Madden NFL 19: Inside the Decision to Bring the Game Back to the PC

[drewst18]

I was shocked at the price. Considering I usually pick up the HOF edition of Madden (or whatever premium edition is) I am going to be paying nearly the same and get 4-5 other AAA titles for free.

I guess the difference is I don't "Own" them and lose them all once I cancel my sub but its such a great deal why would I. Now that can change but at 129 (CAD) its a crazy steal.

I don't think it is in EA's best interest to restrict people who want to mod their game, so I'd be surprised if you would be limited by the Access version. I actually think they should embrace it and allow mods to be hosted on their servers that would help prevent people who pirate the game from accessing them (ala WWE).

[El_Poopador]

I don't see the subscription service affecting modding at all. They would essentially need to make a different version of the game for that to happen, and it would definitely turn people off of the service.

If they bring UFC and Live to PC, I'd definitely sign up for it. But right now, I don't play enough EA titles on PC to justify it. Not "owning" the game wouldn't really bother me with yearly release titles, since they have little to no resale value and if I keep the subscription, I'll just be playing the next iteration the following year anyway.

[BadAssHskr]

...But you can still get Madden PC without the service correct?

[4thQtrStre5S]

I believe a subscription-based system would assist to stabilize revenue, making its revenue a little more consistent between title releases. The title releases can become something similar to World of Warcraft expansions such as the upcoming Battle for Azeroth.

Between expansions, the subscription fees allow for constant updating and gameplay adjustments.

[CujoMatty]

Quote: Originally Posted by TMJOHNS18

It's tempting, especially for people who are spending $60 on Madden yearly. The only BUT I see is that you won't own the game. Which may not have any impact, but I'm wondering if it would effect the ability to MOD. Say the game required to be authenticated prior to starting up, which might negate any mods added. Though I did sign up for the less expensive version after looking the $99 option. Still on trail but seems like a great value.

If you use Fifa as an example you authenticate every time you start and the mods were fine. If you want to play in Origin offline mode you have to at least go online once in a 30 day period so essentially once a month.

I know this because with the mod tool Frosty editor, every time EA released a patch a lot of mods had to be reinstalled to be compatible with the version you were on. Frosty allows you to open game files but they are broken into 2 parts and 1 of those parts are called legacy files. Any mods that change legacy files are only compatible with the update version the mod was made with.

Because I don’t play FIFA online I would just play with Origin in offline mode so I didn’t have to update the game and basically make me reinstall the mods. The bummer was that every 30 days I had to authenticate and go online which forced you to update FIFA which forced me to reinstall the mods.

Reinstalling the mods isn’t that big of a deal but the community is a mess. There are hundreds of mods but because most of them are only compatible with different update versions keeping track of it all is a cluster you know what, and because you are reliant on the author of the mod to update his mod if for some reason they don’t keep updating it you will not be able to use it anymore.

I’m hoping with Madden people figure out some more useful mod tools or EA does updates a different way(doubtful) or changes the Origin offline policy(also very doubtful)
I know EA isn’t really interested in supporting mods but if everything works like FIFA it’s in their best interest because I know a lot of the modding community for FIFA uses pirated games because they are always offline and don’t need to be updated.

[SpectreBugg]

Quote: Originally Posted by BadAssHskr

...But you can still get Madden PC without the service correct?

I'm assuming yes. I havent seen any official statement, but you can pre order the game for the normal expected price on the origin store, so i'm guessing that means it's available without subscription.

[SpectreBugg]

Quote: Originally Posted by drewst18

I was shocked at the price. Considering I usually pick up the HOF edition of Madden (or whatever premium edition is) I am going to be paying nearly the same and get 4-5 other AAA titles for free. I guess the difference is I don't "Own" them and lose them all once I cancel my sub but its such a great deal why would I. Now that can change but at 129 (CAD) its a crazy steal. I don't think it is in EA's best interest to restrict people who want to mod their game, so I'd be surprised if you would be limited by the Access version. I actually think they should embrace it and allow mods to be hosted on their servers that would help prevent people who pirate the game from accessing them (ala WWE).

You're right, it's not in their best interest. However, unlike many other sports titles, the NFL is heavily involved in maddens development. They are very strict about what can and can't be done with the game. This is the reason we don't have many customization options. There is a ton of stuff left out of the game simply because the NFL doesn't want it there. certain types of injuries and Better relocation options come to mind, but there is a lot more.

So, while it may not be in their best interest from a developer standpoint, they may not have much of a choice if the NFL decides they don't want to see it.

[TMJOHNS18]

Quote: Originally Posted by CujoMatty

If you use Fifa as an example you authenticate every time you start and the mods were fine. If you want to play in Origin offline mode you have to at least go online once in a 30 day period so essentially once a month. ....

Hopefully this method extends to the premier service. With your experience with FIFA were you able to roll back updates or you have to use the newest one, causing some mods to be incompatible until they were updated?