Madden NFL 25 News Post

Madden NFL 25 Next-Gen War in the Trenches Q&A with Clint Oldenburg

02:06 PM - October 21, 2013 by Steve_OS

The EA Sports Madden NFL twitter account recently had a Q&A session with Designer Clint Oldenburg, as he answered questions about the War in the Trenches.

Thanks to jpdavis82 for the assist.

Will low Awr cost olineman to make wrong reads when targeting pre snap?

This year, physical ratings will have greater impact than intangible ratings up front.

Do holding penalties factor in these new line animations/interactions? Or are they randomly generated?

Holding animations will be slightly increased on Next-Gen.

Does oline Strength counter dline PMOV and Footwork counter FMOV?

Pass Block Rating (PBK) counters both.

what's biggest difference in next gen ?

The QB now must step up into the pocket rather than extend his drop which fundamentally changes the way Madden is played.

will D-lineman "win" more 1-1 battles against lesser rated O-linemen? Or will it be 50/50

Pass rush has been improved and ratings will have a heavy impact on 1v1 battles up front.

how do lineman make their calculations? Closest defender to ball carrier? Inside gap protection?

For pass blocking, O-Linemen calculate the location, speed, direction and angle of pass rushers to the QB.

what does impact blocking mean? And is it better than upgrading specifically run/pass blocking

Impact Blocking = Any block that occurs while both the blocker and his target are moving in the open field.

Will the QB now identify and say who the "Mike" is?

you will see either the C or QB point when identifying the mic, but you will not hear audio.

Will there be times where the o-line miss a assignment like on a delay LB Blitz or overloading one side

Yes, overload blitzes aren't as effective as they used to be but lineman will definitely miss assignments from time to time.

Does o-line block away from hole, so defender gets free if you run where you're not supposed to on runs like a dive outside?

In run blocking, OL will be more likely to block for the design of the play.

Does Madden next gen defese have true run fits and/or gap assignments?

They have gap assignments based on each play they run.

Will HB's pick up blitzes more often? Will lineman be able to report as eligible?

HB's are included in the pass protection. No, all formations in Madden are legal.

Is the snap count a factor in next gen? WIll you be able to draw the defense offsides?

Yup!

Does True Step affect every player or just the ball carrier?

Stay tuned for a Q&A on True Step in the future.

How are PMV/FMV used in calculating while rushing the passer? Does only get used in one play or both?

It's based on that players ratings, traits, and player type.

Will the blind side pass rusher (RDE) be able to consistently get pressure instead of how it is now where the LDE gets the most?

Yes, that's now balanced and ratings will determine pressure.

Will next gen stop the nano blitz?

Nano blitzes are less prevalent and w/ enhanced pass rush you won't need to nano based on the amount of organic pressure.

What determines the missed assignment rate? AWR or PBK or a combo of both?

Targeting is tied to the defense's movement, so physical ratings will naturally have a larger impact in such a dynamic atmosphere.

Will the secondary actually be able to keep up with WR's and play man defense decently?

Coverage has been improved and enhanced pass rush will make the defensive secondary's job easier.

Has blitzing been improved? Is cover 2 a usable scheme now with better pass rush?

Yes, you will feel more heat with blitzes, which also improved all coverages.

Can we adjust protections ourselves and not just slide protection? Can we single out an O lineman to focus on a guy or add help?

When you add a TE and HB to the protection scheme, they will determine targets as well as the offensive line.

Will a lineman break off of his double team to pick up a blitzing linebacker?

Yes, what we call sorting, due to our calculation power in gen 4, they are able to dynamically evaluate threats to the target.

Will certain pass rush animations only be available to players with higher rated PMV or FMV?

Ratings have a very high impact on pass rush animations.

Can you please change the penalty "Clipping" to "block in the back"?

That is a great suggestion and something that's already on our radar. Thanks

Best defense against Vernon Davis?

Nickel strong cover 1 robber but is susceptible to the TE Flag

Will fatigue be a factor? If defense is on the field for long stretches will it impact play?

Yes, when a defensive lineman is fatigued his ratings start to drop.

Will there be more moves for defensive lineman to use on next gen?

There is more defensive line moves and more they will be more effective at establishing a good pass rush.

How will lineman react to 1-3 man rushes? Too easy to get sacks when it's 5 o-lineman vs 1-3 rushers.

When blockers out number rushers you are going to see double teams when available.

Game: Madden NFL 25Reader Score: 5/10 - Vote Now
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Member Comments

# 41 Captain Obvious @ 10/21/13 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poster


	Can a 4-3, 4 man rush get pressure if they are a dominant group playing against lesser O-Line opponents. There is no blitzing involved, so he did not answer the question, or did it in the vague EA way that he has been coached up on. .

lol you serious? seems like you completely ignored him... go read the first page where this is from...

will D-lineman "win" more 1-1 battles against lesser rated O-linemen? Or will it be 50/50

Pass rush has been improved and ratings will have a heavy impact on 1v1 battles up front.

maybe this wasnt YOUR question but its what you're looking for.

does he really need to answer the cover 2 question? if you have a dominat line the cover 2 will be very effective, thats common sense if you are familiar with football.

Will the blind side pass rusher (RDE) be able to consistently get pressure instead of how it is now where the LDE gets the most?

Yes, that's now balanced and ratings will determine pressure.

Will the secondary actually be able to keep up with WR's and play man defense decently?

Coverage has been improved and enhanced pass rush will make the defensive secondary's job easier.

Has blitzing been improved? Is cover 2 a usable scheme now with better pass rush?

Yes, you will feel more heat with blitzes, which also improved all coverages.

this one yours? the 2nd part of his answer doesnt answer your cover 2, it was answered elsewhere indirectly.

# 42 secondsolution @ 10/21/13 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dat swag


	IMO not the same game...and even if it was what has been confirmed as actual gameplay looks light years better thsn what ESPN claimed was NG. The eye test alone shows that those are two different games visually

Forgive me for my ignorance, but how is this possible? I believe EA confirmed that the most recent ESPN video was next-gen so how would the retail version look light years better? If it was an early build then I'm sure EA would have made it abundantly clear.

# 43 SageInfinite @ 10/21/13 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dat swag


	IMO not the same game...and even if it was what has been confirmed as actual gameplay looks light years better thsn what ESPN claimed was NG. The eye test alone shows that those are two different games visually

In motion it looks like the same exact game to me. The EA videos showed us what they wanted us to see, the MNF videos showed us the game. Graphically the details are alot better in the EA videos which I expect, but it doesn't look like a totally different game to me.

# 44 SageInfinite @ 10/21/13 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBleedingRed21


	Does it even matter? Obviously those were skeptical to begin with and were taken down. I think the trailer we saw looked a hell of a lot better and until we see actual gameplay, we have to stop basing stuff off those videos, which were super poor quality to begin with.

It does matter if people still think that it wasn't next gen footage when it was.

# 45 SageInfinite @ 10/21/13 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Obvious


	well i did see a headset in that chargers vid on the coach, thats not in current gen true. but IMO it looks nothing like the official gameplay trailer that was released last friday. looks nothing like those mnf videos. i read the description on youtube, but that was by espn. i even remember seeing EA retweeting it, but i think soem guy named phil from EA saying it wasnt next gen.

The headsets, the crowds, the sidelines, the double teams on pass blocking all clearly show the game was next gen. The graphic fidelity is way better on the EA trailer, but the way the game looks in motion is exactly the same imo.

# 46 supremeteam_ceo @ 10/21/13 11:08 PM

Will zone blocking schemes be in the game?
Will we see different block animations for different situations?for example a back chop blocking while picking up a block in the backfield and offensive linemen chop blocking at the goal line and in short yardage situations...

# 47 Sausage @ 10/21/13 11:21 PM

Just like in real football, it's all about the execution of the play; what is scary about Madden devs they never quite execute the whole play and score that big TD.

Instead we get a 3 and out, muffed punts, and turnover on downs. Though we tune in each every August because we think they're turning the corner and at any moment about to break the BIG ONE.

# 48 jmo2278 @ 10/21/13 11:55 PM

lol My question is why is the Giants facemask white and why is the Vikings black instead of dark purple? A lot of good info though. I am waiting to see the answer to question he dodge about true step being for everybody or just the ball carrier. I would like to know the same about the infinity engine as well.

# 49 Daywalker86 @ 10/21/13 11:57 PM

Biggest change....stepping up in the pocket...

I have heard this TOO many times. Not that I don't like the idea of this being the case...but if that is the biggest difference on NG I am not impressed.

# 50 jmaj315 @ 10/22/13 12:18 AM

Quote:


	Nano blitzes are less prevalent and w/ enhanced pass rush you won't need to nano based on the amount of organic pressure.

But this doesn't mean that people won't do it....

Quote:


	Can we adjust protections ourselves and not just slide protection? Can we single out an O lineman to focus on a guy or add help? When you add a TE and HB to the protection scheme, they will determine targets as well as the offensive line.

Thats not exactly the answer i was hoping for

but maybe one day we will be able to do that

# 51 jmaj315 @ 10/22/13 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daywalker86


	Biggest change....stepping up in the pocket... I have heard this TOO many times. Not that I don't like the idea of this being the case...but if that is the biggest difference on NG I am not impressed.

But when you play people who take 15 step drops and they wonder why they get sacked 12 times per game... its a big change lol

But yea i agree, i hope thats not the "biggest change"

# 52 wordtobigbird @ 10/22/13 01:03 AM

Speaking of the topic of "biggest" change. It reminds me of FIFA.

I recently got FIFA 14 for PC. I don't watch soccer. I played FIFA 13 because I always heard about how good/fun it is so I decided to try it and I enjoyed it. I enjoy FIFA much more than Madden and I of course love the NFL. Literally, the only thing I watch all day is NFL network and Football games. I don't even get cable because I only need one channel. Wake up, NFLN stream, start my day. So yeah, if I could enjoy a NFL game I would be ecstatic. Anyway, even with that disparity I play the soccer game over the football game. FIFA is doing A LOT right that Madden needed to steal yesterday.

Anyway, back to the point. After playing one game of FIFA 14, the biggest change is the feel of the player movement and the way they interact with each other and the ball. If you watched videos of both you probably can't even tell much of a difference graphically. But as soon as you get control you FEEL the difference. It's hard to explain but the players feel heavier. I haven't even read much about FIFA 14 changes tbh, my friend told me they "changed the physics". Whatever they did feels amazing. The difference is night and day between FIFA 13 and FIFA 14.

This needs to be Maddens biggest change. Madden took a good step in the right direction with M25 because the feel of controlling of the runners is greatly improved compared to M13 but they don't feel like they feel when running in FIFA. Weird to say but the EA team at FIFA has soccer players feeling heavier than football players lol.

Madden needs to implement an engine that can emulate physics. Infinity is cool but it isnt it. It helps with the interaction animations but its not doing **** for size/momentum playing a factor in player movement AND interaction. You can still take a 180 lb player straight into and over a 300 lb guy that he couldnt move if he had 5 minutes. Or change direction/spin/juke with a 250lb back just as you do with any other. Madden's player movement is completely ratings based and actual physics plays no part. Not to mention REAL pass trajectory.

If FIFA can do it I would hope EA can share the technology with itself and help Madden do something similar. I recommend if anyone play FIFA 14 and check it out, even better if you could play 13 then 14 and feel the difference.

# 53 spacedog @ 10/22/13 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wordtobigbird


	Speaking of the topic of "biggest" change. It reminds me of FIFA. I recently got FIFA 14 for PC. I don't watch soccer. I played FIFA 13 because I always heard about how good/fun it is so I decided to try it and I enjoyed it. I enjoy FIFA much more than Madden and I of course love the NFL. Literally, the only thing I watch all day is NFL network and Football games. I don't even get cable because I only need one channel. Wake up, NFLN stream, start my day. So yeah, if I could enjoy a NFL game I would be ecstatic. Anyway, even with that disparity I play the soccer game over the football game. FIFA is doing A LOT right that Madden needed to steal yesterday. Anyway, back to the point. After playing one game of FIFA 14, the biggest change is the feel of the player movement and the way they interact with each other and the ball. If you watched videos of both you probably can't even tell much of a difference graphically. But as soon as you get control you FEEL the difference. It's hard to explain but the players feel heavier. I haven't even read much about FIFA 14 changes tbh, my friend told me they "changed the physics". Whatever they did feels amazing. The difference is night and day between FIFA 13 and FIFA 14. This needs to be Maddens biggest change. Madden took a good step in the right direction with M25 because the feel of controlling of the runners is greatly improved compared to M13 but they don't feel like they feel when running in FIFA. Weird to say but the EA team at FIFA has soccer players feeling heavier than football players lol. Madden needs to implement an engine that can emulate physics. Infinity is cool but it isnt it. It helps with the interaction animations but its not doing **** for size/momentum playing a factor in player movement AND interaction. You can still take a 180 lb player straight into and over a 300 lb guy that he couldnt move if he had 5 minutes. Or change direction/spin/juke with a 250lb back just as you do with any other. Madden's player movement is completely ratings based and actual physics plays no part. Not to mention REAL pass trajectory. If FIFA can do it I would hope EA can share the technology with itself and help Madden do something similar. I recommend if anyone play FIFA 14 and check it out, even better if you could play 13 then 14 and feel the difference.

I know it's only words at this point but I think they did bring up specifically an example of a db or something running into an olinemen and having a bigger struggle to get past or through, whereas a dline men would be able to push the olinemen back as you would expect since they have similar builds. So maybe they might be implementing something like that.

# 54 PantherBeast_OS @ 10/22/13 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LBzrule


	I'm waiting to make sure it is for the user team. They showed pockets with current gen only for it to be the cpu team against a user. I'm taking everything into account. Those MNF videos did not show a pocket at all. The latest videos do. So I'll wait to actually see before I say cheesing like it is now will be impossible.

And that my friend goes back to what worried me. Everything is about the AI. It looks good when it is AI vs AI, but when you get Human vs AI. Everything is always totally in the favor of the AI. That's why I want to see raw footage of human vs AI for once. See how the human team plays and how the pocket forum and the pass rush is. This what I'm truly looking for at the end of the day.

# 55 secondsolution @ 10/22/13 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dat swag


	you would agree that there is an obvious visual difference wouldn't you? Some college intern intern tosssing up a video for ESPN not knowing what the heck it was is likely what that can be attributed to...But just my unofficial personal opinion. The only fact I have is my own eye test and there is no doubt that the ESPN video and what we saw this weekend are 2 very different visual depictions of Madden...Thats just me tho...I could be wrong...I was wrong one time before. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SE3wLTZDtM http://www.operationsports.com/forum...es-videos.html

I agree that there is a noticeable difference between the two. The question is which one is a better representation of the game.

Also, it just doesn't make sense that EA would not make a mass statement acknowledging that someone at ESPN had made an error. I know there were issues with the first video that they mentioned on Twitter were incorrectly encoded, but that wasn't the case with the second. The only thing they did was remove it.

EA seems to have such a stranglehold over information being released with everyone and everything being subject to a non-disclosure agreement, so it seems unlikely anything would be uploaded without their approval.

# 56 MontagueBall @ 10/22/13 03:19 AM

When blitzing from a corner or safety with a clear path to the QB, will the blitzer be pulled into a block, or allowed to 'free run' through the gap?

# 57 secondsolution @ 10/22/13 04:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dat swag


	As far as the video being released...Well, if you think there is some open line of communication going on between EA and ESPN concerning a video being released on MNF I would almost guess that there is not...Some random intern was given a task to put up the MNF EA Madden Next Gen video and that's exactly what they did...Its not like EA and ESPN are having a staff meeting on how to best present the video. Just because these are two big and important companies don't assume they are communicating effectively. The only real uproar about the video was from hardcore gamers which is a very small minority of the people who purchase Madden. Its not as big a deal as we made it here..We are in the minority.

My point is more so that EA would have very likely sent them the video, not given ESPN a next-gen console and a game of Madden. So wouldn't that video be what EA thinks best represents the game?

ESPN's job would simply be to broadcast the video, therefore the content of the video and how it is portrayed would have been completed before ESPN even touched it.

# 58 NDAlum @ 10/22/13 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve_OS;2045580781[I


	The QB now must step up into the pocket rather than extend his drop which fundamentally changes the way Madden is played.[/i]

If true I will be very happy. However I will temper expectations because of the past.

# 59 dghustla @ 10/22/13 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wordtobigbird


	Speaking of the topic of "biggest" change. It reminds me of FIFA. I recently got FIFA 14 for PC. I don't watch soccer. I played FIFA 13 because I always heard about how good/fun it is so I decided to try it and I enjoyed it. I enjoy FIFA much more than Madden and I of course love the NFL. Literally, the only thing I watch all day is NFL network and Football games. I don't even get cable because I only need one channel. Wake up, NFLN stream, start my day. So yeah, if I could enjoy a NFL game I would be ecstatic. Anyway, even with that disparity I play the soccer game over the football game. FIFA is doing A LOT right that Madden needed to steal yesterday. Anyway, back to the point. After playing one game of FIFA 14, the biggest change is the feel of the player movement and the way they interact with each other and the ball. If you watched videos of both you probably can't even tell much of a difference graphically. But as soon as you get control you FEEL the difference. It's hard to explain but the players feel heavier. I haven't even read much about FIFA 14 changes tbh, my friend told me they "changed the physics". Whatever they did feels amazing. The difference is night and day between FIFA 13 and FIFA 14. This needs to be Maddens biggest change. Madden took a good step in the right direction with M25 because the feel of controlling of the runners is greatly improved compared to M13 but they don't feel like they feel when running in FIFA. Weird to say but the EA team at FIFA has soccer players feeling heavier than football players lol. Madden needs to implement an engine that can emulate physics. Infinity is cool but it isnt it. It helps with the interaction animations but its not doing **** for size/momentum playing a factor in player movement AND interaction. You can still take a 180 lb player straight into and over a 300 lb guy that he couldnt move if he had 5 minutes. Or change direction/spin/juke with a 250lb back just as you do with any other. Madden's player movement is completely ratings based and actual physics plays no part. Not to mention REAL pass trajectory. If FIFA can do it I would hope EA can share the technology with itself and help Madden do something similar. I recommend if anyone play FIFA 14 and check it out, even better if you could play 13 then 14 and feel the difference.

i actually posted about this 2 pages earlier. I got a chance to play the Fifa 14 demo on PS4 yesterday. And the biggest thing that jumped out to me was how the players felt. Momentum was present and the collisions looked great and very natural. The players felt like they had true weight. I was looking at their ankles to see how they planted and the reaction with each step.

Overall I didn't feel like there was a huge graphical jump (but who knows what version of the game I was playing) but the player movement looked a lot more fluid. If madden players move and feel like that the game will be much better.

One of the best things FIFA does which I hope Madden will emulate (I dont know if it will be this year) is what I call organic contact. When going for a none sliding tackle you see the defender reach out with his arm to grab the ball carrier. This is how blocks should work in madden the Olineman should be reaching out to grab the blitzer and not suction as others have said. Also this system and the header system should be used for the passing game.

The best analogy i can use would be to compare the feel of the players to driving cars in GTAV. you know the difference between a Range Rover, Suburban and Escalade. Their all SUVs but each feels much different in terms of acceleration and handling. When they collide with other objects the reactions vary depending on what they hit, current speed, angle of impact, etc. That's how the players felt in FIFA. Hopefully with their help Madden on pS4 will feel like this. Based on what they've said in their interviews I actually expect the players to feel like this we'll know in 3 weeks.

# 60 Dogslax41 @ 10/22/13 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dat swag


	In the grand scheme of things this sim community is a mere blip on the economic screen when it comes to Madden sales. My point is other than the complaints here nobody else cared or probably even noticed outside of a few gaming beat writers and the hardcore folks. As far as the video being released...Well, if you think there is some open line of communication going on between EA and ESPN concerning a video being released on MNF I would almost guess that there is not...Some random intern was given a task to put up the MNF EA Madden Next Gen video and that's exactly what they did...Its not like EA and ESPN are having a staff meeting on how to best present the video. Just because these are two big and important companies don't assume they are communicating effectively. The only real uproar about the video was from hardcore gamers which is a very small minority of the people who purchase Madden. Its not as big a deal as we made it here..We are in the minority.

Madden was blasted across every consumer group after that video was revealed. It had nothing to do with the "sim" crowd. It was diagnosed and cut apart ad nausea on OS, other sites didn't care enough to dissect it. They just called it garbage and moved on. Kotaku is not a sim site and had one of the most condemning articles. There were also harshly negative reviews across all mediums not just "gamer" sites.

You can't honestly believe that after seeing a 40% drop off in Madden sales and taking a hit from investors that a company counting on recovering sales and restoring faith from investors with next gen sales is going to leave their first video reveal to an intern. Come on man. EA and ESPN most certainly had multiple meetings about the video. EA and ESPN have marketing departments for this very reason. Even so, if by some unknown reason EA decided that all of a sudden video marketing wasn’t a big deal to sales and didn’t think they needed to pay any attention to the campaign going out why would a second video with the exact same mistakes be released?

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