Open Letter to Ian / EA

[chargerrich]

I did not get into the detail of most of the bugs/issues since that has been done ad nauseam in many other threads. However, what I would like hear from Ian or EA at some point would be:

1. Yes we agree SuperStar mode is not a popular mode and we plan to use those resources elsewhere to enhance the gameplay of the game.

2. We have every intention of adding new features that would be more popular (build a stadium, enhanced trade AI, create a team, et al)

3. We will enhance the franchise mode and not abandon it because we have the "head coach" title.

[metallicatz]

Quote: Originally Posted by chargerrich

Ian, First let me preface this letter by stating that many (most) of us football game fans realize that you and your team work very hard to at least try and capture your vision of what Madden should be. Most of us also realize that bugs happen in all games, and that the game cannot and will not be perfect to everyone regardless of what features are implemented, removed or tweaked. There will always be a minority complaining, its just a matter of volume. The hope here is to provide a clear understating of the problems with this years version. In addition, I am certain that you (and EA) also realize that since you have cornered the market (another topic for another discussion not here) that we, the gamer, will put up with a tremendous amount of frustration because we love football and do not have any other options.

Keep in mind that it was the NFL's desire for exclusivity, EA just ponied up the cash while companies like 2K also put in bids to "corner the market" as well.

Quote:

With that said, some of the issues with the game do seem so woefully inadequate and obvious that it is hard to not think that if there were others options and competition, that EA would have made sure that these "issues" were stamped out before launch. I believe the majority of your consumers would prefer that some of the pointless "gimmicks" in the game like superstar mode and madden IQ were scrapped and that time and effort better used to correct game stopping issues like the freezing, removing some of the obvious bugs that many caught in the first game or two of play and improving the game-play.

After 3 seasons of Franchise mode i've not had a single freeze, and I know many others have not had this problem either. Let's not try to blow this up to appear a huge problem that has affected everyone. It's also an issue that's not exclusive to Madden football games.

And i'm quite certain if EA didn't put these "gimmick" modes into the game then many would be crying about how there are no features in the game.....kind of how they did with Madden 06 and 07.......and much like how people did with the lack of features in APF. Just because you don;t like these modes most certainly does not mean that other people don't. I know plenty of people who spend a decent amount of time in SS mode.

Madden IQ will be a work in progress and it's the same concept that works pretty decently in NHL08. The difference is that Madden has 22 players on the field at all times and NHL has only 12. It will take a little time to refine. Having an AI that adapts to your tendencies a fantastic idea and if they can get it to work right then it should be a very innovative feature for football games. And the gameplay in Madden next gen has come a LONG way since Madden 06. The gameplay is progressing.

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However I believe that some features like Madden IQ were designed to bring in the most casual of players thus widening your target audience which probably conflicts heavily with what some developers probably wanted (marketing versus development). Unfortunately this was done at the risk of possible alienation of your core audience, most of which consider the "dumbing down" of the game as a step backwards.

Having a AI that adapts to you is not dumbing the game down. It could very well evolve to become a core feature that actually challenges the core audience. In fact, that's the main gripe. The actual virtual training is so easy that the difficulty level jumps up too high based upon your IQ scores in certain areas. Personally, I have gotten very satisfying slider settings that are based on my evolving Madden IQ. You have to give it more than 1 year. You talk about development cycles, but then totally disregard that concept when criticizing features like this.....especially when it's in the first year.

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The bottom line is that sports games in particular have a wholly unique sales and development cycle that allow the game to be re-released each year with (hopefully) improvements and upgrades that warrant purchase. This cannot be said for nearly any other game genre. Can you imagine if a game like Halo had, by 2008, already released 9-10 versions that did not change the story at all but instead just upgraded the graphic effects or maybe adding a weapon? But I digress.

That analogy is pretty far off the mark. Go pop in Madden 06 and play for 1 hour. Then pop in Madden 09. You'll see a HUGE difference.....and the difference goes from gameplay to visuals to feature set. It's obvious to any objective and rational person.

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This sales cycle is obviously possible because of roster updates which gives EA the ability to resell the game with hopefully enough new features to justify the price. But when the game feels like a step back from previous versions, one simply asks "how long it takes" to get the "GAMEPLAY" right? I would love to see a true poll asking how many consumers would prefer a deeper and fixed franchise mode (complete with something better than the atrocious AI that currently exists) over superstar mode.

The poll would be woefully inaccurate at best since the vast majority of Madden gamers do not post on internet message boards. And the sales cycle is possible because gamers demand yearly versions of the game. I say again, go pop in Madden 06 and play for a while and tell me Madden 09 is a "step back". Do the same for Madden 05 on last gen. You might be surprised.

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In closing its about priorities and giving the customer a reason to love the game more each year. On that score, EA has unfortunately failed but the consumers and fans continue to take it with no alternatives, hoping that "next year will get it right". Thank you for your efforts and good luck on 2010.

You're entitled to your opinion, and your post was respectfully written, but don't presume you speak for everyone because your opinions about the direction of the game certainly don't mirror my own. I know plenty of people who are quite satisfied with this year's game they aren't "casual gamers" by any stretch of the imagination.

[dave374]

You don't even need to use the Madden IQ.
I don't know why it's such a big deal.
Use default pro, all-pro or all-madden settings.
Set up custom settings.
That Madden IQ thing is optional.

[BezO]

Quote: Originally Posted by dave374

You don't even need to use the Madden IQ. I don't know why it's such a big deal. Use default pro, all-pro or all-madden settings. Set up custom settings. That Madden IQ thing is optional.

I think the OP's concern was the time invested.

[chargerrich]

Any chance we would get Ian to respond to this post with his thoughts?

[BIGROC]

Quote: Originally Posted by umd

That is a separate game. It is called Head Coach (which is buggy too, but quite addicting) which cost $30 or $60 depending on if you purchased it as part of the CE or as a standalone. If you want to actually play both components of a Franchise (on the field and in the front office) EA would like you to buy both.

The fact they created Head Coach 09 shows that they have decided to bilk the core audience and not offer any sort of a complete package. I can't say (aside from greed, and cashing in on the audience they are working so hard to alienate) I see how the consistant inconsistancy of Maddens franchise mode could continue to appeal to the sim-oriented, hardcore football fan. In EAs attempt to bring in what is apparently now gamings target audience (the casual gamer) they are starting to drive a wedge into EA and the sim crowd.

If we weren't hearing the continous lip service about how they will get it right next year, and how consumer feedback is important maybe they wouldn't be starting to believe it themselves.

When you boot Madden up for the first time, it appears that there will be the improvements they promised, but after one or two games you see the regression. It has been 3 years since we were told that the move to new hardware would take time to offer up what we got before. I look at games like the 2k sports franchises and I see progressions from year to year. Sure no game will offer up a perfect experience, but we have reached a point where we should be seeing some kind of payoff.

One thing I found telling about EA and their "Next-Gen" efforts was when they had initially told us that alt uniforms would be premium DLC for Madden...Until there was such a huge outcry they had no choice but not to charge. At the same time they were making statements like "those things in Madden are extra and take time so that it would be premium content...Yet in NBA Live, and NHL there were alt uniforms out of the box. Amazingly coincidental was that there were competing games in those 2 sports...But Madden was the sole choice for gamers.

I wish I remembered what issue of GI that interview was in, because I'd scan it and post it. This is what we are dealing with. A cash cow for EA that will give them big numbers annually, reguardless of what kind of quality is put into the product.

I'm sure there are folks at EA who take pride in their work, but it would appear that those folks are outnumbered by people who are looking to grab as much money initially from sales as possible. While Madden si always a top seller, I would venture to guess that the game sells the most within the first 7-14 days of release...Maybe we should hold off on the midnight launches, and give EA pause the next time they think it wise to implement broken features, deeply flawed AI, and the feeling of being sucker puched at 60 bucks a pop....

[MJenness]

Quote: Originally Posted by BIGROC

The fact they created Head Coach 09 shows that they have decided to bilk the core audience and not offer any sort of a complete package. I can't say (aside from greed, and cashing in on the audience they are working so hard to alienate) I see how the consistant inconsistancy of Maddens franchise mode could continue to appeal to the sim-oriented, hardcore football fan. In EAs attempt to bring in what is apparently now gamings target audience (the casual gamer) they are starting to drive a wedge into EA and the sim crowd. If we weren't hearing the continous lip service about how they will get it right next year, and how consumer feedback is important maybe they wouldn't be starting to believe it themselves. When you boot Madden up for the first time, it appears that there will be the improvements they promised, but after one or two games you see the regression. It has been 3 years since we were told that the move to new hardware would take time to offer up what we got before. I look at games like the 2k sports franchises and I see progressions from year to year. Sure no game will offer up a perfect experience, but we have reached a point where we should be seeing some kind of payoff. One thing I found telling about EA and their "Next-Gen" efforts was when they had initially told us that alt uniforms would be premium DLC for Madden...Until there was such a huge outcry they had no choice but not to charge. At the same time they were making statements like "those things in Madden are extra and take time so that it would be premium content...Yet in NBA Live, and NHL there were alt uniforms out of the box. Amazingly coincidental was that there were competing games in those 2 sports...But Madden was the sole choice for gamers. I wish I remembered what issue of GI that interview was in, because I'd scan it and post it. This is what we are dealing with. A cash cow for EA that will give them big numbers annually, reguardless of what kind of quality is put into the product. I'm sure there are folks at EA who take pride in their work, but it would appear that those folks are outnumbered by people who are looking to grab as much money initially from sales as possible. While Madden si always a top seller, I would venture to guess that the game sells the most within the first 7-14 days of release...Maybe we should hold off on the midnight launches, and give EA pause the next time they think it wise to implement broken features, deeply flawed AI, and the feeling of being sucker puched at 60 bucks a pop....

VERY well said!! And this is exactly what I did this year...mainly because my gut told me that there was a REASON the demo was so thin this year, why we couldn't play defense and almost every feature was turned off....now I know. Had they put out a demo as in previous years, we would have seen how broken the AI and the robo-qb is. I hate to say it, but I really believe this is why we got such a shell of the game for a demo, and it just did not feel right in my gut, so I rented.

that being said, I am REALLY hoping that the patch and DLC (if it goes through) will fix MOST of the issues I have with the game...I am not expecting much, just a playable, half-way decent sim.