Madden NFL 21 Title Update - September 22nd

Question

Hey everyone,&nbsp;

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 gameplay based on community feedback. Our launch updates focus on many of the issues that Madden players report to us. We thank you for your feedback - you've helped us improve Madden NFL 21. We look forward to further feedback and are committed to continuing to meet your expectations.
Here is a detailed breakdown of what’s included in today's title update:

Key Highlights:

New Abilities added
Gameplay fixes &amp; tuning
Franchise, MUT, Yard bug and performance fixes

Gameplay Updates:

New Abilities

(NEW) Run Committed&nbsp;- Defenders with this ability will dominantly win run blocks when they correctly use the Guess Play adjustment to predict a run. Incorrect guesses will result in a loss.
(NEW) Pass Committed&nbsp;- Defenders with this ability will win pass blocks when they correctly use the Guess Play adjustment to predict a pass. Incorrect guesses will result in a loss.
(NEW) Deflator&nbsp;- Defenders with this ability will cause increased fatigue penalties when tackling a Ball Carrier with a non-conservative tackle.
Enforcer&nbsp;- Addressed an issue causing CPU-controlled defenders with the Enforcer ability to use hit-stick tackles too frequently, and as a result also cause more fumbles than intended

Ball Carrier

Updated QB-Slide functionality so that a double-tap of the dive button will now always be slide while a single press will always be dive, which will align with the non-QB ball carrier 'give-up' functionality
Modified the new ‘Jurdle’ animation to reduce over-steering
Fixed an issue that would sometimes allow the QB to enter a tackle animation while attempting to slide, which could lead to fumbles
Fixed an issue where Ball Carriers would stumble and fall well after having a collision with their legs
Fixed an issue where ball carriers were stumbling and falling too frequently when running through the line and colliding with their blockers
Fixed an issue rarely causing the ball carrier to continuously run after scoring a TD
Fixed quarterbacks pitching the ball with the wrong hand on option plays

Defensive Coverage

Fixed issue allowing the ‘Bunch Verticals Flanker Motion-Snap’ quick-throw exploit vs Cover 3 and Cover 4:

DEV NOTE:&nbsp;A longstanding legacy issue, allowing users to call Bunch Verticals, motion the flanker to the outside, snap while in motion and quick throw to that receiver who would be open against Cover 3 and Cover 4. We have added logic for the Curl Flat and Quarters Flat defenders to cover that throw.&nbsp;

Addressed a Motion issue causing defensive backs in man coverage that were covering a receiver in motion to swap assignments with another defensive back on the other side of the formation, leaving the motion receiver open
Fixed an issue allowing route-swapping out of any passing formation by audible &amp; resetting their play call twice
Addressed an issue with Cornerback Matchups by Route causing linebackers and cornerbacks to switch alignments in pre-play vs. certain offensive formations
Fixed an issue causing man-coverage defenders to get into a bad position vs motion-wheel routes
Fixed multiple defensive alignment issues caused by motioning the Slot Receiver to the inside in Gun Empty Bunch and motioning a HB out wide in Gun Trips, resulting in inverted assignment and alignments
Fixed issues with Defensive Backs reacting too slowly to WR auto-motion and user-controlled receiver motion, leaving the receiver wide open at the snap&nbsp;
Addressed an issue where defenders mirroring a receiver in motion would sometimes stumble on their teammate when the ball was snapped
Fixed an issue rarely causing pass-rushing outside linebackers to flip their gap assignment to the opposite side of the formation when the ball was snapped
Fixed an issue causing a defender in man coverage vs. a screen-blocking receiver would run past the blocking receiver on some RPO Alert plays

Tackling

Tuning for a variety of tackling animation issues that sometimes prevented tackles from triggering vs. ball carriers in Juke moves, and some cases where the ball carrier was not using any special move
Fixed an issue causing an offensive lineman on the ground to warp back up to be part of a multi-player sack interaction between the pass rusher and quarterback&nbsp;
Fixed an issue causing a CPU-controlled defender to celebrate while the ball is still live after a fumble

Catching

Improved multiple issues where the ball was going through players’ torsos on swat and catch attempts
Addressed an issue allowing user-controlled receivers using Aggressive Catch to make catches that they should not have specifically on jumping and diving catch animations. The player ratings will have a heavier impact on the outcome of these specific catch animations
Fixed an issue preventing a teammate from catching a pitch on kickoff returns
Tuning to ball physics to reduce the frequency of footballs consistently/repeatedly bouncing off of moving players and keeping the play live

General Fixes

Fixed an issue with users being able to grief their opponent online by getting endless False Start penalties

DEV NOTE:&nbsp;We have addressed this issue and now 3 consecutive False Starts, Delay of Game, or any combination of those penalties will result in the user committing the penalties getting booted.&nbsp;

Fixed a blocking issue causing the fullback and offset tight end to collide with each other following the snap on certain formations
Fixed an issue causing offensive players to rarely move out of their formation positions in pre-play, such as a QB moving to a guard position or a guard moving to a WR position after an audible:

DEV NOTE:&nbsp;We were able to finally narrow down the steps to identify the cause of this rare bug, based on detailed feedback we gathered from our community.&nbsp;Thank you! While we are confident this specific situation is fixed, there could be other situations that could cause some similar behaviors so we will continue to monitor and address issues here as they come up.

Fixed an issue causing the CPU-controlled offense to call passing plays sometimes when winning late in the game instead of running plays&nbsp;
Fixed an issue causing CPU-controlled quarterbacks to roll out of the pocket but then suddenly stop to try to throw resulting in unnecessary sacks

Madden Ultimate Team Updates:

Improved the accuracy of difficulty descriptions for Challenges&nbsp;
Various quality of life improvements among different MUT UI screens
Addressed an exploit where users could complete one play challenges and get bonus XP
Updated logic to address player feedback that the play clock would wind down to the point where pre-snap adjustments were difficult to execute
Addressed an issue allowing users to intentionally leave certain positions in the depth chart empty to get receivers to auto-sub in at the tight end positions, and then use this to exploit the ‘audibles by personnel’ feature in gameplay; with this change, you will now get defensive players subbed into any offensive position that is left empty on the depth chart, which will prevent any audibles from those sets as the defender doesn’t fit any offensive personnel packages
Addressed a gameplay issue specific to Ultimate Team where specific QB’s would cause bad snaps over his head occasionally on Jet Sweep types of plays

Franchise Updates:

&nbsp;Face of the Franchise Updates:

General stability improvements
Added a new cutscene for users named NFL MVP in The Comeback storyline
Fixed issue with audio not playing correctly in the final Face of the Franchise cutscene at the user’s high school field
Fixed several issues in storylines with branching logic, rewards, ability unlocks, typos, and goal tracking
Fixed performance issues in the 1st High School game

&nbsp;Franchise Updates:

Fixed an issue with users input not working when navigating positions in the Formation Subs screen
Fixed an issue with Slow Sim for PS4 users
General stability improvements
Fixed issue with Veteran players receiving votes for Rookie of the Year awards
Added league names to Franchise cloud save tiles
The following abilities have been added Franchise:

Run Committed
Pass Committed
Deflator

The Yard Updates:

Added visual indicator for whether you are viewing H2H or versus CPU events
Added your own score to Frienderboard display
Fixed issues around player control and loot round drafts
Fixed an issue where abilities would not display correctly if accessed in quick succession
Fixed an issue where maxed out prototypes would display blank rewards
Stability and online connectivity improvements
Fixed an issue where CPU-controlled quarterbacks were always getting sacked when the play matchup was Trips Verts Hook vs Safe Zone Blitz
Fixed the Slot Streak being open every time when running Deep Dish vs 1 Deep Zone Blitz
Fixed an issue causing the ball to warp between the passer’s hands while throwing out of a sack&nbsp;
Addressed an issue causing the offensive receiver icons to sometimes appear after the defense had made an interception in the backfield, which could result in the defender unintentionally passing the ball back to offensive players when attempting skill moves
Fixed an issue preventing players from attempting to recover a loose ball after a fumbled pitch or lateral

Presentation Updates:

Updated helmet and chinstrap placement lots of high profile players who have changed helmets like Derek Carr, Devin Bush, Denzel Ward and Alex Smith to name a few
Fixed an issue with Titans AFL jersey
Updated multiple generic heads with newer high quality ones

User Experience (UX) Updates:

Updates have been made to address general performance that impacted reliability of the kick meter, where it would sometimes hitch during field goal situations.&nbsp;

(Source)

/Kent

thebat1181 · Answer

I wanna know how after so many updates this game is still such crap. Nothing works the way it should, it's all just exploiting in game glitches and nothing like a football simulation. How tf is it that the second you touch the sprint button you lose all momentum moving forward as a ball carrier? Or how your running through an open hole with a power running back and get dragged down by absolutely ridiculous arm tackles. Zone coverage is still a complete mess. Catching/dropping passes makes 0 sense, you get guys catching balls when they're being train wrecked but a defender 3ft behind you chasing you will make you drop the ball everytime. Switching players is the worst it's ever been seemingly switching you to every player except the player capable of making the play, if it even switches you at all, half the time the game just decides to not do it or is putting me on a player off screen and if that's the case why? In franchise whenever a player is given a goal like get 150 yds, that player will get injured first quarter 50% of the time, like 30% to actually finish the game healthy. Probably due to a torn F'ing Labrum which happens like 5 times a game. I had 5 O lineman in 1 game tear their Labrum, like wtf? I won't even start with menu issues like the stupid draft board slide player here and there just never leaving the screen, even if you quit franchise. It's just such a crap game overall. Like what's up with everyone deciding they need to all swap assignments to literally the other side of the field when the offense is in hurry up guaranteeing you get torched somewhere, or my LB deciding to QB spy instead of playing the tight end man to man like he's supposed to. Or why when someone gets hurt and you say don't sub them back in they get subbed in anyways? I just don't understand how this game can be this bad. I know there is literally no competition but the game used to have integrity and wanted to try and be real anymore it's like playing a glitchy version of NFL blitz that's less fun than any sports game I've ever played. It's so * I was wiping up the floor against the computer the other day and not even enjoying it because the game just couldn't function properly. Challenging plays is so god awful, I challenged a catch the game ruled legal where the player who caught it was 100% out of bounds, not a foot or a toe so like a leg, he was 100 outside the field of play. Game says catch, I challenge, they check to see if he was possession lol, and the call stands. It's important to note he did not get tackled on the play because he was ruled down after catching it because he was out of bounds lol. It's mind numbing to try and even get through a single game because it is so * winning isn't even fun. Hopefully this thing runs better when it updates generations cause right now I wish I just had my money back lol

tbergz · Answer

You guys literally destroyed a game that was already broken. Man coverage was the meta, now it's all anyone uses because recievers can't catch the ball.

I honestly am pissed I spent money on this. It is trash, and you guys just turned it into a full on garbage party. No one likes the game. Go look at youtube and see how many people are bashing it.

I want my money back. I'd rather burn it with a lighter than play this joke of a game.

thebat1181 · Answer

Well I see it's at least consistent. I have an X factor RB and when I play games the game doesn't recognize his Xfactor status he's just a gold star champ and can't get in the zone. Super cool. This whole game just functions like a middle school science project&nbsp;

jordan3375 · Answer

I will gladly support that other company...&nbsp;

jordan3375 · Answer

This fixed the error code for slow sim on ps4 ??? Did this update happen today ??

Forum Discussion

Madden NFL 21 Title Update - September 22nd

Key Highlights:

Gameplay Updates:

Madden Ultimate Team Updates:

Franchise Updates:

The Yard Updates:

Presentation Updates:

User Experience (UX) Updates:

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