Blog about hating the Pad

[killgod]

http://kotaku.com/5598081/madden-diehards-pan-its-new-pad

A major change to a technical - but essential - component of calling plays had hardcore Madden gamers howling with complaints within hours of the demo version's release on Tuesday. But the new "Strategy Pad" controls are here to stay, like it or not.

At issue is the new method of pre-snap adjustments. EA Sports has unified that command set on the directional pad, whereas in the past shoulder buttons and Y/triangle were used for such things as shifting the line, assigning hot routes or player audibles to receivers or defensive players, or altering the pass coverage.

A shoulder button or Y/triangle brought up the personnel group's command set, which were then activated with a directional command on the pad or the right analog stick. So, now, some commands are a double press on the D-pad, or D-pad and the stick.

The new D-pad activators might appear easy enough to remember on paper, and the commands after them are consistent with previous versions of Madden. It looks like it's meant to be easier for newer players, or to keep hardcore players from making an unreasonable number of adjustments to exploit a play.

The problem is, the game's longtime veterans had an almost unconscious muscle memory and methodology for it built up over the years. Further, many also play NCAA Football, whose pre-snap adjustments in this year's game remain the old set of shoulder buttons and Y triangle.

By midmorning East Coast time, blogs and forums such as GoMadden and Operation Sports already were jammed with comments from hardcore players feeling alienated, and complaining that they have less time before the snap to make changes on defense.

It's almost impossible to say if that's really the case because it's so situational. I informally put a stopwatch on both Madden 10 and the Madden 11 demo and found pre-snap times (after the break-the-huddle animation) as short as three and four seconds in the case of both games. A lot of it depends on opponent's play style and how the AI's managing the clock.

Madden Diehards Pan Its New 'Pad'Madden NFL's creative director, Ian Cummings, said via Twitter today that "the CPU snaps quickly, so it will be tough to adjust. Have patience." I think the perception of less time to make adjustments is fed largely by people feeling lost in the commands and verifying them in the on-screen menu.

That said, Cummings in the same tweet acknowledged that "Strategy Pad has a steep learning curve." On defense, yes. On offense, it takes about two possessions to get used to.

Answering "Why did we change to strategy pad?" Cummings said, "For usability. Too many inconsistent buttons before ... people would get 'stuck' and they couldn't snap it."

Still, there's also the feeling that this new command set comes as a total surprise, even though Strategy Pad has been known since before E3. I dropped the ball on this; you won't see it anywhere in my impressions and I honestly can't remember using the Strategy Pad. A lot of the coverage and impressions coming back from E3 focused on features like new cooperative team play or GameFlow, the new system that streamlines playcalling without scrapping the old method, if that's still your thing.

For many, though, the key to winning football is how you exploit what you're seeing on the other side of the ball, and only now are people realizing this is the law of the land. In an email this afternoon, EA Sports confirmed that there is no way to switch back to the old command structure. Turning off Strategy Pad is an option but that only deactivates it in your pre-snap view, it doesn't change any functionality.

For myself, I don't like Strategy Pad although, admittedly, I've never been much of an expert on pre-snap adjustments and have made a lot of them by knee-jerk decision. I'm not going to condemn the entire game for it. But on this feature, EA Sports gambled and lost.

In trying to make an aspect of this game more accessible or understandable to those disinclined to use it anyway, the Madden team ran a big risk of alienating those who did already understand and use the commands with second-nature familiarity. They're also the ones most likely to raise a stink big enough to be noticed before the game's release. And they have.

 

[Maynard]

pasta wrote a good read on this feature
http://www.pastapadre.com/2010/07/2...iled-feature-since-the-vision-cone#more-25421

Strategy Pad. Most Reviled Feature Since The Vision Cone?

Going into the Madden 11 demo I expected a somewhat flat response but what we have gotten (albeit in the early hours) is much more negative. While there are a number of things factoring into that the main one centers on the “Strategy Pad”. There is essentially no benefit to the pre-snap adjustments being changed in this fashion and it has thrown a wrench into the level of comfort gamers have with Madden.

The Strategy Pad now houses all the pre-snap adjustments via the D-Pad. The most commonly used functions such as hot routes, shifting, and individual assignment changes are now completed with the D-Pad. I can’t remember a reaction towards a single feature so overwhelmingly negative since the introduction of the “Vision Cone”. Part of that may be due to it catching gamers by surprise however the complaints are primarily based on its functionality.

The biggest issue arises on defense where there is literally no time to assess the offense and then make changes. I’ve never wanted the CPU to sit at the line of scrimmage just for authenticity sake. Even if its Peyton Manning. However with how quickly the CPU snaps the ball there just is no opportunity given because of the lengthier process in completing a single change combined with the necessity to learn the new functions that make each happen.

This is saying something considering that I’ve always been very basic in pre-snap adjustments. On defense I might press the corners and/or adjust the alignment of the defensive line or linebackers. Now though I can’t even complete the most basic of adjustments. There are now more actions required to accomplish less which as a design decision just fascinates me.

This change also really messes with the symmetry between NCAA Football 11 and Madden. While there have always been differences in the two series EA Sports attempted to keep them just similar enough that gamers could go from one to the other without having to make huge adjustments. Some may argue that over time the Strategy Pad will become second nature. However when the two games are so drastically different in something that needs to be done almost unconsciously due to the limited time allotted it becomes much more difficult and really alters the enjoyment had with the games.

The only logical explanation anyone has been able to offer as to why the move to the Strategy Pad was made would be to prevent exploits from being set up by limiting the number of them that can be completed. That wouldn’t apply though to head-to-head games where the snap time may still allow for the necessary changes to be made. Even if this was the intention it represents nothing more than a cover-up of fundamental issues with the game. Instead they need to focus on fixing the exploits, otherwise why wouldn’t their eventual solution be to prevent all pre-snap alterations? After all that would “fix” the exploits that are accomplished through specific or massive movement before the snap right?

Interestingly with Madden 11 attempting to target the casual crowd along new consumers to the product the Strategy Pad goes firmly against what they want to accomplish. It does not fit in the “simpler, quicker, deeper” mantra and is by no means accessible. It has irritated the veterans of the Madden series immediately. It would be difficult for someone less experienced to even grasp the purpose in general let alone them trying to complete any actions on defense leading to eventual frustration. If anything non-hardcore gamers may be more inclined to just ignore the feature than actually utilize it.

I’ve never been one to complain much about a certain feature being removed or a certain feature being changed on a year-to-year basis. However that is because in most cases there was a decent explanation to back them up or it was intended to be an improvement. I am simply baffled by this change and it has me feeling even stronger that over the long haul I’ll be playing much more NCAA than Madden.

While I’ve been following all the discussion on the topic in the comments on the demo posting, through different communities, and on Twiter and Facebook, I’d like to get a more focused take in the comments now. How do you feel about the Strategy Pad in Madden 11?

 

[CCBrink]

Answering "Why did we change to strategy pad?" Cummings said, "For usability. Too many inconsistent buttons before ... people would get 'stuck' and they couldn't snap it."

So that's why they changed it. This happened to me on offense several times. I will decide if I like the new system better after the demo is done downloading.

 

[PP]

Obviously its to stop the # of adjustments which people use to glitch.

 

[Rudi]

Its not that hard to navigate. i'll get used to it. its not THAT bad.

 

[Tailback U]

The funny thing is that people usually glitch and cheese when they run their offense more than on defense.

I use pre-snap adjustments on D to stop cheesy ass Vick and Vince Young users mostly. Now that's going to be a bitch to stop because I can't manually put DEs in contain or a LB at spy and what not.

 

[Tengo Juego]

So that's why they changed it. This happened to me on offense several times. I will decide if I like the new system better after the demo is done downloading.

Uh, what? What happens to you? I dont think I've ever been "stuck" in a position adjustment.

Its not that hard to navigate. i'll get used to it. its not THAT bad.

Who said it was hard? It's not hard, you're right.

But imagine having numbers set to speed dial on your phone(if you have an iPhone/droid, etc., then fuck you), or hot keys on your phone that quickly started applications, and someone went and changed those around, and the next time you went to speed dial someone, or quick start an app, and it didn't work right. You're going to be frustrated.

 

[Raidersabc123]

Ya I dont like the D Pad might take a while to get use to and am I the only one who still holds the top right trigger to run lol

 

[JMeist]

It's not too bad once you get the buttons down. my biggest concern is that when I try to switch defensive players before the snap, while using the dpad so i don't have to scroll through every player, it always takes it as I am adjusting coverage or hot routing a defensive player. very annoying

 

[Boss AZ]

It's horrible plain and simple. I usually make enough adjustments on D to make up for the same shitty plays that have been here the last 10 years. It's just not going to happen now with how it all works.

 

[BigBucs]

This shit is so stupid. I dont care what Ian Cummingas has to say about the shit. Instead of changing the whole system just fix your shitty game so that the ball will snap when its supposed to.

 

[CCBrink]

Uh, what? What happens to you? I dont think I've ever been "stuck" in a position adjustment.

I only happened when I would motion someone. Sometimes it just wouldn't let me snap the ball and I would get a delay of game. Didn't happen very often, but I have seen it several times.

 

[killgod]

the "stuck" situation I believe is this...

press LB to do a O Line block shift, then try and snap the ball. you can't until you direct the line to do something.

now if you're not retarded, you realize the problem, finish the adjustment and then snap the ball, but if you are retarded you applaud the strategy pad.

 

[Tengo Juego]

I only happened when I would motion someone. Sometimes it just wouldn't let me snap the ball and I would get a delay of game. Didn't happen very often, but I have seen it several times.

OH! I've definitely had that happen. But completely changing it for that? Why not just fix it?

 

[deejay8595]

This is BS.Takes to lone to make one damn change now.

 

[ThunderHorse]

idk, I've only been able to play 2 games, and I can see how I probably COULD get used to it, but what's getting to me is this.

A lot of times I'll run a cover 2 and Hot route the Corners to cover the Corner Flat Zone, so when I start on the left corner I'll press the pad once to "activate" it, then go through the next button press to target hot route (I think it's down) then press right for the Zone.

What's annoying me is when I move to the next corner, instead of pressing the "activation" button again, I have one less button press, so I'll find myself pressing the wrong direction trying to activate it and I'll get in shit city if the offense hasn't snapped the ball yet.

I really don't get it, Madden 05 you have it sweet and simple with the line shifts and linebacker shifts combine with all the defensive hot routes mapped easily on the right analog stick, 8 routes, double flick for the second routes.

Next Gen they decide to take out that easy right stick defensive hot route, and instead add a button and make you go through one more step, mapping the hot routes to both analog sticks instead, making it more complicated but deciding to keep the line and LB shifts the same... It sucks, but we get used to it to the extent where we don't complain or bitch about it anymore and it becomes second nature.

Madden 11, they decide to fuck it up even more, for no real apparent reason... IDK man

offensively the strategy pad is just annoying as shit to me too, the audibles now take longer, so instead of just having to flick the right analog stick a direction to switch the play to a run/pass/play action/quick pass, we make you scroll through a mini menu and take out the button mapping for non formation audibles and force you to work with another mini menu.

I'll probably be playing NCAA more this year but I'm going to try and figure it out while I can.

IDK, why fix something that doesn't need to be fixed?

 

[Realist]

I haven't even downloaded the demo, and dont have the desire too. After reading all the negative stuff on madden, i'm sure I'll buy it, but i'm wondering how long people will actually be playing

 

[SHOGUN]

Strategy Pad is wack, especially considering how often I play NCAA.