Madden 08 Hands On

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 5:30 pm

wco81 wrote:There's a difference between the CPU and human-controlled passing.

The interceptions are one thing but the returns are another. Way too common and you have no-name DBs LBs making athletic ints. followed by long returns weaving through would-be tacklers, either juking through them or running through tackles or just outrunning them to wide-open lanes.

There seems to be more pass interference called but the defenders are jumping balls and bumping WRs out of the way to get to the passes. Then there are fair number of tipped ints. as well.

I really haven't seen any of this. I've had the CPU return one pick for a TD against me, and it was on a WR screen where I waited about a second too long and let the DB read the play. As for me, I have returned a couple picks for big gains, but most of the ones I've seen have been safeties picking off overthrows or CBs getting between the receiver and the ball and making modest returns. Even in the two games where I picked off 3 and four passes, I only returned one for a really long distance (20+ yards).

I do think JRod is very accurate about the way the CPU doesn't work its weapons the way it should. You see that with teams like the Saints where Bush gets no touches because he's #2, and I have seen it with the Chargers where Gates only had two passes thrown his way. They don't really adjust against defensive weapons either.

The CPU decision making is better than I remember from 07 for the 360 and PC. I think the offense does get tricky occasionally (I had a great PA pass run against me on 2nd and inches). But the personnel management still has a long way to go, starting with playbooks that really utilize the talent a team has.

All in all, though, I am really enjoying the game. I think the gameplay is good enough that, combined with the NFL license, makes it entertaining to play. I'm finding All-Pro to be a pretty good challenge as well, especially on offense.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 5:48 pm

I had to stop playing and have a smoke....

Just Tory Holt off of play action in stride for a 61 yd TD vs the niners. Not so easy to do on AP.

The game has some fist pumping moments. Can you save replays?...I never tried on Madden.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 6:06 pm

JRod wrote:To be succesful in Madden you don't need to know football you need to know Madden and its flaws.

This sums up how I feel about it. I have the Xbox version, btw.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 8:24 pm

matthewk wrote:
JRod wrote:To be succesful in Madden you don't need to know football you need to know Madden and its flaws.
This sums up how I feel about it. I have the Xbox version, btw.

Disagree 100%. Sure the game is flawed. Its a video game.

If you dont know football this game will eat you alive. having a hard time?

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 8:43 pm

XXXIV wrote:Disagree 100%. Sure the game is flawed. Its a video game.

If you dont know football this game will eat you alive. having a hard time?

Not having a hard time at all. In fact, I just got done beating the Rams with the Seahawks

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 8:50 pm

matthewk wrote:
XXXIV wrote:Disagree 100%. Sure the game is flawed. Its a video game.

If you dont know football this game will eat you alive. having a hard time?
Not having a hard time at all. In fact, I just got done beating the Rams with the Seahawks

Games realism is lacking then...

The Rams will destroy them this year....

Not so much because they have the better players or that their qb isnt a moron( We will take the ball and Win!..LMAO everytime I think of that disgrace) but because the seahawks are losers.

All fan s*** aside...So then you agree that the game does reqire football knowledge?

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 8:54 pm

Does the 360 version have the ability to matchup a specific DB on a WR? The Xbox version has it, and it's a nice thing to have. That way you don't end up with Harrison matched up against a LB or nickel back.

The Xbox version of Madden is growing on me. I'll still be playing a lot of 2k5 this season, but Madden does seem pretty solid so far. I still agree with what JRod said though. On the Xbox you don't have the same level of precog DBs that people are seeing on the 360, but I think it's still there to an extent. I've seen a number of long passes where there are 5 defenders near the ball aftar the play. Thankfully they seldom have an affect on the outcome of the pass.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 10:45 pm

I'll second we'll beat the Seahawks this year.

MUTTS · Post by **MUTTS** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 4:45 pm

PC version is nice. Looks pretty except I have a problem. The players have a rainbow appearance...mostly their arms and the player icon is purple. Any thoughts on what I need to adjust. Ive been unsuccessful so far.

Any way to turn of the qb vision for the AI.

Thanks.

Tony

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 5:24 pm

MUTTS wrote:Any way to turn of the qb vision for the AI.

No idea about your color issues (maybe update your graphics driver if you haven't in a while), but you can turn the vision off for the ai in the Settings menu.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 5:26 pm

MizzouRah wrote:I'll second we'll beat the Seahawks this year.

Looks to me like we've still got the same issues...OL issues and issues on defense. I think the 49ers are going to take the division this year.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 6:37 pm

Two quick questions for those with Madden 08 for the PC:

1. What quarter length are you using to get around 120 combined plays from scrimmage per game, about the NFL average?

2. What penalty sliders are you using to get a realistic number and variety of calls? The default penalty sliders are WAY off -- nowhere near enough yellow hankies flying.

I think the penalties are the only slider I'm going to touch on this great game. Everything else feels very right on the PC version.

Thanks!

Take care,
PK

Kissrox · Post by **Kissrox** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 6:53 pm

Picked it up Friday. I love the game. Lost to the Colts 27-7. I was the Pats. Brady threw five int's. They were all legit, I was being stupid. I fumbled the ball early but decided not to use speed burst in crowds and the fumbles stopped. I have had 4 freeze ups in two days. I read at OS that it might be a hard drive issue. One guy was saying that he removed his Hard Drive and the game didn't freeze. He put it back on and the game froze. Anyone else having freezing issues? I was going to take it back but if it is a HDD issue, a new game won't help..

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 7:20 pm

Kissrox wrote:Picked it up Friday. I love the game. Lost to the Colts 27-7. I was the Pats. Brady threw five int's. They were all legit, I was being stupid. I fumbled the ball early but decided not to use speed burst in crowds and the fumbles stopped. I have had 4 freeze ups in two days. I read at OS that it might be a hard drive issue. One guy was saying that he removed his Hard Drive and the game didn't freeze. He put it back on and the game froze. Anyone else having freezing issues? I was going to take it back but if it is a HDD issue, a new game won't help..

I would take it back and get another copy. Sometimes you can get stuck with a bad disc and it will cause freezes etc.

jcalvert · Post by **jcalvert** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 7:32 pm

Wow - loooongish thread. This is the first Madden in the last few years that I have really *wanted* to play. Usually I preorder, play a couple of days, and go back to NCAA Football. Last year I even bypassed the normal preorder, and just picked up the PSP version.

Maybe it is the layoff from Madden. Maybe it is something else - fun factor? I am enjoying the game. The last few years I have grown tired of doing the slider thing, but I have been playing around with settings this weekend to get a better running game (me and CPU AI) and trying to get INTs down. The last couple of games have been a huge improvement. I am only seeing 2 INTs by the AI, and if I actually read my coverage correctly, I can get away without throwing an INT. That is saying something using the non-Vick Falcons.

I am not sure why everyone is complaining about the PS3 graphics and framerate - I cannot count frames, but I know slowdown when I see it ... and I have not seen any slowdown.

Realistic stats? Not yet, but that is one of the reasons I am starting to play with the sliders. For me, this year's Madden has fun factor, but I would be fooling myself if I expected to see this same rate of turnovers in real life. I think the biggest thing is learning to read coverage. If a shutdown corner is covering your WR, you are going to have a hard time trying to sneak one in, but if you get the WR to run a curl or comeback, you have a better chance. Over the middle? Better make sure there is no one sitting in your target's zone. Double coverage? Don't bother. I have been getting better by using lots of short stuff - HB/FBs, TE crossing pattern, or simple WR curls and comebacks. If I am doing a good job of running the ball, a playaction opens up the deep ball. This is pretty much like real life, but the DB AI is over the top.

So far, so pleased. I may even sell NCAA; that would be a first.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 8:07 pm

tjung0831 wrote:
MizzouRah wrote:I'll second we'll beat the Seahawks this year.
Looks to me like we've still got the same issues...OL issues and issues on defense. I think the 49ers are going to take the division this year.

Sucks the game wasn't on today, but we played the best team in the NFL, imo... so I'm not taking much out of the score.

I think we can compete with anyone in the division, but if we get too many injuries, I'm not sure we have the depth to win games.

hellbent · Post by **hellbent** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 8:08 pm

pk500 wrote:Two quick questions for those with Madden 08 for the PC:

1. What quarter length are you using to get around 120 combined plays from scrimmage per game, about the NFL average?

2. What penalty sliders are you using to get a realistic number and variety of calls? The default penalty sliders are WAY off -- nowhere near enough yellow hankies flying.

I think the penalties are the only slider I'm going to touch on this great game. Everything else feels very right on the PC version.

Thanks!

Take care,
PK

PK - Using the PC version, this is what I'm seeing so far:

1. I'm averaging around 110 plays a game using 11 minute qtrs with the accelerated clock turned on. I usually wait until there are a few seconds left on the playclock before snapping the football (unless I'm running a 2 minute drill). You might want to try 12 minute qtrs to get a realistic number of plays - I'm going back and forth as to which qtr length to use, as the scores have been pretty good at 11 minute qtrs.

2. I have all penalty siders maxed out except holding is at 90 and clipping at 65 (which I might raise b/c I haven't seen it called yet). I was a little leery about raising clipping initially b/c I don't want it called in situations where clipping would be impossible, which was an issue in NCAA 08 on the XBOX this year. The last game I played had 10 penalties combined (yes, definitely below the NFL average), but featured 3 defensive PI calls, which are usually never called in previous Maddens.

I still haven't really logged enough time with the game to see every little thing in this year's engine, but it is an absolute blast to play with some very minor slider tweaks (for me, mostly to help out the CPU running attack). The few games I've played have had pretty solid stats too, with a nice, believable variety in the stats that are playing out. I haven't tried simmed stats yet, but I'm just having too much fun in exhibition games to mess around with that yet. I agree about the rosters needing just a general update though - I just finished playing a Chiefs-Raiders game with Trent Green and JaMarcus Russell as the starting QBs.

Guess I need to start updating those depth charts...

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 8:38 pm

MizzouRah wrote:
tjung0831 wrote:
MizzouRah wrote:I'll second we'll beat the Seahawks this year.
Looks to me like we've still got the same issues...OL issues and issues on defense. I think the 49ers are going to take the division this year.
Sucks the game wasn't on today, but we played the best team in the NFL, imo... so I'm not taking much out of the score.

I think we can compete with anyone in the division, but if we get too many injuries, I'm not sure we have the depth to win games.

Plenty of new faces on D...Ill wait til the season starts to see what it really looks like...No point in Tjunging the teams chances

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:02 pm

hellbent wrote:I agree about the rosters needing just a general update though - I just finished playing a Chiefs-Raiders game with Trent Green and JaMarcus Russell as the starting QBs. Guess I need to start updating those depth charts...

Hell:

Thanks for the tips.

I posted a thread earlier tonight at football-freaks.com seeking updated rosters and depth charts WITHOUT adjusted player ratings.

I'm very leery of rosters with re-rates because bias plays so much of a part in the process. If the guy who updates the rosters loves the Niners, for example, it's almost a given that the Niners will be overrated to satisfy his whims.

Here's the thread I posted if you want to monitor it:

http://football-freaks.com/forums/index ... =20717&hl=

Take care,
PK

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:22 pm

pk500 wrote:Two quick questions for those with Madden 08 for the PC:

1. What quarter length are you using to get around 120 combined plays from scrimmage per game, about the NFL average?

2. What penalty sliders are you using to get a realistic number and variety of calls? The default penalty sliders are WAY off -- nowhere near enough yellow hankies flying.

I think the penalties are the only slider I'm going to touch on this great game. Everything else feels very right on the PC version.

Thanks!

Take care,
PK

I have the Xbox version, but it should be very similar to the PC.

1) I have it at 13 minutes with the accelerated clock. It's given me between 60-65 plays per team on average.

2) I have the off. holding, false starts and def. pass interference up 3-5 clicks. I still don't see an NFL number of penalties, but this is one area I don't want it to be TOO much like the NFL.

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:50 pm

jcalvert wrote:Wow - loooongish thread. This is the first Madden in the last few years that I have really *wanted* to play. Usually I preorder, play a couple of days, and go back to NCAA Football. Last year I even bypassed the normal preorder, and just picked up the PSP version.

Maybe it is the layoff from Madden. Maybe it is something else - fun factor? I am enjoying the game. The last few years I have grown tired of doing the slider thing, but I have been playing around with settings this weekend to get a better running game (me and CPU AI) and trying to get INTs down. The last couple of games have been a huge improvement. I am only seeing 2 INTs by the AI, and if I actually read my coverage correctly, I can get away without throwing an INT. That is saying something using the non-Vick Falcons.

I am not sure why everyone is complaining about the PS3 graphics and framerate - I cannot count frames, but I know slowdown when I see it ... and I have not seen any slowdown.

Realistic stats? Not yet, but that is one of the reasons I am starting to play with the sliders. For me, this year's Madden has fun factor, but I would be fooling myself if I expected to see this same rate of turnovers in real life. I think the biggest thing is learning to read coverage. If a shutdown corner is covering your WR, you are going to have a hard time trying to sneak one in, but if you get the WR to run a curl or comeback, you have a better chance. Over the middle? Better make sure there is no one sitting in your target's zone. Double coverage? Don't bother. I have been getting better by using lots of short stuff - HB/FBs, TE crossing pattern, or simple WR curls and comebacks. If I am doing a good job of running the ball, a playaction opens up the deep ball. This is pretty much like real life, but the DB AI is over the top.

So far, so pleased. I may even sell NCAA; that would be a first.

I really like the passing game this year, it's finally fixed. It reminds me of ..........blasphemy........ NCAA2004. What I mean is like ncaa04, you had to complete passes short and in the middle of the field to setup the big play. But what's even better is that the weapons really make a difference in the game. If you get one on one vs a cb, then you got a chance to make a big play. But if the CB is a great coverage db, and your WR isn't that great, then you'll get a int or not complete the pass. Also, i do like how if I can pass in the middle with say TO, he can make some moves and turn a short 10 yard gain into a 50 yard td.

Like you said, the game is fun. First madden in many years I am having fun with.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 10:04 pm

XXXIV wrote:
MizzouRah wrote:
Sucks the game wasn't on today, but we played the best team in the NFL, imo... so I'm not taking much out of the score.

I think we can compete with anyone in the division, but if we get too many injuries, I'm not sure we have the depth to win games.
Plenty of new faces on D...Ill wait til the season starts to see what it really looks like...No point in Tjunging the teams chances

I'm with ya.. I'm going to plenty of games this year to see them first hand.. can't wait until week 1.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 4:58 am

pk500 wrote:I guess I'm glad the PC version has an older game engine, because I'm not seeing the problems with INT's or fumbles that you console cats unfortunately are encountering.

Really pleased so far. Grabbing that roster update to which Rodster referred, too!

Take care,
PK

PK give this update a try. It's just a roster update with no player ratings. I may try it myself.

http://football-freaks.com/forums/index ... nload=1511

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 5:41 am

The current madden isn't anywhere fixed. Madden 07 might have been boring but it was the same system with less issues. EA's best passing model was NCAA 07 IMHO.

Madden can be a fun game, but often times it just gets frustrating. I had to turn a game off today as the Packers, I returned two INTs in the span of a minute. Granted I was playing Rex While the INTs were somewhat realistic, seeing how the WRs made no effort to catch a ball while my safety ran right in front of them made me reset the game.

Maybe we'll see a patch like in NHL 07. The INT thing is really the only issue I have with the game.

EA is just lazy with this game. I'm asking a serious question and not taking the piss out of EA. But what are they spending EA's budget on to have the same issues and new and improved ones.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 9:23 am

Rodster wrote:PK give this update a try. It's just a roster update with no player ratings. I may try it myself.

http://football-freaks.com/forums/index ... nload=1511

Thanks, dude. Sadly, if you go back and read the roster author comments from versions 1.1 of this roster, he indicates that he plans player updates in future versions.

UGH. It seems like people think their rosters aren't "real" if they don't f*ck with the ratings.

Take care,
PK