Does Anyone Remember This?

[rooney8]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jukeman

Maybe that is the reason they put off Franchise for '11 and are focusing on it for '12, we the fans been telling them to scrap for years.....Heck we've been saying it since the Manifesto back on MM!!!!

I was delighted when I read they were rebuilding franchise for M12 but the time it took for tham to realise this had to be done is shameful.
Maybe they didn't lie before but actually really thought they could fix things without haven't to rebuild. Either way they screwed up.

[krc1130]

It's sad they just don't seem to understand how to make a good game.

Madden is the only game that I buy that just doesn't feel right. It feels like I made it.

Sticking to Madden 08 for PC. Easily the best Madden game ever.

[GiantBlue76]

I'm not mad at them admitting they need to rebuild it for M12. I'm mad because they said they would focus on gameplay and there is still very little done. Same crappy animations, the same moonwalking QB, still no pocket, penalties non existent, challenge system unchanged, refs still don't throw flags, non-interactive sidelines, defense still looks the same with the DEs not pushing upfield. So now, next year, they are going to say "we are rebuilding franchise mode just like you asked." Another year without the necessary gameplay advances. Last year they added the adaptive AI... Really? Where is it? Ian blogged about how it is now easy for them to tweak and advance it. BS! Nothing was done this year. How about pro-tak? It was supposed to revolutionize football tackling. Really? Where are the advances? Add it to the huge pile of items this team has added that get forgotten about.

What is sad to me is the team seems to admit its ineptitude. They work on one minor thing the entire year and it still comes out like crap and incomplete.

They can say all they want about how hard the community is on them. They are in denial about the issues with their game. They must not play it much, because it's a colossal disappointment to the point of embarrassment. I'm impartial to game companies, publishers or whatever. I don't care who makes the game. My message to the developers at Tiburon is go and play MLB the Show for a week straight. Go play NFL 2k5 and APF 2k8 for a week straight. Start from scratch in trying to mirror all of the things those games do well. That should be what the gameplay developers are working on. The franchise guys should go play Madden 2005 for about a month straight and start with what made that mode as great as it was. Right now they have created a big spaghetti mess. It's pretty pathetic. A generic game that had all of the bells and whistles and the football on the field correct would blow the doors off of Madden right now.

[MattIntellect]

Here's my take on this. I'm very disappointed in the lack of franchise mode updates. What I take from Phil's blog is that they didn't want to just continue their regular approach with franchise mode. They instead want it to be much better, perhaps able to attract more people, and increase its overall usage. That's great news, but it's also bad news for Madden 11. The good news is that some things are fixed in Franchised mode, albeit no MAJOR changes (keyword MAJOR). Hopefully they at least added a salary cap to Online Franchise, and hopefully Ian kept his word that they were working on getting the scouting reports added to Online Franchise. The bright side is that we still have the mode and there is promise for it in the future. (I HATE TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE!) I don't think you should take what Ian said ONE month after Madden 10 was released and try to hold him under the fire for it, because a lot of things could change throughout the development of the game. One example is that they didn't have all of the the numbers of Franchise mode's usage that early on. I know what he said seems to be sour at this point, but it doesn't affect my purchase of the game. I just hope that the game is solid and has enough replay value to keep me playing. I also hope that in the future, Franchise mode is much improved, presentation surpasses any other game, and a play creator is finally brought back to the game.

[SA1NT401]

Quote: Originally Posted by PocketRocket

No we won't. By the time PS4 comes, out Madden won't be the only game in town.

And i PRAY TO THE GODS that is true.....PLEASE Let it be...PLEASE!!!

[Jukeman]

Quote: Originally Posted by MattIntellect

Here's my take on this. I'm very disappointed in the lack of franchise mode updates. What I take from Phil's blog is that they didn't want to just continue their regular approach with franchise mode. They instead want it to be much better, perhaps able to attract more people, and increase its overall usage. That's great news, but it's also bad news for Madden 11. The good news is that some things are fixed in Franchised mode, albeit no MAJOR changes (keyword MAJOR). Hopefully they at least added a salary cap to Online Franchise, and hopefully Ian kept his word that they were working on getting the scouting reports added to Online Franchise. The bright side is that we still have the mode and there is promise for it in the future. (I HATE TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE!) I don't think you should take what Ian said ONE month after Madden 10 was released and try to hold him under the fire for it, because a lot of things could change throughout the development of the game. One example is that they didn't have all of the the numbers of Franchise mode's usage that early on. I know what he said seems to be sour at this point, but it doesn't affect my purchase of the game. I just hope that the game is solid and has enough replay value to keep me playing. I also hope that in the future, Franchise mode is much improved, presentation surpasses any other game, and a play creator is finally brought back to the game.

at the same time if they plan on starting franchise mode from the ground up next year, they shouldnt have wasted time with the franchise mode last year lol seem like a big waste now...

If they really needed to make gameplay the focus for 11 and not add on to '11's franchise mode..I think the effort in '10 was a big waste and they could have used the "extra whatever it is holding them bcak to upgrade franchise" to have tweak the crap they called pro tak last year..Maybe they wouldnt be a year behind at the moment...

Also if they plan on putting HC09's franchise into madden 12, lol it better be waaay better because HC09 had tons of bugs of its own..

[TheBrothers24]

Hopefully free agency and drafting logic is just fixed. I can deal with having the same format and everything but watching a team sign a 90 rated RB when they already have a 90 rated RB. Especially with the fact that 2nd stringers rarely played at all last year.

[tlc12576]

Quote: Originally Posted by PocketRocket

No we won't. By the time PS4 comes, out Madden won't be the only game in town.

I hope this exclusive license ends even sooner than that and hopefully with NCAA Football exclusive license coming to an end,other companies will start to get their "feet wet" with making licensed football games again.I have repeatedly stated in the past that I didnt like EA getting the exclusive license but I respected the shrewd business move.After all the that I have learned and watched take place this year,I no longer have that respect for EA.

If anyone takes the time to look at the big picture and add up all the things that have been said and done as a whole,it's very clear what's going on with next-gen Madden.In 2004 with Madden05 it seems the goal was to make a quality product for their consumer base.I originally believed EA wanted the exclusive license to increase their yearly consumer base by neutralizing their competition to easily attain a portion of that consumer base,which I would respect as a shrewd business move.However,the logical way to accomplish that would have been to continue to produce a Madden of at least equal QUALITY as before,if not more,to attract the former competitors consumer base and grow their own.Thats not what they did though.

Now I see that EA produced a quality product in the past only because if they didnt,they might lose their consumer base to a competitor.EA couldnt take short cuts and put out just anything because some consumers would just buy another NFL football game.So instead of continuing to compete for consumer sales by making a quality product,EA continued to try,even before being successful in 2004,to get an exclusive NFL license.

Im very thankful to OS for helping me realize what has been going on with next-gen Madden year after year.I was starting to believe that EA just couldnt do any better with Maden but they were trying their best.That didnt quite add up because there are so many bright guys either on staff or available to hire.Now it all makes perfect sense how a multi-billion dollar company could have such a hard time creating a Madden that surpasses football games and even Maddens from years past.EA didnt intend to!I believe what EAs' Peter Moore said when talking about digital content,is the true vision behind next-gen Madden and the exclusive NFL license.For those of you who hadnt read it before and just to remind others,here is what he said,"It keeps the disc in the drive longer, it stalls trading the game in, it allows me to be able to take further advantage of that consumer over a longer period of time,"

EA cornered this market and then INTENTIONALLY began producing a historically inferior Madden,which was cheaper to produce,to sell at a higher price,IMO.I dont think it was ever directly about the competitors consumer base,it was all about the competition forcing EA to have to make a quality Madden to keep their own.Any of the competitors consumer base they attained because of the exclusive license was a welcomed and calculated result but not the main goal.With Madden becoming the ONLY NFL game sold,EA not only increased revenue by new sales to the former competitors consumer base,they were also able to cut production cost by lowering product quality while still keeping their original consumer base.

Example if EA produces 2 million units of Madden05,sells 1.5 million units at $30 each(priced dropped from $50 that year),grossing $45 million,if Madden05 expenses are $20 each,that equals $40 millon in expenses,gross minus expenses total $5 million in profit with competition requiring quality.EA produces 2 million units of NFL exclusive Madden06,sells 1.5 million units at $60 each,grossing $90 millon,if Madden 06 expenses are $15 each(saving $5 each by decreasing some yearly improvements) equals $30 million in expenses,gross minus expenses total $60 million profit without even increasing units sold Even with my poor example anyone can see that EA increased sales while also cutting production cost,any companies "wet dream"!LOL

Free market principles ideally insure that these products are quality because if not,they shouldnt sell.However,the principles aren't ALWAYS enough,especially in the case of market monopolies.Wether you believe that EA has a monopoly or not is irrelevant to the FACT that EA is taking advantage of a product that free market principles have NOT been able to regulate since the exclusive NFL license.Even worse,EA attempted to potenially do the same thing with their NBA and MLB games.

For those of you that still continue to say "it's just business",I agree with you.However,it's UNETHICAL business,IMO,and hopefully soon to be declared ILLEGAL business by the courts.

At this point,I will give to EA what they have given to me and other Madden consumers since 2005,no respect.So I will rent,borrow,free sample and buy used EA Sports games when I want to play them but not purchase them new or do anymore fee-based DLC to continue to directly fund this "cartel".LOL

Its nothing personal,it's just business,IMO.