Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

[JayCutlersCig]

I was watching a (insert OS-deemed controversial YouTuber) video where he compared the career modes between UFC 3 and Madden 18. I’m not that big of a combat sports guy, but I was blown away at the depth that the UFC career has. Social media influence, GOAT status, interactive weigh-ins, etc. I can think back to a time when Madden separated its’ game modes: Superstar, Franchise, and Owner Mode. Each one had their own unique features, whether it was the movie deals with Superstar or negotiating a contract with someone and trying to meet their requirements in Franchise. Ever since Madden 13 was released, “Connected Franchise”, to me, doesn’t seem to connect nicely. It looks and feels like a lot of concepts were thrown together to make a very ugly sandwich. Chalk this up to lack of detail, lack of focus, what have you, but ultimately, I think I’ve been playing the same Franchise mode for five years.

I apologize for rambling a bit, but are we asking too much from the dev team? They have a little under a year to fine-tune their product, add a few new things and market said product. That’s not nearly enough time to produce a quality, different Franchise mode year in and year out. I love Franchise, I love Superstar, but both modes have deteriorated badly over the years.

[Toupal]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

I was watching a (insert OS-deemed controversial YouTuber) video where he compared the career modes between UFC 3 and Madden 18. I’m not that big of a combat sports guy, but I was blown away at the depth that the UFC career has. Social media influence, GOAT status, interactive weigh-ins, etc. I can think back to a time when Madden separated its’ game modes: Superstar, Franchise, and Owner Mode. Each one had their own unique features, whether it was the movie deals with Superstar or negotiating a contract with someone and trying to meet their requirements in Franchise. Ever since Madden 13 was released, “Connected Franchise”, to me, doesn’t seem to connect nicely. It looks and feels like a lot of concepts were thrown together to make a very ugly sandwich. Chalk this up to lack of detail, lack of focus, what have you, but ultimately, I think I’ve been playing the same Franchise mode for five years.

I apologize for rambling a bit, but are we asking too much from the dev team? They have a little under a year to fine-tune their product, add a few new things and market said product. That’s not nearly enough time to produce a quality, different Franchise mode year in and year out. I love Franchise, I love Superstar, but both modes have deteriorated badly over the years.

No.

If other games have a feature that's applicable to franchise mode, there is no reason it shouldn't be in Madden.

[SmashMan]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

Asking too much? In general, no, not at all.

Do some people have incredibly unrealistic expectations of what can and/or will be accomplished year-over-year? Definitely.

Madden needs to, regardless of the amount of features added, communicate and demonstrate a clear vision for where things are going.

[tyler28]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

I was watching a (insert OS-deemed controversial YouTuber) video where he compared the career modes between UFC 3 and Madden 18. I’m not that big of a combat sports guy, but I was blown away at the depth that the UFC career has. Social media influence, GOAT status, interactive weigh-ins, etc. I can think back to a time when Madden separated its’ game modes: Superstar, Franchise, and Owner Mode. Each one had their own unique features, whether it was the movie deals with Superstar or negotiating a contract with someone and trying to meet their requirements in Franchise. Ever since Madden 13 was released, “Connected Franchise”, to me, doesn’t seem to connect nicely. It looks and feels like a lot of concepts were thrown together to make a very ugly sandwich. Chalk this up to lack of detail, lack of focus, what have you, but ultimately, I think I’ve been playing the same Franchise mode for five years.

I apologize for rambling a bit, but are we asking too much from the dev team? They have a little under a year to fine-tune their product, add a few new things and market said product. That’s not nearly enough time to produce a quality, different Franchise mode year in and year out. I love Franchise, I love Superstar, but both modes have deteriorated badly over the years.

No, because theyve had everything they needed for an in depth and complete cfm in past maddens. They have removed everything that made madden great in the early 2000s till late ps3 and current gen. Ps2 madden was full of cfm depth. I easily got lost in that game during college. Todays madden cfm is a shell of a game depth wise . Its not too much to ask to put some effort into a game with such a huge fan base with the technology thats available to them. The lack of effort is overwhelming

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[JayCutlersCig]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

Just to be clear, I don’t think so, either. I think it’ll be a few years, five max, before we get the franchise mode we want. Wholeheartedly agree with SmashMan: these devs need to communicate their goals outright and stop beating around the bush.

Happy New Years to you all, and keep safe.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[BlackBetty15]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

I was watching a (insert OS-deemed controversial YouTuber) video where he compared the career modes between UFC 3 and Madden 18. I’m not that big of a combat sports guy, but I was blown away at the depth that the UFC career has. Social media influence, GOAT status, interactive weigh-ins, etc. I can think back to a time when Madden separated its’ game modes: Superstar, Franchise, and Owner Mode. Each one had their own unique features, whether it was the movie deals with Superstar or negotiating a contract with someone and trying to meet their requirements in Franchise. Ever since Madden 13 was released, “Connected Franchise”, to me, doesn’t seem to connect nicely. It looks and feels like a lot of concepts were thrown together to make a very ugly sandwich. Chalk this up to lack of detail, lack of focus, what have you, but ultimately, I think I’ve been playing the same Franchise mode for five years.

I apologize for rambling a bit, but are we asking too much from the dev team? They have a little under a year to fine-tune their product, add a few new things and market said product. That’s not nearly enough time to produce a quality, different Franchise mode year in and year out. I love Franchise, I love Superstar, but both modes have deteriorated badly over the years.

Absolutely not. Go back and play dynasty mode for NCAA 14 and think about this question. That...personally...is what I want in Madden CFM

[reyes the roof]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

I don't think we're asking too much or asking for anything that isn't capable of being put in the game, but I do fear that our vision and the developer's vision for cfm are completely different

[Grey_Osprey]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

If they could have features in older games, on less powerful systems, then there's no excuse for not being able to port/create those features on current gen. And even then, where's the innovation, new features (not rehashed features from years past), and CUSTOMIZATION? If other games can do it, then certainly Madden can too. For me, it all boils down to choice. Either they choose not to due to suits, desire not to, no need to (see MUT/Esports), or an inability talent wise to do so.

Do we don't ask too much of them? NO. In fact, one could argue we don't ask/expect enough of them.

[Junior Moe]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

Nice thread. And no, I don't think we're asking or expecting too much. Other posters have pointed out the obvious, but I'll add my 2 cents. Other AAA sport games out now do it pretty well, all the while focusing on the lucrative online modes. I'm talking about franchise mode as we (OS types) know it. So it's not an unreal expectation. I don't remember a huge clamor for what CFM is. I do recall adembroski explaining other reasons for it so I understand the decision more now.

Now Madden doesn't have to cater specifically to us as the game will be successful with or without significant franchise improvements (again, stuff hardcore offline OSers want) as we've seen. Lost sales are still lost dollars so they do matter.

Maddens success doesn't negate us wanting features or enjoying our football games the way we do. I do think we have to be practical. A huge franchise change isn't likely. Maybe we can get a few things here and there that add up to something special in a few years. I'd be onboard for that and fully support the process. I just can't support crumbs being thrown out without a cursory line about something bigger and better being on the horizon with a 60$ purchase. That's not a protest, either.

It's like Titanfall 1 without a campaign for me. The gameplay is really nice but the bulk of what I enjoy is missing. So the value isn't there for me any longer. I ended up getting it in the EA Access vault. Im old school, I guess. I still spend money. It just has to be what I like. I got Titanfall 2 at launch because they had rectified that and i wanted to show my support in my little way. I still grin a little when I jump into a Titan in my occasional online matches.

[roadman]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

All indications up to this point should lead most people to believe that CFM will be improved, it's just all a matter of how much improvement will be thrown our way and who is on board with it and to some, that won't be enough.

[Junior Moe]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

All indications up to this point should lead most people to believe that CFM will be improved, it's just all a matter of how much improvement will be thrown our way and who is on board with it and to some, that won't be enough.

Technically, CFM was improved from M17. CFM will no doubt improve as I'm sure they'll add something this year. I think it's more what specifically they do and how they message things. Like Smashman said, it's about the vision and message and what they do to show they hear us (any number of OS franchise wish lists). I saw something about a poll on twitter or Facebook about what fans wanted. I personally didnt care for whatever was number one at the time then, I forget what it was. And its ok if people aren't satisfied with what EA does if thats not what they want. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

[roadman]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

Technically, CFM was improved from M17. CFM will no doubt improve as I'm sure they'll add something this year. I think it's more what specifically they do and how they message things. Like Smashman said, it's about the vision and message and what they do to show they hear us (any number of OS franchise wish lists). I saw something about a poll on twitter or Facebook about what fans wanted. I personally didnt care for whatever was number one at the time then, I forget what it was. And its ok if people aren't satisfied with what EA does if thats not what they want. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Oh, I wasn't insinuating that there was anything wrong with that, I'm was just thinking you won't please everyone because not everyone's taste are similar.

There have been subtle indications that CFM will improve.

1. The shot that the 2k took at them indirectly for a incomplete franchise mode. Rex acknowledged shots fired.

2. The hiring of talent in CFM posted through advertising.

3. Rex asking on Twitter what people wanted from CFM.

4. Rex acknowledging CFM needs improvement.

I don't expect anything to change with the Madden marketing strategy, we won't hear anything for another 6 months, until EA Play.

There might be some crumbs on Twitter, but they will be rare.

[Holmesx10]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

I was watching a (insert OS-deemed controversial YouTuber) video where he compared the career modes between UFC 3 and Madden 18. I’m not that big of a combat sports guy, but I was blown away at the depth that the UFC career has. Social media influence, GOAT status, interactive weigh-ins, etc. I can think back to a time when Madden separated its’ game modes: Superstar, Franchise, and Owner Mode. Each one had their own unique features, whether it was the movie deals with Superstar or negotiating a contract with someone and trying to meet their requirements in Franchise. Ever since Madden 13 was released, “Connected Franchise”, to me, doesn’t seem to connect nicely. It looks and feels like a lot of concepts were thrown together to make a very ugly sandwich. Chalk this up to lack of detail, lack of focus, what have you, but ultimately, I think I’ve been playing the same Franchise mode for five years.

I apologize for rambling a bit, but are we asking too much from the dev team? They have a little under a year to fine-tune their product, add a few new things and market said product. That’s not nearly enough time to produce a quality, different Franchise mode year in and year out. I love Franchise, I love Superstar, but both modes have deteriorated badly over the years.

The real issue here is why we have always seemed to lose features over the years and rarely gain any. I remember a time when you could actually pick a teams name and uniforms yourself. I remember much more in depth character creation in superstar modes.

I liked the rpg change to madden a few years ago regarding earned xp in franchise but it’s not perfect and can be cheesy at times where you allocate all the xp.

Regardless even since then we haven’t seen much change especially with the imbalances like how certain positions are near impossible to progress like defensive tackles even with xp tuning. I also feel like scouting and drafting can be a much better experience seeing as how easy it can be to land multiple future superstars every year even without using some of the draft boards people make.

All in all I think ea has been lazy with franchise development even if they only have a year to create the new game they decide only to take things away instead of add them slowly over time.


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[JoshC1977]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

What I suspect is that EA will make further changes to franchise mode in next year's game. Whether they are improvements or not is in the eyes of the beholder. There are an insane number of "franchise improvement" threads in just this forum alone. All of them have wildly different ideas of what is "needed".

For example, EA could focus much of their efforts on online franchise mode. For many people, it would be awesome. For me....I'd be furious...franchise mode got ruined IMO when they added the "C" to "CFM".

That is just one random example to illustrate my point. What you want may be different than what I want. My 'vision' of a great franchise mode may be different than yours. Many people love NBA 2k's franchise. I am very underwhelmed by it. Sure, options galore (and I want to emphasize that I DO love that) but that's it. The UI is horrible; everything is hidden behind stacked menus and there is minimal info 'at a glance' (just that calendar and a couple of random 'tweets'). There is nothing to make you feel like you are part of a bigger picture. It feels more to me like a franchise 'starter kit' rather than a fully-realized franchise mode. If Madden took their approach, I'd stick with 18.

Now, I do not intend to de-rail the thread on whether or not 2k's franchise mode is good or not. I'm using it only to illustrate my point that while tons of people LOVE it (including many people here on the forum that I consider friends) not everyone does. It will be the same for Madden...regardless of what EA actually does...there will be critics.

Are we asking too much? I don't think that there is anything wrong to ASK for the things we want. I just think we all will need realize and accept that not everyone will be happy. As long as they make a good faith effort to really do something to try to improve the mode....that will be a great starting point IMO.

[roadman]

Re: Are We Asking Too Much From Franchise Mode?

What I suspect is that EA will make further changes to franchise mode in next year's game. Whether they are improvements or not is in the eyes of the beholder. There are an insane number of "franchise improvement" threads in just this forum alone. All of them have wildly different ideas of what is "needed".

For example, EA could focus much of their efforts on online franchise mode. For many people, it would be awesome. For me....I'd be furious...franchise mode got ruined IMO when they added the "C" to "CFM".

That is just one random example to illustrate my point. What you want may be different than what I want. My 'vision' of a great franchise mode may be different than yours. Many people love NBA 2k's franchise. I am very underwhelmed by it. Sure, options galore (and I want to emphasize that I DO love that) but that's it. The UI is horrible; everything is hidden behind stacked menus and there is minimal info 'at a glance' (just that calendar and a couple of random 'tweets'). There is nothing to make you feel like you are part of a bigger picture. It feels more to me like a franchise 'starter kit' rather than a fully-realized franchise mode. If Madden took their approach, I'd stick with 18.

Now, I do not intend to de-rail the thread on whether or not 2k's franchise mode is good or not. I'm using it only to illustrate my point that while tons of people LOVE it (including many people here on the forum that I consider friends) not everyone does. It will be the same for Madden...regardless of what EA actually does...there will be critics.

Are we asking too much? I don't think that there is anything wrong to ASK for the things we want. I just think we all will need realize and accept that not everyone will be happy. As long as they make a good faith effort to really do something to try to improve the mode....that will be a great starting point IMO.

Thanks, Josh, you made my point better.