Madden's future of CFM is alarming

[Rebel10]

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

The idea that game developers are unwilling to do hard work is absolute utter horse****. Across the board they voluntarily choose to take less money in exchange to do more and harder work than the average professional with the same title. In this industry, even the greatest ideas are completely worthless without the ability and resources available to execute. Execution requires talent, money, and time. Unlike many armchair quarterbacks who berate those who produce games, AAA game companies have all three, and indies willingly make sacrifices in their personal lives to ensure they have at least two of the three - talent and time. AAA game devs across the board tend to gravitate towards proven ideas, sure, but there's plenty of indies out there pushing the envelope with respect to mechanics, narrative, and aesthetic. Dig a little bit deeper than the front page on Steam and you'll find them. That said, if you still think that game developers can't keep up with your imagination, you are more than welcome to execute on your ideas yourself. If your ideas are as good as you think they are, it's plenty worth the time and resource investment on your part.

While I wouldn't say developers are unwilling to do hard work (and neither did the person you were quoting, that person said 'game makers' which is much more broad and probably encompasses the entire organization), I would say that management at EA is more willing to invest in get-rich-quick gambling minigames like MUT than they are in a loss-leader like Franchise mode always has been. It seems like a pretty clear focus from the company, and it's not just Madden that has suffered, but nearly all of their titles. Star Wars Battlefront is probably the most egregious abuse of a license, turning the game essentially into a $150 free-to-play loot box minigame. EA seems to be pushing their licensed content (Star Wars, Madden, etc) into these microtransaction-hells to maximize profit from the cost of the license. This is probably a terrible decision long-term, as past EA blunders with licensed material has made gamers apathetic to once-great licensed videogames (James Bond, anyone?), and the result will be that EA won't be able to push these as full retail games anymore, and instead they'll give away MUT for free and ramp up the microtransactions, while anybody who wants an NFL-licensed product like we used to have will be left with nothing.

Game developers at EA are talented programmers who have a passion for their craft. Game developers are paid far less than other software developers because they are sacrificing financial benefit to work on something that they're passionate about. But, year after year, the organization ships a buggy, unimproved, kinda-sorta-working product that shows a lack of passion from the organization... Not the developers, but from the organization. The organization does not prioritize fixing bugs, it does not prioritize building a solid product and sustaining players, it prioritizes ... loot boxes and card trading minigames because it can generate more revenue abusing human kinds' gambling addiction than making a rewarding videogame.

With that said I also strongly disagree with the bolded, as it's a silly copout. I'm not able to manufacturer cars, but I still want to buy a car that gets good gas mileage, looks decent, and is comfortable to ride in. I don't know the first thing about control systems for fuel-injection based engines, but that's why I exchange money to automakers and I have this wishlist of features that I hope they implement. If I don't vocalize those features, e.g., decent gas mileage, Android Auto, bluetooth, automatic breaking, etc., they have little incentive to implement them. Likewise, with videogames, I'm a software developer but I really don't know the first thing about videogame development (and would never go into the field just based on how videogame companies abuse their employees compared to the rest of the field), and so I exchange money for software that somebody else makes a profit off of, and if I don't vocalize how I'd like to see this software improved, then the developer won't get valuable feedback. And, from the developer's point of view, developers love feedback, it's what makes our products better.

So no, don't hush up and keep these things to yourself lest you can't make your own videogames.

[timhere1970]

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

The idea that game developers are unwilling to do hard work is absolute utter horse****. Across the board they voluntarily choose to take less money in exchange to do more and harder work than the average professional with the same title. In this industry, even the greatest ideas are completely worthless without the ability and resources available to execute. Execution requires talent, money, and time. Unlike many armchair quarterbacks who berate those who produce games, AAA game companies have all three, and indies willingly make sacrifices in their personal lives to ensure they have at least two of the three - talent and time. AAA game devs across the board tend to gravitate towards proven ideas, sure, but there's plenty of indies out there pushing the envelope with respect to mechanics, narrative, and aesthetic. Dig a little bit deeper than the front page on Steam and you'll find them. That said, if you still think that game developers can't keep up with your imagination, you are more than welcome to execute on your ideas yourself. If your ideas are as good as you think they are, it's plenty worth the time and resource investment on your part.

When i say game makers i am referring to game making companies. I am not talking about indivudual programmers. I should have been clearer on that. Video game companies are responsible for the products they produce as is every other company. At my company we don't tell customers to do it themselves when they complain about our products or services. That is a rotten standard for running a business.

[SteelD34KC]

Quote: Originally Posted by CM Hooe

The idea that game developers are unwilling to do hard work is absolute utter horse****. Across the board they voluntarily choose to take less money in exchange to do more and harder work than the average professional with the same title. In this industry, even the greatest ideas are completely worthless without the ability and resources available to execute. Execution requires talent, money, and time. Unlike many armchair quarterbacks who berate those who produce games, AAA game companies have all three, and indies willingly make sacrifices in their personal lives to ensure they have at least two of the three - talent and time. AAA game devs across the board tend to gravitate towards proven ideas, sure, but there's plenty of indies out there pushing the envelope with respect to mechanics, narrative, and aesthetic. Dig a little bit deeper than the front page on Steam and you'll find them. That said, if you still think that game developers can't keep up with your imagination, you are more than welcome to execute on your ideas yourself. If your ideas are as good as you think they are, it's plenty worth the time and resource investment on your part.

And since there a AAA game company, with a large amount of resources, millions in revenue yearly from MUT now, several large studios, and now multiple sports games on one engine, shouldnt they be able to put out not only a working game, but mostly bug free?

[roadman]

Agree about a working game, not many games on my console are mostly bug free, though.

For me, my game works and I am getting good results in my offline franchise. I don't edit, etccc......

I understand others are having more difficulty than I am.

[timhere1970]

Quote: Originally Posted by Rebel10

While I wouldn't say developers are unwilling to do hard work (and neither did the person you were quoting, that person said 'game makers' which is much more broad and probably encompasses the entire organization), I would say that management at EA is more willing to invest in get-rich-quick gambling minigames like MUT than they are in a loss-leader like Franchise mode always has been. It seems like a pretty clear focus from the company, and it's not just Madden that has suffered, but nearly all of their titles. Star Wars Battlefront is probably the most egregious abuse of a license, turning the game essentially into a $150 free-to-play loot box minigame. EA seems to be pushing their licensed content (Star Wars, Madden, etc) into these microtransaction-hells to maximize profit from the cost of the license. This is probably a terrible decision long-term, as past EA blunders with licensed material has made gamers apathetic to once-great licensed videogames (James Bond, anyone?), and the result will be that EA won't be able to push these as full retail games anymore, and instead they'll give away MUT for free and ramp up the microtransactions, while anybody who wants an NFL-licensed product like we used to have will be left with nothing. Game developers at EA are talented programmers who have a passion for their craft. Game developers are paid far less than other software developers because they are sacrificing financial benefit to work on something that they're passionate about. But, year after year, the organization ships a buggy, unimproved, kinda-sorta-working product that shows a lack of passion from the organization... Not the developers, but from the organization. The organization does not prioritize fixing bugs, it does not prioritize building a solid product and sustaining players, it prioritizes ... loot boxes and card trading minigames because it can generate more revenue abusing human kinds' gambling addiction than making a rewarding videogame. With that said I also strongly disagree with the bolded, as it's a silly copout. I'm not able to manufacturer cars, but I still want to buy a car that gets good gas mileage, looks decent, and is comfortable to ride in. I don't know the first thing about control systems for fuel-injection based engines, but that's why I exchange money to automakers and I have this wishlist of features that I hope they implement. If I don't vocalize those features, e.g., decent gas mileage, Android Auto, bluetooth, automatic breaking, etc., they have little incentive to implement them. Likewise, with videogames, I'm a software developer but I really don't know the first thing about videogame development (and would never go into the field just based on how videogame companies abuse their employees compared to the rest of the field), and so I exchange money for software that somebody else makes a profit off of, and if I don't vocalize how I'd like to see this software improved, then the developer won't get valuable feedback. And, from the developer's point of view, developers love feedback, it's what makes our products better. So no, don't hush up and keep these things to yourself lest you can't make your own videogames.

Then you have to add the fact that we are not free to execute on our own imagination when it comes to an nfl football game as thaey have legally took that opportunity away from everyone but themselves.

[SteelD34KC]

Quote: Originally Posted by roadman

Agree about a working game, not many games on my console are mostly bug free, though. For me, my game works and I am getting good results in my offline franchise. I don't edit, etccc...... I understand others are having more difficulty than I am.

At this point the worst problems I have now are twofold:

1. I edit rosters quite a bit, I fantasy draft quite a bit. Having to wait, sometimes for quite a long time for the full player to load, has made my editing more then a chore now.

2. Ive gotten to season four in my Offline CFM. Five teams week 1 had no QB, no punters or kickers. Seven teams had 6 HB's. Team building is just non existent.

[HeelGreenRanger]

Quote: Originally Posted by SteelD34KC

2. Ive gotten to season four in my Offline CFM. Five teams week 1 had no QB, no punters or kickers. Seven teams had 6 HB's. Team building is just non existent.

Hell thats not even team building.

How is the game itself allowing the CPU to circumvent the position requirements?

That's just crazy.

Team building problems I constantly see, for example, are the Chiefs signing 82 ovr Teddy Bridgewater, when they have 81 ovr Smith, and 80 ovr Mahomes...

Just kills the CFM for me.

Not too mention how many times I've seen Cincy cut Joe Mixon preseason year 1, just to have RBs rated worse than him.

[RealFootballTalk1974]

Quote: Originally Posted by HeelGreenRanger

Hell thats not even team building. How is the game itself allowing the CPU to circumvent the position requirements? That's just crazy. Team building problems I constantly see, for example, are the Chiefs signing 82 ovr Teddy Bridgewater, when they have 81 ovr Smith, and 80 ovr Mahomes... Just kills the CFM for me. Not too mention how many times I've seen Cincy cut Joe Mixon preseason year 1, just to have RBs rated worse than him.

Yep cant play more then a couple seasons before you have to quit, because the CPU teams are so awful.