Gridiron Notes: Madden NFL 21 January Title Update.
January 7, 2021 8:25PM
edited February 2
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:
Madden NFL 21 (Xbox Series X|S & PS5)
Key Highlights:
New SpongeBob Yard Location
Second set of post-launch Franchise updates
Gameplay Updates:
Zone Coverage Improvements:
Tuning to Deep Zone defender logic to focus more on deep threats in their zone and less on shorter routes approaching their zones.
Tuning to Deep Zone logic in Cover 1 to react quicker to Deep Over, Post, and any other deep crossing routes.
Updated the facing direction of Deep Zone players so they’ll face the ball rather than just the line of scrimmage, which will help Deep Zone defenders turn in the appropriate direction when covering deep routes.
Tuning to fakeout logic on Inside Release Post Routes (S-Posts). There was significant separation resulting from this release and cut when close to the line of scrimmage. This change prevents defenders getting faked out during this early segment of the route.
Added Gen 5-specific Change of Direction animations to locomotion which will improve a defender’s ability to transition from strafe to run quicker and smoother to help defenders get into position to play the ball quicker.
Tuning to improve ‘turn and run’ to better anticipate vertical speed threats
Tuning to allow faster top-end strafe speed for defenders in Deep Zone
Extended the distance that a Deep Third can look inside when anticipating Deep Crossing routes coming from the opposite side of the field.
Fixed an issue causing outside Deep Third defenders to leverage the No. 1 (Outside) Receiver too long even when the receiver was no longer a deep threat.
DEV NOTE: We’ve made significant tuning changes to zone coverage, specifically deep zones to better balance the deep passing game and increase anticipation of deep zone defenders.
One thing to be aware of is that these changes only apply to defenders in zone coverage and will NOT impact ‘Match’ zone players after they have transitioned to man coverage on applicable match coverage plays. We will continue to monitor stats and feedback on both man and zone coverage towards future tuning updates and thank you to the Madden Community for the feedback on zone coverage.
General Gameplay Fixes:
Kickoff Playclock Exploit - Fixed an issue allowing the kicking team to remain at the Play-call screen indefinitely without having to call a play. This has been used as an exploit to force the receiving team to quit in order to get out of the game. Now the playclock will run down as it should and force the kickoff to be called when it expires.
Fair Catch Exploit - Fixed an issue causing the ball carrier to enter a state where he couldn't be tackled after fielding a kick or punt off the ground following a fair catch. With this fix, any player on the receiving team who recovers a kick or punt following a fair catch will be able to get tackled.
Franchise Updates:
The second set of Franchise updates announced post-launch have arrived, check out the Madden NFL 21 Gridiron Notes for more info:
New Commish Controls
Draft Auto-Pilot: Assign auto-pilot during the draft.
House Rules: Dictate how many times a play can be called in a game, and how long a player must wait before calling the same play again.
Undo Free Agent Settings: undo FA signings in the offseason directly through the transaction log. Click on a signing and revert it to send the player back into the free agent pool.
Team Override Settings: Commissioners now have the ability to turn on/off or allow users to keep individual settings for Heat Seeker tackling, Ball Hawk, and Switch assist.
Personnel Logic Improvements: New guidelines for CPU draft logic to assist teams in whether they should or should not have interest in drafting a first round QB.
Presentation Updates:
Fixed an issue preventing the play-clock from showing up on Kickoff plays
Madden NFL 21 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
Key Highlights:
New SpongeBob Yard Location
Second set of post-launch Franchise updates
Franchise Updates:
The second set of Franchise updates announced post-launch have arrived, check out the Madden NFL 21 Gridiron Notes for more info:
New Commish Controls
Draft Auto-Pilot: Assign auto-pilot during the draft.
House Rules: Dictate how many times a play can be called in a game, and how long a player must wait before calling the same play again.
Undo Free Agent Settings: undo FA signings in the offseason directly through the transaction log. Click on a signing and revert it to send the player back into the free agent pool.
Team Override Settings: Commissioners now have the ability to turn on/off or allow users to keep individual settings for Heat Seeker tackling, Ball Hawk, and Switch assist.
Personnel Logic Improvements: New guidelines for CPU draft logic to assist teams in whether they should or should not have interest in drafting a first round QB.
(Source: Official Site)
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:
Madden NFL 21 (Xbox Series X|S & PS5)
Key Highlights:
New SpongeBob Yard Location
Second set of post-launch Franchise updates
Gameplay Updates:
Zone Coverage Improvements:
Tuning to Deep Zone defender logic to focus more on deep threats in their zone and less on shorter routes approaching their zones.
Tuning to Deep Zone logic in Cover 1 to react quicker to Deep Over, Post, and any other deep crossing routes.
Updated the facing direction of Deep Zone players so they’ll face the ball rather than just the line of scrimmage, which will help Deep Zone defenders turn in the appropriate direction when covering deep routes.
Tuning to fakeout logic on Inside Release Post Routes (S-Posts). There was significant separation resulting from this release and cut when close to the line of scrimmage. This change prevents defenders getting faked out during this early segment of the route.
Added Gen 5-specific Change of Direction animations to locomotion which will improve a defender’s ability to transition from strafe to run quicker and smoother to help defenders get into position to play the ball quicker.
Tuning to improve ‘turn and run’ to better anticipate vertical speed threats
Tuning to allow faster top-end strafe speed for defenders in Deep Zone
Extended the distance that a Deep Third can look inside when anticipating Deep Crossing routes coming from the opposite side of the field.
Fixed an issue causing outside Deep Third defenders to leverage the No. 1 (Outside) Receiver too long even when the receiver was no longer a deep threat.
DEV NOTE: We’ve made significant tuning changes to zone coverage, specifically deep zones to better balance the deep passing game and increase anticipation of deep zone defenders.
One thing to be aware of is that these changes only apply to defenders in zone coverage and will NOT impact ‘Match’ zone players after they have transitioned to man coverage on applicable match coverage plays. We will continue to monitor stats and feedback on both man and zone coverage towards future tuning updates and thank you to the Madden Community for the feedback on zone coverage.
General Gameplay Fixes:
Kickoff Playclock Exploit - Fixed an issue allowing the kicking team to remain at the Play-call screen indefinitely without having to call a play. This has been used as an exploit to force the receiving team to quit in order to get out of the game. Now the playclock will run down as it should and force the kickoff to be called when it expires.
Fair Catch Exploit - Fixed an issue causing the ball carrier to enter a state where he couldn't be tackled after fielding a kick or punt off the ground following a fair catch. With this fix, any player on the receiving team who recovers a kick or punt following a fair catch will be able to get tackled.
Franchise Updates:
The second set of Franchise updates announced post-launch have arrived, check out the Madden NFL 21 Gridiron Notes for more info:
New Commish Controls
Draft Auto-Pilot: Assign auto-pilot during the draft.
House Rules: Dictate how many times a play can be called in a game, and how long a player must wait before calling the same play again.
Undo Free Agent Settings: undo FA signings in the offseason directly through the transaction log. Click on a signing and revert it to send the player back into the free agent pool.
Team Override Settings: Commissioners now have the ability to turn on/off or allow users to keep individual settings for Heat Seeker tackling, Ball Hawk, and Switch assist.
Personnel Logic Improvements: New guidelines for CPU draft logic to assist teams in whether they should or should not have interest in drafting a first round QB.
Presentation Updates:
Fixed an issue preventing the play-clock from showing up on Kickoff plays
Madden NFL 21 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
Key Highlights:
New SpongeBob Yard Location
Second set of post-launch Franchise updates
Franchise Updates:
The second set of Franchise updates announced post-launch have arrived, check out the Madden NFL 21 Gridiron Notes for more info:
New Commish Controls
Draft Auto-Pilot: Assign auto-pilot during the draft.
House Rules: Dictate how many times a play can be called in a game, and how long a player must wait before calling the same play again.
Undo Free Agent Settings: undo FA signings in the offseason directly through the transaction log. Click on a signing and revert it to send the player back into the free agent pool.
Team Override Settings: Commissioners now have the ability to turn on/off or allow users to keep individual settings for Heat Seeker tackling, Ball Hawk, and Switch assist.
Personnel Logic Improvements: New guidelines for CPU draft logic to assist teams in whether they should or should not have interest in drafting a first round QB.
(Source: Official Site)
Post edited by NatureBoy2323 on
0
Replies
@omgitsrony69
The team is working to get Franchises back online as soon as possible. Keep a close eye on these forums and on MaddenNFLDirect for the latest updates.
@KingKai320
I haven't heard of any plans on it so far, but can't rule it out. I'm not optimistic for it being in Madden NFL 21 because it requires adding it for a lot of players and building the animations for it. This is a feature I'm confident the team wants to add and may have not been able to include it due to other tasks they had to focus on the list of what features the majority of the community is asking for or issues that need to be addressed.
@ThaDarkOne2312
No word on that happening, sorry.
@Strega8188
A date hasn't been announced yet, the Franchise article states they're aiming to address what they can in 2 or three updates. Keep an eye on our channels for further updates on what's to come to Franchise!
Also I have a suggestion there should be an option to revert moved team back to it’s original team...a lot of ppl move the team the. Quit the franchise leaving us trying to replace the team but no one wants a random team...
I've always found it more entertaining to lay someone out when you get a real good lick on them, although it's not something you usually see on every play in the NFL. If you go back to Madden NFL 25 you'll see a lot of truck sticks where they were pancaked to the ground, but throughout the titles since then the animations have been improved with smoother tackles. What would be really nice is to see those Derrick Henry arm throws in Madden NFL 22.
Do you want gang tackles to be specific to certain players or a random event? For example, Derrick Henry or any other well known backs that can push the pile will trigger this event more, or would you like it to be based off a game's momentum to simulate their emotions? For example, you just scored 2 touchdowns to tie up the game in the 4th quarter so there will be an increased chance of a gang tackle where your RB can fight for more yardage. Heck, could be an X-Factor?
@bad_belvin
I've seen others raise that to our attention, I know the team is aware. I can't comment on a confirmed fix for Madden NFL 21. The team is committed to bigger changes for Madden NFL 22's franchise mode.
Are you trying to connect to the PC franchise servers? We have a related thread on this in the Answers HQ Support forums.
@hoosierdaddie23
If you revert to the original team what if those players were traded to a different team at some point during the season? I'm just a little confused on whether you mean during a season or before it starts (is this to avoid a troll messing with a team after a large league of human players is set up)
Known issue. They are working on a fix. See this post in our Answers HQ Support forums.
@StrugzTW
Can you drop some clips in here so the team can review them? These are always difficult to examine without game footage to determine skill level, plays selected, audibles being called, and where the human controlled player is being moved around the field which could disrupt zone coverage.