More Details on Madden NFL 20 Superstar X-Factors, Signature Animations, Gang Sacks, Game Speeds Removed & Much More

EA has released a new Madden NFL 20 blog, covering Superstar X-Factors, from Senior Gameplay Designer, Clint Oldenburg. The new feature that makes NFL stars feel like stars, separating elite players from the rest of the players in the league.

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Madden NFL 20 will have 50 elite players, featured as X-Factors, that will evolve throughout the NFL season, based off of real-life performances. These are the players that raise their game when it matters most, especially when they are in The Zone.

Each of the 50 players will have a loadout of powerful abilities, including one Zone ability that can be unlocked during gameplay by completing an in-game objective tailored to that player. When the objective is achieved, they will enter the “zone” and have access to use their special ability until their opponent knocks them out of the zone with an objective of their own. These players also have several Superstar abilities equipped which will be active at all times during gameplay to truly emphasize their unique skill sets and make them powerful and hard to stop, just like their real-life counterparts.

For both the Zone abilities and Superstar abilities, what sets them apart is that they are NOT ratings boosts or modifications. These are behaviors, characteristics, and situational outcomes, aspects of football, and it will be very clear to our players what impact they are having on the game by complimenting the player ratings, not modifying them.

Madden NFL 20 also has a group of additional players called Superstars. These players will be equipped with Superstar abilities just like the X-Factors, but they will NOT have a special Zone ability to unlock.

Here’s a look at Patriots WR Julian Edelman’s Superstar ability.

Julian Edelman – WR, Patriots

Superstar Ability

  • Slot-O-Matic – Excels at route running and contested catches when running routes from a Slot receiver position

Here are a few more examples of Superstar abilities:

  • Pass Lead Elite – Extended precision passing on all throws except for High and Low throw
  • Pocket Deadeye – Perfect passing accuracy when passing with the QB’s feet set from inside the pocket
  • Match-Up Nightmare – Gets open and wins contested catches when covered by a single linebacker or defensive lineman
  • Edge Rush Elite – Frequently uses dominant pass-rush moves when rushing from a defensive edge position

Counters are also available to stop these abilities, so it’s not one-sided.

Superstar X-Factors will be used in Franchise mode and Ultimate Team.

Madden NFL 20 will feature signature and custom animations, as well as presentation for Superstar X-Factors. This includes throwing and passing animations, as well as first down and sack celebrations.

 

The team also tuned velocity and trajectory for all throw types and reworked the pump-fake mechanics. They also added signature running styles for Cam Newton, Julian Edelman, Alvin Kamara, and Richard Sherman, with hopes to expand on that in the future.

Below are some additional notes from the blog that should peak your interest. Make sure to read the entire blog here.

Streamlined Pre-Play, Post-Play, and No Huddle Experiences

We’ve significantly shortened the amount of time spent showing gameplay before and after the play. What’s important to note here is both the game clock and play clock will naturally be accelerated regardless of your accelerated clock settings to account for the time that would normally tick off while players are getting aligned. When using Hurry-Up or No-Huddle, the accelerated clock will tick off the amount of time it would take for the player the furthest away to run and get aligned in his pre-play formation position. These changes have created a faster experience and more time spent on the sticks in each game session.

Pass Rush

In today’s NFL, the pass rush has changed how the game is being played and is the direct counter to deep routes and great quarterback play. We are bringing a more balanced and powerful pass rush to our game globally to limit the amount of time allowed in the pocket, and it will be even more intense when playing against Superstar pass rushers. This is a significant creative change to the balance of the game and on average, this will force the offense to get the ball out quicker on passing plays without consistently having the time to wait for the second and third passing windows to open up.

In-Game Feedback System

The in-game feedback was streamlined to be more cohesive and informative, especially around notifications for X-Factor Abilities and user mechanics.

Re-Factor of Under Pressure QB Penalties

Putting pressure on the QB will be more impactful in Madden NFL 20, especially based on the ratings and Superstar abilities of the pass rusher and QB. You’ll see great pass rushers have a greater impact on QB passing accuracy when applying pressure, and you’ll see QBs who are great at throwing under pressure be more accurate. All of this information will be surfaced to the player via detailed in-game passing feedback text.

Gang Sacks

Multiple defenders can now seamlessly add onto tackle animations when sacking the QB.

Rushed Get-Up Animations

If players get knocked to the ground while the play is still live, they will now hurry to get up off the field and be more aware of the game situation.

Limits Placed on Lurking LBs

In addition to the throw-trajectory tuning mentioned previously, we have also made some changes with jumping interceptions over the middle vs. passing plays. Primarily, only defensive backs will be able to execute the athletic, jumping INTs in Madden NFL 20, while linebackers and defensive linemen will not be able to make acrobatic catches over the middle. If a user tries to intercept a pass with a one of these bigger defenders that he can’t reach, the player will trigger a catch animation, but he won’t reach the ball. However, we have picked out the best “ball-in-air” LBs and equipped them with a Superstar ability to allow them to get up in the air and make spectacular catches when applicable.

Animation Polish on Blocking, Catching, and Tackling

We’ve put a significant amount of work in towards improving the transitions into and out of interactions, with a focus on making them more seamless, while also making the mechanics more responsive and user-friendly.

Streamlined Pre-Play, Post-Play, and No Huddle Experiences

We’ve significantly shortened the amount of time spent showing gameplay before and after the play. What’s important to note here is both the game clock and play clock will naturally be accelerated regardless of your accelerated clock settings to account for the time that would normally tick off while players are getting aligned. When using Hurry-Up or No-Huddle, the accelerated clock will tick off the amount of time it would take for the player the furthest away to run and get aligned in his pre-play formation position. These changes have created a faster experience and more time spent on the sticks in each game session.

More Quality Tweaks

We removed Auto-Strafe from the game completely, both the functionality and the setting.

We removed different Game Speeds from the game, mainly due to the amount of very specific bugs it caused for our animation systems.

Ball Hawk is now defaulted to ON for all skill levels. While it can still be toggled off via settings, having it off can lead to a number of frustration points for our users, so we decided it was not a good default option.

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