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I'm Patrick Cowan, Lighting Artist for EA Sports in Orlando. In the article that follows, I will be sharing a few of the exciting improvements to our lighting approach in Madden NFL 11, with a focus on increased broadcast fidelity.

Some of the more dramatic examples of these changes can be seen in our night games and dome stadiums, so much of what follows will address those game settings. Due to the fact that both settings are lit primary by artificial light sources, they present unique challenges to the artist.

Stadiums

One of the ways we pushed for increased broadcast integrity was in the lighting of our stadiums. Previously our night and dome stadiums were lit for maximum visibility of the crowd and thus were not consistent with typical broadcast camera exposures. In Madden 11 we attempted to better emulate how stadiums appear when the exposure is set for the action on the field. Using a variety of reference material, we attempted to closely approximate the patterns of light and shadow unique to the individual stadiums.

In real world photography, the light and dark values of a subject can vary considerably from shot to shot depending on the exposure settings. In Madden NFL we are working with one universal exposure, so it was necessary to create a unified look which works across the board, regardless of which of our hundreds of animated cameras is active. The end result is night and dome stadiums which have considerably more contrast and shape to the lighting than in previous versions of the game and tonal values for the crowd which prevent it from visually competing with the action during game play.

Photo Reference of M & T Bank Stadium

M & T Bank Stadium in Madden NFL 10

M & T Bank Stadium in Madden NFL 11

In the Madden NFL 11 example above, you'll notice a more dramatic shadow-to-light contrast, more shape and depth to the lighting, and a visual presentation which is truer to the photographic and broadcast appearance of the actual stadium.

Stadium Lights

Another change to our lighting is the appearance of our stadium lights. In photography, when a light source is in the field of view of the camera (or directly on the perimeter) it interacts with the lens to create flaring effects. These effects can take various forms, such as starbursts, circles or rings.

A photo example of lens flare with starburst patterns

In Madden NFL 11 we reworked this effect for all of our stadiums. Our stadium lights are now brighter and feature starburst patterns. This effect interacts with the animation of the camera, creating lens distortions which shift dynamically in real time as the camera moves or zooms.

Stadium Lights in Madden NFL 10

In the above image from Madden NFL 10, you'll notice the flares around the stadium lights appear circular and uniform in size. Compare this to the Madden NFL 11 image below:

Stadium Lights in Madden NFL 11

Notice the flares now form a detailed starburst pattern. As you play the game, you'll observe that as the camera is animated these flares grow larger in relation to the position of the lens, producing an interactive effect similar to what we are accustomed to seeing in an actual broadcast.

Jumbotrons & Ribbon boards

Another improvement in Madden NFL 11 is the broadcast-like representation of the ribbon boards and jumbotrons. A camera has a limited range of values it can capture, a range which is less than that of the human eye. When the values of a photographic subject fall outside of the light or dark extremes of this range, they are interpreted as uniform areas of minimum or maximum brightness. This can occur across the three channels which make up digital images - red, green, and blue (the three additive primary colors of light) - or separately in individual channels.

Self-illuminated objects such jumbotrons often present an irresolvable challenge to the photographer. If the exposure is set to accurately view the image featured on the jumbotron, the surrounding stadium will appear too dark. If the exposure is set for maximum visibility of the stadium, players or crowd, the image on the jumbotron will fall outside of the maximum luminance range available to the camera, resulting in an overly bright image and a loss of detail in the brightest areas -- an effect referred to as clipping or blow-out.

A photo of a jumbotron with clipped values

In Madden NFL 10, bright light sources such as jumbotrons and ribbon boards were exposed for maximum visibility, but lacked photographic authenticity. This year we made an effort to present self-illuminating objects in a manner more representative of a typical broadcast, resulting in clipped color channels and a "blown-out" look.

Jumbotron from Madden NFL 10

Jumbotron from Madden NFL 11

In the above Madden NFL 11 image, notice how the self-illuminated objects - the jumbotron, ribbon boards and signage - appear to be actual sources of light, in contrast with how these objects are displayed in the previous image from Madden NFL 10.

We also paid attention to improving other visual aspects the scoreboard and signage. In the following image, notice how the extra lighting detail on the NFL Network sign in the Madden NFL 11 screenshot (right) makes the sign feel as if it is lit by the light fixtures directly above and below the sign.

A comparison of Gillette Stadium scoreboard in Madden NFL 10 (left) vs. Madden NFL 11 (right)

The following example from Cleveland Browns Stadium displays similar visual upgrades. Notice how these features work together to enhance perceived photographic realism in the lower image.

Browns Stadium scoreboard in Madden NFL10

Browns Stadium scoreboard in Madden NFL 11

Self-shadows

Self-shadowing refers to the real-time calculation and rendering of shadows cast from objects and characters onto themselves and the geometry with which they interact. Madden NFL 10 was the first version of Madden to introduce self-shadowing, but the implemented technology was not without problems. On Madden NFL 11 we reworked our self-shadow system, resulting in a dramatic improvement in shadow fidelity. Compare the shadow quality of the two images below, particularly paying attention to the shadows falling below the featured character's arms onto his chest and the shadows cast from the railing onto the stairs. The shadows in the Madden NFL 10 image (left) have a jagged quality. This effect is heightened when seen with movement: the frame-by-frame redrawing of the jagged shadows produces a distracting shimmering effect. By revisiting our shadow tech in Madden NFL 11 we were able to significantly smooth out the shadows, minimizing visual distraction. This quality upgrade is visible in the image on the right and is even more dramatically discernable when playing the game.

A comparison of self-shadow quality from Madden NFL 10 (left) vs. Madden NFL 11 (right)

The following comparison screenshot from Madden NFL 11 featuring Jets Coach Rex Ryan further demonstrates how our upgraded self-shadowing implementation contributes to the improved overall appearance of Madden NFL 11. In the image on the left, Ryan's hat appears ungrounded due to the lack of self-shadowing. In contrast, notice how the hat in the image on the right blocks the sunlight, casting a shadow across Ryan's face. The hat now feels as if it is resting solidly on Ryan's head. Additionally, compare the difference in the quality of the shadows cast from the respective headsets.

Rex Ryan watching game play, as portrayed in Madden NFL 10 (left) and in Madden NFL 11 (right)

Madden NFL 11 is the first version of the game to bring self-shadowing to games played at night and in dome stadiums. Seeing the shadows fall from player to player results in the characters appearing weightier and grounded, and helps integrate the players with their surroundings.

The comparison below demonstrates how self-shadowing in night and dome games contributes to increased realism in Madden NFL 11. The left image from Madden NFL 10 has no self-shadows and consequently feels ungrounded, while the self-shadowing in the image from Madden NFL 11 (right) facilitates an increased appearance of interactivity between the players. In game, this allows the action to feel more dynamic, more alive.

A screenshot from a night game in Madden NFL 10, lacking self-shadows (left), vs. a night shot from Madden NFL 11, displaying our new self-shadow technique (right)

Daytime Lighting

Our approach to daytime lighting changed dramatically for Madden NFL 11. Again, we pushed for increased broadcast fidelity.

Let's revisit the concept of clipping. As stated previously, clipping occurs when tonal values in an image fall outside of the range available to the medium. In a typical digital image with an eight bit color depth, the artist is working with a value range of 0-255 for each of the three color channels. When values in any of the channels exceed 255, they are interpreted as 255, the maximum brightness available. This causes the bright areas to appear "flat" or even in value. If the clipping occurs in all three color channels, the clipped area will be solid white. We are accustomed to seeing this effect in photographs, movies and broadcast - our eyes simply read it as "bright."

Examine the white areas in the broadcast screenshot on the left side of the side-by-side comparison below. The players are shot in direct sunlight. Notice how the missing color information on the uniforms produces contiguous white areas. Now compare the image from Madden 10 on the right, which also portrays the players in direct sunlight. Because the shading detail is retained on the white uniforms, the screenshot doesn't feel as bright as the photograph.

A comparison of bright values in direct sunlight as displayed in broadcast (left) vs. a similar shot in Madden NFL 10 (right)

Now look at a similar comparison using a screenshot from Madden NFL 11 (below, right). Here we pushed the bright values much higher, leading to a clipping effect similar to what we see in the reference photo. Because we see less detail in the brightest areas of the player's uniform, we feel as if we are looking at a player shot in direct sunlight. As an added benefit of this approach, the player now "pops off the screen" and is easier for our eyes to follow during game play.

A comparison of bright values in direct sunlight as displayed in broadcast (left) vs. a similar shot in Madden NFL 11 (right)

Overall, our goal for Madden NFL 11 lighting was to push contrast, heighten realism, and integrate some of the distinguishing characteristics of broadcast to create a more dramatic visual statement and highly immersive game play. We hope you derive as much enjoyment from playing the game as we experienced creating it.

Patrick Cowan

Lighter

EA Tiburon

Donny Moore, Madden NFL ratings guru brings you the ups and down you'll see in this year's game. To discuss rosters and ratings, visit the Madden NFL forum here.

The Madden team couldn’t be happier with how the community and press have responded to the features we’ve announced for Madden NFL 11 so far. GameFlow, Game Planning, Locomotion, Dual Stick Control, improved offensive line play and blocking, the addition of Gus Johnson- everything we’ve done to the game was to make Madden NFL 11 more authentic, more responsive, and deeper than ever before. So, thanks to all of you who have helped validate this direction and continued to show your support for the franchise. We’re all getting ready for E3 and are looking forward to announcing yet another major feature- this time for online. So, tune into GTTV’s E3 All Access Special on Spike, tonight June 11th, at 11:00 PM EST, hosted by Geoff Keighley and Supermodel Marisa Miller to get the inside scoop.

In the meantime, we’d like to address some areas of the game that we know are hot on many of your radars, specifically the Franchise and SuperStar modes. Last year we delivered Online Franchise and while it was received very well by community and press, the usage was among the lowest for any of our gameplay modes. What this said to us was that Franchise mode as whole needed more than just a new access point, it needed a complete refresh. As most of you know, Franchise mode debuted in Madden NFL 99 on PlayStation, and since then, we’ve been adding on layers and layers of code each year to make it the most authentic experience possible. As console technology has evolved, it’s become increasingly more difficult to evolve the mode in-kind, since we are handcuffed by the limitations of the code from so many years in the past. To re-write Franchise mode to take full advantage of the PS3 and Xbox 360 would take well over a year to do, which is why we’ve taken the approach we have up until now. With that in mind, we made the decision to focus this year’s development on making the core areas of Madden NFL better, namely the AI, animations, playcall, and online play. While that meant not making any major overhauls to Franchise or SuperStar, we were still able to make some notable improvements while we prepare for the future. Specifically, we improved franchise stats (especially season rushing yards and season sacks), in-game injuries, Super Bowl presentation, NCAA Draft Class tuning, and we even completely re-created over 8000 players in 32 draft classes. We also added the new Meadowlands Stadium as the 2014 Super Bowl site. However, the biggest addition to Franchise mode this year is Game Planning. This year you have the ability to create a new Game Plan for every game in Franchise if you choose to do so. If you’re playing the Colts or Saints, you can focus your defensive Game Plan around Manning or Brees. If you’re playing a team with a great secondary like the Eagles, you can focus your Game Plan more around running the ball. You can save off a separate Game Plan for every opponent you face and if they add new players after year one, you can go back and edit that Game Plan to account for those changes. This new feature allows you to be the coach that you always wanted to be.

We feel great about where we’ve taken the foundation of Madden NFL and are ready to refocus on building Franchise and SuperStar from the ground up. We have already assembled a team fully dedicated on setting the vision for what Franchise and SuperStar modes can and should be in the future. Since we are starting with a clean canvas heading into Madden NFL 12, we want the community to help us shape our direction- starting NOW. Let us know what you’d like to see in Madden career modes in the future. We’re not just looking for small add-ons either. We want your big ideas. What would revolutionize career modes in your opinion?

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Hey Madden fans, my name is Mike Scantlebury, and I'm here today to hit you with some info about changes we've made in regards to blocking for Madden NFL 11. For those of you that don't know me, I am a designer on the Gameplay Team here at Tiburon. I've worked in gameplay, focused primarily on tuning and realism, for over 5 years (working on the PS2/Xbox generation until last year). This year the task of creating designs to improve run blocking was delegated to me, and through a collaborative effort between several engineers and designers on my team, we were able to design and implement totally new run blocking logic into the game...and there's no denying it makes a HUGE difference.

The new Run Blocking AI will open up more running lanes and allow users to establish a true ground attack like we see proficient running teams do on Sunday. It all starts with blocking, without blocking the greatest running backs of all time would not be able to put up such huge numbers. There are obviously many different run blocking schemes out there, so we decided that we wanted to really focus on the core run plays that are the true staple of the majority of NFL offenses.

As we started planning out the changes to make to run blocking In Madden NFL 11, we just focused on creating the true run blocking schemes exactly as they are drawn up in real life. No reason to try and make a video-gamey version of it - it needed to be the real thing. It definitely took a lot of tuning to get the matchups right versus the many defensive fronts in football, but we have done it. The very first thing we had to do was really lay down the law. What I mean by this is that blockers had to be given realistic rules for who they are going to target depending on what type of run it is. We had to devise rules for each run blocker individually, starting from the play-side Tight End to the back-side Tight End, and all the Linemen in between. These rules also had to work in the situations where there was no Tight End, had to affect blockers in the backfield, and had to work whether you had a fullback to lead block or if you were running out of a Singleback formation. These realistic blocking matchup rules have stood the test of time in football at every level of play, from Pee Wee to professional. So we set out to implement these timeless rules into our football game. Daniel White (who from here forward I will refer to as the greatest software engineer of all time) was able to take the rules that I laid out and actually code them into the game. The result? Better overall run blocking, bigger holes for ball carriers to run through, and more realistic running lanes created by smarter offensive players. Let's look at specific improvement made to the different runs in our game.

Power O - This run is the staple of several professional football teams. Now this run has been in the game for the last several years but the play has never run the way it was intended to. As a matter of fact you could say the matchups were sort of backwards. You see Power O stands for Power Off Tackle, this is an off tackle run that is designed to go through the C gap (gap between the Offensive Tackle and Tight End). In the previous years, I bet you have always been forced to bounce the run wide Why? Well for starters the play-side Defensive Tackle was often left for the pulling Lineman to pick up like you were running an Inside Trap run. This is Power Off Tackle not an inside Trap.

In Madden NFL 11 you will see the play-side defensive tackle get a double team by the play-side Offensive Guard and Offensive Tackle. This double team is critical for 2 reasons (1) It addresses the main threat at the point of attack (2) It opens a bigger running lane for the blockers and ball carrier to go through. On Power Off Tackle runs the pulling guard is supposed to lead through the C Gap and look to seal inside, and versus most fronts he'll end up blocking the Mike (middle linebacker). If there is a fullback he will also lead the HB through the C gap then look to block the first defender he sees coming from the play-side. Now you might be saying "what about the backside linebacker?" Well my friend remember that double I told you about that was going to happen to the play-side DT? A lineman will move off that block double team block and pick up that backside LB. The pulling guard and fullback usher the running back right through that C-gap and let him make his way up to the safeties.

Taking the run through the C Gap makes the run a much quicker hitting run play than if you were to take it outside of the Tight End. Now to be clear you can't have a ‘Power' running game with just any team, especially if you are going to make Power O the staple of your running game. To have a running attack you need to have at least a respectable run blocking offensive line but to make Power O a staple a good run blocking Tight End is absolutely critical. Without that, defensive ends and outside linebackers alike will kill your off tackle run before it even gets started. So make sure your personnel suits your running attack

HB Counter - Now this run always fits perfectly into a power running game. It sets those aggressive defenders up to think that the run is going in one direction then bam before they know it the running back is going by them in the opposite direction. Now counters have been in our game even longer than Power Os but the design of counters in our game have been quite different from how they are executed in real life, which obviously led to them being relatively ineffective most of the time. The first piece of this actually goes beyond blocking. It all starts with defensive reaction. Defenders in the box now have a more deliberate reaction when they see that initial fake by the running back. Thanks to our new locomotion system (explained in detail here), it only takes a step or two in the wrong direction for a counter to be run with maximum efficiency.

So now let's talk about the blocking. In years past the blocking for a counter was pretty much the same as a Power O run in the opposite direction. For Madden NFL 11, you will see these 3 key differences (1) Both guards pull on counter runs, the first guard kicks out the EMLOS (End Man on Line of Scrimmage) and the second guard leads through the hole looking to seal inside (which usually means he gets the Mike) (2) When running the counter to the weak side of the formation the play-side offensive tackle will immediately go to the second level and block the play-side Linebacker (3) On most plays with a fullback, the fullback will go to the side of the fake.

Having both guards pull had an immediate impact on the effectiveness of the run. The defense could have a very good run stopping defensive end that could easily beat your offensive tackle trying to block him head up, but with counter blocking that destructive end will often get kicked out by the first pulling guard which is a much easier blocking assignment. That offensive tackle that no longer has to worry about that destructive defensive end can now go right up to the second level and pick up the play-side linebacker. Now the last key difference will also impact user controlled defenders. When you as a user see that fullback charging towards the strong-side they will probably immediately think Power O, which is exactly what you want them to think. A small misstep on the part of the user controlled defender can result in big yardage for the ball carrier.

HB Stretch - Stretch runs incorporate zone blocking which has become increasingly popular on the Pro and Collegiate levels over the last several years. You see teams abandoning the Power Run game in order to employ more zone blocking schemes into their ground attack. The beauty of zone blocking is that it incorporates as many double teams as possible. This makes it a lot easier for the ballcarrier to make it to the outside, because even a good run stopping defender that has outside containment responsibility will have to beat a double team block (which is no easy task) in order to blow the play up in the backfield.

Stretch runs have a longer handoff than other run plays to give the play time to develop, and during that time you're going to see multiple double team blocks. What you are also going to see is linemen or tight ends moving off of the double team blocks and going up to the second level picking aggressively pursuing linebackers. Last year you would often see the wrong blocker coming off the double team to pursue the linebacker, so what you would end up with a lot of the time was a big lineman chasing behind a linebacker with no chance of making that block. In Madden NFL 11, you will see the appropriate blocker in the double team coming off to make the block, often times sealing up a nice big run lane for you to scoot through.

Versus a 4 man front, the play-side offensive tackle and tight end will double that play side defensive end, then the tight end will work his way up to the play-side linebacker and try to cut him off from getting to the outside. Now this is not always the behavior, if the linebacker decides that he is going to shoot the C gap instead of going to the outside then the offensive tackle will be the one to pick him up, so don't worry we got you covered in that regard.

Having the appropriate player come off of the double team has another awesome benefit and that is more running lanes for the ball carrier to choose from. With zone blocking the ball carrier chooses his lane as the play develops. The run is designed to go wide to the outside but you never know how the defensive is going to react. If defenders are able to quickly get to the outside than look to the inside for a running lane to go through and if there are no running lanes (because the back side defenders have filled them all) then you could even look the bend the run all the way back in the opposite direction. With the new momentum-centric locomotion system, the feel of a ballcarrier changing lanes in the backfield is smoother and more fun than ever.

Inside Zone - Staying in line with stretch runs, another great run this year is the Inside Zone run. These runs are awesome for many of the same reasons that stretch runs are. To sum it up in two words, double teams. These appropriately placed double teams at the point of attack set up the ballcarrier with a better designed lane than what you would find on the streets of an upscale neighborhood. No litter, no potholes, just a nice wide lane for you to traverse at your leisure. Alright it's not quite that smooth and easy. The lane can get shutdown really quick, the defensive end could beat the block attempt of your offensive tackle or worst yet, the defensive tackle could split that double team so you'd better throw it into high gear and hit that hole with urgency. You never know when there is going to be construction on that road, so make good use of it while it's clear.

Like I said with the stretch runs, new locomotion makes changing lanes smoother than ever before. So if the run is designed to go in the B Gap (between guard and tackle), but you see the hole developing at the C Gap, you don't even have to put on your blinker, just change lanes and hit that hole. Hey you could even take a run going into the B-Gap on the right side and take it all the way to the C-Gap on the left side (though I wouldn't suggest it). I mean it's your run so take it wherever you want, but I'm assuming your no. 1 priority is positive yards so in most cases you probably want to run the play as it's drawn up on the chalk board.

In Madden NFL 11 you will notice that double team blockers come off double team blocks at the appropriate time so you're going to see your run lanes developing, but I have to warn you, Inside Zone is a lot quicker hitting than Stretch runs so you have to make your decisions a lot quicker if you are going to change lanes. If you want to take a zone run in the opposite direction you don't have to bend it all the way back in the opposition direction, you can just call one of excellent Zone Weak run plays. Zone weak runs are the same as inside zone runs but they are aimed at the weak side of the formation (hence the name zone weak). Use these runs to take advantage of the awesome zone blocking going towards the weak side of the formation. These runs are also great for keeping your opponent on their toes.

Well I hope this helps you guys pound the rock in Madden NFL 11. The run blocking has been overhauled to help you, the fan, run the ball like your favorite teams do on Sunday. With core runs all being improved it's going to be interesting to see the various ground attacks that gamers are going to employ into their offense. Some will stick with power runs, hitting you with counters here and there, while others will utilize outside zone blocking schemes and may use inside zone blocking runs as the staple of their run game. There's a lot of good stuff to choose from this year, so make sure to utilize the strengths of your line and mix it up.

Thanks Madden fans - hope you enjoy!

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Hey guys, Yuri B. here to talk to you about our brand new online mode, Team Play.  For those of you who don't know me, I'm one of the designers on the Madden NFL team here at Tiburon and have been working on different versions of Madden NFL since '08. I know we have released this information already, but I wanted to share with you the thought behind our decision making.

As many of you know, last year we dipped our toes into the online cooperative waters with our Online Co-op feature.  While it served its purpose as a good first attempt and taught us some great lessons, it admittedly needed some more polish to really make it special.  Naturally, for Online Team Play, we started with our co-op mode and took a long hard look at what worked and what didn't.  Once we had a good idea of what we wanted to keep and get rid of, we set out to evolve the mode into something much more fun and compelling.

Getting Started

So first things first, how do you get started?  There are a number of ways to start a Team Play game and the Team Play hub contains all of them.  The first way is to jump in feet first by selecting the "Quick Team Play Game" option.  This option allows you to quickly join a Team Play game with other random Madden users, choose sides and start playing.

The second way to start a game is by using the "Play With Friends" option.  Choosing this option will open up your Madden NFL Friends List, which is a new feature this year, and allow you to select up to five of your friends and invite them all at once to your game.  You'll also be able to invite and have access to your recent opponents and lobby room users from the same Madden NFL Friends List.

Last but not least, you can start a game is by using a Team Play Lobby room.  In the Team Play Lobby you'll have the choice to either enter one of our pre-defined rooms or create one of your own.  The ability to create your own room is there so that you and your team of friends can match up with another team of friends.  By creating a room with a descriptive name, you can either communicate out the type of team you are or attract the type of team you want to play against.  For example, if you and your friends are Packer fans and you're looking for a game, you might call your room "GB team here" to attract a team of Bear fans to play against.  Once you have enough people for a game, you can open the Madden Friends List and send an invite to everyone in the lobby room.

Setting Up Your Team and Choosing Squads

Once you've started your Team Play session, you'll need to join a side and begin the set up process.  The first user on either side is the Team Captain.  The Team Captain is responsible for setting up the team and has control over the team you'll play as, the uniform you'll wear and the playbooks you'll use.  The Team Captain will also be the one in charge of making coaching decisions like penalties, injuries and depth chart movements in the game.  Your team's captain can be easily identified on the field by the Team Captain patch next to their name.  One of the main new components of Team Play, and the first thing you'll be asked to do when joining a side, is to select your squads.

The way squads work is that each team is broken up into three squads on Offense (QB, RB and WR) and three squads on Defense (DL, LB and DB).  Each user owns their squad and can only switch between players that belong to that squad.  Aside from the three positional squads on both sides of the ball, there's also a fourth "ANY" position, which gives you the versatility to switch between any non-controlled players on the team.  Although you can switch around to any open player, the real intent is to encourage you and your teammates to create squad tandems like FB/HB, WR1/WR2 or LE/RE.  Squads also come with their own set of responsibilities...

QB Squad - Responsible for play calling on Offense, audibles and Offensive Line shifts

RB Squad - Responsible for hot routing or changing the direction of the running play and sending players in motion

WR Squad - Responsible for hot routing and sending players in motion

DL Squad - Responsible for hot routing and DL Shifts

LB Squad - Responsible for play calling on Defense, audibles, hot routing, LB Shifts and spotlighting receivers

DB Squad - Responsible for hot routing and Coverage Shifts

Unlike the positional squads, the "ANY" position doesn't have any pre-play responsibilities except for the ability to hot route whichever player you're currently controlling.  Something else you may have noticed with regards to squad responsibilities, is that play calling is divided up between the QB and the LB squads.  This way if you're one of those people who aren't comfortable calling the shots on Defense, you can make the calls on Offense and let someone else call the plays on Defense.  Just like a real football team, everyone is responsible for doing their part and you'll need to communicate with each other in order to succeed.

Speaking of communication, you and your teammates will have the ability to talk amongst yourselves using Team Chat, both during setup and in the game, as long as you all have headsets.

In Game

Once you get in game, there are a number of visual aids that we provide for you to make sure that you know what you're supposed to be doing at all times.  The first thing you'll notice is the colored player indicator arrow above your head and the heads of your squadmates (the other players that belong to your squad).

These indicators will help you to quickly identify if one of your players is positioned to make a play on the ball so you can switch to them.  Your teammates will also have a player indicator arrow over their head that corresponds to their color.  Their indicator will only appear for the player they're currently controlling.

Another visual aid that we provide to help you is play art.  Typically when playing a single player game, the play art will only appear when you're walking up to the line and then later if you manually bring it up using the "Show Play Art" control.  In Online Team Play, we leave the play art on the field for you during the entire play for whichever player you're controlling.

In other words, when playing as a receiver, your route will stay on the field to help you stay on target, consequently on Defense, your zone or man coverage assignment will also stay on the field for as long as the QB has the ball.

One of the areas that we spent the most time testing and improving this year is cameras.  For those of you that played Online Co-op last year, you know that the cameras on Defense weren't exactly optimal and often times disorienting when switching from one player to another.  This year, we went in and overhauled the entire system.  We added new camera logic to keep what you need to see in frame at all times and make the camera behave more intelligently.  We also tried a number of different camera perspectives and then playtested each camera type until we had enough data to make informed decisions.  In the end, we settled on putting the defensive camera behind the player instead of the traditional view from behind the QB.

Personally, I feel like it makes a huge difference in the way you play Defense.  Now the controls on both Offense and Defense are the same...you push up to move your player up the screen.  It may take some getting used to for those of you that are traditional Madden players, but trust me; you'll have it down in no time at all.

Squad Accomplishments

Squad Accomplishments are a way to improve your squads and boost their attributes.  Each squad has four accomplishments that you can earn by performing well in a single game.  Whenever you earn an accomplishment, your squad will be rewarded with attribute boosts that then stay with your squad and are applied anytime you play as that squad in a game.

For instance, if I'm playing as the QB squad and throw for 5 touchdowns and 300 yards, I'll earn the "Air Show" accomplishment which boosts my Awareness, Short Accuracy and Medium Accuracy by 2%.  Since I earned that accomplishment, anytime I play as the QB squad in the future, my attributes will be boosted.

So that's pretty much Online Team Play in a nutshell.  Make sure that you and your friends get out there on August 10^th to buy the game and then take it out for a spin.  I guarantee you'll have a blast.

Gus Johnson and authentic game day sounds take you inside the stadium!

Gus Johnson, one of the most electrifying commentators in sports injects his unique energy into the play-by-play call. Well known for his excitable calls during NFL, NCAA college basketball, MMA broadcasts and more, Johnson now joins the 22 year legacy of the Madden NFL franchise that have included play-by-play legends like Pat Summerall, Al Michaels, and Tom Hammond. Cris Collinsworth returns to the two man booth to provide his Emmy winning analysis.

In addition to Gus, Madden NFL 11 recreates the authentic sounds of game day with team specific chants and fight songs, as well as music that you hear each Sunday. Get ready for kickoff with "Crazy Train", celebrate a touchdown with "Rock and Roll Part Two", or get fired up for a big defensive stop with "Thunderstruck" and many more - Madden NFL 11 features some of the most recognized stadium tracks in sports. test