In depth Interview by Kat Bailey with Creative Director Mike Young on Longshot

[msdm27]

Some people have a tremendous ability to spin things, almost presidential ability

So a NFL game on the market creates a story mode, sells it as something revolutionary (which it is not) and on top of that you will not play a single NFL game in the mode.... whaaaaaa?

That is as if FIFA story mode was the life of Alex Hunter BEFORE ever playing in the Premier League, and then the game stops when you get signed by Chelsea. That makes zero sense and it is either:
A) Waste of potential and resources
B) A plan to account for their lack of creativity when Madden19 tries to sell us the exact same thing but now you'll get to play a player career in the NFL
Or... C) both of the above

Also, claiming the mode was made for those who are just getting into Madden or know nothing about it is as nonsensical as a statement could be, that is what SKILLS TRAINER and even THE GAUNTLET are for. Let's see the logic here:

PROBLEM:
Person A knows nothing about football and feels like. Madden mechanics are complicated.

SOLUTION:
Let's make person A sit through pre-planned/cut-scene heavy mode that is likely gonna focus on 101 cliche football stories

Yes, that makes sense :/

[CM Hooe]

Quote: Originally Posted by msdm27

claiming the mode was made for those who are just getting into Madden or know nothing about it is as nonsensical as a statement could be, that is what SKILLS TRAINER and even THE GAUNTLET are for. Let's see the logic here: PROBLEM: Person A knows nothing about football and feels like. Madden mechanics are complicated. SOLUTION: Let's make person A sit through pre-planned/cut-scene heavy mode that is likely gonna focus on 101 cliche football stories Yes, that makes sense :/

It absolutely makes sense.

There is no player progression in the sense we're used to in Longshot. Understandably so, because Madden has like 60 or 70 player ratings and traits to juggle. That's way too intimidating for someone who doesn't understand the game yet.

In exchange, the story is what drives the progression in this mode. The story is what compels the new user to continue through the various game mechanics, learn them all, and with that knowledge gained graduate to the full game (or at least to MUT Solos and Franchise).

Skills Trainer is a useful tool for building mastery and absolutely has a welcome presence in the game, but there is absolutely no sense progression attached to it. It's just a bunch of one-off drills with no context, so it's not a good on-boarding tool; there's little in there to drive new users forward. Gauntlet on the other hand was never designed as a new user on-boarding mechanism, it's a single-player stick skills challenge to take on after mastering the game's mechanics in Skills Trainer, so it's absolutely not a tutorial either.

The exact same thought process drives the scripted playable intro which Madden has included for the past three years. Both that and Longshot are intended for new user on-boarding, something at which sports games have profoundly awful track record. Think about it - the amount of institutional knowledge required to complete a single game of Madden - not even be competitive or win - is staggering, and we all take it for granted because we are sports fans. Of all the sports games, really only Madden has made any considerable gains in helping new users along over the past few years, and that's because it's been a priority by Tiburon to do so.

[Junior Moe]

Quote: Originally Posted by msdm27

Some people have a tremendous ability to spin things, almost presidential ability So a NFL game on the market creates a story mode, sells it as something revolutionary (which it is not) and on top of that you will not play a single NFL game in the mode.... whaaaaaa? That is as if FIFA story mode was the life of Alex Hunter BEFORE ever playing in the Premier League, and then the game stops when you get signed by Chelsea. That makes zero sense and it is either: A) Waste of potential and resources B) A plan to account for their lack of creativity when Madden19 tries to sell us the exact same thing but now you'll get to play a player career in the NFL Or... C) both of the above Also, claiming the mode was made for those who are just getting into Madden or know nothing about it is as nonsensical as a statement could be, that is what SKILLS TRAINER and even THE GAUNTLET are for. Let's see the logic here: PROBLEM: Person A knows nothing about football and feels like. Madden mechanics are complicated. SOLUTION: Let's make person A sit through pre-planned/cut-scene heavy mode that is likely gonna focus on 101 cliche football stories Yes, that makes sense :/

Yes. I don't follow that just getting into Madden line of reasoning at all either. I have been playing Madden for almost 20 years now. I'm one of the few, apparently, looking forward to this. But that more because I'm actually more interested in story aspect than say, creating myself and playing. That's bland and boring to me. I see the story as like the campaign mode in a FPS. So I kind of see what their aim is.

[BlackBetty15]

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

It absolutely makes sense. There is no player progression in the sense we're used to in Longshot. Understandably so, because Madden has like 60 or 70 player ratings and traits to juggle. That's way too intimidating for someone who doesn't understand the game yet. In exchange, the story is what drives the progression in this mode. The story is what compels the new user to continue through the various game mechanics, learn them all, and with that knowledge gained graduate to the full game (or at least to MUT Solos and Franchise). Skills Trainer is a useful tool for building mastery and absolutely has a welcome presence in the game, but there is absolutely no sense progression attached to it. It's just a bunch of one-off drills with no context, so it's not a good on-boarding tool; there's little in there to drive new users forward. Gauntlet on the other hand was never designed as a new user on-boarding mechanism, it's a single-player stick skills challenge to take on after mastering the game's mechanics in Skills Trainer, so it's absolutely not a tutorial either. The exact same thought process drives the scripted playable intro which Madden has included for the past three years. Both that and Longshot are intended for new user on-boarding, something at which sports games have profoundly awful track record. Think about it - the amount of institutional knowledge required to complete a single game of Madden - not even be competitive or win - is staggering, and we all take it for granted because we are sports fans. Of all the sports games, really only Madden has made any considerable gains in helping new users along over the past few years, and that's because it's been a priority by Tiburon to do so.

Agreed...i for one will at least give this node a real **** simply because his inspirations derived from TWD, heavy rain, and bully series. Loved every one of them. He did say, depending on how Longshot was received, that there would possibly be DLC where maybe we could do a career mode with him. I would love to do this mode and invest long-term into Wade...especially since superstar mode was never attractive as a player, I can see this bridge as a way to attract meaningfullness to the mode.

Judging this this mode, this early, based on what you think you know about career mode in sports games is absurd. Innovation needs to be tried, weighed, and measured in person rather than opinionated theories. Count me in as a gamer that will play this unbiased and with open arms.

[roadman]

I wasn't even interested in Story Mode when it first came out in the trailer, but I'm not going to lie, I will try it.

If I don't like it, I'll move on.

[OhMrHanky]

I'm sorry. I still think is a waste of money and resources on 2 fronts.

1. Dev time and creation. CFM is still not fully fleshed out. One can argue metrics as 'not enough people play this,' or as we have heard recently, 'many people play this'. Lol. However, u can argue for both as reasons to continue working on this and make it a fully fleshed out mode. Find out what's missing and add it. Many suggestions are here and I know they've pulled from here, before. They could've added this story mode into CFM if they wanted to. They could've made it smaller, I would think, but many options are available here. In any sports sim game, this truly should be your #1 mode, period. And, should appeal to your #1 target audience which should be football fans. Football fans already know how to do this stuff and what to expect in a CFM. So, u have to blow it out bigger to get more bang for your buck. Think BIG!! And, if u want to convince the suits, tell them you're giving away more MUT packs in CFM by adding x, y and z. Lol. But, also, by blowing out CFM and satisfying your base, madden would receive more street cred, better reviews, less negative reviews, etc. THIS would bring more casuals and new users in. "Build it, and they will come."

2. Wasting money on poor marketers with poor marketing ideas. I really think the marketing team is off their rocker. From everything I hear here and there. I understand wanting to pull in new users from wherever I can. But, first things first. Understand your product. You represent a FOOTBALL game. As such, u should be marketing to football fans, both hardcore and casual. U should be including selling items such as 'the most realistic simulation of football ever. I thought I got knocked out by ray Lewis, himself!' And, then have a commercial with Lewis popping out of the tv and knocking a gamer in their a$$. Lol. If madden chooses to use that, I'll take some royalties. Lol. But, seriously, to spend all marketing and money and resources (or more) to try to pull in people who don't even watch football? This should be a small % of money/time spent. Again, KNOW YOUR PRODUCT. Don't waste your time where not going to get it.

There are many people out there who are sports fans who are choosing not to play madden. Those should be your #2 target (after football specific fans). People who are choosing NBA 2k and The Show, and simply not buying madden because of the poor CFM. These are the people u could most easily flip to buying madden. How do u pull in these people? With a wicked CFM and better overall gameplay. These should be the selling points focused on. After all of that, if u have some extra time and resources, sure, try to pull in casuals with something. But, this overall take that they've got to pull in casuals so much, I truly think should take less money and resources. If someone doesn't like sports, but loves shooters and is looking to buy Gears of War or Madden, they're going to choose gears.

And, I think, just overall, that's where the frustration lies with longtime gamers, longtime madden fans, longtime football fans, and longtime sports fans. Madden just hasn't been on top for so long, if ever, we would rather see them spend money on making the game better. Not, adding a campaign mode. Especially, if that mode took 4 years to make. Lol.


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[BlackBetty15]

I hear ya Hanky...really do...however the market and trends are pointing elsewhere and this team is trying...as they should...to stand out in the market. The game of Madden isn't enough anymore. What makes Fallout a great game? It's because it's a game within a fame that keeps you engaged throughout the entire campaign and long after you beat it. What's wrong with Madden attempting to innovate and build a similar experience? I look at it as a nice break from the CFM mode. Hope this made some sense, but in short...playing a football game is not gonna cut anymore I feel. The experience is everything. Living out a fully fledged out RPG experience of grinding from zero to hero is what we can all identify with and that's what's being attempted...creating an emotional tie to Madden to the point where it never gets shelved due to boredom. The RE biohazard game wasn't the best ever...but the way it captured the emotional drama is what made that memorable

[Newlegacy]

I'm just interested in how this will all play out