Madden 20 August title update

Salem, OR – A new title update is has been released for Madden 20. This one is huge! It adds several new abilities for offensive lineman to help deal with explosive pass rushers, addresses the rate of fumbles, provides a number of player and coach likeness updates, makes fixes to a number of issues in the various modes and much more.

Here is a detailed breakdown of what’s included in the title update.

New Offensive Lineman Superstar Abilities

Edge Protector – Reduces edge pass rusher’s chance of successful rush move
Superstars equipped: Packers LT David Bakhtiari, Redskins LT Trent Williams, Cowboys LT Tyron Smith, Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz

Post Up – Improves blocker’s ability to hold double team blocks (both run & pass)
Superstars equipped: Eagles RG Brandon Brooks, 49ers LT Joe Staley, Rams LT Andrew Whitworth, Cowboys RG Zack Martin, Giants RG Kevin Zeitler

Run Block Elite – Holds blocks longer when run blocking
Not equipped to any player, but will available to earn in MUT & Franchise

Pass Block Elite – Holds blocks longer when pass blocking
Superstars equipped: Steelers LG David DeCastro, Eagles RG Brandon Brooks

Zone Blocker – Holds blocks longer on zone-blocked run plays
Superstars equipped: 49ers LT Joe Staley, Falcons C Alex Mack, Redskins LT Trent Williams, Cowboys RG Zack Martin

Power Blocker – Holds blocks longer on gap-blocked plays
Superstars Equipped: Eagles C Jason Kelce

Threat Detector – Detects/indicates extra blitzers on 3rd and 4th down plays
Not equipped to any player on the default roster, but will be available to earn in MUT & Franchise

All Day – Increases wait-timer between pass-rush move attempts by the defender when engaged on passing plays
Superstars equipped: Packers LT David Bakhtiari, Cowboys LT Tyron Smith

Nasty Streak – Frequently impact blocks smaller defenders when blocking in space
Superstars equipped: Colts LG Quenton Nelson, Eagles RT Lane Johnson, Eagles C Jason Kelce

Puller Elite – More effective at winning blocking engagements when pulling on run plays
Superstars equipped: Colts RG Quenton Nelson, Steelers LG David DeCastro

Secure Protector (already available in MUT/Franchise prior to update) – Significant reduction to pass rusher’s chance to use a quick shed move or edge rush on passing plays

Superstars equipped: Saints LT Terron Armstead, Raiders C Rodney Hudson, Rams LT Andrew Whitworth

New Pass Block Double Team Mechanic

Pass Block Double Team mechanic added to Pass Blocking Adjustments, replacing the Pinch adjustment

How it works: In the Pass Blocking adjustments pre-play menu, you can now target a defender aligned on the line of scrimmage for a pass-block double team. You can do this by opening the Pass Protection menu with R1/RB, and selecting the bottom option: ‘Double Team’ (this new mechanic is replacing the Pinch Adjustment, which has been removed globally). Once in this state, you’ll be shown a ‘D2’ indicator that you can move around with the LS, and then lock in your double team target by pressing A/X. While this can be bluffed on running plays and play-action, it will only assign a double team on dropback passing plays.

DEV NOTE: We are thrilled to be able to deliver a mechanic that our community has requested, and we think it’s coming in at the perfect time – the double team mechanic is a great way to counter Superstar X-Factor pass rushers. If there’s one really important note to know about this mechanic, it’s that it carries risk. No matter what, when you target a defender to double team, if he’s rushing, he will get double-teamed. So if the defense is rushing more defenders than blockers, you will likely leave one or more of those rushers unblocked to facilitate the targeted 2 vs. 1.

Gameplay Updates

• Tuning to increase the effectiveness of double-move route cuts for double-move abilities
• Added the fade hot route to the criteria to activate the ‘Streak Specialist’ ability
• Fixed an issue preventing X-Factor zone progress from populating correctly on the first play after a restarted game session
• Tuning to decrease blocking boosts on ‘Pin & Pull Guru,’ ‘Inside Zone Guru,’ Outside Zone Guru,’ ‘Fastbreak,’ and ‘Protected’ by 50% to provide proper balance for the new Offensive Line abilities
• Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has been updated so his new Superstar X-Factor Zone ability is ‘Brick Wall’
• Brick Wall – When in the zone, will break the first sack attempt as long as he’s in the pocket.
• This ability will be available in both Ultimate Team & Franchise
• Tuning around fumble rates and stiff-arm strength
• DEV NOTE: We have heard our players’ voices relative to the frequency of fumbles and the power of the stiff-arm move. While this tuning will decrease some of the frustrations around fumbles and stiff arms globally, this is just the first step in a series of planned updates that will bring more exact situational tuning. One important note regarding fumbles: the fumble rate for QB’s is higher intentionally, especially on Competitive game-style, in order to provide balance for scrambling QB’s. You can avoid fumbling with your QB by using the QB Slide mechanics: either tap the dive button while NOT holding down the Acceleration burst button; or hold both Acceleration Burst AND the Precision Modifier and tap the dive button to slide with your QB. A similarly useful counter to the stiff-arm move is the cut stick tackle, which can be activated by flicking down on the tackle stick.
• Tapping the stiff arm button a second time before making contact with a defender will now cancel the stiff arm
• Defenders with the “Secure Tackler” or “Tackle Supreme” abilities will no longer allow broken tackles due to the stiff-arm move
• Tuning to remove a speed burst when canceling a play-action fake
• Tuning to improve the read-defender’s reaction when running Inverted Veer plays to make the play easier to read
• Tuning to increase the frequency of successful catches by offensive linemen on Fake Field Goal plays
• Tuning to decrease the frequency of AI-controlled players diving at the pile or ball carrier late into or after the play
• Tuning to avoid accurate passes getting thrown too low on RPO plays

Player Likeness Updates

Titans WR AJ Brown
Patriots DE Chase Winovich
Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins
Broncos DT Drew Lock
Eagles WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside
Patriots WR N’Keal Harry
Colts LG Quenton Nelson
Panthers CB Donte Jackson
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs
Panthers OLB Brian Burns
Bengals HB Trayveon Williams
Cardinals HB Andy Isabella
Packers DE Rashan Gary
Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew
Redskins HB Bryce Love
Broncos HB Philip Lindsay
Chargers WR Keenan Allen
Steelers HB Benny Snell Jr
Broncos TE Noah Fant
49ers DE Nick Bosa
Lions TE TJ Hockenson
Falcons CB Desmond Trufant
Cardinals WR Hakeem Butler
Browns CB Greedy Williams
Panthers QB Will Grier
Seahawks WR DK Metcalf
Bills DT Ed Oliver
Saints WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Vikings TE Irv Smith
Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett
Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians
Saints Head Coach Sean Payton

Franchise Mode Updates

Scenario Engine

• Fixed an issue causing characters added to the league during the Fantasy Draft from re-triggering the Preseason Scenario
• Fixed a pre-season scenario causing the player to get negative coach feedback after achieving a QB rating of 95 or higher in pre-season game 2
• Fixed an issue causing the user to get a ‘Dev Trait’ increase scenario while still having a hidden Dev Trait
• Fixed an issue causing a player created on the Front End and then imported into Franchise to get cut before the regular season
• Fixed an issue causing ‘Total Yards’ to not be calculated correctly in some scenarios
• Fixed a scenario referring to the user’s character as ‘third rookie to start a season 3-1’
• We have made some improvements to scenario selection criteria and these will be applied to existing franchise leagues. The team is also evaluating which scenarios are being seen by users too often, not seen by users enough and we’re responding to feedback. Future updates will include new content as well as changes to existing scenarios and their corresponding goals and rewards.

Face of the Franchise

• Changed the label of the default skin tone to be consistent with the skin tone values in Player Creation
• User-created characters will no longer have the Hidden Dev Trait
• Fixed an issue when super-simming into OT during a college game could lead to incorrect ball-spot placement
• Fixed an issue preventing the college OT rules from being respected after using Supersim during the CPU’s possession
• Fixed an issue preventing the created player portrait from appearing for the opposing player in a Head to Head game
• Fixed an issue preventing second created character portrait from appearing in Franchise hub
• Fixed an issue sometimes causing X-Factor Vision to invert in pre-play after a few plays while player-locked

General Fixes

• Fixed an issue causing the Draft Pose animations to giveaway the drafted players’ development traits
• Fixed an issue preventing scrambling QB’s from accruing the appropriate amount of rushing yards when using Supersim
• Tuning to decrease the frequency of injuries for running backs
• Fixed an issue causing the hidden Dev Trait ‘snaps played’ progress to be lost after quitting out of Franchise
• Patriots QB Tom Brady will now be prevented from retiring at the end of the first season, based on his recently signed contract
• Menu Narration for Accessibility – fixed an issue when the user changes the team filter in the My Team: Injuries menu to a different team it no longer reads the player name
• Fixed an issue preventing the ‘away team’ user in a Head to Head game from making changes to the depth chart
• Fixed an issue causing drafted player ranked low on board to be displayed as ‘Good Pick’
• Fixed an issue causing high-rated players to sometimes be recommended to be cut, and/or being cut by CPU-controlled teams
• Tuning to increase the number of Improviser QB’s generated in Draft Classes
• Fixed an issue where the user could get Drive Goals for injured players
• Updated Panthers & Jets defensive schemes to reflect latest team information – this will NOT update in existing save files
• Financial Mogul Owner description had incorrect starting funds value
• Fixed an issue preventing drafted offensive linemen from unlocking their Dev Traits through downs played
• Tuning to prevent a Signing Bonus from counting against the salary cap beyond the 5th year of a contract extension
• Fixed an issue preventing the Formation Subs screen from updating after changing the playbook on the Schemes menu
• Fixed an issue rarely causing the Play Call screen to go blank in Franchise

Fantasy Draft

• Fixed an issue where players had the same True Talent Rank in the Draft Analysis Feedback
• Removed OVR from draft feedback text descriptions
• Fixed an issue causing an out of sync Draft Counter
• Fixed an issue displaying message ‘You have no picks remaining’ after reaching Round 6
• Fixed issues with players displaying the same True Talent rank as other players
• Superstar Abilities (these updates will apply to existing save files):
• Added support for the new Offensive Line Superstar abilities:
• All OL positions have had their ability slots increased to two, that will unlock at 70 OVR & 80 OVR
• Fullbacks and Tight Ends in Franchise will also have access to the blocking abilities
• Quarterbacks will now have access to the Brick Wall X-Factor ability
• Quarterbacks will now have access to the Threat Detector Superstar ability
• “Double Me” had incorrect knock out information inside of Franchise mode
• Franchise X-Factor database now displays only active abilities
• Fixed an issue with Lions CB Darius Slay causing his ability loadout to display a duplicate ability
• Fixed an issue causing players to display abilities they haven’t yet unlocked
• Fixed an issue preventing players with Superstar abilities from showing their Superstar icon in Franchise rosters

Presentation Updates

• Fixed an issue causing gamertags to appear in post-play presentation of MUT Squads
• Fixed an issue causing player indicators to overlap in MUT Squads
• Fixed an issue causing a created characters face to appear orange or red when quitting during a creation save
• Updated cameras in the Packers stadium so that they will remain in the front of the official when calling a penalty
• Updated Jumbotron message in the Ravens stadium
• Updated cameras in the Chiefs stadium
• Updated Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger’s X-Factor loading screen to reflect his correct Zone Ability
• In-Game text and Banner improvements

Bug Fixes and Animation

• Fixed an issue causing receiver to warp off the ground into a tackle following possession catch
• Fixed an issue making it difficult to tackle the ball carrier during a standing hurdle
• Fixed an issue causing the first tackle to be missed vs. a precision hurdle
• Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented a ball carrier from being tackled while getting up off the ground
• Fixed an issue preventing the QB from fumbling during a specific hit stick tackle
• Fixed an issue causing the QB to sometimes get frozen on the ground after a sack-fumble
• Fixed an issue causing AI-controlled QB’s to sometimes drop back too far and take big losses on sacks
• Fixed an issue causing a defender to warp off the ground into a sack animation
• Fixed an issue sometimes causing missed tackles vs. receivers right as the ball is being caught
• Fixed an issue causing defenders to leave their coverage assignments after the QB would break a tackle as a ball carrier in the backfield
• Fixed an issue causing the RB to slide at start of the play when flipping Fake Jet Power pass
• Fixed an issue sometimes causing a man coverage defender to run forward when defending a streak route
• Fixed an issue causing the ball to warp from one hand to the other when throwing on the run with a left-handed QB
• Fixed an issue with the button-mapping of Run Fit play art – you can now view the run fits in Coach Cam by holding down LT/L2 and pressing either Square/X or Circle/B in pre-play
• Fixed an issue preventing ball carriers from dropping the ball after the play is over
• Fixed an issue preventing Block and Release icon from appearing in H2H offline matches
• Fix to prevent HB’s entering QB ball carrier state on HB Passing plays to prevent exploits
• Made improvements to the pump-fake mechanic so that the QB will pass the ball quickly after pump-faking if spamming is detected

Playbooks

• Added Patriots Hoss-Juke concept plays to the Patriots playbook
• Fixed an issue causing blank sections in the Play-Call screen for the formation Singleback Wing Flex Close
• Fixed an issue causing the receiver to run backwards after the play-fake on Singleback Ace Pair PA End Around
• Fixed an issue with play-art where the WR had no assigned route on Singleback Doubles Y Off Close PA Fly Sweep
• Fixed an issue causing the QB to keep the ball during the handoff on West Coast Far Pro HB Sweep
• Fixed an issue sometimes causing the offense to leave the field when removing the Hail Mary set from custom playbooks
• Fixed an issue causing the Read Key to be on the wrong side of the field vs. Gun Doubles Y-Flex Offset RPO Read Flat Slant
• Fixed an issue causing the defensive play to reset after flipping the play in Play Call screen when defending No-Huddle
• Fixed the Primary Target for Wildcat Slot Flex Jet Touch Pass to be correct
• Fixed pre-play alignment issues in the Big Nickel Over G defensive formation when aligning vs. Trips formations

Ultimate Team Updates

• Fixed an issue preventing OVR’s from displaying correctly on the Top Players section of the Lineup Tab
• Fixed an issue causing the ‘Top Players’ to only show their default position
• Fixed an issue causing players to sometimes kick off to begin both halves in some MUT Solo Battles
• Fixed an issue preventing the user from being rewarded the appropriate star when scoring exactly 14 points during a ‘Score more than 14 points’ bonus objective
• Fixed an issue causing ‘Play Next Challenge’ to display the incorrect team
• Fixed an issue causing the left analog stick to lose functionality after entering the ‘Adjust Lineup’ screen and moving through the tabs
• Updated the MUT Squads Leaderboard to display the correct ranks in the ‘Friend Leaderboard’

Multiple menu & interface improvements