JoshC1977's Madden 20 CFM-only Sliders (User vs CPU Only)

[JoshC1977]

Quote: Originally Posted by EnglishBull34

Anyone in here know if the CPU uses updated playbooks if the option is toggled "on" in CFM?

Yes, they do, it was mentioned in one of the patch notes updates.

[RogueHominid]

Quote: Originally Posted by JoshC1977

Yes, they do, it was mentioned in one of the patch notes updates.

Awesome, thanks man!

[JoshC1977]

Putting my thoughts out there right now. Putting them here, because, well, this is where I make my "home" when it comes to Madden. I've said a lot of things on Twitter today and I've been just us unhappy as many. But this is where I stand.

Let's get this part over with, yes, the Madden 21 franchise mode "patch notes" are inexcusable. EA is an amazing developer of high caliber AAA games; they have flops of course but in general, they do a terrific job. This...not so much. To take a core gameplay mode and ignore it to this degree would be like their Battlefield team recycling the same MP maps from a WWII game and putting them into a game about the Vietnam War. It's obvious and it's disingenuous. It's very clear that the dev team so focused on franchise in M20 was suddenly asked to shift gears and put together FoF. And let's be blunt, Madden hasn't put together even a decent player career mode this gen. Will this be it? No idea. But other games (like 2k and MLB) have very large player career mode communities, something Madden hasn't had and you just know the marketing folks had to have been pushing this. I truly and honestly do NOT believe that this is a 'MUT issue'; this was the franchise team (the largest mode team for Madden) being re-tasked to a different mode. So where does that leave us?

We've all made bad purchases. We've all paid money to go to a movie that sucked. We've all ordered the "wrong thing" from a restaurant menu. And we've all dropped $60 on a video game we played for a few hours and never touched again. We're all in different financial states; for some of us, making a poor choice does not 'hurt'; for others, it might be a waste of your only 'mad money' you have for several months. We're all customers and there is always another potential customer waiting in the wings should we decide to bypass a product. I make decisions on the games I purchase based on whether or not I will get my value for it. To be blunt, even in its worst years this gen (cough 17), I got way more play time out of Madden than the vast majority of games I purchase. The last Madden game that I bought that barely put any time into was last gen. I will fault no one for saying "it's worth it to me" or saying "nah, I'm passing". But whatever you decide, do it FOR YOU.

So what am I doing? As of this moment, I still plan on purchasing Madden 21. WHY some would ask. Answer: because I'll still get value out of it (and double that because I'll get the free upgrade for next gen). I will buy this game and play NOTHING BUT franchise mode and do my part to say to EA, "Hi, we're still here and you can't drive us away!"

Here's my reasoning as to why I'll likely pull the trigger (again, this is just my personal 'take')

1. I am (and always will be) a 'gameplay first' guy. I don't need the game to give me stories, I create my own on the field. I don't need a bunch of sub-menus, I don't need something with the depth of a text simulator. I need a game where what happens in the menus is reflected on the field (and vice versa). Madden never has been, and never will be, a 'simulator'. And frankly, if it ever became one, I'd probably stop playing. A game like NFL Head Coach would be the complete antithesis of what I personally value in a sports game. As for M21, I LOVE many of the gameplay-specific updates that they are trying to make. The lineplay updates with o-line learning is a huge tactical upgrade. Repurposing X-factor abilities is something I am very much a fan of. And if they can continue improving on the Live playbook updates, this will be a more strategic game than ever before. And all of that right there is straight in my wheelhouse. (I'm also intrigued by the fact they are devoting the upcoming blog strictly to playbooks - which we all know is a sore spot).

2. The franchise mode "patch notes" are ALL welcome and needed changes from M20. Yes, I wish they would've been rolled out for M20, but they weren't. That does not remove the simple fact that they are needed updates.

3. The reason I still do my "sliders" (which have been pretty much just default as we all know) is more about my philosophies and sharing them with this community. It's OK to have fun! You don't need everything to be 'perfect' to have a good time. I will ALWAYS believe that and frankly, I've heard enough people say things like, "you helped me have fun again" in a time where we all need as much of that as possible, that I'm not going to get up and walk away just because EA is ignoring us with mode updates.

I'm going to say this once more. Whether you buy the game or not, do it for YOU. Do it for YOUR needs. Do it based on the enjoyment YOU will get out of it. Don't buy it because of others and don't skip out in some vain hopes that you will "make a statement". If you choose to buy, I'll still be here and we will do everything we can to focus on a ratings-based experience that will try to milk everything we can out of the game.

[mathey270]

Quote: Originally Posted by JoshC1977

Putting my thoughts out there right now. Putting them here, because, well, this is where I make my "home" when it comes to Madden. I've said a lot of things on Twitter today and I've been just us unhappy as many. But this is where I stand. Let's get this part over with, yes, the Madden 21 franchise mode "patch notes" are inexcusable. EA is an amazing developer of high caliber AAA games; they have flops of course but in general, they do a terrific job. This...not so much. To take a core gameplay mode and ignore it to this degree would be like their Battlefield team recycling the same MP maps from a WWII game and putting them into a game about the Vietnam War. It's obvious and it's disingenuous. It's very clear that the dev team so focused on franchise in M20 was suddenly asked to shift gears and put together FoF. And let's be blunt, Madden hasn't put together even a decent player career mode this gen. Will this be it? No idea. But other games (like 2k and MLB) have very large player career mode communities, something Madden hasn't had and you just know the marketing folks had to have been pushing this. I truly and honestly do NOT believe that this is a 'MUT issue'; this was the franchise team (the largest mode team for Madden) being re-tasked to a different mode. So where does that leave us? We've all made bad purchases. We've all paid money to go to a movie that sucked. We've all ordered the "wrong thing" from a restaurant menu. And we've all dropped $60 on a video game we played for a few hours and never touched again. We're all in different financial states; for some of us, making a poor choice does not 'hurt'; for others, it might be a waste of your only 'mad money' you have for several months. We're all customers and there is always another potential customer waiting in the wings should we decide to bypass a product. I make decisions on the games I purchase based on whether or not I will get my value for it. To be blunt, even in its worst years this gen (cough 17), I got way more play time out of Madden than the vast majority of games I purchase. The last Madden game that I bought that barely put any time into was last gen. I will fault no one for saying "it's worth it to me" or saying "nah, I'm passing". But whatever you decide, do it FOR YOU. So what am I doing? As of this moment, I still plan on purchasing Madden 21. WHY some would ask. Answer: because I'll still get value out of it (and double that because I'll get the free upgrade for next gen). I will buy this game and play NOTHING BUT franchise mode and do my part to say to EA, "Hi, we're still here and you can't drive us away!" Here's my reasoning as to why I'll likely pull the trigger (again, this is just my personal 'take') 1. I am (and always will be) a 'gameplay first' guy. I don't need the game to give me stories, I create my own on the field. I don't need a bunch of sub-menus, I don't need something with the depth of a text simulator. I need a game where what happens in the menus is reflected on the field (and vice versa). Madden never has been, and never will be, a 'simulator'. And frankly, if it ever became one, I'd probably stop playing. A game like NFL Head Coach would be the complete antithesis of what I personally value in a sports game. As for M21, I LOVE many of the gameplay-specific updates that they are trying to make. The lineplay updates with o-line learning is a huge tactical upgrade. Repurposing X-factor abilities is something I am very much a fan of. And if they can continue improving on the Live playbook updates, this will be a more strategic game than ever before. And all of that right there is straight in my wheelhouse. (I'm also intrigued by the fact they are devoting the upcoming blog strictly to playbooks - which we all know is a sore spot). 2. The franchise mode "patch notes" are ALL welcome and needed changes from M20. Yes, I wish they would've been rolled out for M20, but they weren't. That does not remove the simple fact that they are needed updates. 3. The reason I still do my "sliders" (which have been pretty much just default as we all know) is more about my philosophies and sharing them with this community. It's OK to have fun! You don't need everything to be 'perfect' to have a good time. I will ALWAYS believe that and frankly, I've heard enough people say things like, "you helped me have fun again" in a time where we all need as much of that as possible, that I'm not going to get up and walk away just because EA is ignoring us with mode updates. I'm going to say this once more. Whether you buy the game or not, do it for YOU. Do it for YOUR needs. Do it based on the enjoyment YOU will get out of it. Don't buy it because of others and don't skip out in some vain hopes that you will "make a statement". If you choose to buy, I'll still be here and we will do everything we can to focus on a ratings-based experience that will try to milk everything we can out of the game.

Well said Josh, looking forward to ur M21 set of sliders already!

Sent from my E6910 using Tapatalk

[awffltony77]

Quote: Originally Posted by JoshC1977

Putting my thoughts out there right now. Putting them here, because, well, this is where I make my "home" when it comes to Madden. I've said a lot of things on Twitter today and I've been just us unhappy as many. But this is where I stand. Let's get this part over with, yes, the Madden 21 franchise mode "patch notes" are inexcusable. EA is an amazing developer of high caliber AAA games; they have flops of course but in general, they do a terrific job. This...not so much. To take a core gameplay mode and ignore it to this degree would be like their Battlefield team recycling the same MP maps from a WWII game and putting them into a game about the Vietnam War. It's obvious and it's disingenuous. It's very clear that the dev team so focused on franchise in M20 was suddenly asked to shift gears and put together FoF. And let's be blunt, Madden hasn't put together even a decent player career mode this gen. Will this be it? No idea. But other games (like 2k and MLB) have very large player career mode communities, something Madden hasn't had and you just know the marketing folks had to have been pushing this. I truly and honestly do NOT believe that this is a 'MUT issue'; this was the franchise team (the largest mode team for Madden) being re-tasked to a different mode. So where does that leave us? We've all made bad purchases. We've all paid money to go to a movie that sucked. We've all ordered the "wrong thing" from a restaurant menu. And we've all dropped $60 on a video game we played for a few hours and never touched again. We're all in different financial states; for some of us, making a poor choice does not 'hurt'; for others, it might be a waste of your only 'mad money' you have for several months. We're all customers and there is always another potential customer waiting in the wings should we decide to bypass a product. I make decisions on the games I purchase based on whether or not I will get my value for it. To be blunt, even in its worst years this gen (cough 17), I got way more play time out of Madden than the vast majority of games I purchase. The last Madden game that I bought that barely put any time into was last gen. I will fault no one for saying "it's worth it to me" or saying "nah, I'm passing". But whatever you decide, do it FOR YOU. So what am I doing? As of this moment, I still plan on purchasing Madden 21. WHY some would ask. Answer: because I'll still get value out of it (and double that because I'll get the free upgrade for next gen). I will buy this game and play NOTHING BUT franchise mode and do my part to say to EA, "Hi, we're still here and you can't drive us away!" Here's my reasoning as to why I'll likely pull the trigger (again, this is just my personal 'take') 1. I am (and always will be) a 'gameplay first' guy. I don't need the game to give me stories, I create my own on the field. I don't need a bunch of sub-menus, I don't need something with the depth of a text simulator. I need a game where what happens in the menus is reflected on the field (and vice versa). Madden never has been, and never will be, a 'simulator'. And frankly, if it ever became one, I'd probably stop playing. A game like NFL Head Coach would be the complete antithesis of what I personally value in a sports game. As for M21, I LOVE many of the gameplay-specific updates that they are trying to make. The lineplay updates with o-line learning is a huge tactical upgrade. Repurposing X-factor abilities is something I am very much a fan of. And if they can continue improving on the Live playbook updates, this will be a more strategic game than ever before. And all of that right there is straight in my wheelhouse. (I'm also intrigued by the fact they are devoting the upcoming blog strictly to playbooks - which we all know is a sore spot). 2. The franchise mode "patch notes" are ALL welcome and needed changes from M20. Yes, I wish they would've been rolled out for M20, but they weren't. That does not remove the simple fact that they are needed updates. 3. The reason I still do my "sliders" (which have been pretty much just default as we all know) is more about my philosophies and sharing them with this community. It's OK to have fun! You don't need everything to be 'perfect' to have a good time. I will ALWAYS believe that and frankly, I've heard enough people say things like, "you helped me have fun again" in a time where we all need as much of that as possible, that I'm not going to get up and walk away just because EA is ignoring us with mode updates. I'm going to say this once more. Whether you buy the game or not, do it for YOU. Do it for YOUR needs. Do it based on the enjoyment YOU will get out of it. Don't buy it because of others and don't skip out in some vain hopes that you will "make a statement". If you choose to buy, I'll still be here and we will do everything we can to focus on a ratings-based experience that will try to milk everything we can out of the game.

Thanks Josh.

Sent from my REVVLRY using Operation Sports mobile app

[dc thompsoncanyon838]

Quote: Originally Posted by MarketingWiz

Right on my man... Have spent the quarantine with a similar set-up. Frankly, it gave a new life to this Madden franchise for me. While I have not been as active in posting as in years past, you basically identified most of the valuable "easter eggs" regarding slider tuning for this years Madden title, to achieve a balanced, sim experience, where ratings matter. Just as an FYI, since I had the time, I actually re-rated the ENTIRE EA roster and changed the appropriate attributes (ie get rid of power hit trait on a lot players that had no business having it and took away a lot of X-factor players that EA's roster had). What I can share with you is that if you were to re-rate the players properly, not only is your slider set up the way to go, the PARITY of play is OFF the damn chart. I believe my highest rated QB was Russel Wilson at 85 and Mahomes was a close second at 83. For comparison, Dak was at 72. Most of the starting QB's fell in the 66 to 71 range and backups were in the mid to high 50's range, elite backup's in the low to mid sixties. Play was PHENOMENAL. Everything excelled and even penalties showed up to the party, I had plenty of games where I scored 10 pts or less. Tough defenses played like a tough defense should, and talented offenses shredded my rear. Of note, there was a statistical discernible difference between playing in the standard screen window on offense, and the "zoom" window on offense. Dunno, cannot explain why, but the zoom window delivered a DISCERNIBLE statistical difference in stats and overall game play. Also, I had a steadfast rule of only playing DT on defense and never taking control of the offensive ball handler after a hand-off or catch, just let the ratings of the player take over. The roster re-rate, the aforementioned tweaks and your baseline recommendations, combined, are pure magic. Finally, since I had time, I also messed with penalty sliders. Used a generic EA Madden roster and my re-rate roster. A bit of noticeable wonkiness when applied to the EA Madden roster, but a discernible difference when applied to the re-rate roster. True story, less PI calls during the season overall, but come playoffs, hooooly smokes, had one game that had 3 legit calls. It was against the Ravens I believe, and they were on my wide outs like flies on trash. This year more than ever, has proven to me that balanced sliders are the way to probably always go and strive for, but having PROPER ROSTERS is finally making an impact on Madden's game engine, just not quite to the level of how a solid roster changes Sony's "the Show" game play completely. Enjoy your adventure and share your observations at your convenience. Da Wiz

Long time no see! I remember your in depth,informative threads back to 2012,etc.. Good insights here to for awhile now. DangeRuss is my fav! Care to share your edits,etc. for him? I don't want to be dis-respectfull of this thread,so please reply to my thread as I just wanted to make compliments here. Take care everyone !

[JoshC1977]

Finally diving into what will likely be my last franchise for M20.

Not going too fancy here - finally deciding to use my Saints for a long-term franchise (I nearly never use them in Madden). Adopting one "house rule" for this (and likely something I'll do for M21 as well) - must have coach firing "on" and commit to a playoff (or Super Bowl) appearance as a goal each season. The coaching demands in the NFL are harsh; guys get chewed-up and spit-out in short order if they don't perform. Setting a playoffs goal puts on the pressure and makes every decision a little more consequential. Obviously for a team like the 2019 Saints; it's not a stretch (I actually set a Super Bowl goal for Year 1). But what about a team like the Dolphins? That gets quite interesting. Now, if I were to get Payton fired, I would have the option of quitting the franchise or following him to his new team (if he retires, I'd just take over his successor).

Anyways, diving into it....

We made one significant preseason move, trading Malcom Brown and a 2021 6th rounder to the Bills for DE Trent Murphy. Murphy will give us an added presence on the edge opposite Jordan and he can slide inside in dime packages if needed. He's not a sexy player by any means, but is a blue collar guy that can get the job done.

One other preseason note: we lost RT Ryan Ramczyk for several weeks. Veteran Marshall Newhouse will fill-in for the time being, but it was a big blow on the right side of our line.

Week 1: Faced the Texans at home on MNF. It was brutal, we finished with 63 yards passing and barely any ground game as the Houston offense kept us off the field. However, our defense did not break, scoring two defensive TDs (a fumble and tip-drill INT) en route to a 17-9 win.

Week 2: Facing the Rams on the road. Jared Goff threw three first quarter TD passes (two on bombs) and the Rams took advantage of that early lead for 40-29 win, dropping us to 1-1. Our offense got on-track in the second half, scoring our first offensive TD of the season in the 3rd quarter.

Week 3 has us facing a very good Seattle team...it's going to be a challenge for sure!

[steelersd26]

Quote: Originally Posted by JoshC1977

Finally diving into what will likely be my last franchise for M20. Not going too fancy here - finally deciding to use my Saints for a long-term franchise (I nearly never use them in Madden). Adopting one "house rule" for this (and likely something I'll do for M21 as well) - must have coach firing "on" and commit to a playoff (or Super Bowl) appearance as a goal each season. The coaching demands in the NFL are harsh; guys get chewed-up and spit-out in short order if they don't perform. Setting a playoffs goal puts on the pressure and makes every decision a little more consequential. Obviously for a team like the 2019 Saints; it's not a stretch (I actually set a Super Bowl goal for Year 1). But what about a team like the Dolphins? That gets quite interesting. Now, if I were to get Payton fired, I would have the option of quitting the franchise or following him to his new team (if he retires, I'd just take over his successor). Anyways, diving into it.... We made one significant preseason move, trading Malcom Brown and a 2021 6th rounder to the Bills for DE Trent Murphy. Murphy will give us an added presence on the edge opposite Jordan and he can slide inside in dime packages if needed. He's not a sexy player by any means, but is a blue collar guy that can get the job done. One other preseason note: we lost RT Ryan Ramczyk for several weeks. Veteran Marshall Newhouse will fill-in for the time being, but it was a big blow on the right side of our line. Week 1: Faced the Texans at home on MNF. It was brutal, we finished with 63 yards passing and barely any ground game as the Houston offense kept us off the field. However, our defense did not break, scoring two defensive TDs (a fumble and tip-drill INT) en route to a 17-9 win. Week 2: Facing the Rams on the road. Jared Goff threw three first quarter TD passes (two on bombs) and the Rams took advantage of that early lead for 40-29 win, dropping us to 1-1. Our offense got on-track in the second half, scoring our first offensive TD of the season in the 3rd quarter. Week 3 has us facing a very good Seattle team...it's going to be a challenge for sure!

I've always been a big proponent of using your favorite team in franchise modes. I find it more engaging when I'm using a team that I have a strong emotional connection with compared to a random team that I don't really know too well or care for much.