Thoughts on Converting Madden player ratings from old games to Madden 10 & Madden 11

[Warren Piecee]

We all recall that their was a significant change in the philosophy used by Madden to rate players prior to the release of the Madden 10 game. I am sure that other major changes have been made over the years since the game was first released as well. As a consequence, someone could not take the player ratings of a team from a pre-Madden 10 game, plug them into a Madden 10 or Madden 11 game and expect a reasonably authentic football simulation. This would probably be true even one played two teams from the same Madden game against one another in Madden 10 or Madden 11.

Just the other day there occurred to me a solution to the above-mentioned dilemma. One could convert player ratings from an earlier version of Madden to Madden 10/Madden 11 ratings. To do first calculate the ratings ranges for each rating that one finds for each position in the particular Madden version. (For this example lets say Madden 2005) (It will be remembered that players are rated differently and have different ratings ranges for different attributes depending on their position.) Do the same for Madden 10 or Madden 11. (In this example let us say Madden 11.) Next you need to calculate where a particular rating falls on the percentile scale in Madden 2005. For example, lets say the speed ranges for wide receivers in Madden 2005 is 76 to 100 and the speed rating for a specific player, lets call him John Doe, is 80. Next we do some basic math and determine that a rating of 80 falls at the 20 percentile mark from the bottom for this position in Madden 2005. (Note that 76 to 100 is a 25 point scale. Divide 100 by 25 and you learn that each ratings point equals 4 percentage points. An 80 equate to 5 ratings points. Multiply 4 times 5 and you get 20.) Now we make the reverse calculation for speed ratings for wide receivers in Madden 11 and discover that the speed rating that coincides the 20 percentile mark from the bottom is a 75. This means that John Doe, our wide receiver who had a 80 speed in Madden 2005, would have a 75 speed in Madden 11.

In making my remarks I have assumed that the overall talent level in the league is about the same year to year.

I welcome any and all comments on my remarks.

[sharigan77]

nice analysis but im wondering how to compensate for new ratings like man coverage zone coverage and pursuit for defensive players

[sharigan77]

do you have a system for ncaa to madden conversion?

[Warren Piecee]

Thank you very much for the compliment. I will share how I handle the issue. To begin I sort players in Madden 11 first by “All NFL” and then by the position of the player I am trying to create. Next I “order” the player rating I am working on. I note the highest and lowest value for the position. Then I determine the vale that falls right in the middle. I do this by moving the slider on the right-hand portion of the screen into the middle of the display. Does my player have an average amount of ability as it pertains to the attribute? If he does I give him the middle value. If he is above average I give him a rating better than the middle value. If he is below average I go lower than the middle value. I never give a player a rating outside of the range for a given position.I also study the “related” or “similar” ratings to the rating I am working on and I can create for a player and look for a player in Madden 11 who plays the same position with similar ratings and/or playing style to the player I am trying to create. I also take a close look at players with overall ratings similar to the player I am trying to create. I keep in mind, though, that beginning with Madden 10 the overall ratings became compressed in the middle and expanded at the extremes. The overall rating for the player with average NFL talent dropped by 5 to 10 points and to about 70 to 75.I welcome any and all comments on my words.

[Warren Piecee]

You asked: “Do you have a system for ncaa to madden conversion?” This for me is the Holy Grail of Madden. I have given a great deal of thought to this issue. Player ratings go down from NCAA to Madden because the ratings are relevant to a player's peers, NCAA has 4 times as many teams as Madden, and NFL players are veterans who have honed their skills. The question is then who much should they go down. Therein lays the problem. NCAA players who move to Madden typically have NCAA overall ratings of between 90 and 95. A few are a bit higher. A very small number are lower. (The complete range for Madden 11 is 81 to 99.) The overall ratings of these same players range from about 85 to about 51 in Madden. The shift is from a five-point scale to a thirty four-point scale. This means that the differences in ratings between a 90 and 95 in NCAA will be many times greater in Madden than in NCAA. One would therefore need a system that was tied to what a player's Madden overall ratings would realistically be. In other words, one would have to deduct more points from NCAA player ratings of a player who would rate a Madden overall 65 than a Madden 85. A short time ago a spreadsheet with the ratings of Madden rookies hit the Web. One could use this to determine the average Madden overall player ratings of players taken in each round of the draft. To do the same for rookie player signed after the draft as free agents one would have to check the Madden CD-ROM itself. One could then deduct just enough ratings point to bring a player down to a realistic overall rating.In another post I made on the board earlier tonight, I offered my thoughts on handling Maden ratings for which one had no base to work from. These comments apply to Madden ratings that are not found in NCAA.I welcome any and all comments on my words.

[sharigan77]

Quote: Originally Posted by Warren Piecee

Thank you very much for the compliment. I will share how I handle the issue. To begin I sort players in Madden 11 first by “All NFL” and then by the position of the player I am trying to create. Next I “order” the player rating I am working on. I note the highest and lowest value for the position. Then I determine the vale that falls right in the middle. I do this by moving the slider on the right-hand portion of the screen into the middle of the display. Does my player have an average amount of ability as it pertains to the attribute? If he does I give him the middle value. If he is above average I give him a rating better than the middle value. If he is below average I go lower than the middle value. I never give a player a rating outside of the range for a given position.I also study the “related” or “similar” ratings to the rating I am working on and I can create for a player and look for a player in Madden 11 who plays the same position with similar ratings and/or playing style to the player I am trying to create. I also take a close look at players with overall ratings similar to the player I am trying to create. I keep in mind, though, that beginning with Madden 10 the overall ratings became compressed in the middle and expanded at the extremes. The overall rating for the player with average NFL talent dropped by 5 to 10 points and to about 70 to 75.I welcome any and all comments on my words.

im trying to recreate an elite level player..do you think if i gave him a number in between the middle number and the top number for some stats would it make sense..

[Warren Piecee]

I would check the overall player ratings given to players as his position who were drafted just before and just after him. His overall rating should be between the two. Also take notice that the overall ratings of players taken in the first round is 78 according to the document I referenced above. It is 70 for second rounders and 65 for those taken in the third round. You should make those of his ratings that factor into how good he is at his position similar to other players found in Madden that share his overall player rating. For ratings that have noting to do with his position just give in the average rating for his position.

[sharigan77]

Quote: Originally Posted by Warren Piecee

I would check the overall player ratings given to players as his position who were drafted just before and just after him. His overall rating should be between the two. Also take notice that the overall ratings of players taken in the first round is 78 according to the document I referenced above. It is 70 for second rounders and 65 for those taken in the third round. You should make those of his ratings that factor into how good he is at his position similar to other players found in Madden that share his overall player rating. For ratings that have noting to do with his position just give in the average rating for his position.

ok i get it now i ran into another wall.. he was the first safety taken in the draft.. he was round.1 pick.5 the next free safety was pick number 56.. Madieu Williams to be specific.. and the next safety to be taken after him was bob sanders at pick 44 also on madden 07 the only free safeties rated higher than him was Brian Dawkins and Ed Reed and he was only 24.. if i had wanted to put progression into play it would be pretty hard to compare him to guys 5 and 10 years older than him.. i had an idea.. some people compare Eric Berry to him and i thought why not start a franchise and progress him 3 seasons (the amount of time that passed since he passed) and use those progression numbers) and put it in between the numbers that ed reed had progressed (and regressed) since then (Ed Reed is 5 years older and Eric Berry is 5 years younger) is that good because there was a lack of comparable players in his draft?