Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Is it time for a true Kicking System?


 Hypothetical Situation: NBA 2K player is playing a friend in an end-of-game situation with only time for one possession left. He runs his best play, takes his best player and shoots a mid-range jumper with perfect release that goes up... ...and bounces off the back of the rim. Missed shot--Game Over. 
While this outcome certainly changes based on who's shooting, no 2K fan is going to lose it over a situation similar to this even if he's shooting with MJ. Whether they be contested layups or open jump shots, misses HAPPEN--just like to do in reality. Sure you can expect better shooters to be more successful, but there is no 100% rule. Gone are the days where you can expect to go 9 for 9 from mid-range simply because you're open. 2K is a SIM and gameplay reflects that.  Hypothetical Situation: Madden player versus a friend, less than 45 seconds left in the game. He drives the length of the field but the drive stalls inside the red zone. No matter, he's down two with 15 seconds left, and on 4th down he lines up for a 32 yard FG and after seeing good accuracy and power....  he misses.   BS? Hogwash? Some kind of miss FG Glitch? CPU Cheating? For those whining, please note the end of last year's AFC Championship when an 83 rated kicker went for a chip-shot FG to tie the game with 11 seconds left 32yd FG  In the resulting chaos the Madden player breaks both controllers, kicks a hole in his TV and physically assaults his friend resulting in misdemeanor charges. So who's to blame? More importantly why is the reaction and expectation so different for both games? Both titles are the best (only in Madden's case) representations of their sports virtually, so why the big difference in mentality?  The answer is both two-fold and simple. SIM Pedigree and Control.  Madden's unspoken contract with you promises to be less bogged down with SIM constraints and guarantees you a great deal of control. Want to turn Mike Williams into Randy Moss? Have at it. Pass for 400 yards with Blaine Gabbert? Done. Mistakes like bad passes? RARE. Pass Interference? Pardon? Receivers won't drop the ball, linemen won't false-start or jump off-sides and players won't make any missteps that are outside of your control. It's the Perfection Model--we don't want you to get angry or anything, so everything is white picket fences and lollipops. It causes a change in expectation...doubt it? Watch a Madden players reaction when someone fumbles, doesn't intercept the ball everytime they get their hands on it or throws a bad pass. It's comical.  2K's unspoken contract has more of a Realism Model, if you will. Turnovers, realistic shooting percentages, moving screens, loose ball fouls, missed shots and more ratings limitations. Score 30 with Raymond Felton? I guess its possible...MATHEMATICALLY anyway. But only if you aren't concerned with winning or chucking up plenty of low-percentage shots. Consequently, 2K players tend to be more mature and willing to accept that the game plays similar to the way the real sport does.  My point is, Madden needs more guesswork, its outcomes seem grossly predetermined and no one area sticks out worse than the FG system. Casual players complained enough, and two years ago Tiburon adopted a system where its damn near impossible to miss a kick in the current versions of the game. Not to mention kickers like Janikowski and Bironas can break the NFL record for distance (63 yds) every game if necessary.
Why? Wouldn't a model similar to the shooting in NBA 2K be much more realistic and challenging? Lets see kickers separated by their clutch ability, ratings, situation and talent level. The clutch gene guys like Vinateri possessed in his prime shouldn't be doled out to everyone. Pull that right analog back and have kickers convert (or not) based on skill level--just like they do in reality. What do you think Madden fans? CHIME IN.

6 comments:

  1. +1 im in. cant remember the last time someone missed a game-winner.

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  2. good read. i agree

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  3. ur right with this. EA basically wants you to have the ability to be successful with whoever u use. even if your team is bad.

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  4. It's not that you should NEVER be successful or not have any control in the matter, it's just that there is no realistic balance in Madden because EVERYTHING is geared toward success. That's why I can't play that game anymore. Not to mention all of the other gameplay issues. I'm going to come back to basketball and baseball. Football simulation gaming has been squandered.

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  5. this article is so true

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