Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

[roadman]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

Roadman, the title of the thread is "Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?". The OP himself said he hadn't played thru the mode and didn't specify he only wanted 'impressions' of people who completed the mode. He gave his 'initial' thought/impression. I'd agree with you if this was a 'sticky' or 'official' thread, but the OP opened up a casual discussion asking about 'thoughts' so far. And there's quite a large amount of 'new' info now from prior to coming out.

Okay, my bad for just looking into the title only.

I just assumed we've had many initial thoughts prior even playing it the last few months.. I just assume the OP was wanting more thoughts on people that were playing it because he said he didn't finish yet vs people not experiencing it.

Carry on.

[SyncereBlackout]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

I crushed Butterly 22 to 11.

Some of the outcomes might be fixed, but I don't think all of them are.

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Have not played every variation of all outcomes but you cannot avoid the show. You also can't miss any "be one with the football" Jedi mind trick kind of pass.


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[4thQtrStre5S]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

The voice acting is very good. But that's lipstick on a pig imo. What the journey has which this does not is a meaningful output from decisions made.

While the journey is a easy comparison to this mode you can use any telltale game or Life is Strange and they will be just as effective. This genre has a best practices, many of which was kind of ignored by EA. I'm not faulting them for that, but it supports the theory that a script and story may have preceded the "objective" of the mode portion.

For example, there were decisions made that appear to have no impact on your scouting report or end game? Then why have the decision at all? A path to what exactly? It seems they wedged some QTE in just keep you from falling asleep or walking away for a drink (which I did a couple of times).

A good example of a wedged in QTE is the prompt to push LS up to step forward on stage. EA.... I'm standing on stage I'm being introduced on TV. How vital is it exactly that I make one step forward or that I must quickly step forward in a QTE in order to be properly introduced? And lastly what impact will that really have on my draft grade?


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I would suggest checking your Scouting Report and reading the notes. After I shouted at a reporter for bringing up my dad, that became a negative point about me.

Maybe, if you're slow to step up to the crowd they might give you a negative that you are timid or shy in when caught off guard or hesitates when the center of attention?

[Christian9]

Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

Like a lot of folks, I thought I'd hate this mode, and it would be lame...but I have to say it's really intriguing. Played for a few hours, and still not done. Hopefully the ending is decent as well.

The character development is very good. Reminds me of Mafia II, where I felt depth towards the characters.

Give it a chance with an open mind.

The only thing I would've liked, is a quick instructional screen before starting some events. There were some where I wasn't sure of what was intended, and the timing window closed quickly.

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[Yeah...THAT Guy]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

Folks, I haven't even played Longshot yet, and I know the character Devin Wade is available in CFM.

I wish this thread was more identifiable by people playing Longshot, not people with thoughts or gleaning from EA Access/videos with 12% of the story told.

Thoughts on Longshot were already expressed prior to Longshot coming out, not going to change much if you don't have a desire to play it.

Thank you.

If I understand it correctly, you can create Wade or create Colt to be used in CFM. But can you have both on the same team in CFM? What about the other players from the storyline? I guess we'll learn more as the game is out longer, but I remember past EA games gave you the option to just push a button and continue your career instead of making you do all the work to create the players and stuff yourself. The fact that they have a player template/face for Wade and Colt to create them as your CFM player is cool, and far better than what FIFA did, but it's still pretty lackluster IMO.

This just doesn't seem like my kinda mode despite how much I love story modes. Like I said, I think past Madden/NCAA games and other competitors have all done better than this.

Edit: trying to think of which game it was that allowed this kinda thing... I want to say one of the old FIFA's allowed you to do the career mode as a player, and then when you hit your season limit, you could continue as a manager or something like that.

And in NCAA, you could take your player into Dynasty Mode as a coach and start playing it that way. Something like this would have made for a much better "soft ending" to the mode IMO (though I'd personally prefer the episodic style that I referred to in my original post).

[4thQtrStre5S]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

I really liked the mode, and it is tied to MUT, but also CFM.

With CFM you can make a Wade or Colt character if you select to create player and chose either Scramble QB or Speed WR. The default characters are Wade and Colt for their respective positions.

In MUT you get player cards for Dan Marino, WR Chad Johnson that are fixed in stats.

You also get Wade and Colt cards for MUT, but they have 3 different rating levels, high school, college and Longshot; the latter apparently an elite level, but not sure the exact overall yet.

I thought the mode was really cool. My one gripe at this time, because I hate failing, is that I was not exposed to the target passing system prior to having to use it in the story mode, outside seeing videos on YouTube, and so I tanked those portions of the Long Shot mode and it frustrated me.

Either way, the mode did what a story is supposed to do - it entertained and provided a nice ride of emotional responses/feelings throughout.

And the graphics looked great.

[deu22ces]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

Okay, my bad for just looking into the title only.

I just assumed we've had many initial thoughts before even playing it. I just assume the OP was wanting more thoughts on people that were playing it because he said he didn't finish yet vs people not experiencing it.

Carry on.

Lol, no problem. I can imagine where you might have thought/assumed the thread could/would go. But as long as the oh so insightful one-liners we all love don't pop up, all's good.

I'm actually interested in what I touched on and syncereblackout did as well. And that's what the intended audience EA was shooting for really thinks about the mode. I can only speak from a common sense POV, but those who are into that genre, I assume they want replay value and to have some real tangible input on the outcome of the story. If all we're essentially doing is buttoning thru a scripted/canned one-off scenario, what do those genre gamers think of that?

Now, from a football purist's perspective, some of the silly/cheesy stuff I'm seeing/hearing about are really turning me off. I get that it's intended for a 'casual' audience, so getting someone who really knows football to buy into some of the stuff is a really tough sell. That's why I personally felt it would have been better served to put all that production and resources into making this the 'Be a Player' in CFM. You get a Story mode AND some immersion/life into the mode. Obviously, the big change would have been inserting the player of your choice into the 'story' world instead of a fictional one.

I also know that a couple posters in here already share the same viewpoint I do so I can relate and/or respect their thoughts/impressions at a more personal level. I now know the only redeeming value left for me personally is to see if anything from the mode translates well into CFM or not.

[roadman]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

If I understand it correctly, you can create Wade or create Colt to be used in CFM. But can you have both on the same team in CFM? What about the other players from the storyline? I guess we'll learn more as the game is out longer, but I remember past EA games gave you the option to just push a button and continue your career instead of making you do all the work to create the players and stuff yourself. The fact that they have a player template/face for Wade and Colt to create them as your CFM player is cool, and far better than what FIFA did, but it's still pretty lackluster IMO.

This just doesn't seem like my kinda mode despite how much I love story modes. Like I said, I think past Madden/NCAA games and other competitors have all done better than this.

Edit- I'll take someone's opinion like 4thqtrstre5s, looks like Wade and Colt can be drafted in CFM and you can create them.

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

Dang, I misfiring on all cylinders this morning, Wade looks to be available to play in only in MUT. Drag. I do apologize about that, I thought he was available in CFM. That is lousy.

I'm pretty sure it's just Devin Wade, the GCers asked for this to be put in there.

Yes, Devin Wade will become a playable item in MUT. Depending on your version of Devin’s story plays out there are different versions of him that you can unlock. Additionally, there is a ton of other content that will unlock as you play through Longshot that will be accessible in MUT.

Edit- I'll take someone's opinion of 4thqtrstrees, looks like Wade and Colt can be drafted in CFM and you can create them.

It definitely looks like Wade and Colt can be created for CFM.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4636LCapXeg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[roadman]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

Yeah, yeah, I just edited my post seeing 4thqtrstre5s opinion in the thread.

I thought I read somewhere they could be created in CFM.

Thank the GCer's for that one.

[SyncereBlackout]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

, from a football purist's perspective, some of the silly/cheesy stuff I'm seeing/hearing about are really turning me off. I get that it's intended for a 'casual' audience, so getting someone who really knows football to buy into some of the stuff is a really tough sell. That's why I personally felt it would have been better served to put all that production and resources into making this the 'Be a Player' in CFM. You get a Story mode AND some immersion/life into the mode. Obviously, the big change would have been inserting the player of your choice into the 'story' world instead of a fictional one.



I now know the only redeeming value left for me personally is to see if anything from the mode translates well into CFM or not.

This is where I hope the impressions thread evolves. I kind of feel like we should lead the feedback fight for the future of this mode. Rex mentioned in some interview about features of this mode weaving into other modes. If that is true, I don't think CFM can afford to not play this mode. This is the preface to the CFM depth I haven't seen since ps2.

There is a lot I didn't care for in this mode. And after work today I'll edit my initial post in depth, but the redeeming characteristics vastly outweigh the bad here.

Few thoughts and examples...

If better written there is a way to appeal to casuals and purists the same way Pixar and Disney movies appeal to children and adults. It all hinges on writing and the decision mapping.

The league wants a good image ....well the use and misuse of social media and off field decisions can be entertaining but teach a lesson to casual and young players.

EA wants casuals to buy. Well they did a good job weaving skills trainer and football fundamentals into the story. I would've preferred this over forced flashbacks just to play games that have no bearing on my draft.

There's a metric ton of good stuff in the mode for Sim CFM guys...

There's a gruden football iq moment that was an overhauled super wonderlic from an old madden. The session was short and questions basic, but if properly flushed out I can't imagine any cerebral sim madden player not wanting to be tested by gruden. Naturally this can go to your player awareness (if you play superstar), or coach trait (if we could not be drafted but decide to go on to be an assistant coach).



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[Datninja619]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

I supposed I held this to way to high of a standard, I expected an evolving storyline that would alter the path the character took and the experience the gamer had.

I actually recall a promo video where this was specifically addressed that we wouldn't be "playing the same story" that some GameChangers appeared in, almost trying to discredit the fears many of us had that we now see realized.

In the first 20 minutes of the story mode, you are approached with 4 senerao's that one would think logically could provide different results.

The opening pass may not be a TD a- it actually is, you cant not score.

You cant complete the Out Route at the combine - you will replay it until you do.

You lose the HS game during the flashback - you will be given repeated chances until you win.

You lose to Butterly at the Longshot intro - you will be given 2 chances to beat him, if you don't you are offered to skip the segment and he is kicked off the show.

Problem being, if you don't like the show concept from the combine, with the producer cant even remember your name....no answer you will make you not go on that show.

Being honest, whats the deal with any of that. We aren't building a charterer or unique experience, we are just playing out some canned story by clicking around. We don't even have unique paths to take, no matter what combo of responses any of select the first 20 minutes we all wind up int he same place.

I agree with the story line variety. In all of the scenarios you mentioned it felt like the next cutscene/outcome would be the same.

Like when first introduced to the the TV producer, I showed disinterested. Then all of a sudden the conversation, started leaning towards to doing the show anyway.

I have hope that next year the decisions are more impactful.

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[goillini03]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

Count me in as someone that has only played 12% on the mode, but I was actually surprised by how much I liked the mode. The story so far is exactly what I thought that it would be. No real surprises.

I am a CFM player who said that they wouldn't play the mode, but I had to give it a chance. The one thing that I can already tell is that this will be a one time play through only. I know they said to play through a few times, but that is something that I cannot see myself doing due to the basic story line. Overall, I was impressed.

However, with that being said, My grade so far would be severely hampered by the amount of time and resources that were used. It was a cool shot for the Madden team to try this type of mode out, but I hope they do move past this for future versions.

[illwill10]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

I purposely spoiled it for myself because I don't plan on buying game and when I rent game I will only play it for a month. Overall I like the story, and I wonder if the story will continue from draft in the next game.
But if I do it when I get the game(not sure when), I will try to do something completely different so I can get a different outcome

[RyanMoody21]

Re: Thoughts on Longshot Story Mode?

Folks, I haven't even played Longshot yet, and I know the character Devin Wade is available in CFM.

I wish this thread was more identifiable by people playing Longshot, not people with thoughts or gleaning from EA Access/videos with 12% of the story told.

Thoughts on Longshot were already expressed prior to Longshot coming out, not going to change much if you don't have a desire to play it.

Thank you.

I guess I get lost with comments like this. I also get lost on early morning posts with my spelling on the last one, lol.

Ok, Devin is a create-able player. Ok Devin is in MUT.

The problem would be, that's a character .....not specifically the one the user "created".

Maybe this is where I am holding EA to a different standard, or wait...Im actually not. I want to share with you guys some taglines from the EA Website for Longshot which you can go see right here - https://www.easports.com/madden-nfl/longshot

"WHERE WILL YOUR TALENT TAKE YOU? "
"Your decisions guide Devin beyond his hometown of Mathis, TX on his quest to football superstardom."
"Every choice you’ve made has led you to this moment."

So lets focus on some key sales points here, shown to the buyer;
- Your Talent
- Your Decisions
- Every Choice You've Made

So pardon me for just a minute, but is it wrong of me to assume that I would be creating a specific and unique player on a less than specific path?

Now I'm not naive enough to think every single player could or should be entirely different. But I'm also not naive enough to look at the reality of the game.

Ive played it twice, over 20% through. I have recorded proof that regardless of the "choices you've made" - including intentional failure - all players are brought to the same point.

The players in MUT are unlockable, meaning they have no connection to my character. They are unlocked once a percentage as meant in the game. Thats far different than my unique player being ported into another aspect of the game.

I'm not saying the game mode cant be enjoyed and I'm not saying plenty of people don't love it. I actually took time to say the total opposite, but at the end of the day its an ultra simplicity format being followed.

So yes, I expected to have this deal with football, not a reality TV show that EA Sports made up. I expected that we could craft our players based on skill and knowledge, to create unique and fun experiences.

Instead, no matter how you look at it. Its a series of canned videos that you control whats played next.