Simulation fans have only been demanding realistic penalties for years. EA has made this a point of emphasis in Madden NFL 16, and penalties will play a bigger factor than ever before.
In addition to several new penalties being added, EA updated all pre-existing penalties and built a system to control penalty frequency. For example, the default slider setting is set to the average about of penalties in the NFL over the past 5 seasons.
According to Electronic Arts, every player is assigned a Penalty trait based on real-world NFL data, which determines how likely they are to commit a penalty; an undisciplined player has a far greater chance of committing a penalty than a disciplined player.
Again EA is making this a major feature in Madden 16. Players’ in-game strategy has an impact on penalties as well. For example, pressing cornerbacks are more likely to commit a defensive holding penalty, while goal line and max protect calls make offensive holding penalties more likely. Mistiming the “Off the Line†mechanic can easily draw a neutral zone infraction or encroachment penalty. This is very concerning to me and others on the Turf Team
The list of new and updated penalties includes:
- Encroachment
- False Start
- Offensive Holding
- Facemask
- Defensive Pass Interference
- Illegal Block in the Back
- Neutral Zone Infraction
- Defensive Holding
- Illegal Forward Pass
- Illegal Touching
- Delay of Game
- Kick Catch Interference
- Running into the Kicker
- Unnecessary Roughness
- Roughing the Passer
We are worried that we will have a few too many penalties and it will turn into taking more control away from the user. This is something we are not in favor. A “holding call†on a crucial third down can determine the outcome of the game, and that is something every player can agree will be very disappointing. Below you can view a video of Clint Oldenburg discussing offsetting penalties, and the challenge system for Madden 16.
https://youtu.be/j3eu2Tgn0Ho