MADDEN 24 A “MAKE OR BREAK” RELEASE FOR MANAGEMENT

[cch99]

Quote: Originally Posted by Grey_Osprey

" Almost there? Smaller additions being what's needed to keep players invested? SMH.

That was exactly my thought. Are you kidding me.



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[PhishIsGood]

Quote: Originally Posted by Grey_Osprey

"...For Franchise mode, sources say that the developers feel the mode is almost there with smaller additions — aside from the larger fixes to the database issues — being what’s needed to keep players invested. That said, things like better contract management is said to be one of the higher priorities for the mode, though it’s unclear if it will be ready for Madden 24." Almost there? Smaller additions being what's needed to keep players invested? SMH.

Whaaaaaat?

They think franchise mode is almost there?

lolololololololol

Man, I have no hope for the future of this game...

-Same relocation cities and God-awful relocation uniforms since 2012. Unchanged for a DECADE!

-Same sim stats issues w mobile QB’s not running and all/most sacks go to right end and not left. FG %’s always way lower than real-life.

-Still can’t front/back load contracts or offer re-structures. This type of stuff has been in others games for YEARS.

-Why no penalties in “sim mode”? Why even have multiple modes if they’re all the same?

-League news is stale and uninspired along with lack of “half-time shows” like other games.

-For 3 years now we have a file save corruption issue for offline save file where they corrupt around 5 years in. You lose it all. I’m sorry how online franchise owners lost their franchises and I’m glad they are being offered 50% off…. But I have lost a franchise I poured hours into and no offer for me. Just another giant shaft from EA’s franchise mode if you ask me.

Man… I can’t believe they actually think it is “close.”

This is why I always wait a couple months after release and find a used copy somewhere for cheap. It’s just not worth buying a game when I play a mode that is chronically ignored and only gets half-baked updates.

They also lie. Last year we were supposed to get “3 major content updates post release.” This year’s game were were promised another substantial patch for offline franchise. Yeah… neither ever happened. Why should I believe the lies now?

Woof.

[Hooe]

I honestly don’t really understand why next year would be “make or break”. I am not under the impression that this is how game studios owned by major publishers working on massive popular IPs operate.

Taking this article at face value, though:

Quote:

For Franchise mode, sources say that the developers feel the mode is almost there with smaller additions — aside from the larger fixes to the database issues — being what’s needed to keep players invested. That said, things like better contract management is said to be one of the higher priorities for the mode, though it’s unclear if it will be ready for Madden 24.

I would love to know what this source considers a “smaller” addition because there are significant components of real life NFL team building which still aren’t represented in Madden.

Contract mechanics would be a correct area of focus because that’s still woefully out of date. I know I’ve said this over and over again but things like compensatory draft picks, contract restructures, annual roster bonuses (as opposed to only money guaranteed at signing), void years, no trade clauses, the transition tag, etc. are all still absent from Madden. Restricted free agency has been missing since the PS2 era. Exclusive rights free agency has never been included. CPU trade AI has no awareness of or intelligence about the salary cap so making it agree to trades which put its teams underwater is easy and frequent. Heck, the game doesn’t even enforce the salary cap; you’re allowed to be over the cap as long as you don’t sign anyone, which is a slapdash solution to CPU teams not handling their cap business properly.

I would not characterize anything in that minor wall of text I just wrote as a “minor addition”. So I would love to hear the context of the idea that Franchise mode is “close”.

And this doesn’t even address the mode’s single-greatest shortcoming in that it doesn’t tell good stories which would keep players (especially offline solo players) invested. I actually enjoy the XP and Skill Points system as a game-y player progression mechanic, but that can’t be the only hook. The presentation of the NFL in real life is comprised of interweaving narratives and storylines which doesn’t always have clean resolutions, winners, or losers. It is a soap opera for jocks. That narrative hook which makes the NFL such a big draw throughout the entire calendar year is not included in Madden literally at all.

[kjcheezhead]

I would love this to be true but I don’t see any reason to believe it. I disliked this game from the moment I tried the beta after skipping 22 and barely touching 21. For me, it’s been going in the wrong direction since it went to ps5.

Fact is that even with the bad reception, the glitches, the corrupted files deleting franchises, Madden 23 was still the 3rd highest selling game in the US in 2022. There is no make or break, it’s too big to fail. Madden 24 can release in a worse state with no additions to single player modes and it will be in the top 5 in sales regardless.


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[kingsofthevalley]

You guys are throwing me off with the negative comments. There is no debate that the ‘on the field play’ of Madden 23 is the absolute BEST that it’s ever been.

I’ve said it a few times, but I’ll state once more for members of the site that may not be familiar with my stance on Madden ….. Been a player since the sega genesis days, and I was generally disappointed with the game after the move from PS2 (pretty much the last 10 years, always found ways to enjoy it however).

With that background stated, I say again, Madden 23 is the bees knees and I have no doubt that 24 is going to be the most solid football title ever created.

[Hammerhunker]

"That said, things like better contract management is said to be one of the higher priorities for the mode, though it’s unclear if it will be ready for Madden 24."

The last part says it all: It's a make or break year but it's unclear if it will be ready for Madden 24. Make or break to me means "all hands on deck", "Press! Press! Press (in the voice of a screaming basketball coach)", or some sort of version of Bluto's pep talk in Animal House.

As I have posted before, Madden is meeting EA's and the NFL's expectation with its 23 year streak of being the top selling game of its launch month and beyond. The game sells, it is a cultural darling for the streamers and tournament players. Nothing will take this game down.

All EA is doing is some minor damage control with the dispersion of its distortion of the reality field.

[Momoney168]

Quote: Originally Posted by kingsofthevalley

You guys are throwing me off with the negative comments. There is no debate that the ‘on the field play’ of Madden 23 is the absolute BEST that it’s ever been. I’ve said it a few times, but I’ll state once more for members of the site that may not be familiar with my stance on Madden ….. Been a player since the sega genesis days, and I was generally disappointed with the game after the move from PS2 (pretty much the last 10 years, always found ways to enjoy it however). With that background stated, I say again, Madden 23 is the bees knees and I have no doubt that 24 is going to be the most solid football title ever created.

23 gameplay was amazing although the last patch changed some OL/DL interactions. If they can separate those interactions like they did WR/DBs this year it would go a long way. But I agree that 23 on field gameplay was the best in a long time. More off field items are needed to get franchise where it needs to be.

[jmch1990]

Quote: Originally Posted by Momoney168

23 gameplay was amazing although the last patch changed some OL/DL interactions. If they can separate those interactions like they did WR/DBs this year it would go a long way. But I agree that 23 on field gameplay was the best in a long time. More off field items are needed to get franchise where it needs to be.

I agree that 23's gameplay is the best it's ever been since the interception issue was fixed. But the issues are the off-field things: franchise immersion, contract/FA/draft mechanics, league evolution, and maybe the most important, just plain stability.

My franchise was one of the ones lost in the crash in December. Offline Franchises that go beyond 5 or so years crash every single time, for years, and there has been zero effort to fix that. I just have zero faith that Madden/EA will fix the basic stability issues that have plagued it. Even if they do overhaul franchise to make it deeper and more immersive, what is the point if it doesn't last?

I will not be buying again until that changes. Unfortunate that there is no competition because of the exclusivity rights, because I would buy a licensed deep franchise mode football game in a second.