Madden 11 Demo Raises Concerns With Strategy Pad

Published July 27th, 2010 by GoMadden

The Madden 11 demo has finally arrived on the Xbox 360, and while some gamers can’t wait to download it on the PS3 later today, those who are already playing have been quick to voice their concerns over a new feature.

MAJOR UPDATE: EA has just announced they will make the strategy pad optional!

Madden 11 Demo Concerns

A Cause for Concern

If you haven’t heard of the new “Strategy Pad” in Madden 11, then chances are you will soon. New to this year’s biggest football video game franchise is the introduction of an all-new way to call hot-routes on the fly. While previously gamers would make pre-play adjustments with several different buttons designed as modifiers to the analog sticks, now the entirety of adjustments are mapped to the D-pad. While this sounds like a great way to unify the controls, it has quickly become a big problem among veteran players.

Strategy Pad is Strategy Bad

Every year, football gaming fans find a reason to complain about the latest Madden NFL game. Usually, these are just knee-jerk reactions that come with the territory of being the sole football game with an NFL license, but this year, there might be something to it. The problem with the “Strategy Pad” isn’t that it’s new, and it’s not that it’s different. The problem, quite simply, is that it takes more time to do less things.

Take for example the simple task of shifting your linebackers to the right on the Xbox 360. If this were Madden 10, all you would need to do is hit the right bumper, and flick the joystick right. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It was. Now let’s look at the strategy pad, where to do the same action you must hit down on the dpad, then right on the dpad, then right again on the dpad if you want to shift right.

While ostensibly this is only one extra button, consider that experienced players often make several adjustments before the snap, and it doesn’t take long for those extra steps to feel cumbersome, and the multiple directions to feel like a cheat code. Not only does it take longer to do the same thing in Madden 11 just by its very layout, but at times it felt like we had to wait for the strategy pad screen to appear in between each button press if we wanted to ensure our action was registered (or perhaps it was just the inconsistency inherent in the D-pad). For experienced players, this makes the game almost unplayable. –> See Follow-Up Video

Fans Voice Their Opinions

It’s not just us here on GoMadden who have noticed problems with the strategy pad. In fact, it’s a common theme among forum posts and impressions from a variety of different websites. While criticism always comes swift to Madden NFL games, this probably is something that the development team should look into. The solution, quite simply, would be to allow users to turn off the strategy pad if they so choose (just as they already can with other new control changes).

Legend Killer on OS: “I can already tell you that the strategy pad for Defense going to be a problem. Unless you are very quick thinker and have quick hands. You will not be able to adjust hardly any postion like shifting LBers are DBs before the AI snaps the ball.”

KensaiKatai on OS: “They have to patch this! I can’t believe this strategy pad nonsense. It’s not intuitive and it’s not efficient. What were they trying to accomplish with this?

It’s really destroying the game for me. Pre-snap adjustments are a thing of the past and can no longer be done with the ease that they were once done. I’d be lucky to make one adjustment per snap now. I really don’t get it.”

pastapadre on Pastapadre: “I like the audible system, but hate the strategy pad. No time to even press the corners when on defense. It’s like they changed it so that it’s different from the past and from NCAA, which just messes with people who go between the two games.”

Michura on MaddenTips: “So far I really hate the strategy pad. I’m sure once I get the hang of it it won’t be as bad but its existence is making me not want to play the demo. I hate it THAT much.”

Manning on GoMadden: “Mapping the pre-snap controls to the dpad might make things much more organized, but it makes for lethargic gameplay.”

Cast Your Vote, Make a Comment

We’ve set up a poll to get a better feel for the community opinion on the strategy pad issue, and if that’s not enough, there’s plenty more to be said in the comments below. Keep in mind that EA is looking to find a balance between making the game easier to pick up for new players, and pleasing the fans that make the commitment to buy Madden every year.

What do you think of the new Strategy Pad?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...



Madden 13 Video Game Design Talk
Newer Comments →
  • http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

    I see what they were trying to do with the strategy pad. They moved all the movement to the right stick, and they moved all the strategy over to the dpad, so it's sort of a mirror. It's a nice concept, and the movement part works fine, but when you try to cram so much into the dpad you end up making certain actions tedious.

    For players that are new, it's a great way to pick up how to hotroute players, because it is so organized. However, I think it definitely needs to be something that can be turned off, because more experienced players are going to get annoyed very quickly by this.

  • Amir

    still downloading……hopefully I'll get the hang of it strat pad sounds like it needs to be refined a bit into pre game setups like telling your Dbs to begin the game w/ press coverage and adjust then individually so for those of us who are more experienced don't have make as many adjustments but can still get what we(the customer)want done.This is why EA should have just released the Demo w/ NCAA w/ tutorials and badda boom badda bing everyone adjust, everyone buys everyone is happy or not….but no in case you didn't know good players only KNOW MORE THAN YOU or me so had they released it sooner we wouldn't be having this now.

  • miamiboi

    Nobody has mentioned the biggest problem, some people actually use the D-Pad for player movement & now this is not possible. This is a big problem for me, they should've kept the D-Pad & Left stick availible for player movement like in previous titles. What the hell were they thinking this is a major setback?

  • shaun

    Ever thought that it is to stop bum nano blitzers? ifs it does stop it, im all for it.
    Nano blitzers and glitchers ruin the onlne play for true madden players

  • shaun

    why is my post not showing?

  • http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

    I see it fine.

  • shaun

    maybee ts just my computer

  • Sdaguilard

    i hope they fix the strategy pad where you able to turn it off and on.

  • Wangtangkiki

    http://maddennfl.easports.com/blog.action?blogI…

    CTRL+F to Search… Search for the word strategy pad; He says it's optional.. Ask someone to go to control settings/options if they have the retail version.

  • http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

    That refers to the indicator for the strategy pad, according to what Pasta has heard. It does not actually turn off the feature.

  • Jlaky

    When is it going to released to ps3?? Where can you download it at?? Thanks

  • Wesser260

    @shaun….nano blitzes are the shit….they are very easy to counter because when people do them you can burn them on screen plays n short passes to the TE…the only people that complain about it are people like you who suck at the game and can't learn how to do it so u complain about it and call people bums who can do it….it's pretty pathetic in my opinion…just learn how to play the game, get better…not being able to change your defensive strategies and not doing what you want with your defenders is weak and will make alot less people play the game that actually have skill

  • shaun

    @wesser260… your obviously one of those bums im talking about, who have to exploit a game to win.
    that my friend is “pretty pathetic”, you need to learn how to plaay the game and not exploit it.
    i can easily learn how to do it on youtube, but i am not a bum and choose to play the game right.
    you need to lern to get better not me.

  • shaun

    BTW, how are you gonna win in madden 11 now, oh yeah, your not. because this game suits the sim style players, not bums like you
    and if you wanna challenge me my gamertag is smash24n28dash, you can be my first win.

  • Madden Problems

    As long as there's option to turn the d-pad on and off there won't be a problem. If nothing is done pertaining to the d-pad this will be the second worst madden game to madden 09. In madden 09 the gameplay and controls seemed to be stuffed together on the screen making it confusing to play. Just like in madden 11 they're trying to squeeze to many things into one.

  • Ravensfan52898

    Its the worst change I can remember, period

  • Msfgabe

    EA- Of course, one thing to be clear on is that everything is optional. If you want to play without GameFlow you can. You can choose to play with the conventional play call screen (old style play call screen that's been around since the advent of football gaming). You can choose to turn off coordinator audio, subtitles, and strategy pad. Pretty much everything is an option.”

    You can turn it off :)

  • Mungo

    where did you find this out, because if this is true i friggin love you right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Msfgabe
  • http://GoMadden.com GoMadden

    That's incorrect information. It was brought up in the comments below.

    The ability to turn off the strategy pad, as of now, is strictly for the indicator. It turns off the visuals of the strategy pad, it does not actually turn off the strategy pad unfortunately.

  • Nader

    ur right about tha nano blitz, i know how 2 do it but i choose not 2 cause i play madden for realism not 2 piss off pple, for example i used 2 play cod 1-4 until cod modern warfare came out and ruined the cod series for me cause of douches like glitchers and people who TRY 2 ruin the game

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Matt-LaPaglia/1788375389 Matt LaPaglia

    How about moving the players with the d-pad i still do that and i hope they put that back into the d-pad area and not leave it empty

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Matt-LaPaglia/1788375389 Matt LaPaglia

    i hope they put the moving of the guys back to the use of the d-pad because i still do that since the early days and i hope the put the sprint button back love making guys go fast and go for kick returns and using go left to right with running backs, how u go side to side with out the sprint button

  • Jumpman18

    I thought I was the only person annoyed by the strategy pad. I never ever used analog stick to move my player!! Now i'm basicly being forced to. Smh @ EA. Although I think adjusting to using analog stick for player movement will be far easier than actually hot routing a def. player. I been playing the demo for 2 days and only outta my love for football and madden of previous yrs will I buy this and compete as usual.

  • fadeblack

    Come on – I've been playing Madden since the early 90's and always use the directional pad to control my game play. To take this 'classic' option away is very disappointing. If there is a way for an online update, I hope EA sports puts this option back in!! It makes game play more enjoyable for so many fans!!

  • http://nikehalftruth.blogspot.com/ nagornovich

    I would like to exchange links with your site gomadden.com
    Is this possible?

  • كازينو

    Hi guys, tried loading this blog through Google RSS reader and got a strange error message, any ideas what could be the issue?

  • http://www.afdalcasino.com كازينو

    Nevermind, works now!

  • http://www.uksexcontacts.adultcrowd.co.uk/registration/step1.do british adult dating

    Riding close to him I reached down from the saddle, and grasping his cartridge belt drew him up across the withers of my mount. A backward glance convinced me that to return by the way I had come would be more hazardous than to continue across the plateau, so, putting spurs to my poor beast, I made a dash for the opening to the pass which I could distinguish on the far side of the table land.

  • http://pcinternetbanking.com/chase-internet-banking Bank online with Chase

    Just killing some free time on Digg and I found your article . Not typically what I prefer to learn about, but it was definitely worth my time. Thanks.

  • http://www.squidoo.com/Internet-Banking-Online Online Banking Saftey

    Just blowing some free time on Digg and I found your post . Not typically what I like to learn about, but it was definitely worth my time. Thanks.

  • http://www.shaunasand-sextape.com/ shauna sand nude

    Thanks for providing valuable information on the topic. Keep posting

  • http://www.partnercentric.com/blog/?p=694 kim kardashian

    What a good way to discuss

  • http://iamneurotic.com/2009/09/16/put-your-cell-phone-on-your-wrist kim kardashian sextape

    This is a useful post, but I was wondering how do I suscribe to the RSS feed?

  • http://forum.travian.com.my/member.php?u=15871 jokes

    Very nice site!

  • http://www.docusign.com/forums/member.php?u=12651 how to talk to women

    Does your website correctly show emoticons? Because my site cannot…

  • http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2559399/ get laid

    your website is not showing up correctly in my browser…

  • http://webserv.kmitl.ac.th/~robot/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=49687 personal training business

    Extremely interesting. I like the way you write. Do you currently have an RSS feed?

  • http://biboz.es/videos/chicas-en-la-playa Kim Kardashian tape

    I have to say I am inmpreased with the quality of your posts.

  • http://www.marimba.org/en/userinfo.php?uid=20388 gift ideas

    Thanks for the post. Keep the great work.

  • http://phpnuke.org/modules.php?name=Your_Account&op=userinfo&username=damien6leon dog pics

    It might sound weird but my browser doesn’t seem to be able to display your article rightly… It looks like a whole chunk of if is not correctly displayed and the layout of the page doesn’t appear to be right. Can you confirm that this post has been set up for Opera?

  • http://www.fishlinkcentral.com/user_detail.php?u=roland3morin lesson plans writing

    Thanks for this great post.

  • http://www.teentoday.co.uk/member/29508/ Kim Kardashian tape

    I liked reading your blog, thanks for posting such good content.

  • http://www.allaboutiphoneapps.com/iphone-app-trace/ Ray J

    This was informative

  • http://chessok.com/forum/profile.php?section=personality&id=25182 Fishburne

    Excellent article my friend. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for for quite a time now…

  • http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2583229/ Jessica Sierra movie

    Does your website correctly show emoticons? Because my site cannot…

  • http://www.rhydianroberts.com/forum/member/233700/ Sam Jones III

    Hi. Very interesting site. I found it on Yahoo. I will definately recommend it to my friends. Please keep up the great work.

  • http://2dboy.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=89508 Shauna Sand

    If you don’t thoughts my asking, do you make great money from this blog?

  • http://tweetattacksreviewreviews.com/ tweetattacks

    I’d just like to let you know how much I learn from reading blog Dugg you.Hope to be back fast for some more good articles

  • http://www.free-registry-cleaners.biz/xp-registry-cleaner-comparison/ microsoft registry cleaner

    You can pin your frequently used folders to the taskbar. Windows7 operating system is fully packed with breath-taking features. This doesn’t only help users to add folders favorites but also to task bar too.

Newer Comments →