Madden 2005 is out

[Ragone]

Well.. Sorta.. Gotta love wal mart putting games out early :)

[Capital]

For the PC?

[Eaglesfan27]

Darn - I'm jealous (which is odd since I'm having quite a lot of fun playing ESPN) but I'm on call so I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow when my EB games gets it :)

[Raiders Army]

Can't get it for a while. Wife let me get Doom 3 This weekend.

[Ragone]

They aren't supposed to sell the game until midnight tomorrow night

[Chubby]

PC release is a couple weeks off still I think (end of august). This should be the console versions.

Eh, I already pre-ordered the SE from an EB Games store down the street. I'll have to see if they have it tomorrow or if WalMart has the SE.

[Capital]

So the official store release date is Tuesday?

Did you get a PC copy?

[Ragone]

no.. got a xbox copy.. which my friends are monopolizing upstairs hah :)

[Chubby]

So the official store release date is Tuesday?

Did you get a PC copy?

12th is the official date, I believe it "ships" Tuesday so EA pre-orders would get it on Wed (day early as usual) but stores differ depending on when they get shipments hence WalMart has it early.

Can't find an official date for PC but I think it's August 24th or something.

[Chubby]

no.. got a xbox copy.. which my friends are monopolizing upstairs hah :)
Did they have PS2 Special Editions?

[Eaglesfan27]

I think the PC version isn't going to be out for a few more weeks unless I'm remembering incorrectly. My EB games said they are allowed to release it after 6 PM tomorrow night to pre-order customers. I'm anxiously looking forward to getting it (x-box version - my first time ever with Madden on the X-Box)

[Philliesfan980]

Got it today as well. Probably won't get any time to play it until this weekend.

[Capital]

If true, that stinks about the PC version...

[Eaglesfan27]

According to Gamespot, the release date for Madden on the PC is 9/8/04. Also, I remember reading an interview where they explained Madden would come out later on the PC so they "could finetune gameplay for the PC market."

[The Un-Ghosted Chubby]

Is the PS2 Special Edition at WalMart also?

[MizzouRah]

Got it today as well. Probably won't get any time to play it until this weekend.
Damn.. should I goto Walmart tonight?


Just kidding... Gamestop is supposed to be getting them in around 2-3pm tomorrow. :)


Todd

[bigbadraidersfan]

I purchased ESPN already. Is Madden going to be worth it? I was thinking of getting the collector's edition anyway. Is that only for PS2?

I'm going to see if Target has one in tomorrow (or today).

[Ragone]

collectors edition is only for ps2 sadly

[bigbadraidersfan]

PS2 only. Not a bad deal. Have ESPN on the Xbox, so this will give me some PS2 action.

Does that new Net Extender, to make PS2 wireless, work? How are leagues going to work for Madden?

[Kodos]

Mine is supposed to be available 6pm tomorrow at EB. :)

[Sharpieman]

Yes! Madden is scheduled for 3pm tomorrow 8/9 at my house, it usually gets here at between 11 and 3 from fedex. My loins are quivering with anticipation.

[korme]

your using my phrase

[Cringer]

let me know when they make a version with unlimited seasons in franchise mode....then i will buy one again

[Honolulu_Blue]

let me know when they make a version with unlimited seasons in franchise mode....then i will buy one again

What is the limit at now? 20 seasons? 30 seasons? 40 seasons? I thought it was 40. I know people play the game very differently, but I can't see this ever being an issue for me. I don't think I've ever gotten past the 5th season in Madden, ever. That usually involves simulating one entire season to actually get some talent on the Lions roster. Don't reckon I will have to do that this time around. The Lions should be pretty decent right out of the gate.

I think I once got through 10 seasons in NCAA (last year's version). Though I simulated through the first 4 seasons to get rid of the "number" players.

[Danny]

I've played every year it has had a franchise mode and have never needed more than the number of provided seasons. I dont play Madden as an FOF type sim.

[FBPro]

I've never reached the limit either, but to each his own.

[Raiders Army]

Yes! Madden is scheduled for 3pm tomorrow 8/9 at my house, it usually gets here at between 11 and 3 from fedex. My loins are quivering with anticipation.

Fingers maybe, but loins?

[illinifan999]

Madden 2001 was the only Madden that I went through all 30 seasons.

[Bee]

Fingers maybe, but loins?

Obviously you aren't playing the game correctly...

[Eaglesfan27]

The furthest I have gotten is 9 seasons. I play out at least half of my games every season, so I'v never seen the season limit as a problem. I just found out my 2 and 3 PM patients cancelled! I wonder if they did it because of Madden (they are both teenage boys ;) )

In any case, I'll be out of work at noon as a result, and since the store is right by my house, I'll see if it somehow came in early :)

Otherwise, it is supposed to be in by 6 PM.

[FBPro]

I'll have it tonight around 6-ish. Just talked to EB.

[Eaglesfan27]

I just stopped by my EB on the way home from work. It's not going to be in here until around 6ish as well.

[Sun Tzu]

Once again as usual, all of the places here wont be getting the game until tommorow.

[MizzouRah]

3pm today baby!


Todd

[MizzouRah]

Madden 2005 rosters for Xbox (Official EA Download from XBox Live at Aug 8, 2004)

Here: http://www.madden04.com/files/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=65

Madden 2005 slider settings:

Here: http://www.maddenwishlist.com/sliders2005.php


Todd

[Eaglesfan27]

Thanks for the links. I look forward to trying those sliders out today.

[Sharpieman]

your using my phrase
that was the point

[Eaglesfan27]

I just got the call. Off to EB games :)

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

Glad that I didn't have to wait in line for 3 hours like I did last year when there was a couple of hundred people ahead of me. I was one of the first in line today and only had wait for about 15 people ahead of me. Of course, since this EB is new, there were "only" approximately 300 pre-orders for Madden according to the manager. Anyway, guess I'll be playing Madden until the Redskins game comes on :)

[korme]

that was the point
touche'

[Travis]

Yay, only another month of reading reviews, suggestions and dyansties until I get it for PC!

Yeesh. I hate when the release dates are that far apart, almost makes me want to buy it for the GC, ah well, patience and all that fun stuff.

[bigbadraidersfan]

Not out. Target won't have them on shelf until around 1 p.m. Thursday.

[totoro]

Gotta wait for the PC version. Continue FOF career for now.

[MizzouRah]

I have mine in the Xbox, will post impressions later tonight. I'm going to play a game on All-Pro defaults and go from there, until I'm good enough for All-Madden.


Todd

[MizzouRah]

There is an option that says, "NEW: Coach Mode (on/off)" on the settings screen for those who like that option.


Todd

[Eaglesfan27]

I played my first game on All-Madden using the linked sliders in this thread. I had a pretty good game. I accidently exited before writing down all of the stats, but I had about 250 yards passing with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Terrell was my main guy.

The Giants Will Allen did a respectable job shutting Terrell down, but I got him open on some crosses.

Kurt Warner and Toomer tore up my defense pretty good with mostly short passes. Kearse got two sacks on him. The Giants had a better pass percentage. Overall, it was a fun game.

It's impossible not to compare this game to ESPN.

Some random thoughts about the comparision:

I miss the break tackle feature by hitting "A" rapidly, which is interesting because I disliked the feature when I first started playing ESPN.

I think tackling in general is done better in ESPN, but I haven't really fooled around with the maximum tackle stick yetm and it could be a lot of fun.

I'm glad that I don't have to tap A to make guys run faster anymore.

I really like the new defensive options for QB containment. I scrambled with McNabb quite a bit in the 1st half but in the 2nd half, they either put a spy on him or had their linemen run containment or both. Of course, this gave him more time to just hang out behind the offensive line and that is when my passing picked up. My rate was just under 50% and I don't think the defensive backs are as tough as they are for me in college, but it is close.

I had very few dropped balls (and I didn't hit Y to make the guys catch it) Instead, my incompletes were due to DB's knocking the ball down before I could get to it.

Throwing deep is very hard in this game. It is much harder to throw deep than ESPN football. A guy really needs to be open to get a deep ball to work. The only long pass I had was to Chad Lewis who just schooled the strong safety on one play.

There are some things I like better about each passing game. ESPN's maximum passing seems better implemented to me. I like that my QB is more responsive when I tell him to throw the ball in Madden.

I like the rushing better in ESPN in that offensive holes are easier for me to see, but I like just holding the speed button in Madden.

I think ESPN clearly looks better to me, but Madden certainly looks better on the X-Box this year, then when I played it on the PS2 last year.

I love the accelerated clock in Madden.

I love in game saves in Madden.

I like the downloadable rosters. Trotter looks good in an Eagle uniform! :)

Overall, there are things I like better about each game and I expect I'll play them both quite a bit. Anyway, just some random early impressions. I think I'm going to fool around with a franchise to see if any annoying things pop up (such as renegotiating contracts being a useless exercise due to the cap calculation bug in ESPN)

If the franchise mode is really good with no errors, Madden will likely get more play than ESPN for that reason.

[Eaglesfan27]

Yep, I fooled around with coach mode for just a few minutes and it looked decent, but it is hard to make any judgements after only a few minutes. I might try a full half or even a game tonight with coach mode and post some impressions of it.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I'm about to start my franchise, after I look at the sliders. I love the Rushing Attack game, especially online. I'll take Garrison Hearst up against anything you can throw at him. Err.

[MizzouRah]

I played a half on All-Pro and I'll tell ya, the game wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I was expecting a "wow" factor, but ESPN did that for me easily.

The second half I put the game on All-Madden and (ok this sounds gameboyish) the game became more intense. Meaning, the CPU starting running the ball effictively, I saw more "wow" plays and animations, and suddenly I was immersed into the game. The Bears beat me 24-17, but it was one hell of a game. Weird, but there's that much of a difference between levels. 12 mins, acc clock, seems perfect as far as # of plays go.

I still love ESPN, especially how immersed you get with the presentation... but the gameplay has been better in Madden and I can't wait to get into franchise mode. I also thought the passing was better in ESPN as well as the running (I love it in ESPN when the runner studdersteps to the side automatically) game.

I think I'll be playing all 3 football games for awhile. NCAA has been fun, ESPN is great, and Madden is a blast so far. If ESPN didn't have some glaring bugs in franchise mode, it would be my choice, hands down... I really wish they would have fixed the bugs and released it when it was ready. :( BUT I think Madden will get my franchise gameplay more than ESPN will, although I hear there is a RFA bug where CPU teams won't match your offers to their RFA's.

If getting $50 was going to be tight for me to pay, I would get ESPN for $20 and save the money. I'm not saying Madden is not worthy of $50, but for the price ESPN is the winner. Again, I just got Madden and franchise is what I hope it is supposed to be. If you're like me, get all 3 games.


Todd

[Sun Tzu]

I just ran down to gamestop to reserve my copy. Already paid in full, so I should have it in my hands by 2-3pm tommorow.

[The_herd]

The Giants Will Allen did a respectable job shutting Terrell down, but I got him open on some crosses.


This actually scares me somewhat. I know that from my few experiences playing NCAA that the crossing routes were very easy to complete, while any route that had your reciever stopping (curl) was damn near impossible to complete because the corners jumped on the ball too quickly.

Deep throws were also a combination of timing and having an accurate QB throwing to a good receiver in single coverage.

As I said, my experiences with NCAA were limited, but I didn't like the "improved" defense at all. If Madden's changes are similar then I definately won't be buying.

[Eaglesfan27]

I think I'll be playing all 3 football games for awhile. NCAA has been fun, ESPN is great, and Madden is a blast so far. If ESPN didn't have some glaring bugs in franchise mode, it would be my choice, hands down... I really wish they would have fixed the bugs and released it when it was ready. :( BUT I think Madden will get my franchise gameplay more than ESPN will, although I hear there is a RFA bug where CPU teams won't match your offers to their RFA's.


Todd

I agree completely. ESPN's gameplay is impressing me more, but Madden's gameplay is close enough to be very fun on all-madden for me. It's the better franchise mode that will win me over (assuming it is better.)

Also, I've never been a fan of any of these game's coach only mode, but Madden's coach only mode looks like it might actually be good :eek:

I only played a half on the All-Madden sliders linked in the thread, because I'm post call and getting tired. I want to try the Franchise mode out simming a season and seeing how the draft is tonight (ESPN's wierd drafting was a disappointment to me in the strange distribution of what positions were picked) Before, I get to the draft and franchise just wanted to post some impressions of the Coach only mode:

My biggest disappointment: McNabb didn't scramble once. He used his feet to buy time, but he never took off for a run. I'm going to try a game between him and Vick tomorrow and see if either runs the whole game. Anyway, I played the Ravens and Ray Lewis does seem to be spying him, so maybe that is why he isn't running ;)

As far as the stats go:

It's a 7-7 game at the half. We have 82 rushing yards (79 on 1 big Buckhalter run for a TD) and 88 passing yards. Baltimore has 38 yards rushing and 120 yards passing.

McNabb is 10 of 16 (62%) for 100 yards with 0 TD and 1 INT and he has been sacked twice (both on good blitzes by the Ravens.) He has been avoiding throwing to Owens all night because McAllister is all over Owens in coverage. McAllister is rated very highly.

Kyle Boller is having a surprisingly good game: 8 of 13 (61%) for 124 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception. We've only managed to sack him once due to a good pass rush move by Kalu.

The computer is rushing a lot (but not for many yards yet)

Jamal Lewis has 14 carries for 40 yards (he had a 24 yard run called back for holding)

Buckhalter has 4 attempts for 89 yards (79 of one big run in which he ran over Ray Lewis!)

Brian Westbrook has 7 carries for -7 yards as the Ravens defense has really punished him.

So far we are on pace for about 120 plays in the game which seems right.

Leading receivers:

Chad Lewis 3 catches for 22 yards
Todd Pinkston 3 catches for 36 yards
Freddie Mitchell 2 catches for 31 yards
Terrell Owens 1 catch for 12 yards

Travis Taylor 4 catches for 58 (he has been abusing Sheldon Brown at times)

Kevin Johnson 3 catches for 39 yards
Todd Heap 1 catch for 27 yards

Every Baltimore Lineman has at least 1 pancake block and Ogden has 2.

Tra Thomas has 4 pancake blocks! Every other lineman has 1.


Nate Wayne has 6 tackles (he has been the most effective Jamal Lewis stopper)

Dawkins has 4 tackles.

Peter Boulware has 5 tackles, 3 for a loss.

Fred Weary has the interception for the Ravens

Dawkins has our interception.

Anyway, just some quick impressions of coach mode. This is the first time I've tried it out and been intrigued enough to want to try it more. Every other game, it has just looked bad to me immediately.

[Eaglesfan27]

This actually scares me somewhat. I know that from my few experiences playing NCAA that the crossing routes were very easy to complete, while any route that had your reciever stopping (curl) was damn near impossible to complete because the corners jumped on the ball too quickly.

Deep throws were also a combination of timing and having an accurate QB throwing to a good receiver in single coverage.

As I said, my experiences with NCAA were limited, but I didn't like the "improved" defense at all. If Madden's changes are similar then I definately won't be buying.

I hit plenty of curls to Pinkston in that game I played. I also hit a few hooks. I didn't have problems with these, unless the defense was doubling the guy with a linebacker. Sometimes, the cornerback hit my guy hard though and he dropped it. But this felt realistic to me in this one game, and didn't seem to much. Overall, I like the passing in this game better than this year's NCAA so far.

Edited to add: The one thing that did bother me is that I had a great deal of trouble hitting any outs. Maybe I just need more practice, but the corners seemed very good against out patterns. That is the only pattern I had trouble hitting. Also, I find passing into double coverage is very hard on all Madden - to me that is a good thing.

[Eaglesfan27]

Double Dola -

One thing that I like about Coach Mode that I forgot to mention: You can audible, send guys in motion, change routes, or anything else before you snap it. Makes the coaching aspect quite interesting. It's only after the snap that you have no control.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

I gave in and reserved the collectors edition for ps 2.

[Eaglesfan27]

Triple Dola -

I'm not going to get to the draft like I thought I might tonight because I'm getting tired, but my first impression of the Franchise is WOW!

I love the national and local newspapers. I can see the articles getting repetitive with their wording, but for now I'm feeling wowed. First, I read the USA Today Sports section which has national headlines. In this case, there were articles about Strahan being worried that his contract hasn't been extended. A similar article about Marvin Harrison. Also, there was an article saying that Charles Woodson didn't think he would resign with the Raiders. While reading the paper, I'm listening to a really fun interview with Greg Comella who is talking about Coach Walsh and Coach Gruden and telling stories about Coach Walsh :)

Then, I started reading my local newspaper. In this case it is the Philadelphia Sun. Headline: Corey Simon worried that the Eagles haven't renewed his contract. Click on it and there is a nice little story. Click on the link in the article and go right to the negotiation screen. Negotiation is a basic offer of a total salary, length, and bonus. However, you can also view player interests. Some people might consider this too much info, but I find it interesting. It basically gives a breakdown of how important 15 factors are to the player. Different players have different priorities. Also, you can see how well you are doing meeting those areas of desire. The areas are: Overall Team Talent, Prestige of the team, Head Coach, Staff, Stadium condition, Fans, Market, Money, Weather, Icon on Team, Supporting Cast, Team Need (presumably how much the team needs the player), Great Team, Mentoring, and Team Success.

I have no idea how this is going to work, but it looks very interesting. Corey Simon feels we don't have enough team talent according to the bar and that is 13.6% of his decision making. He likes our Prestige (15.2%) He loves the head coach (8.0%) He likes the staff (9.6%) - presumably this includes Jimmie Johnson the defensive coordinator. He wants money (18%) He wants Icons to be on the team (2.4%) and he is happy with Donovan and Kearse as Icons. H wants a strong supporting cast (6.4%) and is happy with the supporting cast along the D-Line. He wants the team to need him (16%) and he is happy that we clearly do. He wants it to be a great team (6.4%) and he is generally happy with this criteria. Finally he wants team success (6.4%) and he is ok with this area.

Anyway, assuming there are no significant bugs (I can deal with the workaround for the reported RFA bug) I think this game is going to get the majority of my franchise play.

Edited to add: There was also an article about how Westbrook wants to be the main running back, and he didn't like having to share the ball with Buckhalter! There were 2 other articles about various players who want to have their contracts extended: Jeremiah Trotter who just joined the team was the most interesting of those.

I can't wait to see how the articles turn out during the season.

[The Un-Ghosted Chubby]

Why oh why is it that NCAA has fixed the QB accuracy throwing off the back foot unbalanced but you can still fire lasers fading away on the money in Madden.

That's my biggest complaint thus far.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I started my Denver franchise, and I'm using the preseason to get re-acclimated to Madden's controls and engine. After getting blasted 58-6 by Buffalo (seven turnovers really hurt me), I lost my second game to Seattle by a score of 27-24. I think I'm going to like this game.

I've got major battles at running back right now. Quentin Griffin did nothing for me in the Buffalo game, but Mike Anderson played the second half and did a decent job. Prior to the Buffalo game, Coach Shanahan wanted Griffin to start, but he wanted Anderson to start against Seattle. I nixed that, though, and let Garrison Hearst start against the Seahawks. Hearst didn't even play against Buffalo. Hearst did a decent job, and Anderson backed him up when he got tired. Both were fine. I decided to give Tatum Bell a few carries in the second half, and he was awesome. I think I'll let Anderson start the next game, and Bell will be the primary back in the second half. Hearst will back them both up, and I don't know where that leaves Griffin. I'll probably let him start the final preseason game, but I don't think he'll play at all in the third one. The quarterback battle is also a good one. Plummer's the starter, of course, but Danny Kanell and Mike Quinn are jockeying for the backup slot. Quinn didn't play against Buffalo, but he had a great game in Seattle, leading the rally that almost brought us to victory. Kanell has been terrible in both games, and I'm on the verge of cutting him.

I also have a couple of defensive players lobbying for starting positions, even though we're only two weeks into preseason. As far as I'm concerned, the only players with starting jobs locked up are Champ Bailey, Trevor Pryce, and Al Wilson. Everyone else is competing. I want Donnie Spragan to shut the hell up and just start playing. He's afraid that rookie D.J. Williams is going to take his spot. :)

I love the franchise mode in this game, and I really like the gameplay too. ESPN is going to be good for the FOFC league play, but I don't think I'll be playing it much more besides that. It's all about Madden and NCAA for me now. :)

[Troll]

I'm only looking @ 2 things from this game, otherwise I will not be buying it.

#1 how is the comp running? anyone getting the computer to have big games on the ground against them? The CPU on NCAA, no mattter what could no pile up more than 40 yards on there best day against me. Not fun times.

#2 sounds like the passing game is better than in NCAA, but how much so? In order to get the CPU to pass well I had to make my DB's almost completely stupid to the point where long balls were almost automatic td's. I'm mainly looking @ CPU passing %.

Are both of these better in madden? If not no way I will touch it.

[Hoya1]

A couple questions.
1. Is the preseason thing still there? I always liked that.
2. Can you still relocate teams? Do logo's carry over OK.(last year you had to go through a whole routine to keep the same team logo

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm only looking @ 2 things from this game, otherwise I will not be buying it.

#1 how is the comp running? anyone getting the computer to have big games on the ground against them? The CPU on NCAA, no mattter what could no pile up more than 40 yards on there best day against me. Not fun times.

#2 sounds like the passing game is better than in NCAA, but how much so? In order to get the CPU to pass well I had to make my DB's almost completely stupid to the point where long balls were almost automatic td's. I'm mainly looking @ CPU passing %.

Are both of these better in madden? If not no way I will touch it.

I'm playing on All-Madden, and I pumped up the CPU running and run blocking a bit more (1 notch more) than in the sliders linked in this thread, and in the 2nd half Jamal Lewis had 95 yards rushing on me. For the game, he had 24 carries for 135. I'd say the CPU can run pretty well. Then again, this was a coach only game.

Playing on All-Madden, I had to turn my DB's pass knocking down up! I also had to turn interceptions up (as listed in the linked sliders) Despite doing this Kyle Boller ended up the day with 18 of 30 (60%) passing, 260 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. I'd say CPU passing at least in coach mode is quite good. Of course, this is just a small sample size so far.

Also, in my played game (non-coach mode) I remember that Tiki Barber had about 75 yards on the ground and Kurt Warner had somewhere around 55-60% complete (I exited that game before I could write down the stats)

[Eaglesfan27]

A couple questions.
1. Is the preseason thing still there? I always liked that.
2. Can you still relocate teams? Do logo's carry over OK.(last year you had to go through a whole routine to keep the same team logo

1. If by the preseason thing, you mean playing preseason games and having the computer automatically sub starters out after a half, it is there. Also, the minigames before preseason are still there to raise a few players ratings if you want.

2. New this year is inseason progression which occurs every 4 weeks if I recall correctly.

3. Not sure about your 2nd question and the logo issue.

[Hoya1]

3. Not sure about your 2nd question and the logo issue.

If you relocated teams and you wanted to maintain the logo, on the new field or helmet, you had to change the logo to the "EA" logo until you modified the uni's and then change back to the NFL

[Eaglesfan27]

If you relocated teams and you wanted to maintain the logo, on the new field or helmet, you had to change the logo to the "EA" logo until you modified the uni's and then change back to the NFL

I understood your question. I just haven't tried doing it yet. I'll check it out later today when I get home from work, if no one has answered that sooner. :)

Edited to add: After re-reading my reply, I see how it looks like I didn't understand the 2nd question.

[MizzouRah]

I've been playing on All-madden defaults in the pre-season and the game has been quite a blast to play. The cpu has been running quite well against me

I might move to 13 min games though as 12 doesn't seem spot on.

I love the battles thing, really adds to the game. I'm also liking the radio show, It'll probably get old soon, but so far I like it. With the rosters I'm using, Rod Woodson is a FA and Bruno talks about his situation. I also really like the papers, as you can really tell the state of your team and players by reading the articles - I LOVE the way it talks about a player and you can link to him right inside the article, very nice touch.


Todd

[MizzouRah]

I started my Denver franchise, and I'm using the preseason to get re-acclimated to Madden's controls and engine. After getting blasted 58-6 by Buffalo (seven turnovers really hurt me), I lost my second game to Seattle by a score of 27-24. I think I'm going to like this game.

I've got major battles at running back right now. Quentin Griffin did nothing for me in the Buffalo game, but Mike Anderson played the second half and did a decent job. Prior to the Buffalo game, Coach Shanahan wanted Griffin to start, but he wanted Anderson to start against Seattle. I nixed that, though, and let Garrison Hearst start against the Seahawks. Hearst didn't even play against Buffalo. Hearst did a decent job, and Anderson backed him up when he got tired. Both were fine. I decided to give Tatum Bell a few carries in the second half, and he was awesome. I think I'll let Anderson start the next game, and Bell will be the primary back in the second half. Hearst will back them both up, and I don't know where that leaves Griffin. I'll probably let him start the final preseason game, but I don't think he'll play at all in the third one. The quarterback battle is also a good one. Plummer's the starter, of course, but Danny Kanell and Mike Quinn are jockeying for the backup slot. Quinn didn't play against Buffalo, but he had a great game in Seattle, leading the rally that almost brought us to victory. Kanell has been terrible in both games, and I'm on the verge of cutting him.

I also have a couple of defensive players lobbying for starting positions, even though we're only two weeks into preseason. As far as I'm concerned, the only players with starting jobs locked up are Champ Bailey, Trevor Pryce, and Al Wilson. Everyone else is competing. I want Donnie Spragan to shut the hell up and just start playing. He's afraid that rookie D.J. Williams is going to take his spot. :)

I love the franchise mode in this game, and I really like the gameplay too. ESPN is going to be good for the FOFC league play, but I don't think I'll be playing it much more besides that. It's all about Madden and NCAA for me now. :)
What settings are you using?

I'm on All-Madden default, sliders turned all the way up, sub in/out 85/80


Todd

[Balldog]

Must resist urge to go buy game at lunch........must resist urge to leave work to play game.....AHHHHH! 4 more hours.

[Hoya1]

Does anyone know if the game is available in Canada? I've been calling around stores and places like Blockbuster, with no luck. Can anyone in the great white north verify its existance?

[Pumpy Tudors]

What settings are you using?

I'm on All-Madden default, sliders turned all the way up, sub in/out 85/80


I'm using the sliders that were linked to in this thread, although I bumped up the CPU RB Ability and Run Blocking an extra notch. I might change the sub in/out, but I'm not entirely sure about that yet.

[Bee]

Can anyone in the great white north verify its existance?

We really need to bring back the QOTM. :D

[Pumpy Tudors]

Gold.

[Eaglesfan27]

Just did a quick sim season of a franchise to see if there were any glaring problems.

QB passing yards seemed a bit low, but this was only one season (high of 3607 for Trent Green who was the league leader)

Completion percentages looked nice with leader around 65%.

Ahman Green and Jamal Lewis both broke 2000 yards! (2072 for Green, 2005 for Lewis)

Next highest was Barber with 1607.

Brandon Lloyd led the NFL with receptions with 104!?!

The remainder of the league leaders in receptions consisted of the usual suspects.

Urlacher led all tacklers with 154 (he had close to that in real life in one season)

Next highest was Derrick Brooks with 133.

Tommy Polley lead the league in sacks with 15. (Kearse was injured most of the year and only had 2)

Aeneas Williams had 8 interceptions to lead the league.

FG numbers looked good.. leader of the league hit 36 of 43 attempts (Todd Peterson)

There weren't any inseason trades (Does madden do CPU-CPU trades? I think it might not during the season at least) There were quite a few guys on the block, and I went after a few of them but it was fairly hard to get the top guys without giving up a similarly rated guy at a team need. I found the team needs to be fairly accurate. The Saints were desperately looking for either a cornerback or a linebacker. I tried getting Stallworth, but they wouldn't do it unless I gave up a higher rated CB (well I didn't have one to offer, but they wouldn't do it for Lito Sheppard.)

The 49ers ended up beating my team in the playoffs. Do the developers have a 49er bias ;)

The 49ers ended up playing the Chiefs in the superbowl (I'm really wondering about that bias?)

The 49ers beat the Chiefs 28-25 to win the Superbowl.

The 49ers were 9-7 in the regular season and barely crept into the playoffs.

The other playoff teams looked realistic (except for the Bengals who mad it in with a 9-7 record)

Jeremiah Trotter is Greedy! Money is 30% of his decision making process and he wants 4.5 million a year to stay on as an Eagle.

Correll Buckhalter became angry that Brian Westbrook was the starter the whole season and he decided he wouldn't resign with my team until after he tested the FA market. (Very cool touch)

I thought this was a bug at first, but then reread the article: Fantasy Football Preview: I'm hoping that Corey Dillon falls to us at the 14th pick. (At first I thought this was a draft preview, then I realized it was a fantasy football article. Very cool.)

Players can become an icon after a number of good years (I wonder if they can ever lose an icon status) Fans become upset when icons are treated "badly" by the team.

There might be too many icons: Terrell Owens, Brian Dawkins, and Michael Lewis all became icons after my first year. The first two are fine, but it seems early for Michael Lewis.

I'm not sure what the RFA bug was supposed to be again, but I definitely see some teams using the RFA tag well. I want a couple of guys, but don't want to give up the picks I would have to in order to get them.

Some teams did sign other teams' RFA players.

Once Free Agency started, Correll Buckhalter stated "I hate you guys. You never gave me the starting job." He is refusing to sign with me even if I offer plenty of cash. Very cool. I tried offering him 40 million for 4 years as an experiment just to see if he would sign in that case. His agent refused "My client isn't ggoing to re-sign after the way he was treated here."

Cool in that it makes roster management challenging.. then again I think Correll would settle for sharing the ball if the Eagles gave him 10 million a year.

The comments that occur when you scout incoming college player are more varied and interesting. One of the best that I liked "this guy will be a premiere tackler in the NFL. A Ray Lewis type." Lots of variety with different scouting comments.

The Projected Draft Board is very cool :)

I wasn't planning on doing much with this "test" draft, but this might be the most fun I've ever had with a draft in any football game.

There were some very nice trades among the CPU teams in the draft: The Titans traded their 5th pick (I'm not sure how the Titans did so poorly last year) for the 17th pick and 49th pick to the Cardinals. The Cardinals used this to draft the top QB which they desperately needed.

The Steelers traded up into the 12 spot with the Giants by giving up the 22nd and 86th pick to get the 2nd best LT in the draft (they needed a LT as their current one is a free agent)

Nice Variety of Positions taken in the 1st round of the draft:

1. CB
2. LOLB
3. CB
4. DE
5. QB
6. MLB
7. FS
8. DT
9. LT
10. QB
11. QB
12. LT
13. FS
14. MLB
15. G
16. QB
17. DT
18. LT
19. SS
20. CB
21. MLB
22. WR
23. WR (my team based on advice of my staff)
24. HB
25. LT
26. SS
27. WR
28. DT
29. HB
30. LOLB
31. RT
32. RT

Overall, I felt the teams drafted fairly smart and didn't just pick from 2 or 3 positions. It was a fun draft. Now, I'm going to end this test franchise. Work on my game skills a bit more and get ready to start a franchise.

[Kodos]

I played around a little last night using the default all-pro sliders. The cpu and I both had trouble running, but I'm sure that can be remedied with sliders. Passing seems pretty good, although I still don't really have the hang of it yet. I haven't really tried to master the new defensive controls yet. It's almost daunting how much there is to learn, but I believe it will become second nature soon enough. I don't like the playcall screens. They are harder to read than in last year's version.

I played one game online, 4 minute quarters, and won 10-7 with the Colts over Tampa. Neither of us could run effectively, but inside runs seem to work better than outside. It is hard to juke a defender out. I think if you do, it will be the human messing up, not the AI defender. My opponent scored his one TD on a long pass where I inadvertantly moved the defender out of position. I only used the hit stick once, when he didn't call a fair catch on a punt. I nailed him and out came the ball, setting up a short drive for a TD. Online played silky smooth and very responsive even with my crappy 56k connection.

I simmed through a season in dynasty mode. One problem was that Jamal Lewis (actually, I think it was Tomlinson) rushed for something like 2450 yards. Is there a setting to shorten sim game lengths? Anyhow, Tomlinson's incredible season got the Chargers to the conference championship game, so not terribly realistic.

If you edit an existing uniform, you still can't use the NFL logo. Will have to see if the trick from last year works. You can sub in created teams into franchise mode, but can't sub classic teams. :mad: Also, you can't edit the appearance of rookies, which is annoying if you like to add classic players through the draft.

Anyhow, that's all I have to report so far. I like the gameplay so far, although sliders will be necessary to help the run game for both me and the cpu. So far, the game seems promising.

[MizzouRah]

From what I understand,the bug is when you make an offer to a RFA, the CPU never counter offers, so you get the player. BIG BUG, but it might be workable?


Todd

[The Un-Ghosted Chubby]

strong slot - 3 wide singleback - slot cross

hit the slot over the middle or as he clears to the other side of the field, every time :(

[GrantDawg]

From what I understand,the bug is when you make an offer to a RFA, the CPU never counter offers, so you get the player. BIG BUG, but it might be workable?


Todd
But you still have to give up the draft picks, right? I wouldn't call it that big a bug.

[Eaglesfan27]

Ahh, I can deal with that bug with a few simple house rules. Chubby, how many times did you run that play, and how many games. I hit it a few times in my game, but not every time. I also tried to avoid calling the same plays over and over in my game.

[MizzouRah]

But you still have to give up the draft picks, right? I wouldn't call it that big a bug.
Not sure, but if you're right, maybe not such a big bug. Although if players like Tomlinson, Manning, Moss, etc.. were RFA's, I would gladly give up a draft pick for any one if them.


Todd

[Eaglesfan27]

In my test franchise, none of the really big names were RFA's. The best one was a young linebacker from Carolina who was rated 91 overall. The compensation for him would have been a 1st and a 3rd round pick (if I read the wierd annotation they use under compensation correctly)

Basically, anyone over 80 overall had been tendered an offer and required some compensation. The linebacker from Carolina had been offered a 4 year 20 million dollar deal by Carolina.

Most players who were rated under 80 didn't receive offers from their team and could be signed without having to give up draft picks. Of course, that was just a single season test sim.

[Eaglesfan27]

I just finished an exhibition game with Atlanta against Philly in Atlanta. This was part of my coach only mode experiment. Vick scrambled! Boy, did he scramble. I didn't put a spy on him just to see if he would do it, and he didn't most of the 1st quarter, but in the 2nd quarter he would wait a few seconds and if all of his receivers were covered, he would take off.

For the game, he ended up having 10 carries for 69 yards (1 clearly called run, the rest scrambles) He had a touchdown run. He also hit a fair percentage of his passes 54% while throwing for 221 yards (74 on big play to White) He had 1 TD and 1 Interception.

McNabb had a horrible game as his passes found D. Hall too much. Madden thinks this rookie is going to be special as he had 2 interceptions against me with both of them being returned for touchdowns thanks to blazing speed and nifty moves. The one pass was a great leap by him on a slant. The other was after the safety tipped the ball up in the air, and Hall made several good moves to return it 63 yards.

I bumped the running game for the Human up one notch on run blocking and run ability, and another notch (total of 2) in run blocking and run ability from the linked sliders in this thread.

As a result, Warrick Dunn ended up having 140 yards on 29 carries against me.

Duckett had another 30 yards on 7 carries.

Westbrook got me 29 yards on 12 carries.

Buckhalter had 20 yards on 7 carries.

I may try bumping up the human run blocking a bit more as I have a very good offensive line and should be creating better holes. However, overall I'm thinking this coach mode could be very good with sliders (this is X-Box version - not sure if that matters)

The complaints I remember about Madden from last year with coach mode such as too many sacks don't seem to be occurring. McNabb and Vick were each only sacked twice and 3 of those 4 total sacks were due to Blitzes.

The Coach Mode has the QB making quick crisp decisions. I also played a bit with a QB with bad awareness (Josh McCown) and he made slow horrible decisions and did get sacked 3 times in one quarter (of course that could be in part to the lack of quality on the Cardinals O-Line.)

Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing from the people who really analyze coach only mode, what problems should I look for?

[Troll]

Any dumb trades during the season like in ESPN?

[Noop]

Is it me or did they take from TPF?

[GrantDawg]

I hate you, Eaglesfan, because you are going to make me buy Madden when I was happy playing CM 03/04.

[The Un-Ghosted Chubby]

Ahh, I can deal with that bug with a few simple house rules. Chubby, how many times did you run that play, and how many games. I hit it a few times in my game, but not every time. I also tried to avoid calling the same plays over and over in my game.

I can run it 6+ times in a row for completions, the guy will always be open at some point. This was in the Madden Moments games. I'll be trying it when I start my franchise shortly, just did the fantasy draft :)

[Eaglesfan27]

Troll, I strongly suspect there are no inseason trades between CPU teams. I didn't see any in the season that I simulated. I remember reading that somewhere in an interview as well. Not great, but better than stupid trades. You can initiate in season trades, but the AI seems pretty tough to me.

The CPU did do quite a bit of trading during the draft between CPU teams. I thought they were good trades in which the team moving up filled a need. I personally didn't try to move up or down in the draft.

Noop, I must admit that some of the phrases had me thinking the same things. The draft scouting report had some phrases that were definitely reminscient of TPF.. of course you could also see them in real scouting reports. I really enjoyed the draft in my test sim season.

GrantDawg, I'm sorry I may have contributed to you buying another game. CM 03/04 is an awesome game that I still plan on playing some today. :) Also, remember I've only done 2 simulated coach only games so far. However, I've never wanted to fool around with a coach only game because most games it looked so poor to me from the start. In this game, so far it looks like it has a lot of potential. But remember, I've only tried two games so far (well 1 1/2 actually)

That being said, I'm strongly considering doing a coach-only franchise and posting it up as a dynasty once I get sliders that I'm happy with (and I don't think it will take that much tweaking on All-Madden)

Chubby, I tried that play and I could usually get the guy open IF I had enough time from my O-Line. He didn't always get open early for me. The fact that he always gets open at some point worries me, but if a QB gets good enough protection in the NFL, he will usually find an open guy, right? In any case, I'm determined to just use restraint and not rely on any money plays that might occur, but the fact that there are money plays is concerning (mostly for MP from my perspective)

[Kodos]

McNabb had a horrible game as his passes found D. Hall too much. Madden thinks this rookie is going to be special as he had 2 interceptions against me with both of them being returned for touchdowns thanks to blazing speed and nifty moves. The one pass was a great leap by him on a slant. The other was after the safety tipped the ball up in the air, and Hall made several good moves to return it 63 yards.


ESPN think's Hall's a stud too. He's the guy who picked off the ball three times and returned 2 for touchdowns in one game for me in ESPN. :)

[The Un-Ghosted Chubby]

Eaglesfan - also when playing a human last night I got 3 straight onside kicks for me because he picked normal return then audibled in onside return (meaning his hands team wasn't in) this could be devastating online.

[Eaglesfan27]

Eaglesfan - also when playing a human last night I got 3 straight onside kicks for me because he picked normal return then audibled in onside return (meaning his hands team wasn't in) this could be devastating online.

Ouch. Fortunately, I plan on relying on ESPN Football for my online needs. However, that stinks for those planning on playing Madden online.

[Kodos]

Eaglesfan - also when playing a human last night I got 3 straight onside kicks for me because he picked normal return then audibled in onside return (meaning his hands team wasn't in) this could be devastating online.

Let's see. Three consecutive onside kicks. Running the same play 6 times in a row.

Good to see that you play Madden like you play in IHOF. :rolleyes:

[Booj]

Does anyone know if the game is available in Canada? I've been calling around stores and places like Blockbuster, with no luck. Can anyone in the great white north verify its existance?

I got the game at EB Games in Montreal today, so it does exist, don't worry :D

[The Un-Ghosted Chubby]

Good to see that you play Madden like you play in IHOF. :rolleyes:
I was down 31 with 2 mins to go, what was I supposed to do? The friend I was playing wasn't paying attention because he was up so much, he ended up only winning by 3 because he refused to call onside return.

[Kodos]

Does that explain running the same passing play 6 times in a row too?

[The Un-Ghosted Chubby]

Does that explain running the same passing play 6 times in a row too?

The same passing play 6 times in a row is me testing out the game. Lord knows you don't test anything out of the ordinary. It's also on pro since I forgot to up it to all-pro before I go to madden so the play may not work at higher levels

[Kodos]

The Lord knows you don't test anything out of the ordinary.

Yes. Choosing different plays in succession should be frowned on. Not attempting 3 onsides kicks in a row should be frowned on.

Also, failing to mention you were on pro is important. Pro is meant to be easy, so completing the same play 6 times in a row isn't all that shocking.

[The Un-Ghosted Chubby]

Yes. Choosing different plays in succession should be frowned on. Not attempting 3 onsides kicks in a row should be frowned on.

Also, failing to mention you were on pro is important. Pro is meant to be easy, so completing the same play 6 times in a row isn't all that shocking.

Attempting on-sides kicks when you are down multiple touchdowns late in the 4th should be expected. We have certain rules for 4th downs and onsides in our tournies anyways.

That play doesn't constantly work in all pro if you run in more than once in a row.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nevermind about that first part.. I was looking at their rating as a punt returner :redface:

Anyway, I'm fiddling with sliders in coaching mode and getting better rushing numbers. My average is now around 3.5 which seems more reasonable, but I'm still going to tweak as I don't consider Atlanta's D-Line that good against the run and Philly's O-Line is one of the best at run blocking in the league according to Madden ratings.

By the way, I'm down 14-7 at the half at least in large part due to 2 more interceptions to Mr. Hall. One of them he returned 41 yards for a touchdown. He has a 98 speed and Terrell and Todd simply can't catch him after he robs them of a reception.

[MizzouRah]

Nevermind about that first part.. I was looking at their rating as a punt returner :redface:

Anyway, I'm fiddling with sliders in coaching mode and getting better rushing numbers. My average is now around 3.5 which seems more reasonable, but I'm still going to tweak as I don't consider Atlanta's D-Line that good against the run and Philly's O-Line is one of the best at run blocking in the league according to Madden ratings.

By the way, I'm down 14-7 at the half at least in large part due to 2 more interceptions to Mr. Hall. One of them he returned 41 yards for a touchdown. He has a 98 speed and Terrell and Todd simply can't catch him after he robs them of a reception.
Is this on All-Madden? ..and what quarter mins are you using? 12 with accelerated clock might need bumped to 13.

Todd

[Eaglesfan27]

This is on All-Madden, 12 minute accelerated clock. Coach only mode. I'm considering bumping it to 13 minutes. I'm using the sliders that you linked to from Maddenwishlist, but I've modified them some (adding some bumps to CPU running and blocking, and now I'm starting to add a bit to human running)

Now, I'm halfway through the 3rd and D. Hall just had a 3rd interception against McNabb, I think I might bump CPU interceptions down a bit more.

[bigbadraidersfan]

Still not on the shelf at my local Target yet. :(

[GrantDawg]

This is on All-Madden, 12 minute accelerated clock. Coach only mode. I'm considering bumping it to 13 minutes. I'm using the sliders that you linked to from Maddenwishlist, but I've modified them some (adding some bumps to CPU running and blocking, and now I'm starting to add a bit to human running)

Now, I'm halfway through the 3rd and D. Hall just had a 3rd interception against McNabb, I think I might bump CPU interceptions down a bit more.
Now your getting to the meat of the problem. My prediction is you could turn interceptions all the way down and still have too many. Has been a problem every year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Now your getting to the meat of the problem. My prediction is you could turn interceptions all the way down and still have too many. Has been a problem every year.

Well, I'm not getting too many! Vick is tearing me apart. However, DeAngelo Hall is getting too many. I just played another half where he only had one after I turned it down 5 notches. I don't think that was bad. He had the only interception for either team the whole half. However, Warrick Dunn was getting too MANY yards rushing. I overcompensated in my pumping up the CPU rushing, and Dunn had 120 on 14 carries at the half. Atlanta's offensive line was creating huge holes for him and they aren't rated that good in run blocking. I'm tweaking this some more for my next match against them.

Btw, Vick has scrambled at least 2 or 3 times every half I've played. This time he was 3 for 21 with a touchdown run.

Btw, I played a game in the rain and it seemed to make both teams drop more passes. Anyone else notice this or am I just imagining things.

[Joe]

has the price dropped on Madden 2004 yet?

[MizzouRah]

Yeah, I'm about to start my franchise, AM defaults 13 min quarters, I think.. 12 seemed to few plays called.

Todd

[Eaglesfan27]

I think I'm going to start my franchise as well soon. I just had a very good game in that I thought the results were fairly realistic. It was a snowy game so the guys dropped a lot of balls early. Also, McNabb was hurt early. Blake played most of the game and threw 21 of 41 passes for 220 yards with 1 TD and 2 INT (both of them were on tips by the linebacker)

Vick and Price torched me when I left him single covered a few plays and Vick was 19 of 36 for 283 yards 2 TD 1 INT (a great play by Lewis where he faked the blitz and then dropped back into coverage)

Dunn had 21 carries for 94 yards.

Buckhalter had 20 carries for 82 yards (he is just much better at inside running than Westbrook in this game)

Westbrook had 12 carries for 29 yards.

Anyway, I liked the rushing averages for the most part. I liked the interception totals (I kept my interceptions on 15 or 18 whatever is suggested in the linked thread while dropping the computer interception down to 5) I'm going to try another game against the worst back 7 in the league. Any suggestions who that might be? If interceptions seem too high in that game, then I might try dropping interceptions down further for the CPU for coach only mode.

Once the interception slider is where I want it.. I think I'll be ready to start my franchise.

[Eaglesfan27]

Now your getting to the meat of the problem. My prediction is you could turn interceptions all the way down and still have too many. Has been a problem every year.

I'm starting to worry that you might be correct. I tried playing against Arizona on their field to play against a bad back 7. Despite this at the half, McNabb had only completed 45% of his passes and he threw 2 interceptions.

However, as I said, my players aren't making too many interceptions at all. McCown was completing over 60% of his passes with no interceptions.

I'm going to try to work on the sliders some more tomorrow to see if I can make coach mode enjoyable.

On one good note was that I could run against their front 7 fairly well (averaged 4.5 ypc)

[GrantDawg]

I'm starting to worry that you might be correct. I tried playing against Arizona on their field to play against a bad back 7. Despite this at the half, McNabb had only completed 45% of his passes and he threw 2 interceptions.

However, as I said, my players aren't making too many interceptions at all. McCown was completing over 60% of his passes with no interceptions.

I'm going to try to work on the sliders some more tomorrow to see if I can make coach mode enjoyable.

On one good note was that I could run against their front 7 fairly well (averaged 4.5 ypc)
It is a problem that never has been fixed. I think the computer runs your QB different than the regular CPU QB. It is like they make worse decisions.

[JimboJ]

It is a problem that never has been fixed. I think the computer runs your QB different than the regular CPU QB. It is like they make worse decisions.

I find it hard to believe that there is different code excuting for the computer team vs. the human team in coach mode. As a programmer myself, I know that programmers reuse code whenever possible. To write different code for CPU vs. human, without a good reason, makes absolutely no sense at all.

[Eaglesfan27]

It is a problem that never has been fixed. I think the computer runs your QB different than the regular CPU QB. It is like they make worse decisions.

I'm reading several sites for sliders, and there are a few theories and I think they may be onto something. Part of my problem (and the problem for others on All-Madden) is that the defensive lines are getting through my offensive line too quickly. People on various sites are suggesting lowering the CPU Break tackle down to 3 (I had it at 9 all this time) They say that gives you better running (in which case I'll need to undo some of the increases I did to human run blocking) and that it gives you more time to pass, making your QB much more accurate and much less likely to throw interceptions. That being said, I'm also lowering the interceptions down to 2 the next time I play.

I'm done playing for tonight as I want to play some CM, but I'll try this theory out tomorrow or the next day and post results.

[The Un-Ghosted Chubby]

I find it hard to believe that there is different code excuting for the computer team vs. the human team in coach mode. As a programmer myself, I know that programmers reuse code whenever possible. To write different code for CPU vs. human, without a good reason, makes absolutely no sense at all.

to clarify the human is playing coach mode

if the human sliders and cpu sliders aren't identical then it's possible that even tho you are leaving things up to the computer in coach mode, it still views you as "human" and uses those sliders.

[GrantDawg]

I find it hard to believe that there is different code excuting for the computer team vs. the human team in coach mode. As a programmer myself, I know that programmers reuse code whenever possible. To write different code for CPU vs. human, without a good reason, makes absolutely no sense at all.
Play the last few version and tell me your QB makes decisions the same way the CPU does. Shoot, I used to play same team vs. same team and you could see it clearly. I think it is that they have programmed it for you to take control. It like waits for you, then runs whatever that says you can't, then it acts.

[Eaglesfan27]

Play the last few version and tell me your QB makes decisions the same way the CPU does. Shoot, I used to play same team vs. same team and you could see it clearly. I think it is that they have programmed it for you to take control. It like waits for you, then runs whatever that says you can't, then it acts.

That is definitely different in this year's version. With this "coach mode," the human player can't control any of the players. All I can control is the presnap motion and audibles. McNabb instantly starts moving as soon as the play is hiked and I can tell he isn't waiting for me to do anything. I think the problem is that All-Madden gives the AI the advantage to make All-Madden challenging and the D-Lines I'm facing just play so much better than their ratings. Similarly, the linebackers and the safeties play so much better than their ratings. However, the speed cheat seems to be gone as everyone seems to move at rates based on their speed. But with the other advantages the CPU team has in All-Madden there is unrealistic results in coach mode. As a result, I need to see if I can find/create sliders that even this out. Hopefully, lowering the CPU break block down to 3 will help when I try that next.

[JimboJ]

That is definitely different in this year's version. With this "coach mode," the human player can't control any of the players. All I can control is the presnap motion and audibles. McNabb instantly starts moving as soon as the play is hiked and I can tell he isn't waiting for me to do anything. I think the problem is that All-Madden gives the AI the advantage to make All-Madden challenging and the D-Lines I'm facing just play so much better than their ratings. Similarly, the linebackers and the safeties play so much better than their ratings. However, the speed cheat seems to be gone as everyone seems to move at rates based on their speed. But with the other advantages the CPU team has in All-Madden there is unrealistic results in coach mode. As a result, I need to see if I can find/create sliders that even this out. Hopefully, lowering the CPU break block down to 3 will help when I try that next.

I would hope that in coach-mode, the different difficulty levels would not affect the players' performance, but rather the playcalling of the CPU coach. In other words, players will perform the same on the All-Madden setting as they would on the Rookie setting, but the playcalling AI would be smarter on All-Madden. I have a feeling it doesn't work this way, but it should.

As for the sliders, the human setting should be ignored in coach mode, since all players are controlled by the CPU.

[The Un-Ghosted Chubby]

As for the sliders, the human setting should be ignored in coach mode, since all players are controlled by the CPU.
doesn't mean that's what actually happens :)

[Eaglesfan27]

I would hope that in coach-mode, the different difficulty levels would not affect the players' performance, but rather the playcalling of the CPU coach. In other words, players will perform the same on the All-Madden setting as they would on the Rookie setting, but the playcalling AI would be smarter on All-Madden. I have a feeling it doesn't work this way, but it should.

As for the sliders, the human setting should be ignored in coach mode, since all players are controlled by the CPU.

That would be the ideal. However, from my experience I don't think that is happening.

[MizzouRah]

All-Madden is kicking my ass, point blank. I might be crazy, but passing in ESPN is better for me. I should complete passes with Holt, Bruce, Faulk, and Bulger at the helm. In Madden the DB's get to the reciever too quick.

I'll say this again... why did they rush ESPN out the door? A few fixes to franchise mode and ESPN is getting all my playing time. :(


Todd

[JimboJ]

All-Madden is kicking my ass, point blank. I might be crazy, but passing in ESPN is better for me. I should complete passes with Holt, Bruce, Faulk, and Bulger at the helm. In Madden the DB's get to the reciever too quick.

I'll say this again... why did they rush ESPN out the door? A few fixes to franchise mode and ESPN is getting all my playing time. :(


Todd

So which has the better coach mode this year, ESPN or Madden?

[Eaglesfan27]

All-Madden is kicking my ass, point blank. I might be crazy, but passing in ESPN is better for me. I should complete passes with Holt, Bruce, Faulk, and Bulger at the helm. In Madden the DB's get to the reciever too quick.

I'll say this again... why did they rush ESPN out the door? A few fixes to franchise mode and ESPN is getting all my playing time. :(


Todd

I agree that if ESPN had a better franchise mode, it would get my play time. However, from early impressions Madden has the significantly better franchise mode. So, I guess we need to work on those sliders ;)

[Eaglesfan27]

So which has the better coach mode this year, ESPN or Madden?

I couldn't get ESPN's to work well at all. I think I may be able to get Madden's to work well with sliders. Madden's coach mode at least seems like it has potential to me.

[jbmagic]

Nevermind about that first part.. I was looking at their rating as a punt returner :redface:

Anyway, I'm fiddling with sliders in coaching mode and getting better rushing numbers. My average is now around 3.5 which seems more reasonable, but I'm still going to tweak as I don't consider Atlanta's D-Line that good against the run and Philly's O-Line is one of the best at run blocking in the league according to Madden ratings.

By the way, I'm down 14-7 at the half at least in large part due to 2 more interceptions to Mr. Hall. One of them he returned 41 yards for a touchdown. He has a 98 speed and Terrell and Todd simply can't catch him after he robs them of a reception.


by doing that, does it cause more pancakes for the offensive line?

[Eaglesfan27]

Tra Thomas was getting 2-3 pancakes a game, with the rest of the O-line usually getting 1 to 2 per player.

[GrantDawg]

So which has the better coach mode this year, ESPN or Madden?
ESPN's was unplayable.

[GrantDawg]

That is definitely different in this year's version. With this "coach mode," the human player can't control any of the players. All I can control is the presnap motion and audibles. McNabb instantly starts moving as soon as the play is hiked and I can tell he isn't waiting for me to do anything. I think the problem is that All-Madden gives the AI the advantage to make All-Madden challenging and the D-Lines I'm facing just play so much better than their ratings. Similarly, the linebackers and the safeties play so much better than their ratings. However, the speed cheat seems to be gone as everyone seems to move at rates based on their speed. But with the other advantages the CPU team has in All-Madden there is unrealistic results in coach mode. As a result, I need to see if I can find/create sliders that even this out. Hopefully, lowering the CPU break block down to 3 will help when I try that next.

I know, Madden had the same option last year (and have had it for the CPU for a while). What you're explaining does make sesnse for some of the problem (and maybe they fixed the other with this version), but I can tell you in the past it was a matter of computer hesitation. QB would just hold the ball too long. I can't tell you how many times last year Vick would just stand there with the ball in his hand and watch the linemen sack him.

I'm worried about what jbmajic mentioned. You may start seeing huge numbers of pancakes. Happened last year or the year before when the game had the sack bug.

[MizzouRah]

So which has the better coach mode this year, ESPN or Madden?I don't play coach mode, sorry... but since Madden has that listed as an option, I would say Madden.


Todd

[GrantDawg]

I don't play coach mode, sorry... but since Madden has that listed as an option, I would say Madden.


Todd
ESPN has it, too.

[DataKing]

Question for you all, and maybe it's just something that I've missed in the discussion so far. Is "coach mode" an actual mode selection now, or is it like it used to be where you hiked the ball, then just left your controller alone and the CPU took over. And along the same lines, if it is an actual "mode" now, does the game handle kicking and punting duties, or is that something that still needs to be done manually?

I should be picking mine up today after work, though I'm not sure I'll have much time to play until this weekend. I'm looking forward to some good "coach mode" dynasty action (and sliders).

[Balldog]

There is an actual coach mode this year, it is under Gameplay Settings.

[Jets80]

Just bought the game from Walmart on my lunch break.. 2 hours 26 mins to go.

[ageofquarrel]

One thing i wish they would add. Is the ability to use an all-pro kickmeter on all-madden. That is the one thing that keeps me from playing on all madden. I have about 6 shanked punts in a row. I dont think I will ever be able to get the timing down.

[illinifan999]

Way better than ESPN for me at least. Sure the presentation was better, but Madden's gameplay just feels right. Also really like the radio show. Just wish it would keep going when I sim games.

[rkmsuf]

One thing i wish they would add. Is the ability to use an all-pro kickmeter on all-madden. That is the one thing that keeps me from playing on all madden. I have about 6 shanked punts in a row. I dont think I will ever be able to get the timing down.

For the shanks, all you have to do is turn your hat backwards, put all your change in your left pocket, untie your right show and put a tee behind your left ear.

[wade moore]

Looking at these sliders (just brought the game home and have not put it in yet) I already don't like them.. he has a lot of "well maybe..." and in general, All-Madden has always been a bad mode to play in - particularly in franchise mode... because what it essentially does is takes everyones abilities and ups them... so once you get to all-madden, there is not that much difference between say a 99 and a 95...

has anyone used/seen other good sliders?

[MizzouRah]

Looking at these sliders (just brought the game home and have not put it in yet) I already don't like them.. he has a lot of "well maybe..." and in general, All-Madden has always been a bad mode to play in - particularly in franchise mode... because what it essentially does is takes everyones abilities and ups them... so once you get to all-madden, there is not that much difference between say a 99 and a 95...

has anyone used/seen other good sliders?
Actually, that's gone from this years all-madden, but I'm just not that good on AM. Most people say the speed problems have been fixed on AM this year.


Todd

[illinifan999]

I hate Peyton Manning. Every freaking play, has to call an audible. I think there was one play where he didnt call one and that was because it was the Hail Mary. ;)

[GrantDawg]

Ok, picked it up. Started right on the franchise mode and it is cool so far. I love the newspaper and the radio show (though I think it will get old). I love that they have the local paper (the Atlanta Urinal and Constipation). Haven't gotten into the nuts and bolts yet, but I can already tell you I like the layout better than ESPN.

[GrantDawg]

Oh, and don't get me started on the "Position battle" thing. Awesome.

[GrantDawg]

All right, trying out coach mode play. I didn't touch the sliders and playing at All-Pro level, acc. clock at 12 minutes.

First game was rough. Lose 16-3. It was the pre-season versus Ravens. Hard to get a good feel, but it looked pretty good. Vick ended up completing 52% of his passes, but most were in the Two minute drill at the end of the half. Shuab was bad at 26%. Boller completed 68% but Kordell only completed 45%. A possible problem in the running game, because though the computer ran plenty, he only averaged about 2.7 a carry. Worse, I only averaged 1.9. :(

I'm not tweaking the sliders yet, because I need something more than a pre-season game to judge (plus, the Ravens offense is too good to judge to much on).

[MizzouRah]

I've made my decision on what game to dig really deep into and that's Madden, kind of sad because I really like alot about ESPN, but Madden's franchise mode really had me thinking today at work, and that's a good thing.

I think I'm going to do a dynasty write up as well as keep my ootp dynasty going. With the trip to Chicago next week (please have a cable that detaches on the TV at the hotel - as I bought an RF adapter to take with my Xbox), I should have plenty of time to get into both franchises (ootp and Madden).

Only thing I have left to do is get better on AM level as right now I stink, but the CPU can move the ball quite well in passing and running... and get my quarter minutes down pat, which I can do in preseason.


Todd

[korme]

i hope i pick this up tonight, you lucky bastards

[JimboJ]

FYI - Over on maddenmania.com there is a great discussion about coach-only mode and slider settings. People are feverishly testing as we speak!

[Mota]

Hey MizzouRah, make sure to bring a screwdriver with ya to the hotel. I got caught in the same bind once, and somehow I suckered the hotel crew into lending me a screwdriver (I said I needed it for my suitcase). What kind of suitcase takes a phillips screwdriver? Yeesh.

[MizzouRah]

Hey MizzouRah, make sure to bring a screwdriver with ya to the hotel. I got caught in the same bind once, and somehow I suckered the hotel crew into lending me a screwdriver (I said I needed it for my suitcase). What kind of suitcase takes a phillips screwdriver? Yeesh.
Since I will be driving, I will have all my tools with me. :D


Todd

[MizzouRah]

http://webpages.charter.net/jondiehl/madden05.jpgNow that's playing football!

Jon Diehl from sports newsgroups.


Todd

[Eaglesfan27]

Wow, I'm jealous of that set-up.

Great news about the guys working on coach only sliders. I just realized I only have 80 days til I take my boards, so I'm not in the mood to mess around with sliders too much tonight. Glad to see someone else working on it :)

[korme]

i got it!

[MizzouRah]

i got it!
Damn Shorty! It's about time!

Todd

[Godzilla Blitz]

Finally taking the plunge, too. Ordered an Xbox today. Will pick up Madden and ESPN for it when the console arrives.

[korme]

i know, i'm ashamed i waited this long. does anyone know if any updates are online yet *looks over FA list, ugh*, and I just made Rickey Williams a 12 OVR and cut him, and cut Quincy, and moved George to the Boys. I'm almost set but a complete update would be nice. Centers to the Pats, etc.

[korme]

Whoa, LB #52 is gone and there is actually a Lavar Arrington and a pic to go with it. Whoa.

[druez]

http://webpages.charter.net/jondiehl/madden05.jpgNow that's playing football!

Jon Diehl from sports newsgroups.


Todd


Dude that is bad ass. I'm jealous :(

[MizzouRah]

Finally taking the plunge, too. Ordered an Xbox today. Will pick up Madden and ESPN for it when the console arrives.
You're a good man GB!

I hope you have some free time on your hands. :)


Todd

[sabotai]

How is the franchise moving along? Specifically the off-season is what I'm interested in. I simply can not get over the AI draft logic in ESPN. Does the AI draft at least somewhat realistically in Madden?

[Eaglesfan27]

See my post earlier in this thread, but in a relatively small sample size of 2 simulated seasons, I liked the draft logic quite a bit. I saw 4-5 QB's go in the 1st round which might be a bit high but not too bad, but a nice distribution of other positions (although one draft was a little Safety heavy with 4 or 5 also going in the 1st round.) It's not perfect, but it's much better than ESPN.

[MizzouRah]

The ONLY thing that is keeping me with Madden (more games tonight) is the franchise mode. Drafts, trade block, news papers, etc... they did the franchise mode very well. I still like the gameplay of ESPN though. :(


Todd

[sabotai]

Yeah, I loved the gameplay in ESPN. But knowing that the draft is screwed up, I just get the sense of "why bother?" when I play ESPN. I went back to NCAA for awhile so I can get readjusted to EA play style. :) (And with Heisman sliders I found on operationsports forums, the game is playing better than I remember it.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Yeah, I loved the gameplay in ESPN. But knowing that the draft is screwed up, I just get the sense of "why bother?" when I play ESPN. I went back to NCAA for awhile so I can get readjusted to EA play style. :) (And with Heisman sliders I found on operationsports forums, the game is playing better than I remember it.)

I'm sort of getting that feeling too. I love ESPN's gameplay, but the franchise is so disappointing. Madden's franchise is great, and I can't wait to start a serious franchise once I get some slightly better adjusted sliders. I'm planning on doing two different franchises, a coach only one, and a franchise where I play games. However, ESPN is going to become mostly an online game for me.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Yeah, I loved the gameplay in ESPN. But knowing that the draft is screwed up, I just get the sense of "why bother?" when I play ESPN. I went back to NCAA for awhile so I can get readjusted to EA play style. :) (And with Heisman sliders I found on operationsports forums, the game is playing better than I remember it.)

Do you have a link to the post with the Heisman sliders you're using? I fear that NCAA is getting to be too easy for me on All-American.

[korme]

any good AA sliders?

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Played a game vs. ai. Miami v. Denver.....I ended up being beaten by Denver 7-6. Seems that the Broncos defense stepped up late in the 4th shutting me domwn.

[Eaglesfan27]

The Maddenmania discussion about coach mode is very interesting. I can't believe I never thought to just try All-Pro for Coach Mode. There seems to be a consensus that All-Pro difficulty level is best for Coach Mode. Of course, I've only read the first two pages of that thread so far.

[korme]

since when did all-pro get so hard? my bengals are losing to the equally 86 OVR jets 31-6 in the 3rd quarter.. wtf. gordon has like 100 yards easy.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

I really enjoy the game so far. Graphics are pretty good and stadiums and graphics look life like. I specially enjoy the changes inlighting as the day/quarters progress. Very realistic.

[korme]

Pennington 18-25 246 yards 4 tds. heh. whatever

[MizzouRah]

All-Pro is too easy for me and All-Madden is downright too hard. I need practice!


Todd

[GrantDawg]

i know, i'm ashamed i waited this long. does anyone know if any updates are online yet *looks over FA list, ugh*, and I just made Rickey Williams a 12 OVR and cut him, and cut Quincy, and moved George to the Boys. I'm almost set but a complete update would be nice. Centers to the Pats, etc.
There is an update online that has the August 4th rosters. For some reason, Ricky is still on the Dolphins roster, but it did have QC cut.

[HornedFrog Purple]

I think the gameplay is pretty solid but I laugh like crazy when I play the CPU and its QB does a 180 and throws a strike.

I love all the new defensive options a lot and the hit stick is pretty cool when you nail someone.

[GrantDawg]

I think the gameplay is pretty solid but I laugh like crazy when I play the CPU and its QB does a 180 and throws a strike.

I love all the new defensive options a lot and the hit stick is pretty cool when you nail someone.
The QB movement is really bad. I hate how often they drop back and not even turn around to look at the field. You should be able to see them going through their progressions. The other little bug is how many tackles look more like the two players bump into each other.

Not trying to slam the game too much, though. I believe this will be the best Madden ever.

[HornedFrog Purple]

I agree, just the little bit I have managed to play they have done a lot under the hood.

Some of the newspaper stories could use some variation but the milestones stuff is pretty cool. I definitely think this year has taken a step up.

[Eaglesfan27]

GrantDawg,

You might want to check out MaddenMania for coach only sliders. They are doing some decent work over there (and some that looks like rubbish.) Or you can wait for me to post the results of the various tests, once I see something over there that works really well (or come up with my own which is less likely.)

[korme]

There is an update online that has the August 4th rosters. For some reason, Ricky is still on the Dolphins roster, but it did have QC cut.
i dled them and rickey was gone. but what is annoying is that i sttarted a franchise and everyone who moved from fa or from fa to a team has lost their career stats. Tim Brown is NA all over. ugh

[korme]

has anyone tried to kick a game winning field goal? this game just keeps surprising me.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Mizzou Rah: Thanks. I'm going to get ESPN Football and Madden for it.

I'm interested in seeing how Madden's franchise mode works, and want to see ESPN for the presentation.

Had a bunch of gift certificates lying around, so I ordered the Xbox through Gamestop via Amazon. I'm hoping that the thing arrives before the Super Bowl.

[sabotai]

Here are the sliders I'm using. I played a half a game with two different teams. One I played as a 1-star team vs another 1-star team. The game was horrible stats wise and gameplay wise. Don't suggest it. BUT, I did play as a 3-star team vs. a 5-star team. Even though I was getting destroyed, the stats and gameplay were very good. So if you are going to use these sliders, I'd suggest from my limited play with them that you use at least average teams and not the horrendously bad 1-star teams.

And one more thing, these are used with HFA turned OFF.

(Edit: In case it wasn't obvious, these are for NCAA :) )

Njkroc’s version 4 sliders (back to basics)


Level: Heisman
Minutes: 8
Camera: Classic

Offense:
(Human)
Qb acc: 20
Pass blk: 16
Wr catch: 12
Rb ability: 10
Rb blk: 15

(Computer)
Qb acc: 15
Pass blk: 11
Wr catch: 7
Rb ability: 5
Rb blk: 10

Defense:
(Human)
Aware: 5
Kd: 12
Int: 6
BB: 10
Tkl: 5

(Computer)
Aware: 0
Kd: 7
Int: 1
BB: 5
Tkl: 0

Special Teams:
(Human)
Fg length: 12
Acc: 20
P length: 12
Acc: 20
Ko: 15

(Computer)
Fg length: 10
Acc: 8
P length: 13
Acc: 8
Ko: 12

Penalties:
False start: 10
Holding: 6
Face mask: 8
Off int: 4
Def int: 9
Clipping: 6
Int: 10
Roughing passer: 10
Roughing kicker: 10
Unsportsman like: 3

[Kodos]

i dled them and rickey was gone. but what is annoying is that i sttarted a franchise and everyone who moved from fa or from fa to a team has lost their career stats. Tim Brown is NA all over. ugh
Yeah, if you download the file (which you need to do for online play), Ricky Williams is gone entirely.

:)

[Maple Leafs]

ESPN franchise has its issues but it's not that bad. I'm having fun with it. And I feel no need to switch over to Madden and relearn a new game at this point.

[MizzouRah]

Mizzou Rah: Thanks. I'm going to get ESPN Football and Madden for it.

I'm interested in seeing how Madden's franchise mode works, and want to see ESPN for the presentation.

Had a bunch of gift certificates lying around, so I ordered the Xbox through Gamestop via Amazon. I'm hoping that the thing arrives before the Super Bowl.
Anytime GB, anytime.


Todd

[JimboJ]

A guy called Lombardi over at Maddenmania.com came up with these coach mode sliders. People over there agree they are pretty good. I haven't tried them myself yet, but I will soon.

All-Pro, 12 min, Accelerated clock, Sub out 70%, Sub in 80%

Hum and CPU sliders are the same:

QB: 8
PB: 1
WR: 10
RB: 17
RBK: 20

Awr: 5
KD: 1
INT: 8
BB: 1
TAK: 7

FG Acc: 5
Punt Length: 12
(rest of spec teams default)

Facemask: +4
Holding: +2
(rest of penalties maxed out)

[GrantDawg]

A guy called Lombardi over at Maddenmania.com came up with these coach mode sliders. People over there agree they are pretty good. I haven't tried them myself yet, but I will soon.

All-Pro, 12 min, Accelerated clock, Sub out 70%, Sub in 80%

Hum and CPU sliders are the same:

QB: 8
PB: 1
WR: 10
RB: 17
RBK: 20

Awr: 5
KD: 1
INT: 8
BB: 1
TAK: 7

FG Acc: 5
Punt Length: 12
(rest of spec teams default)

Facemask: +4
Holding: +2
(rest of penalties maxed out)
So he updated again. Those are pretty close to what I have found, too. I've only tested a couple of games, though.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm looking forward to trying these out tomorrow.

[MizzouRah]

You damn coach mode players!

:)


Todd

[Sharpieman]

I love the hit stick in this game. I love ripping the crap out of offensive players. I didn't even know that the game had restricted free agency and compensation. I just need some good all-pro sliders and I'll be fine.

[Mota]

Those last sliders still didn't work for me. I played the Raiders against the Pats, and there was a total of 40 yards rushing between the two team in over 30 attempts.

I cranked up the RB to 20 and things seem a lot better.

[TLK]

Finally getting around to playing and my first impression is that the graphics have taken a big step back....

[Pumpy Tudors]

Those last sliders still didn't work for me. I played the Raiders against the Pats, and there was a total of 40 yards rushing between the two team in over 30 attempts.

I cranked up the RB to 20 and things seem a lot better.

Coach mode or no?

[Troll]

anyone got some good non coach mode sliders? I'm about to start a franchise.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm playing with an updated set of sliders put out by Lombardi at MaddenMania and I'm having the most fun playing Madden on coach mode as I've ever had playing a video console football game. McNabb isn't scrambling enough (hardly at all) but everything else is working great. Not too many sacks, not too many picks. I'm enjoying the franchise features quite a lot. I'm finishing up my preseason now and I really noticed a difference in the QB's as I brought in Blake, Detmer and Hall with their lower Awareness as compared to McNabb. Anyway, for those interested in a good coach mode, check out the most updated sliders at MaddenMania.

[Philliesfan980]

I'm playing with an updated set of sliders put out by Lombardi at MaddenMania and I'm having the most fun playing Madden on coach mode as I've ever had playing a video console football game. McNabb isn't scrambling enough (hardly at all) but everything else is working great. Not too many sacks, not too many picks. I'm enjoying the franchise features quite a lot. I'm finishing up my preseason now and I really noticed a difference in the QB's as I brought in Blake, Detmer and Hall with their lower Awareness as compared to McNabb. Anyway, for those interested in a good coach mode, check out the most updated sliders at MaddenMania.

Cool. Its looking more and more like I'm going to have my "joystick" franchise with ESPN and my Coach only franchise with Madden!

[DeToxRox]

EF: For McNabbs scrambling, did you go to your coach options and for CPU tendencies put scrambling as your QBs priority?

something to ponder.

[jbmagic]

EF: For McNabbs scrambling, did you go to your coach options and for CPU tendencies put scrambling as your QBs priority?

something to ponder.


that only for drafting, if you let the cpu draft for you

[Eaglesfan27]

EF: For McNabbs scrambling, did you go to your coach options and for CPU tendencies put scrambling as your QBs priority?

something to ponder.

I've also heard that it is only for the drafting/FA priority. I plan on controlling the drafting/FA aspects of this franchise so I don't see a problem with switching that slider, but supposedly EA states that it is only used for the acquisition of players.

Also, I've had a few games that seem off with these sliders (extraordinary games can happen in real life too), but the season stats are looking quite believable so far.

[Aylmar]

EaglesFan,

I see that Lombardi has updated his sliders again this morning. Have you had a chance to try those out? I played a game with his older set last night. Looked really good, but I had several very long runs (Five or six of them over 20 yards, split equally between the CPU and me). I'm chalking part of that up to getting used to calling the new 3-4 defenses that they've put in the game this year...but it still seemed a bit much. He lowered RBLK a bit, just curious if anyone has tried it out...

[Eaglesfan27]

EaglesFan,

I see that Lombardi has updated his sliders again this morning. Have you had a chance to try those out? I played a game with his older set last night. Looked really good, but I had several very long runs (Five or six of them over 20 yards, split equally between the CPU and me). I'm chalking part of that up to getting used to calling the new 3-4 defenses that they've put in the game this year...but it still seemed a bit much. He lowered RBLK a bit, just curious if anyone has tried it out...

No, I've been using the slider set before this one and haven't tried any revisions that were made today. I've been very happy with most of my game's running results. That being said, I might try out the tweak that he made this morning, but I'm not sure yet. Right now, I feel the Eagles have a very good to excellent offensive line (at least as rated in Madden) and I'm averaging about 4.4 YPC with Buckhalter (who has a 90 in break tackle and is a good to very good running back) and 3.7 YPC with Westbrook (who is overall rated the same as Buckhalter, but only has an 80 break tackle.)

[Eaglesfan27]

EaglesFan,

I see that Lombardi has updated his sliders again this morning. Have you had a chance to try those out? I played a game with his older set last night. Looked really good, but I had several very long runs (Five or six of them over 20 yards, split equally between the CPU and me). I'm chalking part of that up to getting used to calling the new 3-4 defenses that they've put in the game this year...but it still seemed a bit much. He lowered RBLK a bit, just curious if anyone has tried it out...

Dola,

I just finished two games with the most recently updated sliders which have RBLK down 1 notch, holding up 2 notches, and punt accuracy up a notch. I had 2 great games. First was against the Ravens who have an excellent rated defense, and they did a pretty good job of shutting down Westbrook (2.7 YPC) while Buckhalter was able to power his way to a 4.1 YPC.

Jamal Lewis tore me up, but not unrealistically so with 26 carries for 174 yards (aided greatly by a 72 yard touchdown run in which he ran over Trotter, then stiff armed Dawkins, and then outran my defense)

I don't remember the results from the first game, but it also had nice realistic numbers IMHO. I'm enjoying these sliders (including the little tweaks he continues to make to them.)

[Bearcat729]

Well this is odd. I started my franchise with a fantasy draft. In the first off season I notice Mike Vick is a free agent. I was looking at his stats and noticed that he threw for 234 yards all season. I assumed that he had an injury, but when I looked he played in all 16 games never starting a game.

So I go to see what QB the Lions had that would keep Vick on the bench and find out that they had also drafted Daunte Culpepper.

[illinifan999]

So far the only thing I've noticed wrong with the draft was that the Bears who took Byron Leftwich in the fantasy draft, took a QB with their first pick. I used an import from NCAA, and the kid was a former #1 recruit, heisman candidate, so they could've brought him in to get Leftwich to step up, but in the end Leftwich lost the position battle. Otherwise I've noticed teams drafting their needs, and the off-season is actually kind of fun in this version.

The only thing I dislike about this years madden is the music. In the previous years I could always sit through and enjoy the whole soundtrack. In this years version, I found myself going to the jukebox thing and turning off the majority of the songs.