Pre-season games - meaningless?

[MajorSupreme]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

My only beef with the preseason in Madden is that both in-game and in simulation, only second-string players are subbed in.

[thinkjoey]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

for preseason I would usually put it to 2 minute quarters and play every game

If i do not play every game - starters and big money guys get injured every time

[thinkjoey]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

My only beef with the preseason in Madden is that both in-game and in simulation, only second-string players are subbed in.

I agree. Wish it went 2nd string 2nd quarter, 3rd string 3rd quarter, 4th - whoever you want

Also wish it was as easy to put all 2nd stringers as it was in NCAA football.

[taydev1225]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

I think currently they are meaningless but it could also be a great opportunity for EA to make this a "must play" feature of CFM. I could see them turning this into a mini-game add on to CFM or some kind of evaluation system. The ideas are limitless, now we just wait for EA to make the move.

[friscob]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

My only beef with the preseason in Madden is that both in-game and in simulation, only second-string players are subbed in.

Or that starters get subbed back in and also become special teams players later in the game. Game badly needs formation subs

[mestevo]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

My only beef with the preseason in Madden is that both in-game and in simulation, only second-string players are subbed in.

Yup, this is my only problem with preseason, just fired up a new franchise the other day and only to have Calvin Johnson pick off my QB because he was in the secondary due to the lack of more realistic roster depth and management in the preseason.

Enjoy very much trying out my backup QBs, RBs, WRs... wish I could set a philosophy either for the preseason or per preseason game about how much to play starters, 2nd string, 3rd string rather than Starters and 2nd string automatically.

Useless? Pretty easily refuted, thats a product of using an absolute term without context that paints you into a corner though.

[HoundsOfHowl]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

EA DEV'S PLEASE READ

Maybe to add on to preseason we could have a setting before each game. Like quarter setting. You would choose what string of players you want playing in each quarter. Or even a minute slider.

Could have a slider for all 3 strings or whatever and fill them out by how many minutes your settings are set to.

This way in the first game you could limit your starters to only say 10 minutes/60.

Then work them in or out as the preseason goes.


- Also I would love to see announcing make a difference between preseason and regular season.

- Also if they would change ratings and get rid of overalls you could really have good positional battles. Because most people wouldn't look just at depth chart overalls. You would look at positional stats to base your decisions and watch how they work in preseason.

[Indyboy180]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

Have they fixed the bug where you played the same four teams over and over each new season in Madden? I remember it being in Madden 13 but don't recall how Madden 25 handled it.

Also wish the second string and third string players were compulated correctly into the game.

I only play the preseason to test out my rookies.

[Big FN Deal]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

EA DEV'S PLEASE READ

Maybe to add on to preseason we could have a setting before each game. Like quarter setting. You would choose what string of players you want playing in each quarter. Or even a minute slider.

Could have a slider for all 3 strings or whatever and fill them out by how many minutes your settings are set to.

This way in the first game you could limit your starters to only say 10 minutes/60.

Then work them in or out as the preseason goes.


- Also I would love to see announcing make a difference between preseason and regular season.

- Also if they would change ratings and get rid of overalls you could really have good positional battles. Because most people wouldn't look just at depth chart overalls. You would look at positional stats to base your decisions and watch how they work in preseason.

See it's threads like this that make me not understand when people say things like "Madden isn't that bad, it's a good football game". Like the quoted poster stated about "strings", how hard is it to add BACK a 1st/2nd/3rd/4th string UI, like was in M05 and have the CPU teams programmed to automatically sub/rotate them accordingly for each preseason game? That's just some basic stuff right there, not even getting into the more nuanced things they could do, like bringing back position battles.

I don't mean to whine, it just frustrating when the only NFL football game won't do things like the NFL.

[HoundsOfHowl]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

See it's threads like this that make me not understand when people say things like "Madden isn't that bad, it's a good football game". Like the quoted poster stated about "strings", how f'n hard is it to add BACK a 1st/2nd/3rd/4th string UI, like was in M05 and have the CPU teams programmed to automatically sub/rotate them accordingly for each preseason game? That's just some basic ish right there, not even getting into the more nuanced things they could do, like bringing back position battles.

I don't mean to be d'hole, it just frustrating when the only NFL football game won't do things like the NFL.

Madden 05, my most played/favorite NFL game to date. Loved everything about that game for some reason, especially the radio shows *would love to have those back*

I mean honestly I know Madden has it's problems, but damn there are little things that could be added in, they are just overlooked each year.

I will be one of those Madden roaches that continue to go back to Madden, because it's the only football game out there, and the Madden teams know this, but maybe just maybe, they will continue to listen to people and add, and maybe one day we will get small things like this back in the game.

[ForUntoOblivionSoar∞]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

Is there a reason to pre-season games besides tweaking sliders and having injuries? Do ratings go up or down?

If there was a real practice squad and rating variation (perhaps through some hidden ratings), then preseason would matter.

I hope they add that in some time.

Weekly goals are active during the preseason so you also have the opportunity to earn XP for any players who perform well in games; i.e. you have an opportunity to progress players.

Which has almost nothing at all to do with what the NFL uses preseason for.

Sure, preseason is about player development, but it's about WAY WAY WAY more than that. It's about determining the roster. It's about seeing who takes their talent and applies it in a live situation. It's about determining who would be of value on your practice squad (say you play in the NFC West; maybe you want a mobile QB to practice against?). It's about players on the roster bubble fighting for their jobs. It's about players learning and applying the new schemes, when applicable (new players or new coaches).

Jeez it is SO much more than player development, but the funny thing is, preseason ISN'T for developing STARTERS; it's for developing back ups. Since there is not practice squad or position battles, or any hidden ratings that require game play to determine, the only real use of preseason is to make your players better through racking up absurd and unrealistic preseason stats.


There needs to be a development factor and a hidden ratings factor for players on the bubble (undrafted free agents, low round draft picks), and there always needs to be some rating variability function, perhaps based on consistency ratings, that can allow for faster or slower development - but this has to be something that CAN'T be figured out 100%. And there needs to be some playbook learning function that relates to ratings some how, which itself is proportional to time spent playing in the preseason. If they added things like that, then preseason would matter in a way that more closely resembles how it matters in the NFL.

Until then, preseason is nothing but an extension of the weekly practice mini-game. And until they bring these things into the picture, the excitement from the new NFL year found in the preseason will be completely missing from the game.

[Sheba2011]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

Is there a reason to pre-season games besides tweaking sliders and having injuries? Do ratings go up or down?

I use the pre-season games to try out my rookies and second year players. I also almost always have a few position battles (especially at WR and DL). I make my final roster cuts based off who played the best in preseason not based on the OVR ratings (except for obvious starters) it keeps the game somewhat real for me. I also like it for injuries, every year at least 2 starters on my team get injured in training camp opening up spots for younger guys to make an impact.

[OhMrHanky]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

I agree with cmhooe on a lot of these things. For me, personally, I normally only play 1 preseason game and sim the rest. And, what I'm looking for in that 1 game is often times different, but honestly represents what HC's are looking at. 1. Maybe, a QB or RB battle. Maybe, I have a mobile QB and a pocket QB, but they have similar overall ratings, and I want to feel out which one is 'better,' or who I like playing with more. Maybe, u have a finesse back and a power back. Again, I want to get a feel for how they play or if they play differently. 2. I want to see my draft picks play. This is very much realistic IMO where u draft a guy or 2 and know they will probably be backups, but maybe 1 guy has wicked speed and I want to see him on the field and see what he can do. 3. The xp. I personally do xp once per season, but if u want to progress a player during preseason, that's your prerogative. Let an up and coming RB play a lot. Get him some TDs in preseason so u can improve his trucking or something for the reg season. Or, if u don't care about preseason, sim it all! But, ultimately, preseason IS in the NFL, so it, of course should be in Madden and u can use it similar to how HC's use it. So, it's not meaningless IMO.

[DSThom]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

Pre-Season is meaningless which is sad. It should be an event just like real life.

You don't Lovie the preseason? Well Buc me.

[DSThom]

Re: Pre-season games - meaningless?

I wish the computer made more realistic substations.

Gotta love autocorrect.