as myself, get bored with the current 32, and either don’t play Madden much, or tinker around over on NCAA, or jump to another game entirely.
(Modern Warfare 2, anyone? Halo Reach?)
This difference will only become more glaring between the two EA football products as NCAA improves (as it did to a great degree this year) and Madden still only allows those same tired old 32 teams to be taken online.
I am of the opinion that EA should mine its deep Madden past to come up with an answer for this “Madden limited team boredom.” In short, it is time for Madden to re-introduce the classic teams of the past.
Yes, it has been done before. I even know when it started. It was fall of 1992 when Madden ‘93 dropped for 16 bit. It shipped with not only the current 30 teams (at that time), but it also included 8 legendary teams of the past. Those teams were 76 Oakland, 78 Pittsburgh, 84 San Fran, 85 Chicago, 82 Washington, 72 Miami, 77 Dallas, and 86 New York. I remember the game being a dorm-room hit at my college. After we got bored of using the top teams in head to head (then, it was Dallas, Buffalo, and San Fran), we would fire up some classic matchups of the all-time greats. We’d have the 76 Oakland squad tangle with 78 Pittsburgh, and the 85 Chicago team fight it out with 84 San Fran. We loved it!
Shortly after that, EA released a Blockbuster Video Only Rental Title called “Madden 93 Championship Edition”. It was a 16 bit cartridge that contained only classic teams. It included all the Super Bowl winners and losers up until that year. To this day, that game still holds the record as the “most stolen rental in Blockbuster Video history.” Many gamers would just keep the game rental and pay the fine (which was slightly above the price of a new Madden game, if I recall). However, the point is, the game was a cult hit, even though it was merely made for rental.
Starting around Madden ‘94, all the Super Bowl winners and losers from the past were included in each release of Madden, though, understandably, they players were only numbered and not named.
Since that time, classic teams in Madden had their ups and downs. They peaked with Madden 2002 on Playstation 2. That was the year when not only were the classic teams included, but also many classic stadiums, such as RFK, Three Rivers, Old Oakland Coliseum, and Cleveland Municipal... just to name a few. Unfortunately, EA never allowed gamers to take classic teams online, so the feature kind of rotted on the vine, and fell out of favor. EA did away with even having the un-named roster classic teams in Next Gen versions of Madden, a situation that still persists today.
However, I think the time for classic teams in Madden is now... or at least Madden 12. Quite frankly, in very short order, Madden often becomes a very dull title due to limited teams that can be used online. It is time for EA to realize that they should also promote the NFL’s past as well as its present. I understand the difficulty in signing countless athletes from the past individually. I’m merely suggesting they do the same thing that they do for the college football game. Let us name them, and, worst case, let us number them correctly if we must. Just make sure to let us save and share the file’s online, and make sure that we can SEE those names/numbers online . We will do the rest. Period-specific playbooks would be great too. (Oilers with the Run N’ Shoot anyone? Or how about the run’n shoot 91 Falcons with a certain legendary cornerback, kick returner #21?)
I know, for myself, I’m way more interested in taking the 93 Oilers, 85 Bears, 89 49ers, 78 Steelers, 76 Raiders, and countless other teams, against my buddy who would be picking his teams from a huge slate of current and historical teams, all with different playbooks from different eras..
..Instead of the same old tired matchups of the current Colts, Saints, etc.
...and LORD knows how many times we’ll see the Bengals online this year.
2K Sports is realizing a similar thing with their NBA 2K NBA franchise this year, and including classic NBA teams in the mix. NBA 2K11 will ship with legendary teams such as the 85 Celtics, 91 Pistons, 90 Lakers, 94 Knicks, and mid 90s Bulls, just to name a few. (Good thing too, because how sick will we all be of playing people who plan on using nothing but the HEAT all season long!??!) 2K is starting to come around to this “classic teams” idea, but will EA with Madden?
EA, please give us some variety with Madden. Trust me, us Madden players will have had our fill of seeing the current Bengals, Colts, Saints, and Patriots by the mid-way point of the real NFL season on Madden 11...if not sooner.
Time to shake things up EA. Give us way more teams to use than the current 32 going forward. EA, please give us the classic teams of the NFL to go along with the standard 32 current teams.
..and maybe even their old stadiums too. ;)
We need the variety.
Article by
Scott Hemphill |
 Want to play with a classic Browns team ? |
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| IGN : Madden 11 preview |
Posted by AndyP on 07/31 at 19:25 in Football |
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IGN has posted a preview of Madden NFL 11, due for release in August.
The release of Madden is a momentous occasion each and every year. Not just because it's the only NFL-branded game of pigskin available, but also because -- for many of us -- it signals the beginning of the NFL season. I've spent the last two weeks playing the finished review build of Madden NFL 11 and I can say that those looking for a great game of football needn't look any further once August 10th rolls around. |
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| NCAA Football 11’s Dynasty Mode Problems |
Posted by AndyP on 07/31 at 05:20 in Football |
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| Mike, our Madden/NCAA blogger, has posted a great writeup on the NCAA 11 dynasty mode issues that are affecting gamers progressing through multiple year dynasties. It should be noted that in their latest NCAA blog the developers have acknowledged these issues and indicated that they plan to fix them in a forthcoming update. |
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| Madden 11 - updated "strategy pad" news |
Posted by AndyP on 07/30 at 18:56 in Football |
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In a blog update on easports.com, the Creative Director of Madden NFL 11, Ian Cummings, reveals that while "Strategy Pad" will remain in the game for Madden 11, the former method of pre-snap controls would be an option that gamers can select once a patch is made available post-release.
We do believe that this change [Strategy Pad] is for the better, and that in the long run it delivers a much more positive experience to the gamers that are willing to try and adapt. Due to the overwhelming feedback however, we will be providing the old-style button commands as an option that can be enabled. We are currently targeting this change to be released around the first week of the NFL season as it will take some time to get through third party approvals.
Welcome news and thanks goes out to EA for listening and acting upon the feedback they had received. |
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| Share your NCAA 11 eye candy |
Posted by AndyP on 07/30 at 17:48 in Football |
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| One of the qualities of NCAA Football 11 is the photorealism of the pictures that you can capture. Share yours in this thread on our forums. |
 NCAA Football 11 |
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| NCAA 11 update in the works |
Posted by AndyP on 07/29 at 19:28 in Football |
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In their latest blog, the NCAA 11 development team have confirmed that a second title update is current in development. Among all of the controversy relating to the Madden 11 demo, this is welcome news.
This is one aspect which stands out...
A number of you have already noticed that we do a check for "Online Gameplay Tuning" when connecting to our online servers. Some of you may also have found a new "Tuning" category in the Files menu. This is a new technology for NCAA Football 11 that allows us to not only live update and tune core gameplay parameters -- like fumbles, throw accuracy, and juke success ratings -- but it also allows us to rebalance certain core features such as recruiting logic, blocking, even control the intensity of shadows cast by the football on a sunny day!
These new Live Tuning Packages (LTPs) contain literally 1000's of key parameters which drive the heart of our game; parameters that live well below the level of specific player or team ratings. With our new LTPs we can often turn changes around in a few days. It can't solve everything, and some issues will still require a traditional client update, but for many items it's definitely a more powerful and faster strategy for tuning throughout the season.
Our first LTP should be arriving next week along with detailed notes on what the update contains. I can tell you that based on the collective feedback we've received, we will be carefully down-tuning the athleticism of defensive lineman and reduce the number of impressive picks by the big guys. We're also looking to address a few important dynasty progression and recruiting issues. |
 Photo realistic images captured from NCAA 11 |
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