Rise Above the Madden Rebuild

[NewscasterNews4]

One way to add a ton of challenge in a rebuild is to control all 32 teams AND re-signing, signing free agents and drafting for them. While this is very time consuming, it's so much fun and it adds so much immersion to see if your moves pay off during the season. Also, it gets rid of Madden's franchise AI's dumb decisions, making it a lot harder to build a super-team. I've been doing this since Madden 12, and while Madden's franchise still does have a ways to go, you can really have loads fun doing this.

[Mike Lowe]

Glad to see this generating some good discussion. Thanks for the kind words and for sharing your plan for Madden '17!

[Playmakers]

Quote: Originally Posted by BreakingBad2013

Madden ratings system does not allow for a true rebuild. The players play too similarly, good players are easy to get, and you don't have any scheme/team chemistry influence. Also with a lackluster draft system, it's too easy to hit on picks. A rebuild in madden take one, at most two seasons. But depending on your skill level of madden, you can win multiple Superbowls with Cleveland without addressing any major roster concerns. And this has been my biggest issue with madden CFM. The ratings mattering and being more spread out will single-handedly fix Madden's parity.

Awesome post man

[Playmakers]

Quote: Originally Posted by NewscasterNews4

One way to add a ton of challenge in a rebuild is to control all 32 teams AND re-signing, signing free agents and drafting for them. While this is very time consuming, it's so much fun and it adds so much immersion to see if your moves pay off during the season. Also, it gets rid of Madden's franchise AI's dumb decisions, making it a lot harder to build a super-team. I've been doing this since Madden 12, and while Madden's franchise still does have a ways to go, you can really have loads fun doing this.

I think in years past i would have done this without any complaints

But here we are in madden 17 on high powered gamming systems and we are still having to manually control everything.

Ea at some point should try to alleviate the need of this and fix the AI issues. It seems like every year we have to baby sit the AI just to get a realistic franchise mode in terms of cpu ai decision making.

[sir psycho]

There also really needs to be some strict house rules to provide a challenge for rebuilding(or anti-rebuild, or whatever). I usually feel the need to limit the number of players I can re-sign above certain ratings, and then also limit the number of players I can sign in free agency at those ratings as well. Other ideas would be not scouting in the draft or only scouting 1 attribute at most, to make it more of a crap-shoot. And also, with what is one of my least favorite things in Madden(the ability to see the drafted players ratings as soon as they are drafted), if I instantly see that my rookie is a bust, I might make it a rule that I can't draft another player at that position for at least a few rounds.
Just some ideas, and I'm sure others have better ones.

One of the possible anti-rebuilds, or it might be considered a "future rebuild" that I've been thinking of doing would be the Patriots. They have a ton of great players with contracts expiring at the end of year 1, including Hightower, Collins, Butler, Ryan, Sheard, Ninkovich, Vollmer, Bennett, and a few others with OVRs at 80 or above. Combine that with the possibility of losing Brady to retirement(in the game, not IRL) after the first year. It might be fun to go for 1 more ring, and then make it a house rule to not re-sign any of these players(or only sign at most 1), and then the rebuild starts in year 2.

[Armor and Sword]

Quote: Originally Posted by Playmakers

I think in years past i would have done this without any complaints But here we are in madden 17 on high powered gamming systems and we are still having to manually control everything. Ea at some point should try to alleviate the need of this and fix the AI issues. It seems like every year we have to baby sit the AI just to get a realistic franchise mode in terms of cpu ai decision making.

I can't disagree with this point at all. I am in year 5 of running a 32 team CFM on 16 and although it has been awesome, it's also time consuming. Checking depth charts and injury management is also part of the overall micro management duties. The AI never IR's players and is awful at getting free agent replacements off the wire. This season we will have practice squads so I am hopeful they will promote guys off that squad when injuries occur. Also with team able to carry 10 practice squad players we should see a much thinner free agent pool and make it tougher to acquire talent on the fly. Of course you can sign guys away from teams off their practice squads. So the depth has potential to be even better in roster management.

In season resigns also. House rules with a spread sheet using the random number method etc etc. It is somewhat work. I really would love to be able to just play with one team and let the AI handle everything else. I have been doing this on MLB The Show 16 and even if though it's not perfect....it is by far much improved from years past and I feel comfortable just playing my team.

I am pretty sure I will be running a 32 team CFM yet again. I will be curious to see impressions of those that sim the heck out of the game at launch to test everything. I would be pleasantly surprised if the AI actually is much improved and we don't have to babysit the AI and play a true solo CFM controlling only one team.

As far as rebuilds......I have always taken the Dolphins (who are a semi rebuild this season IMO as they have multiple holes) but I am going with a different team this season. It does not matter to me if it is a perceived contender or a fringe playoff team. I don't have to have a rebuild team.

[hoosierjoe]

The Colts? The Colts have one piece in place surrounded by hawt gawwwbage.

[reyes the roof]

Another alternative to a complete rebuild is taking the team with the worst cap situation. Keeping the good players that you have should be a challenge