Connected Franchise Mode: A Rebuild

[ednaaard]

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

If you want me to be real about it, with respect to my personal experience with NBA 2K (I have none with The Show) - no, NBA 2K's franchise mode does not work. I have never completed a single season of NBA 2K. In a single-player franchise setting I've never even reached the all-star break. The mode doesn't hold me for that long because it is a slog and a grind through lots of games which don't individually feel important. Yes, the mode has all the authenticity nods in the world, and NBA 2K's franchise mode indeed has more authentic out-of-game mechanics than Madden does - be it Bird rights / player options / team options on contracts, player morale, more robust play injuries, owner media credibility, multi-team trades, summer leagues, presentation bells and whistles, I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of other things - but what good are all those things if the game can't keep me engaged in the core experience long enough to finish even half a season? If I'm never touching these things, do they even exist? How valuable are these things if I never see them, really?

Well that's the element of playing 82 games in a season. Nothing is going to hold your attention for 82 games, it's un-realistic to believe anything ever would, no matter how detailed.

If 2k's detail was spread over NFL's 16 games...it would hold your attention for a lot longer, and you potentially would complete multiple seasons before getting bored.

(FYI, I'm not debating your points about audience and marketing of the game towards certain demographic.)

[Jimbo12308]

The reason EA caters to the less-hardcore and would not adopt a mode like this (as much as I wish it would) is due to lack of competition. The developers aren't doing so maniacally, it's not some evil plot, it's human nature. There is an opportunity to grab a greater audience, and thus more money, by creating a product that appeals to as many people as possible by being more general and less specialized. There are no other NFL simulation video games - all of the people who truly want this type of franchise will moan and complain but at the end of the day most will buy Madden anyway because it's as close as they can get to what they want. Meanwhile, EA manages to sell a copy of Madden to a 7 year old who's parents won't pay for MUT, but because franchise mode is simple, said 7 year old can still play it (a bit of an exaggeration). The percentage who choose to boycott the game are minimal, especially while no alternative exists.

Now, if a Ultra-realistic NFL sim were released with NFL licensing then the Madden team would have a decision to make: follow suit to defeat to competition and protect its sim-interested fanbase while risking it's non-sim customers (like that 7 year old); or they could allow that fanbase to leave and focus their efforts on continuing to gain new non-sim customers.

Until then, all modes of Madden will be designed in a way to sell as many copies as possible. This doesn't mean the game will be bad. I commend Madden for their improvements this year and last year. Rex seems to be swimming against this current, but the money will always dictate the strategy in the end. So the only sim-style improvements that will make it into the game are those which won't compromise the general appeal of the game to the greatest number of people.

The lack of competition is key. Competition leads to innovation, innovation leads to specialization, specialization leads to diversity, diversity leads to choice, choice brings satisfaction to the customer.

[OhMrHanky]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jimbo12308

The reason EA caters to the less-hardcore and would not adopt a mode like this (as much as I wish it would) is due to lack of competition. The developers aren't doing so maniacally, it's not some evil plot, it's human nature. There is an opportunity to grab a greater audience, and thus more money, by creating a product that appeals to as many people as possible by being more general and less specialized. There are no other NFL simulation video games - all of the people who truly want this type of franchise will moan and complain but at the end of the day most will buy Madden anyway because it's as close as they can get to what they want. Meanwhile, EA manages to sell a copy of Madden to a 7 year old who's parents won't pay for MUT, but because franchise mode is simple, said 7 year old can still play it (a bit of an exaggeration). The percentage who choose to boycott the game are minimal, especially while no alternative exists. Now, if a Ultra-realistic NFL sim were released with NFL licensing then the Madden team would have a decision to make: follow suit to defeat to competition and protect its sim-interested fanbase while risking it's non-sim customers (like that 7 year old); or they could allow that fanbase to leave and focus their efforts on continuing to gain new non-sim customers. Until then, all modes of Madden will be designed in a way to sell as many copies as possible. This doesn't mean the game will be bad. I commend Madden for their improvements this year and last year. Rex seems to be swimming against this current, but the money will always dictate the strategy in the end. So the only sim-style improvements that will make it into the game are those which won't compromise the general appeal of the game to the greatest number of people. The lack of competition is key. Competition leads to innovation, innovation leads to specialization, specialization leads to diversity, diversity leads to choice, choice brings satisfaction to the customer.

Yeah, this would actually be interesting to see if competition still existed. Without it, all of this discussion is hyperbole. Lol. While, we can talk about what 'all vid games do,' and we can talk about what other 'sports vid games' do. We can't actually talk about who is doing better, 1. The great sim football game (which doesn't exist) vs 2. Madden sim franchise, and see who's sales are better and get a general feel for how people view the franchise mode from multiple football specific games.


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[SonsUfPonarchy]

Has anyone making the decisions at EA ever thought that more consumer time would be spent on Franchise mode, if they built a Franchise mode worth more of the consumer's time? Just my .02

[theycallmeyango]

That sort of logic has no place in these parts

[bucky60]

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

If you want me to be real about it, with respect to my personal experience with NBA 2K (I have none with The Show) - no, NBA 2K's franchise mode does not work.

NBA2K Sales would tend to disagree with you.

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

The mode doesn't hold me for that long because it is a slog and a grind through lots of games which don't individually feel important.

So you haven't found the Sim games function (or being able to set the number of games in a season)? That's the reason the mode doesn't work is the number of NBA games in a season? I just have to SMH at that. Madden only has 16 games in a season and even Madden has a sim games function.

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

Yes, the mode has all the authenticity nods in the world, and NBA 2K's franchise mode indeed has more authentic out-of-game mechanics than Madden does - be it Bird rights / player options / team options on contracts, player morale, more robust play injuries, owner media credibility, multi-team trades, summer leagues, presentation bells and whistles,

And it sells pretty darn well.



I'm just floored that you reject an NBA games franchise mode solely on the number of NBA games in a season when you're not forced to play all 82 games. I am absolutely shocked at the logic being used in your post.

EDIT: I just checked. You can set NBA2K's season to be as few as 14 games in their franchise mode.

[SageInfinite]

Quote: Originally Posted by bucky60

I am absolutely shocked at the logic being used in your post.

Really? Seems pretty routine to me.....

[Junior Moe]

Quote: Originally Posted by bucky60

NBA2K Sales would tend to disagree with you. So you haven't found the Sim games function (or being able to set the number of games in a season)? That's the reason the mode doesn't work is the number of NBA games in a season? I just have to SMH at that. Madden only has 16 games in a season and even Madden has a sim games function. And it sells pretty darn well. I'm just floored that you reject an NBA games franchise mode solely on the number of NBA games in a season when you're not forced to play all 82 games. I am absolutely shocked at the logic being used in your post. EDIT: I just checked. You can set NBA2K's season to be as few as 14 games in their franchise mode.

Preach on! NBA 2K is just as if not more successful, salewise, as Madden. In a sport that significantly less popular than the NFL in America. And it caters, albeit not perfectly, to the hardcore online heads, offline "franchise" types and "myplayer" types. It is odd how NBA2K taes hits for things that Madden doesn't even have or offer while Madden somehow get's "developer insight" (not insight from inside the Madden machine itself, no, but general developer stuff) explaining away all its shortcomings.