Many of the most discussed features in this year’s installment of the Madden NFL video game series have to do with the cosmetic, from Drew Brees adorning the cover to Gus Johnson’s commentary being featured during the gameplay.
Soon, We Will Know That You Always Use The Same Play On 3rd And Long
Of course, there are more than a few significant gameplay changes to stave off the usual cynical assessment that with each passing year the series is only granted a roster update and little else. For instance, the play-calling has been changed so that a player can have specific play packages ready for given situations. The physics behind player motion have been greatly overhauled as well.
While interesting, those might not even be the most eye-catching changes. For online play, EA is going to allow players to scout the competition, thereby knowing your playcalling tendencies even before the game starts.
With “Madden NFL 11,” EA Sports is tracking your every play in order to deliver scouting reports to your online opponents. So now, whether I’m playing against a “Madden” vet in Sacramento or a newbie in Denver, all they need to do is order up my report and they’ll know my tendencies as well as the people I’ve been playing “Madden” against since high school.
“Online scouting tracks all of your play-calling and what you like to do in different situations,” explains producer Donny Moore. “We’re tracking every online game that you play: online ranked, unranked, and ‘Madden Ultimate Team’ head-to-head.”
And according to Moore, there are ten different situations that the game is tracking: First down, second down and long, second down and medium, second down and short, third down and long, third down and medium, third down and short, fourth down, goal line, and red zone.
Previously, all you could glean about another user from their gamer profile was the percentage of run plays vs. pass plays they used, and maybe how often they blitzed on defense. Now, there’s a very revealing array of information one can learn about an opponent even before the opening kickoff.
Here’s where it gets thorny, though. While players can unlock scouting reports by exchanging “coins” earned by playing the game, other, less patient, gamers can merely play real money for them. And thus the folks at EA found another way to monetize online players’ willingness to get an edge. How very Belichickian of them.
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