Official Madden 2006 Impressions Thread

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 2:55 pm

Well there's apparently a big online bug.

People can tell if you are going to run or pass <font color="efefef">in 2 RB sets by looking at the icons of your backs in the Defensive Coach's Cam.</font>

(Edited by Jared to "hide" the info on the bug. If you want to see the info on the bug, highlight the missing text at the end of the last sentence.)

Then some people are even saying they can tell which WR you have the cone locked to as well.

They swapped discs a couple of years ago because of a big bug. Will EA fix this?

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 3:03 pm

My money is on them not fixing it.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 3:05 pm

Is the bug apparent vs. the CPU too? Maybe that is how some of these guys are holding Manning to 30% completion and getting 9 picks

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 3:06 pm

Yeah, I doubt they'll fix it. Didn't ESPN have a similar run / pass glitch in 2K4? Can't remember because I didn't play that game very long.

Onto they Defense being able to tell which reciever you have your cone fixed to. There's an easy fix for this.

Don't have a receiver selected as your primary target at the line of scrimmage. Pull the right trigger and then press A, and your cone will be centered on the field once the ball is snapped. You do don't have a receiver selected, so the D can use some glitch to anticipate who you're going to throw the ball to.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 3:19 pm

Well if you play online, you can expect blitzing. Not because people are just cheesing but because sometimes, you have to blitz to stop the run and you can't give QBs all day.

So switching cones on after the snap isn't always an option, especially if you need a hot read.

What's really sad is that a lot of these Madden sites are suppressing info, in the name of not spreading glitch info.

But this is a bug that people need to know about, so they know what they may face when they play online.

Plus it's a way for consumers to demand redress. But these sites get free copies of the games and trips to FL or CA to preview the games. So they're not going to do anything to upset EA.

Post by **Jared** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 3:20 pm

The run/pass bug is brutal. I really wish I never knew about it, because now I have to try my best to consciously not see it. It pretty much ruins online play. It's also in offline play as well. I'd love for them to fix it...but it's one of those situations where I they probably could do it for the XBox, but likely can't do it for the PS2. B/c of that, I doubt they'd do it at all.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 3:22 pm

Jared wrote:The run/pass bug is brutal. I really wish I never knew about it, because now I have to try my best to consciously not see it. It pretty much ruins online play. It's also in offline play as well. I'd love for them to fix it...but it's one of those situations where I they probably could do it for the XBox, but likely can't do it for the PS2. B/c of that, I doubt they'd do it at all.

I don't know what it is and don't want to know. Even what I read is too much, you may have just ruined my franchise

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 4:28 pm

Well if you play online, you can expect blitzing. Not because people are just cheesing but because sometimes, you have to blitz to stop the run and you can't give QBs all day.

So switching cones on after the snap isn't always an option, especially if you need a hot read.

I don't tend to have a problem with that. I always assign one guy on a quick slant or an RB into the flat (or pass block).

You don't need to have the passing cursor on your guy for any of the short quick slants, quick fades, rb into the flats, quick in/outs. As long as you don't drop back more than 5 yards and it's a short pattern you don't have to even use the passing cone. So, if they keep blitzing light them the f*** up!

OH, this thing about the run/pass glitch is scarring me. I don't know what it is either and don't want to know. 95 percent of games online are with a close group of friends, but I don't think that's gonna matter. IF the glitch is known, it sounds like it's hard to avoid.

I do know this, I'm running single-back sets from here on out online.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 4:49 pm

I didn't read, nor will I.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 11:23 pm

Me either, but it's amazing how stuff like this passes beta testing.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 1:34 am

Choose not to read it, however does anyone else have a problem with DB's trying to catch up on the receivers ? We are talking about long passes into the end zone. Online and 2 players mode.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:11 am

Jared wrote:The run/pass bug is brutal. I really wish I never knew about it, because now I have to try my best to consciously not see it.

Yep. It's almost impossible for me to even consciously not see it. It makes it pretty much impossible to use the coaches came or use a coverage audible.

This is far worse than a "money play" I could just eliminate from my playbook. It ranks up there as one of the stupidest things I've ever seen in a video game.

I'll wait to see if they fix it, but it pretty much makes Madden almost unplayable to me and I'll have to go back to NCAA.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 11:13 am

The scourge of exclusivity manifests itself. . . . EA has horrendous quality control, or rather a different definition of 'quality' than we do.

Since there is the exclusivity deal, the NFL should sue the pants off EA for making a broken game, but they couldn't care less. To them the games are like trading cards or team clocks, nothing more.

Thank goodness there is NCAA. League game anyone. . . ?

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 11:59 am

Bug or no bug, after about 15 hours here's my impression. I. Don't. Like. It.

I'd like to elaborate, but this thread is already beginning to exert its own gravitational field.

Seriously, it's not any one thing, I do like the cone. It's just that the whole thing doesn't click for me the way ESPN did last year.

I'll keep giving it a chance, because I love playing you stooges online and I love football. But it's tough for me to get excited when I could be playing a dozen other games that I can't find time for instead.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 12:11 pm

Zeppo wrote:The scourge of exclusivity manifests itself. . . . EA has horrendous quality control, or rather a different definition of 'quality' than we do.

I would say that this generation has taught us that yearly sports updates ALL tend to have poor quality control and testing.

Hopefully I won't notice this glitch on my own. Dumb, dumb EA.

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 12:35 pm

The scourge of exclusivity manifests itself. . . . EA has horrendous quality control, or rather a different definition of 'quality' than we do.

I'd be interested to hear what your thoughts on ESPN 2K4 were. As I do recall, that game had an even more blatant tell of run or pass.

Unfortunately, this has absolutely nothing to do with the exclusivity of anything. Although, for everything found wrong with the game people love to point to that being the root cause.

I'm a fan of Madden sure, but this run/pass glitch has me very frustrated as well. I'm pissed about it surely. But please, let's not jump on the "thanks to the exclusivity" as being the reason. That same bug/glitch most likely would have been in the game either way. Which btw, such either way.

Big killer here with this one.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 1:29 pm

Really the issue is how far EA is willing to go to support their product.

Other companies have patched their console games, some months after release. Even on the PS2, SOCOM 2 was patched to a memory card. Not the optimal thing to do but technically feasible.

When there was the blatant draft-classes importing bug on the Xbox version, EA swapped discs for customers. So it can be done.

Really if hard drives were standard, these publishers would have no excuse.

EA makes so much money and they have people employed full-time to produce fluff -- like photographing stadiums all year long or writing play-by-play scripts -- but they can't have a team to make these kinds of fixes?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 1:38 pm

Well said, WCO.

Take care,
PK

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 2:06 pm

Boom wrote:
The scourge of exclusivity manifests itself. . . . EA has horrendous quality control, or rather a different definition of 'quality' than we do.
I'd be interested to hear what your thoughts on ESPN 2K4 were. As I do recall, that game had an even more blatant tell of run or pass.

Unfortunately, this has absolutely nothing to do with the exclusivity of anything. Although, for everything found wrong with the game people love to point to that being the root cause.

I'm a fan of Madden sure, but this run/pass glitch has me very frustrated as well. I'm pissed about it surely. But please, let's not jump on the "thanks to the exclusivity" as being the reason. That same bug/glitch most likely would have been in the game either way. Which btw, such either way.

Big killer here with this one.

Boom, don't jump to conlcusions. Nowhere do I indicate that exclusivity is the cause of any bug.

Exclusivity means that I have one option for an NFL game this season; EA has delivered a broken game, so now I have zero options for an NFL game this season. This is the scourge of exclusivity: if the one game that is legally made turns out to be broken (I think this problem essentially breaks the game), then I as a consumer who would like to play a licensed NFL game, am out of luck.

I didn't really like 2K4. In fact, I generally haven't liked any of the 2k football games since the second one on the DC. Don't infer things that are not stated or implied.

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 2:20 pm

Fair enough, my bad.

blueduke · Post by **blueduke** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 5:07 pm

wco81 wrote:Really the issue is how far EA is willing to go to support their product.

Other companies have patched their console games, some months after release. Even on the PS2, SOCOM 2 was patched to a memory card. Not the optimal thing to do but technically feasible.

When there was the blatant draft-classes importing bug on the Xbox version, EA swapped discs for customers. So it can be done.

Really if hard drives were standard, these publishers would have no excuse.

EA makes so much money and they have people employed full-time to produce fluff -- like photographing stadiums all year long or writing play-by-play scripts -- but they can't have a team to make these kinds of fixes?

AMEN. The best post of this thread

laurenskye · Post by **laurenskye** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 5:19 pm

Bug or not I'm digging the game, and I have hated Madden for years. I think it plays the most realistic football to date. Ther's only a few things that bug me.
WAY too many sacks. And I don't just mean me trying to adjust to the cone. I sack the computer at least 10 times a game, almost everytime I run a blitz and they are passing.
I really hate the trend of football games that it's better to let your defensive back and recievers make the play rather than you take control and do it. I want to PLAY the game, not watch it, but if you take control of a D back, the little hiccup time to get your thumb back on turbo is enough for the receiver to get seperation and catch it. Same with receivers, if I let the computer handle catching it it seems I have a much better chance of catching it.
I remember the old days of Madden that made it so fun was the opposite...You had to take control or you would get burned. I wish they would go back to that.
This is a great game though, but damn is that passing tough!

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 12:19 pm

Let me see if I can make a coherent post this time. . .

So, I haven't played a game of Madden since finding out about this run/pass thing. I've been too afraid! But I have messed around in practice to see exaclty what the deal is. What strikes me is that it doesn't seem much like a bug or a glitch as much as it seems designed into the game. WTF? Am I crazy? It's a bit like seeing the other guy's cards in a poker game. Why would they put that in? If it is a mistake, how could it be missed in all the testing they do?

Since it really only matters with 2-back sets, I suppose online/head to head games could still be playable by sticking to single back sets.

I don't think they would seek to fix this thing, since my belief is it was a design decision rather than some unforseen bug. I hope I'm wrong, boy do I, especially since EA are the only ones who will be making football sims.

I mean for baseball, there will always be other games that can be found. Even if the only options were Japanese big-head baseball, at least you could play baseball if the exclusive officially licensed MLB game is broken. With football we're stuck with just the one option. Hell, I'd almost try a Canadian football game if there were one made up north. Thank goodness there's NCAA, but who's to say the geniuses at EA don't design in something just as stupid in the next one?

blueduke · Post by **blueduke** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 1:06 pm

After reading PK's take on this game (I consider his along with dbdynasty's impressions of sports games to be spot on just about every time) I tried this game out last night for the first time. my impressions after a few games:

1. It plays slower than NCAA 06---which for an old man with slow reflexes this is a good thing

2. Having a blast with "the cone". I thought this would be a pain in the @ss for us older guys but it wasn't that hard to get the hang of. It's not a gimmick imo either

3. Somebody fire John Madden and get it over with. The commentary in this game hasn't changed since the PS1. I wonder if they're still paying him to babble out the same cliches he was babbling years ago? Hell they have it on tape already

4. The running game has improved in that holes open up alot better. Mario running is still present though not as bad as previous incarnations of this series

5. Though not as bad as NCAA 06, long passes get completed just a tad too often (or maybe I suck?). I was using Pittsburg last night against Tennessee and with 00:09 left in the half the Titans connect on a 71 yard scoring play with me in the Prevent. The reciever got behind my entire secondary for the reception (then again, maybe I suck?)

6. Graphics seem no better than last year which is a disappointment

7. AI is better. Wish long passes would be defended better though as stated before it's not as bad as the college game.

Overall I had a real good time with it. As for purchasing it or not I'm still on the fence. I've recently downloaded up to date NFL2K5 rosters and along with Flying Finn's editor I have the correct schedule for this season.

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 11:55 pm

Overall I had a real good time with it. As for purchasing it or not I'm still on the fence. I've recently downloaded up to date NFL2K5 rosters and along with Flying Finn's editor I have the correct schedule for this season.

Would it be possible for you to email me that file to prboom@gmail.com?