Madden NFL 19 October Title Update offer fixes, tweaks, and more dancing

By the end of this evening, the NFL regular season will have completed Week 4 and all teams will have worked through a quarter of their full season schedule. The team at EA Tiburon continues to work on Madden NFL 19, but any big changes have been completed and only slight tweaking remains to be done. The new October Title Update patches a few exploits, addresses some linger bugs, and, as always, injects some dance moves into the experience.

Last month’s Title Update saw a major polish run over the Franchise Mode and mostly fixed the technical issues that plagued the PC port of the game. With the overall Madden package in a good place, the October update is a much lighter download. For dedicated players, the big news is that custom draft players can now have their names announced by the commentary team during Franchise Mode. Several players get updates to face models, as well as a boost to the number of team touchdown celebrations. The full list of changes is as follows:

Franchise Updates

NOTE: All changes will be available to existing Cloud and Offline Franchises.

Added ability for Atlanta, Houston, Arizona, Indianapolis, and Dallas to have an open roof when the weather is within acceptable NFL standards
Added ability for the commentary to reference edited Draft Class players if the name has been recorded
Fixed issue where Formation Subs would not save for 4-3 Wide, Nickel 3-3-5, Nickel 3-3-5 Wide, and Nickel Double A Gap
Fixed the issue in Cloud Franchise where draft feedback incorrectly states “You Reached”
Fixed an issue where body appearance settings were not saved when editing a Draft Class
Fixed an issue where Field Goal stats weren't tracking when a Punter starts as KOS
Fixed the issue causing the game to not proceed when starting a Cloud Franchise
Fixed an issue where snapshots won't save when the game time is long
Fixed alignment of Team Success menu when rendering in 4K
Fixed situations where text can overlap in the News menu
Fixed overlapping text issue on Staff Changes menu
Fixed overlapping text issue on Re-Sign Staff menu
Added team color to the Team Salaries menu

Visual Updates

More than doubled the number of Team Celebrations available after Touchdowns via the user-celebration mechanic
Added new signature TD celebrations for Cowboys HB Ezekiel Elliot
Added the 'Billionaire Strut' to the 'Swagger' user-celebration option
Fixed an issue sometimes causing the Passing Feedback text to stay on the screen too long
Fixed an issue causing the Jumbotron in the Eagles stadium to have an incorrect display image
Added new helmets and facemasks:

Schutt F7 Helmet shell
Schutt Vengeance Z10 Helmet shell
Xenith Epic Helmet shell
Six new Schutt F7 Facemasks:

2-bar
3-bar
3-bar rb
robot
robot rb
fullcage

Updated player likeness for the following players:

Saints HB Alvin Kamara
Packers CB Jaire Alexander
Packers QB Deshone Kizer
Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin
Buccaneers HB Peyton Barber
Ravens HB Alex Collins
Ravens CB Tavon Young
Saints CB Ken Crawley
Saints RT Ryan Ramczyk
Saints FS Marcus Williams
Falcons TE Austin Hooper
Cowboys P Chris Jones
Redskins SS Montae Nicholson
Steelers QB Mason Rudolph
Browns CB Denzel Ward

Gameplay Updates

Tuning:

Tuning to increase the frequency of Facemask penalties when setting the Strip Ball coach adjustment to 'Aggressive'
Tuning to allow QB's a chance to fumble when tackled with a hit stick, even when holding down the Cover-Ball mechanic on RT/R2 - this applies to Competitive and Simulation game styles
Tuning to improve the running animation used when a ball carrier makes slight direction changes while holding the Acceleration Burst mechanic
Tuning to decrease disenage angles for defenders vs. the run game

DEV NOTE: A disengage is different than a block shed and is dictated by the STR rating of the two players involved in the block. By decreasing the angles, defenders will have to wait longer to disengage away from blockers as the ball carrier runs through the line. When looking at game data, we have seen that scoring and yards gained are below our target ranges, which led to this tuning change - this applies to all game styles and difficulty levels.

Added logic to prevent extremely late Fair Catch calls on kick returns

DEV NOTE: When catching on a kick or punt return, there will now be a limited time window open to call for a fair catch. When the window closes, you will see the receiver 'Lock' icon inside the player indicator to tell you that a fair catch can no longer be called. This aligns with NFL rules around fair catch calls, and also solves problems when catching the kick with an extremely late fair catch that would interfere with the catch animation

Tuning to stamina when holding down the acceleration burst mechanic to better align defensive players with offensive players. This applies to Competitive and Simulation game styles

Pass Coverage:

Improved zone logic for Cover 3 and Cover 4 vs. multiple crossing routes, such as PA Boot Over plays
Finished the fix from previous title update so that Cover 3 will correctly cover both the flat and the wheel routes on Fake Screen Wheel plays
Fixed an issue causing deep zone players to sometimes not react to deep routes when using Man Up 3 Deep out of the Quarter formation
Improved zone logic for Cover 6 and Cover 4 Quarters coverages vs. Trips formations
Tuning to decrease the frequency of defenders playing the ball when covering routes well in front of the intended receiver

Real Player Motion:

Addressed an issue causing kick and punt returners to sometimes use different running animations than when they were playing in their regular positions
Fixed a rare issue causing players to shuffle and/or run off the field after the end of a play
Fixed a rare issue causing the QB to throw a very inaccurate pass either sideways or backwards when throwing a short route to a receiver making a sudden change of direction
Fixed an issue causing the QB to sometimes fail to hand the ball to the back on HB Blunt Dive plays
Fixed an issue causing the ball to appear in the wrong hand for punters on Safety punts

Pre-Play

Addressed a rare online exploit being used with custom playbooks that caused the offensive team to leave the field, forcing the defensive user to quit the game and take the loss

DEV NOTE: If a user with an existing custom playbook attempts this exploit moving forward, the offensive line will huddle up by the ball & the offensive user will be penalized.

Tuning to improve jog animations after huddle breaks
Addressed an issue allowing offensive players to reset defensive player's adjustments by using audibles in pre-play
Addressed an issue causing defensive linemen to move into each other when using audibles on Field Goal block plays
Removed ability to motion the inside TE in the I-Form Wing formation due to targeting issues it would cause that could lead to a fumble
Tuning to improve defensive back movement animations when getting set at the line in a press or man coverage position

Catching:

Addressed an issue preventing a catch animation from triggering if the user had 'Bad Ballhawk Timing' on an Interception attempt - now a catch animation will trigger, even if the button is pressed too early, but will still result in a drop
Made improvements to animation coverage for fumble recoveries

Blocking:

Tuning to improve pass block targeting for running backs in the backfield
Fixed some issues causing blocking fullbacks on toss plays to obstruct the toss and cause a fumble vs. heavy defensive fronts, such as vs. Field Goal block formations
Improved logic for pass rush exploits dealing with defenders placed in a coverage or QB Spy assignment who would then quickly rush up the middle of the formation
Addressed an exploit around Field Goal blocks

NFL Rules:

Fixed an issue preventing Illegal Block in the Back penalties from triggering in Simulation Game Style

Madden Ultimate Team Updates

Added new MUT ability - 'Route Specialist' - this gives receivers unique hot routes based on their position and ratings, such as Post, Corner, Angle and Stick 'n Nod rotues
Fixed an issue causing players in MUT equipped with the 'Situational Pass Rush' ability to lose stamina too quickly
Fixed an issue preventing the MUT 'Footsteps' ability from applying the proper penalty to receivers on Competitive game style
Addressed an issue preventing the MUT 'Under Pressure' ability from applying the proper bonuses
Addressed an issue preventing the MUT 'Out My Way' ability from applying the proper bonuses
Addressed an issue preventing the MUT 'Stiff Arm Specialist' ability from applying the proper bonuses
Addressed an issue preventing WR Off the Line release mechanics (Footfire & Change-Up) from working properly in MUT Squads
Added the ability to post auctions with a specific value

Players should be prompted to download and install this month’s update once they boot up the game. Roster updates will continue on a weekly basis as the development adjusts player ratings based on real-life performances in games.