Customization in Madden NFL 10 (plus a "behind the scenes" look at a design document)

Comments

• KILLA KAVOR said March 30, 2009

  I WAITED A WEEK FOR NEWS ABOUT THE OPTION SCREEN...AT LEAST GIVE US ONE OF THE FEATURES FOR FRANCHISE OR ANOTHER SCREENSHOT!!. I DID NOTICE YOU MENTIONED PREGAME WARMUPS AND STATS .....THEY TRIED TO PULL A FAST ONE ON US, READ INTO IT...THERES GONNA BE PREGAME WARMUPS,YYYYYEEEEEAAAAAA!!!!

• jellybean3454 said March 30, 2009

  IM NOT TRYING TO BE CRYING BUT MAKE SURE ON MADDEN 10 THE BALL HAS A REAL ROTATION AND NOT JUST GOING STRAIGHT AND VARIETY UNIFORMS, AND LET US DECIDE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE WEATHER YOU HAD THAT I'LL START CRYING LOL

• YungDre636 said March 30, 2009

  You guys are doing a great job but this was the worst post so far. But here are some actual important Suggestions: don't make the 49ers jerseys yet because they are gonna show their new jerseys at the draft(April 25th or somewhere around there), I liked the introduction of the top 3 players in madden 2008(and the 2008 intro got my mad hype too), fan interaction is not as important as sideline interaction, in season player progression (I know you heard that millions of times already), make sure screen plays flow better (sometimes the blockers wouldn't even block unblocked defenders and you would get tackled right away while your blockers are just standing there), add a couple more clutch announcements (like this is a must need 3rd down), fades in the endzone should look like fades(not streaks) with physical contact, more skins cuz im half black and half Dominican so im light skinned dark, im not Wesley Snipes midnight black (I perfer to be called carmel), after play celebrations (everytime Vernon Davis gets a first down he thinks he God or something), maybe you should give the option to guess what kind of play (run or pass) the offense is gonna do before the snap because i use the safety alot, and when its 3rd and 20 I know there are gonna pass and when  push the hit stick up right after the snap my player sometimes hitsticks the air and leaves the middle of the field wide open, you should be able to select where you want to set your player in a zone defense (like before the play is your player is doing zone coverage in the dead middle of the field but you want to move him to the middle left of the field because another player has been killing you with a quick slant pass), sometimes players will put all their men in coverage and rush like one guy, and if that one guy is a bull rusher he will bull rush like 2 guys then fall down bullrush 2 guys and fall down so on and so forth (its still unlikely they will sack the quarterback but there has to be a stamina decrease within a play and not just play to play), and last but not least, there are people who use the WR screen too much and you know its coming but you can't stop it (maybe you can make so when we press a button, our defenders jump on the screen towards a highlighted WR or running back

• handlez360 said March 30, 2009

  Decent but I want to know  more about the camera angles and ol/dl interaction. And I want a more effective stiff arm maybe assigning them at the bumpers.

• warrior310 said March 30, 2009

  o yea and when you bring back training camp have the option to have a pads practice or no pads.

• swfanboy said March 30, 2009

  i hope you are planning to put in more penatlies because if your keeping the same ol same ol then your wasting our time also your need to work on the action cam cause it flat out sucked last year

• quan527 said March 30, 2009

  im glad to hear about pre game warm ups and stuff likie that, but come on I want to hear more about the gameplay of Madden 10. I feel like I waited a week for something I really didnt care about. I want to hear more about ol/dl interaction,and CPU AI. Also if your are going to talk about customization talk about franchise mode or player/team/stadium creation. Those I the things where I think customization matters the most. Not saying customizing isnt important or anything because I think it is important to.

  MADDEN TEAM CAN YOU ANSWER THIS ONE QUESTION FOR ME? WILL CREATE-A-PLAYBOOK BE ON MADDEN 10 FOR THE XBOX360?ALSO, IF IT IS WILL WE BE ABLE TO USE IT ONLINE?

  JUST GIVE US A STRAIGHT ANSWER PLEASE.

• CAMREN630 said March 30, 2009

  wow what a waste of time putting this up hear ea i mean this was the worst post by far.i mean if you was going to waste a week you could at least waste it on talking bout possible changes to the silly looking sidelines or new features in franchise mode.oh well hopefully something more important next week.

• IndyColts2 said March 30, 2009

  First.

  Haven't read the article yet but I just wanted to ask if your still on why you didn't do the OL/DL interaction yet?!!!lol. This article looks long which is good and it is on customization, something I really like. Thanks for the article Ian...

• warrior310 said March 30, 2009

  ok this post wasn't really needed, good info but it's not pivital come up with some better post.

• volusiaboy83 said March 30, 2009

  bust

• jellybean3454 said March 30, 2009

  THAT SAYS GOOD BUT I REALLY WANTED TO HEAR ABOUT GAMEPLAY AND ALL THAT BUT I STILL LOVE THAT NEW FEATURE BECAUSE NOW THE GAME WILL LOOK REAL W/O SHOWING THE PLAYERS NAME UNDER THEM

   P.S. JUST A THOUGHT COULD YA'LL TELL US NEW STUFF 2 TIMES A WEEK LIKE LAST WEEK SHOW IT MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY JUST A THOUGHT PROBABLY SPELLED IT WRONG RUSHING

• Black Mamba205 said March 30, 2009

  Good job explaining a few things in this update. I already know people are going to complain about it though since it doesn't show actual gameplay footage. I do like that there will be more camera mode apparently which should appeal to some. The only thing this still has me wondering about though is that in you list of penalties there is no illegal touching penalty there. I hope that it would be included as an on/off feature in the game. Good update, and good job on making this game better.

  P.S. Glad to see there are pre-game warm-ups.

• jellybean3454 said March 30, 2009

  MENT TO SAY THAT SOUNDS GOOD FOR THE 2ND COMMENT AND I MENT TO SAY ADD FOR THE 1ST COMMENT ABOUT ADDING ALL THE TEAMS UNIFORMS AND THAT STUFF BUT

• IndyColts2 said March 30, 2009

  Good article, I like the fact that it said there will finally be pre-game warm-ups. But like the others said, this wasn't much of an article to wait a whole week on, wish there was more but oh well. Nice to have customization and organization over the menus and options as well as knowing that pre-game warm-ups are in. Could that also be hinting at a pre-game analysis of the teams?? Hopefully...

• IndyColts2 said March 30, 2009

  Oh yea, glad to see the possibility of multiple controller configurations in there as well.

• jellybean3454 said March 30, 2009

  BLACK MAMBA U FRIENDLY U ALWAYS KISSING BUTT YOU NOE U REALLY DIDNT WANNA HER BOUT NO OPTION SCREEN AND OF COURSE PPL GONE COMPLAIN WE WAITED A WHOLE WEEK JUST TO HEAR SOMETHING LIKE THAT ITS A GOOD FEATURE BUT THAT KINDA JUST BEEN A LIL QUICK INFO OR SOMETHING

• wheelz4 said March 30, 2009

  Hmmmm.... pre-game warm-ups.....i likey.....what i would like even better is if you guys bring back training camp!! I mean training camp alone made me better

• IndyColts2 said March 30, 2009

  Hey atleast there is going to be another blog like Wednesday about the release date and a new big feature so...yea. This is just a tiny update.

• warrior310 said March 30, 2009

  in franchise the superbowl should be played in more stadiums overall i have seen it been played in the cards,bucs,phins,falcs,and saints stadium.

  when choosing helmets there should be sizes because on some of the players it looks either big or small on them.

  make the hit stick tackles more realistic because the only way people get tackled like that is if they are caught off guard.make the players wrap up but deliver a punishing hit.

  have team chemistry in the game.

  make the players with the ball tuck it in better.

  dont just show players warming up show them getting pumped up also.

  in franchise have something like espn news cause nba live has it but get more in depth with it.

• bkimbrough13 said March 30, 2009

  we need 2 be able to create or own plays and playbooks on defense and offense

• Black Mamba205 said March 30, 2009

  Wasn't really referring to you Jellybean. You at least took notice to something on this article (player names) and then gave a suggestion without sounding like an idiot. I mean the people who probabaly won't read this because there is no video of gameplay and write it off as nothing being done to help the game then talk about 2K5. Also to be hhonest its my least favorite update so far but hey not every week is going to be a huge update. Just like Indycolts I can't wait to see OL/DL improvements. Also I do agree that on weeks like this with a smaller update there should be 2 updates instead of just one.

• Nef77 said March 30, 2009

  nice add. looks very user friendly and it helps the game cater to many different people. very considerate of EA to do this. I'm still waiting to see the line play and the Superstar and Franchise updates. Judging from the upgrades in all the other fields from the previous weeks, that looks exciting. one small fix, can you clean up the throw so the ball smoothly leaves the QB's hand?

• MAXIMUS205 said March 30, 2009

  How bout those three custom playbooks to choose from fellas??

• ThunndaKat said March 30, 2009

  Ian, I will hold you to the different camera modes.

  The following text is quoted from the GDD.

  "Gameplay Camera

  Currently found on the "GAMEPLAY" screen as "CAMERA SETTINGS"

  - Should still default to "ACTIONCAM" (Current Madden Dafault)

  - Currently only "ACTIONCAM" and "CLASSIC CAMERA" are available; these should be changed simply to "ACTION" and "CLASSIC" respectively

  - More camera modes are planned, currently on the contingency list. Details can be found here: Task 00010. (That task will handle adding new options to this screen.)"

  Please don't cheat us out of the side view camera during gameplay (online or offline). I used to enjoy watching a CPU vs CUP game of ESPN NFL 2k5 and now I enjoy it with APF 2k8 whenever I couldn't play right away or I was going through a season and didn't want to quit playing.

  Also, in-game saves would be GREAT to have again.

• AJHawk50 said March 30, 2009

  Sounds good, just ready to hear more information than that.

• livinadream said March 30, 2009

  Leading the week off with an update on customization...so maybe wednesday they can update us on possible custom playbooks????  Sure would be sweet!!!!

• charljack@yahoo.com said March 30, 2009

  PRESSBOX CAMERA PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• BillTheMac said March 30, 2009

  Not the update I was quite looking for but.. Thanks for telling us about Madden 10's menu screen. I like that there will be gamesliders.

• XSafety20 said March 30, 2009

  Will the CPU/Human AI Sliders be the same as the sliders in 09 or will it go back to something more similar to NCAA?

  I think an expansion of NCAA sliders would be nice.  I personally love the fact that CPU and Human AI sliders are being separated like they were before, but I think it would be great if the slider types could be expanded.

• robstlhustler31 said March 30, 2009

  - More camera modes are planned, currently on the contingency list. Details can be found here: Task 00010. (That task will handle adding new options to this screen.)

  PLEASE GIVE US BACK OUR OLD CAMERA ANGLES(USER-DEFINED CAM/CLASSIC CAM/WIDESCREEN CAM/AND MADDEN LONG CAM. u will have a very happy madden community if u bring these to the NEXT-GEN systems.

• STEWtheChef said March 30, 2009

  I play on XBox 360, it would be nice to be able to access your User Stats easier, I currently have found no way to go through personal stats except to look on the back of the ring cards, and even then its hard to organize and view and compare different stats.

  It would be cool to be able to customize how the information or stats are displayed. If I'm scrolling through league leaders I have typical stats that I look at that I feel are most important and only look at those (like red zone percentage) and others that I rarely look at or care about (like total first downs). It would be cool to pick which stats you want to be listed first.

  You should label an actual playing speed or slider set to ACTUAL NFL speed and set the game to that. (like your line will collapse after 4 seconds, or players run at actual real life speeds and throw at real life speeds) I think that would allow for the closest simulation obviously. (I think that the 2K5 baseball game has a pitch speed setting for actual MLB pitch speeds)

  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make an option to switch the handness for quarterbacks!! I am left-handed and play 75% of the time in Franchise Mode by myself with a left-handed quarterback. When I go to a friends house to play I am forced to use a right-handed quarterback which is totally backwards! I know it doesn't seem like much to the casual person, but when you play on the hardest levels and depend on timing routes and reading progessions through receivers, you get used to scanning left-to-right not right-to-left. This is a huge problem. Also, being left-handed I naturally roll out to the left. If I do this with a right-handed quarterback I forget that I have to throw across my body to throw to someone on the side that I am running to, which is very frustrating! I would absolutely love it (and my competitors would hate it,lol) if I could play as a left-handed Tom Brady.

  I know that 'technically' it isn't the true simulation/representation of real life to have Tom Brady as a lefty, but it definitely isn't simulation/representing my real life when I am forced to do something totally alien and go against my instincts. If you think it doesn't matter, try playing as a left-handed quarterback if you are right-handed. I did this to my friends and it messed them up as well.

  Also, it would nice to have the playbook flip accordingly, fitting whichever handed orientation that the quarterback is. I think it would be really simple.

  I forgot to post on the camera blog, and I repeat that it would be really cool to set up your own replay camera angles. When I do the replays and manipulate the camera, it looks better than TV and I want my view of the replay saved, and not be confined to the 'Wire' camera.

  Also, I really miss being able to access replays without having leave the playing screen (like pulling both trigger buttons simultaneously). I think it would be cool to be able to push two buttons at once at the end of a play if you think it was a significant play and want it to be one of the plays shown at halftime or at the end of the game. I miss seeing the Play of the Game. It would be cool to have plays of the game,as decided by you. Also, make Player of the Game more significant.  Tt would be cool to bring back the User Classic games (or whatever it was on the college game), and be able to watch replays of the games you thought were in your top ten of all time..

• STEWtheChef said March 30, 2009

  I forgot to vote for in-game saves. I think a lot of Madden gamers now are older and have responsibilites and its hard to get a full hour un-interrupted. If we could save our game and jump right back in, it would be totally nice. Not to mention that the game freezes up a lot if you've had it for a while and sometimes you just know that the game is going to freeze (like when I had 4 TD passes) and it does, and then I have to go back and replay the game (and throw 3 picks of course).  It also gives us the opportunities for our own Madden Moments, to save the game at a crucial moment and to go back and replay that game over and over and seeing how it COULD have happened..

• Redman1302 said March 30, 2009

  What up guys,

  Sorry if this has already been adressed...

  I don't understand why so many people are so upset with the news that EA released this week.  You guys do understand how early it still is and that they are only giving us little details.  Thay aren't going to show us or tell us about the "big" features this early on.  Normally we don't even get any screen shots until the draft and they have already shown us some early stuff.  All I am saying is that everyone should be patient and we will get "big" update news that everyone is waiting for.

  As for things I am curious about:

  1. Will the 49ers have their new uniforms in Madden 10? (god that still sounds weird to me, I would have liked Madden 2010 better haha)

  2. I'm hoping that you guys are finally going all out with presentation this year.  I mean you guys take the time to scan and have some pretty cool player faces, but we never really see them.  How about showing key players with their helmets off...at least during that "pre-game warm up" stuff you guys mentioned in the blog. By the looks of past games, it looks like you are going for a NFL Network style presentation (I could be wrong) but are we ever going to see the ESPN lisence fully used?

  3. I know this isn't a big deal but how about player tattoos?  You guys had them in last gen systems, so why not now?  It would only add to see your favorite NFL player with his authentic equipment and tatoos.

  4. Are we going to see the coaches back this year? For 09 I noticed some generic ass coaches on the sidelines and during challenges.

  5. Speaking of challeneges...can we finally have the option to choose what exactly we want to challenge instead of having the computer decide for us?

  6. You should really have a lot of different cutscenes depending on the situation of the game. For example: a QB going to the sideline (helmet off) talking to the coach about what to do next kinda like what you showed with the CG target trailer with NcNabb talking to Andy Reid in Madden 06. How about players and staff helping injured players off the field.  Some close ups of some detailed fans (during the game you don't need to have the entire stadium full of super details fans, I'm just saying that maybe a cutscene would be triggered and that's when those details fans could be shown.

  7. Will we actually see a coin toss this year?

  those are only a few things that I am curious about.  I haven't even touched on actual gameplay, franchise, or other modes for that matter, I was just kind of curious about the whole presentation side right now.

• FLOOTSTER said March 30, 2009

  Why don't they just come on these blogs and talk to us?

  This is getting really old with people saying their ideas over and over and over with one week passive responses.

  They make this game for us.  Why not answer our questions DIRECTLY?

  I think you guys did a good job with some of the sliders but there are HUGE additions that could be made to make this game freaking ridiculous, and isn't that the point?

  Obviously the hardcore Madden fans are us, why not communicate with us?

  Heres my wish list:

  -New WR control making it possible to catch an underthrown ball.  Add fade routes too.

  -Why did you guys take away the strafe?  How can anyone adjust to the ball when their WR pivots and spins around  instead of just facing the ball (strafing)?

  -Vice versa on defense.  The first 2 or 3 seconds of every play LB's are usually strafing.

  -Overhaul the entire aspect of the NFL draft.  Madden 09 was my first on the next-gen and that aspect of the game sucked to say the least.  Scouting during the regular season is so annoying and pointless.  Needless to say a pain in the a$$ to navigate through.  How many teams worry about April's draft in Oct-Dec? (No one does)  Scouting in 2010 should at least up to par with the prev gen.  That in itself is a slap in the face to you guys no offense.  I want to work out my players, that is what real teams do, duh.  Get rid of the NFL player they compare to too.  Why does every WR compare to Moss, Andre, and Fitz? LOL, I don't know either.  The actual draft screen is really annoying too.  Really cluttered with so much useless info.

  That is it for now.

• TreyIM2 said March 30, 2009

  I hope there will be more penalties, this year. Ian, please have the team consider the following penalties"

  1. Illegal touching - Current, players can come from out of bounds and be the first person to touch the ball which is illegal. Please have flags for that.

  2. Ineligible player downfield - Is that the name of the call? Lol. Anyway, sometimes blockers take off downfield before the QB either releases the ball or crosses the line of scrimmage. Would be a great random infraction and great call addition.

  3. Illegal contact - Make these visible infractions

  4. Horse collars - Make these visible infractions

  5. Holding calls on cornerbacks, defensive linemen and linebackers - Not only does the offensive line commit these fouls, ya know...

  6. Infractions that actually reverse turnovers.

  7. Uhhh....

  8. Uhhh....

  9. I can't think of anymore. Maybe I'll google some of the other penalties/infractions I want to see added.

  10. Actually, I know u guys can check the rule books for the penalties/infractions that are missing from Madden so no need for me to type no mo'.

  As for camera options, I hope this year there will be cams that actually capture more of the action from all over the stadium for the auto replays and cut shots, just to give Madden some more personality like u used to try on the PS2.

  Cool update but I was hoping to hear that u guys have more changes in store for the options. Keep up the good work, though.

• Joborule said March 30, 2009

  Pre Game Stats Visuals.

  That makes this blog another win. Not much I need to say here.

• Dolous07 said March 30, 2009

  Good stuff, you guys are looking at everything!!!!   Here's a question I have

  What is the Coach Mode?????

  Don't wait another 3 months until you give us more info.

• Hey-You-There- said March 30, 2009

  HERES SOME MINOR IDEAS THAT WILL MAKE THE GAME MORE DETAILED

  1)BRING BACK THE APARTMENT ON SUPERSTAR MODE

  2) THE PLAYER SHOULD BE IN HOUSES OR APARTMENTS DEPENDING ON THEIR CONTRACT

  3) WHEN U MAKE A STADIUM PLZ ALLOW US TO MAKE LUXURY BOXES ALL AROUND THE STADIUM AND BE ABLE TO CHOOSE HOW MANY LEVELS.

  4)ALLOW US TO CHOOSE THE KIND OF LUXURY SUITES, PRESS,OUTDOOR, CLUB,OR SEATS.

  I JUST SAW THAT PIC UP THERE IT DIDn't  LOOK LIKE U USED TEXTURERS FOR THE SUITES BUT STILL CAN U JUST MAKE THE SUITES CLEAR TO A POINT WHERE U CAN SEE PEOPLE THATS THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH THE GRAPHICS.

  5) IT SORTA LOOKS FAKE I SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE FOOD STANDS LIKE I SEE IN NHL OR NBA LIVE, ALSO PEOPLE SHOULD BE WALKING AROUND THE STADIUM LIKE they should go get SOMETHING TO EAT OR THE BATHROOM,

  6) fix the bears stadium it looks unreal.

  7) i cant stress this enougth STOP using textures for luxury suites just make them clear and make sure its really detailed on the inside.

  8) WHY no WR reverses or RB/WR throws i miss them.

  these are things to make the already good graphics way better PLEASE READ.

• swillz13 said March 30, 2009

  if u fix the sidelines have the players during cold weather and raining games have them wearing the sideline jackets and also add the heaters for cold games too

• warrior310 said March 30, 2009

  could you be able to build your stadium from the outside,and in.

• II Dykstra II said March 30, 2009

  Ian, what are the odds of a 'Remove Static EA Logo' option for both NCAA & Madden?  

  The EA burn-in is killing my plasma.

  -Onetonmartin

• swillz13 said March 30, 2009

  i actually thought that this was going to be the update for player and team creation when i saw the title

• PS3GUNNER101 said March 30, 2009

  Not a horrible post, but not the best either. I don't care what you do all i know is that RUSHING ATTACK should be added to the PS3/X360 like the PS2 has. The one you have in there doesn't even compare to the real deal. RUSHING ATTACK is one of the best features Madden used to have, but it has been left out in the Next Gen Consoles, WHY???? It can't be that hard to add back in so if you could do it that would be great.

• EmptyShoebox said March 30, 2009

  One thing that would really be awesome in Madden 10 would be the ability to change a persons appearance. I cannot stress how many times during franchise mode i have imported a draft class from NCAA and the faces on the characters are all bland and ugly. The ability to change the appearance match the face to the actual real life person would be great. Also I would be awesome if you would put more effort in making faces recognizable on more players other than the elite ones. I mean you made a custom face for Ryan Fitzpatrick but used the same face for both Ryan Grant and Larry Johnson. You guys need to sort out your priorities. Also make custom faces for rookies too. You know what each draftee looks like, you know people are going to want to play as Matt Stafford and Beanie Wells. I just hate all the generic faces on some of the players.

• Bubstarr said March 30, 2009

  We've all been spoiled by last week's update. But some information is better than no information at all. Ian I know this may sound a little soft but a little eye candy on the sidelines in the form of cheerleaders is what I see on Sundays. You don't have to feature them like NCAA but it would be good to have them on team appropriate sidelines. In game saves please.

• FLOOTSTER said March 30, 2009

  EmptyShoebox:

  Not to make more comparisons to 2k games but...  I just bought NBA 2k9 cause I just started getting into the basketball season, lol I know, but the faces are so awesome in this game man.  You hardly ever see ANYONE, whether a star or bench player, with a face that looks blah and bland or repeatable.

  It is crazy good.  Even down to the sweat on their face wow.

• djKianoosh said March 30, 2009

  Here's what I would think "customization" would entail: Custom Dynamic Playlists for Playbooks

  I posted this idea on the EA forums and VG Sports forums (and operation sports) and it got lots of positive feedback, as it's a feature that would enhance so many different areas of the game, from Practice mode, to Franchise, to game strategy, etc.

  Think of your music playlists. Well, I'd like to add a series of plays to a playlist so I can practice them in practice mode. Or maybe I can use this custom list anywhere for any game, online, franchise, whatever. It should be per playbook really, since each playbook is slightly different. And we should be able to create several custom playlists per playbook, for different scenarios. So, in addition to an Audibles list, you can also create playlists and add plays to playlists to basically customize your playbooks as you see fit.

  This addresses the problem in practice mode specifically where the "Random Play" feature only cycles through a small subset of the playbook and really makes it cumbersome to practice a series of plays. and it really enhances strategy and play calling, because it lets you come up with a game plan for every playbook, for every scenario, for every opponent. Another way to apply this feature is to have a dynamic situational playlist come up automatically on the play call screen. For example whenever you're in 3rd and long, or 2 minute offense, whatever the scenario, a specific playlist of plays comes up. This would help greatly in preparation, game planning, practicing, play calling, etc. we could create those scenarios and designate which playlist should display (that logic could get a little hairy though).

  Also, visually, or for marketing, you could show this sort of like how NFL head coaches have those laminated play sheets. we've seen those and we know each coach has a different one every game, and it's tailored to each opponent. this would enhance the game so much, cause it's another flexible layer in between playbooks and audibles, and the greatest thing about it would be that it's customizable. hey "if it's in the game". now, out of the box, EA could add a few pre-installed lists, or maybe just semi-randomly populate some playlists to begin with, if the user hasn't created their own. but make no mistake the power of this is the fact that each user would create their own lists according to their play style.

• warrior310 said March 30, 2009

  make an auto-save feature.

  could we actually see the jerseies we pick before the game starts like 2k5 and have lots of throwback jersies.

  give us the ability to create special team formations.

  don't let us be able to skip the injury reports and the replays, while the replay is showing describe key blocks and what the players did well on also show how the player or players got injured and have more than 1 player get hurt during the same play sometimes.

  make better lateral pitches.

  downgrade the camera flashes (have less).

  make more camera angles.

  take off the blue zones after scoring a TD just let the TD celebrations be natural.

  make the running less choppy(fluid running).

  add some horse collar tackles,make the facemask pulling look like an actuall pull of the facemask.

  players should get hurt sometimes after penalties like facemask,head to head collisions, and horse collar etc...

• CAMREN630 said March 30, 2009

  i think alot of us do not realize how great it is that ea puts out information this early for us but at the same time the previous post was so great i guess we all just expected alot more for this week.there is plenty of time to go before the release of madden so i know they have some big things coming up in the next few weeks just didnt expected this weeks post to be so none important to me and i still see lack of penilties.no defensive holding,horse collar,and so on i hope these get addressed cause if we see it on sundays we will see them in madden right?keep up the the effort ea cause i need a football game to make me forget about 2k5.

• j2k9 said March 30, 2009

  EA, can you guys please make the score overlay smaller?  I like the fact that it's on the top of the screen instead of the bottom but it takes up too much of the screen.  It's almost like it's dead center in the middle of the screen.  It get's in the way when you're passing the ball especially on deep passes.  It also blocks your view on field goals.  I really liked how you used to have it in last gen where the score overlay went away during a play.  I want to be able to appreciate graphics & the atmosphere when playing.  

• j2k9 said March 30, 2009

  EA, we need more close ups of the players.  I loved how in Madden 07 you showed close ups to the receivers & Qb's before the snap.  Also when someone scores a touchdown or after a big play, you should zoom the camera in to the player.  It would add to the feeling of immersion.

• reddragoon99 said March 30, 2009

  and does this mean accelerated clock is going to be in the game or am i going to have to download that from a patch cause i cant get online using my labtop tried but wouldn't connect.cause as long as accelerated clock is in the game i wont need to get online to get the patch

• prettyrik said March 30, 2009

  Nice Post EA wasn't at the top of my wishlist but was needed and makes it convient for each gamer. I totally agree with you Redman1302 it seems that you guys don't seem to understand that this is the first year that EA is even giving us this much info about madden this early in the development process 6-4 months(20 weeks/20 more blogs/posts) before the game is even released. Be patient guys, I'm just as eager for more posts/info on the game, but I realisticly know that EA will take their time in releasing info about the game making sure they work out all the tweaks that they could before they present it to us. Hopefully they could make some changes/additions via community request/feedback. Keep up the good work EA and I'll be patiently waiting for the next post next week. Some good points were brought up though i.e. (Custom Jerseys, Cutscenes, QB release, brining back in game saves) I also have one addition the *** back on deep balls releases from quaterbacks is a bit to long I think allowing some unrealistic sacks (not sure if layered blending has already fixed that) just an observation.

• j2k9 said March 30, 2009

  Love what you guys are doing this year!  I know that you can't add everything into the game in just a years time but I just have a suggestion.  We really need collision detection for the sidelines.  When a player runs out of bounds he shouldn't be able to walk through a player standing on the sideline as if he doesn't exsist.  You should also add collision detection to the endzone pilons.  How cool would it be to knock over the pilon when scoring a touchdown?  How great would this be for the game!  It would totally add to the feeling of immersion.  If you can't get this in this year EA you should definately add this next year.  Keep up the good work!

• Moostache said March 30, 2009

  Man Ian...tough room!  I thought the blog entry was great to have the community at large get a peek at the design priorities and process and certainly did not feel slighted in the least by not having you guys reveal EVERYTHING a week after the first screen capture was released!

  There are a few good suggestions in this thread, so I hope you guys can get someone to separate the wheat from the chaffe here...

• slydelvecio said March 30, 2009

  Fix the cheese people can do in Madden 09 that can't happen in real life. People play online and don't care about warmups if they are any good. I'm tired of playing high ranked players and losing because they exploit the game so they have fake talent. Don't make the Offensive line retarded. Have them pick up blocks when there is a guy in front of them. Don't let people through untouched. I've been sacked by 2 guys multiple times coming through the line untouched when they only rush 3... but when I rush 3 people my opponent has all day. Don't make DB's retarded if a qb is sitting in the pocket the wr will start to move around randomly, most of the time they go out even when they are on the opposite sideof the field and my opponent throws it to them for a big gain. Have dbs stick with a wr when no one else s in their zone and have the wr come back to the quarterback unless directed by the player. FAIR PLAY!!!!! No huddle is B**** ball people run the hb direc then only quick passes. and there is not a play to stop that. Touch passes need to be added. qbs do not lob the ball over a lb's head so they can jump from where they are. They put loft on it so the wr can go get it based on other defenders positions. Fix gameplay, then focus on the looks after it plays better.

• j2k9 said March 30, 2009

  EA, remember in last gen when playing in the preseason with teams like the Raiders,Chargers, Dolphins, or 49ers the field would still have the baseball diamond on it?  Also how some games were not sold out & the bleachers were half empty if it wasn't an important game?  That was the coolest stuff ever!  Not a major need but if at all possible can you please bring that back?

• j2k9 said March 30, 2009

  EA, please fix the fans in weather games.  If I'm playing a snow game & I see people in the stands wearing tee shirts it totally takes away from the realism.  In last gen this was not a problem.  If it was a rain game the people in the stands had on rainjackets.  In snow games people were wearing coats.  This really needs to be fixed for this year.  

• Bearfan3417 said March 30, 2009

  Cool post about customizable features

• KRYP2NITE4 said March 30, 2009

  aww cmon ian! ur killin me!! the settings menue? lol ur killin me right now, i just wanted u to know that...

• j2k9 said March 30, 2009

  Hopefully the refs will throw flags & blow whistles during an actually play.  I really hope it's not some cutscene of them doing this.  I LOVE the you've finally added refs & chaingangs but I really hope that it's done right.  

• Droopy said March 30, 2009

  I think it is real nice what you guys are doing. Just a few sugesstions for the game this year. I dont know about any body else, but I like to feel like I read the correct route and know I made the right read and make a pass. What I mean by that I there a way you can show us users what A play is designed for and what are the other reads in the passing game if our first option is not open. You know like 1rst read, 2nd read , and third read etc...... I want to drop back and really try to read the defense make my reads and pass it tothe correct person. Same goes for running the ball tell us what our read is and what are we suppose to look out for.

  Maybe this would be a great future in the franshise mode. Sometimes when you play you just play not knowing your other players likes and dislikes. Maybe if we had a a scout mode in franchise where when the week leading up to the game we can watch film and that is maybe going over the opponets 10 favorite plays that they have ran the most and even pull it up and watch how it has been ran so we can prepare for the game and actually go into a game with a game plan. You said if it is part of the game it's in the game. You here so much on how teams prepare for the opponets and put a game plan together. Wont we look into that. I played NFL head coach and I just loved the things you could do leading up to a game. Can we put some of those things into madden. Lets please think more on the things leading up to the game and not just all on the game play.

  I love the game heres just a few things that I think would make me more excited to play the game everyday.

• reddragoon99 said March 30, 2009

  if you bring back training camp you should make it so you can use more than one player per drill.you cant play all your player's in the regulear season and make the grow that's why you need to allow more than one player per drill.you should be able to use all of them to there required skill set.

• charljack@yahoo.com said March 30, 2009

  With the camera angles can you please add a zoom like NBA Live etc?

• j2k9 said March 30, 2009

  EA we need every possible accessory in the game.  In 09 we were missing a few of the neck braces like that one neck brace that sticks out of the jersey.  The center for the Bears(sorry I forget his name) wears it.

• j2k9 said March 30, 2009

  EA please make instant replays like NCAA.  I loved the replays in Madden 08 but I really didn't like them in 09.  What was up with the blueish tint to all the replays last year?  NCAA replays look more realistic.  Please make the replays with more of a tv broadcast style to them.

• Nyrgnew said March 30, 2009

  Will you work on the challenge system as well? I'm tired of every challenge I make being stuck as either ball spot or if a catch was made.

• xROMO_9xwinz said March 30, 2009

  Great post Ian keep it up man!!!!

• Redman1302 said March 30, 2009

  I figured that I would add to my previous post (sorry about some of the spelling errors on it haha)

  1. I'm sure that I along with many people here are big on audio.  A lot of us have some nice 5.1 6.1 or even 7.1 audio sets ups at home.  I just don't feel like the audio is where it should be.  I'm sure a lot of us have been to actual NFL games and know how loud it gets.  I really want that feeling to transfer over to Madden 10.  If I have a 6.1 surround sound setup then please take advantage of that EA.  I want the crowd to be roaring from the side and back speakers. I want to hear more chants (DEFENSE, BOO's, CHEERS, and of course team specific ones like J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS)  I know that those have have used before, but I want them louder and to play at the right time.

  2. Of course that leads me to the play by play.  You guys made a big deal that Madden was back...but only in the pre game?  How about half time or post game commentary.  Use the ESPN crew for crying out load!!!  How about specific people for specific games like MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, PLAYOFFS, SUPERBOWL. I guess I'm just really big on audio and I want to feel like I am in a stadium, I want to really be able to hear those hard hits, and I want to hear a few different people giving me updates throughout the game.

  3. Player of the game awards?

  4. I really hope you bring a different element with the overall franchise when it comes to presentation.  I want scores of other games to be updated while I play my game.  How about weekly wrapups? Kinda like sportcenter was used in 2K5.  Why not use NFL Live? Use those graffics and overlays from the show for weekly updates.  Show us highlights from other games.

  5. I think it would be cool to have some kind of jersey physics kinda like NBA Live has.  Show jerseys being pulled, untucked, just show some kind of movement overall.

  6. For the love of god fix the superbowl animation that plays when u win.  Make us feel like we accomplished something.  I think it would be cool if some kind of highlight reel played that showed a lot of key plays from our season and you could have one of the EA TRAX playing with it.  Show the coach and his star players, or at least the super bowl MVP recieving the vince lombardi trophy.

  7. If a player gets traded or released, let us know. For example, how cool would it be to be in the middle of a game and have the ESPN ticker pop up at the bottom and inform us that a key player was hurt or released?  I want to hear that famous da duh duh da duh duh.

  again, I am still just talking about presentation...I'll get into actual gameplay later. I have been reading the other posts and you guys have a lot of very good ideas...I HOPE EA IS READING THESE! haha

• NoSubs said March 30, 2009

  Thank you so much for these updates, I really enjoy hearing about the improvements.

  Please have a slider to adjust franchise progression rate. Based on Madden 09's rates I would want to adjust progression and regression to be greater.

  I would love to hear what you have done with franchise mode. The draft and progression are my major concerns. Please borrow from EA's NHL series and give players a potential rating. Thanks!

• prettyrik said March 30, 2009

  Please bring back the 2 minute drill option. It really helped guys perfect the offense through practice.

• BlacHaze84 said March 30, 2009

  I am disappointed by this post, but I don't expect alot from EA this early. So it doesn't bother me. What I want to suggest is this: In the Menu Music section, can we please be able to upload our own music. There's only so much of Busta Rhymes/Linkin Park that I can take. I love Bus-a-Bus, but man not every 30 minutes!! I want to be at the menu screen and be able to listen to the sweet sounds of Beyon.......I mean 2Pac and 50 Cent. I will also ask you to take the disc capacity of the PS3 into consideration when making decisions on what extra features to add. PS3 games can store alot more than 360 games (now I'm not saying favor one console over the other), but please don't half-a$$ it for the PS3 in fear of looking like EA is playing favorites.

• stacks1212 said March 30, 2009

  EA this post IMO wasn't something alot of people cared about its clear everyone wants better gameplay, better fanchise mode and superstar mode.

  -for franchise mode all EA needs to do is do exactly whats in the ps2 versions and have the relocation stadiums, fix prices of tickets, the newspaper, maybe even the radio guy and let us test out the players like we used to like the college all star game.

  -me personally imma huge fan of superstar mode. i always start my person in NCAA becuase that comes out first then when madden hits my character is ready for the pros. now the same thing thats in ps2 superstar mode should be in madden 10 for xbox 360 and if ur able to do more id like to have a realistic NFL draft. i hate winning the heisman twice and gettign drafted in the third round. im maybe the only person who remembers this but i graduate out of college in 2011 but i get drafted in 2008 to fix that if yall can id like to star a little bit in the past so i can be in real comp with like darren macfadden or get drafted in my own class so i can actually be a first round pick

• stacks1212 said March 30, 2009

  EA this post IMO wasn't something alot of people cared about its clear everyone wants better gameplay, better fanchise mode and superstar mode.

  -for franchise mode all EA needs to do is do exactly whats in the ps2 versions and have the relocation stadiums, fix prices of tickets, the newspaper, maybe even the radio guy and let us test out the players like we used to like the college all star game.

  -me personally imma huge fan of superstar mode. i always start my person in NCAA becuase that comes out first then when madden hits my character is ready for the pros. now the same thing thats in ps2 superstar mode should be in madden 10 for xbox 360 and if ur able to do more id like to have a realistic NFL draft. i hate winning the heisman twice and gettign drafted in the third round. im maybe the only person who remembers this but i graduate out of college in 2011 but i get drafted in 2008 to fix that if yall can id like to star a little bit in the past so i can be in real comp with like darren macfadden or get drafted in my own class so i can actually be a first round pick

• BlacHaze84 said March 30, 2009

  And can somebody explain to me how is Ben Roethlisberger an Elusive QB when he was hit/sacked more times than any other QB in the NFL. His O-line is the worst. He almost missed playoff action because of that mild concussion he suffered at the hands of the Browns. (Yea, that's right, the Browns). Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Jay Cutler all have been sacked LESS than 15 times last season and yet nobody is considering them as Elusive QB's.

  I say all that to say this, the Elusive QB Weapon is a dumb idea.

• prettyrik said March 30, 2009

  Also in practice mode there should be the option to practice with/against certain types of plays/sets i.e. offense - run plays, pass plays, playaction plays, screen plays, and goaline plays - defense - cover 2, cover 3, blitzes, and goaline defenses. It was somewhat in current gen should be in next gen with all the variations of offenses and defenses.

• SupermanX5 said March 30, 2009

  There needs to be the ability to switch your play book within a game. I sometimes accidentally pick a certain play book and have to restart or stick with it.

  Also, they need to make it so that when you restart a game the substitutions will remain the same. I like to switch my favorite players around and having to do this over and over when my opponent asks for a rematch is tedious.

  How about some updates without having to have Xbox Live Gold. I don't care to play online much, but I love the roster updates.

  In practice mode, it would be nice to have the ability to choose when the offense hikes the ball when playing defense. It is practice, and this way we can learn how to make our adjustments without having to rush.

  Make it so that the QB sneak doesn't work 99% of the time!!!! My brother isn't that great at offense so all he does is QB sneak when there is short yardage left and even with a goal line QB contain I can't stop him!! I even bunch my linemen and pull corners into the middle cause I know what he is going to do. Make this more realistic because he can almost always gain a yard or two.

• oldsauce40 said March 31, 2009

  BRING BACK USER DEFINED CAMERA ANGLES LET US DECIDE WHAT IS BEST FOR US TO PLAY THE GAME LAST YEAR'S ACTION CAM REALLY SUCK IN MADDEN 09...

• KRYP2NITE4 said March 31, 2009

  better franchise mode please.  and playoff logos on the field

• BiggityBurns said March 31, 2009

  HERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. IF YOU'RE A TRUE MADDEN FAN, YOU'LL AGREE

  1. we need co-op online play. my friend i have been playing franchise mode together for years, he's the middle backer and i'm strong safety, we have been itchin to play other people online together, fantasy leagues, the whole nine yards.

  2. better pre-game introductions especially in franchise mode.  I remember when i had madden for my sega saturn.  James Brown would come on and talk week to week about the important matchups and all that stuff. that was nearly ten years ago.

  2. of course online and any game mode, fix the qb sneak automatically gaining two yards, along with the fullback dive always getting 3+ yards, the WR screens being so successful.

  3. as many of you have said, where are the reverses, hb throws, how about a middle screen. or the good old fake reverse-rb dive that so many teams use in real life.

  4. wildcat formation must be added.  being able to put anyone in at qb should also be available.

  5. less time lag from play to play.  when online and in franchise mode, it seems that 4-8 seconds tick off before you can get back to the play calling.  it would be nice to have more than 10 plays per quarter.  we should be able to get way more plays in especially when online games are only 5 min quarters.

  6. running the ball shouldn't be this hard.  lineman pick up their blocks maybe once every three plays.

  7.  when playing co-op on the same team, the player who controls the qb should be able to click on a offensive lineman and once the ball is snapped, they are automatically moved to that lineman like in previous years so i can block for my buddy who is always the running back.  i can't change into a lineman for at least 3 seconds which is usually too late to get to that pulling guard who is blocking no one.

  8. more tip interceptions, think about how many INT's are from tip balls in real life and then think about how often it happens in madden.  

  9. when on defense, play recognition should be pre-snap, not right after the snap and when you push up on hit stick to call pass, your man is doing a hit stick tackle falling across the field.

  10. have a button for pausing or slowing yourself down as the running back when trying to read blocks instead of just stopping.

  11.  better animation of players actually catching the ball, such as when the ball is behind the receiver on a slant, show his hand going back for the catch.

  12. better gang tackling. in real life, half the run plays, there will be 5 or 6 defenders jumping onto or helping out with the tackle, in madden, you're lucky if a second player joins in.

  13.  More fumbles when ball carrier is stood up by one defender. other defender should have ability to come over and try to strip the ball out..instead only the initial tackler can do the stripping.

  14. player momentum, i'm not sure if this has already been addresses like where the defender jumps in front of your WR in a mili second for the INT. i'm glad they are fixing that but we need players to catch on fire like they have before when they rush for 3 straight first downs or get a lot of tackles in a row.  the ring around the controlled player used to pulsate when they were "on fire" in madden 01 for PS2. remember jake delhomme in this years divisonal playoff game against the cards.  you can say he had a negative player momentum.  his ring should have been blue for ice cold and his ratings would be negatively affected by it.

  15. more player altercations post plays.  have the option to watch joey porter head but tom brady and jaw at em or watch TO break a big smile as brian dawkins is yapping at em.

  16. player ratings need to have more disparity.  it seemed like the past few years everybody is a low 80 to high 80, you're trying to tell me alex smith, rex grossman, and trent edwards are mid 80 ratings.  NO WAY.  

  17.  more and better running back break tackles/trying to break tackles features.  we need one hand on the ground, or hopping on one foot b/c the other one is being held by a defender on the ground.  

  I'm sure there is stuff im forgetting and will remember when something bogus happens then next time i'm playing but you guys will agree these changes need to be made ESPECIALLY CO-OP ONLINE.  wouldn't it be sweet if you could have four buddies playing on the same team together against four other guys.  one guy controlling qb, rb, and both WR's.  

• Z-RoThaCrooked said March 31, 2009

  As for the music... will we be able to add our own music from our xbox/ps3 to the game as in scoring td's, ints, 1st downs, sacks, game theme song intros etc? how bout an option to turn on/off the salary cap outside franchise mode also...

• Z-RoThaCrooked said March 31, 2009

  Also, about the camera angles... hopefully you have the sideline view cam angle like how the game is shown in real life nfl games shown on tv

• stacks1212 said March 31, 2009

  madden should have weight and size actually matter i was playing madden today and an 180 pound corner flipped brandon jacobs now im not being ignorant becuase imma giant fan but when jacobs is going against a corner head to head he should body a corner 90 percent of the time unless they trip him up ot just tackle his legs.

• redskins4lyfe said March 31, 2009

  MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD THIS BEFORE BUT YOU GUYS SHOULD MAKE THE SPECTACULAR CATCH WEAPON ACTUALLY WORTH SOMETHING THIS YEAR. I MEAN I KNOW ON MADDEN 08 IT WAS UNSTOPPABLE BUT ON 09 I ONLY SAW 1 SPECTACULAR CATCH AND YOU CAN ONLY DO THAT ONE IF NO ONE IS AROUND YOU.   P.S, I LOVE WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING TO MADDEN 10 KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

• tampa two said March 31, 2009

  Can we get QB vision back as an option please?

• SpeedyDragon said March 31, 2009

  Myself & my sister play franchise mode every year. we play numerous seasons and have gone a full 30 in past games. in madden 09 we couldnt both have a profile when we met in the superbowl. it makes the madden iq irrevelant as we just have to play on all madden. i used to like keeping track of my profile compared hers. also some of the training is too easy and somes too hard. sprinting is too easy and a 30 year old player shouldnt be able to keep improving his speed. coaches draft for speed and height because you cant coach it. the drill is unrealistic and should be scrapped or allow it in a players 1st 3 yrs only maybe.

• KRYP2NITE4 said March 31, 2009

  i know that i have already mentioned this but i want EA and everyone in this forum to understand what i mean when i say "playoff logos".. so everybody type in these links below so that you all can catch my drift... take a look!!! look at all 7 links.

  images.google.com/imgres

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  www.gettyimages.com/.../Getty-Images-Sport|1&axs=0|84426613%2c84426610%2c84426584%2c84426512%2c84426509%2c84426506%2c84426495%2c84426491%2c84426411%2c84426271%2c84426266%2c84426257%2c84426253%2c84425783%2c84425778%2c84353304%2c84350915%2c84349952%2c84543060%2c84543045%2c84543028%2c84272707%2c84252104%2c84252092%2c84252069%2c84307685%2c84304947%2c84304941%2c84304935%2c84304929%2c84304922%2c84304918%2c84301218%2c84301217%2c84301214%2c84301188%2c84278333%2c84278312%2c84267384%2c84238224%2c84404654%2c84404633%2c84208909%2c84208857%2c84169611%2c84169607%2c84327723%2c84327688|0

  www.gettyimages.com/.../Getty-Images-Sport|1&axs=0|84426613%2c84426610%2c84426584%2c84426512%2c84426509%2c84426506%2c84426495%2c84426491%2c84426411%2c84426271%2c84426266%2c84426257%2c84426253%2c84425783%2c84425778%2c84353304%2c84350915%2c84349952%2c84543060%2c84543045%2c84543028%2c84272707%2c84252104%2c84252092%2c84252069%2c84307685%2c84304947%2c84304941%2c84304935%2c84304929%2c84304922%2c84304918%2c84301218%2c84301217%2c84301214%2c84301188%2c84278333%2c84278312%2c84267384%2c84238224%2c84404654%2c84404633%2c84208909%2c84208857%2c84169611%2c84169607%2c84327723%2c84327688|0

  www.gettyimages.com/.../Getty-Images-Sport|1&axs=0|84426613%2c84426610%2c84426584%2c84426512%2c84426509%2c84426506%2c84426495%2c84426491%2c84426411%2c84426271%2c84426266%2c84426257%2c84426253%2c84425783%2c84425778%2c84353304%2c84350915%2c84349952%2c84543060%2c84543045%2c84543028%2c84272707%2c84252104%2c84252092%2c84252069%2c84307685%2c84304947%2c84304941%2c84304935%2c84304929%2c84304922%2c84304918%2c84301218%2c84301217%2c84301214%2c84301188%2c84278333%2c84278312%2c84267384%2c84238224%2c84404654%2c84404633%2c84208909%2c84208857%2c84169611%2c84169607%2c84327723%2c84327688|0

  www.gettyimages.com/.../Getty-Images-Sport|1&axs=0|84397392%2c84397384%2c84397378%2c84397372%2c84397367%2c84397341%2c84397219%2c84393097%2c84393031%2c84392944%2c84392921%2c84354376%2c84353304%2c84350978%2c84350915%2c84349952%2c84259014|60

  www.gettyimages.com/.../Getty-Images-Sport|1&axs=0|84397392%2c84397384%2c84397378%2c84397372%2c84397367%2c84397341%2c84397219%2c84393097%2c84393031%2c84392944%2c84392921%2c84354376%2c84353304%2c84350978%2c84350915%2c84349952%2c84259014|60

  all of these playoff logos should be in the game. EA, please make it happen

• orin haze said March 31, 2009

  This is going to sound somewhat mean-spirited, therefore I apologize in advance. I have been playing Madden since it's inception. I am 37 year-old, part of the first generation of video gamers, and in my opinion, the second best generation after the boomers, the beloved gen-xrs'. We are Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Tupac and Biggie and everything else that makes the newer generations look like a soulless paperweight. Now I'm getting to the mean part. I realize more than most of you kids how much improvement this developer needs to make. I'm also a sports journalist and writer, so paying attention to detail is a way of life for me. After a long day at work I just want to come home and play Madden in my leisure and lock the outside world away for a few hours. Capeesh? Do I like the fact that 2009 probably has as many flaws in it as any game I've ever played. Nope. Do I like the fact that EVERY db can cover any WR on a post route, and the safety that was locked on my TE disengages at the last minute to swat my endless pass down? No. I think the game has a great deal of flaws that can be very frustrating. However, just like anyone that has to get better and rehabilitate, admitting the problem is the first solution. I am happy that the new team is taking such an aggressive attitude toward righting the wrongs. But you kids have got to stop whining and crying on here about every little thing! If you know anything about the scope and breadth, depth and intricacy involved in testing, producing and presenting these improvements, you would temper your posts with some reasoning skills. I guess I'm whining in a way about the posters posting the whining posts!! But I can't stand to read anymore of your foolish posts!! Take your time, present your thoughts and make your point and eject. Now alot of you have done an excellent job and I'm not addressing you. Ok. I'm done ranting...now on to my suggestions.

  1. Menu Presentation:

  The current interface is beyond cluttered. It needs a complete overhaul. The buttons and sub-menus are very PC desktop and does not feel like football. Try this idea and see if it gains steam. When you choose your favorite team, say THE FREAKING COLT's BABY!!! You get access to their headquarters and facilities as an interface. You guide your controller and click on the Colts Icon, it immediately whooshes you away to their locker room. You interact with the lockers to open them and choose uniforms!! If you want to watch replays , you interact at the the headquarters and shoot directly to the film room where you interact with hardware to access your replays. This idea has been done before in various sports games and always seems to feel more like football. It would change the arcade-like and outdated feel of all the menus stacked on each other and definitely feel more like a simulation.

  2. The Halftime Show

  2K Sports blew you guys out of the water with their ESPN highlights in the 2k5 game. I have never seen anything like that. It felt authentic and gave depth to the entire experience. You guys need to emulate that and improve on it. A halftime show with highlights is a MUST!!

  3. The Superbowl

  Please make this the spectacle that it is. Playing in the Superbowl in the game feels like being prom king and the prom queen is Ugly Betty...absolutely no pay-off. I'm not talking media day, I'm not sure how that would work or function, but definitely make a practice session where you scout the other team. Most of the time a SB is played by Conference champs that barely play each other in the regular season, if ever, so this would be a necessary improvement that would enhance the SB experience. Also...create BIG MOMENTS only unlockable in the SB. Players are made legends in the SB!! The audio should be louder, the commentary more dramatic!! The fans hyped!! You guys could even make a guitar hero-like halftime show where you pick your band and play with them!! Ok...That part may be a little ambitious, but you get my point! The SB is the only reason 285lb men run into each other with bad intentions every Sunday. The SB is THE game of games!! Why has Madden made it so boring and routine with no attention to detail and absolutely no innovation? I'm all for the mechanics and game improvements...that is great, but please get the SB right!! It is a very special game.

  Thanks!!

• redskins4lyfe said March 31, 2009

  7. If a player gets traded or released, let us know. For example, how cool would it be to be in the middle of a game and have the ESPN ticker pop up at the bottom and inform us that a key player was hurt or released?  I want to hear that famous da duh duh da duh duh. (quote)

  Lol I love that too and I would also love to have a ESPN ticker that tells the score of the other teams playing at the same time as you in franchise mode. Also, i really hate the announcers on madden 09, I think we need new ones because the game just gets boring when I hear them speak

• KRYP2NITE4 said March 31, 2009

  do any of u guys agree with the links i posted?

• KRYP2NITE4 said March 31, 2009

  "tigerblackwell@aol.com" has a valid point.. thats what everyone is trying to see in the madden franchise. And ur menue presentation idea is spectacular!

• tennesseejangles said March 31, 2009

  ea you guys are really working over there, keep it up and please dont forget about the online franchise. please visit this site  www.webstarts.com/midwestfootballclick

• tennesseejangles said March 31, 2009

  visit this site  www.webstarts.com/midwestfootballclick

• twiztedjuggalo1 said March 31, 2009

  Some things I would DEFINITELY like to see in Madden 10:

  1) Put any player at any position [ie- DBs at WR and such)

  2) PLEASE incorporate the Wild Cat offense as a playbook option

  3) Allow MLBs to be bull and finesse pass-rushers, especially in a 3-4 defense

  4) This one is kind of a reach, but there are two NFL legends I've always wanted to play as, Lawrence Taylor and Bill Romanowski

  5) I know kicks and punts in the NFL are rarely blocked, but it's almost impossible in Madden to block a punt or field goal unless the offense is one their own 1 yard line. Is there any way to tune this so blocks can actually happen every so often?

  6) WRs and RBs who have been known to pass (LT, Ronnie Brown, and Antwaan Randle El) should have more respectable passing skills. Not over-the-top "Peyton Manning" but maybe a "Koy Detmer" rating so trick passes can actually work.

  7) I think you may have covered this, but on pass plays in 09, i have an extremely respectable O-Line and when I would drop back I would almost always have a D-Lineman in my face immediatly. I was forced to roll-out on 80% of my pass plays. If there's anyway you can cut back on this problem it would be much less frustrating.

  8) Finally, the WR Craig Davis was wrongly labelled Buster Davis in the NFL and it trickled into Madden. Buster Davis is a LB who was drafted by the Cards, Craig Davis is a WR drafted by the Chargers.

• robstlhustler31 said March 31, 2009

  thank you Ian for keeping the MADDEN community in the loop

  ps. BRING BACK USER-DEFINED CAMERA

• KrisNowlin said March 31, 2009

  Fixing the menus,Great...There are a few things over all that I would love to see in this years version of madden, and by the I think the the direction that u all are going in are great you are finnally putting it all together and I like that. I would like to see some pre and post game presentation I read about the pregame warm-ups an I think that is tight. I also would like to see that at the break of the huddle that the QB is not set under center before the line or the running back is set to run the play. The quarterback uses his cadance an stands at the like looks around to make sure that everyone is set then he goes under center. That was one thing that buged me for the last to years in 07 yall used the cut scene to walk the QB up to the line I thought that was nice..I appreciate all the hard work that u guys are putting in to this and keep up the good work I think this is going to be the year for madden and one more thing make the towel mor define a little bigger and dont make it look like it is a part of his pants make it stand out more and I would like to see a selection of cleets like in NCAA...I cant wait for this game...

• DarkHado said March 31, 2009

  I also agree with "tigerblackwell@aol.com" his post is dead on. Hope EA is reading this.

• remington_steal said March 31, 2009

  There's something about seeing a menu map that really appeals to the organization dork in me. Looking over the post, I can say I'm most excited about the re-introduction of sliders for CPU skill, fatigue, and injury. Franchise mode loses a little luster when you don't need to concern yourself with players beyond the starters (owing to the lack of fatigue substitutions and incredible infrequency of injuries). Along those lines, it'd be really great to see the incorporation of a "special teams" depth chart; seeing a starting cornerback on kick-off coverage requires suspension of disbelief to say the least....

  Also, I'm looking forward to seeing how the added game speed flexibility changes the overall feel of the game.

• twiztedjuggalo1 said March 31, 2009

  also, if you could save in the middle of a game, that would be amazing. i can't tell you how many times my gf has gotten mad because im having a good game and she wants to go out but i cant just turn it off.

  *In-Game save ability!!*

• Glanville79 said March 31, 2009

  Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online) Custom Playbooks (usable online)

• JICEMANN said March 31, 2009

  quick one . It would be great to save a game I am playing in franchise lets say 2nd 2qtr.  Come back in a couple hours and resume my game right in the 2nd qrt w/o losing stats or rewards.

  Thanks

  Jice.

• Deepen2005 said March 31, 2009

  are we going to have custom stadium music? i remember it was in NFL 2k5.

• JICEMANN said March 31, 2009

  Yes in game save ability

• slydelvecio said March 31, 2009

  no do not put the crap in allowing a player to play any position. keep it to their positions they play in real life

• Deepen2005 said March 31, 2009

  most important features that should be in Madden 10:

  as tigerblackwell said:

  2. The Halftime Show

  2K Sports blew you guys out of the water with their ESPN highlights in the 2k5 game. I have never seen anything like that. It felt authentic and gave depth to the entire experience. You guys need to emulate that and improve on it. A halftime show with highlights is a MUST!!

  3. The Superbowl

  Please make this the spectacle that it is. Playing in the Superbowl in the game feels like being prom king and the prom queen is Ugly Betty...absolutely no pay-off. I'm not talking media day, I'm not sure how that would work or function, but definitely make a practice session where you scout the other team. Most of the time a SB is played by Conference champs that barely play each other in the regular season, if ever, so this would be a necessary improvement that would enhance the SB experience. Also...create BIG MOMENTS only unlockable in the SB. Players are made legends in the SB!! The audio should be louder, the commentary more dramatic!! The fans hyped!! You guys could even make a guitar hero-like halftime show where you pick your band and play with them!! Ok...That part may be a little ambitious, but you get my point! The SB is the only reason 285lb men run into each other with bad intentions every Sunday. The SB is THE game of games!! Why has Madden made it so boring and routine with no attention to detail and absolutely no innovation? I'm all for the mechanics and game improvements...that is great, but please get the SB right!! It is a very special game.

  Thanks!!

• Anekcahap_Obe4kn said March 31, 2009

  Is that a new EA Sports logo at the bottom-left corner?

• FLOOTSTER said March 31, 2009

  If EA wants to know what kind of camera angles we would like just look at NBA 2k9.  Not only are their several angles to choose from but you can change the height and zoom on each angle on a scale of 1-10.

  It is perfect, for real.

  2k sports are so much better lol

• charljack@yahoo.com said March 31, 2009

  For the love of.... please allow Pro Bowl players to wear their own helmet. Should we really have to ask for this?

• FLOOTSTER said March 31, 2009

  It is so ridiculous that we are all asking for things that we in prev gen games.

  How stupid and incompetent does EA look when they are reading these, wow.

• twiztedjuggalo1 said March 31, 2009

  players should be verasitile because troy brown played multiple seasons as a DB for the pats. and terrell owens has even played a little bit of DB in certain situations. also, seneca wallace is used in a package for the seahawks where he plays a WR. these would make the game more unique and fun i think.

• twiztedjuggalo1 said March 31, 2009

  also a minor tweak could be to please go back to the real style pro bowl, where players wear the helmet of the team they play for, not the red and blue one w/ the AFC and NFC logo

• immed said March 31, 2009

  All and all i really am satisfied with the upgrades thus far. Although i must agree with everyone here by saying this weeks post is kind of weak. That being said i only have a few issues. ONLINE,ONLINE!!!!!!!!!! i know that it takes a long enough time to fix the various bugs in game programing that features like online are an after thought but, As the game has gotten better so have the online numbers. i remember when you had 600 or 700 people max online.Now it's 3000,4000 (ps3) alone! so The online users needs should matter. We need a upgrade in that area! I know i speak for Thousands of online users That will say you have made a game that we really get caught up in!!!!!So things like Receiving losses For a D/C that is not our doing spoils the whole thing. There are alot of Top teir players who receive losses  cause the server went down etc.  i have been droped off the server as much as 6 times in one day.So that can really add up. Remember we ALL hate to lose! Sure you have to protect us from the cheaters/glitchers but Good grief! if i'm winning a game 50 to 0 in  the 4th and the server drops me.why should i receive a D/C loss? Theres no reason to pull the plug i'm winning! All i ask is that you guys look into reformatting the way the wins and loses are put together. Because it really does spoil the mood to even play. You guys have did a great job to fix the old online cheats and for that we are all greatful so i hope you will adress this matter soon.

• charljack@yahoo.com said March 31, 2009

  Don't cheat us on the cameras for NCAA this year. If you add it to Madden, then add it to NCAA.

• sconn1 said March 31, 2009

  through all the updates so far, i have defended EA when people have charged that EA was being frivolous or had the wrong priorities for the next edition of madden.

  this week however, i gotta say...this update is next to useless.

  not only was the information weak and really not at all a priority for anyone. it also appears that for 70-80% of it, next year will basically be all the same, with only minimal changes or changing which screen something appears on.

  really...who gives a ________? (fill in your favorite explative)

  and looking back, we can see how EA 1st promised Sunday updates...then failed to deliver, providing each update at least a day or two late.

  i hope this "overpromise" then "underdeliver" isn't going to be the predominant trend in Madden again this year as it has been in recent years.

• BillTheMac said March 31, 2009

  So, far Madden is doing a good job. I am more interested in gameplay updates. Though I do want visuals to look nice too... Here is my edited list of things Madden 10 should have.

  1. Add field degration.

  2. Add weather affects and weather change during a game.

  3. I'd like to see helmets pop off sometimes.

  4. Fix linebackers jumping so high.

  5. Fix DB's jumping verticly while running at full speed.

  6. Fix the blocking.

  7. Make franchise more fun.

  8. I would like spectate mode online.

  9. Better commentary.

  10. Make size vs. strength matter. Because, it does in real life.

  11. Pile ups - If the ball is fumbled on the line. I'd like to see guys dive and jump on each other fighting for the loose ball.

  12. Fix play clock.

  13. Bring Madden back!

  14. I'd like to see old school teams brought back. Like, 80's Bronco's and '75 Giants with the actual players from that year.

  15. Bring back MVP of the Game - At the end of the game show his top highlights and talk about his stats.

  16. Coin Toss - Has anyone mentioned this? I wanna see players and the ref on the field calling heads or tails.

  17. Cheerleaders!! Why no cheerleaders? I see it on Sunday right?

  18. Add formation shifts.

  19. Bring back Create a play and create a play book.

  20. Fix plays that work unrealisticly well and take out rocket catch.

  21. 3-4 Defense needs to run properly.

• Greece Monk E said March 31, 2009

  I agree more penalties need to be added...it is pretty ridiculous at times(esp for no calls on holding penalties, this applies to defense holding as well). I esp. like the addition of nuetral zone infrations. But the fact you hardly ever see a false start is also pretty annoying. Esp. when there a rookie or inexperience lineman. Or when you keep running hurry up offense and no false start happens.

• ajm10@sbcglobal.net said March 31, 2009

  One thing tha has been on my mind, is if you guys are going to improve the challenge replays. make sure that you can see every detail. also have like a list of plays you want to challenge. dont have the computer guess what you want to challenge.

  for ex. i wanted to challenge the catch, but the computer challenged the spot of the ball.

  another thing i like to add is make the players body types take effect in the game.

  you always see brandon jacobs treat a corner back every time he meets one. but he cant sprint 50yds without slowing down.

  for ex. shaun rodgers (when he was a lion) got a fumble and returned it to the house. either a saftey or a CB tried to bring that load down, but guess what they just bumped off him not even budging him. i want to see realism like that.

  i been loving every post that you guys put up. im very excited for this yrs madden.

• Greece Monk E said March 31, 2009

  I think as far as customization...you guys should allow group celebrations and prop celebrations....that will really allow you to showboat...at the cost of 15 yards of course. Maybe you can implement a C-A-D (create a dance). That way players can relive some of there favorite touchdown celebrations like: The dirty bird, the TO's sharpee, or celebrating of the other teams logo, the ocho cinco HOF or riverdance, Chris johnson playing the congas, etc. And for the group celebrations maybe the one where you use the ball as the gun and shoot your team mates down. Also in franchise and superstar mode not only should you get the penalty the players will also get fined. Just my opinion for customizing.

• oneforthethumb said March 31, 2009

  I posted a message on the Official EA Forums about my idea for a system to give the player more control on snaps therefore also giving us botched snaps. I was replying to somebody's idea to go back to the older kicking system. Here is what I wrote:

  "I dont know how this would work out so it should definately be an option to turn off in needed or wanted. But they should try to make a system for snapping the ball, like the button system the older maddens had for kicking. More like an precision meter. Push a button to start the snap and when you get the meter where you need it push the button again to release the ball. If you arent precise enough then you could possibly get a bad snap. And your qb will be scrambling to grab the ball.

  Then I had to think of a way to make it work for kicking FGs and punts since there is a snap and a kick on the same play. So they could make it so like your left stick controls the direction of the kick and the height of it, then the right stick could control the snap precision of the snap. Then the button system could be what controls the action. The only thing is, the would need to make it so both animations are controlled properly. At least the bad snaps are in your control not the CPU's random decision to screw you. I dont like Random and Cpu being used together in Madden. I like the outcome of the game to fall on me good or bad. Ive had some incomplete passes that the ball would get to my wide open WR and get within the length of the football away and bounce off of thin air and hit the ground. Ive checked it in the instant replay.

  They would have to make it so it can be turned off because in a madden challenge when your opponent can see you all he'd have to do is watch you to see when you are snapping it since it would take a second or two for you to complete the action.

  Now im no game designer so they got more brain power to make this feature work.

  One more thing about this idea, they would either need to turn it off for online play or fix the LAG because i can only imagine what it would do to this system. You would have tons of bad snaps.

  They dont even have to design the system the way i laid it out, im just saying that I want the control of the outcome to be in my hands. Win or lose I want the outcome to be based on my skill not the CPU's "randomness"."

• Deepen2005 said March 31, 2009

  BillTheMac said March 31, 2009

  So, far Madden is doing a good job. I am more interested in gameplay updates. Though I do want visuals to look nice too... Here is my edited list of things Madden 10 should have.

  1. Add field degration.

  2. Add weather affects and weather change during a game.

  3. I'd like to see helmets pop off sometimes.

  4. Fix linebackers jumping so high.

  5. Fix DB's jumping verticly while running at full speed.

  6. Fix the blocking.

  7. Make franchise more fun.

  8. I would like spectate mode online.

  9. Better commentary.

  10. Make size vs. strength matter. Because, it does in real life.

  11. Pile ups - If the ball is fumbled on the line. I'd like to see guys dive and jump on each other fighting for the loose ball.

  12. Fix play clock.

  13. Bring Madden back!

  14. I'd like to see old school teams brought back. Like, 80's Bronco's and '75 Giants with the actual players from that year.

  15. Bring back MVP of the Game - At the end of the game show his top highlights and talk about his stats.

  16. Coin Toss - Has anyone mentioned this? I wanna see players and the ref on the field calling heads or tails.

  17. Cheerleaders!! Why no cheerleaders? I see it on Sunday right?

  18. Add formation shifts.

  19. Bring back Create a play and create a play book.

  20. Fix plays that work unrealisticly well and take out rocket catch.

  21. 3-4 Defense needs to run properly.

  -Well said!! perfect list man!

• sconn1 said March 31, 2009

  Offside, False Start, Holding, Facemask, Offensive Pass Interference, Defensive Pass Interference, KR/PR Interference, Clipping, Intentional Grounding, Roughing the Passer, Roughing the Kicker

  are we to understand that these will be the only called penalties in madden again this year?

  so none of the following common football violations will be in madden (we'll see it on Sunday but won't see it on madden)....neutral zone infraction, illegal contact, illegal formation (if self designed plays are allowed), using the ball as a prop / excessive celebration (some of the endzone animations commit these violations regularly like the "slam dunk" and "backwards toss over the goalpost" and others), illegal touching (when a player goes out of bounds and comes back in to posess the ball, chop blocking and oh, so much more....

  and since when can an offensive line hold off pass rushers for 7,8 9 or more secods and NOT commit a holding penalty? yet madden qb's can drop back 20, 30 yards and run around for eons without a hold....that's not right.

  there's more, but the more i look at this update, the more disgusted i get.... the fact that this "bluprint" shows that there are no intentions of improving the penalty situation as perfectly evidenced by the update above. and after all this lip service of wanting player feedback is very dissapointing. the penalty flaws have to be one of the top 3 requests over the last 2 months, but apparantly have fallen on deaf ears.

  it seems like some of the people making this game are more into soccer than American football.

  or maybe EA is just really another cold corporation just doing this as a PR stunt, trying to appear consumer friendly and responsive while behind the scenes "the machine" goes on as it always has.

• twiztedjuggalo1 said March 31, 2009

  i would also definitely like to see a penalty for when a player runs out of bounds and is the first player 2 touch the ball again, it really adds to the realism and it's been very frustrating when the cpu's reciever's route carries them out of bounds and yet they end up catching the ball and not getting flagged.

• MelodicBlaum said March 31, 2009

  Great job you are doing with the updates. I see you guys are actually caring about what the fans have to say. Me being an avid Madden gamer for the last 7 years I really care about what goes into each game, and Im sorry to say that the updating and lack of features have really made the football expierence worse and worse.

  A few things I would like to see in the game

  1. The Passing Cone(Qb Vision)- I have loved this feature ever since it came out. Me and my buddy play 7 or 8 four year franchises and this was one of the modes that I thought put you guys above all of the other football games. I dont know why it was removed. It should at least be an option, I see some of the fans liked it as well.

  2. Someone commented earlier on the fact that the superbowl isnt what it should be. Everytime I see my buddy win it its kinda lackluster and dosent feel like you accomplished anything. I think the super bowl should be sort of like completing the game. And you should be rewarded as such.

  Hopefully you hear me out here. Great job again!

• Inside EA said March 31, 2009

  For those that have been following Ian Cummings posts here on the Inside EA SPORTS Blog, you have had

• swillz13 said March 31, 2009

  i would like the body shapes to be more realistic i mean u made mike patterson the DT for the eagles like jacked even though he's fat and i think u made the fat people in the game a little to fat. also u should make runningbacks more stockier like look how michael turner looks in real life he's thick and thats how he should look in the game. also give the players the equipment that they actually wear like in 09 u gave brian westbrook a visor even though he doesn't wear one.

  hopefully the next post will be about the features of the game such as franchise and superstar.

  god job guys and keep it up

• SteelersOwn43 said March 31, 2009

  Like seriously...cant you wait till july to tell us this stuff!

• twiztedjuggalo1 said March 31, 2009

  how about if in franchise mode, when you're resigning a plyer, you can throw in some customization by offering bonuses for incentives

  this could also apply for trades (if a traded player performs at some level, the team who traded him receives a draft pick if it's in the agreement)

  another thing with the trades, maybe you could make future picks available to trade (in 2010 you can trade a 2010 pick and a 2011 pick)

• BigUrn said March 31, 2009

  Here is a few ideas I had.

  1. Show the weather temp, chance of rain/snow, stadium attendance.

  2. Weather that changes in game. You start a game with a clear day, by the second quarter its raining.

  3. Bring back the "strafe" move for wide receivers. On 09 the defense can strafe to pick a ball, but on offense you can't strafe to catch a hail mary.

  4. Bring back the ambulance! Or at least on of those little golf carts for serious stuff.

  5. Make me feel like a real owner on franchise mode. Give me control of more stuff, food, merchandise, ad space, everything.

  6. Make the coaches have more of an impact on the entire game, especially on franchise mode. You should not have any control over coach sliders or anything, make it like real life. If you hire a bad or stupid coach, even a good team will suffer. We know a few NFL teams that suffer from that. It would put more strategy into franchise mode because you would have to choose your coaching staff wisely much life real life.

  7. Superstar mode should be completely re-done. I could go on for hours on this one. The superstar is a good mode, but you need to feel much like a real player. For one it should not be so easy to increase your stats. Players work hard for years sometime a lifetime to become good, Farve or Peyton did not just get good overnight. Everything you do on the field should have a impact on your mental state and physical. Say you throw a bunch of picks that cost the team a big game, your mental state might get down and your play on the next game will show, or sometimes it might not have a impact at all, everyone has bad days. Also what you do off the field should have more of an impact. If you run your mouth alot your players might loose that respect to block for you or something. Also you should have to work hard for your roster spot.

  8. A first person view. With the power of PS3/Box you should be able to make a actual first person mode. First person Qb would be nice.

• YungDre636 said March 31, 2009

  oh yea... during franchise mode, if we are playing at 12:00pm and there are 3 other games at 12, make sure you can't sim those games or games at a later time before actually playing your game. So like at the bottom of your screen while your playing you can see the other scores. Cuz the way you got it now, you can sim a Monday Night Football game and then play your Sunday afternoon game

• Twister1074 said March 31, 2009

  To Whom It May Concern:

  Wasn’t an exciting blog to say the least but at least you tried something here.

  Similar to several other posts, I want to congratulate you for all your efforts to incorporate features into the game.  I have been an avid gamer from the beginning when Madden first game out and I still can’t get enough.  On a positive note, it is encouraging how EA is releasing information to the public.

  That being said here is a couple suggestions...

  1. PRESENTATION. Everyone I’ve ever run into on these posts is complaining about the presentation and they have every right to do so.  The game has felt incomplete ever since jumping over to the next gen consoles.  You have a very sophisticated team on your hands yet you’re not able to provide so many key details.

  Everybody wants to hear a back story to a game.  Working within broadcasting, I for one know that is what keeps the audience interested.  Imagine when you a load up a game under franchise mode and suddenly it talks about your winning streak…recent trade…nagging injuries…players on fire…what each team needs to do to win (reference this later in the game as well)…how weather might be a factor for QB or kickers.  For every game you play to be special you need this or gameplay becomes repetitive fast.

  Don’t give me generic openings where Madden tells us who is the star player is on the team or “it should be great matchup”.  We’ve been down this road before and get’s tiring.  Putting effort into this would go a long way for the fans.  Immediately they would want to play more.

  tigerblackwell@aol.com already touched on the MENU PRESENTATION, SUPER BOWL and HALF TIME so I won’t touch that.  Great ideas by the way.  Cleaner menu screens are a must especially if you want to expand the market for new gamers.

  2. ATTENTION TO DETAIL.  Ian talks about playing close to detail.  You finally introduce referees, chain gains and towels. However, I can’t give you an A for effort quite yet when you’re missing so many other small details you miss.  I realize this is nick picking but we’ve been asking for some of this stuff for years.  I shall only mention a few since I’m limited on time.  First and foremost, sideline animations and blocky players.  Those have needed an overhaul ever since the first Madden came out.  Having gamers not run through them would be nice for a change.  Also, when I’m running down the sideline for a possible long TD why in the world is my sideline not excited?  There could be something more done to this…just a little bit.  Further more,  why coaches are not chatting to the QB during timeouts is beyond me?  Is it that what you see during every timeout? The QB runs/walks over to the coach you see them chatting about their next play.  

  I realize your limiting technology can’t handle a better looking crowd or else we would have seen it by now.   I won’t get into that, however I want to talk a little bit about the general feel of the crowd.  If a team is flat out getting beat or is on a home losing streak don’t make the place sold out.  It is almost insulting to the gamer to have this in older Madden games but not feature it in next gen titles. While we’re on the crowd can I have them chatting “GO PACK GO” with the right music or have a “ooooooooo” sound off in the stadium when a huge hit is heard.  Every football knows what I’m talking about.  Tuning the audience in the stadium is probably needed.

  Fumbles are just not accurate. Sure there is that occasion where a player scoops it up and runs for a TD but where are the piles?  Over 80% of fumbles involve a large group of players fighting for the ball.  I see it all the time in the NFL.  I lived it during my high school football days.  How exciting would it be for you to sit on the edge of your seat while a ref sorts through the pile to declare who has the ball.  It creates tension and suspense, especially for important games.  It is a simple motion capture that can be done yet no football game has ever incorporated it.  Staying on this topic a little longer what ever happen to fumble interactions between the center and QB?  It’s rare but it needs to be put in.  Having a rookie QB/Center definitely heightens your chances of this occurring in real life.  We also need fumbles between RB/QB exchanges.

  3. SAVE GAMES.  Can’t stress this enough, we need to be able to save games while we’re playing. Sometimes during the day we don’t have an hour on our hands.  We do have other matters to attend to besides messing with video games.

  4. ESPN LICENSE.  Where is Chris Berman? Tom Jackson? Mel Kipper Jr? Apparently EA Sports does have the ESPN license but it doesn’t implement it into the game. By the way, I love the idea proposed earlier regarding the TRANSACTION IDEA.  Basically, if the computer makes a trade or releases a player I should get a distinct sound telling me this happened (Sportscenter Da Na Na works perfectly) and having it scroll in the bottom of my screen.

  5. INJURIES MATTER. If one of your superstars goes down your team it’s a big deal.  Announcers can’t stop talking about it and sometimes it changes the swagger of your team.  My point of this is that injuries have been put on the back burner for far too long.  They are huge impact in your game and player needs to know about it.  Where are the trainers coming to help the player off the field? What about serious injuries that involve a cart?  We need this realism to come back to Madden 10.

  Post-injury is just as important. If you have a new QB coming into the game…show me.  Display him warming up under the center and throwing the ball on the sideline.  A cut scene talking to the coach is a nice touch.  If a captain is out lower my rating on my team (we need our leader back).

  6. CHEMISTRY COUNTS.  I’ve heard it countless times over ESPN radio and experience myself in real life…chemistry on your team really counts.  It usually separates the best teams from the horrible ones.  You always hear that a coach wasn’t a good fit for that team or that a player won’t work in that system.  This is huge in the NFL.  You can tell when a team is gelling and when it is not.  To me this determines your rating for your team rather than your player overall ratings.

  You can have a class of superstars on your team but if they don’t like each other or the team they’re playing for or the coach…etc, they won’t produce.  This as close to real life as you can get.  I know there is a morale rating within the Madden title but I don’t feel it is productive enough.

  7. THE NFL DRAFT.  Ah, the NFL draft.  Probably one of the most watched draft of any sport in the region.   Again this is huge for a franchise looking to move up in the ranks of the league.  How does Madden handle it?  Well frankly it pushes it aside like it is a small feature when it is not.

  We don’t have the top 5 or 10 players chosen walking up to the podium and rising the jersey.  We don’t have Mel Kipper Jr. giving hints on who to take.  We don’t have mock drafts setup to anticipate who will be lined at our picks.  We can’t really scout anybody.  We don’t have a potential rating like NHL 09.  All would be wonderful touches but none of it is found in previous games.

  That is my two cents.  Have great day everybody.

• jellybean3454 said March 31, 2009

  TWISTER1074 YOU MENTIONED SOME GREAT IDEAS I CAN SEE YOUR A TRUE MADDEN FAN I LIKE THE ATTITUDE GREAT COMMENTS AND I KNOW MOST PEOPLE CALL US WINERS BUT ITS NOT LIKE WERE SAYING SOMETHING THATS WRONG AND I COULD OF SWORN THEY ASKED US TO GIVE OUR INPUT AND WE NOT LIKE THEM OTHER KATS WE JUST DONT ACCEPT WHAT THEY GIVE US

• u03mja3 said March 31, 2009

  How about separate injury and fatigue sliders for each position? This would allow for serious customization.

• jellybean3454 said March 31, 2009

  I DONT MEAN TO COMPARE YA'LL TO NFL ESPN 2K9 BUT I SEEN SOME FOOTAGE OF IT AND I MEAN I WAS BLOWN AWAY THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE THE BEST GRAPHICS BUT MY GOD THE GAME HAS EVERYTHING GANG TACKLING, BETTER O-LINE, BETTER D-LINE, AMAZING BLOCKING, LIKE 3 OR 5 GANG TACKLING, AWESOME TACKLES, THEY EVEN HAVE LIKE TWO MEN SACKING THE QUARTERBACK, THE PLAYERS DONT JUMP 20 FEET IN THE AIR, AND GREAT CATCHING... I DONT KNOW HOW THE REST OF THE GAME IS IT MIGHT BE TRASH BUT WHILE PLAYING IN THE GAME ITS PERFECTED AND TOO BE HONEST I DONT LIKE ESPN I CANT STAND IT BUT WHAT I SAW ON YOUTUBE BLEW ME AWAY, AND IF ANYBODY WANNA TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT I SAW GO TO YOUTUBE AND PUT 'ESPN NFL 2K9' DONT ADD THE QUOTES AND HAVE ALL THE LETTERS LOWER CASE

• jellybean3454 said March 31, 2009

  O YEA MAKE SURE YOU ADD 49ERS NEW UNIFORM AND FIX THE COLTS UNIFORM IT LOOKS SO BRIGHT AND FAKE AND IT SHOULD BE A MORE DARKER BLUE

• tedlin1 said March 31, 2009

  Another feature that has been missing is being able to use 2 profiles in a single game.  If i'm playing a friend on the same console, it would be nice to use two created profiles for stat tracking.

• Avii_Tristan said March 31, 2009

  Cheerleaders?

• thomasengn9 said March 31, 2009

  for the custom uniforms, you should have more options. you should be able to put the team's actual logo where you want it. if your the steelers, have their logo on one side of the helmet. if your the eagles, have the wings on the helmet if you want. also make it so you can have the same color for the default unis as for the custom. sometimes it is really hard to get the right color when making your own.

• MightyMidge7 said March 31, 2009

  In Madden 2009 I was dissapointed at the fact that you could only have 2 people on the same team instead of 3 or 4. So when I have 3 or 4 friends over I want them to be on my team not on different teams. I would like it if I could have 3 or 4 on the same team not 2v2 or 2v1 just not as fun that way.It sometimes is fun to be on different teams, but it would be cool to have 3 or 4 against the comps. Just something to consider in Madden 10.

• tedlin1 said March 31, 2009

  For Franchise mode, when selecting a team, please bring back actual Team Ratings instead of just a filled bar.  Especially when teams are close in rating, it's very hard to determine who is better based on a 3/4 full bar.  Preferrably Overall, Offense, Defense and Special teams similar to pre gen versions.  Also in Franchise mode, re-tool scouting of upcoming rookies.  No matter how much I scout someone, it doesn't seem to tell me anymore or less about them.  Similar to Team Ratings, please remove the "bar" rating scales, and bring back actual numbers.  All the improvements so far look great!

• bkimbrough13 said March 31, 2009

  we need tattoos also

• Avii_Tristan said March 31, 2009

  Also, half-time show? (lots of variation, skippable, featured plus in the background are good options for this)

• warrior310 said March 31, 2009

  thomasengn9 good idea but you can choose to put the logo on one side of the helmet.

  when you make your own color write down how much of what color you have.

  example:

  blue 123

  red 77

  green 90

  just a suggestion if they don't put in what you said.

• joehead10 said March 31, 2009

  Haven't even finished my first season of 09 yet (too busy playing NCAA 09), but think that you should add two draft experts (a la Kiper and McShay) who could have their top 5 at each position and be able to talk needs and abilities of players based off of their NCAA 09 attributes instead of the lame pentagon thing.  Someone should be able to rank order the incoming players from college and tell me if someone would be better as an ILB in a 3-4 or an OLB, project guys as slot receivers instead of starters, etc.  I should also be able to look and see who are going to be Free Agents before the end of the season, by position, by skill instead of having to look all over each team.  And I want to be able to trade picks from multiple years (a la Bus and Browns with Kellen Winslow) and other teams need to cut people for trades to work instead of me screwing around to trade them one guy they need or having to take one of their guys.  I do like the other stuff you are doing, but right now I am still more excited about NCAA10.  Thanks.

• Trevor54 said March 31, 2009

  I was wondering if you can add the Bears white on white and blue on blue uniforms because they wore the white on white last year and they have worn blue on blue. Also can you give us an idea of like 5 players from each team and tell us what there current ratings are.

• Bring_Sexy_back said March 31, 2009

  PLEASE BRING jOHN MADDEN BACK!!!!!!!!!

  qUITE FRNKLY THE CURRENT TWO ARE KINDA GAY....

  IM BEGGING U HERE

  I MEAN I LOVE MADDEN BUT I NEED MADDEN TO TALK 4 ME TO GET FULL ENJOYMENT

  PLUS IT WOULD BE COOL IF YOU COULD SWITCH HEAD REFS

  BUT SERIOUSLY...

  NRING BACK JOHN MADDEN

• spongebob92 said March 31, 2009

  IT WOULD BE AMAZING IF YOU COULD GET THAT 1ST PERSON VIEW ON HERE LIKE OFF OF 2K5 THIS WOULD COMPLETELY BE THE BEST MADDEN EVER MADE AND WOULD LOVE IT IF YALL COULD PUT THAT CAMERA VIEW OR GAME MODE ON HERE LIKE OFF OF 2K5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• iTzLaMaRr said March 31, 2009

  i know this has been brought up a million times but is there any way to jack the presentation system from NFL 2K5?? that game was amazing and was the reason i got into football.  i think presentation brings you closer to the game..seeing the quarterback kick over a gaatorade can after throwin a pick.  havin the cart come on the field when he gets injured.  havin the coach covered in gatorade after a clutch win. hoisting the afc or nfc trophy in the championship game.  simple things that were implemented in 2K5 shuld be easily put into madden.  the presentation is so bland in  madden.  it makes the game feel soo sluggish and boring.  theres no emotion.  after a big play i wanna see the player interactin wit fans, givin them the ball, whole-team celebrations in the endzone like after that devin hester missed field goal return against the giants a few years ago.  i feel like i can speak for all fans of the madden series when i say i want more presentation.  these new perks r great additions.. they'll make the game better but i want to feel like im apart of the game..u guys have 5 months to bring true emotion back to a classic game...theres no reason EA that a game from like 5 yrs ago still has better presentation.

• sconn1 said March 31, 2009

  folks...having a license to use a cable station's name in certain games (ESPN) doesn't give them the rights to drag in whomever has been on their network or even works for them and force them to do voice-overs.

  they have to pay chris berman, mel kiper and whomever to get their voice. they can't even pay madden enough to do new voice overs for the games, so what we get is 95% canned old voice overs and a few new ones (guess they could buy an hour of madden's time) for the new stadium intros.

  chris collinsworth and tom hammond are within budget...that's why they use them. to have greater variety costs more money, period.

  do you want EA's limited resources going to paying high profile announcers or towards better gameplay by hiring and keeping employed designers, engineers and code writers?

• Joey_Grizz said March 31, 2009

  One thing that kills me.... is When i get called for a facemask or a hold... and the defenders hands are like 2 feet away from the facemask... Can ya'll guys make it look like a facemask and a hold... i wanna see them grab the facemask and pull... i wanna see a fist full of Jersey on a holding penalty.... Maybe even add horse collar tackles...cuz they happen quite frequently in the NFL... and even injury caused by these tackles and penalties.... just a little more realism for the game... I know it's a game but nothing suck worst then these inconsistencies

• Joey_Grizz said March 31, 2009

  If i'm not mistaken EA owns the right to use the ESPN brand..... PLEASE USE IT! I wanna see announcers.... Pam Oliver reporting on an injury on the sideline... Hell maybe a NFL Live showing highlights of the days games... with Tom Jackson and Chris "the Swami" Berman.. and his famous "WHOOOP!".... give me sumthing guys... please Gameplay wise u guys are great... but Madden is SERIOUSLY lacking in the presentation dept!

• KILLA KAVOR said March 31, 2009

  How about during the two minute drill when your team is down by a TD or FG while running your 2 min offense for the come back win or tie..your controller pulsates like a heartbeat...that would add to pressure of a comeback win..especially during the playoffs.

• SanDiegoAudi619 said March 31, 2009

  Make Alternate uniforms available online, and more alternate uniforms too, why would this not be possible befor in most other madden games? Also Give LT his RB pass play

• grizly37@gmail.com said March 31, 2009

  I really hope that being able to choose what part of a play you want to challenge is added. Nothing more frustrating then when u want to challenge the catch, and they challenge the ball spot.

• fellowsed said March 31, 2009

  I don't know if anyone has talked about this, but, how about designated guys for passing or running downs? DL, LB, TE, maybe fullback if you've got two with different skill sets.  In scouting, show the drill times and other quick glance info when you scroll over a player instead of having to click on every single player to see if you would even consider being interested in scouting him...Talk about tedious. I hate using lead blocker to be able to run the ball effectively...am I the only one?

• IronRazor57 said March 31, 2009

  For the most genuine love of the game, how many gamers would enjoy having & trade "unlockable Historic and/or Hall Of Fame Players & SB-Teams[accurately named, numbered, stats, attributes,etc.], Coaches[stats, Off/Def Playbook & Play-Calling Styles], Stadiums[fan effects/impact] --vs-- the WACK & NEVER USED cheat Gold, Silver, Bronze [waste of creative game design space] things like "Fumblitis, Stone Hands, Couch Potato, etc.

  How much more TRULY ABOUT NFL-love-of-the-game are unlocking access to PLAYERS like Walter Payton, Lawrence Taylor, Jack Lambert, Joe Montana, *** Butkus, Deacon Jones, Warren Moon, Jerry Rice, Jim Kelly, Tony Dorsett, Roger Staubach, Lynn Swan, etc...?  Or HOF COACHES with their coaching schemes like Tom Landry and his Defensive Linemen in the "Flex Formation" Marv Levy and the "Run-n-shoot" Buddy Ryan and his "Dominating 46 Defense" Bill Parcells' "Smash-mouth Running" styles... Joe Gibbs Singleback Counter Trey, Vince Lombardi Sweeps, Hank Stram

  ...and if you guys can't or won't do it [design it into the game], then at least build the capacity into the game wherein "the brighter entrepreneurial types" like myself can collaborate with you in business to create "Aftermarket Memorycard Accessory Items" that can be purchased with the same features & benefits.  I am sure beyond doubt that countless other diehard gamers/fans have an occasional desire to Fantasy Draft, Trade, Risk, Build/Manage a Franchise Mode that includes the same and similar Players, Coaches, Asst-Coaches, Custom Playbooks User-vs-User, User-vs-CPU, and even to view CPU-vs-CPU Season, Tournament, Franchise and or Play Now ability.  

  No valid excuse NOT to add these Madden NFL Type features versus "create a fan" type things.  EA Sports has more than enough resources to expand any necessary NFL Hall Of Fame licensing agreement, including an agreement for use of Historic NFL Player's Names & Stats (even if you have to think outside the box [or expand a new one] by creating a benefit for past NFL Greats who gave so much to develop the game we love today... from the additional profits of using their names).    

• DiodeX said April 01, 2009

  I would like to see an option to select a defensive captain, limited to either a safety or LB and you have to be in control that player to use the functions.

  Would be good so you could call what you see the O running, if you see a screen you(with how ever it is done ie D pad)call a screen etc.

  Maybe have 4 calls, screen, draw, pass and run.(probably need a Wildcat call!)

  I find that sometimes the D in zone Defense react to slowly to runs.

  Also better stats at the end of the game in your e mail would be great, individual player stats would be nice. Being in a league or 2, it would be good to have decent stats. It is a number game as well you know!

• KRYP2NITE4 said April 01, 2009

  i know that i have already mentioned this but i want EA and everyone in this forum to understand what i mean when i say "playoff logos".. so everybody type in these links below so that you all can catch my drift... take a look!!! look at all 7 links.

  images.google.com/imgres

  www.gettyimages.com/.../Getty-Images-Sport|1&axs=0|84426613%2c84426610%2c84426584%2c84426512%2c84426509%2c84426506%2c84426495%2c84426491%2c84426411%2c84426271%2c84426266%2c84426257%2c84426253%2c84425783%2c84425778%2c84353304%2c84350915%2c84349952%2c84543060%2c84543045%2c84543028%2c84272707%2c84252104%2c84252092%2c84252069%2c84307685%2c84304947%2c84304941%2c84304935%2c84304929%2c84304922%2c84304918%2c84301218%2c84301217%2c84301214%2c84301188%2c84278333%2c84278312%2c84267384%2c84238224%2c84404654%2c84404633%2c84208909%2c84208857%2c84169611%2c84169607%2c84327723%2c84327688|0

  www.gettyimages.com/.../Getty-Images-Sport|1&axs=0|84426613%2c84426610%2c84426584%2c84426512%2c84426509%2c84426506%2c84426495%2c84426491%2c84426411%2c84426271%2c84426266%2c84426257%2c84426253%2c84425783%2c84425778%2c84353304%2c84350915%2c84349952%2c84543060%2c84543045%2c84543028%2c84272707%2c84252104%2c84252092%2c84252069%2c84307685%2c84304947%2c84304941%2c84304935%2c84304929%2c84304922%2c84304918%2c84301218%2c84301217%2c84301214%2c84301188%2c84278333%2c84278312%2c84267384%2c84238224%2c84404654%2c84404633%2c84208909%2c84208857%2c84169611%2c84169607%2c84327723%2c84327688|0

  www.gettyimages.com/.../Getty-Images-Sport|1&axs=0|84426613%2c84426610%2c84426584%2c84426512%2c84426509%2c84426506%2c84426495%2c84426491%2c84426411%2c84426271%2c84426266%2c84426257%2c84426253%2c84425783%2c84425778%2c84353304%2c84350915%2c84349952%2c84543060%2c84543045%2c84543028%2c84272707%2c84252104%2c84252092%2c84252069%2c84307685%2c84304947%2c84304941%2c84304935%2c84304929%2c84304922%2c84304918%2c84301218%2c84301217%2c84301214%2c84301188%2c84278333%2c84278312%2c84267384%2c84238224%2c84404654%2c84404633%2c84208909%2c84208857%2c84169611%2c84169607%2c84327723%2c84327688|0

  www.gettyimages.com/.../Getty-Images-Sport|1&axs=0|84426613%2c84426610%2c84426584%2c84426512%2c84426509%2c84426506%2c84426495%2c84426491%2c84426411%2c84426271%2c84426266%2c84426257%2c84426253%2c84425783%2c84425778%2c84353304%2c84350915%2c84349952%2c84543060%2c84543045%2c84543028%2c84272707%2c84252104%2c84252092%2c84252069%2c84307685%2c84304947%2c84304941%2c84304935%2c84304929%2c84304922%2c84304918%2c84301218%2c84301217%2c84301214%2c84301188%2c84278333%2c84278312%2c84267384%2c84238224%2c84404654%2c84404633%2c84208909%2c84208857%2c84169611%2c84169607%2c84327723%2c84327688|0

  www.gettyimages.com/.../Getty-Images-Sport|1&axs=0|84397392%2c84397384%2c84397378%2c84397372%2c84397367%2c84397341%2c84397219%2c84393097%2c84393031%2c84392944%2c84392921%2c84354376%2c84353304%2c84350978%2c84350915%2c84349952%2c84259014|60

  www.gettyimages.com/.../Getty-Images-Sport|1&axs=0|84397392%2c84397384%2c84397378%2c84397372%2c84397367%2c84397341%2c84397219%2c84393097%2c84393031%2c84392944%2c84392921%2c84354376%2c84353304%2c84350978%2c84350915%2c84349952%2c84259014|60

  all of these playoff logos should be in the game. EA, please make it happen

• MightyMidge7 said April 01, 2009

  I think there should be a more than 2 people on a team.  I know in Madden 09 you could only have 2 people to a team not 3 or 4. So when I have my friends over we can play us 3 or 4 against the computer if we want to be laid back or stuff like. Just something to consider for Madden 10.

• MightyMidge7 said April 01, 2009

  Also you guys should try and use your ESPN license. Like a halftime show where its shows the top highlights of the half or a postgame show where it has the player of the game. I think you guys could do something with the crowd possible make them a little bit more realistic its not that important, but it would be cool if the fans looked somewhat realistic.

• RJTheDestroyer said April 01, 2009

  One thing I want you guys to add, is the Blocking From Behind penalty (which is basically what you guys have as Clipping I believe). Clipping's pretty much phased out in the NFL now. Also, Blocking From Behind is only a 10 yard penalty rather than a 15 yard penalty. I have felt that this would add a ton to the realism aspect of the game for quite a few years now (since I realized that blocking from behind was a 10 yard and not 15 yard penalty and clipping was essentially phased out).

• weWUVkittens said April 01, 2009

  you should have the same sort of living roster thing that 2k has..also in the older maddens you had that bar pop up on the bottom and show the scores for the other games if you're in a franchise, that was pretty sweet..make the commentators say a million names cause it's annoying playing more than one season and having everyone be "nuuumber 23 with a 5 yard gain" and the commentary should be shorter, dudes get annoying sometimes...you should have an off switch for that rewind cause after i mess up it ***** me off to hear about it..and www.backbreakergame.com = much better than that prerecorded tackle for everything..sometimes the balls go through peoples hands or heads...that was annoying..it'd be cool if there were some good players out of the draft instead of having to build them all the time..matt forte didn't need building, neither did calvin johnson...and having like a team chemistry would be cool too like t.o.=negative a billion..or like franchise players, like the pats aren't ever going to let tom brady go so i shouldn't be able to trade for him unless i make a deal that screws me over big time..but other players like well t.o. that get traded around should be easier ooo i forgot..you should have like pro-day and stuff so you can evaluate all your prospects..that'd be sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet and whenever i have a bad qb (travaris jackson) he'd throw perfectly except some 3rd downs he'd just throw it randomly into the ground..if players could like bump into eachother like if a half back is pushing up against the o-line that'd be cool too...and i wish that custom characters could be white and have long hair.in general you should make the create a player thing waaaaaay bigger..face sliders, hair styles, hair colors, facial hair, and celebrations(big catch, touchdown, little catch, big run, little run, first down, converting on 4th, converting on 3rd, huge kick return etc.) that would make the game feel like it's mine and more like the nfl..hits should be nastier too..and the crowd should be like in fifa when its tied and the home team is close to scoring (hurt my ears so bad i had to turn down the volume) in madden the crowds like "yay touchdown" no matter if it was for the win or if it was adding to a blowout and having that thing in madden 05 where they had a drive summary..that was cool, the superstar mode was way better in those days too.how you moved up and stuff..it'd be cool if the o-linemen were more real too..like if your left sides weak you keep getting pressured from that side and the cp knows it so they blitz you there...and bad linemen shouldn't let people go past but they should get blown over and stuff...

• majgoku said April 02, 2009

  1) Improve Super Bowl as an overall event - locker room coverage, confetti, storming the field, etc.

  2) Yes to cheerleaders!!! Or let us tackle a mascot on the way to the locker room at the half???

  3) While in game, the "current drive" updates at the bottom center of the screen (as players line up for the snap) may be a bit too large. Blocks view when in a hurry - when seeing the full field as soon as possible (read defense, motion players) is key. Waiting for it to fade takes precious seconds off of the playclock. Perhaps the window can collapse/disappear on 'X' or be sized to fit in the lower right/left corner?

  4) Speed Training is too easy...whole team can reach 99 if one is determined. Should manage it using a height vs weight ratio and cap it using real player stats while allowing 2-3 points above actual speed?

  5) Wire Highlights - on a passing play have the camera pull back to a wider shot as soon as the ball is hiked or rises above a certain plane when thrown. This way the receiver and the QB are in the shot at the same time. When the ball descends the camera can then zoom in on the receiver. This way the viewer can take in all the events that unfold from the near that sack to that prefectly executed post pattern. All too often the drama of an awesome catch is lost because the camera follows the ball into the cosmos and then all of a sudden it's in the receivers hands.

  6) Try to fix the sideline collision code in regards to in-bounds/out-of-bounds receptions!!! Please??! I don't care much for whether or not they bump into other players on the sideline because that may just lead to "hey why don't they get injured when that happens? It could totally happen!". The last thing I want is to lose a player in a game because the assistant coach happened to be walking to the cooler.

  7) Penalties? Screw adding more penalties. The game gets held up enough and how often have we gotten pissed at the ref for a dumb holding penalty. I'm happy to be spared the grief of over analyzing what is and what is NOT a hold. Keep the core penalties and that's it. Programming penalties that are otherwise the direct result of human aggravation (horsecollaring) or a mild concussion (illegal man downfield) is a waste of time - just in my opinion or until I change my mind.

  8) DNF = loss = the suck .. maybe create a whole new stat or equate them to ties in a ranked match but not a loss or a win?

  9) Halftime - stats/replays/forecasts would be an AWESOME feature to implement.

  10) Option to save at the end of each quarter? You mean I could actually continue the game later because my fiance wants to watch the series finale of ER???? (please consider)

  I've always been generally happy with the Madden products. There are flaws in every game but it's all good. When you combine all the things you need to combine to pull off one of the most successful and sought after NFL games it would be insane to think it would be perfect each time. Keep striving EA. You have some really loyal and intelligent fans with durable insight.

  Great posts by Twister1074 and tigerblackwell@aol.com btw......sorry if I overlapped. Think of  the repetitive ideas as a petition of sorts =)

• monkeyx4 said April 02, 2009

  PLEASE PUT BACK THE THING WHEN THE LAYERS RUN OUT OF THE HELMET LIKE MADDEN 08 BUT BETTER AND DIFFERNT FOR EACH PLAYER.AND EVERYTHING THAT THESE PPL HAVE SAID LOL

• monkeyx4 said April 02, 2009

  PLEASE PUT BACK THE TV SCREEN ON THE SCREEN LOL INSTEAD OIF THE TEAMS SIGN THATS SO FAKE LOL

• warrior310 said April 02, 2009

  what did u say ????? monkeyx4

• A Hot Man Beast said April 02, 2009

  I am the kind of guy who watches football every Sunday (go Miami) and hopes/prays for a big play. I like to see a guy like Ted Ginn burn a few people for a touchdown or make a sick cut move and make a defender look dumb. I don't see that in Madden. My favorite aspect of Madden is the running game and I feel it is lacking. Don't get me wrong, Madden is my favorite game, but it could be better.

  With the running game. You practically have 3 moves, spin, juke, or truck. When I truck with Ronnie Brown, he doesn't plant the guy like he does in real life. He is like 10 year olds playing sandlot football. Spinning is kind of effective for me. It doesn't get the job done like I would expect it to.

  I like to see elusive runningbacks. I sometimes go on youtube and watch film from Barry Sanders because he was amazing. When a player has 99 elusiveness, I expect to see Barry Sanders and no less because 99 = best. There is a problem though, you only have like 1 move for elusive runners, the juke. I mean the juke is fine but you need more. I was at my high schools powder puff football game and I saw a girl, not an NFL runningback, put a sick cut move on a girl that make the whole stand gasp.

  What Madden 10 needs is a cut move. I play backyard football with my friends all of the time and I NEVER see them just juke. They cut, the truck, they hurdle, they do everything. The elusive power never works for me when I need it. It would be great if i could control it. I would like for a defender wrap me up, I spin around and break off. I would like for a defender to take out one of my legs and I stiff arm the ground to keep my balance. I would like to take a big hit and bounce away from it. I would LOVE to SHAKE a defender out of his shoes.

  I have read all of the improvements so far and I applaud you. I think you are doing wonders with the game. You are making it real beyond I could believe. I think that this would take it a step further.

  Another thing I think should be added is emotions. If someone made a big hit, they would get up and pound their chest or something. Another cool feature would be a Create a Celebration feature. A responsive crowd would be cool, if would actually give you the feel of home field advantage. If a receiver made a big time catch, the crowd should go wild.

  I am not a designer of the game, but I see you are on the path to making the gameplay better and more realistic. I think you should stay on that path and next year, work on the franchise mode. I enjoy a little bit of strategy with sports. You should model yourselves a little bit like NFL Head Coach 09. An expansive draft where YOU have to evaluate prospects. You can watch your prospects during game but the computer keeps an expansive clip board on the guy you are watching. Your coaches should be more indepth. Let them have playbooks and what not. Let them have strengths and weaknesses. That also reminds me that you should have a Create a Play/ Create a Playbook feature. Well, please consider my thoughts and thanks for being great :D

• A Hot Man Beast said April 02, 2009

  Also with my running thoughts, you should be able to do simulatanious (can't spell) moves. For exmaple, you cut right to get out of the way one defender and as another one if about to hit you, cut left. Unfortunately I can't describe to you what I am picturing in my head :/

• QVNYC84 said April 03, 2009

  Hey I had an idea for customization for when the actual is finished, but it would be for online play; the ability to wear throwback jerseys. Can this finally be brought back to Madden? In Madden 05, I remember having the ability to wear alternate uniforms for online play, and since 06, that ability to customize the jerseys had only be available for LAN play. Can the makers of this game bring that feature back? It was a small thing, but I really loved it. I hope to see it and Madden 10 is looking great so far. All the nuisances of 09 seemed to have been removed.

  I also had one question. What can or rather is there anything the producers and makers of Madden do to prevent to the best of the abilities glitches in the game? Specifically online play. I've been the victim of it, and youtube has many videos of people pulling glitches during games. Any thoughts on how to address those matters?

• A Hot Man Beast said April 03, 2009

  I am back again to give my thoughts on the elusive running game. I want to be more specific. I think that the Elusive stat should have more power. The elusive category in Madden 09 is deprived. I would draft people specifically for their elusiveness. They have around 86 elusiveness and I am happy. I suddenly am mad because 1) they have around 92 speed and they can't burn anybody, and 2) they ARE NOT elusive. I can make a juke move on one guy and be wrapped up.

  The Elusive stat should have more power. It's effects shouldn't only happen like twice a game. I don't want to run for 250+ yards a game but I also don't want to only run for 2.5 yards per carry because I like elusiveness.

  A new stat should be inserted into the game, "Balance". Balance is key for every position. If a defender gets cut on, balance determines whether or not he falls. If a runningback is running down the sideline, balance determines whether or not he stays in. If a receiver gets chucked my a defender, balance determines whether or not he trips and falls or gets passed the defender.

  The reason I want balance is for my running purposes. I am from the North Fort Myers, Florida area and I have seen Noel Devine play (North Fort Myers High School). He was incredible. Before he was drafted I looked on a scouting report and it said that balance was one of his strong points, that got me thinking. I figured it was right considering if you get hit by a defender nd you bounce off, it takes balance to stay on your feet. If you are shifting your way through the defense, it takes balance to get through.                          

• SPARTAN 465 said April 03, 2009

  I have a suggestion for Madden 10...when you pick your favorite team I would like see actual highlight reels being played in the background on the main menu....like it was in Madden 08....I thought that was kind of neat

• kgab11 said April 03, 2009

  How about you make the colors under what player you are controlling an easier color to see. I play with one of my buddies and I am usually player 2 and my ring color is green and I can never see it. This leads to missing a lot of tackles, int's., etc. when I switch to the closest player because I have no idea which one I am until I move around a little and then finally figure it out and by then it's too late.

• QVNYC84 said April 05, 2009

  I agree with Spartan. That was a good feature in Madden 08. I think it was in Madden 05 as well. Please bring this back EA!

• lbb33 said April 08, 2009

  last year i ask can we bring back customize our on camera angles for madden. This year i will be really happy if we can please bring back custom camera angles for this years madden.I am going to post a comment until i can get a answer because i really think the game is the best it has ever been since next-gen but it would be the greatest if you add customize your own camera angle like in the old maddens. please can i get a response on this request. thank you    

• EV1L EMPiR3 said April 09, 2009

  they should put a team of people who know football to design and create a real feel to the game.. the people who created the last 5+ madden games don't know *** about football.. way too many PENALTIES, way too many INT"S.. way too EASY for any idiots who know nothing about football to beat an experienced gamer to win..and what about when you throw a screen pass to your RB and all he does is run backwards, what kind of *** is that.. how do you explain a defesive lineman to jump so high in the middle of the field to block a pass intended for the RB who is at least 10 yards away from the lineman.. these last 5+ maddens have been atrocious.. these creators need to wake up and maybe watch a football game from time to time.. TIBURON should take a page out of the NCAA FOOTBALL book and start from there... A VERY PISSED OFF MADDEN PLAYER..

• Qp33zy said April 24, 2009

  So Mr Ian, I'm glad your finally listening to the audience and my only question is will all of these changes that you've guys made will follow up for the current gen (ps2) as well? Like the major issues as far as for the suction magnet, Wr/Db interaction & speed, DL/OL interaction, man/zone coverage and so on. There's still numerous amount of ppl that still enjoy the gameplay for current gen and would like to have those changes as well and im one of them so lets not forget about the current gen. You would be surprise on how many money games are still left on current gen.

• lizard52 said May 01, 2009

  dude what system are you guys using for the ratings they suck use a better system

• ericx1 said May 07, 2009

  I hope you have a screen setting where you can see the whole field.

• lbb33 said May 18, 2009

  can yall please have custom camera angles?custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.

  custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.custom camera angles.please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• stahlherzog said June 20, 2009

  Camera View Guys!  For the love of sweet God this is THE most basic customization that we need.  Not everyone loves playing with the same view.  This is the #1 thing that decides if I buy the game or not.

• saintfan said July 05, 2009

  what about controller configuration? I must be able to change this!!!