Madden NFL 11 Blog: E3 Feature Announcement and Career Modes Update

[rooney8]

Like I said before this is great news.
The only thing that worries me is if something changes in their priorities to overhaul franchise mode next year.

[Tweeg]

I can't wait until a year from today when we get to hear about the core gameplay improvements for Madden 12. Then there will be a special dedication to revamping franchise mode in Madden 13. You guys wait this will be awesome!

[Fresh Prince]

Typical EA. Shame on us for expecting better. That is all.

[Nev]

Online Franchise is the only reason I'm still playing this game, without it I would have traded this game back in 09!

I wasn't really expecting anything major to happen to it but I at least thought some kind of off-season would be added. When it was announced last year, Ian Cummings said the good thing about Online Franchise was that its server based so there would be no need for a patch, they could update it on the fly.
He also said that a salary cap would be added later in the year but that never came. Now we find out that nothing is gonna happen to it in M11?!?!

Bit disappointed in this news but at least the gameplay is gonna be the best Madden has ever seen.... Right?

[Icarus2k9]

Okay....not the best news in the world....

Just please say to get Franchise to at least an intriguing level, they've hidden progression and fixed IR, right? Hidden progression is the most basic on/off option ever, and working IR is beyond vital to roster management and the mode in general. That'll at least (if the injury/stat improvements are true) give me a decent season mode that will have to be HEAVILY dependent on the new presentation to keep interest up.

If you're going to claim yet again that franchise / superstar mode will get fixed next year, give us those two goodwill gestures. And then actually revamp it. If it's going to take more than a year, and they haven't started putting things in yet (suggested by the 'give us your ideas' comment that must have stung like hell for anyone heavily involved in last year's community feedback process) then we're facing the very very real prospect of it having to be a next-next gen feature.

Because however honest and open they've been (and props for that, although it's obvious from the Developer videos you could have told us all this back in at least April, probably beginning of the year), it's starting to feel like they are stalling for time. Josh Looman's pretty much been brought on for MUT full-time the moment they realised how poor the current franchise structure is.

And the sad thing? However much we like to say everyone really cares about franchise, not online, their marketing figures say otherwise. You can see it with every other game franchise ever. They are looking for Fifa's crown, and the whole success of Fifa has been endless play now online and bare-bones online leagues for friends. Yes, most people play franchise. But as Fifa's shoddy Manager Mode has proved, most people don't care about it being hyper-complex or involving.

People are claiming with this news, watch the sales plummet. But Fifa's would have gone south by now on that logic, because MM is really poor. Yet it's strangely selling as strong as ever, if not stronger, and it's not like the ping-pong, speed wins, cheesefest online brand of football they peddle is realistic, so don't say "B....B.....B.....BUT GAMEPLAY"

Madden will sell more this year if people like the idea of 3 on 3 and perks. If not, it'll sell the same. Until that changes, franchise guys will ALWAYS have to just sit and hope EA throws them a bone one year.

[J Masta J]

I won't be buying '11. But if they're telling the truth about next year, then it sounds like '12 will be a first day purchase. THAT IS, if they're telling the truth, which at this point, is a huge "if." Wasn't Madden 11 supposed to be the year of Franchise mode?

[salbowski]

So all they've done to Franchise mode is fix the stats that they broke with the patch last year?!?

So all they've done is remove that patch!!

Brilliant.

What has been the point of bringing Looman in... is he the guy that's been adding all this new online modes that nobody uses more than once?

Atleast we know why they've been hiding away for the last 8 months... but it's okay, they've added an advanced version of "ask madden".

[wangtangkiki]

Quote: Originally Posted by GreenReign86

Oh and I also forgot that the ite breakers in Online Franchise were decided on alphabetical order. So if you used a team like the Vikings, Titans, Ravens or even Saints, you were pretty much screwed if you finished the season in a tie with anybody. I can remember one instance in the online franchise I'm in where I finished the season at 10-6 as did the Panthers user, furthermore, I beat him 2 times durring the regular season, yet he makes the playoffs and wins the divison over me because he has a team that starts with the lett "P." What kind of BS is that EA? Inexcusable. I have never been an EA basher the farthest thing from it. However, they are starting to push me closer and closer to that virtual cliff ledge. There is only so much someone can take. As well as shallow promises before the gullibility weares off. I have purchased Madden 1st day, and in the case of lastyear even a week early every year for the past decade. Madden 11 will end that streak as it will most likely be a rent 1st for me via GameFly.

ROFL, You didn't know? Where have you been? The NFL changed all tiebreakers to alphabetical by team's mascot names.

Quote: Originally Posted by GreenReign86

Sufice it to say, that the 2k fan boys were probably right. [insert vometing animation here]

I wasn't a fan boy of 2k, but I agree with all of the people that try to get the news out there that Madden is not a realistic game. No one ever listens. Several ratings do not work.. The fix to everything is always next year.. Oh well.. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction. At least they didn't blame any of their shortcomings on someone or something that was not their fault. O WAIT... they did didn't they? They blamed it on bad coding.. damn..

Quote: Originally Posted by Jimixiii

um...false. http://www.operationsports.com/forum...0672990-a.html 360+ votes and 77% say they care most about franchise modes. i know this doesn't speaking on the entire sports gaming community but it speaks volumes as to what the average sports gamer actually plays in my opinion. personally, me & my friends care way more about franchise than online also.

lol.. This site has frequently been referred to as a "hardcore" community. Casual gamers don't play franchises. That takes too long. Casual gamers want touchdowns and big hits !! They want to be the Vikings and play against the Rhein Fire and throw TDs to Moss.. Oh wait, it's not 2005.. I mean they want to be the Vikings and throw TDs on every play to Sidney Rice because that makes it "fun." Casual gamers are definitely the most targeted demographic of this game.