Month: August 2005

Imagespace Inc (ISI) has been developing racing sims for quite a while. They have produced several of EA’s very popular titles, including the very poplular F1 Challenge and Nascar Thunder series. Now ISI has, they say, compiled all of the lessons learned in a new product entitled rFactor.

Check out the features:

http://www.rfactor.net/index.php?page=features

And some screenshots:

http://www.rfactor.net/index.php?page=wip

ISI has an rFactor “multiplayer test” available on their site which was used both as a preview to generate enthusiasm in the race sim community, and also to stress test the online engine. I spent a few weeks getting to “know” the demo’s Taban racetrack and its small sedans (there are three classes), and it was by far the most enjoyable race sim experience I have had since I started with Ferrari GP on my Mac SE30.

Every sim will have its critics, but I really believe that most of the “it doesnt feel real” claims for most sims come from not working to find steering ratios and steering linearity, and total steering lock settings that match an individual’s hardware and driving style. It takes work, much like testing racecar setups, and is only gratifying once you get it right. I was reading Tune to Win (one of several “To Win” books by legendary race engineer Carroll Smith) in the middle of my rFactor demo “phase”, and was reading about differential settings. How I had the differential set in rFactor was somewhat contrary to what I had read, so I booted the game, made the change according to the book and went 1/2 second a lap faster immediately. Coincidence? I honestly don’t think so.

rFactor is being built with mod makers in mind (see “Open Architecture” section of the features list), which is why you see screen shots of both sedans and open wheel cars. Unlike many other sims that have been modded by third parties, I gather that ISI is more interesting in giving users the right tools to control the performance envelope of the mods they choose to allow in their online races, rather than building barriers to editing that have never historically retained their resiliency. The great “Grand Prix Legends” sim of 1998 ultimately was ultimately ruined as an online sim when the modders began enabling cheating in the name of creativity.

ISI is distributing this one direct via internet and you can prepay for your unlock code via Paypal. I like this as I do not have to shake my head at the EBGames guy when he asks if I want to buy the disk warranty.

You can tell that I�m a product of Action!PC football by Dave Koch Sports � I like to call formations, plays, subs, and who�s blitzing, but I�m not a thumb-jockey by trade, and it may come as a surprise to many that I sometimes hit the �3� button when I should hit �4�. Don�t tell Chris, but one first down last Saturday was thrown into what looked like quadruple coverage in just such an instance. I own Madden �03, but without a human opponent, that game didn�t have any endurance factor relative to other things I was playing. Prior to now, I�ve never gotten over the fact that Tiki Barber can stink just because it�s me controlling his movements.

Regarding the cone. I�m not using it yet(?)(!). On offense, I�m focusing on high percentage routes in my play selection, reading the defense, calling audibles, calling hot-routes and changing primary receivers. I realize this will not serve me well against experienced opponents, but for now it keeps the ball moving and I don�t intend to get complacent. It seems that if you don�t yet have a feel for when the WR curl actually comes open during your QB�s drop, for example, you can put the cone right on your man and it won�t matter much. This is Madden 102 I�m taking, guys. I think most people are in the 500-level advanced courses. I�ll start scanning soon, but not just yet.

Somebody mentioned in one of the Madden fan site threads that the game slows down gradually if you play it a lot�not a revelation, but its pretty key to your development and I think it�s starting to happen already after a week. That said, I have NOT mastered throwing the ball away as Chris mentions, so I�m taking a fair number of sacks, and my reads when running the ball are only beginning to show some feel. I�m not sure I�m a good judge of whether or not the gameplay is too �slow�, but I also watch a lot of NFL football and I don�t get that impression in the least. I re-watch a lot of my practice and solo plays in slow motion, and I can see where the runner falling, getting tripped up, or bouncing between two defenders as he goes down would give that �quicksand� impression, but it doesn�t occur to me at all when playing head to head.

I still haven’t created a franchise yet because the on field portion of the game is so interesting. This is the first Madden that requires you to scan the field and make realistic decisions about where to throw the ball. The hit button 4 and make a perfect pass to the reciever is gone under the QB vision model. Many times my team gets to the line of scrimmage, I survey the defense, see one on one coverage, and immediately switch my “cone” to that side (if necessary) after the snap to hit the receiver. I didn’t have to worry about any of this stuff in other Madden versions.

I actually learned how to throw the ball away in Madden NFL 06 because forcing the pass to double covered receivers is a fast way to an interception.

Yesterday, Geoff and I played about three quarters of a 12 minute All Pro game. It’s clear that we both have to work on passing because many of the turnovers were created by our still in progress learning curve with the vision system. Otherwise, the game was pretty exciting and produced reasonable statistics. The running game was as effective as you’d expect and the passing game worked very nicely. Play action passes are very effective when mixed with a good running attack. Geoff burned my team on a blitz and threw a 40 yard bomb into single coverage for a touchdown.

Some people are complaining that the game is “too slow” on the field. I agree that on some running plays the end of the play seems to be moving in quicksand at times. Otherwise, it looks just fine to me. I’ve watched many, many football games live and until I moved to Texas, was a Jacksonville Jaguars season ticket holder. Maybe those used to the quick pace of some of the arcade games are noticing this slow down, but I am not seeing it except where previously mentioned.

I’m no EA Sports fanboy, but I am having fun with Madden NFL 06 PC so far.

As I continue to play Madden, I continue to appreciate it for what it is – a solid game of football. At this point I am not worried about what it is not � a perfect simulation of football. I only have a few disappointments thus far. First, the franchise mode has not been overhauled. Second, decent/consistent punt returns are darn near impossible. Third, my fingers are no longer nimble enough to make sure of all the fun stuff in the game such as the new passing cone.

Let us talk about the franchise mode for a minute. I have a feeling that it is built well enough for the majority of the fans that purchase Madden year in and year out, but simulation fans will quickly grow depressed with some of the limitations and the questionable (dare I say poor) AI logic.

I did a simulation last night and the Vikings beat the Colts 18-17 in the Super Bowl. Come on! That would never happen in real life …

Seriously, Bill Belichick retired after the 1995 season. No way, not going to happen. The Falcons let Alge go. That’s crazy talk! The Giants used a Top 10 draft pick on another stud QB. That is just the top of the list; I have more, but I am not going to dwell on the other items right now.

The AI still has no concept of drafting for need, and if they draft for value (i.e. the Giants example) they do not trade a QB such as Eli or the newly drafted wunderkind to help fill a hole on the team. I am not going to write that this sort of AI is easy to implement, but you would think EA would have made some improvements by now. Then again, maybe they figure that only a few geeks with blogs will notice the problems, much less care to complain. Anyway, it is the same old same old with the drafting AI, and that is a rather bitter pill to swallow.

Another issue with the off-season franchise stuff is the order you perform the various tasks:

1. Retired Players
2. Restricted Free agents
3. Re-sign Players
4. Rookie Scouting
5. NFL Draft
6. Sign Draft Picks
7. Free Agent Signing
8. Re-order Depth Charts
9. Start New Season

Maybe it is this way in real life, but I hate having to decide which restricted free agents and players I want to sign prior to the draft. I would be much nicer to at least be able to scout the draft prior to having to decide to re-up a WR when the draft is full of WRs.

The franchise mode is fun, but most of us (sim fans we be) will have to implement house rules to keep from exploiting the CPU (via the draft or trades). The CPU AI logic for drafting is so weak, that I suspect that many sim-heads are going to run all 32 teams and manually draft to keep things nice and tidy. I do not really want to do this, but after watching several stupid drafts, I am pretty sure that the alternative will get disapointing after a few seasons. That is enough talk about Madden’s franchise mode for now.

What about punt returns? Still trying to figure this one out. Last night I watched (Falcons/Jaguars) many punts go unreturned, but Madden’s implementation of punt returns may be downright poor. I have read enough posts that say punt returns are broken (and that “there is nothing you can do”). I am not sure if most of these posts are coming from Xbox or PS2 owners; sometimes there is a difference between systems when it comes to this sort of thing, so hopefully the PS2 version can be “fixed.” I guess I am going to have to break down and tweak sliders and read more message boards to see if someone has come up with a decent solution. I am not expecting miracles, but I do expect Rossum to average around 10 yards per return.

My final issue for this post is really more of a criticism of me as opposed to the game. New features such as the passing cone are neat – sure it looks like a giant flashlight as so many others have described it, but I think it does a great job of simulating a QB going through his progression of reads. My problem is that my dexterity (or lack there of) more often than not lets me down. Maybe practice makes perfect, but I am just not adapt at pressing buttons (especially combinations of buttons) very quickly.

Overall I like Madden, but as of right now, I think I like NCAA Football better. It may not be the best “pure” football game, but it plays well enough to be fun, and I think the NCAA AI recruits better than the Madden AI drafts.

Three quick points. First, it does not matter if Vick learns to stay in the pocket, rolls out, becomes a West Coast Master, etc. If the o-line does not learn to block Vick is going to have his freaking head knocked off. Second, for the second week in a row Atlanta’s first string offensive has looked pretty good. Vick is making good decisions, and Dunn has looked extremely impressive. Third, the Falcons’ secondary is too damn small. Hall may turn out to be impressive, but the rest of the guys are just not going to cut it if ATL is to make tracks this year.

Madden punt watch is on: the punting game appears to be fairly broken (I know, this after my last post) so I figured I would pay special attention to the punts tonight to see what happens. First punt (Falcons to Jaguars) � the returner is drilled; this looks exactly like Madden. Second punt goes in the end zone. Third punt, plenty of running room for Rossum, but a block in the back cancels the play out. End of the first quarter, so maybe more to come.

It had to happen sooner or later; I decided to check out some of the old hang-outs (and some new places) to see what sort of buzz on the street was surrounding the latest, greatest Madden release. Big mistake.

For starters, I learned of some glitch that lets you figure out if your opponent (CPU or human) is going to run or pass. Granted, it is only for certain formations, but apparently this is a game killer for lots and lots of people. Interesting enough, it seems to be more of a game killer for fans of NFL2K5. Go figure; strange happenings that one.

SPOILER WARNING IF YOU CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK: This glitch (for a lack of a better word MaddenMania.com* does not want to describe it as a bug) was apparently in previous versions of Madden including 2004 and 2005, so says the rumors. It is just crazy out there; apparently MaddenMania was trying to suppress any description of the “glitch” in their forums for fear of something. What? No idea. Like I said strange happenings abound.

The crazy thing with this bug is that some gamers are chalking it up as part of the “EA exclusive NFL license means bad games” theory. Why on Earth would EA want to screw the general gaming public by purposely giving us games full of bugs? Some of the message boards just leave me speechless.

Or how about how EA’s QA department sucks – if this problem has been in 2 prior versions of Madden, it was obviously not that easy of an issue to spot. The whole thing leaves me very perplexed – I guarantee you that 99% of Madden owners did not know about this issue until someone posted on a board, and of course it spread like wildfire. Where there is dung, there are flies.

Another head turner is the inordinate number of posts clamoring about the lack of football choices. “I have to buy Madden 2006 because it is the only choice for NFL football this year.” WTF is that about? Did someone force all these gamers to stop playing NFL2K5 (or Madden 2005 or any other previous version of a NFL game for that matter)?

The casual gamer in me thinks that some rabid fans need to get a life, but the football fan in me understands the importance of getting things right. The franchise mode is nice and all, but the AI cannot draft for crap – this is a recurring problem and it has to be pointed out to EA. With that said, at this point in my gaming life it is much better for me to focus on having fun with my games, not finding every single flaw.

I don’t know. Some days I want to bitch and moan and complain about all the problems in Madden (and other games), but these days it just seems so silly, petty, and otherwise unimportant. I suppose I will always have my moments, but I could do without reading about glitches/bugs/flaws that I would never find without the help of message boards.

I am not sure what is worse – the fact that I wasted part of my life reading through the waves of crap, or the fact that I actually posted to MaddenMania. Ouch. Pretty damning.

* [You may have to be a MaddenMania.com registered member to read the post; I am not going to quote the spoilers here.]

Anybody that has played five minutes of football at the high school or higher level understands why the cone used in Madden is very realistic. Heck, every player has such “cones” on the field and it is the hardest thing to adjust to when starting to play football. As a receiver, I always had to remember to use my field of vision and not get lulled into sleep because of the way the helmet restricts your ability to see left and right. Many times a defensive player would appear at my side and I wouldn’t see him until his pad was making contact with my torso.

Same with QBs. They too are restricted by the helmet and what their field of vision allows them to see. Some are better at viewing receivers down the field and others are not. So kudos to EA Sports for trying to model this in Madden.

I suggest people like Bill Harris try putting on a football helmet and making a pass down the field to four or five streaking wide receivers. Their complaints about cones might cease. The execution of the field of vision feature can be improved, but I certainly like the concept.

I came across an interesting article for beer drinkers/lovers. Last month The Boston Globe ran an article about the great beer debate – bottles vs. cans. Apparently Jim Koch (of Sam Adams fame) said that canned beer more or less sucked.

I have always liked bottled beer, but I have to admit that I am not sure that I could tell the difference between my favorite brands in a taste test. I guess I need to learn to save money and go with cans, which is precisely what I did tonight when I picked up a 12-pack of Budweiser Select – the can 12-pack was several dollars cheaper than the 12-pack of bottles. I have been curious about Select, but to be honest it is nothing to write home about. Bud Select is more or less beer flavored water; sort of like Natural Light with a little more beer flavor.

Geoff and I played a brief five minute quarter game using the internet IP method. Took us a few minutes to configure my firewall, but everything was silky smooth during the game, where the mighty Texans defeated the Giants in a 10-0 defensive struggle. There were quite a few interceptions, but they more than likely were due to the humans pushing the buttons as opposed to the CPU. Playing on the default settings and no real complaints yet. There were penalties called, sacks were made, etc.

Round 2 of the Texans v. Giants will occur Thursday evening. I have to practice!

I’ve always been a fan of Madden internet play as opposed to the actual solo game. However, this season I will take a closer look at the franchise mode. The game on the field is good enough now that I might actually enjoy it.

The one thing that EA Sports never seems to understand is that if they want a hardcore, rabid, OOTP Baseball-like following, they have to allow seasons from current games to be imported into future versions. Do I want to spend all of the effort to grow a team and get attached to my players if I know in a few short months I have to start all over? The answer is no, and this is another reason I really don’t spend time with EA Sports franchise modes.

Of course, this may be the only EA Sports game that I am actually interested in running a franchise.

It seems I haven’t lived in Texas long enough. Houston actually IS the “bayou city.” I guess living in Louisiana tainted my view that anything out of that state could be related to the bayou. So Madden commentary can’t be faulted there.

So far, I’m pretty impressed with Madden on the field. This is the first time I’ve played it in a couple of years, but what I see I like. A very nice addition is the QB vision control. Each QB has a field of vision that is highlighted on the field after the ball is snapped. Passes thrown within the field of vision have a higher probability of success.

Peyton Manning has a huge field of vision while other lesser QBs have narrower “cones.” The complication is that during pass plays, you’ll have to lock onto receivers or cycle through them using your field of vision to complete passes. They can still be thrown outside the cone, but those passes have a lower complete rate.

I never thought I’d say this about Madden, but it’s very realistic.

The game has lost its arcadey feel for the most part. Teams can execute running games and it’s a viable alternative to passing offenses. Defenses are defending the pass. Sacks are occuring with some frequency. I actually saw a couple of coverage sacks, something I never was able to do in previous Madden iterations.

These observations are only based on four games to date, but I am not complaining at this point.

Why can’t EA Sports fix the commentary code in Madden? I’ve played two games so far. I was greated to the “bayou” stadium by Al Micheals, which is interesting since Reliant field is in Houston, the last time I checked. Team kicks a field goal, Al Micheals says “the offense will want seven from this,” or words to that effect. Huh?

Another observation – Texans fumble a punt return to the cheers of the crowd. The tackle after the fumble recovery led to Texans high-fiving each other. I don’t think so…

I purchased the last copy of Madden NFL 06 PC at my local Gamestop this afternoon. An odd thing occurred during the purchase. After looking around for the game, I asked the clerk if they had the PC version available. He walked over to the display case and removed the box, which apparently had no CDs inside. While I was swiping my credit card, I noticed that he went into a draw and removed CDs to place inside my copy of the game.

Since it was the last copy in the store I didn’t complain, but is this common practice at Gamestop? Some sort of security deterrent? I was initially concerned that my product ID code wasn’t going to work if somebody else used the CDs. But I’ve loaded the game and everything is working just fine up to this point.

The first thing you’ll notice when Madden loads is the “NFL Exclusive License” text added to the familiar intro screen. Graphics are gorgeous at 1600×1200 32-bit with everything at the highest level. I played a quick game (Texans vs. Colts) and will post more impressions as I move through various modes. Geoff is getting a copy so we can try out the online features.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you should already know that Madden is selling at huge numbers. So for the doomsayers, there hasn’t been much of a backlash to the NFL license. In fact, almost every person who moaned loud and hard about this deal is either going to purchase the game, or already has it. Kudos to EA Sports for this business decision, because they understand the lemming nature of most sports gaming fans, and are exploiting their target audience with a precision that should become case study for business school students.

Heck, even I am going to purchase the PC version this year.

As one might hear in NFL Street, don’t hate the player, hate the game. From all accounts, Madden NFL 06 is about as wacky and bug filled as any other version, so the NFL deal really hasn’t changed much. I do believe that next year will be the true test. I figure that the 06 version was in the works before the deal was done. Madden NFL 07 will be the test to see just how much EA Sports will sit on its cash cow.

I have read that next generation games may cost $10 more on average (i.e. $59.99), but I really did not expect it to happen. Too bad, but it looks like it is coming if gamestop.com is any indication. I just too a look at their PS3 and Xbox 360 game listing, and there was sticker shock staring me in the eyes.