What exactly do we all want in a GREAT FRANCHISE MODE?

[raz77]

Doing better than 2k5's shows. Stuff like a lowlights segment where they show the worst plays of the week or a special full of highlights when a Hall of fame quality player retires in the offseason. The storylines could be worked into the shows. Like say player X is getting older and suffers a drop in production, you turn on sportscenter and they show a comparison of his old and recent stats and talk about it.

Then when the next week starts up if player X is on your team and he has a great game it shows up on sportscenter with lines like "player X proves he hasn't lost a step last sunday blah blah blah"

I don't really expect them to do any of this stuff, but it's nice to think about.

[Sort of Irish]

Quote: Originally Posted by debauchlord

So you see, 60% of what is talked about in this thread will never happen. Never. The best I can figure franchise mode will ever get is Madden 2005 Franchise with a Head Coach-ian graphical makeover, and more presentation flair. What he says about spreadsheets is that they don't want, I am guessing, menus upon menus upon menus.

I think 60% is very generous, I was thinking more like 80 to 90% won't make it into the game. Truth is I don't expect Head Coach depth but I do think some sort of balance could be worked out.

I mean do I care about an off-season training camp where the QB is wearing a red jersey? No. Do I care if the right helmets are worn during the Pro Bowl? No. I could go on and on about cool little additions people have been bringing up that would make Madden '12 amazingly realistic. But lets be realistic.

I'd be happy with an improved free agency where negotiating deals actually means something. I've never understood why the players desires are even included. I want players to holdout and flat out refuse to sign with a team if they don't like the situation.

As for the draft I think scouting could absolutely be improved. A combine would also be a very nice touch too. Lastly, the presentation could be vastly improved. Someone already mentioned having a mock draft with the Extra Point crew. I really love that idea.

Make pre-season actually mean something.

Lastly, the regular season and post season presentation has got to be reworked. I've said it before and I'll say it again if 2k5 can work replays into the game then Madden should be able to as well. I don't want to hear about Chris Johnson running for 125 yards and 3 TDs, I actually want to see it.

[PhinsFan86]

Quote: Originally Posted by kalimmortal

off season .. you got scouting, the combine, the draft, free agency, contract renegotiations, ota's, mini camps in the off season ... i want to see a combine ... with all the drills 40s, Bench Press, Shuttle, Cone Drill, Player Specific Drills... how about in the offseason ... we not only have a combine ... where we can workout with certain players we are interested in ... do the shuttle and cone drills with them ... but have some of the better players in the draft .. hold pro days ... where you can workout with them individually .. cut scenes for the nfl draft at radio city music hall or wherever they hold it with the top 4-5 players sittin' in the audience and may be a few cut scenes of other good players via satellite from home ... and may be for the first couple of draft picks ... go up and shake goddell's hand and pose for pictures with a jersey ... with their new team's baseball cap on their head ... have a cut scene of a kid who decided not to attend the draft ... but instead is at home with his family and is live via satellite ... and show his reaction to bein' drafted 3rd or whatever ... pre season ... you got training camp, team cuts, holdouts and ongoing contract renegotiations.. i would like mini camps and training camps .. where the teams wear their practice gear .. not their game uniforms .. and the quarterback wears a red, yellow or green jersey .. dependin' on the team ... training camps with drills you can play to make your players better ... like pushin' the sled to make your o-line better run blockers ... pass rushin' drills to make your d-line better pass rushers .. full contact scrimmages... with the ability to invite other teams around the league for a scrimmage .. i also would like 80-man rosters for the pre-season .. which we can cut down over 4 pre-season games to 53 men ... and create a practice squad we can use durin' the regular season ... and let us decide before each preseason game .. how long to play our starters ..how long to play our 2nd string and how long to play our 3rd string ... formation subs for every position on offense, defense and special teams... have a few players holdout for more money if they outperformed their current contract ... and conversely let management be able to renegotiate a player's contract down if he underperformed or be able to waive him if he doesn't want to renegotiate .. and when negotiatin' with a free agent .. if he doesn't like my offer .. his agent should make a counter offer ... so i can tell how far apart we are ... i.e. i offer $10 Million for 5 years .. and the agent counters with $15 Mill for 6 years ... and have restricted free agents and franchise tags... regular season .. you got games, practice, player morale, player chemistry, injuries and rehab.. i also would like a practice mode ..durin' the regular season with drills and scrimmages .. with players in practice gear ...and i want to decide if its gonna be full contact or not ..and injuries should sometimes occur durin' practice if its full contact... if i place someone on injured reserve ... i want the ability to sign another player in his absence ... during contract negotiations ... if a player doesn't like my offer .. i want his agent to make a counter offer .. so we can compromise ... and if we can't reach an agreement .. let him holdout.. trade logic ...have the cpu trade with one another as well as offer trades to me ...and be able to trade future draft picks ... and i would like a franchise calender with any important dates highlighted ... in the regular season ... every game should have a pre-game show .. a halftime show with scores and highlights from my game and maybe games around the league ... and post game show with highlights from my game ... during the regular season and playoffs .. i would like to see a weekly wrap-up show with highlights of all the games for the week, key injuries, who threw for 300 yards, who rushed for 100 yards and who had 100 yards or more receiving .. and upcomin' big match-ups, any big trades or trade rumors, and around week 10.. a look at the play-off picture... maybe have those mathematical scenarios for teams on the bubble ... where the sports anchors talk about team X will get into the playoffs .. if Team Y beats Team Z and Team A loses to Team B ... or all Team C needs is one more win to clinch the division.. and i should be able to get scouting reports ..in offline franchise.. for free .. about my upcomin' opponent ... during the regular season ... placin' a player on IR .. should free up a roster spot as others have mentioned .. and add a practice squad... and in the regular season .. player morale should come into play ... based on the player's satisfaction with playin' time, number of touches per game, how well he feels he's fittin' into the offensive/defensive scheme, his contract and team performance ... and durin' games ... i should be able to pick what i want to challenge .. when i pause the game and go into the challenge screen ... there should be a list like this .. The NFL replay system currently only covers the following situations: * Scoring plays * Pass complete/incomplete/intercepted * Runner/receiver out of bounds * Recovery of a loose ball in or out of bounds * Touching of a forward pass, either by an ineligible receiver or a defensive player * Quarterback pass or fumble * Illegal forward pass * Forward or backward pass * Runner ruled not down by contact * Forward progress in regard to a first down * Touching of a kick * Other plays involving placement of the football * Whether a legal number of players is on the field at the time of the snap and the fact that i accessed the instant replay menu should NOT hinder my option to challenge a play as many coordinators signal down to the head coach to challenge a play after seein' the replay and during the actual games on the sidelines if you could make the players look more realistic and have realistic reactions to what happens on the field .. and add a coach pacin' up and down the sidelines during the game ... not just during the cut scene ... and have crowds that boo when the opposin' team scores ... and let out a collective "AAWWW" when the receiver on the home team drops the ball ... and there should be a few different reactions for each scenario .. so you can mix it up ... and i want to be able to design my own plays ... and playbook ... pro football nowadays is a year round business .. so madden the game ... should feel like a year round experience ... and keep addin' to the created player faces every year ... and make sure to share those faces with ncaa football ... that way players keep the same faces as they are imported into madden and they don't have much overlap .. meanin' i don't want my QB, my RB, and my free safety to have the same face ... have a hall of fame feature .. with a cut scene showin' who was inducted into the hall of fame this year ... the 5 year wait won't be necessary ... and have some of the retired players become coaches in the game after their playin' career is over ... in the preseason have the hall of fame game for the pre-season opener and make mention of it in the broadcaster's commentary .. and cut to some of the hall-of-famers watchin' from the sidelines throughout the game ... add some cheerleaders ... and make them as close to their real life counterparts as possible ... and for the Super Bowl ... add the mother of all Pre Game Shows, Half Time Shows, and Post Game shows ... after the game ..show fans back home in the local bar celebratin' ... show fans runnin' out into the streets celebratin' ..etc ..

God I hope we get a game like that one day...

Unfortunately until EA actually has some competition we won't see anything close to this...

It's sad and frustrating

[ripp1p]

I would love to see the option to create plays and playbooks, instead of the ones they offer. I know for a fact I can create better plays and a better playbook. I would also like to take formations from other playbooks and use them in my own playbook. I dont want all of one particular playbook, I would like to take a certain formations and select certain plays that I know I would use. The problem with the way it is now, you dont like all the plays and formations, so you are forced to use only a few plays from the playbooks, but if you were able to create plays or take plays and formations from all the playbooks, the amount of different plays users would use would more than double.

[johnnyg713]

Im not a huge hardcore franchise guy. In the past, I'll admit i go into franchise, play as my fav team, go undefeated, and win the Superbowl. Once Im done with that, no way do i ever go on to the next season. This is pretty much what the casual madden fan sees in franchise.

EA knows that fans are not taking full advantage of what franchise has to offer because to many guys playing, looking at spread sheets and depth charts is just flat out boring (as Phil mentions in the interview).

The biggest thing I find boring about franchise is what happens through out the week leading up to the game. What happens through out the week just as important as playing the game. The big problem with this is that I have yet to see a franchise that makes practicing fun. NFL 2k5 had a pretty in-debpth way of preparing but it was all through spreadsheets and menus and was very very boring and tedious.

I want to bring in a feature that I think is awesome from NCAA 11. That is the gameplan feature during the actually game. For those of you that don't know, as you are chosing a play during the game you can hit X or square (depending on console) and there are simple areas to the game you want your offense or defense to focus on. Things such as stripping the ball, QB contain, big hit, can be set to conservative, balanced, or aggressive. Depending on what you set it on there are pos and neg to the game. If you focus on stripping the ball, your defense has a higher chance of stripping the ball out but also a lower chance of making the tackle.

How can this tie into practice? At the beginning of the week you have your off and defensive coordinators come up to you with a list of what you want to focus on during the week. Instead of going through everything and choosing what you want them to practice or w.e, you are given a list of drills or strategies that YOUR defensive and offensive coordinator comes up with on their own. (Want some in-debpth? Depending on how great your coordinator is the better the drills and strategies are and more effective they will be on the players). As head coach you have say on the level you want the team to work on during the week.

Lets get an example. Your playing the colts that week. Its a no brainer your defensive coordinator want the defense to focus on Manning and the passing game. He brings over the SIMPLE list of what the defense will focus on. He suggests the DL focus on getting pressure on the QB. As the head coach you can say that is a great suggestion and set it to aggressive. All week they can practice on getting to the Qb and gives your DL a boost by the end of the week and strengthens that part of the game. However focusing on getting to the QB all week has its disadvantages and may take away from stopping the run and lowering that aspect of the DLs game (Is your defensive coordinator the best in the league? Maybe there wont be any neg or weakness at the end of the week). Now lets say you go no way Peyton did horrible last week and they ran the ball very well against the pats. I want my DL to be conservative and not put pressure on manning. This will help stop the run but open up the passing game.

Is it a huge week for your team? There should also be the opportunity for you to set how hard you want your team to perform in practice. Nothing crazy. Full pads, half pads, no pads. You want your players to practice hard during drills? They will get more out of the week, however this could make them more susceptible to injury. Not a big week and want your players to be healthy. Conservative is the way to go. And balance is obvious.

Just 3 simple options for you to choose from can make your team completely different from one week to the next. Especially considering they are dozens of drills but its the coordinator that does all the work. I believe this system gives you debt in selecting what kind of coordinator you sign and who is right for your team but also the simplicity of preparing the team throughout the week.

Edit: I want to add press conferences after the game. You are asked a few questions by the press and you have 3 respnoses. Each one having a pos, neg, or nuetral effect on the teams moral/chemistry. Also random events that a player does during the week such as fighting in the locker room, where as a coach you have the option to punish the player, have a team meeting, etc. This will all affect how the team and media look at you as a coach. I believe they had this in like fifa 07? Its a pretty cool feature and took away from playing monotony of the mode.

[marshallfever]

Quote: Originally Posted by JohnDoe8865

Check out the FEATURE LIST for Madden NFL 2005 for XBox and PS2 FRANCHISE MODE IMPROVEMENTS: - Restricted Free Agents - Allow your young guys to test Restricted Free Agency. - Preseason Position Battles - Let two players who are similar in talent battle it out for the starting job. - Player Personalities - Players react to everything that happens to them and if things get really bad for them, they demand a trade. If you're not throwing the ball to your star receiver, you'll hear about it. - Franchise Tags - Tag players who refuse to re-sign with your team. - New Realistic Off-season Free Agency - Players no longer only care about money. They now look at your team, the players you have, your team prestige and lots of other factors. - Weekly Game-plan - Your coordinators provide you with a game-plan each week that contains keys to stop your upcoming opponents. - NFL Icons - They've acknowledged the stars in the NFL and they become Icons in your Franchise. These players influence free agents and affect morale if something happens to them. - Practice in Franchise - You can now practice with your current franchise team. - Improved Team Management - Teams intelligently manage their rosters now. They cut dead weight and sign regular season free agents. - Name Team Captains - You can now name your team captains every year in Franchise. - Rivalries - Rivalries are a new addition to Franchise this year. - Team Prestige - A new aspect of Franchise is prestige. Turn a perennial loser around to become a true powerhouse. - In-Season Player Progression - Players now progress based on how well they're doing during the season. Breakout players are rewarded for their performance. - Improved Draft - A ticker, announcer and trading during the draft highlight our draft improvements. - Change Player Positions - You can change the positions of players in Franchise every season now. - Storyline Central is a new addition to Franchise Mode this year that focuses on every story that is at the forefront in the NFL. The stories around your team now impact your team. If the rookie RB is pushing the veteran for playing time but not getting it, his morale will drop and it will affect his performance. You hear about the stories three different ways. 1) Newspaper. Every team in Franchise has a newspaper from their local city that discusses only the stories that pertain to that team. We also feature USA Today, which is the franchise's national newspaper. In USA Today, the most important stories from the entire NFL appear. 2) EA Sports Radio. They've added sports talk radio to Franchise, where host Tony Bruno breaks down the week's biggest stories. Each week's show includes call-ins, coach and player interviews, trivia questions and from time to time, Tony will rant about important issues in the NFL. 3) Email. Every week on your PDA, you'll receive emails about everything going on with your team. You will receive emails from players, coaches, general managers, the PR department, etc. - Create-a-fan: Create your own dedicated crazy fans. To be included during game-time celebratory animations. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Makes current gen seem a little .... lacking doesn't it??

I forgot how good 05 was, they need to bring all of this back and more....but thats asking too much of them isn't it?

[skte1ement]

Franchise mode is my calling in Madden. Nothing entices me more, but last year because of busted progression and a lackluster franchise I did not play it at all. This year it is unchanged but after a one year hiatus I am back. A few key things that franchise needs are:

• lower rated rookie classes, it is far too easy to turn a franchise around currently
• better scouting options, you should not be able to determine a players potential immediately, maybe an estimate would be okay
• drafted players demanding contracts based upon draft position instead of overall. this would make bad drafts more damaging and good drafts more meaningful
• expanded rosters during preseason
• progression needs to be reworked, I would like to see players decline in ratings more. a small % of the time ratings for even a young player should drop, representing an off year
• major injuries should affect a players ratings for a few weeks while he becomes adjusted to the NFL
• realistic contract demands by players

[debauchlord]

Not picking on anyone, but any aspect of any game that one deems "too easy" does not mean it is easy for everyone else. Plus, easy may not be a negative for many people. I guarantee many people find what you think easy, to be challenging. Also aspects of the game you find easy, others may not even want to deal with. This is a very subjective game with a multitude of opinions. What I think is that, yes, things need to be changed, more options added, but leave the perceived difficulty levels alone.