Phil Frazier Talks Secret Madden 12 Features, More

With E3 only weeks away, the Madden 12 information train is in full force, and we were lucky enough today to direct that train a bit when we shared a few words with Madden NFL 12 Executive Producer (and Twitter phenom) Phil Frazier.

Phil Frazier is the executive producer of one of EA’s most popular sports game.

Talking Madden 12 With Phil Frazier

When we first interviewed then-Creative Director of Madden NFL Ian Cummings on the state of the latest game, we thought we had found our interview pincushion for years to come. Now, a year later, Ian has packed his bags and left the Madden franchise, and someone at EA told Madden 12 Executive Producer Phil Frazier that he had to take the brunt of our silly interviews.

And so begins the GoMadden interview curse… possibly… maybe… we’re important so it’s probably real. Harold Camping said it’s going to happen.

If there’s anything we’ve learned about Phil Frazier in our first discussion with him, it’s that he loves to talk, and more than that he loves to tease about unannounced features — apparently, this is something he enjoys doing in more places than just Twitter. Perhaps most interestingly however, we’ve learned that Frazier is really excited that Madden 12 is poised to have a new way to help deal with leavers during games, and that Call of Duty — yes, Call of Duty — is high up on his list of inspirations in terms of online functionality.

Check out the full interview GoMadden had with Phil Frazier below, then let us know in the comments what your thoughts are about the direction of Madden 12 and beyond, because we know you have plenty.

Madden 12 Interview

GoMadden: Franchise looks to be a lot deeper game this year, but what’s your favorite change that was made and why?

“My personal favorite change is the collection of features involved in the preseason.”

Frazier: Franchise Mode is indeed getting a lot of love in Madden NFL 12. We’ve added a number of features and enhancements to the mode that make it the deepest franchise experience we’ve provided this generation. My personal favorite change is the collection of features involved in the preseason. The fact that we’ve expanded the rosters and have added a mechanic around having to reduce your roster each week in the preseason adds an element of drama and challenge. In previous products, there wasn’t a major reason to play through preseason and with these changes this is no longer the case.

GoMadden: Franchise mode was clearly a focal point this season, but it appears so was tackling. Is this mostly the end of the “tumbleweed” era of missed tackles, and if so what took so long to resolve it from a technical standpoint?

“…changes to the collision system should greatly reduce, if not completely eliminate the ‘tumbleweed’ situations…”

Frazier: Our changes to the collision system should greatly reduce, if not completely eliminate the ‘tumbleweed’ situations we’ve seen before. Animations are now triggered only when contact is made. The end result is much less suction, and instead, animations that have more impact than before, thanks to using elements of physics like momentum.

What took so long? Well, each and every year we try to improve as much of the game as possible but often have to focus our efforts on several key priorities. This year we’ve chosen to focus on collisions and defensive coverage. We’re very happy with the changes to both of these critical areas. The new collisions system greatly improves the feel, look, and intensity of the game while the coverage re-write makes AI defenders much more intelligent and realistic.

GoMadden: How far in advance did you know Ian Cummings would be stepping away from the Madden franchise, and in what way did it impact development?

“I knew Ian would be stepping away when he gave his two weeks notice.”

Frazier: I knew Ian would be stepping away when he gave his two weeks notice. Ian was a key member of the Madden NFL 12 development process, leading the team through pre-production, feature development, and a good portion of the QA/testing process. His leadership was critical in shaping the overall direction for the year and I’ve personally enjoyed working with him for most of my 14 years at EA. He left at the very tail end of the project so the impact to Madden NFL 12 was minimal. We have a very talented team of artists, engineers and designers that all helped to pick up the tasks Ian was responsible for. Making any game is a team effort and we have a large and very talented team in place this year.

In this business we see friends and colleagues leave our teams each year. Sometimes they leave the company completely and sometimes they just choose to change to a new product. Either way, it’s a normal part of any business and his departure allows other designers grow into leadership positions on our team. We’ve got incredibly talented creative leadership that are extremely excited about what we are delivering in Madden NFL 12 and are even more excited about what we can do to keep the simulation football experience moving in the right direction down the road.

GoMadden: Has anything changed about the Strategy Pad this year, or has an option for true classic controls been implemented? Last season we saw the introduction of Strategy Pad Shortcuts, however a full-blown option to revert to classic controls wasn’t present.

“Strategy Pad Shortcuts still exist and you don’t have to use the D-Pad for anything if you don’t want to.”

Frazier: We feel our current design for Strategy pad satisfies our goal of providing a more simple solution to pre-play assignments as well as maintaining the familiar controls for our most passionate fans. Strategy Pad Shortcuts still exist and you don’t have to use the D-Pad for anything if you don’t want to. Any input that you use the D-Pad for now also responds to stick inputs as well. Strategy Pad’s biggest flaw last year was that it took an extra button press to open it up. This year, that extra button press isn’t needed and users can make all of their pre-play audibles with just two button presses.

GoMadden: As the Executive Producer of one of the most popular games in the world, what is a non-EA game that you draw inspiration from? For example, a lot can be learned from the Indie smash hit Minecraft about the importance of providing gamers with more creative tools.

“… I love what I see out of the Call of Duty franchise… I would love to see the Madden online experience get to this kind of usage and fun.”

Frazier: There are a couple of games that I draw inspiration from. First is within our label – FIFA. They have worked over the years to provide an amazing core football (soccer) experience and that focus has helped them to become the #1 selling sports title on the planet. Their core gameplay engine is amazing and provides an incredibly fun experience each and every year. I hope to be able to provide a core experience as polished as theirs in the coming years as we continue to refine our engine and eliminate problem areas.

In the online arena, I love what I see out of the Call of Duty franchise. They have incredible usage in their online features and that usage is mind blowing. The fact that they’ve created an incredibly deep and highly customizable online experience that not only keeps people engaged but that continually grows after launch, is something we strive for. I would love to see the Madden online experience get to this kind of usage and fun. Beyond these experiences, I am constantly amazed by some of the technical achievements we’re seeing right now in the industry. From Fight Night’s incredible story experience to LA Noire’s facial animation tech, it’s clear the industry is constantly raising the bar on interactive entertainment each year.

GoMadden: How important has the rise of great developer-fan mediums like Twitter and gaming sites like Pastapadre been for the development of Madden? It seems like over the past two years especially, both have had a huge influence on the game.

“The feedback can at times be brutal, but if you can get past some people’s ignorance and hate, you may be able to find the real criticism.”

Frazier: Our interaction directly with the fans has had more of an impact than any specific web site. We are able to receive great feedback directly from our fans thanks to the web and social media. Being able to hear positives, negatives, and suggested changes directly from our consumer has helped shape our priorities. The feedback can at times be brutal, but if you can get past some people’s ignorance and hate, you may be able to find the real criticism. The key is to look for themes in the feedback and if you see something consistent, take action

GoMadden: Last year, Madden took a big step toward making the game easier to get into for newer players. We learned that in Madden 10, an estimated 350,000 players went online once, only to never play the game again. Did the addition of features like GameFlow help curtail those numbers as intended?

“Because of the success of GameFlow, Madden NFL 12 will feature some additional enhancements in this area.”

Frazier: We are constantly monitoring our telemetry and trying to tailor the experience as best we can for our most passionate fans. GameFlow has helped make the game more approachable to an audience that was once intimidated by the game. It also provided a level of depth appreciated by the hardcore, who enjoy the gameplanning aspect of the feature. The fact that we could accomplish goals for very different audiences with one feature speaks to the strength of the design.

Because of the success of GameFlow, Madden NFL 12 will feature some additional enhancements in this area. First, you will see a preview of the play that GameFlow will be calling for you. If you don’t like the play, you have complete control to change it. Second, you can affect the GameFlow selection by selecting a general play style before each play. For example, before an offensive play you can choose a “Gameplan” play which will call the standard GameFlow selection, you can call a “Run Heavy” play which is highly likely to choose a run, and “Pass Heavy” will greatly lean towards a throw. On defense you have Normal, Aggressive, and Conservative options. These changes allowed us to maintain the essence of the mode while also providing some additional control in a very approachable way. On top of these changes the new GameFlow system is fully compatible with the new Custom Playbooks feature.

GoMadden: The Madden 12 cover tournament was a viral success by all accounts. Can we expect this or something similar to become a seasonal staple for Madden?

“… Maybe one day we’ll allow the Madden community to control the rosters…”

Frazier: Over the last few years, we’ve continued to increase the partnership with our fans in a number of ways. We accept feedback through a variety of social media and web channels while also allowing our fans to have a direct impact on a number of things via voting. This is our second year of allowing our fans to impact the player that ultimately lands on the cover and based on the early response it feels like a huge success. It was amazing to see both Michael Vick and Peyton Hillis reach the finals. Vick was somewhat expected but Hillis was the ultimate Cinderella. The fact that Peyton Hillis ended up winning the cover proves that a community can come together to have a real impact on the product. While it’s much too early to announce any plans for future products, I’ll predict that fan interaction will continue and likely increase for years to come. Maybe one day we’ll allow the Madden community to control the rosters directly for example.

GoMadden: Madden 11 launched with a bit of an oversight with regards to how players were punished for online quits, however changes were quickly made to help combat this issue. Are there any new ways Madden 12 will be looking to resolve the problem of players quitting during games?

“…We will be announcing an exciting new online feature this summer that will in many ways help with this issue [of players leaving games].”

Frazier: We will be announcing an exciting new online feature this summer that will in many ways help with this issue. This new feature will allow the Madden community to have more control of their online experience while also ensuring that they are playing with like-minded players, thus reducing the risk of players quitting. The scale of the feature is really exciting and we look forward to revealing more details later this summer.

GoMadden: Madden diehards have to know: Will we finally be seeing a more robust practice mode this season?

“We have added the ability for you to practice with your Franchise Mode team without exporting them from the mode.”

Frazier: Practice Mode is an important feature and one that is enjoyed by our most loyal fans. Consistent use of this mode helps the most elite players refine their skills while also helping to find annoying holes in our AI. We have added the ability for you to practice with your Franchise Mode team without exporting them from the mode. This change makes it much easier to prepare for upcoming franchise matchups and is a change that has been requested for several years.

GoMadden: If we lived in a perfect world where there was no such thing as development time or resources, and you could introduce anything into the world of Madden in an instant, which of the following would you be most interested in: Real-time physics or real-time player scouting?

“A great physics system is on our long term roadmap and we are making progress toward this goal each and every year.”

Frazier: This is a no-brainer for me. Real-time physics. Core Gameplay is our #1 priority and is the one area of the game that impacts virtually every single fan of our game. Knowing that, in this fantasy I would easily go with physics.

A great physics system is on our long term roadmap and we are making progress toward this goal each and every year. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say the new collision system in Madden NFL 12 is a ‘physics’ system, it is very much a step in that direction. Now that animations trigger on actual contact, you see less suction and we can better use elements like momentum to help drive our animations. This new collision system has a huge impact on gameplay and is felt on virtually every single play from scrimmage.

We would like to thank Frazier for getting back to us to do this interview on such short notice, and so close to E3. We’re certainly excited to see what’s to be revealed in the near future.