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Madden 13

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  • Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 16,136 Mod ✭✭✭✭adrian522


    The Madden cover voting continues over at ESPN:

    http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/feature/madden2013cover

    I'm starting to worry now that Willis has seen off both Matt Forte and MJD.

    Current matchups are:

    Cam Newton v Larry Fitzgerald
    Patrick Willis v Victor Cruz
    Aaron Rodgers v Ray Rice
    Calvin Johnson v Rob Gronkowski

    so who do you think deserves this years curse?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D


    adrian522 wrote: »
    The Madden cover voting continues over at ESPN:

    http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/feature/madden2013cover

    I'm starting to worry now that Willis has seen off both Matt Forte and MJD.

    Current matchups are:

    Cam Newton v Larry Fitzgerald
    Patrick Willis v Victor Cruz
    Aaron Rodgers v Ray Rice
    Calvin Johnson v Rob Gronkowski

    so who do you think deserves this years curse?

    ****! Ray Rice makes it to the quarter-final. I'll be voting for Rodgers here without a doubt.

    The semis IMO will be:

    Newton V Willis
    Rodgers V Johnson

    Final:

    Newton V Johnson

    Newton will win it IMO.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 21,664 Mod ✭✭✭✭helimachoptor


    Willis so that when I trade him for locker he turns sh*te!!


  • Posts: 0 ✭✭✭✭ Dominic Fat Pedestal


    haha no curse for the eagles:D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D


    haha no curse for the eagles:D

    That's what you think :pac:


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  • Posts: 0 ✭✭✭✭ Dominic Fat Pedestal


    Paully D wrote: »
    That's what you think :pac:

    nooo leave us alone with your voodoo


  • Registered Users Posts: 71 ✭✭Kinikie


    empacher wrote: »
    :rolleyes: clearly he hasn't heard me curing mid game, starting to devolp madden Tourettes

    May just do that...I'm not very good at it...can use offence ok, but defence I don't have a clue!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D


    Paully D wrote: »
    ****! Ray Rice makes it to the quarter-final. I'll be voting for Rodgers here without a doubt.

    The semis IMO will be:

    Newton V Willis
    Rodgers V Johnson

    Final:

    Newton V Johnson

    Newton will win it IMO.

    Good call there, the semis are as predicted above.

    I still think the final will be the same, but Megatron seems to be getting a huge amount of votes. Could be the toss of a coin really but I'll stick with Cam to win it.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 21,664 Mod ✭✭✭✭helimachoptor


    Yeah a shame Willis wont get past the Semis but Newton it is for me tbh


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,395 ✭✭✭✭mikemac1


    Delighted Ray Rice is out

    I voted for Newton

    The curse is real and I just like the other three more


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,587 ✭✭✭Berty44


    releaste date update, now due August 28th in USA. that probably means we will get on Friday 31st August.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,784 ✭✭✭Raoul


    We might be able to get two seasons in by then!


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 21,664 Mod ✭✭✭✭helimachoptor


    Megatron confirmed for the cover. Condolences to whoever gets him!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,864 ✭✭✭empacher


    anyone able to find a list of improvements for it?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,494 ✭✭✭The_Gatsby


    empacher wrote: »
    anyone able to find a list of improvements for it?

    There's an 80 minute video on youtube. I'd post the link but it's damn near impossible on a phone. It should be on ea's channel though. The game looks great, the video goes over presentation and some gameplay issues, mainly a new passing engine and catching animations (430+ new ones :o) Looks good so far :d


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,514 ✭✭✭BigBadRob83


    Good article from ESPN on the changes to the passing game:

    http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/tech/post/_/id/321/madden-nfl-13-redesigns-passing-game

    Delighted that the play-action has been improved, it's head wrecking that it's almost always an automatic sack against human opponents at the moment.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D


    One thing I'd love to see is the option to play friends with other people from the franchise using your franchise teams.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 21,664 Mod ✭✭✭✭helimachoptor


    Big time paully, is a definite pain not being able to do that


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,864 ✭✭✭empacher


    I'd love id there was a bigger ranking system so we could see our community ranking in ireland. Definetly numero uno


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D


    Lukebray wrote: »
    There's an 80 minute video on youtube. I'd post the link but it's damn near impossible on a phone. It should be on ea's channel though. The game looks great, the video goes over presentation and some gameplay issues, mainly a new passing engine and catching animations (430+ new ones :o) Looks good so far :d



    There it is lads ^^^

    Looking forward to watching that later.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,599 ✭✭✭matthew8


    I'd like if defenders weren't so easily beaten by the screen, or instead on only one player trying to make a play on the ball both players went for it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D


    List of new features:

    Presentation:

    This year, CBS' number-one commentary crew of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms anchor the game with more lines of dialogue. EA Tiburon promising non-stop banter that is situationally aware of the playoffs, big games, divisional games, etc.

    Nantz and Simms appear in an in-booth cutscene before the game that includes stadium-specific backgrounds.

    EA is introducing 200-plus new cutscenes between plays, before games, and more. These cutscenes are inspired by broadcast TV presentation. Replays are also being overhauled for more dramatic effect.

    Halftime features a new stats overlay, but there is no halftime show.
    The game contains all the new Nike uniforms and alternates on the disc. Some of the uniforms may have to be unlocked via a code as they are released in real life.

    Lighting changes based on the time of day occur per play instead of just at quarter breaks.

    Madden NFL 13 features the improved high dynamic range lighting and motion blur of NCAA Football 13.

    Passing Game:

    EA improved the left-analog stick passing controls so you can place the ball on a receiver's back shoulder, out toward the sideline, up high, down low, and other places where only your receiver can get it.

    Madden 13 integrates new pass trajectories and ball speeds to open up more areas of the field in the passing game.

    New pass animations speed up the time in which quarterbacks get rid of the ball, including a new shovel pass and specific set-ups for throws on the run.
    Pump fakes are now directed toward specific receivers, occur faster, and contain specific animations when performed outside of the pocket.

    Like NCAA 13, Madden features more than 20 new quarterback dropbacks, including those for 1/3/5/7-step variations, screens, and plays with auto-pump fake dropbacks. QBs even drop back automatically and set-up in the pocket if you don't touch the right analog stick after the snap.

    To improve the receiving, EA is including more than 430 new catch animations, some of which are fueled in part by the changes made to the left-analog passing stick. EA Tiburon says it also wants to make user catches easier to do by slowing down players when they select a receiver.

    The quarterbacks have new moves for avoiding the pass rush. A slowed down pocket speed give you more control when you're trying to not get sacked.

    EA tweaked play-action to include an abort command that cancels the animation for those situations where a defender is barreling in unabated. The play-action also unravels faster in general. Running backs should be better in blocking after the fake (as well as release for passes) and defenders will be faked out more by play-action.

    Receivers have timing windows in their routes. When they expect the ball they'll turn their head to the quarterback. Until this time, their passing icons are grayed out. Passing to a receiver who isn't expecting the ball will often result in an incompletion. However, receivers will sometimes look for the ball earlier if the cornerback across the line of scrimmage blitzes or the receiver beats the jam at the line.

    AI:

    Neither receivers nor defensive backs react to a ball unless they are expecting it (like in the case of a quick slant for receivers) or they have their heads turned and are looking at it. This should hopefully do away with the psychic defensive backs from past Madden games.

    Defenses line-up opposite receivers in a best-on-best designation. This prevents your linebacker from matching up against an elite wide receiver lined up in the slot, for instance.

    Defenses disguise their man or zone coverage before the snap so offenses can't try to use motion to uncover the defense's plans.

    Defenders use different coverage techniques such as off coverage (where they start seven or so yards off the line of scrimmage and attempt to read the ball), trail techniques (including hand fighting), and split techniques (where the linebacker stands between the tight end and slot receiver).

    New animations allow for simultaneous tackles while the ball is being caught (including being able to knock out the ball in mid-air), and in general the development team says it's been working on the interplay between players while the ball is in the air.

    EA promises enhanced AI playcalling for two-minute drill, goal line, clock draining, and red zone situations.

    Other:

    Special teams coverage has been revamped to get rid of player clustering. EA is also integrating cover and lane logic, new formations, and better wedges on returns.

    Madden's control scheme is now synched up exactly with NCAA's.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,224 ✭✭✭✭SantryRed


    The good thing is that the improvements are the EXACT same as the NCAA improvements. I hope to god that means Madden is now using the NCAA engine, because if that's true, the game will be a hell of a lot more realistic!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D


    SantryRed wrote: »
    The good thing is that the improvements are the EXACT same as the NCAA improvements. I hope to god that means Madden is now using the NCAA engine, because if that's true, the game will be a hell of a lot more realistic!

    Shame it's not possible to get NCAA working on a European Xbox.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D




    There's a couple more videos on that EA Sports channel too. Game looks good!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,249 ✭✭✭Stev_o


    New engine (physics!) and connected careers. Everything we could really dream for.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D


    Wonder if they'll allow you to play friendlies with your online franchise team? Would be a great addition, so probably not.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D




    Seems like ''connected career'' will be replacing the online franchise mode:

    http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl/news/article/connected-careers-developer-blog
    I’m Josh Looman and I’m here to tell you about the most exciting thing to happen to career modes in sports games in a very long time. It’s called Connected Careers and it’s going to set the standard for career modes for at least the next decade. Our goal is simple…after you play Connected Careers, you’ll never be able to go back to the same old bland franchise or single player mode that you see in other sports games.

    We’ve been working on Connected Careers since the beginning of the Madden NFL 12 development cycle and are so proud to finally be able to show it off. We’ve been given overwhelming support from our GM Cam Weber and Executive Producer Roy Harvey, and once more career modes are a priority for the Madden NFL franchise.

    I’ve been pitching this mode in some capacity for the last four years and it’s great to see it finally become a reality.

    Before I get to the details, I have to admit that I had a few good laughs over the speculation about Connected Careers when the mode was first teased a few months back on our website. I had fans on Twitter asking me if it was a new season mode that was entirely controlled by Kinect and I even had one guy ask me if it was a new addition to Madden Ultimate Team. I appreciate the passion, but most of the guesses were pretty far from the truth.

    So what is Connected Careers? Without further ado, let’s get to the details…

    Getting Connected

    At the heart of it, Connected Careers is about connecting you and your friends, in the ultimate career mode, online or offline.

    I know this might be a little hard to wrap your heads around and that’s understandable. When we announced it at the first community day, the reaction was one of pure shock. Afterward, I still had community guys coming up to me and asking questions about the salary cap being added to online franchise. When I explained that online franchise was dead and was being replaced by Connected Careers, they reacted like it was Christmas morning.

    This is an entirely new mode. Franchise Mode, Superstar Mode and Online Franchise Mode are gone. They’ve been replaced by one complete mode that is deeper (in the first year) than those other three modes combined.

    This new mode seamlessly combines Superstar, Offline Franchise and Online Franchise into an online/offline career mode that allows you to play as practically any player or coach and live out your NFL dream.

    It’s got everything you expect and a ton of features that you aren’t going to see coming.

    Let’s run through the basics:

    Salary Cap and real contracts? Check.

    Full offseason featuring the Draft and Free Agency? Check.

    Rookie Scouting? Check.

    Play for 30 years just like offline franchise mode? Check.

    Play with 32 humans in a league? Check.

    Something tells me that you’ve got a huge smile on your face right now.

    Honestly…we’ve thrown in everything but the kitchen sink and while it took a lot of sweat, blood and tears to get here, we’ve done it in one year.

    Ok, let’s start talking about individual features.


    Getting Started

    Just like you’re used to in Online Dynasty or the newly retired Online Franchise Mode, the first time you boot up Madden NFL 13, you’ll have the choice to start a new league as the commissioner or join a league that another commissioner has created.

    As you advance through the process of creating or joining the league, you’ll have to make some choices.

    Want to create a new player or coach from scratch that looks like you, thanks to GameFace? You can.

    Want to play as any active player or coach in the NFL? You can. You’re no longer limited to only playing as a rookie in this new mode.

    Or even crazier…Want to play as rookie versions of legendary coaches and players like Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Barry Sanders or Bill Walsh? You can.

    Pretty cool, huh?

    So yes, this means that you have the ability to start a career with Tim Tebow, Tom Brady, Calvin Johnson, Ray Lewis, etc. The list goes on and on.

    You can even start a career with Greg McElroy if you want. It’s your choice.

    If you choose to create a new player or coach, you’ll be asked to select a player type as and then you’ll choose a backstory as a player or coach.

    Your player type determines what you look like and what your initial ratings are. Choose to be a power back and you’ll look like Brandon Jacobs. Choose a big red zone threat wide receiver and you’ll look a lot like Megatron.

    Your backstory modifies your initial ratings even more and determines what your expectations are from the start of the game. If you select ‘Undrafted Player’ as your backstory for instance, you’ll start with lower ratings but you’ll also have lower expectations.

    We’ve talked a lot throughout development about Connected Careers being the first true sports RPG, and your ability to choose multiple roles and then have your player type and backstory define your strengths and weaknesses makes this new mode feel more like an RPG than any sports game you’ve ever played.

    Goals and XP

    As soon as you begin your career, you’ll notice that you’ve been given goals to reach. In fact, every player and coach in Connected Careers, whether controlled by a human or not, is given goals. In fact, there are over 1100 goals in Connected Careers.

    There are three types of goals:

    Season Goals

    Season Goals focus on one stat for players (like season passing yards for Quarterbacks) and have four tiers. Tier one is the lowest tier and tier four is the highest. If you only hit tier one, your ratings will drop as a player and you’ll get fired if you’re a coach. If you hit tier four, you’ll earn a nice chunk of XP to use when progressing your player or coach. As I mentioned above, your backstory determines the XP you earn and how difficult your goals are from the start of your career.

    Weekly Goals

    Weekly Goals are around every week of the season and allow you to earn XP for meeting goals like rushing for 100 yards, scoring a touchdown, etc.

    Milestone Goals

    Milestone Goals are around all the time and cover everything from breaking records, winning awards, winning Super Bowls or meeting career stat milestones. You earn XP from meeting any of these goals.

    Meeting these goals earns you XP, just like you’re used to earning in traditional RPGs. You’ll use that XP to buy progression packages that increase your ratings or traits. You have full control over what you progress and when you progress it. Want to save your XP to make your player faster? Go ahead. Want to upgrade your awareness as soon as you can? It’s all up to you.

    Building Your Legacy and the Hall of Fame

    In the past, there were only two ways to compete head to head in career modes. You either matched up on the field or you tried to win the Super Bowl so that you could prove to the rest of the online franchise that you were the best team in the league.

    In Connected Careers, you have the ability to compete in a new way.

    Everything you do in your career contributes to your Legacy Score.

    If you break the record for rushing yards in a single game, your Legacy Score will increase.

    If you win the Super Bowl, your Legacy Score will increase.

    Make the Pro Bowl? Your Legacy Score will increase.

    Win the MVP? Your Legacy Score will increase.

    At any point in your career, you can go to a screen that compares your Legacy Score to anyone else in your league. From active players to Hall of Famers, you can always see how you stack up against everyone else. If you’re a quarterback, track your progress against legends like Joe Montana or rookies like Andrew Luck or RGIII. If you’re a coach, compare yourself to Jim Harbaugh, Chuck Pagano or even Vince Lombardi.

    And while your Legacy Score is a great new way to compete, it also determines whether you make the Hall of Fame or not. There’s a different threshold per position, so it might be a little tougher to make the Hall of Fame as a wide receiver these days than it would be as a running back.

    Unlimited Replayability

    And now for my favorite feature in Connected Careers.

    We know that keeping a league going for multiple seasons is tough. People get bored and get tired of playing with the same coach or player and because they have no alternative, they just quit.

    We’re giving you the ability to legitimately stay in the league for all 30 years and we’re doing it in a cool way.

    Let’s say I start my career as Josh Looman, brand new coach of the Detroit Lions. I play three seasons and win two Super Bowls. In year three, I draft a running back in the 2nd round that turns out to be the next Adrian Peterson, but I’m getting bored being a coach and really only care about turning this new running back into a star.

    I press a button, retire my coach and go back through the creation process, beginning my career as the newly-drafted Adrian Peterson clone.

    All without restarting the league.

    Retire as many times as you like and choose a new character. Want to try playing as a tight end five years into the league? Go ahead. Everyone else in your online league can continue their careers without any issues.

    No other game has ever done anything like this. We jokingly referred to this feature as Reincarnation during development and I think you can see why it provides unlimited replayability for you and your friends in your online career.

    Big Surprises

    In Connected Careers, we wanted to make sure you always felt an overwhelming sense of immersion, and we’ll do that by keeping the league dynamic and fresh along the way so that you never felt like you were playing the same league twice. Here are a few of the surprises you can expect while playing the mode:

    Dynamic Scouting Storylines

    We wanted to make sure that scouting meant something in Connected Careers, so we’ve created storylines for specific players in each draft class that can dynamically change throughout the season. This creates an emotional connection with the players you scout throughout the year and gives them personalities that you can identify with. You can play the same draft class multiple times and you’ll never have the same experience twice. I can’t wait to see the look on your faces when the next Andrew Luck decides to come back for his senior year and actually pulls himself out of this year’s draft class and shows up next season!

    In the Draft, Trey Wingo will recap each story as the player is picked to really drive home that connection.

    Again, no other game has ever done anything like this. We’re changing everything.

    Don’t Call it a Comeback

    Every now and then a player or coach might retire and come back the following season. Who? When? How often? You’ll just have to find out for yourselves.

    Don’t Call it a Comeback: The Sequel

    Sometimes a player or coach who is not even in the rosters at the start of the game might come out of retirement in your league. Cue jaws dropping. J



    Extended Injuries

    Players can get hurt in Connected Careers and those injuries can sometimes last into the offseason or possibly into the following year.

    Lower the Boom!

    Players can retire in Connected Careers at any point in the offseason. You might think you had a great draft until you find out that your starting running back is hanging up his cleats for good and you need to scramble to find a replacement.

    Game Over

    In Connected Careers, you can get fired as a coach or released as a player. If you are not hired or signed by the end of the offseason, we’ll force you to retire your character. As mentioned above, you can always go back through and create a new character and keep going in the league.

    Fair and Balanced: News

    Connected Careers features a dynamic news system that reacts to everything that happens in your league AND everything that happens to you. If someone wins the MVP, you’ll see news about it. If Tim Tebow is traded, you’ll know right away.

    And the coolest part?

    We’ve got a virtual Twitter feed in game that provides personal, dynamic reactions to everything in your league. The virtual Twitter features more than 13 actual media personalities that react to things in their own unique way. Don’t be surprised if you see virtual Skip Bayless question whether you should have really been given the rookie of the year award in Connected Careers. No other game has ever done anything even remotely resembling this.

    The Kitchen Sink

    The list of other features is too long to break down piece by piece in this blog. Here’s a quick overview of everything else:

    Team Specific Overall Ratings

    Every team rates players based on their individual philosophies. Gone are the days of every single team thinking that the same running back is a 90 overall rating across the board. The Saints now prefer smaller receiving backs while the 49ers lean toward backs that can handle the load. This brings a whole new layer of strategy to the Draft, Free Agency, Trades and Scouting. You might think a rookie quarterback is an 80 overall but the Bears may think he’s a 76.

    New sub overall ratings

    Connected Careers features new overall ratings that take into account physical skills, intangibles, injuries, production (stats) and size. Teams weight these differently, so a team that prefers smart players might not put a lot of emphasis into size.

    Manual and In-Season Progression

    For the first time in the history of Madden NFL, you have the ability (as a coach) to progress your players whenever you want. CPU teams will progress their players throughout the regular season for the first time since the Xbox/Ps2 days. Oh by the way, potential has been removed from the game. Any player can become a star in Connected Careers. There are no limitations. And yes, we’re tuning it to make sure that doesn’t happen to CPU teams.

    CPU Proposed Trades

    CPU teams will propose trades to each other and to human controlled coaches.

    Offseason Free Agency

    Offseason free agency was designed with online leagues in mind, so it’s now a stage based event that allows you to offer a player a contract and then advance the stage. If I had to guess, this will lead to plenty of overspending in online careers.

    Salary Cap

    We have a fully functional salary cap that increases every year. Just like you’re used to in offline franchise mode.

    Social Features

    Keep track of your league on the web and check in on Twitter or Facebook to see all the news that’s happening around the league.

    The Draft

    We’ve got a fully functioning online draft that features special commentary from Trey Wingo about players that have storylines.

    Cut Days

    Cut Days allows you to sign up to 75 players in the offseason and then cut down in the preseason. We’ve removed the generated players and made the feature much simpler.

    New Stat Engine

    We’ve got a new stat engine that we built from the ground up that uses real team playbooks and tendencies to deliver the most accurate stats in Madden NFL history.

    New Practice Mode

    We added a new practice mode that allows you to play game scenarios (similar to Madden Moments) each week to earn some extra XP. This will help when you’re just starting out or if you want to grind to progress faster.

    Trades

    You can offer trades to any team or human user as a coach. As mentioned above, we also have CPU proposed trades.

    So that’s it. Is your mind blown yet? I can’t think of much else to say and it’s time for me to get back to work.

    When the game is released, I’ll be glad to discuss Connected Careers at any point on my Twitter account at http://twitter.com/Josh_Looman. Follow me for any updates throughout the year, too.

    Thanks for reading and I really hope you enjoy playing the biggest addition to Madden in a decade!


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  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 21,664 Mod ✭✭✭✭helimachoptor


    I really like the sound of this


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