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43M · 03-21-2011, 07:01 PM

This is mainly geared to all my fellow offline chisers, but obviously anyone can answer. Im going to sum up my feelings about past years of Madden in the next couple paragraphs, so feel free to skip ahead to the question if you want.

I remember when Madden 10 came out, while I didnt think it was amazing, I thought it was a huge step in the right direction. It improved every area of the game IMO from 2009 and things were starting to look up. Certain parts of franchise mode were improved on and we were told that there would be major franchise additions every year after that.

Then, the news about Madden 2011's franchise mode came along. No real improvements, and I have to tell you, I felt betrayed. It was a slap in the face, especially considering the rest of Madden 2011 had improved so little that I really wandered what the heck EA did with their development time. It was just another roster update with very minimal improvement anywhere else. (And for the record, I did not purchase Madden 2011)

Anyway, after months of just blasting EA, Ive calmed down. Maybe Im being duped again, I dont know, but for some reason, I have some blind faith that we will see a better franchise this year. Ive come to the conclusion that Madden's gameplay will never be at the point it should be, so I am mainly just focusing on franchise mode. I could muscle down the stale gameplay if they gave me a reason to pick up this game again and a reason not just to buy it, but to keep playing it more than a month or 2, which has been the most ive played any franchise mode really since Madden 08 on the PC.

END RANT/QUESTION

So, that all being said, I have two questions...

Will OFFline franchise mode improvements play a big part in whether you buy Madden 2012?

If yes....

What are the bare minimum improvements Madden 12's franchise mode needs in order for you to buy it?

Obviously, the first question is a 110%, no doubt in my mind YES!

Secondly, the minimum....I would say first and foremost that this Madden better have a working IR. It is beyond ridiculous that this hasnt worked and is 100% pure laziness on EA's part. If this doesnt work, I guarantee, I wont be buying.

Secondly, improved offseason AI, especially from CPU controlled teams. How many years can laughably bad team AI be a factor? For example, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are free agents. They arent franchise tagged by the CPU and while both teams have the money to sign their guys, neither makes an effort. That alone is BS. THEN, the Bears, who already have Jay Cutler who is like an 89 or something, go on to sign Peyton Manning as well. The 49ers or something sign Tom Brady. The Pats go on to draft 3 QBs....2 in the first 3 rounds. If that doesnt sum up how stupid the CPU AI is, nothing will.

I want to see smarter drafting that takes into account age of players on the roster, how players fit on their roster (ie....a 34 team should not be trying to trade for Dwight Freeney), who they drafted not just in the the current draft, but in recent drafts (ie...a team who drafted a QB in the first round in 2010 should NOT be drafting a QB early in 2011). I also need to see some interactions between other CPU controlled teams. Why are there never any trades other than between user controlled teams and CPU teams? No excuses.

This doesnt have to be perfect in the first year, but I do need to see the beginning of some changes there.

I also need to see some upgrades to how draft classes are done. I am so sick of not being able to have a realistic draft class. If you cant make imports from NCAA realistic at all, at least give us the options to edit draft classes...at the VERY LEAST edit the names of Madden generated classes and maybe where they are likely to be drafted.

Expanded rosters and future draft picks are also big things for me, but I could look past this one more year if other improvements are good enough.

So, Madden chisers, what say you?

sniperhare · 03-21-2011, 07:26 PM

Correct free agency, restricted tenders and conditional draft picks, practice squads, full rosters with game day inactives, improved contract negotiations, intelligent CPU drafting, full ability to edit players, full ability to edit draft classes, a feature to upload and download rosters and draft classes.

That's off the top of my head.

Not even counting gameplay these devs have a lot of work to do.

43M · 03-21-2011, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sniperhare


	Correct free agency, restricted tenders and conditional draft picks, practice squads, full rosters with game day inactives, improved contract negotiations, intelligent CPU drafting, full ability to edit players, full ability to edit draft classes, a feature to upload and download rosters and draft classes. That's off the top of my head. Not even counting gameplay these devs have a lot of work to do.

Wow...thats alot more than bare minimum. Dont get me wrong, I would like to see all of them, but thats like...almost everything that should be in franchise. Seriously doubt all that gets in this year.

CM Hooe · 03-21-2011, 08:23 PM

Working injured reserve and more intelligent CPU roster management would be a nice starting point. While not necessary, I'd also like to see an end to the idea of "roster minimums" that severely restrict how I can build my team. If I run an aggressive spread offense and I want to carry nine wide receivers, two tight ends, and no fullbacks on my roster, I should be allowed to do so.

The big thing for me though: buoying off of the excellence 2K Sports has done in this area recently, I want to have some sense of game context via the presentation. A few ideas to this end:

I want to hear the commentators talk more about how my team and my opponent are doing over the course of the season.
I want to hear the announcers talk about how my top draft pick has developed over his tenure with my team.
I want to see more season stats wipes backed by intelligent commentary. I want to see wipes for out-of-town scores and division standings, with commentary.
If I make a big roster move such as (hypothetical example, I don't want this to happen haha) shipping Tony Romo out of Dallas and drafting Cam Newton, I want the announcers to talk about it.
If a team makes a coaching change, I should hear about it in-game, and also have the game explain the significance of the coaching change (differences in gameday strategy, team-building philosophy, etc).

I want EA to bring the NFL to life, basically; while I was playing franchise in Madden NFL 11, each game felt too much like it was in its own little vacuum. Compared to its other sports game peers, the atmosphere in Madden's franchise mode has become lifeless.

TheDelta · 03-21-2011, 08:28 PM

The bare minimum? Improved off the field AI would be the first and most important thing I'd ask for.

Jarodd21 · 03-21-2011, 08:42 PM

You all pretty much broke down everything I would like to happen for offline franchise mode. Especially the imported draft classes. At least give us the option like 43m said and let us edit the draft classes along with fixing the attributes the way we want them.. Editing players attributes in offline franchise period needs to be an option.

A small change I would like to see is some game breaks and highlights of other games. That would be a dream come true..

But definitely the off the field AI needs to be improved. I get tired of controlling all the teams because of the dumb moves the CPU makes if I don't control them. I would like the option of switching off to other teams during my franchise even if I don't control all of the teams when I start my franchise. I want the AI to still able to make there own decisions and trades and stuff. But if I feel they made a dumb move by not resigning a Peyton Manning or something I wanna be able to switch to that team and resign him even if I'm not controlling all the teams. I want that option.

LiquorLogic · 03-21-2011, 08:54 PM

I'm sort of a hybrid gamer. Both franchise and game-play are pretty important. It's almost equal, but if I have to choose which one would be improved the most, I'd have to go with game-play. I see no point in spending time scouting, drafting and signing players if I can't even stomach the game-play.

That being said, I love franchise, and I miss it; I didn't even touch it when I owned M11. The bare minimum improvements for me are: 53 man rosters,45 man active rosters, no positions requirement, meaning don't tell me how many full backs I have to carry, a working IR feature, and all of the features we had in last-gen that didn't make it over do current-gen yet. Tiburon loves to recycle features and tout them as "new" features, so I think it's time they finally gave us all of the "new" features back.

Oh...and in game saves would be nice. Enough with that "quicker...simpler...deeper" crap ! Give us busy gamers the ability to save a game and come back to it, rather than the ability to rush through it.

Step2001 · 03-22-2011, 07:29 AM

Yes, what has been done or not done to enhance Offline-Franchise mode will determine if I buy Madden '12!

NFL Head Coach 09 set the bar for All and any Franchise Mode additions. Building and adding to what EA was able to accomplish with that game is (to me) where it starts when it comes to bare minimum.

I also agree that the two guys in the booth have to talk more about everything that is going on in the league and carry stuff over season to season. Most likely need two off the field hosts to talk about the teams moves during the season and in the offseason.

03-21-2011, 07:01 PM	#1
43M Banned OVR: 0 Join Date: Nov 2010	Offline Franchise nuts: Bare minimum improvements? This is mainly geared to all my fellow offline chisers, but obviously anyone can answer. Im going to sum up my feelings about past years of Madden in the next couple paragraphs, so feel free to skip ahead to the question if you want. I remember when Madden 10 came out, while I didnt think it was amazing, I thought it was a huge step in the right direction. It improved every area of the game IMO from 2009 and things were starting to look up. Certain parts of franchise mode were improved on and we were told that there would be major franchise additions every year after that. Then, the news about Madden 2011's franchise mode came along. No real improvements, and I have to tell you, I felt betrayed. It was a slap in the face, especially considering the rest of Madden 2011 had improved so little that I really wandered what the heck EA did with their development time. It was just another roster update with very minimal improvement anywhere else. (And for the record, I did not purchase Madden 2011) Anyway, after months of just blasting EA, Ive calmed down. Maybe Im being duped again, I dont know, but for some reason, I have some blind faith that we will see a better franchise this year. Ive come to the conclusion that Madden's gameplay will never be at the point it should be, so I am mainly just focusing on franchise mode. I could muscle down the stale gameplay if they gave me a reason to pick up this game again and a reason not just to buy it, but to keep playing it more than a month or 2, which has been the most ive played any franchise mode really since Madden 08 on the PC. END RANT/QUESTION So, that all being said, I have two questions... Will OFFline franchise mode improvements play a big part in whether you buy Madden 2012? If yes.... What are the bare minimum improvements Madden 12's franchise mode needs in order for you to buy it? Obviously, the first question is a 110%, no doubt in my mind YES! Secondly, the minimum....I would say first and foremost that this Madden better have a working IR. It is beyond ridiculous that this hasnt worked and is 100% pure laziness on EA's part. If this doesnt work, I guarantee, I wont be buying. Secondly, improved offseason AI, especially from CPU controlled teams. How many years can laughably bad team AI be a factor? For example, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are free agents. They arent franchise tagged by the CPU and while both teams have the money to sign their guys, neither makes an effort. That alone is BS. THEN, the Bears, who already have Jay Cutler who is like an 89 or something, go on to sign Peyton Manning as well. The 49ers or something sign Tom Brady. The Pats go on to draft 3 QBs....2 in the first 3 rounds. If that doesnt sum up how stupid the CPU AI is, nothing will. I want to see smarter drafting that takes into account age of players on the roster, how players fit on their roster (ie....a 34 team should not be trying to trade for Dwight Freeney), who they drafted not just in the the current draft, but in recent drafts (ie...a team who drafted a QB in the first round in 2010 should NOT be drafting a QB early in 2011). I also need to see some interactions between other CPU controlled teams. Why are there never any trades other than between user controlled teams and CPU teams? No excuses. This doesnt have to be perfect in the first year, but I do need to see the beginning of some changes there. I also need to see some upgrades to how draft classes are done. I am so sick of not being able to have a realistic draft class. If you cant make imports from NCAA realistic at all, at least give us the options to edit draft classes...at the VERY LEAST edit the names of Madden generated classes and maybe where they are likely to be drafted. Expanded rosters and future draft picks are also big things for me, but I could look past this one more year if other improvements are good enough. So, Madden chisers, what say you?

03-21-2011, 07:26 PM	#2
sniperhare MVP OVR: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Jacksonville, Florida	Re: Offline Franchise nuts: Bare minimum improvements? Correct free agency, restricted tenders and conditional draft picks, practice squads, full rosters with game day inactives, improved contract negotiations, intelligent CPU drafting, full ability to edit players, full ability to edit draft classes, a feature to upload and download rosters and draft classes. That's off the top of my head. Not even counting gameplay these devs have a lot of work to do.

03-21-2011, 08:23 PM	#4
CM Hooe Dead! OVR: 45 Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Culver City, CA Posts: 20,955	Re: Offline Franchise nuts: Bare minimum improvements? Working injured reserve and more intelligent CPU roster management would be a nice starting point. While not necessary, I'd also like to see an end to the idea of "roster minimums" that severely restrict how I can build my team. If I run an aggressive spread offense and I want to carry nine wide receivers, two tight ends, and no fullbacks on my roster, I should be allowed to do so. The big thing for me though: buoying off of the excellence 2K Sports has done in this area recently, I want to have some sense of game context via the presentation. A few ideas to this end: I want to hear the commentators talk more about how my team and my opponent are doing over the course of the season. I want to hear the announcers talk about how my top draft pick has developed over his tenure with my team. I want to see more season stats wipes backed by intelligent commentary. I want to see wipes for out-of-town scores and division standings, with commentary. If I make a big roster move such as (hypothetical example, I don't want this to happen haha) shipping Tony Romo out of Dallas and drafting Cam Newton, I want the announcers to talk about it. If a team makes a coaching change, I should hear about it in-game, and also have the game explain the significance of the coaching change (differences in gameday strategy, team-building philosophy, etc). I want EA to bring the NFL to life, basically; while I was playing franchise in Madden NFL 11, each game felt too much like it was in its own little vacuum. Compared to its other sports game peers, the atmosphere in Madden's franchise mode has become lifeless. Last edited by CM Hooe; 03-21-2011 at 08:26 PM.

03-21-2011, 08:28 PM	#5
TheDelta MVP OVR: 11 Join Date: Sep 2010	Re: Offline Franchise nuts: Bare minimum improvements? The bare minimum? Improved off the field AI would be the first and most important thing I'd ask for.

03-21-2011, 08:42 PM	#6
Jarodd21 Hall Of Fame OVR: 42 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: San Antonio TX Posts: 10,569	Re: Offline Franchise nuts: Bare minimum improvements? You all pretty much broke down everything I would like to happen for offline franchise mode. Especially the imported draft classes. At least give us the option like 43m said and let us edit the draft classes along with fixing the attributes the way we want them.. Editing players attributes in offline franchise period needs to be an option. A small change I would like to see is some game breaks and highlights of other games. That would be a dream come true.. But definitely the off the field AI needs to be improved. I get tired of controlling all the teams because of the dumb moves the CPU makes if I don't control them. I would like the option of switching off to other teams during my franchise even if I don't control all of the teams when I start my franchise. I want the AI to still able to make there own decisions and trades and stuff. But if I feel they made a dumb move by not resigning a Peyton Manning or something I wanna be able to switch to that team and resign him even if I'm not controlling all the teams. I want that option. __________________ https://forums.operationsports.com/f...n-sliders.html PSN: Jarodd21 Last edited by Jarodd21; 03-22-2011 at 08:44 AM.

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03-21-2011, 08:54 PM	#7
LiquorLogic Banned OVR: 9 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Philadelphia, PA	Re: Offline Franchise nuts: Bare minimum improvements? I'm sort of a hybrid gamer. Both franchise and game-play are pretty important. It's almost equal, but if I have to choose which one would be improved the most, I'd have to go with game-play. I see no point in spending time scouting, drafting and signing players if I can't even stomach the game-play. That being said, I love franchise, and I miss it; I didn't even touch it when I owned M11. The bare minimum improvements for me are: 53 man rosters,45 man active rosters, no positions requirement, meaning don't tell me how many full backs I have to carry, a working IR feature, and all of the features we had in last-gen that didn't make it over do current-gen yet. Tiburon loves to recycle features and tout them as "new" features, so I think it's time they finally gave us all of the "new" features back. Oh...and in game saves would be nice. Enough with that "quicker...simpler...deeper" crap ! Give us busy gamers the ability to save a game and come back to it, rather than the ability to rush through it. Last edited by LiquorLogic; 03-21-2011 at 09:00 PM.

03-22-2011, 07:29 AM	#8
Step2001 Pro OVR: 9 Join Date: Jul 2006 Blog Entries: 5	Re: Offline Franchise nuts: Bare minimum improvements? Yes, what has been done or not done to enhance Offline-Franchise mode will determine if I buy Madden '12! NFL Head Coach 09 set the bar for All and any Franchise Mode additions. Building and adding to what EA was able to accomplish with that game is (to me) where it starts when it comes to bare minimum. I also agree that the two guys in the booth have to talk more about everything that is going on in the league and carry stuff over season to season. Most likely need two off the field hosts to talk about the teams moves during the season and in the offseason.

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Offline Franchise nuts: Bare minimum improvements?