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[DMczaf]

http://maddenguides.com/madden2005interview.html

VG: How much attention to detail has been paid to prevent cheating online. Can you us some details?

MF: We have fixed every known issue from online last year. From the demo cam pause to the onside kick glitch where you could break fair play. Every issue that we were aware of, and a few we found this year in development have been taken out of the game.

IC: I’m still partial to Balanced D, but we added a new QB Contain playbook that is pretty money against the Vick’s and McNabb’s. As for offense, I still love the Mularkey (Bills) playbook, which was mostly the Steelers playbook last year. Mainly since he helped us design it.

VG: What new formations or plays have been added to the game?

MF: Shotgun Empty 4WR, Shotgun 5WR Bunch, Shotgun Tight, Strong I big Tight, Strong I twin TE, Singleback Big 3TE, Full house Wide…and maybe a few more. Almost all of the plays have been tweaked to make more football sense.

MF: Commentary has been improved both in game and with the addition of our new audio feature the EA SPORTS Radio Show - Featuring Tony Bruno. The Tony Bruno Show will highlight the happenings real time in a user franchise along with interviews with well known coaches and players who will talk about their season and their team’s success to that point. In-game commentary will include more intelligent late game commentary along with Al and John recognizing coverages, blitz schemes and option route selection. Al and John will also know and talk about key drive information ranging from critical players on a drive, an offense stalling out inside the ten, and a team’s success rate on first down play selection.

IC: PC includes a lot of graphical updates including bump-mapping, 3D fields, and multiple improvements all around. The online experience is also totally different from console.

Bastards! Give Xbox these graphical updates like VC does with ESPN!

VG: Has the Cover 2 zone defense be improved? It seemed at times this defense was almost useless because of the deep ball was almost always there.

MF: To an extent, yes. The safeties will stay in a backpedal much longer than before and you know that if the safety does NOT have his back turned yet, he’s in a much better position to make a play on the ball.

YES! No more FMT bombs against Cover 2!

VG: How will the coaches affect the teams this year? Also, is it harder to get coaches?

JL: Great coaches will give their players a ratings boost while mediocre coaches will negatively impact their players.

VG: Do the DB's and WR's head track the ball this year, like they do in NCAA?

IC: No they do not. We decided to wait on this until we develop a more robust and realistic head tracking system.

I remember reading another interview where they said they wanted head tracking to affect catching ability, and not to be just another animation.

MF: Yes, to an extent. As in real life, you see both of those same things. Even T.O. will drop a wide open pass every now and then and on the next play come down with one between two defenders. But definitely, throwing into double or triple coverage is much more difficult than last year and you are risking a very good chance at an interception.

<Konex> Even more difficult?! Fuck Madden! I will throw into triple coverage all I want!

JL: We added more to franchise this year than ever before. I can safely say that we have the deepest, most immersive franchise/career mode of any sports game on the market. We strive to make franchise a mirror of the NFL and we added tons of features this year to further realize that goal. Among the additions are restricted free agency, preseason position battles, real life free agency period, player personalities and morale, USA Today, email, EA Sports Radio, the ability to change a player’s position, team captains, players demanding playing time, weekly gameplans, practice in franchise, a PDA to manage players, a new, more informative team info screen, rivalries and last but not least…NFL Icons.

VG: Are there more defensive line stunts this year? Do they work?

MF: Yes, we tried adding more, but didn’t have a lot of success with them, so most were taken out. But, you can manually decide which way you would like you defensive line to rush on each play by using L1, then the right stick either up, down, left, or right.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

the only way to stop the cover 2 is to bomb that shit to oblivion! give em what they want Blloyd!

 

[DMczaf]

http://www.gamespot.com/onthespot/index.html

Fast forward to the 22 min mark, new footage.

 

[DMczaf]

http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/madden-nfl-2005/528277p1.html

This year, for the first time in the franchise's history, a defensive player will grace the cover of EA's popular Madden NFL game. Ray Lewis, ferocious middle linebacker, innovative dancer, and surprisingly nice guy, will be the front man for Madden NFL 2005, and with good reason. See, EA has decided that it's time to heed the old adage that the best defense is a good offense, so they've made a lot of changes on the defensive side of the ball.

We've already told you about the new Hit Stick feature, which allows you to punish your opponent's ballcarriers, but the D upgrades run a lot deeper than just harder hits. As in the previous iterations of Madden, you can tell your defensive lineman to shift depending on where you believe the ballcarrier will go. However, you aren't simply limited to shifting left or right this time. After you pull the left trigger, you can tap the D-pad up to tell your boys to spread the ends outside the tackles, or down to move in tight and crowd the middle. The same goes for the linebackers after pulling the right trigger.

After setting your line up, you can use the right analog to tell your defensive lineman what to do after the snap. You can make them all crash in, left, right, or rush to the outside to cut off any screen plays that might be in the making. For the linebackers, the right analog can be utilized to blitz all of your 'backers or to have your individual outside men blitz the QB. One of my favorites, though, is having your linebackers fake the blitz, then fall back at the last second to spy on the quarterback, which can increase your chances of snagging and interception

Another new feature is the ability to call coverage audibles for your defensive backs. Have your opponent's wideouts been breaking loose for big gains all day? Tell your cornerbacks to bump them at the line to take them out of the play early. Conversely, if the receivers have been going past your guys for the easy score, you can have the corners hang back a little bit and let the play develop in front of them. All of this is pretty easy to accomplish, as you just have to hit the Y button, then push the D-pad down to bump or up to lay back.

The biggest and best change, however, is the inclusion of the new Defensive Playmaker system. For the last few Madden games, the offensive play caller was able to set hot routes for his players, capitalizing on holes in the defense. Now, the defensive mastermind behind the controller can do the same with his players. Once you select a player, you can use the right analog to put them into a general zone scheme (which also allows you to set double teams on offensive players), set them up to blitz or spy on the QB.

The addition of the Defensive Playmaker is sure to change the face of the Madden we all know and love, and is a huge step in the direction of realism for the football junkies out there. At last, you can control every defensive player on your team, which basically allows you to create brand new defensive schemes. No matter what play you pick, you can alter it depending on what you see on the other side of the ball. This makes the game a lot more like what you'd see on the field on a crisp autumn day, a chess match of sorts between offensive and defensive minded field generals. It's been a long time coming, but Madden NFL 2005 is bringing us closer to being, as EA loves to tell us, in the game.

 

[DMczaf]

ANOTHER interview! MADDEN!

http://www.maddenmania.com/mnews.php

3. Why has the PC version of the game been pushed back?

DB: The expectations of the PC audience are more in depth, so we are
taking the extra time to fine tune the simulation aspects and tweak the
new graphical enhancements to take advantage of the latest video card
chipsets. Another reason is for our online community, we are trying to
ensure that all of the online cheating issues are resolved for a better
experience online. We’re gald we can continue to provide a great game
for the PC market.

4. What can PC gamers look forward to that console gamers miss out on,
if anything?

DB: PC-specific features are largely in the online and graphics
categories; such as: online leagues, online clubs, bump-mapped players,
and 3-D field surfaces.

12. Are we going to see more diversity in ratings of imported players from
NCAA? (For instance, the rating difference between Roy Williams(round 1) and
P.K. Sam (round 5))

JL: Yes, there will be more diversity, but you have to remember that we
are importing the best players from NCAA. This year we added changes
to accurately reflect the transition of players like Eric Crouch to the pros.
He may be a 99 in NCAA, but when he’s imported into Madden, he
becomes a 60 instead of an 85 QB.

14. Will we see more busts in the draft, and conversely more players coming
out of the later rounds to become pro-bowlers?

JL: That all depends on performance, just like it does in real life.
Progression allows low rated players to shoot up quickly in franchise, so
if your starting running back gets hurt and the rookie behind him rushes
for 1500 yards, that will be reflected in his ratings. Conversely, if your
rookie QB is thrown into the fire right away and proceeds to throw 25
picks per year for 5 years, he will be a bust and his ratings will reflect
that.

21. Will we see underthrown balls and "wet-duck" passes, as opposed to just
overthrows?

MF: You will definitely see some underthrown and lame duck balls,
especially when throwing off of your back foot. Gone are the days that
can you sprint directly to your right and throw it to a receiver all the way
across the field.

25. Will All Madden be ranked online?

MF: Yes, we will have a “hardcore” game type, in which fair play is
turned off and all madden is turned on. It will be treated as a ranked
game just like the regular all pro, fair play on ranked game.

Online info

27. How are the online tourneys going to be different this year? I hear we can
finally finish them in 1 day, will there be any EA OFFICIAL Tourneys online with
prizes ect? If so how do you qualify for them?

JP: This year we will have two different modes "Online Events" and
"Quick Tournaments." Online Events include last year's tournaments
(with improvements), but also include sponsored tournaments and web-
based tournaments. Some improvements to all those include setting the
number of hours between rounds, tournaments auto-advance when
everyone has completed their games, letting the host create news, and
auto-adding of your next tournament opponent to the EA Messenger. We
are talking to some of our partners about sponsoring tournaments for
prizes, but nothing is official right now. If we do have sponsored
tourneys, they will probably be private and password protected, with
users receiving invites via e-mail.

Quick Tournaments are just that -- tournaments where the games are
played back-to-back. There will be four- and eight-player Quick
Tournaments. You can't create them, you can only join them, like the
"Play Now" or "Quick Match" feature. You can't leave the tournament
room once you've joined, but it’s a great way to get some guaranteed
action when you have time for a only a few games.

28. Online roster, can we import our custom rosters for online play unranked
games this year? If no, why? Is it possible to implement this feature as a patch
or upgrade in madden 05? Like if we named a roster save "unranked", could EA
pull that in?

JP: Unfortunately, you cannot import rosters into unranked games this
year. The problem with rosters is we have to make sure both players
have the same one, even for unranked games. So if I play you, and you
want to play an unranked game with your roster and I agree to it, we
have to transfer rosters between both of you and then transfer back to
standard online rosters for regular ranked games. In short, it's a
technical and gameplay nightmare. We might consider implement
something like this for elite users in next year's games, but we won't
have this ability for this year's games.

29. At E3 we were told about pressure FG kicking...on game winning kicks the
screen would go "Tiger Woods going to the green" style, the analog controller
would shake ect. Will this be in 05, and also online? And can you elaborate it for
us please?

MF: Yes for 05 and yes for online. What happens is when you get down to
the last minute or so of the game, and you are lining up for a field goal,
you will get a new view. The camera will be on the ground behind the
kicker looking up at the goal posts and when it’s kicked, it goes in slow
motion and the screen goes to a letterbox format. You also feel some
“heart-beat” effects on your controller. It’s a pretty cool presentation.

30. Will there be online leagues? If yes, what type of stats will they track? If no,
is it possible to have a EA Tech PHP Guru put something together for console
users? Like a stat program zip that they can download then unzip to their
personal website in order to insert,update, and display league stats?

MF: As of right now there is no announcement of online leagues for
Madden 2005.

31. Who can we contact to get NCAA and MADDEN 05 Challenge tournament
info? Will it start on the EAST coast again? Higher admission fee/bigger prize?
Settings ect..

MF: Keep an eye on EASPORTS.com for information – coming soon.

32. How will the scouting/feedback online player feature work? Whats to stop
people from spamming you with bad feedback due to being a soreloser ect? Will
feedback roll off after a period of time?

JP: The Scouting Report and Feedback are two entirely different systems.
The Scouting Report is a screen that surfaces a set of stats we feel is
indicative of your play style. Stats like favorite playbook and formation,
how often you no-huddle, scramble on a pass play, hot routes, audibles
and others are shown here. We let players' stats speak for themselves.

The feedback system will have its own checks and balances. If someone
gives negative feedback on you, we take a look at their history as well. If
you have no feedback or positive feedback, and someone complains
about you yet they themselves have a history of offering constant
negative feedback, then we will be inclined to throw this out as "sour
grapes." Plus, if someone abuses the Feedback system be offering
multiple or constant negative feedback, we can throw out their reports.
Likewise, if you try to offer constant positive feedback on your buddies
(especially if you never even played a game with them!) then we can
take action against your account for abusing the Feedback system.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

you see! "no announcement" for online leagues! no news is good news in this instance

 

[cubanb]

" Some improvements to all those include setting the
number of hours between rounds, tournaments auto-advance when
everyone has completed their games, letting the host create news, and
auto-adding of your next tournament opponent to the EA Messenger"



sweet

 

[Mrbob]

you see! "no announcement" for online leagues! no news is good news in this instance

Except for this news:

4. What can PC gamers look forward to that console gamers miss out on,
if anything?

DB: PC-specific features are largely in the online and graphics
categories; such as: online leagues, online clubs, bump-mapped players,
and 3-D field surfaces.

 

[Gunstar77]

30. Will there be online leagues? If yes, what type of stats will they track? If no,
is it possible to have a EA Tech PHP Guru put something together for console
users? Like a stat program zip that they can download then unzip to their
personal website in order to insert,update, and display league stats?

MF: As of right now there is no announcement of online leagues for
Madden 2005.

That answer sounds fishy, just maybe EA came through with the goods this year.

 

[Guileless]

Even T.O. will drop a wide open pass every now and then

What does he mean, "even T.O.?" T.O. drops wide open passes all the time.

This year we added changesto accurately reflect the transition of players like Eric Crouch to the pros. He may be a 99 in NCAA, but when he&#8217;s imported into Madden, he
becomes a 60 instead of an 85 QB.

I hope they got this right. Last year in my 'chise Bowling Green's QB, who was imported from NCAA, was starting over Joey Harrington in his first game.

 

[Blackace]

"This year we added changesto accurately reflect the transition of players like Eric Crouch to the pros. He may be a 99 in NCAA, but when he’s imported into Madden, he
becomes a 60 instead of an 85 QB."

well it better not be with all the players... like they have been doing with every created player I have ever made...

I have never seen an imported player be a 85....

 

[Fifty]

Yeah...I actually thought that was a flaw with the game. That they would rate all NCAA players too low in Madden. I suppose that it's fair though. A great college QB usually doesn't start in the NFL in his first year, and if the best NCAA QBs get a rating of 70-75 in Madden, I can't really complain.

 

[Blackace]

Yeah...I actually thought that was a flaw with the game. That they would rate all NCAA players too low in Madden. I suppose that it's fair though. A great college QB usually doesn't start in the NFL in his first year, and if the best NCAA QBs get a rating of 70-75 in Madden, I can't really complain.

70 - 75 sure.... but 60 - 68 no! And no progession during the season? bah!

 

[Littleberu]

Online league : ONLY ON PS2!!!

 

[EAJAPAN]

We need an interview that covers the following questions -

Will there be XBL play for PAL gamers?

Will the NTSC version be all-region?

 

[Drek]

"This year we added changesto accurately reflect the transition of players like Eric Crouch to the pros. He may be a 99 in NCAA, but when he’s imported into Madden, he
becomes a 60 instead of an 85 QB."

well it better not be with all the players... like they have been doing with every created player I have ever made...

I have never seen an imported player be a 85....

Really? On the 2004 versions of NCAA I've imported guys that were insane. Have rosters that have Derrick Thomas as an 86 OLB, Gamble as a 90 CB, Tommi Harris as an 89 DT, Mike Williams as an 89 WR, Roy and Reggie Williams as 82's, etc.. Lots of immediate all-stars in my draft classes from NCAA and I just simmed out most of the seasons.

 

[Fifty]

70 - 75 sure.... but 60 - 68 no! And no progession during the season? bah!

Yeah, I'm with you 100% on this.

 

[Guileless]

The imported players, for the last 2 years where the feature has been available, have been way overrated. Especially QBs. The problem was compounded with the weird CPU depth chart AI that had younger, lower rated players starting over expensive, higher rated veterans.

But I'm wondering how will they do this with QBs. I can see them easily dealing with Eric Crouch types that running QBs. But take Kliff Kingsbury for example, he was Texas Tech's QB who broke a million records because they throw 60 times a game. He was highly rated in NCAA and started as a rookie on my Madden 2003 'chise after being imported in the draft class. But he was just a system QB with good stats who in real life signed a free agent contract and is barely hanging on as a 3rd teamer somehwhere. I don't see how they can accurately model that.

 

[Crag Dweller]

Has there been any mention of widescreen support or 720p for the xbox versions of Madden and NCAA?

 

[Galaron]

Both Madden and NCAA support widescreen format, but only 480p, not 720.