Madden: Editing Player Ratings in Franchise - Need Your Thoughts

[jfsolo]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ian_Cummings_EA

I wish that was an acceptable answer, but unfortunately the powers that be that approve our game (i.e. Sony and Microsoft) won't allow a game through that has known crashes, even if you do "stupid user tricks" as we call them. Keep the suggestions and comments coming guys - this is helpful discussion.

This is quite problematic, because I've always felt that if the User was foolish enough to edit their Franchise into non functionality, then they deserved to have their game crash and burn.

The main reason, IMO, for in season editing, has less to do with individual players, and almost everything to do with having another tool to mitigate design decisions, or mistakes that greatly impact the game in a negative way.

For example Imported or created RB's from draft classes all have carry ratings in the 60's or lower. CB's and Safeties have MCV and ZCV ratings that are too high relative to the Route running ratings of Wide Receivers.

In a perfect world these things would be tuned to be balanced correctly, but we all know that some things fall through the cracks. We just want another way besides sliders and patches to ameliorate the short comings with the A.I. or other aspects of the gameplay mechanics.

[RedZoneD25]

One thing I'd like to see is the POT rating be a "guess" of how good that player will be regarding rookies. It sort of relates to the post that said it should be a soft cap rather than a hard cap on ratings.

Say my 68 OVR WR puts up 1900 yards, 25 TDs and completely burns the Revis' and Samuel's of the NFL..He should have his OVR go up, and his POT go up as well. However, if he slumps back, his OVR goes down, but his POT now remains at an A because he has done this before.

Here's an example of what the heck I'm trying to spit out:

- Have multiple points in a season where the game re-evaluates the players OVR/POT (once every 4 games sounds good, then nothing else until the off-season for the postseason progression). This requires a more-stat based progression system from what M10 and M11 have offered. Here is an example:

DeSean Jackson puts up MONSTER numbers in year 5 of a franchise. His OVR is at a 96, and all seems well. So he starts the next season as a 96, and slumps hard through the first 4 weeks. His OVR "drops" to a 90, because he still has the POT to get out of it. He slumps even harder the next 4 weeks, and drops to an 84. He rebounds in the final 8 weeks of the season, which brings his OVR back to an 89-90. All the while his POT being an A. This would also be accentuated with the addition of hot/cold streaks, player roles, morale, and perhaps even a value rating.

If there were to be a hot/cold streak system implemented, it could be as a ghost rating which reflects how the player has performed over the past 4 week period. Every quarter of the season the player has the opportunity to break that tag of "cold streak". So DeSean's true rating would still be a 96, but his ghost rating would be the 84 and he would play perhaps not as well so you'd have to try harder to snap him out of it.

Player roles/morale is pretty self explanatory, it was in previous iterations of the game and would help to liven up the experience. However, the CPU needs to be able to do everything the user can regarding draft trades, drafting a steal and utilizing him, drafting a bust and attempting to fix their mistake once they know it, season trades, benching, signing, and all those little things that make it feel like the other 31 teams offline are being controlled by living, breathing people.

Value has been a rating I've been a big advocate of because it would help for more realistic trades. If a player has appeared to "bust" (think Moss in Oakland), he will come in a trade much cheaper than a player who is putting up numbers. Obviously you can't use legal issues to lower the value a la Santonio Holmes or Donte Stallworth..but maybe low stats is a start? The rating itself should not be a hard number or letter grade, because it is in the eye of the beholder. If I'm the Colts, and I try to trade Peyton Manning, I could think of at least 20-25 teams who would be ringing off the hook depending on what I wanted for him. If I'm trading Alex Smith out of SF, I should maybe get one or two calls from OAK and BUF. There needs to be some sort of system to determine who is most valuable to what team and at what point that value is lowered or raised. If I'm the Cowboys and I draft Dez Bryant, Roy Williams value APPEARS to go down, causing other GMs to potentially ask me about trading him. I want to see that in Madden. Same thing if I cut someone like QB Kevin Kolb because his value rating to my Eagles took a drop with the emergence of Vick. I tried to trade him, but teams wouldn't offer me enough because they knew I have Vick too...So I cut him because he has a low value rating to what I already have in place, but that doesn't mean he isn't valuable. Immediately he signs with another team who is willing to pay that big money and who needed a young QB to go with for the next 5 years. The CPU needs to have that sort of smarts as far as who it cuts as well. Just because a guy may not be good as a Packer doesn't mean he couldn't have a resurgence with a different scheme and team in the AFC West.

That is the last of my mega-essay, hopefully I made it clear enough for others to understand too. Obviously I have no experience in game creation, so I can only try to make the many ideas floating around in my head make some sort of legible sense.

The only other things I'd like to ask for are:

-Working IR
-RFA
-Future Draft Pick Trade (Current/Next)
-Practice Squad (maybe 3-4 players)
-Have CPU trade amonst themselves and initiate deals with user controlled teams.
-Training camp a la PS2 or preseason with potential rating boosts (for CPU teams AND user), so I have a reason to play it.*

*= Isn't really a mandatory addition but would help to liven up the franchise experience

and last but not least....a draft class editor/sharer like the EA Locker in NCAA

Thank you Ian and have a great day (night time now, but you know what I mean haha)

[Blue Line]

I would just like to say that I think performance should have a huge impact on the player rating. If I have a HB that is a 70 OVR and ends up rushing for 1600 yards with lets say 15 TD's, his OVR should jump up to about an 85 or so, however I agree with some that their other ability ratings shouldn't go up (speed, strength, jump, etc.) I guess the way to accomplish that would be to have a separate rating just for performance

also Ian, I would like to ask you to fix some stat issues in the game if possible. I used to play defense in college and although it might not be a big deal to most I would really like to see the assisted tackles be included in the total tackles. when you look at the player career stats in madden you see total tackles, however that number doesn't include their assists....and it should. also, when using super sim i noticed the sack numbers are very high...please address that as well. thanks for listening.

[JAYMO76]

I fully agree with a number of these posts. Simply put, GIVE THE USER 100% GLOBAL EDITING ABILITIES. I want to be able to:
1. Edit my players
2. Edit other teams players
3. Change the cpu depth chart for ALL teams
4. Override a rejected trade (if I want to "create" realism in my game)
5. Sign/re-sign players for CPU teams

As the purchaser of the game, it's MY game. Let me play it as I wish. Now I see no problem if you want to only allow this for offline dynasty. The reality is that we are buyinng the game so let us play it the way we want.

[LionsFanNJ]

My thoughts on this. Though it probably won't work for Madden 11. But if potential has to be kept in the ratings, make it like NBa 2k potential rating system. It doesn't matter what the players already rating is, the potential effects how much they progress from their current point. A clear example, you edit a player with 50 potential rating which would be an F, to say an 85 overall player. With that low potential, he won't progress much if at all above his 85 rating possibly only to an 86.

Basically instead of making it a ratings ceiling, make it a speed of potential/capper.

Edit: Also, certain things shouldn't regress in regards to attributes. Physical attributes yes, but "mental" ones shouldn't/wouldn't change except for maybe awareness increase as they mature.

[PhillipR24]

Personally Ian, I would want this feature in so i could decrease ratings.

[rooney8]

Being able to edit imported rookies would be great.

[RedZoneD25]

Quote: Originally Posted by PhillipR24

Personally Ian, I would want this feature in so i could decrease ratings.

Absolutely agreed. Especially if they have -5, -10, -15, -20 sets. This would only work if you could apply it to the pre-made draft classes as well to maintain.