Xp updates?

[smoove7]

I heard many times for Madden 16 that Xp was downgraded and it became more difficult to upgrade players over time. I noticed this as well as I played 16. Too me, it seemed very difficult to have a top 3 round draft pick turn into a higher level player. I know this does not happen with each player, but earning XP overall seemed that I should have gained more Xp at a time to build a team.

I wonder if XP has been changed to not build you up as fast at 15, but not as slow as 16?

[CM Hooe]

XP has changed in a number of ways, but I don't know if I can definitively answer your specific question as to rate accruing XP and ergo rate of player progression:

1 - Weekly practice has been restructured. Depending on which drill you pick each week - you get one choice for offense and defense each - you earn XP for players in two position groups. For example, if you pick a "blitz counters" drill for your offense, you will earn XP for your quarterbacks and all your offensive linemen. The amount of XP earned by each player in weekly practice is affected by depth chart position (starters get more reps, so they earn more XP) and development trait (players with Superstar development will earn more XP than a player with Normal development, all else held equal). I assume that a coach bonus for weekly practice XP rewards is also still available.

2 - Drive goals have been refactored, and they are assigned more intelligently than before. If you have the lead late in the game, for example, you will probably see a drive goal along the lines of "make two first downs on this drive" or "possess the ball for at least 30 seconds". You'll also see drive goals which are more reactive to what's going on - for example, if you throw two INTs with your quarterback, you might see a drive goal saying "don't throw an INT this drive". Finally, drive goals are also more likely to appear around player milestones - for example, "earn your 10th rushing touchdown of the season". Generally speaking, the drive goals are built this year to far less directly dictate how you play, which was a huge problem with them last year. I don't know if the sillier drive goals to this end have been removed outright - ex. "catch three passes on this drive" - but they should appear far less frequently. These changes make drive goals in general a lot more palatable than they were in M16, where they were intrusive to a (major) fault.

3 - Weekly goal chaining has also been adjusted somewhat. The weekly goals yield a bit less XP in general because a lot of XP is being rewarded in practice now. Weekly goals are also a bit easier to achieve; for example, a backup running back might have a weekly goal like "win and don't fumble", and a tight end might have a goal like "be targeted by five passes". Higher-rated players will have tougher goals still, but the system isn't as reliant on producing Pro Bowl numbers to return baseline XP rewards. You'll still get big XP if you put up monster numbers with a player, though, but those large XP awards will accrue primarily through receiving season awards (Pro Bowl, Best QB, MVP, etc.).

4 - XP sliders are still in the game; they were introduced in M16 with a patch for online leagues only, but starting with M17 are available for offline leagues as well. You'll be able to fine-tune how much XP players earn in your franchise if you aren't happy with the out-of-the-box balance.

[87Birdman]

Do you happen to know how it is on defense for the weekly and season goals. Because that is where it was hard to build without using free agents to boost holes.

You either have the game to easy whew you can break the sack record to get stats for the rushers or increase interceptions to force more turnovers.

Some positions just don't get those stats. A great NT could end up with little stats of they constantly draw double teams allowing linebackers to get the tables.

A great corner shouldn't have a great number of picks due to the low number thrown their way. I always felt it was easy to build up offense but defense was just a pain because they needed stats which just weren't their with sliders.

Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk

[CM Hooe]

Quote: Originally Posted by 87Birdman

Do you happen to know how it is on defense for the weekly and season goals. Because that is where it was hard to build without using free agents to boost holes. You either have the game to easy whew you can break the sack record to get stats for the rushers or increase interceptions to force more turnovers. Some positions just don't get those stats. A great NT could end up with little stats of they constantly draw double teams allowing linebackers to get the tables. A great corner shouldn't have a great number of picks due to the low number thrown their way. I always felt it was easy to build up offense but defense was just a pain because they needed stats which just weren't their with sliders. Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk

As far as I know, season goals haven't changed much. You'll probably still need to reach some INT or pass deflection total with most cornerbacks to reach the season goals. However, season goals aren't nearly as important as they once were for younger, developing players; the amount of XP they reward is much less than before (and that was the case in M16 as well). Really, the purpose of the season goal now is determining player regression. Your player gets a window to develop, basically the balance of his draft-slotted rookie contract, but eventually must start producing else he will start regressing.

It's still not ideal for some positions and roles - as you noted, it's not necessarily accurate to measure the production of two-gapping defensive tackles and defensive backs with just counting stats. Former Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha and more recently Ravens NT Brandon Williams would be two examples of such players who are highly regarded without gaudy numbers. That said, the reduced emphasis on season goals and increased emphasis on all-around player development, consistent weekly production, and yearly awards should make the system work better than it did in its first couple years which created such divisive first impressions (namely, Madden NFL 13 put a huge emphasis on Season Goals; if you didn't make the season goal with a player, you were kinda screwed).

[SyncereBlackout]

Quote: Originally Posted by smoove7

I heard many times for Madden 16 that Xp was downgraded and it became more difficult to upgrade players over time. I noticed this as well as I played 16. Too me, it seemed very difficult to have a top 3 round draft pick turn into a higher level player. I know this does not happen with each player, but earning XP overall seemed that I should have gained more Xp at a time to build a team. I wonder if XP has been changed to not build you up as fast at 15, but not as slow as 16?

Re: defensive backs and other players you find difficult to build up. What are are your XP slider settings?

[smoove7]

For myself, I only play offline, so I am very much looking forward to tweaking Xp slider settings for offline mode. I wonder what proper Xp sim sliders will be to replicate proper player progression?