Retirement/Regression Overhaul

[BuzzKardzrool]

I am happy to hear of all of the 'minor' improvements in franchise mode which will hopefully make the mode once again playable after 3 years of no improvements and steps backwards.

I hope the new regression system doesn't hold back any punches. I'd first like to point out that I am getting all of my references from Madden 06 on the PS2, but I've heard that the current-gen Maddens are the same in this aspect. Currently, players decrease at an extremely slow pace starting in their early 30's and retire near the top of their game at age 36. Except for a very few QB's and some RB's that retire abruptly (Robert Smith, Barry Sanders, Tiki Barber), this almost never happens in the NFL. 99% of the players in the NFL retire due to the inability to make a roster. Even greats like Jerry Rice and Brett Favre hang around until they're no longer of real use in the NFL. Lower caliber players usually try out for teams every year in training camp before getting cut only to try again next year. The bottom line is most players play until there is no longer a demand for them.

Also I hope the regression system takes into account injuries and wear and tear. Many players careers are plagued from nagging injuries while others have more serious injuries which immediately change their attributes forever (Pennington). Wear and tear also should be taken into account. Most RB's are can't play at a high level in their early 30's or even late 20's. There can also be cases where injuries prolong a career. Look at Correll Buckhalter, he's 30 years old and still has barely lost a step after 3 serious knee injuries. This is likely to the fact that he didn't have to deal with the wear and tear of 3 seasons. This also happens with people like Ricky Williams who would probably retired for lack of ability if he hadn't spent a few years away from football. Look at Kevin Faulk, he's still a relevant player because he was never a full-time starter.

I'm happy with what I've heard so far about regression but hope these factors are implemented. They really aren't that complicated. I think one of the reasons they were easy with regression in the past is to keep casual players happy and not have them get burned when they sign a 31 year old free agent only to be a bust. Or maybe they were just lazy.

[BuzzKardzrool]

Bump.

Hate to bump my own (and first) thread but only 4 views? I put a lot of thought into my ideas and I don't believe anyone has really said exactly what I'm saying.

[monkeybutlerz]

I think Donny put out a blog where a lot of your concerns are addressed.

[Wet Bandit]

I think you're spot on.

I wonder, though, if the NFL would be ok with a regression system that realistic. They're so image-conscious, I'm not sure how they'd fell about today's superstars eventually regressing into uselessness in millions of copies of Madden.

I also wonder how the more casual fan that makes up the majority of Madden's user base would react. Would they be ok with some of their favorite players on their hometown team regressing so much? Probably would be best to make it a franchise option like "Player Regression: Limited/Realistic" and default it to limited.

[jfsolo]

The last thing we heard was that they were still needing to tune regression, because players' skills weren't diminishing quickly enough. So we'll see what happens.

[BuzzKardzrool]

Yea, I really think this has to be fixed. I would make 'smart' moves like letting my older players walk and I really was better off keeping them and giving them as many years as they wanted because they would retire near their prime anyway. That's completely unrealistic and really unplayable. They really should just make sliders for everything in franchise and please everyone.

[kcarr]

I think head coach had some good ideas in the wear and tear system, they just weren't implemented well. (imagine that from EA) I think that this is a really important thing though. They said running backs will drop drastically once they hit 30 but I think this should really depend on how they are used. I really think starting running backs should drop drastically once they hit that age, but I think this new trend toward 2 or 3 backs being used per team will eventually help to counter that somewhat.

I think that the amount of wear and tear, regardless of position should determine regressions. It just needs to be figured well, and most starting running backs will take way more wear and tear than starters in other positions as they get hit more and especially hit more at high speed.

[BuzzKardzrool]

Yea, exactly. It seems kind of complicated when you talk about it but it's really not. I could probably come up with a formula. Doubt the regression system will be this complex but I don't see why it would be too hard. There's a reason starting RB's have such a consistent drop-off at 28-32. Then again there's guys like Fred Taylor who battle injuries early in their career, and become a workhorse for like 9 years. There's always exceptions, even better if the game had exceptions but I could see that leading to bugs.