Hey guys,
I just wanted to start some in-depth passing cone discussion in here. I personally think it's the biggest addition to Madden since at least the Hit Stick, and is arguably 10x the addition to the series. I'd love to hear everyone's opinions and strategys involved in using the cone, or even reasons why you don't use the cone.
For starters, most of the benefits of using the cone become apparent only against another human. I have noticed that the CPU will occasionally pass outside their cone (not often), and the same accuracy penalties seem to apply. However, the strategy of the cone is only readily apparent against another human. Even then, you have to have a good understanding of football and video football, and plays which haven't worked in the past.
In past years, draws and delays were basically useless against an opponent. The occasional surprise was massively offset by the lost yards, sacks before handoffs, and risks of fumbles. The passing cone helps draws tremendously however. The cone by default highlights the middle of the field, giving the strong illusion of pass. If you are used to starting locked into a receiver, you can change that too in your pre-snap drills. So if your opponent is playing LB and you want to draw right at him, perhaps sent a TE out into the flat and lock into him. The camera pulls back just like a regular pass play, your opponent reads your eyes, and boom(tm), draw play right into an open hole. Not only have you busted a run right up the gut, you've demoralized your opponent.
Play-action too has seen a big boost with the passing cones. In years past, PA was often blown up, and when PA gets blown up, it's ugly. We're talking 10 yard losses, backwards fumbles resulting in TDs, and injured QBs. Madden had attempted to fix this by hiding the passing icons for a bit, and it helped. However (in combination with a stronger running game), the cone has opened up PA tremendously. If your opponent is a blitzer (I know it's outlawed in the GA league to some extent), he is almost forced to respect the run. PA's in general are designed to suck overly aggressive D-linemen and middle linebackers in, and when it works your time to throw opens up. Although a CPU blitzer doesn't always fall for the PA (and as well he shouldn't), the aggressive human opponent often can't help himself in battle from hit-sticking the RB and hoping for a fumble. Meanwhile the CPU safetys bite and you're going 60 yards to the house.
If you understand the game of football, you know how crucial draws and PA plays can be to keeping a defense honest. However, the cone doesn't only help on the offensive side of the ball. It allows you into your opponent's head. Repeated plays are that much easier to spot, due to his cone movement. You can tell how many reads your opponent is making, how quick he is making them, and his overall skill. A truly skilled player will start "looking off" human safetys and LB's, trying to get a human defensive player out of position. This is what real QB's do people. And what real safetys do for that matter.
Some other small niggling complaints about the series have been addressed too, and many of them seem to have been made with the 2k crowd in mind actually. For years they have claimed that the speed of their series and the split second reads required for completions has made them feel "more like a QB." They hated Madden for it's ability to run 10 yards backwards and chuck it 40 yards downfield off their back foot. I want them to try that this year. First, if your cone isn't on the receiver, you can't put touch or direct the pass. Second, there are catching and accuracy penalties on the throw if they aren't in the cone. Third, if your feet aren't set, your pass isn't going 40 yards accurately, cone or not. Madden has improved the QB scrambling while making it more essential to throw from a good base.
Another praise of the 2k crowd was the simplified control scheme from offense to defense, i.e. speedburst is the same button on both sides of the ball. Well, to the dismay of some Madden diehards, the controls are subtley, but vastly different. Speed is the same button on both sides, as is diving for balls/tackles. They also lifted the quick-switch idea for choosing your defender at the beginning of the play. In combination with more hot routes/blocking schemes/defensive adjustments, just about everything that was great about the 2k series has been placed into Madden. Unless you love arcade style running and wide open spaces after the catch, and of course, the presentation, I don't see why anyone would outright hate this game (other than the fact that there can BE no other NFL games). Seeing how much EA has stolen from VC over the years, it should be duly noted that VC (Take 2 or whomever) should start stealing back. They should start with the interface and saving mechanism. Their sports games have been broken at this very basic level ever since the Dreamcast days. I for one will not miss having to sub players in formations, load profiles, change audibles, and mess with coaching settings before every game. EA's user interface for their sports games is as far ahead of the competition as VC's presentation (at least the NFL 2k series) was over Madden.
In summary, the passing cone is a tad cumbersome, but once you adjust to the overall speed of the blitz, and learn to read it, and learn your plays, and memorize the new control scheme, and stop pressing L to adjust your cone, and stop pressing the wrong receiver button because of a blitz, and stop trying to return punts, and turn off all the awful songs and remixes, you'll never want to play another football game this year. Until 360 of course. This game isn't perfect, but I think most sports fans realize they never will be. If you are a sports fan first over sports video games, they will never have the realism that we get watching a game, but this is the best football game that's ever existed. And it's really not even close.
I just wanted to start some in-depth passing cone discussion in here. I personally think it's the biggest addition to Madden since at least the Hit Stick, and is arguably 10x the addition to the series. I'd love to hear everyone's opinions and strategys involved in using the cone, or even reasons why you don't use the cone.
For starters, most of the benefits of using the cone become apparent only against another human. I have noticed that the CPU will occasionally pass outside their cone (not often), and the same accuracy penalties seem to apply. However, the strategy of the cone is only readily apparent against another human. Even then, you have to have a good understanding of football and video football, and plays which haven't worked in the past.
In past years, draws and delays were basically useless against an opponent. The occasional surprise was massively offset by the lost yards, sacks before handoffs, and risks of fumbles. The passing cone helps draws tremendously however. The cone by default highlights the middle of the field, giving the strong illusion of pass. If you are used to starting locked into a receiver, you can change that too in your pre-snap drills. So if your opponent is playing LB and you want to draw right at him, perhaps sent a TE out into the flat and lock into him. The camera pulls back just like a regular pass play, your opponent reads your eyes, and boom(tm), draw play right into an open hole. Not only have you busted a run right up the gut, you've demoralized your opponent.
Play-action too has seen a big boost with the passing cones. In years past, PA was often blown up, and when PA gets blown up, it's ugly. We're talking 10 yard losses, backwards fumbles resulting in TDs, and injured QBs. Madden had attempted to fix this by hiding the passing icons for a bit, and it helped. However (in combination with a stronger running game), the cone has opened up PA tremendously. If your opponent is a blitzer (I know it's outlawed in the GA league to some extent), he is almost forced to respect the run. PA's in general are designed to suck overly aggressive D-linemen and middle linebackers in, and when it works your time to throw opens up. Although a CPU blitzer doesn't always fall for the PA (and as well he shouldn't), the aggressive human opponent often can't help himself in battle from hit-sticking the RB and hoping for a fumble. Meanwhile the CPU safetys bite and you're going 60 yards to the house.
If you understand the game of football, you know how crucial draws and PA plays can be to keeping a defense honest. However, the cone doesn't only help on the offensive side of the ball. It allows you into your opponent's head. Repeated plays are that much easier to spot, due to his cone movement. You can tell how many reads your opponent is making, how quick he is making them, and his overall skill. A truly skilled player will start "looking off" human safetys and LB's, trying to get a human defensive player out of position. This is what real QB's do people. And what real safetys do for that matter.
Some other small niggling complaints about the series have been addressed too, and many of them seem to have been made with the 2k crowd in mind actually. For years they have claimed that the speed of their series and the split second reads required for completions has made them feel "more like a QB." They hated Madden for it's ability to run 10 yards backwards and chuck it 40 yards downfield off their back foot. I want them to try that this year. First, if your cone isn't on the receiver, you can't put touch or direct the pass. Second, there are catching and accuracy penalties on the throw if they aren't in the cone. Third, if your feet aren't set, your pass isn't going 40 yards accurately, cone or not. Madden has improved the QB scrambling while making it more essential to throw from a good base.
Another praise of the 2k crowd was the simplified control scheme from offense to defense, i.e. speedburst is the same button on both sides of the ball. Well, to the dismay of some Madden diehards, the controls are subtley, but vastly different. Speed is the same button on both sides, as is diving for balls/tackles. They also lifted the quick-switch idea for choosing your defender at the beginning of the play. In combination with more hot routes/blocking schemes/defensive adjustments, just about everything that was great about the 2k series has been placed into Madden. Unless you love arcade style running and wide open spaces after the catch, and of course, the presentation, I don't see why anyone would outright hate this game (other than the fact that there can BE no other NFL games). Seeing how much EA has stolen from VC over the years, it should be duly noted that VC (Take 2 or whomever) should start stealing back. They should start with the interface and saving mechanism. Their sports games have been broken at this very basic level ever since the Dreamcast days. I for one will not miss having to sub players in formations, load profiles, change audibles, and mess with coaching settings before every game. EA's user interface for their sports games is as far ahead of the competition as VC's presentation (at least the NFL 2k series) was over Madden.
In summary, the passing cone is a tad cumbersome, but once you adjust to the overall speed of the blitz, and learn to read it, and learn your plays, and memorize the new control scheme, and stop pressing L to adjust your cone, and stop pressing the wrong receiver button because of a blitz, and stop trying to return punts, and turn off all the awful songs and remixes, you'll never want to play another football game this year. Until 360 of course. This game isn't perfect, but I think most sports fans realize they never will be. If you are a sports fan first over sports video games, they will never have the realism that we get watching a game, but this is the best football game that's ever existed. And it's really not even close.
The thing is, once the controls become a little more second nature, it's going to be the deepest passing simulator in videogame history. Nothing can simulate the physical nature of being a QB, but this simulates the mental aspect of what is the hardest job in sports. The controls are a little clunky, but the ideas behind the mechanics are revolutionary. 