To ensure Madden is the best game possible, scheduled updates are deployed by the Madden Development Team to add features to the game after launch and to tune gam eplay based on community feedback. The launch updates focus on many of the issues that participants of the Closed Beta identified. Here is a detailed breakdown of what’s included in the various pre-release updates now live in Madden NFL 19.
Key Highlights:
- Authenticity: Updated various stadium exteriors, player likenesses/bodies, rosters and coaches
- Real Player Motion: Improved Pre-Play QB Signatures, Players’ Acceleration rates and AI-controlled ball carriers’ usage of the One-Cut mechanic
- Franchise: Tuned rookie generation to better match the base rosters & skill point progression for better league balance
- Commentary: Added additional commentary for Franchise, MUT Solo Challenges, and more player specific content for the Legends and Rookies
- Soundtrack: The Controversial YG “Big Bank” track updated
Change Log:
- General stability and quality improvements
Franchise Updates:
- Tuned generated rookies to now have traits that are similar to base rosters
- Tuned the frequency of high OVR rookies generated in the draft
- Increased regression for some positions to maintain a more realistic league turnover rate
- Increased XP cost of skill points for younger players, and reduced XP cost for higher OVR players
- Tuned XP earned from training, awards, and goals to increase XP gain for rising stars
- Reduced frequency of injuries
- Reduced simulated game score results during the preseason for better realism
- Tuned post game Snapshot logic to reduce shots of idle players and empty space
Visual Updates:
- Resolved a bug where the camera POV would exit the stadium
- Updated various stadium exteriors, player likenesses/bodies, rosters and coaches
- Updated face likeness for the following players:
- San Francisco 49ers’ QB Jimmy Garoppolo
- Buffalo Bills’ QB Josh Allen
- Arizona Cardinals’ QB Josh Rosen
- Baltimore Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson
- New York Jets’ QB Sam Darnold
- New York Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley
- Kansas City Chiefs’ WR Tyreek Hill
- Philadelphia Eagles’ K Jake Elliott
- New Orleans Saints’ LB Alex Anzalone
- Baltimore Ravens’ TE Hayden Hurst
Gameplay Updates:
- Tuned Acceleration rate so players can hit their top speed faster
- Fixed an issue to make QB Pre-Play audio when using hot routes to bluff on running plays
- Fixed Pass Interference penalties not being called when a defender would use the cut stick mechanic vs. a receiver while running his route – this applies to all Game Styles and difficulty levels
- Added ability to view Team TD Celebrations when playing online
- Added coverage logic to better defend passes to the flats
- Fixed an issue causing AI-controlled ball carriers to repeatedly use the one-cut mechanic during the same play
- Fixed an issue to make the Audibles on the Fly interface update dynamically
- Fixed an issue that was preventing users from loading into game with their selected playbook when not using an active profile
- Fixed cases of players giving up on the play after a failed attempt at a fumble recovery
- Fixed fumbled tosses on the following plays: I Form Pro FB Fake HB Flip, Gun Trips TE Speed Option, I Form Pro HB Toss
- Tuned to decrease the frequency of defensive wins vs. double team blocks on zone plays
- Fixed a missed handoff on Wildcat Trips Over Jet Sweep
- Fixed issues with pre-play pass blocking adjustment interface that caused players to get stuck in the menu
- Fix for blockers on kick return sometimes forming an illegal wedge, per new NFL kickoff rules
- Fixed an issue causing players to repeatedly knock the ball out during fumble recoveries
- Fixed an issue around the camera pointing in the wrong direction during Extra Points and Field Goals
- Fixed an issue that caused receivers to go into a pass block assignment when running curl routes or after being sent in motion
- Fix for defensive linemen constantly shifting back and forth when using defensive line adjustments in pre-play
- Fix for receivers and/or defenders warping out of catch interactions
- Fix for receivers running backwards after catching WR Screen passes
- After watching you play the game and listening to your Beta feedback, Ea increased the speed of the QB pre-play animations and added some more clock-driven context around them while maintaining the integrity of the new approach. You can read about the QB Signatures in further detail in our earlier Game play Deep Dive (https://www.easports.com/madden-nfl/news/2018/gameplay-deep-dive).
- Tuned to make player transitions smoother from the huddle break to the line of scrimmage
- Added functionality for QBs’ pre-play animations to speed up when there is either 10 seconds or less on the play clock, or the game clock when it’s running – under these circumstances, all QB adjustments will use Hot Route animations only
- Tuned to increase the speed of QB pre-play animations
- Added functionality for one free pre-play adjustment when breaking the huddle – the QB will not use an animation if an adjustment is called right after the huddle break
PC Updates:
- Resolved an issue that would cause keyboard and mouse users to log out of their Origin account when entering Exhibition modes